10 WWE Undercard Matches That Outshone The Royal Rumble
Daniel Bryan was the 2014 Rumble's main draw, whether WWE liked it or not...
The Royal Rumble was made for moments like Roman Reigns eliminating The Undertaker and having a stare down with the veteran in 2017. That one eye-to-eye between legend and current poster boy set wheels in motion towards WrestleMania, and that's surely the point of the Rumble these days.
Look back to the previous 30 (yes, thirty) Rumble shows since 1988 though and it becomes clear that the annual 30-man match the event is named after doesn't always grab the most attention. Sometimes, there are those matches that draw eyeballs away from the Rumble and actually outshine it. 2017 was no different.
Sit down and get cosy, because you're unlikely to agree with everything here.
That's fine, but nobody can argue that the Rumble pay-per-view series hasn't provided us fans with some damn fine matches. Even if you did enjoy Rumble matches from the years in question, don't discount the impact others on the same show had...
10. The Rock Vs. Mankind (1999)
What do you remember most from the 1999 Royal Rumble? The ongoing fight between Mr. McMahon and Steve Austin? The fact McMahon bizarrely won the match and looked to be 'Mania bound? How about poor Mick Foley's young children crying as their daddy was bashed over the head by a steel chair-wielding Rock?
Barry Blaustein's excellent 'Beyond The Mat' doc captured the harrowing footage of Foley's wife and kids shedding tears as Mick shed braincells. Maybe that's why the 'I Quit' match between Mankind and The Rock has become so memorable. Maybe, although we'd err on the side of drama and the fact both put so much effort in.
McMahon vs. Austin dominated the Rumble. Without that story, the match would have been fairly bland. Meanwhile, Rock vs. Mankind was a meaty brawl which captured the 'screw loose' mentality of Foley (those unprotected chair shots) and the vicious side of a heel Rock.
Trust us, it's the match to watch.