{"id":150197,"date":"2026-01-08T10:00:04","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T15:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=150197"},"modified":"2026-01-08T11:49:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T16:49:16","slug":"5-royal-rumble-runner-ups-who-still-had-a-wwe-world-championship-match-at-wrestlemania","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/01\/08\/5-royal-rumble-runner-ups-who-still-had-a-wwe-world-championship-match-at-wrestlemania\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Royal Rumble Runner-Ups Who Still Had a WWE World Championship Match at WrestleMania"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Royal Rumble match winner is guaranteed a world championship match of their choosing at WrestleMania. The iconic rule has been in place since the 1993 Royal Rumble match. However, whilst the Royal Rumble match winners get all the plaudits, it&#8217;s not all doom and gloom for some Royal Rumble runner-ups. Several Royal Rumble runner-ups have found an alternative route to make their way into a world championship match at WrestleMania.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"aZwT9bWwj8\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/01\/05\/wwe-attitude-era-every-royal-rumble-match-ranked\/\" target=\"_self\">WWE Attitude Era: Every Royal Rumble Match, Ranked<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;WWE Attitude Era: Every Royal Rumble Match, Ranked&#8221; &#8212; Last Word on Pro Wrestling\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/01\/05\/wwe-attitude-era-every-royal-rumble-match-ranked\/embed\/#?secret=tGxV9wdwKe#?secret=aZwT9bWwj8\" data-secret=\"aZwT9bWwj8\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>With two world championships in the men&#8217;s world title picture and two women&#8217;s world titles in the women&#8217;s division, there are several reasons as to why Royal Rumble runner-ups have found themselves competing in world title matches at WrestleMania.<\/p>\n<p>For sure, it&#8217;s not an unwritten rule, but Royal Rumble runner-ups participating in world championship matches at WrestleMania showcases the significance of having a good Rumble. Nevertheless, there have been several different ways in; Rumble runner-ups have punched their ticket to a world title match on The Grandest Stage of Them All.<\/p>\n<h2>5. Steve Austin<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"&quot;Stone Cold&quot; Steve Austin &amp; The Rock&#039;s championship clash at WrestleMania XV\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ODz6E47uaDc?start=23&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Despite having a $100,000 bounty placed on his head by Mr. McMahon, Steve Austin was the odds-on favorite to win the 1999 Royal Rumble match. The Texas Rattlesnake sought to become the first man to win a hat-trick of Royal Rumble matches on the bounce. However, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/01\/06\/the-5-best-wwe-royal-rumble-runner-ups-ranked\/5\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Austin failed to win the 1999 Royal Rumble match<\/span> <\/a>as McMahon prevailed, all thanks to outside interference from the new WWE Champion, The Rock.<\/p>\n<p>McMahon was never going to compete for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 15. Therefore, Austin and McMahon clashed in a steel cage match at St. Valentine&#8217;s Day Massacre with McMahon&#8217;s title opportunity at stake. Despite Paul Wight making his WWE debut, Austin defeated McMahon, punching his ticket to the main event of WrestleMania 15.<\/p>\n<p>Austin&#8217;s win was historic as he became the first Rumble runner-up to challenge for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania.\u00a0 The Texas Rattlesnake didn&#8217;t let this opportunity slip as he beat Rock for his third WWE Championship.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>4. Charlotte Flair<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FULL MATCH \u2014 Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey \u2014 SmackDown Women&#039;s Title Match: WrestleMania 38\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eidk6MOSwBc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Charlotte Flair&#8217;s path to a world championship match at WrestleMania 35 was unclear as she<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/01\/07\/every-wwe-womens-royal-rumble-match-runner-up-ranked\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"> finished as runner-up<\/span><\/a> to Becky Lynch in the 2019 women&#8217;s Royal Rumble match. However, the Queen found a way as she dethroned Asuka on the penultimate episode of SmackDown before WrestleMania 35 for the SmackDown Women&#8217;s Championship.<\/p>\n<p>This led to history being made as Flair, Lynch, and the Raw Women&#8217;s Champion Ronda Rousey clashed in a historic Winner Takes All triple threat match for the Raw and SmackDown Women&#8217;s Championships in the first women&#8217;s WrestleMania main event.<\/p>\n<p>Lynch prevailed and became Becky Two Belts. However, three years after being a runner-up in a women&#8217;s Royal Rumble match, Flair found herself coming second best again. Flair entered the 2022 women&#8217;s Royal Rumble match, and a returning Ronda Rousey eliminated her to win the Rumble.<\/p>\n<p>Despite being the reigning SmackDown Women&#8217;s Champion in the Rumble, she still entered. Furthermore, Rousey opted to challenge Flair for the SmackDown Women&#8217;s Championship at WrestleMania 38. Flair and Rousey had a decent match, but the Queen survived and retained her title.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>3. Randy Orton<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Rey Mysterio wins World Heavyweight Championship - WrestleMania 22\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SmalWq894dk?start=10&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Randy Orton entered the 2006 Royal Rumble match from the 30th position for the first time. The Legend Killer was unable to take advantage of his late entry into the Rumble. He finished as the runner-up to Rey Mysterio, who dedicated his victory to the late Eddie Guerrero. However, Orton wasn&#8217;t going to go away lightly as the youngest world champion in WWE history was desperate to get back to the top of the mountain once more.<\/p>\n<p>Orton taunted Mysterio into putting his world title shot opportunity on the line, as he had some unsavory comments for Mysterio about Guerrero. However, Orton&#8217;s plan worked as he defeated Mysterio to become the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 22 in their one-on-one meeting at No Way Out 2006.<\/p>\n<p>While Orton couldn&#8217;t be removed from the title match at WrestleMania 22,\u00a0 SmackDown GM Teddy Long reinstated Mysterio to the match. Orton, Mysterio, and Kurt Angle battled it out for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 22.\u00a0 Their title match lasted less than 10 minutes, but they maximized their time. Orton was unable to win his second world title as Mysterio pinned Orton to win the gold.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>2. Triple H<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FULL MATCH \u2014  Triple H vs. Randy Orton \u2014 WWE Title Match: WrestleMania XXV\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9IWDFt7ssdc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Triple H, victor of the 2002 Royal Rumble match, was seeking his second triumph in a Royal Rumble match in 2008. However, a returning John Cena had different ideas by dumping the Game over the top rope to win the 2008 Royal Rumble match. Cena&#8217;s Rumble win threw a spanner in the works.<\/p>\n<p>With Cena opting to use his WrestleMania opportunity at No Way Out 2008 against Randy Orton for the WWE Championship, a number one contender&#8217;s Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Title was held.<\/p>\n<p>The Cerebral Assassin prevailed to feature in a world title match at WrestleMania 24. It became a triple threat match for the WWE Championship between Triple H, Randy Orton, and John Cena after the screwy finish at No Way Out. Their triple threat match at WrestleMania 24 was superb, with Orton retaining the WWE Championship. 12 months later, Triple H was runner-up to Orton in the 2009 Royal Rumble match.<\/p>\n<p>A month later, the Game won the WWE Championship in an Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out 2009. Inevitably, a blockbuster meeting between Triple H and Orton closed out WrestleMania 25. Unfortunately, their match didn&#8217;t live up to the hype, but Triple H retained the WWE Title.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>1. John Cena<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FULL MATCH: Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena | Undisputed WWE Title Match: WrestleMania 41\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3exJ_0v1wr0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The finish to the 2005 Royal Rumble match was iconic as the finish was botched with John Cena and Batista going over the top rope simultaneously, with Mr. McMahon coming down the aisle and tearing his quads.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, Cena failed to overcome the Animal in the 2005 Royal Rumble match. Cena defeated Kurt Angle in a number one contender&#8217;s match at No Way Out 2005.\u00a0 He defeated JBL with one FU to become the WWE Champion for the first time at WrestleMania 21.<\/p>\n<p>Five years later, Cena entered the 2010 Royal Rumble match, and once again, he was the runner-up. Cena&#8217;s old foe, Edge, eliminated Cena to win the Rumble. However, Cena regained the WWE Championship in an Elimination Chamber match, but Batista beat him a month later in an impromptu title match.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, Cena gained his revenge by defeating Batista for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 26. Cena&#8217;s win was academic as it was the first time since <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/11\/18\/john-cenas-17-wwe-world-title-reigns-ranked\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Cena&#8217;s first WWE Title win<\/span><\/a>, five years prior, that the WWE Championship changed hands at WrestleMania.<\/p>\n<p>For the third time in 2025, Cena surprisingly finished as runner-up in the men&#8217;s Royal Rumble match to Jey Uso. Nevertheless, Cena put it right a month later by prevailing in a number one contender&#8217;s Elimination Chamber match. Cena turned heel after his Chamber win.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_133768\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-133768\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-133768 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/04\/20250301_WM41_CodyCena_16x9_Date-bfa4414ae9530745e948ca4bdfa7b409.jpg\" alt=\"WWE WrestleMania 41: Will John Cena End Cody Rhodes\u2019 Reign?\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/04\/20250301_WM41_CodyCena_16x9_Date-bfa4414ae9530745e948ca4bdfa7b409.jpg 960w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/04\/20250301_WM41_CodyCena_16x9_Date-bfa4414ae9530745e948ca4bdfa7b409-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/04\/20250301_WM41_CodyCena_16x9_Date-bfa4414ae9530745e948ca4bdfa7b409-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-133768\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Meanwhile, it&#8217;s a good omen for Cena to finish as a runner-up in a Royal Rumble match, as every time he&#8217;s finished as a runner-up, he&#8217;s gone on to win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. &#8220;The Never Seen 17&#8221; was born as Cena defeated Cody Rhodes in the main event of WrestleMania 41 Sunday to become a record-breaking 17-time WWE world champion.<\/p>\n<p><strong>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em><i>Header photo \u2013 WWE \u2013 Stay tuned to the\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_self\"><em><u><i>Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i> for more on the WWE Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the significant news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><i>You can check out WWE programming on\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/title\/81788927\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>Netflix<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(Raw),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usanetwork.com\/wwe-friday-night-smackdown\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>USA Network<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(SmackDown),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cwtv.com\/shows\/wwe-nxt\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>The CW<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(NXT),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/tubitv.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>Tubi<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(WWE Evolve),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aetv.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>A&amp;E<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(WWE Superstar Sunday \u2013 Rivals, WWE LFG, and Greatest Moments), and\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peacocktv.com\/watch\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>Peacock<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(WWE Main Event, as well as archives and premium live event streaming). Follow WWE on social media to relive top moments and matches on\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>YouTube<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>, and catch fast-paced action on X (<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/i\/events\/1773457579022155776?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>WWE Speed<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>).<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Royal Rumble match winner is guaranteed a world championship match of their choosing at WrestleMania. The iconic rule has been in place since the 1993 Royal Rumble match. However, whilst the Royal Rumble match winners get all the plaudits, it&#8217;s not all doom and gloom for some Royal Rumble runner-ups. Several Royal Rumble runner-ups [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5695,"featured_media":150247,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7205,2192,4,3],"tags":[397,396],"class_list":["post-150197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-history","category-wrestling","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-royal-rumble","tag-wrestlemania"],"modified_by":"Marilee Gallagher, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5695"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150197"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":150277,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150197\/revisions\/150277"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/150247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}