Ranking EVERY WWE Royal Rumble Pay-Per-View From Worst To Best

31. 2014

Royal Rumble
WWE.com

The Good: Daniel Bryan's opener against Bray Wyatt was the latter's best WWE singles match ever and did much to make him a credible WrestleMania opponent for John Cena. A lone highlight of the event, the match is tinged with unnerving unease throughout due to an audience already sensing a grim reality they they don't want to believe.

The Bad: Brock Lesnar Vs The Big Show was a soul-destroying waste of time and is only forgotten because 'The Beast' scored one of the biggest wins in WrestleMania history a few months later. Fans sh*t on John Cena Vs Randy Orton a) because it was rubbish and b) the foreboding sense of doom that was increasing by the second in the building.

The Ugly: The grim reality and foreboding doom being realised in a horribly misunderstood Royal Rumble. Roman Reigns got away clean for a change, but only because a livid crowd spewed their bile on Batista, Rey Mysterio, Sheamus and anybody else that wasn't Daniel Bryan. The company had one backup plan that could have satiated the masses, but like so many actual fan favourites over the years, he was bantered off by Kane. CM Punk's WWE farewell was as futile as it was tragically fitting.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 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 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, 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