The WWE Royal Rumble is a time honored staple. From the legendary 1992 Rumble, won by Ric Flair, to the 2001 match where Austin was able to win his third Rumble match. The legacy of the event speaks for itself.
But what about in recent memory? With the WWE product as a whole declining in terms of quality in the 2010s, how did the Royal Rumble fair? Without further ado, here is our best WWE Royal Rumble Matches since 2010.
2010
The year 2010 treated WWE fans pretty well. Outside of John Cena’s run of dominance, of course. It was Shawn Michaels last year as a full-time performer, as well as the Undertaker’s last run as world champion.
The 2010 Rumble had a lot of interesting possible winners heading into the match, with Cena, Batista and Shawn Michaels being a few. Shawn Michaels was probably the sentimental favorite, with the stipulation made, if he won, he would challenge the Undertaker at WrestleMania.
The match itself saw good performances from guys like CM Punk, Triple H, and Chris Jericho. But in the end, a surprise return for Edge put a cap on what was an exciting match, with the “Rated R-Superstar” winning his first Rumble. An awesome return and a fantastic match, littered with WrestleMania implications, makes the 2010 match one of the best of all-time.
2018
The ending of the 2018 Royal Rumble was one of the best in WWE history. The “Battle of Generations,” including guys like John Cena, Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio vs. Finn Balor, Roman Reigns and Shinsuke Nakamura, was epic. In the end, Shinsuke eliminated Cena and Reigns to win the match, as fans were ecstatic.
Shinsuke was never given the follow-up he deserved, losing to AJ Styles at WrestleMania in disappointing fashion. Nonetheless, the match had everything. A great iron man in Finn Balor, a surprise return in Rey Mysterio and a great dramatic ending with Nakamura overcoming the odds.
Looking back, do you think Shinsuke Nakamura winning the 2018 Royal Rumble Match was the right decision? pic.twitter.com/MijH4ruOzq
— Jon Kloss (@jkloss29) January 20, 2023
2020
WWE built a new star in this match, which is arguably the more important aspect of a rumble match. Drew McIntyre entered at number 16 and eliminated WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in exciting fashion. Lesnar entered at number one, eliminated everyone in his path before “The Chosen One,” claymores Lesnar out of the ring.
The second half of the match was very strong with stars like, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, AJ Styles and Randy Orton to enter. Add in one of the best returns of all-time, Edge at number 21, and you have something special. McIntyre ended the Rumble by eliminating Reigns to win it what was a real star making moment.
Edge making his return in the 2020 Royal Rumble will always be one of the loudest pops in WWE history pic.twitter.com/1FKz2r4FHl
— Alex Feuz (@AlexFeuz) January 15, 2023
2021
Even with no fans, WWE put on another really solid rumble in 2021. In the ThunderDome, WWE started the match with Randy Orton and Edge. Followed by favorites like Seth Rollins, Daniel Bryan, Braun Strowman and AJ Styles. Edge lasted all the way until the end with the help of a surprise return from Christian.
At the end, Orton would return from backstage to try to eliminate Edge, but in the end “The Rated R Superstar” got the job done. In an emotional moment, Edge would finally main event WrestleMania again.
Edge & Christian reuniting at Royal Rumble 2021 was such a cool moment. pic.twitter.com/mawUFosHyM
— Pro Wrestling Finesse (@ProWFinesse) January 20, 2023
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