The Royal Rumble is a massive deal within WWE. The competitors who win the match get a World Championship opportunity at WrestleMania. It signifies their movement to the top of the card and can lead to a huge boost in their standing within the company.
With a surefire shot at the title and headlining a major PLE, one would assume that a Rumble win will always translate into a WrestleMania victory. This isn’t always the case. There have been several times in history where the winner of the Rumble fails at WrestleMania. Below, we will look at the most disappointing of these occurrences.
2000 – The Rock; Lost WrestleMania 2000
The Rock was the hottest start in the company in 2000. Austin was away with injury, and The Rock took up his mantle. He spent weeks declaring that he was going to win the Rumble, and when the night came, he delivered on that promise.
It made sense as he was incredibly popular and was the one the fans wanted to become champion at WrestleMania. Everything was pointing to a Rock triumph on the Grandest Stage.
Instead, Vince McMahon decided to overbook the heck out of the main event.
The Fatal Four Way was not a great match and could have been saved if The Rock had won, but instead, The Game retained his title. It made no sense to do this and deprive the fans of The Rock winning the championship. We need only to refer to Backlash, the next month, to see what the main event of WrestleMania could have been.
2018 – Asuka; Lost WrestleMania 34
There was no one who was ready for Asuka. When she debuted in WWE, she tore through the NXT Women’s division. She had no equal as she decimated everyone put in front of her. When she hit the main roster, this success continued as she brought her historic undefeated streak with her. It was a streak that no one thought would be broken at WrestleMania 34.
After winning the Royal Rumble, Asuka immediately went after reigning SmackDown Women’s Champ Charlotte Flair. She was the big name on the roster, and it looked like a mega star-making moment was on the horizon for Asuka.
Unfortunately, Asuka was forced to tap out against The Queen in a mere 13 minutes. It was a head-scratching decision. Asuka was ready to ascend to the main event, but this match made her look like a chump. Her aura was ruined, and it took a long time for her to regain her allure in the company.
2023 – Cody Rhodes; Lost WrestleMania 39
Roman Reigns was on an absolute tear heading into WrestleMania 39. He had held onto the World Championship for well over two years. He was The Head of the Table, and whoever upended him would instantly become the face of the company. This is what should have happened to Cody Rhodes.
Rhodes is the biggest babyface in WWE. After he won the Royal Rumble, he was massively over, and the fans were ready for him to be the one to dethrone Reigns. So naturally, they had Reigns retain the title to a chorus of boos.
It was a massive misstep by WWE. Rhodes was the choice to take over at the top of the card, but Reigns prevailed regardless. Since then, Reigns has been absent from WWE television, and his feuds have been lackluster. WWE needed to strike while the iron is hot and may have missed the time to crown Cody Rhodes.
2010 – Edge; Lost WrestleMania 26
Edge making his return after nearly a year was a massive surprise at the Royal Rumble. He left a heel but returned to a huge response from the Atlanta crowd. It was a great moment and one that was made even better by the fact that he dumped his rival, Chris Jericho, from the contest.
Even better was when Jericho won the World Heavyweight Championship, setting up a grudge match at WrestleMania, a match that Edge lost.
Edge going over Chris Jericho was the easiest program to write. Jericho was “responsible” for Edge’s absence, so why wouldn’t Edge go over? Based on how over Edge was at the time, he would have been great as a babyface champion, and there was nowhere to go with Jericho. It was an easy pop fly that WWE dropped.
2018 – Shinsuke Nakamura; Lost WrestleMania 34
Much like Asuka, Shinsuke Nakamura was on fire heading into the Royal Rumble. In NXT, he was an absolute beast who became the face of the brand. He had the look, the talent, and the charisma to become a massive star when he moved over to the main roster, and after his Royal Rumble win, that seemed to be where he was going.
It was also kismet that Nakamura would be facing his long-time rival, AJ Styles, on the Grandest Stage. Now, of course, he was going to win, right? Right?!
To the dismay of just about everyone, Nakamura lost to Styles and then turned heel with a low blow. A move that could have worked had he eventually won the championship, but he came up short at every opportunity. The way he was treated begged the question of why Nakamura won the Royal Rumble. It was a shame the way the company fumbled every part of how to book this Rumble winner.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – WWE – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the WWE Network and Peacock.
