10 BEST WWE Royal Rumble Winners | Tables, Lists & Chairs

[@harveyburton7]

Expect the Big show to be in this list for Luke since he was the rightful winner of 2000 royal rumble

[@TyMarshall007]

it would be on the Worst Royal Rumble winners sadly because Big Show was the real winner

[@harveyburton7]

​@TyMarshall007 The big show the people's royal rumble winner

[@jk844100]

@@harveyburton7actually he wasn’t. The Big Show was completely right and even showed proof that he was the winner, but what did the people do? “BOOOO! YOU SUCK! ROCKY! ROCKY! ROCKY!”

[@harveyburton7]

@jk844100 Well, I meant now compared to when it happened at the time. I still think if the rock returns, they should do a similar idea, but he's actually the heel this time

[@misteraskman3668]

I would have him at #12 if I had to be objective, but #10 because he was just integral to my childhood and I kind of hate that he never won despite beimg impossible to eliminate every rumble.

[@GeekOfArabia]

I understand why it would be omitted by everyone else, but for me, one of the best winners was Chris Benoit. It had a great story going in, the rumble itself was pretty great, his iron-man performance was great, the Triple Threat match at Mania was excellent, and him celebrating with Eddie was the feel-good moment of the year. Unfortunately, none of that matters, and we all know why.

[@bwfchamp7]

Everything surrounding Benoit sucks so much and is absolutely tragic, but if only we could talk about it without any asterisks. Because like you said the story was great, the match was great and just the fact that it was someone who in a different era wouldn’t smell the rumble winner at all is so cool.

[@alharron2145]

Not just that, the 2004 Royal Rumble was one of the best ever in terms of booking, stars, & setting up future stories (Taker/Kane, Goldberg/Lesnar, Foley/Orton, Cena/Show, Christian/Jericho)

[@sleepyyweepyyy]

The 2004 Rumble is top five for me and seeing Benoit win it makes it even better. The guy who was so close time and time again to the top belt finally get a chance to shine and win the belt at mania afterwards was just chef's kiss

[@FloridaGuy53]

In a moment like this, you seperate the art from the artist.

[@SheriffCheese]

Yeah maybe dont murder your wife and child and you would be a bonafide Hall of Famer

[@darrelladams4886]

I still remember when Keith Lee came out for the rumble and was presented in a way that really made you think that he was gonna be the next big thing and a future champ. Unfortunately he never really rose above that moment and we all remember how his career went.

[@RealBrizz]

WWE’s and AEW’s biggest blunder of the last 5 years

[@vampirascoffin870]

​@@RealBrizzat least aew was kinda pushing him than the bearcat gimmick plus Keith health was a big factor

[@graemewells3716]

Its brocks face when he comes out just made him. But then they ruin it

[@darrelladams4886]

@@vampirascoffin870yes his health was a big part of things. But I feel like that could have gone differently as well if he had the right help. He lost a lot of his cool factor once he shaved and changed gear too. The goatee and the vest, NXT style was the way. It was great once he got to AEW except you could tell he was no longer the same guy. The aura was back but in ring stuff wasn’t the same. I think changing his in ring style was inevitable but his conditioning was so bad and it showed. Too big, not the same gas tank. I was fine with losing rue aerial aspects of his kit

[@fscorpion678]

That was really WWE's fault

[@namenamename390]

I hadn't seen the Bayley interview Luke was talking about, so I checked it out. Genuinely sweet.

[@grindstone11]

It was. Poor Luke lol

[@Louis-Souness]

Adding more to that Drew Mcintyre elimanation on Brock, I don't think I've seen a crowd bounce out of their seats like that since like The days of Rock and Austin, incredible Rumble 2020 was

[@sonic5993]

Its always fun when the guy you don't expect to win, is the one who does.

[@TheJJeffHardy]

25:35 actually, Braun Strowman won the Greatest Royal Rumble

[@soccer11skills]

Facts

[@scottpompeo2300]

Thank you again for saying the names of the entrance out loud for people who are listening

[@leonelcardenas5847]

That does drive me crazy when I can only listen to the video😢.

[@vincealessandro4386]

Glad to see McIntyre was rated so highly. Him winning the Rumble and going on to be a first time champ was the first time we’d had that happen since 2006!!

[@jonnysmith5998]

Disregarding the obvious, Benoit is a top 3 pick. He was the right guy, it was the unexpected, he had a great performance in the match and had an incredible WM main event. It’s how I’d imagine it’d go if Chad Gable won today.

[@ohhhkingslayer]

This is a personal list, and a lot of us do not wanna include that man in anything

[@thunderbirds9001]

Dammit Tempest, now I wanna go rewatch the 2020 Men's Royal Rumble match

[@maosin666]

I understand why we would not talk about it but Chris Benoit's win in 2004 is truly one of the best if not THE best single Royal Rumble performance of all time

[@john-wh6mz]

Flair and mysterio had better performances

[@misteraskman3668]

That was my favorite Rumble for a long time.

[@Scotch1927]

this

[@AzureRoxe]

@@john-wh6mz Not even close. Chris' win and subsequent Mania victory is one of THE most iconic moments in wrestling, to the point it used to be shown in every hype package.

[@gregalmonte8]

@@john-wh6mzChris Benoits match at WM was miles better than Ric Flair’s and Rey Mysterios match that year

[@harveyburton7]

To Fantasy book the royal rumble, i would like the Rock to win the rumble like he did in 2000 by his feet touching the ground first, but being announced as the winner and actually being seen as the heel in the storyline going on to challenge Cody Rhodes at Mania

[@mhug86]

The pops Drew was getting after he announced he was going to be in the rumble to getting the 321 countdown before the claymore over I knew he was going to win and the mania win in front of no one has been the catalyst for the midst justified and fantastic "heel" run ever.

[@davidyoung6649]

Ric Flair should be higher on the list. First time the winner got the world title. First time an Ironman won the rumble, and First time the rumble felt important. That should make him 1 or 2 on the list.

[@willhouse23]

For me triple h when he came back is in my top ten and that surprise one when he came last and everyone lost their minds.

[@evdomos]

The 2020 Rumble being in front of a crowd will forever be special.

[@anthonycairo9202]

I reason why these kids say the early rumbles don’t hold up is cause they weren’t around during that time. Cause the 1990 rumble definitely holds up and is in my top ten favorite rumbles.

[@Sinister3742]

92 is one that’s pretty well regarded these days.

[@keifaleif883]

Love the 1990 Rumble!

[@anthonycairo9202]

@ yes 92 is probably my favorite rumble of them all

[@joaopires1761]

Yeah, older rumbles are the best. Everything seemed much more organic and flowed more naturally. Now everyone stops artifically for long periods of time so that there's only one spot going on at the time, it feels so awfully choreographed. It's more than what my suspension of desbelief can take.

[@MrPntbllr908]

Curtis axel was still never eliminated

[@Braddowski]

Neither was Hornswoggle

[@TheNinjaStory]

He was eliminated in 2016

[@TheNinjaStory]

​@@BraddowskiHe was eliminated in... 2018???

[@daniurquhart3805]

Neither was swoggle, or finlay, or test etc.

[@ciannolan9714]

Becky in the top 10 surely. That pop in 2019 is INCREDIBLE.

[@spoogtastic]

I rewatched that rumble the other day and man it's just not a great rumble. The way she gets brought into the match is really terrible. The only thing that is any sort of good in that is Becky being so over.

[@Betared2003]

Big John Studd should not be a joke choice. 89 is one of the best matches they've ever done telling the story of the guy that loses (Dibiase) rather than wins. Actually 89 is a lot about the guys getting eliminated (Andre, Hogan, Dibiase) and that's just cool because it's a three act play.

[@Sacrilege83]

Starts off with Axe vs Smash, these "kids" wouldn't care. Both of Michaels' Rumble matches sucked.

[@Betared2003]

@@Sacrilege83 Yeah they don't get why a Rumble that booked The Rockers, Demolition, Brain Busters, Twin Towers and even the bloody Bushwhackers well was so cool. To busy listing to their hippity hop music and graffiting jackets.

[@jk844100]

Fun fact: until Cody won in 2024. The last 7 Royal Rumble matches had been won from either the first 3 or last 3 positions. Bayley - 3 Cody - 30 Rhea - 1 Ronda - 28 Brock - 30 Edge - 1 Bianca - 3 (6/7 were won from 1, 3 or 30)

[@BossofBosses111]

Idk why they don't vary the numbers. It's not hard to make someone number 4 and win

[@TinkSalsa]

​@@BossofBosses111they probably kept thinking "well, we don't want them 1/2 or 29/30, that happens too much, lets do 3/28!"

[@jamiekoh6113]

@@BossofBosses111 I agree that this is my nerdy nitpicky opinion about the recent Rumbles. Theres been 0 variation with the winners and where they came from. Bayley winning at #4 instead of the Ric Flair and Bianca #3 makes ZERO difference.

[@ChrisPayneHBTW]

My biggest annoyance the past 4 years. The iron man/woman position has been done to death. I’d enjoy a rumble where some people stay for 20-25 minutes but having people every rumble last 50+ minutes diminishes how grueling the rumble should be from a kayfabe perspective. Make sit seem like anyone can do it.

[@WishYouWereHere75]

My own personal list, based on how the Rumble win/s were received at their respective times, how established each star was at said time of winning it and what happened afterwards. More than happy to field any question on why I didn't pick X, Y or Z in replies. 1) Austin 2) Lynch 3) Michaels 4) Edge 5) Rhodes 6) Ripley 7) Belair 8) Mcintyre 9) Undertaker 10) Nakamura

[@WolvieXXXZandalari]

Minus Nakamura, this list is great, lol. I feel people who watched him in NJW and NXT liked his win more.

[@WishYouWereHere75]

@WolvieXXXZandalari he makes the list because he was so hyped when he came up from NXT after having so many belters there and his Rumble win is my favourite Rumble of all time. I remember how excited we were for him and Styles at Mania and then, well, the match happened and everything dropped off a cliff 😅

[@WolvieXXXZandalari]

@WishYouWereHere75 yea, i get that. I have only watched his main roster stuff, and it's been an absolute trainwreck. So all the hype behind him didn't exist (for me)... and after how he was treated after winning the royal rumble, I still dont get it. Its a shame, wwe could have booked him like a star, but they didn't.

[@BaronTMan]

Obviously a lot has to be said of Flairs performance and rightfully so on the list, but also Bobby Heenan for the entire match shilling for him makes it even better, an amazing commentator performance putting him over.

[@LVSignChick]

And when you hear Heenan slowly losing it over the match,...chef's kiss on commentary!

[@Ryanh1010]

I watched alot of older TLC videos this weekend and Sullivan might me my favorite wrestletalk person 😂 Glad he is still doing these!

[@leaderofnoone9087]

I remember getting into arguments with people's who didn't like the 2020 men royal Rumble, at the time.

[@ThisIsFiveEighteen]

I had a friend who said "I feel bad for MVP" and I was like what, were you sad for Rowan and his pet, too?

[@leaderofnoone9087]

@ThisIsFiveEighteen I remember some people didn't like the Brock Lesnar part of the Royal Rumble, at the time.

[@thesamaffliction1572]

Having Luke tell Sullivan to pad the run time for extra ads, followed by him agreeing saying one compliment of Cody’s hair into a mid-roll is comedic timing to perfection and even if you didn’t plan it that way take the credit 😂

[@Drake_Dimes]

Best 10 wrestlers to never win a Rumble. Would be a great list.

[@elijahwhitfield3032]

Happy New Year and Happy Birthday Pete 🎂 🎉🎊😭

[@JohnDoe-dw3hj]

They seem to think Becky Lynch was champion at Royal Rumble 2019 but she wasn't. It was Asuka

[@Lenkic13]

Drew’s win was truly amazing.

[@kennobu8181]

I still hate the fact that we could have 2 Japanese champ leaving Wrestlemania, but didn't even leave with one

[@BmanTheChamp]

Nakamura not winning made sense because as top champion he'd have to represent the company and do a ton of interviews and the language barrier would have been too much, but Asuka could have worked.

[@fscorpion678]

⁠@@BmanTheChamphe didn't really. Cody is really the only person in a while to do that.

[@simonairey8982]

It has been said many times before. But thank you Tempest for stating who each of your picks are. As someone who primarily listens to these videos, it makes them actually worth listening to.

[@thanksgivingmcdaniels3335]

Was Flair not on 2 of the lists? That's nuts

[@sebastianbruckwilder5720]

Drew Mcintyres win felt so big at the time. Really well done.

[@jacksmithbees777]

i actually think rey winning is the only clear winner for me its the win i enjoyed the most even if wwe did not compare about him it was the best rumble moment ever so best rumble winner

[@kingoftherock98]

I think benoit should have made top ten, great rumble, great performance

[@RobertJW]

Nobody is ever mentioning that man as best anything ever again.

[@smarties9865]

Mr McMahon, Del Rio and John Studd top three surely

[@MultiClassGeek]

Worst Ever Winners will probably be on Patreon

[@TyMarshall007]

@@MultiClassGeek or Next week

[@Betared2003]

Studd is on my list, 89 is the best Rumble from 1 to 30. Studd is a surprise entrant, the story is about the guy that loses (Dibiase). Demolition explodes early on then face Andre the Giant. Hogan get's taken out mid match.

[@smarties9865]

@ I agree that 1989 is a great Rumble, but Studd is one of the worst winners of all time. He just beats on Akeem for the entire time he’s in there until it gets down to them two and Ted. Also he wasn’t a surprise entrant, don’t know where you got that from.

[@tobeeeeee8981]

i know the result wasn't the best, but people tend to forget that Asuka vs Charlotte was SUCH a good match! i agree than Asuka should have won, but you can't disregard how great of a match it was.

[@BlackhornLynx]

Nakamura, Asuka, Rey Mysterio, Batista, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Rhea Ripley, Cody Rhodes, Stone Cold, HBK

[@RazanQueen62]

"you watch wrestling when you are a wrestling fan" i feel that since that's how i felt in 2019 and the pandemic era

[@PapaCoco1128]

22:30 love the 21 Jump Street reference 😆

[@LVSignChick]

The only thing missing in the opinions about Ric Flair and the 92 Rumble win was Heenan on commentary...Heenan elevated the match as much if not more than Flair...

[@carlosgomez3984]

Adam Whitney slowly becoming my favorite person in Wrestletalk

[@TehBuggy]

I don’t know what my list would be and I don’t know whose list I agree with more, but it’s just fun listening to pals chat about wrestling moments they liked 😀

[@diabeticman2194]

Tempest saying the 2007 Rumble is one of the best ones is jarring as someone who saw Brian Zane’s saying that it was a nothing burger until the final two. Who’s in the right? Edit: to throw out a future TLC suggestion, one on top ten commentators would be cool

[@jtstill423still8]

Sully’s always a joy to have for these!

[@rayansky]

Note to Luke Owens, Sid wasn't in the 1995 nor 1996 Royal Rumble...

[@ficvirth5412]

I love to see the 2020 rumble match getting its flowers. What an excellent match and a genuine star making performance from Drew. One of the very very few good things from that year.

[@chelsea6671]

There's only been a couple Rumble wins that I remember invoking any kind of real emotion out of me, and those were Bianca, Shinsuke and Asuka and Cenas first. Bianca because I was already a big fan during the NXT and Mae Young runs. Shinsuke and Asuka because two legit bad badasses in the scope of wrestling won on the same night, plus Asuka was the first Women’s winner. Cena because he was my guy when I first started watching and took that spot after Eddie passed because I only got to see Eddie for like 6 months. Bayley because I was there live and she won at my first ever WWE PPV.

[@shortesnameofalltime]

Outside of being a kid, and being happy when a guy like Batista or Roman one the only ones that got emotion from me were Shinsuke Bayley and Cody, Asuka isn’t here because I was just scared she wouldn’t win at mania….

[@shortesnameofalltime]

And Drew McIntyre I forgot about him

[@Andrethegiant2008]

As as ACTUAL millennial, who was 6 when Austin won the 2001 rumble, and didn't start watching until 3 years later... I still agree, he just brought such a presence to the rumble that only he could, and watching it today, the 2001 rumble holds up SO well.

[@RobertJW]

I had to pause because "'Sullivan doesn't know what hes talking about!' And that's true." Made me laugh so hard.

[@mrmamba5544]

Attending the rumble this year and I couldn’t be more excited. Early picks are Iyo and the invisible man.

[@insidepumpkin]

Hey hey, ho ho, Miz and Morrison.

[@markt1639]

Number One…Yeah, true. As a younger fan, I cannot connect too much with it, but it is the right answer

[@samdath3439]

Please do best wrestlemania winners.

[@makingthemostoutofnothing1256]

Stone cold, Kane, Kofi Kingston, Chris Benoit, Brock Lesnar top rumble performers

[@z3n_z]

14:35 Luke: (SAD).....so close 😢 Sullivan: *Matches with Luke* Luke: (HAPPY) OHHH 🤯 YEAHHHHHH!! 🎉 😂😂😂

[@SamuelDoherty]

My list 1. Steve Austin 2. Drew 3. Shinsuke 4. Cody 5. Ric flair 6. Rhea 7. Bianca 8. Batista 9. Bailey 10. Asuka

[@rasmusforchhammer9557]

Drew would be my number one

[@NiallClarke-gb6nm]

I think you guys are really sleeping on the 1990 Royal Rumble. It's a fantastic early Rumble with a red hot crowd, star studied line up with some great story beats. This is the first great Rumble and is my third favourite of all time

[@TinkSalsa]

sully usually seems like he does the most research for these (he pulls the most RANDOM answers with explanations instead of seeming like doing them all from memory). i wonder if he wasn't supposed to be this one then was added last minute which is why he couldn't put the time into this to even like his own list? lol

[@Sportsgrump]

Adam Whitney seems like a nice dude 😂

[@jimwatson2103]

Glad tempest gave Taker more love than sully lol. I remember it being such a big deal that he never won and finally did and also great mania match with batista

[@Brodysseus]

What are you talking about Luke? Braun Strowman win The Greatest Royal Rumble!

[@mjdf122]

I’ve seen all from 1980-Now with wrestling around the world I enjoyed Hogan Flair HBK and Austin with Rumble Winners

[@TottiMessiTorres]

Honestly, Batista was obviously not the right guy to win the 2014 Rumble, but I think what they did with him in the aftermath was great. Bryan obviously still got his Mania moment, but Batista's heel turn and feud with The Shield was also low-key excellent, and that was borne out of his Rumble win.

[@steveconvertibles3352]

For the list of top ten WORST Royal Rumble winners 10: The Rock (because he lost at mania and didn’t actually win) 9: Charlotte flair (she didn’t really need the rumble win, and she killed Rhea’s early career) 8: Hulk Hogan (his rumbles are boring and they had no stakes) 7: Sheamus (Jericho should have won, and the 18 second match) 6: Chris Benoit (purely because of circumstances) 5: Ronda Rousy (start of unmotivated Ronda) 4: Del Rio (did nothing) 3: Brock Lesnar in 2022 (Brock was world champion into the PLE, and ended squashing everyone left in the rumble) 2: Batista 2014 (ruined because people wanted Bryan) 1: Roman Reigns (Bryan not winning, and the start of Super Roman)

[@jaih5529]

I think people look back on Drew's run as Dolph's heavy too harshly. It let him never have to be pinned or talk too much at a time where he was an decent but not great promo. He just got to beat the piss out of people and Dolph took the pins where necessary. It all fall apart when they put him with Shane and booked him to lose to Roman over and over.

[@ruffwithcuffs]

Chris Benoit for obvious reasons not on the list but still should be top 5. Also surprised that Hogan not on one list. In its infancy of the event it needed that hogan and flair star power to build it. If not a win by hogan during this period the fans may have looked at it as a mid card event and nothing more. Look at where the money and the bank slowly went to for a bit. Hogan's names helped to promote it.

[@Nalucha]

I’d have Rey Mysterio exactly where Sullivan has him. Now, Rey is my favorite wrestler of all time, so I may be a bit biased, but still. I know that his world title run was really botched. Like Luke said, even his time as the Rumble winner before and at Mania wasn’t great. But the match itself gets Rey on here for me. Rey coming in as the number 2 entrant and winning with what was the longest ever performance at the time was awesome. Doing it for Eddie was awesome. The final four of Rey, RVD, Triple H, and Randy Orton was awesome and is one of my favorite final fours of all time. A perfect underdog performance for the ultimate underdog. Is it the best rumble win of all time? No. Is it top 10? Absolutely

[@TheAlmightyPinch]

Austin 01 is prefect other than the fact it should’ve been Kane

[@PastorSloan]

How about Best and Worst Royal Rumble Final Fours? I have always considered the final four to be a big moment in the Rumble. It is usually played for dramatic effect.

[@Bman32x]

18:08 nakamura’s mania finish in hindsight following his rumble win should have been the opposite. Nakamura wins, styles turns heel and low blows him.

[@paulpaterno7516]

No love for Hacksaw Jim Duggan? Hoooooo!! 2x4

[@toastywozzy]

My personnal worst list would have both asuka and shinsuke on based purely on the aftermath. On the night it was amazing, the hope was real

[@tpbloomfield]

In my opinion, there's not been a single moment in the last decade of WWE that instilled more hope than the 2018 rumble, and not a single moment that killed more hope than the 2018 wrestlemania.

[@brianboazo]

Tempest: This isn't a list of top rumble matches Also Tempest: I have to leave out Becky and HBK cause the matches were bad

[@iswilliams6975]

Wouldn’t it be nice to see Ludwig Kaiser win the Rumble and go after Gunther. Big star making opportunity.

[@tjsupertramp9909]

25:36 Actually, I think you'll find that Braun Strowman won the Greatest Royal Rumble. He got a big green title and everything!

[@MeirNissim-c1t]

1.John Cena 2008 #30 returns for a torn pec 2.Ric Flair 1992 wins the vacant WWF title Bobby Heenan on commentary With a tear in my eye

[@iangooda4634]

Apparently to Tempest this meant 'best matches ' and best follow-up WresteMania matches and not best winners.

[@MangaGirl232]

Adam Whitney letting everything out that day XD

[@lshawn7925]

Kudos to Sullivan for knowing the words to “Auld Lang Syne”! ⏳🔔🎉

[@adamash7645]

Not to be "THAT NERD" but I timed it off the clip once and it's closer to like 50 seconds, just under a minute, that the Rumble crowd absolutely loses it for Cena and then the literal second he hits the ring they just totally remember "Hey we hate this guy!"

[@chrishollister80]

Best RR winner/match is Ric Fair in 92. Also, the 2007 RR was one of the absolute worst in history.

[@danielcooper3289]

Clearly don't watch this channel often enough. How has WWE taken away the live watch parties?

[@robg8307]

But Luke, do you know the words to God Save The King?

[@akillays]

Wait, no more watch parties!? Well that sucks

[@grants7752]

I’m noticing the more I watch these videos Tempest is starting to pick up UK mannerisms without doing it intentionally

[@jeffreypridemore100]

4:08 Shout out to Dave

[@bigleejam1]

How did wwe take the watch parties away? Seems a bit of an odd thing to say.

[@SirFooplesTheThird]

The best part of this was Adam witney's joke

[@kie306]

Wait why can't they have the watch parties anymore

[@Smithy83uk]

Austin is Mr Royal Rumble , but Kane deserved a rumble win

[@momchilhlebarov289]

Gosh, i love Sullivan.

[@alharron2145]

Very happy with Tempest's 3rd & Luke's 2nd choices, immeasurably disappointed with Sullivan yet again

[@adamrobinson6951]

I still don't get why people love Cody. His wins were never in doubt. He's the new Super Cena/ Big Dog Roman - the chosen one with no personality whose matches are average at best, but who will always have every spotlight no matter how much better other talent is available. They screwed over so many potentially great moments, wasting the title picture on both brands with filler for a year because Cody 'had to' get his win back. And I just don't see the appeal.

[@beepbeep8479]

Benoit should be on the list.

[@SlowmovingGiant]

i have a soft spot for Becky's win as i predicted her winning the Rumble in my picks with my Predictions Group.

[@henrygiles8803]

2007 as one of the best rumbles ever? what the

[@julioornano8427]

I don’t like the factoring of mania matches etc… I’m only at #8 but auska should be on this for being the first female winner…Jim Dugan I’m ok with not being on cause the rumble was treated as a one off. It was 20people. And no prize lol