10 Most Surprising WWE Royal Rumble Winners Ever

1. Yokozuna (1993)

Considering the WWE landscape around the time of the 1993 Royal Rumble, the relatively unknown and newcomer Yokozuna winning the 30-man battle royal and going on to headline WrestleMana IX was the most shocking victory of all the Royal Rumble winners. The 1993 match was the first time that the winner would be considered the #1 contender to the WWE Championship and face the champion at WrestleMania. Yokozuna had debuted in WWE just several months prior to the Royal Rumble and his highest profile match was with Virgil at the '92 Survivor Series. The main event scene at this time was occupied by Macho Man Randy Savage, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Mr. Perfect, and Razor Ramon. While the Hitman defended the title against Razor at the '93 Rumble, the other three main eventers were participants in the Royal Rumble Match itself. Many fans predicted Mr. Perfect or the Macho Man to walk out as the #1 contender considering how logical and highly anticipated a match with Bret Hart, or even Razor Ramon, would've been for WrestleMania IX. So when the winner was Yokozuna, the "Japanese" sumo wrestler who had yet to feature into even a mid-card feud with another WWE superstar, fans were stunned and it became the most surprising Royal Rumble victory ever.