12 Best WWE Royal Rumble Performances Ever

When you talk about the 2014 Royal Rumble, it typically brings up extremely visceral feelings.

That was the year that fans wanted Daniel Bryan – and only Daniel Bryan – to go on to WrestleMania 30 to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. No one else would suffice, so when Bryan wasn’t in the Rumble, the fans turned on the match something fierce, booing the #30 entrant, Rey Mysterio, and completely raining on Batista’s parade when he won.

However, there was a dominant performance buried in all that hatred. Before he was the most-hated, over-pushed superstar in WWE, Roman Reigns was still the powerhouse in The Shield. And he had a Rumble to remember that night. Joining the fray at #15, Reigns set a new record for eliminations, bouncing 12 men, including his Shield brethren, Sheamus, JBL and Kevin Nash.

Things were so askew due to fans’ desire to see Bryan win and not Batista that the crowd started openly chanting for Roman to win as they desperately sought to stave off The Animal’s victory. That performance pretty much solidified that Reigns was going to be the guy going forward, for better or worse.

At least now it seems to be better.