Ranking Every WWE Royal Rumble Since 2010
No surprise entrants in this list of the best Royal Rumble events of the past ten years.
The Royal Rumble pay-per-view is often regarded by WWE fans as the most exciting event in WWE's calendar, due to the shocks and surprises provided by the titular matches themselves, as well as the looming prospect of WrestleMania just around the corner.
The excitement of having the first 'Mania match of the year confirmed is enough to draw thousands of fans to the Royal Rumble each year and, since the addition of a Women's bout in 2018, the thrills that come thick and fast have been doubled. WWE don't often attempt to change the formula of the Rumble matches, as the typical format has worked for 30 years. However, there have been various occasions that the annual 30-man brawl has been negatively received, due to changes or poor booking decisions.
The last ten years of WWE have showcased some of the best (and worst) moments in Rumble history. Now the 2020 edition has rounded out the decade, it only makes sense to see how they all stack up.
11. 2014
The 2014 Royal Rumble was a hot mess of a show.
The WWE Universe was unapologetic in their opinions of this pay-per-view, with the climax being drowned in boos. After an unsuccessful bout against Bray Wyatt to open the show, Daniel Bryan was expected to be in the main event of the night, even potentially winning the whole thing. WWE fans across the world clamoured for the 'American Dragon' to be pushed throughout 2013 and it seemed as though there was no better opportunity to begin that than at the Royal Rumble. Much to the fan's dismay, that was not the case.
Bryan was not in the match. He did not appear as a late entrant, and as the number of remaining participants slowly dwindled down, fans became aware that their beloved superstar was not going to appear. This did not sit well with the WWE fans in attendance, with the Pittsburgh crowd booing usual fan favourite Rey Mysterio upon his entry at number 30.
This show seemed as though it was booked to upset fans across the board, with Bray dominating Bryan to open the show and Brock Lesnar and Big Show having a slow, methodical match. The main title bout of the evening - Randy Orton vs. John Cena for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship - was heavily disregarded by the live crowd, with chants of 'Y2J' and 'this is awful' ringing around the Consol Energy Center.
Thankfully, it appeared as though WWE saw the error of their ways when they decided to push Daniel Bryan to the main event scene not long after this show, with his triumph at WrestleMania XXX, but this event could have been salvaged somewhat had the company listened to their fans.