Ranking All 28 WWE Royal Rumble Winners

27. Big John Studd €“ 1989

WrestleMania title shot: N/A The winner of the first 30-man Royal Rumble, Big John Studd was not a world title contender, nor was he an up-and-comer. Rather, Studd was on the downswing of his wrestling career, retiring just five months after winning the Rumble. It€™s viewed that this was more of a reward for Studd€™s career and contributions to WWF€™s boom period in the 80s than anything else. Seeing how the Rumble was only in its second year and hadn€™t yet been established as a major event, it€™s understandable that WWF would choose to give Studd a nice sendoff into retirement.
Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fortunately became a fan in time for WrestleMania III and came back as a fan after a long high school hiatus before WM XIV. Monday nights in the Carlson household are reserved for viewing Raw -- for better or worse.