The Royal Rumble is one of the most prestigious events in WWE history. The inaugural event was a television special in 1988, and a year later, it became a PPV. All but one edition of the Royal Rumble has taken place in January, and the event starts the long, arduous road to WrestleMania.
The brand split began in 2002 with wrestlers drafted to Raw and SmackDown. The Ruthless Aggression Era followed on from the red-hot Attitude Era, and from 2003, there were two world title matches at the Royal Rumble for the next decade.
RELATED:
WWE Attitude Era: Every WWE Championship Match At The Royal Rumble, Ranked
The WWE Championship match never went on last in the Ruthless Aggression Era, but that’s not to say the matches weren’t worthy of closing out the show. Several marquee names featured in WWE Title matches at the Rumble in the Ruthless Aggression Era. In some instances, if a competitor failed to win the WWE Championship, they’d compete in the Royal Rumble match later on.
6. Brock Lesnar Vs. Hardcore Holly – Royal Rumble 2004
Hardcore Holly challenging Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at the 2004 Royal Rumble is one of the most forgotten about title matches on a major WWE PPV. Holly only got this opportunity as Lesnar broke his neck in September 2002. However, Holly, looking to win the biggest title of his career, was never going to win this title match.
The former Hardcore Champion was hellbent on exacting revenge and hurting the reigning WWE Champion. Furthermore, there wasn’t anything special about this WWE Championship match. Holly wasn’t worthy of challenging for the WWE Championship at the Rumble, and inevitably, Lesnar retained the WWE Championship with an F-5.
