10 Best Royal Rumble WWE Title Matches

9. Dolph Ziggler vs CM Punk - WWE Championship (2012)

2012 was a good year for Rumble title matches. The show opened with the fantastic Daniel Bryan vs Mark Henry vs Big Show cage match for the World Heavyweight Championship, which would have made this list had the match been given more time. Bryan was in the middle of his magnificent first title run, when his obnoxious "Yes!" chants were still getting a resounding chorus of boos. He won that match in a brilliantly executed finish where Bryan escaped over the top of the cage, despite Big Show holding Bryan's entire body weight with just one arm. A great symbol of the odds that Bryan had managed to overcome. Before CM Punk met Dolph Ziggler in this match, Punk undoubtedly knew that despite being WWE Champion, John Cena vs The Rock was going to main event that year's Wrestlemania. Not him. Dolph Ziggler knew there wasn't going to be another title shot for him in the near future, and this would be his last chance to impress in a world title match for a while. Also, there was the over-booked match finish that involved John Laurinaitis being a sort-of-guest referee and several ref bumps. Combine all of these factors together and it's clear that both Punk and Ziggler knew they had to deliver something special in the opening two-thirds of the match. And they did. The match was fast-paced and exiting, highlighting the strengths of both guys. Dolph sold wonderfully, as always, and the two of them had some great counters up their sleeves (including the GTS into the Fame Asser towards the end of the match) and, although the over-booked finish did take the sting out of it slightly, it was a compelling match that made both guys look better coming out than they did going in.