Advertisement

WWE Royal Rumble: The most iconic moments from wrestling's most chaotic event

robert jackman
Contributing writer
·12-min read
Photo via WWE
WWE icon Stone Cold Steve Austin was born for the Royal Rumble. (Photo via WWE)

WWE Royal Rumble week is officially underway, and fingers are firmly crossed that this Saturday’s event will be one of the best in modern wrestling history. Right now, signs look positive, with the men’s event in particular boasting the strongest roster in well over a decade.

Still, breaking new ground is never easy, particularly when you have 37 years of Rumble history to contend with. Here are some of the most legendary moments that this thrilling event has delivered over the years.

The best Rumble moments often tell a story that reverberates long after the event. And this one — from the second-ever Royal Rumble PLE — set the ball rolling on that front.

Comprising former sworn enemies Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, the Mega Powers were the dominant tag team in the WWF. But when a split-second decision in the Rumble led to Hogan eliminating Savage (while the latter was grappling with Bad News Brown), old tensions threatened to spill over again.

While their manager, Miss Elizabeth, was able to soothe things in the ring, it wasn’t enough to stop the Mega Powers from imploding weeks later — leading to Hogan vs. Savage at WrestleMania.

By 1992, the Royal Rumble had established itself as a fan favorite. Then, the serendipitous nature of a vacant championship gave the WWF the chance to take things to the next level — by putting the belt on the line for the 30-man showdown.

In perhaps the most stacked Rumble match in history, it was Ric Flair — still in his first year in the WWF — who emerged victorious, signaling the arrival of a new era in world wrestling.

Like many of the great Rumbles, 1992 was also rich with subplots. The most memorable has to be Sid Justice eliminating Hulk Hogan, eliciting an unexpected cheer from the audience.

Not everything goes to plan in the Royal Rumble. But few sequences have been on the scale of the finish to the 1994 match, which saw two competitors — Bret Hart and Lex Luger — tumble over the ropes in sync with each other.

The dumbfounded reaction of the crowd highlighted the scale of the maneuver. After a contrived in-ring sequence in which two referees argued about the result, Howard Finkel declared that both Luger and Hart would be regarded as joint winners.

It was a situation that remains unique in Rumble history — and probably for the best.

In almost 40 years of Rumbles, only six wrestlers have won after entering as one of the two starting entrants — and the first to achieve that rare accolade was “The Heartbreak Kid” himself.

Arguably, Michaels did benefit from a slight twist of fate in that he was the first-ever competitor to take advantage of the rule that being eliminated required both of a wrestler’s feet to touch the floor, rather than just one.

This previously unknown rule soon became etched into the memory of WWF fans when Michaels returned to the ring — having seemingly been “eliminated” — to toss out a celebrating British Bulldog.

It was a controversial win that perfectly embodied the combination of strategy and spectacle on which the Rumble thrives.

Having stormed to victory in King of the Ring six months earlier, Stone Cold Steve Austin was on his way to becoming the legendary antihero who'd be synonymous with WWF’s return to popularity in the late 1990s.

At the 1997 Royal Rumble, Austin took another massive step on that journey when he used dirty tactics — notably a distracted referee who failed to see Austin’s elimination — to send one of the WWF’s biggest babyfaces tumbling over the ropes.

Whatever name you knew him under, Mick Foley was a true trailblazer in wrestling. In an era when the WWF was still dominated by identikit tough guys in tiny trunks, the disheveled Foley brought the creativity and verve that went on to shape the Attitude Era.

Few moments capture the anarchic spirit of the disheveled daredevil more than the 1998 Royal Rumble, where Foley used a trio of his distinct personas — including the ludicrous Dude Love — to enter the match three times.

The Austin vs. McMahon feud was the lifeblood of the Attitude Era. And few moments did more to pour fuel on the fire of this rivalry than Mr. McMahon’s underhanded win in the 1999 Royal Rumble.

The two men had been the first entrants in the match, with Stone Cold Steve Austin leaping at the chance to put the boots to the WWF’s biggest authority figure. In a classic Rumble escapade, though, McMahon was able to escape under the bottom rope (thus avoiding elimination) and take cover on commentary.

In the final moments of the match, the tracksuit-clad McMahon slid back into the ring, using a distraction from The Rock to tip his opponent over the ropes and seal this most unexpected of victories.

Let’s face it: There’s something a tad ridiculous about the idea of having 30 men (or women) brawling for one prize. So it makes sense that the Rumble leans into that by tossing in a nice comedy segment every now and then.

One of the most memorable of these came in 2000, when the intimidating Samoan Rikishi found himself sharing the ring with Too Cool, the deliberately naff tag team whose Vanilla Ice shtick had won over even the most serious of fans.

When the 425-pound Samoan joined the duo in a spot of disco dancing, complete with dimmed lights and music, the crowd lapped it up — only to roar even louder when he dumped his dance partners out of the ring in stereo moments later.

Few wrestlers are as associated with the Rumble match as Kane, who has appeared in 20 separate events and eliminated 46 competitors in total — albeit without ever winning the match.

Arguably, his most dominant appearance unfolded back to 2001, when “The Big Red Machine” set a new record — at the time — by tossing 11 men over the ropes during his 53-minute appearance in the ring.

That record remained in place for more than a decade before finally being bested by “The Big Dog” Roman Reigns in the 2014 event.

It was the lucky shot heard around the world.

Maven Huffman was the 22-year-old who’d just landed a pro wrestling contract after winning Tough Enough, WWF’s "The Apprentice"-style reality television program. A brief appearance in the 2002 Royal Rumble seemed a fitting prize in the circumstances.

What no one expected was that the fresh-faced rookie would implausibly eliminate The Undertaker after landing a perfectly timed dropkick. Sure, it backfired slightly when Taker pulled Maven over the ropes for an immediate and brutal post-elimination beatdown, but it still left most of us shellshocked at the time.

2006: Rey Mysterio wins — for Eddie

As the cruiserweight king of modern wrestling, Rey Mysterio has spent a career defying the odds. But few moments come close to his underdog victory in the 2006 Rumble, capped off by eliminating Triple H and Randy Orton in turn.

It was a great moment in its own right. But the real emotional payoff came from watching the triumphant Mysterio use the moment to pay tribute to his late friend Eddie Guerrero, whose unexpected death had shaken the wrestling world just a few weeks earlier.

There’s a reason they still mention this one almost 20 years later.

Reducing the field to the last two competitors is a turning point in any Rumble. But how many final pairings can hold a candle to Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker, who memorably came face-to-face in 2007?

The staredown itself was electric. But then the two followed it with an impressive physical showdown that felt — rather prophetically — like the seeds of a WrestleMania match in its own right.

After an exchange of finishing moves, it was “The Dead Man” who triumphed, setting in motion a turn of events that led to one of the most celebrated rivalries in WWE history.

There are Rumble returns, and then there are Rumble returns. And John Cena’s barnstorming comeback — months ahead of his expected recovery from a torn pectoral — towers above almost all of them.

Not only did “The Champ” stun the WWE Universe when he emerged as entrant number 30, but he went on to win the whole thing — sealing his victory by tossing Triple H over the ropes with a superb Attitude Adjustment.

Unsurprisingly, given the circumstances, it remains the more memorable of Cena’s two Rumble victories. But can he top it this year?

Surviving in the Rumble requires grit and stamina. But how many stars have done it with the same flair as Kofi Kingston?

After being knocked onto the apron, Kingston was given a hefty shove from The Miz, seemingly sealing his elimination. Instead, the New Day star somehow managed to leverage his incredible core strength to hold himself in a handstand position before walking (on his hands) to the steps and reentering the Rumble.

In the years to come, Kingston pulled off more creative stunts, delighting the crowd and inspiring the likes of Naomi and Katana Chance to attempt similar feats. But this was the moment when the magic began.

It’s perhaps the most famous Rumble debut in modern history — and for good reason.

After stellar runs in NJPW and TNA, AJ Styles had become the name du jour among discerning wrestling fans who found Vince McMahon’s methods — particularly during the mid-2010s — to be a little corny. Now, rumors swirled that he was on his way to the big leagues…

Entering at number three, Styles brought the Florida crowd to their feet, setting off a memorable WWE run that continues to this day.

2019: Becky Lynch forces entry — and wins

At the time of the 2019 Royal Rumble, Becky Lynch was riding high, having emerged from an exceptional feud with Ronda Rousey and the "WWE Raw" roster to become “The Man.”

When Lana’s kayfabe injury left her struggling to claim her Rumble spot, “The Irish Lass Kicker” saw an opportunity. Emerging to a gigantic pop from the fans, Lynch successfully pressured WWE management to let her enter the match instead.

Lynch went on to emerge victorious, securing her spot at WrestleMania and setting up one of the most memorable main events in women’s wrestling.

It’s the moment many of us have watched countless times in the years since — and perhaps the most surprising Royal Rumble return in modern history.

At the time, Edge hadn’t seen action for the better part of 10 years, having been sidelined with a devastating neck injury. “The Rated R Superstar” was a beloved name among fans, but few even dreamed that he might return to the ring.

Then, in a few short seconds, it happened: The iconic Rumble buzzer, followed by the telltale "You think you know me" — and one of the loudest crowd responses ever caught on film. Edge’s emotional reaction — tears in his eyes — says it all.

Words like indestructible get thrown around a lot in wrestling, but watching the presentation of Brock Lesnar in the first half of the 2020 Rumble, it’s hard to think of a descriptor more fitting.

For the first 20 minutes, “The Beast Incarnate” stood tall in the ring, clearing out each opponent in turn. Throughout the match, Lesnar tossed out 13 competitors, setting a record that still stands today. But could anyone stop him?

That honor went to Drew McIntyre, who solidified one of the hottest runs of his career by punting the champion over the ropes with a devastating Claymore Kick — much to the shock of Paul Heyman.

For much of the 2010s, WWE’s women’s division was dominated by the Four Horsewomen — namely Sasha Banks, Bayley, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. Then came the rise of NXT and a new generation of female superstars primed for the big stage.

With several of the more established talents busy in other matches, 2021’s women’s Rumble looked like the perfect moment for a breakthrough — and so it proved to be. The final two contenders emerged as NXT champion Rhea Ripley and main roster newcomer Bianca Belair.

While Belair’s eventual victory may have been slightly dimmed by the pandemic-era setting, the finish still resonates as the dawn of a new era for women’s wrestling

Love him or hate him, “The Social Media Megastar” has pulled off some incredible physical stunts during his time in WWE — and this was one of the best. Midway through the Rumble match, Paul found himself on the apron, staring across at Ricochet on the opposite side of the ring.

Much to the shock of the fans, both men sprang onto their respective ropes before launching themselves some 10 feet into the air, colliding mid-flight like slabs of meat. Like many of Paul’s best spots in WWE, it was acrobatic, hard-hitting and perfectly engineered to go viral on social media.