10 Best WWE Royal Rumble Matches (That WEREN'T The Rumble)

[@mycahjofficial]

*Angle and Benoit always had fantastic chemistry in the ring. Their match at the 2003 Rumble showcased technical wrestling at its peak.*

[@fatbean2000]

That's because there both very good wrestlers and both could have a good match with anyone.

[@Naruto0s44]

Hell yeah

[@jonathancampbell5231]

On Angle's podcast he once called this the greatest wrestling match he EVER had, which says it all

[@mjohn3126]

Off topic, but my heart hopes AJ wins the Rumble this year. He’s gone kinda cold and winning the Rumble and Main Eventing Mania are like the only 2 things he hasn’t done in WWE and this year feels more wide open than ever for a Rumble Winner

[@vta2265]

Doubt he is main eventing if he wins. Roman vs Brock is main eventing no matter what, and the female royal rumble winner the other

[@mjohn3126]

@@vta2265 yeah I agree. It’s just what I want to happen. I think realistically Big E wins.

[@unknown_7148]

He main evented Mania 36 vs Taker

[@BmanTheChamp]

Marcus Johnson In my heart I want AJ to win as well but we all know it's whoever loses in the WWE title match winning the Rumble.

[@thegreatkgatsbyb9274]

I agree I would love for Aj to win he’s my sentimental favorite but I think WWE will give it to Big E which I wouldn’t mind if it came down to it

[@daviddiett2168]

I'm thinking Umaga v Cena Last Man Standing at RR 2007? That match and the last minutes of the rumble itself with Michaels and Taker make that event pretty underrated to me.

[@altafraza2665]

Honorable mentions from recent times : Owens vs Reigns 2021, Owens vs Ambrose 2016, Bryan vs Wyatt 2014, Bryan vs Fiend 2020, Asuka vs Lynch 2019

[@Caughey13]

Surprised Bryan/Wyatt didn’t make this list

[@mattparkinson8471]

Crash, Bang, Wallop. What a video. And what a reference. Alan Partridge at his best.

[@mycahjofficial]

*I’m kind of surprised that Ambrose vs Owens in the last man standing match at the 2016 Rumble for the IC title didn’t make the list*

[@finestwrestling9403]

That match was lit

[@The810kid]

That street fight and tables match along with Rock winning sketchy finish and all made the 2000 Royal Rumble my favorite of all time.

[@thebrownbaldy]

The ovation Benoit got after his match with Angle was well deserved, everyone at the pub and grill I watched at stood and applauded too. Damn how things changed over time 😪

[@codyjohns6525]

I was 9 year old super fan when i watched it live with my 20 something year old cousin who is the biggest wrestling fan i know still til today And even then as cringy as it was for a kid and a grown man to applaud at a tv over a fake wrestlimg match It just felt right, and how ever many thousands of people in the arena and millions at home i think we all had that same reaction

[@justinrussomusic661]

That “beat the maple syrup out of each other” made me chuckle

[@silentcomic05]

What a Masterpiece Angle vs Benoit was

[@SJ_RANKS]

Here’s mine 10. Dean Ambrose vs Kevin Owens last man standing 2016 9. Cm punk vs the rock 2013 (result was still pretty stupid) 8. Kevin Owens vs Roman reigns last man standing 2021 7. Shawn Michaels vs triple h last man standing 2004 6. Daniel Bryan vs bray Wyatt 2014 5. Triple h vs mick foley street fight 2000 4. John cena vs umaga last man standing 2007 3. Rollins vs lesnar vs cena 2015 2. Aj styles vs John cena 2017 1. Kurt angle vs Chris Benoit 2003

[@JaimeD.]

I can see you love *Last Man Standing* matches.

[@SJ_RANKS]

@@JaimeD. not all of them big show and Alberto del rio wasn’t anything special edge and orton was too damn long and orton and triple h at one night stand was hindered by Randy orton breaking his collarbone but yeah I like last man standing matches it’s odd that the royal rumble has hosted so many of them Hbk vs hhh 2004 Cena vs umaga 2007 Big show vs Alberto del rio 2013 Kevin Owens vs Dean Ambrose 2016 Kevin Owens vs Roman reigns 2021

[@JaimeD.]

@@SJ_RANKS I agree. Some of those were terrible. Even the one from 2010 had a pathetic finish. (I.e. Cena vs Batista at Extreme Rules)

[@captainjonty]

04:55 - Alan Partridge reference was epic! I'm dying haha

[@marioaustin9312]

So that was the joke 😂

[@TheThird1977]

A good list of matches, though can't say I'm not disappointed there was no spot for The Rockers vs. The Orient Express from 1991.

[@m.a3152]

I was convinced this match would have been on the list. What a match it was

[@theinvincible316]

When this topic comes up, I will always mention Rey Mysterio vs. Undertaker for the World Title in 2010. It's hard to do much better than the best little man ever vs. the best big man ever. Plus, it's the first match I saw when I got back into wrestling after many years away, so it's pretty special to me.

[@painvillegaming4119]

@@RaulSHermano meltzer bias

[@DenOfVipers]

"when this topic comes up" I bet

[@SweetzTheOne]

Taker vs Mysterio at the 2010 rumble should be a honorable mention, fucking love the chemistry between those two

[@paulkusler]

Cactus jack v hhh at rumble 2000 is one of my fav matches of all time. That rumble was great too. The ending was meh, but it set up a whole WrestleMania season program that didn't pay off until kind of the ring (that is, if you're a fan of the rock). This event got me back into wrestling after the Hogan era.

[@MeNoSpeakJibberish]

Theres a special on the wwe network about HHH vs Cactus, its worth a watch if you love that match. I had no idea a piece of a pallet HHH gets suplexed on pierced his ankle when he landed 😨

[@wolfinstedd]

One match I still recall was angle vs Taz in his wwe debut

[@gioiacobucci9312]

The brahma ballocks line got me 😂

[@RLime64]

I feel like Sasha vs Ronda was really good imo

[@fatbean2000]

Anything with Sasha is good.

[@tuqiduque4638]

Umaga was such an underrated performer for a guy this big.

[@joeywrestling9536]

So many great matches listed here. Kudos to the list writer and everyone at Cultaholic! Thank you mates for all you do!!!

[@andu1854]

Cactus vs HHH is one of My all time favorite matches,

[@reygonzalez4719]

"Made his mark"? I thought Chris Jericho was already in WWE before Benoit or am I remembering incorrectly.

[@puslint]

Yes he was

[@diabeticman2194]

To me, Reigns vs Owens last year is my favourite match to take place at the Royal Rumble. Will never forget KO getting ran over by Reigns via a golf kart

[@anijeepa]

Sad that the match got kinda ruined by that botch

[@diabeticman2194]

@@anijeepa The botch is unfortunate, but I still love the match regardless.

[@painvillegaming4119]

@@anijeepa what you gonna do it happens

[@agentorange1156]

Chris Benoit vs Kurt Angle is one of the best wrestling matches of all time imo. Ambrose vs Owens Rey vs Taker Cena vs Umaga

[@MentalLiberation]

Aw man. I was wrong about my prediction. Darn. Oh well. I'll just say that honorable mention should go to the Rockers vs The Orient Express, in my opinion, since it didn't make the list.

[@jonesjones3678]

How in the hell was the Hardyz and Dudleyz Tag Team Table match not on this list!?

[@glennb6020]

Cos the acolytes vs the new age outlaws was better on the night

[@coleymissions]

that Cena / Styles match is superb.

[@labbaby189]

Storylines usually amp up during RR season, especially if the WM main events end up having 3+ ppl. HHH vs Foley, Daniel Bryan's late 2013-early '14 run, Jericho's '02 title run, etc. come to mind. It's not that frequent, but also not surprising that some of these matches would overshadow the RR match.

[@TheVENGEFULWILL]

Was not expecting that Alan Partridge reference. Magnificent.

[@maccy4829]

I’m amazed more people aren’t talking about it, I’ve just stopped crying laughing at it

[@chinonoelmoreno]

My top 10 favorite WWE royal rumble matches 1.John Cena Vs. AJ Styles(Royal Rumble 2017) 2.Roman Reigns Vs. Kevin Owens(Royal Rumble 2021) 3.Triple H Vs. Cactus Jack(Royal Rumble 2000) 4.Kurt Angle Vs. Chris Benoit(Royal Rumble 2003) 5.Brock Lesnar Vs. Seth Rollins Vs. John Cena(Royal Rumble 2015) 6.Roman Reigns Vs. Kevin Owens(Royal Rumble 2017) 7.John Cena Vs. Umaga(Royal Rumble 2007) 8.The Rock Vs. Mankind(Royal Rumble 1999) 9.Shawn Michaels Vs. The Undertaker(Royal Rumble 1998) 10.Daniel Bryan Vs. The Fiend(Royal Rumble 2020)

[@juicybear7696]

Eddie Kingston loving it in the audience during the Hunter/Steiner match.

[@LongLiveRockAnRoll]

I definitely agree with number 1. I remember seeing it at the time and it's still one of the most memorable matches today.

[@killingragethrowback]

The more I go over Mick Foley's career, the more I think to myself... how is that man alive?

[@mrbrooklynny]

I been waiting for about 5 years for them or what culture to come out with a list like this.

[@gamerpike1005]

Adams "crash, bang wallop" reminds me of Moss' board game review from IT crowd!

[@TheSmackShow]

Could you do a list on best Royal Rumble entrants?

[@jackwilliamtaylor5656]

I’d like to see a list of times “The Guy” did “The Job” in WWE, times where people like Cena, Reigns, Lesnar etc put over new stars

[@DanTheEnigma]

I think a real good honorable mention would be Jeff Hardy vs Randy Orton (c) for the WWE Championship at the '08 Rumble. It was the feud that resulted in *that* Swanton off the RAW set and the match that followed was a very good outing between the two with a VERY slick finish via a Twist Of Fate countered by Orton into an RKO for the three count.

[@zell2626]

The Rumble started in the late 80s, yet no match from before 1998 lol

[@KingsNerdCave]

Lesnar v Rollins v Cena might be my favorite triple threat, Triple H v Foley is hardcore awesomeness, and Angle v Benoit is a really fun technical match. I will say honorable Mention to Rey Mysterio vs Undertaker at Rumble 2010, it's really underrated between the best big man and the best little man.

[@lordtrigon1733]

The match HHH and HBK had on the last Raw of 03 was much better than the Last Man Standing imo and if you’re saying that match is better than the actual Rumble that year (as the intro implies)... really have to disagree.

[@VERDICTInsanity]

HHH vs Cactus was a whole new level of match, I think it was the match of that year by a long shot, and THAT year had some absolute classics

[@MattAustinonYouTube]

I had to rewind that sentence at 10:21 3 times before I realized you said "emptied their arsenals" and not "emptied their..." well you can imagine haha...

[@johnalbent]

Loved Rollins, Cena and Lesnar. Laughed. Gasped. Cheered. Can't believe it was 7 years ago...

[@imthataceguy3035]

I feel like the 1992 rendition had the most complete and hugely appreciated card overall. The Hart Foundation versus the Oriental Express was honestly a great match

[@Gavin48]

AJ vs Cena ahead of Benoit and Angle? Yeah that's a no from me Dawg

[@Gavin48]

@@yasseralotaibi511 recency bias brah

[@exquisitelemonade3039]

That was a genuinely good Steve Coogan impression, and do you have a battery for an Ericsson?

[@derekz5724]

I love the new music and the "what a wrestling match" gimmick 😂

[@shady3legend]

Mick foley helped establish the rock and hhh with those 2 rumble matches

[@renesegura1705]

Owens vs. Ambrose from 2016 & Roman vs. Owens from 2017 were great matches as well!

[@zanethind]

This is why the Royal Rumble ppv is a great ppv because you not only get the great Rumble itself but other amazing matches

[@Naruto0s44]

4:55 was funny it was like he was narrating from a script the sound effects from a cartoon lmao

[@thunderb4stard80]

It's strange that the rumble is one of the biggest wwe pay per views even tho no one really cares that much about all the matches but the gimmick match

[@glencurtis6052]

Nice little Alan Partridge nod in there

[@tpunk66]

A few honourable mentions. Hart Foundation and Duggan vs Rougeaus and Bravo(1989). Rockers vs Orient Express(1991). New Foundation vs Orient Express(1992). Diesel vs Bret Hart(1995) Hardy Boyz vs Dudley Boyz(2000).

[@disclaimer.imjokin]

4:56 is that a wrestlemania 2000 on n64 sound effect from the intro of the game???

[@BestintheWorld247]

The Orient Express vs The Rockers is criminally underrated match

[@SophieCrane-o7v]

4:54 Here for the Alan Partridge Homage!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@joelthorpe4170]

HHH/Cactus Jack street fight was awesome.

[@Nbflowers1989]

Great list!

[@pauliewalnuts829]

Rumble 2004 is TVMA on the network. Probably because of the HHH/Michaels match. I think the 99 one too.

[@kes9684]

Loving the partridge reference

[@bruce-ww2oi]

you could make a top 10 michaels vs undertaker matches with the amount of quality matches theyve had together

[@kcjones8998]

Hardy Boyz vs Dudley Boyz at Rumble 2000 is iconic. Jeff Hardy Swanton bomb from the balcony at MSG is more iconic than anything on this list

[@brianwatchorn4968]

What a Partridge reference! 👏

[@NimrodTexieria]

We know what should be #1

[@Relaxoli]

Please go watch the Rockers vs the Orient Express from the 1991 Rumble. That Match was amazing, ahead of its time and is still very enjoyable by today's standards.

[@simeonwalston5753]

Can you do a video about Mandy that was with Too Cool and Victoria during the fall of 2000 with the WWF on where she's at now?

[@staticiswack]

Just here because the screenshot reminded me that Mick Foley took a pedigree with his arms still locked on thumbtacks and that match fucking blew my mind as a kid.

[@jonesjones3678]

Wrestling Bios gave an idea but not exactly this idea. Top 10 wCw PPV openers!

[@TheThird1977]

#1 would be Juventud Guerrera vs. Blitzkrieg from Spring Stampede '99.

[@firestrike84]

Roman vs Kevin Owens last year was amazing

[@nicktaylor2657]

The AJ Styles vs John Cena match was kinda killed by Bray Wyatt winning the WWE title only two weeks later at Elimination Chamber pinning both Cena and Styles 😠

[@nonamebill7421]

Honourable mentions: 91: Rockers vs Orient Express 93: Bret Hart vs Razor Ramon 94: Bret and Owen vs The Quebecers (no not the Amazing French Canadians, The Quebecers!) 97: Shawn Michaels vs Sid 00: Dudley Boyz vs Hardy Boyz & 08: Randy Orton vs Jeff Hardy.

[@JM1993951]

10:22 AJ: See, John. You have to actually touch your opponent’s head.

[@paranoidewok6772]

No Barbarian vs Bossman from '91, or the super posedown from '89? I'm shocked.

[@lordmfitzgerald3rd754]

Triple H Vs Shawn Michaels at RR04 was AWESOME!!! That’s how a wrestling match should be!

[@48jhj]

i think rumble 04 HHH vs HBK is my all time favorite rumble match ever. match is probably in my top 10.

[@zomaz]

I thought Wyatt vs Bryan 2014 would be on here. Despite Bryan losing clean during peak Yes Movement, people were still loved the match.

[@X2Finest23]

Benoit vs Angle in 2003 is my personal favorite

[@zachwhitlow4]

A few honorable mentions: Orton vs Jeff Hardy (08) Wyatt vs Bryan (14) Taker vs Bret (96) Edge vs Ziggler (11)

[@sameeknowsitall]

Love this 👌

[@moosaaijaz1615]

Angle vs Benoit is my most favorite pro wrestling match and Cena vs Styles is most favorite Cena match

[@vampman87]

Undertaker vs Yokozuna isn't on here? In my opinion it was the best way to send off the Western Mortician gimmick and later reintroduce him as the Deadman- Undertaker starts off strong, beating Yoko to a pulp, Yoko's buddies gang up on Taker, ultimately knocking him out, Yoko uses this unfair advantage to drop Taker in the casket and win. It made Taker look strong and the end video where he wakes up, declares he'll be back, and "rises" to the heavens is the most memorable part of that match.

[@delron_mac]

Wow, I just realised WWE is building the Royal Rumble well this year. There are two world title matches that might upstage the Rumble. Also the Rumble itself is so unpredictable this year🙆🏾‍♂️

[@9JackR6]

Often overlooked Daniel Bryan VS Bray Wyatt 1.

[@samuelhenstock1076]

hhh vs catus my all time fave match

[@robertclark2253]

Another one The Rockers vs Orient Express Royal Rumble 1991 .

[@Mandykaur.]

How about The Rockers against The Orient Express at RR 91.

[@joezeef9769]

Why do I feel that “big daddy” Drew is gonna win the rumble and challenge for the title so he gets his big ovation that he missed out on when he first won the title?

[@Gazowen-qz5xy]

I'm surprised Ramon and hart wasn't on there

[@jerranspearman3369]

good video

[@316world2]

Jeff Hardy vs randy Orton 2008 one of the greatest matches of all time

[@luisgabriel8238]

Bray Wyatt vs Daniel Bryan at the 2014 RR should be here you know

[@TheFriendlyWeirdo]

The triple threat match at the 2015 Royal Rumble was literally the only good thing at the Royal Rumble 2015, like how Bray vs Bryan was the only good thing about the 2014 Royal Rumble.

[@BWoodTTV]

Honorable mention for Brock and Finn Balor

[@TheDropkick]

Honorable mention: Roman Reigns vs Kevin Owens RR 17

[@XGamerFPS2164]

Was that really a picture of Hulk Hogan and Giant Gonzalez side by side…

[@jackc1186]

Triple H vs Cactus Jack is my favorite match of all time

[@omarpop8706]

Brock vs seth vs cena at the rumble is still one of my favorite Brock retain with a broken rib