Top 5 Royal Rumble Matches

Out of all the gimmick matches in all of wrestling, one stands above them all as the most consistently great.  That match is the annual Royal Rumble match that WWE puts on at their annual Royal Rumble Pay-Per View.  30 men enter, only one man leaves with a WWE/World title shot at WrestleMania.  It is a match like no other and has delivered some of the best moments in wrestling history.  Upon the 25^th anniversary of this spectacular match, this writer would love to share with all of you his Top 5 Royal Rumble Matches of all-time.

5.  2010 Royal Rumble Match

Each year the Royal Rumble leaves wrestling fans with incredible moments that get their blood pumping and heart beating and this Rumble was full with them.  CM Punk’s early dominance and preaching of his Straight-Edge lifestyle, Beth Phoenix eliminating the Great Khali by using her womanly ways and the one that made me jump out of chair in absolute amazement, Shawn Michaels superkicking Triple H right out of the Royal Rumble.  Those moments were all great, but one stood above them all as the one that will forever define the 2010 Royal Rumble in the minds of wrestling fans around the globe.  That moment was when Edge returned to the WWE as the 29^th entrant in the Royal Rumble and would eliminate Chris Jericho and John Cena to win the Royal Rumble.  The return of the Rated R Superstar made for one amazing Rumble that just breaks the Top 5.

4.  2009 Royal Rumble Match

You know when a Royal Rumble match is among the best of all-time when the close to 60 minute bout seems to fly by.  That was exactly what happened with the 2009 Royal Rumble Match.  For the first Rumble this writer saw, the ring was filled to capacity with superstars fighting for the illustrious prize of main-eventing WrestleMania.  The 2009 Rumble saw some of the funniest moments in Rumble history with Santino’s record breaking elimination from the Rumble (he lasted less than a second before getting eliminated), Ziggler’s elimination after introducing himself to Kane and Rey Mysterio using the Miz and Morrison’s backs to avoid elimination.  When the dust settled at the end of a hectic Royal Rumble, Randy Orton stood tall as the sole survivor and the man who would main event WrestleMania 25.

3.  2005 Royal Rumble Match

15 Raw superstars, 15 Smackdown superstars battled it out in one of the most brutal Rumble matches in recent memory.  2005 was the beginning of a new era for the WWE as the Post-Attitude Era was coming to a close and the Modern Era was just starting.  The two heralds of this new era were the men who by a twist of fate or just coincidence were the last two superstars in the 2005 Royal Rumble.  Decapitating clotheslines, fearsome punches and devastating finishers all lead to “The Animal” Batista going nose-to-nose with the “Doctor of Thuganomics” John Cena.  After a furious battle between the two future main eventers and a double elimination, Batista overpowered a young John Cena and won the Royal Rumble.  What an incredible Royal Rumble to go with the best Royal Rumble PPV event in years.

2.  2011 Royal Rumble Match

Literally the Biggest Royal Rumble in WWE history, last year the WWE added 10 more superstars to make an incredible 40-Man Royal Rumble Match.  Many wrestling fans worried that that changing the Rumble from 30 to 40 superstars would hurt the quality of the annual spectacle.  It did not hurt it in the least; actually adding 10 more superstars made for a much more exciting match with quite a few surprises such as the returns of Booker T and Kevin Nash and amazing moments such as John Morrison’s incredible near elimination spot.  WWE definitely saved the best for last as it looked like Alberto Del Rio won the Royal Rumble by eliminating Randy Orton only for the referee to tell him that there was another competitor left in the match.   As Del Rio argued with the ref, Santino Marella, who was knocked through the bottom rope thus avoiding elimination, set up for the Cobra, which he would hit when Del Rio turned around.  Craziness ensued as the crowd in Boston went nuts as Santino celebrated hit the Cobra.  Santino would then try to throw Del Rio over the top rope only for the Mexican Aristocrat to use Santino’s momentum to send Santino flying over the rope.  What an ending for a superb Royal Rumble Match.

1.  2007 Royal Rumble Match

All these matches listed before are amazing matches in their own right, but none of them hold a candle to, in this writer’s opinion, the greatest Royal Rumble of all-time.  It was built as the most star-studded Royal Rumble in WWE history and they were not kidding.  From top to bottom, the 2007 Royal Rumble was stacked with superstars from Raw, Smackdown and the newly revived ECW.  This Rumble had everything from great wrestling to extreme weapon and table spots to hilarious moments such as Gregory Helms throwing his towel right in the face of Matt Hardy upon entering the Royal Rumble Match.  No Royal Rumble moment past or present will ever be better than the pure excellence of wrestling that took place in the last five minutes of this match, which this writer likes to call “5 Minutes in Heaven.”  With everyone else eliminated, Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker were only two competitors left in the Royal Rumble Match.  The Deadman and HBK showed that they were two of the greatest wrestlers to step into a ring as they put on a wrestling clinic in those last five minutes.  HBK and Taker traded finishers until Undertaker would avoid Michaels’ superkick thus sending the Heartbreak Kid over the top rope to the floor below.  It was a beautiful ending for one unforgettable Royal Rumble Match.  No doubt that the 2007 Royal Rumble deserves the top spot on this list.