10 Worst WWE Royal Rumble Winners Ever

4. Randy Orton (2017)

Vince McMahon worst
WWE.com

What was most irritating, about the Roman Reigns babyface push of the late 2010s, is that WWE knew it was going very badly but had zero incentive to abandon it or turn him heel. 

Vince McMahon, who apparently thrived on competition, was actually in a war before AEW formed - against his audience. The man fond of saying “**** ‘em” when a writer would point out a probable backlash to a creative pitch antagonised those fans for sport. 

He knew he was going to win. Sure, Reigns didn’t get over in that role, but you did nothing and liked it all the same. 

Equipped with the knowledge that you hated (or at least resented) Roman, WWE used the 2017 Rumble to depict Randy Orton as the lesser of two evils. Orton was an uninspiring choice, but people all but threw a ticker-tape parade and treated a chinlock like the birth of their first child purely because Roman, for once, did not win. 

Thank God they didn’t give the Rumble to the most over-pushed WWE wrestler ever…and went with Randy Orton instead!!

Vince instead had Roman go over the Undertaker at WrestleMania 33. 

In the main event.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!