Ranking EVERY WWE Royal Rumble Match From Worst To Best

27. 2016

Cody Rhodes
WWE.com

Another Rumble partially destroyed by the tone-deaf overpushing of Roman Reigns, 2016's battle is fondly remembered for the brilliantly-executed debut of AJ Styles.

Entering the match third for a two-minute face-off with then-Champion Reigns in a battle royal with his title on the line, 'The Phenomenal One's arrival was another watershed moment for WWE's ever-changing approach to talent outside their bubble. His good run in the match itself was similar acknowledgement of his right to be there, even if the contest's crushingly familiar conclusion was tailored to set up a WrestleMania snoozer between 'The Big Dog' and Triple H.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 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 over 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 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana 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