10 Times WWE Got The Royal Rumble Main Event Wrong

Whether or not Alberto Del Rio ever really had the credentials to be WWE's leading man is perhaps still a bone of contention, but ultimately, he was the man the hierarchy earmarked as their next breakout star in 2011.

You can't really criticise that too much. Del Rio was clearly a huge talent, both in terms of his ability in the ring and his presence and charisma out of it. He was fast-tracked to the top, but it was fresh and new; on paper, exactly the kind of person you want to win the Rumble.

The problem is more the booking of the match itself. Specifically, Santino Marella being the runner-up, thinking for a second he could win the thing after catching his opponent unawares during his premature celebrations.

This looked less like the ending of a Royal Rumble than it did a TV battle royal to crown the next Intercontinental or United States Champion, and if they wanted us to take Del Rio seriously as a future star, he really should have won it by eliminating a big fish - not simply a comedy jobber.