Ranking EVERY WWE Royal Rumble Match - From Worst To Best
16. 2005
If it wasn’t for Vince McMahon tearing both quads and the subsequent peeling back of the curtain at the 2005 Royal Rumble, one could realistically believe that the double elimination of John Cena and Batista was all simply part of the plan.
At this point in time, Cena and Big Dave were two of the hottest rising stars in the game, both on the cusp of truly breaking out as top-tier talent. Thus, a double elimination could feasibly give both men the right to call their shot at WrestleMania 21, or could even set up a mini-feud between the two ahead of ‘Mania.
But nope, Batista was always intended to win, and that double elimination spot was a botch that miraculously saw both men tumble to the outside at the exact same time. Of course, an angry McMahon would stomp his way to the ring, tear both quads in the process, sit bizarrely slouched in the ring, and order the match to be restarted - resulting in Batista winning to challenge Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 21, and for Cena to later earn himself a shot at JBL’s WWE Championship.
Another decent Rumble match, the 2005 offering did suffer somewhat in how John Cena and Batista were the only realistic winners. However, seeing Kurt Angle lose his mind after being eliminated in quick fashion by Shawn Michaels - setting up their own ‘Mania 21 match - was fantastic to watch, and Paul London was on the end of a ludicrous elimination at the hands of Gene Snitsky. Then there was also the opening few minutes where Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and Hardcore Holly legitimately beat the snot out of Daniel Puder in a showing of on-screen bullying disguised as ‘paying dues’.