10 Worst WWE Royal Rumble Winners Ever
2. Batista (2014)
Well then. What was WWE thinking between 2011 and 2016?! Six consecutive Royal Rumbles with dissatisfying winners, to say the least (ahem, Authority, cough). There can be no doubt, however, that Drax The Destroyer's conquest in 2014 was the most criminal of that torrid spell. It was received about as well as Reigns would be the following year, except this was a legend returning to take a WrestleMania spot away from a full-time worker - and not just any worker.
This was peak Daniel Bryan; the Yes! Movement at fever pitch. Everybody not working for WWE knew this had to be his year to reach the mountaintop. WWE, on the other hand, decided that Randy Orton vs. Batista was a fine 'Mania main event for 2014, which the fans promptly sh*t all over when they figured out that was the plan.
Sure, WWE buckled and went with the Bryan story, but that doesn't change the blinkered booking that marred the Rumble. The simplest tweak to this story (Batista coming back as the heel he plays amazingly) would have at least made some storyline sense, rather than WWE blatantly ignoring the indie guy out of spite until the noise got too loud.