Unfortunately, not everyone can win the Royal Rumble.
The legendary battle royal has now been in existence for close to 40 years, and has produced some of the most iconic moments in pro wrestling history. From the 60-minute marathon performance by Ric Flair in 1992 to Shawn Michaels going wire to wire in 1995 and Edge’s return in 2020, fans look forward to the evet each and every January to officially kick off WrestleMania season. That being said, not everyone gets to add a Rumble win to their resume.
Although Steve Austin in 2001, Becky Lynch in 2019 and Cody Rhodes in 2023 were all the right choices, WWE has not got it right every year. Whether it was Vince McMahon in 1999, Alberto Del Rio in 2011 or Charlotte Flair in 2020, there have been multiple instances where the wrong man or woman won. Although many of the names mentioned went on to win World Championships and headline WrestleMania, the Rumble remained an accolade that always alluded them.
WWE Stars Who Should Have Won The Royal Rumble
Roddy Piper
Arguably the greatest pro wrestler to never win the WWE Championship, Piper inspired countless future stars with his charisma and promos. One of the greatest heels of all time, Piper would have been a great choice to win the 1992 Rumble instead of Flair, setting up a bout between Hot Rod and The Nature Boy at that year’s WrestleMania.
Daniel Bryan
In 2014, fans made it clear that there was only one outcome they wanted: Daniel Bryan to win the Royal Rumble and to win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. With Bryan being the number one babyface at that point, it appeared to be a lock that the leader of the YES! Movement would be the last man standing, regardless of what WWE originally had planned. As more and more entrants made their way into the match, the groundswell of support for Bryan grew louder, reaching a crescendo as the countdown for number 30 began. However, as Rey Mysterio’s music played, the realisation sank in that Bryan would not be in the match. It’s hard to deny that a huge error had been made when the decision resulted in fans booing one of the most beloved stars of the 21st century. One year later, Bryan was a part of the Rumble match, but was quickly eliminated by Bray Wyatt. Although WWE would tell fans that it was always the plan for Bryan to headline Mania 30, there is still some scepticism more than a decade later. Had they just let Bryan win the Rumble, things would have been very different.
Mick Foley
A firm fan favourite, Foley never had much luck when it came to the Rumble event. Not only did he lose to Triple H in their excellent street fight match back in 2000, but Foley was also unsuccessful in 1998 despite entering the match 3 times. A man who sacrificed his body for the love of the fans and the industry, few would have complained if Foley added a Rumble victory to his lengthy list of accolades.
Chris Jericho
Given that Jericho has been a part of WWE across multiple eras, the first-ever Undisputed Champion had multiple logical opportunities to win the iconic match. While many feel that Jericho should have won the 2012 Rumble instead of Sheamus, 2017 was the most opportune time. With Jericho being best friends with Universal Champion Kevin Owens at this point, having Jericho win the Royal Rumble would have been the logical breaking point that ultimately led to the excellent Festival of Friendship segment on Raw in February of that year. Owens and Jericho were great together and deserved a World Title program instead of the last-minute switch of putting the title on Goldberg.
The Big Show
The commentary line “How can anyone eliminate The Big Show?” became somewhat of a running gag among fans in the 2010s. Although Big Sow was 7 feet tall and at one point tipped the scales at over 500 pounds, he was generally eliminated quite easily most years. It’s been very rare that a true superheavyweight has won the Rumble since its inception, and Show is definitely the man who deserved the accolade at some point in his career.
CM Punk
Much like Jericho, there were multiple points where a Punk Rumble win would have been very logical. Had Punk won the match in 2013 and went on to face The Rock and possibly John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania 29, The Best in the World may have never left one year later. Failing that, a Punk win in 2011 would have been much more popular than Alberto Del Rio, and few would have complained if Punk won in 2025 to face Gunther instead of Jey Uso.
Shayna Baszler
WWE has a strange relationship with NXT call-ups. Unlike previous years where the likes of Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle were pushed to the top immediately, the NXT stars moving to main roster have often been left struggling for a couple of years before truly finding their footing. In 2019, Baszler was presented as a dominant force. After laying waste to the competition on the Black and Gold brand, the Queen of Spades stood tall in the main event of Survivor Series over main roster champions Becky Lynch and Bayley. With Baszler vs. Lynch looking to be inevitable, a Baszler win in 2020 would have been much more well-received than the Charlotte Flair victory. While Baszler still got her opportunity by winning the Elimination Chamber, the Rumble would have meant so much more.
Kane
Although The Big Red Machine has been in more Rumbles than anyone else, and has the all-time record for total eliminations, Kane never made it to the end. Although 2001 wasalways set to be Stone Cold’s night, Kane was the one who had the most dominant performance. Potentially the greatest Royal Rumble entrant to never win the match, this is one record the Hall of Famer will never achieve.
Dean Ambrose
From 2015 onwards, fans made it clear that they wanted just about anyone other than Roman Reigns to be their guy and the star of the main event scene. In 2016, Reigns put his title on the line in the Rumble match, and also entered at number 1. With the roster gutted with injuries at that point, WWE were forced to break glass in case of emergency and have Triple H enter in the final spot. With Reigns eliminated by The Game, the fans erupted as they knew a new World Champion was set to be crowned. While Triple H winning the title looked to be a foregone conclusion, there was a groundswell of support for Dean Ambrose in the closing stages. Given that Ambrose could have faced Reigns at Mania 32, it might have saved the show from having one of the worst main events in the show’s history.
Sasha Banks
Although her fellow Horsewomen Bayley, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch have all triumphed in the most famous match stipulation in wrestling history, Banks was never able to achieve the same success. That being said, Banks was the Mania opponent for 2021 winner Bianca Belair, and the two put on a match of the year contender in the first WrestleMania to feature fans back in attendance following what happened the previous year. Banks’ in-ring track record speaks for itself, and the former Women’s Champion should have been in consideration for a win.
Featured image: WWE
