Every Babyface WWE Royal Rumble Winner Ranked From Worst To Best

21. Sheamus (2012)

Bianca Belair John Cena Bret Hart
WWE

When Sheamus scored victory in 2012's comedy-heavy Royal Rumble, it appeared to solidify his place at the top of the card as a babyface after a failed (WWE Championship-winning!) false start on the other side of the divide two years earlier.

Unfortunately, he was a victim of WWE's stoic state. The win was warmly received without blowing minds, and a push later in the year didn't stick. He went back to the midcard, where he remains doing mostly the same things a decade later.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back almost 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 60,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett