10 Best WWE Title Matches In Royal Rumble History

7. Chris Jericho Vs. The Rock (2002)

Another duo who greatly enjoyed working opposite one another, The Rock and Chris Jericho routinely had good matches together. In January 2002, they were called upon to provide a marquee bout for the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. For Jericho, it was crucial that the match went well, because he was eager to prove that he was worthy of being the first ever WWF Undisputed Champion. Having beaten both Steve Austin and The Rock the previous month at Vengeance, Jericho was not buoyed with self-belief when Vince McMahon joked that business must be down if the company were making him their champion. Regardless, he managed to shine at the Royal Rumble, in the ring with an opponent he knew well and could work easily with. For many, the bout was the best of Y2J's inconsistent reign. Jericho looked like a real dirtbag heel as he used both a low blow and a leverage pin (by placing his feet on the ropes) to defeat The Great One. It was still unclear whether or not he'd even make it to WrestleMania as champion, with Triple H stealing the show by winning the Royal Rumble, in his first match since coming back from a quad tear. That said, The Rock vs. Chris Jericho is somewhat of a forgotten gem, and deserves more praise than it gets.
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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.