10 Greatest WWE Royal Rumble Posters

9. 2005

Royal Rumble 2017 Poster
WWE

Centred around a 'West Side Story' theme in a Vince McMahon fever dream, top stars from Raw and SmackDown sported hilarious wigs alongside their respective 'Jets' & 'Sharks' attire, building to the almighty clash starring the two rosters that would take place at the Royal Rumble Pay-Per-View.

Going artistically off-piste during the rather turgid mid-2000s, the marketing for the 2005 Royal Rumble was a welcome change from the usual dated nu-metal-infused quick cuts and endless repeats of old eliminations.

The poster took stills from the shoot, and is fondly remembered by fans as a superb flash of creativity amidst a rather stifled spell for the company as a whole.

Particular highlights to look out for are Rey Mysterio's wig atop his mask, Ric Flair and Kurt Angle giddily embracing their false flowing locks, and Val Venis looking as out of place on the poster as he did on 2005's main roster.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett