Ranking Every WWE Royal Rumble Since 2010

Much like the year prior, the Royal Rumble was won by a superstar that fans actually supported - for the most part - in the form of John Cena. Cena found himself a two-time Royal Rumble victor (the first in 2008) when he eliminated Ryback last to earn himself a main event match at WrestleMania 29. However, the placement of the Rumble match on this card left little to the imagination. The 30-man brawl was placed one match before the WWE Championship match between CM Punk and The Rock, which meant that fans were able to predict the winner of that title bout before it even started.

The climax of the pay-per-view saw 'The Brahma Bull' overcome Punk and win the WWE Championship, leading to the blindingly obvious rematch of the 'Once In A Lifetime' match from WrestleMania just one year beforehand. Allowing The Rock to take the title away from Punk seemed an odd decision at the time, as Rocky was a part-time superstar and the WWE Universe believed that spots at the top of the card should be earned, rather than given.

The rest of the night had its ups and downs, particularly the return of Chris Jericho at the number two position, Kofi Kingston's miraculous escape on JBL's chair, and the appearance of NXT's Bo Dallas, to name a few. The annual January pay-per-view was not the worst effort that WWE have offered in recent years, with several positive moments and surprises - although some decisions were not well received - but this event earns its right to sit higher than its predecessor.