100 Greatest WWE Royal Rumble Moments Ever

9. AJ Styles Debuts In WWE (2016)

WWE Royal Rumble 2020 Edge
WWE

Ex-WWE production chief Kevin Dunn almost spoiled the magnificence of this one by focusing on Roman Reigns in-ring rather than the entrance of a shocking company newcomer. There had been rumblings online for a while, but the entire wrestling world was left stunned when former TNA and New Japan standout AJ Styles strolled down the aisle as #3 in the 2016 Rumble.

Roman was confused. Wrestling fans were elated.

It felt almost trippy to see AJ shine so brightly in a Vince McMahon-led WWE. He'd been associated with TNA for so long that anyone watching had to rub their eyes and wonder if they were seeing things. They weren't. Well, they were: Styles was now a WWE full-timer, and this was just the beginning of a wildly successful run no-one could've predicted.

AJ went almost 30 minutes in the Rumble before being tossed out by Kevin Owens. He'd eliminate Curtis Axel and Tyler Breeze along the way before settling into a WrestleMania rivalry vs. Chris Jericho. Thankfully, Dunn saw fit to capture some of AJ's entrance in the end. Just as well, because the moment deserved that.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.