WWE may not be the most popular wrestling organization in the world. Their booking has been questionable, at best, and they have been facing some serious competition. Luckily for Vince and company, the Royal Rumble is on its way.
The Royal Rumble has remained the most popular pay-per-view in WWE’s schedule. The Rumble match has always retained its anticipation with its fast-paced action and genuine surprise returns. Now the anticipation can only take WWE so far. If the booking of the rumble match is off it can turn fans against the company faster than Santino Marella’s elimination.
A large part of the success of booking a Royal Rumble match is the final stretch. The final four wrestlers in the match can make or break the success of the contest. There have been instances where the last four competitors make the match. Below, we look at Royal Rumble Final Fours and the 10 Best!
Royal Rumble Final Fours
1992 | Ric Flair, Sid Justice, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage
In a match for the vacant WWE Championship, the final four men all legitimately could have walked away with the title. Hogan and Savage were the two biggest faces in the crowd and there was a good chance either could have been the companies flag bearer. Sid Justice was gaining steam as the new face of the company and it looked like Vince was ready to pull the trigger on him. Then, of course, there was eventual winner Ric Flair.
Flair was an internationally known commodity and one of the best heels in the world. Any time he was in a match he had a chance of winning, and he did just that here by taking home the world championship.
2001 | Steve Austin, Kane, The Rock, Billy Gunn
Going into one of the best years in WWE history, the company put on one heck of a Royal Rumble match. Billy Gunn had embarked on one of his many singles pushes. There was some sentiment that he was going to get an upper card push, so at the time it looked like he could potentially win the match. Kane had turned in an all-time Rumble performance and had the world believing that the Big Red Machine could be walking away with the win.
Then, of course, there is Steve Austin and The Rock. Anytime either of these men is in a Rumble final four they have a shot at winning the match. They were the two biggest names in the company and were in the main event of Wrestlemania 17 that year.
2010 | Edge, John Cena, Batista, Shawn Michaels
John Cena and Batista were the two biggest stars of the era. Like Austin and Rock before them, anytime either man was in a Royal Rumble there was a good chance they were going to win the contest.
We also had HBK. While no one thought Shawn was going to walk away with the win his chase to face Undertaker was a fantastic narrative to bring into the final four. When he was knocked out of the match you could feel the air rush out of the stadium.
Then there was the returning Edge as your eventual winner. His return pop was amazing and it was the smart move to have him go over and take home the Rumble victory.
Royal Rumble Final Fours
2007 | The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, Edge
It took many years but the 2007 Royal Rumble was the first in history to have the number 30 entrant walk away the winner. Again, we had four of the biggest stars in the company as the final four. Orton and Edge were fantastic additions and played their heel roles perfectly. Having them work together throughout the match added a sense of drama to the contest. For a while, everyone in attendance believed that the two men would cut through the field.
Once both were eliminated we all bore witness to the greatest ending in Royal Rumble history. The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels put on an amazing mini-match to end the Royal Rumble. The drama was beautiful and no one in the audience knew who was going to win until the very last second of the match.
2019 | Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Bayley, Nia Jax
The first women’s Royal Rumble was a historic event, but it wasn’t until the second year that WWE put on a great match.
In Becky Lynch, Charlotte and Bayley we had three-quarters of the Four Horsewomen. These were three of the women leading the revolution so it made perfect sense to include them in the final four. It was believable that any of them would be walking away the victor.
Nia Jax may have become a running calamity in WWE but at this point, she was a legitimate threat. Her brute force was being pushed to the moon and it was plausible that she could win the Royal Rumble.
Royal Rumble Final Fours
2002 | Triple H, Kurt Angle, Mr.Perfect, Steve Austin
A returning Triple H was getting a massive reaction from the WWE Universe, even without the hero return he was a top contender to win the match. Steve Austin was coming off his record-setting third win at the Rumble the year before. Anytime the Rattlesnake stepped into the Royal Rumble he had a chance of winning the match.
Kurt Angle was in the midst of a tremendous heel run. He was quickly becoming the most hated man on the roster. It would have made sense for him to get some heel heat by winning the Royal Rumble.
A huge surprise for the Rumble was a returning Mr Perfect. Past his prime Perfect looked fantastic. Giving him the win would have been the perfect... way to get a huge pop from the crowd and celebrate the returning wrestler.
2005 | Batista, John Cena, Rey Mysterio, Edge
Edge and Rey Mysterio were two of the biggest names on the roster. Their Royal Rumble acumen was well documented and their chances of winning the Royal Rumble match were high.
While Edge and Mysterio had their chance, everyone in the building knew that this match was essentially a two-horse race.
John Cena and Batista were the two wrestlers the company was putting their weight behind. Both had been getting a huge push to the top of the card and having them face off for the final two was the smart move. It gave us an unpredictable final two and one that will go down in WWE history as one of the most memorable.
Royal Rumble Final Fours
2006 | Rey Mysterio, Triple H, Randy Orton, Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam was over like no other performer. The reactions he got from the crowd were phenomenal and he was only months away from winning Money in the Bank. It would have made sense to have him walk away the winner and the fans in attendance believed it.
Triple H and Randy Orton were the two seasoned WWE guys. With the pedigree, man I’m on fire, of both men it would have made sense for either to win the Royal Rumble. Oddly enough, both men would end up wrestling for the world titles at Wrestlemania that year.
With the passing of Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio was getting the biggest push of his career. It seemed from the start of the year that he would be challenging for the world title. Having him win was the crowd-pleasing result for the evening.
2018 | Shinsuke Nakamura, Roman Reigns, Finn Balor, John Cena
Cena and Reigns were two of the hardest-pushed stars in the company. Both were believable threats to walk away with the win. Balor was over huge at the time. The crowd loved him and with A.J Styles as the champion, it would have been a great matchup to see at Wrestlemania.
Speaking of great matchups, having Nakamura win the Rumble was the best move. He was an incredibly over wrestler and matching him up against Styles builds off their NJPW history. Alas, the Wrestlemania match was a letdown, but the Rumble winner was the right decision.
Royal Rumble Final Fours
2020 | Drew McIntrye, Roman Reigns, Edge, Randy Orton
The last Royal Rumble before the Thunderdome era hit was a fantastic match, with a superb final four finishing off the contest.
Randy Orton was a two-time winner and he will always have a shot at winning the match. Considering his last Rumble win was a surprise, he could have walked away with the win. Edge had just made his triumphant return after 9 years away from the company. The shock was a huge moment for the match and it would have looked great to have him walk away the winner.
Of course, Roman Reigns is in the final four. The golden boy of WWE will always have a shot at winning the match. Drew McIntyre was on the rise in WWE. His push was evident here and it was a crowd-pleasing moment to have him win the match.