10 WWE Royal Rumble Wins That Would Have Improved WrestleMania
7. CM Punk And Daniel Bryan Tie (2014)
There’s a bizarre poetry in WWE planning the WrestleMania XXX main event around a stable called Evolution while simultaneously disregarding evolving preferences.
After a scintillating opening contest, the 2014 Royal Rumble was irreparably derailed. Brock Lesnar and the Big Show produced a deflating two-minute squash while Randy Orton and John Cena’s interminable feud made 21 minutes feel like 90.
Then came the Rumble.
In a bewildering 55 minutes, WWE managed to exclude the immensely popular Daniel Bryan, eject fellow crowd favorite CM Punk (the start of a self-imposed seven-year wrestling exile) and entangled poor Rey Mysterio in Pittsburgh’s misdirected animosity in light of Bryan’s absence. When the debris settled, Batista had returned from a four-year Hollywood hiatus to claim the Rumble match, kicking the proverbial hornet’s nest.
The later introduction of Evolution helmsman and detestable Authority fixture Triple H threatened to turn an already lifeless headliner into a triple threat match five years past its sell-by date. While overwhelming fan revolt did eventually carry Daniel Bryan to victories against all three and a world championship at WrestleMania, there was a less radioactive path to explore.
The solution? A 20th anniversary sequel to the 1994 Royal Rumble. With The Authority doubling down on Orton as champion, a photo finish for Bryan and Punk would have doubled fan investment. The same story could be told, the same obstacles could be utilized, and it might even have coerced the latter to extend his stay for the WrestleMania main event he never received.