10 Best Endings In WWE Royal Rumble History

5. Batista And John Cena (2005)

You may be wondering why the finish to the 2005 Royal Rumble ended up much higher on the list than the finish to the 1994 Royal Rumble, and although they were somewhat similar, the former was a total mistake. The fact the 2005 Rumble on the whole was significantly superior only helped matters, but the conclusion to the contest was simply the icing on the cake.

Let's back up a bit. Even before it came down to John Cena and Batista, the final four were fantastic: Cena, Batista, Rey Mysterio, and Edge. Essentially, it was the foundation of the future. All four would go on to have breakout years and win their first world titles within the next calendar year (or thereabouts), but only one could emerge as the victor of the 2005 Rumble match.

When Edge and Mysterio were disposed of, Cena and Batista set their sights on each other, marking one of the first times they had shared the same ring in their careers. They didn't contest an instant classic, but the confusion surrounding who the real winner was when Batista and Cena touched the floor at the same time was actually exciting.

Of course, Batista botched the spot and they had to improvise, which led to Mr. McMahon running to ringside and tearing both of his quad muscles in the process. This led to the ludicrous sight of McMahon sitting on his arse at the edge of the ring, furiously deliberating, before proclaiming that the match would restart instead of having co-winners. To hide the botch, SmackDown refs took Cena's side, whilst Raw refs took Cena's.

There was no question over the winner after the restart, when Batista sent Cena flying to the floor to cement his spot in the main event of WrestleMania 21. It would be another three and a half years before they would finally face off in singles action.