Starting the match with Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan, and having them both last until the end was a bold choice, and Rhea ultimately winning was the right call. It helped catapult her to the top of the card at the WWE, with Liv Morgan right behind her.
9. 2005 Royal Rumble
Botches happen in professional wrestling. It’s unavoidable. Usually, it’s a small miscue, and you just go on with the match. Sometimes fans don’t even really notice. But then there’s the infamous botched finish to the 2005 Royal Rumble that will forever put it among the very best of these matches.
Going into the event, Batista was booked to win by throwing John Cena over the top rope last. As planned, Batista got Cena up for his signature Batista Bomb, Cena countered with a head scissors… and they both promptly fell right over the top rope, landing on the floor at the exact same time. Vince McMahon was so pissed off, he then came to the ring to restart the match, somehow legitimately tearing both his quads in the process. The match restarted, Batista promptly threw Cena over the top rope as planned, and fans were left with one of the greatest, most chaotic Royal Rumble finishes of all time.
8. 2008 Royal Rumble
This is a divisive Rumble match for a lot of fans. Yes, it was a little too busy at times, but the good here easily outweighs the bad and earns it a place on the list. The match opens with Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker as the first two entrants. You really can’t go wrong with that combo, and they each lasted an impressive 30+ minutes.
There are some fun spots here, such as an unexpected showdown between legends Roddy Piper and Jimmy Snuka, and Hornswoggle hiding under the ring, but the most memorable part of this match is John Cena entering at number 30. Cena had legit torn his pectoral muscle just three months before, and was expected to be out of action for six months, so the crowd was completely shocked to see him show up and win the whole thing. His return still remains one of the biggest pops in WWE history.
7. 2016 Royal Rumble
To be fair, there’s a lot to like and dislike about this Rumble match. First, the good. It was interesting to see the WWE try something different here. A pre-Tribal Chief Roman Reigns had to enter first to defend his WWE Championship, and he had an impressive run throughout the match, even though he went backstage for part of it. This was also the debut of A.J. Styles in the WWE, and he did indeed look phenomenal, lasting almost 30 minutes. The Wyatt Family was also booked as a real force to be reckoned with here, working together to eliminate Brock Lesnar and Mark Henry.
