Ranking EVERY WWE Royal Rumble Match - From Worst To Best

38. 2012

Royal Rumble 2012 Sheamus Chris Jericho
WWE

The Royal Rumble goes from drama to full-comedy.

That's what happened in 2012. There was a hefty emphasis on laughs and silliness in this match. Mick Foley and Santino Marella held a kid-friendly war between Mr. Socko and the Cobra mid-match. Adding to the jovial feel of proceedings elsewhere, announcers like Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and Booker T all had short stabs in there too.

WWE peeled back on the 40-man idea by reverting to the standard 30, but then wasted some of the spots by cramming in too many commentators and duds like Ezekiel Jackson, Hunico, and even Ricardo Rodriguez. Star power was clearly not something the company's creative team felt this Rumble needed then. They were wrong about that.

Sheamus ended the night by doing some sign-pointing. He can't be considered the most unwanted Rumble winner ever (Batista in 2014 would like a word), but nobody seemed all that enthused about him either. There was a flat, almost lifeless feel the whole match that's only exacerbated when you watch it again for the first time since 2012.

This was not a banner era to be a WWE fan, put it that way.

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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 and Presenter, 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 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 and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.