WWE: 5 Most Historically Significant Royal Rumble Matches

2. Royal Rumble 2005, Winner: Batista

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTq3tKQmROo Near the end of the 2005 Royal Rumble, both John Cena and Batista stood with their arms raised by different referees. The actual reason for this was that the two competitors had simultaneously eliminated each other, but the image of both of these superstars with their arms raised in victory would be one that WWE fans would be seeing for years to come. What followed was an exciting period of overtime, ultimately won by The Animal. The back and forth affray between Cena and Batista during the closing moments of the '05 Rumble not only brought the fans of Fresno, California to their feet, it also symbolized something much bigger. For years, the top ranks of WWE included superstars like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker and Triple H. The results of the '05 Rumble showed that there were two new stars leading the charge. Both Cena and Batista went on to win gold at that year's Wrestlemania. Following this Rumble, Batista's tenure as a top superstar would continue for another five years, while Cena's continues today. For jumpstarting the career of two huge WWE superstars, this '05 edition comes in at number two on the list of most historic Royal Rumble matches.