Ranking EVERY WWE Royal Rumble Match - From Worst To Best

38. 2012

Shawn Michaels Ranked
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.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

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, 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 the 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, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.