Who should have won the Royal Rumble Match each year?

[Terry Gyimah]

Personally don't you feel like the Royal Rumble Match you feel like there was a certain superstar who you thought deserved to win the Royal Rumble Match but felt like they never really did and they just gave it to someone else?

Well for me my list of Royal Rumble Match winners this is how I would have done it for each year:

1988- Jake "The Snake" Roberts if anything he was a much more over babyface than Hacksaw at the time and not to mention he could have probably have benefited from it more

1989- Either Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase winning or I would have had it been Hogan or Savage

1990- Hogan in my opinion he definitely deserved to win the Royal Rumble Match that year so I would have kept it the exact same way as is but then if Hogan didn't win then I would have had it been Warrior

1991- Hogan definitely did not deserve to win a second straight Royal Rumble Match especially given the year before he won it but if Hogan didn't win this who would have? Personally I would have gone with Perfect

1992- With the title on the line who else but Ric Flair was going to really benefit? No one really so WWE at least from a booking standpoint actually got this one right so I would keep it the same as is

1993- Instead of Yokozuna winning the Royal Rumble Match I would have had it been either Savage, Backlund or Flair winning his 2nd Royal Rumble Match in a row back to back

1994- It was either going to be Bret or Luger either way so them going out as co-winners they should have just did what they did in 2005 with Cena/Batista sudden death overtime they should have done that with Bret and Luger and then we would have known definitely who deserved to win so that being said I would have gone with Bret

1995- Michaels personally he wasn't really ready to win that Royal Rumble Match and there were a lot more other favorites in there like British Bulldog, Luger or even Crush so that being said I would have gone with Luger considering 1994 which then I would have had him transition into a heel turn

1996- Michaels winning this I wouldn't change anything about it

1997- Austin winning definitely was the right call so I wouldn't have changed anything about it but instead of him winning in a sneaky fashion I would have had him win by coming from behind Hart after he eliminated whoever and then Austin wins that way rather than the way he actually won

1998- Austin I would have kept him as the winner so I wouldn't change this

1999- McMahon didn't need the Rumble win but instead of McMahon winning or even Austin winning I would have had Triple H winning or even Kane

2000- The Rock winning was definitely the right call

2001- Instead of Austin winning his 3rd Royal Rumble I would have had Kane win it or Rock winning back to back Royal Rumbles

2002- Triple H winning was always inevitable

2003- Same with Lesnar him winning was always inevitable

2004- Benoit knowing what I know now about him I wouldn't have had him win the Royal Rumble Match or hell even at the time Benoit didn't even deserve the win; I would have had Angle or Jericho win the Rumble or even Big Show

2005- Batista winning was always inevitable

2006- Just like Rey Mysterio winning was always inevitable

2007- Undertaker winning was also the right call

2008- Cena winning was also the right call too

2009- Instead of Orton winning the Royal Rumble Match I would have had it been Triple H winning his 2nd Royal Rumble Match

2010- Edge winning was definitely the right call

2011- Instead of Del Rio, I would have had Orton win the Royal Rumble Match or I would have had it been Wade Barrett because Barrett was at his peak with Nexus/Corre

2012- Jericho I would have had him win the Royal Rumble Match instead of Sheamus

2013- Instead of Cena winning I would have given the Royal Rumble Match win to either Ryback or even Ziggler

2014- Instead of Batista winning I would have had it been Sheamus as a surprise entrant or even Punk definitely Punk but with Batista instead of Del Rio being the one to eliminate Batista I would have had Batista been eliminated by Brock who wouldn't even be in the match to set up Lesnar/Batista

2015- Bryan should have won it

 

[LoveReignsO'erMe]

I don't care enough about the recent Rumbles, but in terms of historical Rumbles:

1988 should absolutely have been Jake Roberts. The pop he got when he came out was unrivaled that year (ditto for 89 and 90).

I like Studd for 89, because they were still in the habit of having a face win. But DiBiase would have been good. The angle of him buying the 30th slot was great.

90 should have been Perfect. That was not the year Hogan should have won. Perfect could have been built up as the next big heel, but never quite got there. Could have used the rub from the Rumble to build towards a strong WM singles match. Since they did the champ vs. champ with Warrior/Hogan, the next biggest face would have been Piper or Roberts.

91 was the first Rumble that was unquestionably the right call. Definitely liked Hogan going over in that Rumble with Slaughter beating Warrior earlier in the night.

92 Flair. The best Rumble ever, especially thanks to Heenan's work on commentary.

93 Yokozuna. Absolutely the right call.

94 was a bit disappointing with Hart/Luger as co-winners. I felt it was a bit of a cop-out. "Oh we're not sure who we want to face Yokozuna at WM...how about both?!" I would have doubled down on Hart.

Beyond that, I'll just stick to the ones I didn't like:

2002--ANGLE! You could have given HHH a win a lot of other years, but 2002 had Angle written all over it.

2012 should have been Jericho.

2014 and 2015, as most people agree, were absolutely brutal. 2014 should have been Daniel Bryan, but the storyline we got because of Batista winning was still a good one. And 2015...oof. Assuming I already had Bryan winning the previous year...I guess Reigns was alright. Just the way they went about it was pretty stupid.

 

[Aquaman6686]

I have no opinion on the first 4 Rumbles, since they were for no prize.

1992 - Ric Flair still wins.

1993 - Yokozuna still wins.

1994 - Bret Hart wins by eliminating Lex Luger.

1995 - Shawn Michaels still wins, but the clock should have been at 90 seconds, not 60.

1996 - HBK still wins.

1997 - Undertaker wins instead of Austin.

1998 - Austin still wins.

1999 - Austin wins instead of Vince.

2000 - The Rock still wins.

2001 - Austin still wins.

2002 - HHH still wins.

2003 - Chris Benoit wins instead of Brock Lesnar.

2004 - Benoit wins his second Rumble.

2005 - John Cena wins instead of Batista.

2006 - Randy Orton wins, Mysterio doesn't get within 500 miles of the WM22 main event.

2007 - Undertaker still wins.

2008 - John Cena still wins.

2009 - Randy Orton still wins.

2010 - Edge still wins.

2011 - Alberto Del Rio still wins.

2012 - Chris Jericho wins instead of Sheamus.

2013 - Sheamus wins instead of John Cena.

2014 - Daniel Bryan wins instead of Batista.

2015 - Dolph Ziggler wins instead of Roman Reigns.

2016 - Triple H still wins.

 

[relentless1]

1988- Andre the Giant; tribute win for the King of battle royals

1989- Ted DiBiase

1990- Hogan

1991- Hogan

1992- Flair

1993- Macho Man

1994- Bret Hart

1995- Luger

1996- HBK

1997- HBK; should have been the WM 12 rematch so Michaels should have won

1998- Austin

1999- Austin

2000- Big Show; needed to win his first, he is a Giant after all

2001- The Rock; have Austin as champ so Rock can win the main event spot

2002- HHH; should have faced Austin though

2003- Brock

2004- Benoit

2005- Batista

stopped paying attention to storylines after that for a few years

2014- Daniel Bryan

2015- Reigns; he was the right choice they should have gone about it differently tho

2016- AJ Styles; with help from the bullet club...shake things up big time

 

[roipdh123]

1988 - "Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase last eliminating Randy Savage. (Champion at the time: Hulk Hogan).
Lead to: The Main Event plays out the same only with Dibiase's title win not erased but it was announced that Dibiase will face Savage (the last eliminated man in the rumble match) at WM 4.
WM 4: Ted Dibiase (C) vs Randy Savage for the WWF Championship , Hulk Hogan vs Harley Race , Andre The Giant vs Bam Bam Bigelow.

1989 - Hulk Hogan last eliminating Andre The Giant (Champion at the time: Randy Savage).
Lead to: The same feud with Hogan and Savage only with this year that it was announced that from now on the rumble winner will get a title shot at WM.
WM 5: Randy Savage (C) vs Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship , The Ultimate Warrior (C) vs Rick Rude for the WWF Intercontinental Championship , The Mega Bucks (Ted Dibiase and Andre The Giant) vs The Union (Jake Roberts and Jim Duggan) with Big John Studd as the special guest referee.

1990 - WWF Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior last eliminating WWF Champion Hulk Hogan. (Champion at the time: Hulk Hogan).
Lead to: It was announced that if Hogan wins the rumble he will choose his WM opponent. If he loses the winner will face him. As a result we get the champion vs champion match at Mania.
WM 6: Hulk Hogan (C) vs The Ultimate Warrior (C) in a Winner Takes All Match for both the WWF and WWF Intercontinental Championships , Randy Savage vs Andre The Giant , Rick Rude vs Roddy Piper , Dusty Rhodes vs Mr. Perfect.

1991 - Mr. Perfect last eliminating Hulk Hogan (Champion at the time: The Ultimate Warrior)
Lead to: At the rumble Savage defeats Warrior to win the WWF Championship. Perfect gets the world title match at Mania.
WM 7: Hulk Hogan vs The Ultimate Warrior , Randy Savage (c) vs Mr. Perfect for the WWF Championship , Sgt. Slaughter (C) vs Big Boss Man for the WWF Intercontinental Championship.

1992 - Ric Flair last eliminating The Undertaker to win the Vacant WWF Championship (Champion at the time: Vacant).
Lead to: Hulk Hogan won a tournament to become the No.1 Contender at Mania.
WM 8: Ric Flair (C) vs Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship, The Ultimate Warrior vs Sid Justice , The Undertaker vs Jake Roberts , Randy Savage vs Sgt. Slaughter , Roddy Piper (C) vs Bret Hart for the WWF Intercontinental Championship.

1993 - Yokozuna won by last eliminating The Undertaker. (Champion at the time: Bret Hart).
Lead to: At the rumble Bret Hart retained the title by defeating Randy Savage.
WM 9: Bret Hart (C) vs Yokozuna for the WWF Championship, Hulk Hogan vs Lex Luger , The Undertaker vs Razor Ramon.

1994 - Bret Hart and Lex Luger co-won the rumble last eliminating Owen Hart. (Champion at the time: Yokozuna).
Lead to: Yokozuna retains the title against Taker in the casket match. Then there's the same. At WM the first title match between Yoko and Luger ended in a Double DQ. Then it was announced that Luger will get another shot in the main event making Bret's match into a triple threat.
WM 10: Yokozuna (C) vs Bret Hart vs Lex Luger in a Triple Threat Match for the WWF Championship , Bret Hart vs Owen Hart , Yokozuna (C) vs Lex Luger for the WWF Championship , Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon (C) in a Ladder Match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship.

1995 - Shawn Michaels won the rumble last eliminating The British Bulldog (Champion at the time: Diesel).
Lead to: At the rumble Diesel retained his title by beating Owen Hart after a distraction from Bret. Rumble match goes like in reality only with Bret eliminating Owen when he was in the final 4.
WM 11: Diesel (C) vs Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship , Bret Hart vs Owen Hart in an "I Quit" Match with Roddy Piper as the Special Guest Referee , Lawrence Taylor vs Bam Bam Bigelow , Yokozuna (C) vs The Undertaker in a No Disqualification Match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship.

1996 - Shawn Michaels won the rumble last eliminating Diesel (Champion at the time: Bret Hart).
Lead to: Bret defeats Taker via a DQ to retain the title at the rumble after interference from Diesel. Rumble match goes the same like in reality. Then at IYH 6 the co-main event decides the main event match for WM: Michaels defeats Diesel in a rematch from WM 11's main event to regain his title shot after interference from The Undertaker. Then in the main event - Bret defeats Taker in a Steel Cage Match to retain the title after interference from both Michaels and Diesel. The show ends with Taker and Michaels facing off Diesel and Bret to go on the road to WM.
WM 12: Bret Hart (C) vs Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship (in a regular match that will go on for about 45 minutes to have room for other matches on the show) , The Undertaker vs Diesel , Roddy Piper vs Goldust in a Hollywood Backlot Brawl , The Ultimate Warrior vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley , Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Jake Roberts , Vader vs Yokozuna.

1997 - The Undertaker won by last eliminating Stone Cold Steve Austin (Champion at the time: Vader).
Lead to: At Summer Slam Vader DOES NOT face Michaels and we have a slow build with those 2. We have Michaels retain the title against a young KOTR winner in Stone Cold Steve Austin. Then at Survivor Series - Austin loses to Bret and Sycho Sid wins the title from Michaels. But then at IYH 12 - Vader defeats Sid to win the title , and Michaels defeats both Bret Hart and Mankind in a triple threat No.1 Contenders match to get a title match at the rumble. At the Royal Rumble: Vader defeats Michaels to retain his title and in the rumble match Austin does all his un-seen elimination thinks he won the rumble but then he turns around into a tombstone from an un - eliminated Taker who earns the title shot.
WM 13: Vader (C) vs The Undertaker for the WWF Championship , Bret Hart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin in a No Disqualification Submission Match with Ken Shamrock as the Special Guest Referee , Mankind vs Goldust , Hunter Hearst Helmsley (C) vs Rocky Maivia in a Steel Cage Match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship.

1998 - Stone Cold Steve Austin wins by last eliminating The Rock (the champion at the time: Shawn Michaels)
Lead to: The same buildup - Austin wins the rumble , Michaels retains against Taker in the casket match and so on.
WM 14: Shawn Michaels (C) vs Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWF Championship with Mike Tyson as the Special Guest Enforcer , The Undertaker vs Kane in an Inferno Match , The Rock (C) vs Farrouq for the WWF Intercontinental Championship in a Nation Of Lumberjacks Match (the Nation of Domination are the lumberjacks , loser leaves the stable , winner becomes the undisputed leader).

1999 - Mr. McMahon won the rumble by last eliminating Stone Cold Steve Austin (Champion at the time: The Rock).
Lead to: The same!! (with Mankind going into a different feud).
WM 15: The Rock (C) vs Stone Cold Steve Austin with The Big Show as the Special Guest Referee , Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Mr. McMahon (winner picks the stipulations and referee for the title match) , The Undertaker vs Mankind in a Hell In A Cell Match , Triple H vs Kane.

2000 - The Rock won by last eliminating The Big Show (Champion at the time: Triple H ).
Lead to: Keep it simple!
WM 16: Triple H (C) vs The Rock in a No Holds Barred Match for the WWF Championship , Kurt Angle vs Mick Foley in a Medals vs Career Match , The Dudley Boys (C) vs Edge and Christian vs The Hardy Boys in a Ladder Match for the WWF Tag Team Championship , The Big Show vs Shane McMahon.

2001 - Stone Cold Steve Austin won by last eliminating Kane (Champion at the time: Kurt Angle).
Lead to: The same rumble match. At NWO 2001, the classic three stages of hell match with HHH earning the title shot at mania. But Angle also deserves the title shot after he lost his title. It was announced that only one of them will get the shot and it will be the winner of the match between the two at WM to join Rock and Austin in the title match main event.
WM 17: The Rock (C) vs Triple H vs Stone Cold Steve Austin in a Triple Threat Match for the WWF Championship (WITH NO HEEL TURN) , Triple H vs Kurt Angle in a No Holds Barred Match to determinate the 3rd participant in the WWF Championship match later on , The Dudley Boys (C) vs The Hardy Boys vs Edge and Christian in a TLC Match for the WWF Tag Team Championship , The Undertaker vs Chris Benoit , Shane McMahon vs Vince McMahon in a Street Fight with Mick Foley as the special guest referee.

2002 - Triple H won by last eliminating Kurt Angle (Champion at the time: Chris Jericho).
Lead to: Austin wins the title from Jericho at NWO 2002 and we go on from here (no there won't be any Austin vs Hogan - as this is not a realistic match with both man refusing to do it).
WM 18: Stone Cold Steve Austin (C) vs Triple H for the Unidsputed WWF Championship , The Rock vs Hulk Hogan . Rob Van Dam vs Chris Jericho , The Undertaker vs Booker T , Ric Flair vs Vince McMahon in a Street Fight for full ownership of the WWF , Christian (C) vs Edge in a TLC Match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship , Kurt Angle vs Mr. Perfect




I will continue this later..

 

[Vanilla Midget]

1988 - Jake wins. The Snake was a bigger babyface than Hacksaw, the Rumble win really did nothing for Duggan.

1989 - Dibiase wins. Studd was already over 40 when he won the match. Really a testament to how far WWE will push size over logic. Was Big John really the way to go? I would have ended it with him and Ted as the final two, but the Million Dollar Man goes over.

1990 & 1991 - Hogan still wins. I'm torn between history going as normal and Savage going over Hogan in the 1990 Rumble. Hogan repeating is awesome and can't possibly happen another time. Savage winning in 1990 would have furthered the Mega Powers feud.

1992 - Flair still wins. The Nature Boy was the best option and him going over and setting up WrestleMania is the best option. Hogan should have faced Flair though.

1993 - Mr. Perfect wins. I'm a Hennig guy, yes. SummerSlam 1991 rematch, this time it's face vs face. Hogan can face Yoko in a number one contenders match. This was the start of the Rumble match giving the winner a Mania title shot, it seemed an odd choice to give it to a heel, but that had a lot to do with Hart being champ.

1994 - Hart wins. No tie. Luger was fun as a face but they went almost too far with the patriotic stuff. Bret was far more over. This does rob us of Bret vs Owen at Mania, but the structure of Yoko's double defence was really convoluted and hurt Mania X.

1995 & 1996 - Shawn Michaels wins. I thought of doing something different here for difference's sake, but it's just too good of a story. The second double victory really made Michaels in this time.

1997 - Undertaker wins. Austin still "wins" but the match is overturned that same night.

1998 - Austin wins. Goes on to face Michaels

1999 - Austin wins his back to back Rumbles, faces Rock.

2000 - Mick Foley wins. Most likely as Mankind, but takes the shot as Cactus Jack and in HIAC at WrestleMania 2000. These matches were classics that were far and above the four way we got.

2001 - Austin still wins.

2002 - The Rock wins. Goes on to face Hogan for the undisputed title.

2003 - Lesnar still wins. Brock was the biggest thing in WWE at the time and I loved him having to face Big Show to get into the match. They should revisit that idea later.

2004 - Benoit still wins. Despite the events that surrounded the end of his life. The whole angle with then Smackdown GM Heyman banning Benoit from any future title shots, then winning at The Rumble and bouncing to Raw was great. I would have had the match end with controversy and get restarted with Michaels and Benoit as the final two. This lends more credence to Michaels getting the triple threat.

2005 - Batista still wins. I want to give this to Cena, but I just like the story that much more. Cena was about to become the top guy, and Batista the number two guy, but the whole Evolution storyline was better than Cena vs JBL.

2006 - Rey still wins. This is another situation where I want to deviate from history and have someone else win, but this is based on how Mysterio was handled after his title win. In a perfect world Eddie lived and won this Rumble facing Batista or Angle.

2007 - Undertaker wins. This was the best option, though I would have put Taker and Batista on last at Mania.

2008 - Triple H wins. I like Helmsley going over here as opposed to Cena because it builds off of the angle where Triple H was screwed out of the title the previous fall. Cena can challenge Orton at No Way Out (therefore not wasting the Mania shot) and still enter a triple threat match.

2009 - Orton was white hot. There's no other option.

2010 - Edge wins, but captures the title at Mania. It seems silly that he didn't, although they were dead set on Swagger as champion. I thought about Michaels going over here, but then how do they add the career threatening stip?

2011 - Christian wins. ADR wasn't ready. No one had any idea that Edge would retire, but Edge vs Christian is just a bigger money match. Who wouldn't buy into that drama? Edge defeats Christian.

2012 - Jericho wins. Sheamus' victory here was so lack lustre. Then there was the 30 second match. Sheesh.

2013 - Cena wins. This being Cena's first Rumble win, it adds more excitement to what was otherwise a through the motions Rumble.

2014 - CM Punk wins. Punk was the right choice. He was still hot as hell and would have been an acceptable alternative to Daniel Bryan.

2015 - Reigns wins. The difference here is you don't air those crappy interviews with Michael Cole. He returns unexpectedly and immediately enters into a feud with Triple H, whom he must beat to gain access to the Royal Rumble.

2016 - Ambrose wins. Ambrose eliminates Reigns, by accident or by turning heel. This sets up a rematch for WrestleMania so WWE can focus on two new guys going on last. Ambrose becomes first guy sine Warrior to hold both the IC and world title.

 

[rge2010]

2015 – Roman Reigns
No issue with Reigns winning last year. Fans are crying out for new stars to be built and what happens when they try? Smarky fans try and shit all over it. Lesnar vs Reigns at WM31 was a great match.

2014 – CM Punk & Daniel Bryan
I would have had these as joint winners like Bret & Luger in 1994. Both could have entered the WM30 main event against Orton in a triple threat match. Punk may have even stuck around, smarks would have combusted at these two winning.

2013 – John Cena
The Rock was Champion and Cena winning made sense for that big rematch. I don’t care about the ‘Once In A Lifetime’ stuff. Who cares…all big matches have a rematch and this was no different. I hope they have a third somewhere down the line.

2012 – Chris Jericho
Everything made sense for Jericho to win this. Terrible booking having Sheamus win it. All 29 should have been eliminated and number 30 should have walked out to an empty ring and picked up the ring. That was Jericho’s que.

2011 – Alberto Del Rio
No issues with Del Rio winning this one. They were trying to push him as a major heel so it made sense. I like Del Rio but my only criticism of this win would be have him enter a little earlier. He entered at number 38 making it a tainted victory in my opinion.

 

[Terry Gyimah]

1988- Jake The Snake Roberts last eliminating Andre The Giant

1989- Macho Man Randy Savage last eliminating Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase

1990- Hogan last eliminating Perfect...now thinking about it I would keep this as is

1991- Perfect wins last eliminating Hogan...reverse of the year before marking a heel winning but Perfect eliminating Hogan from behind

1992- Flair but him last eliminating Hogan

1993- Savage wins by last eliminating Yokozuna in a herculean effort overcoming in a David vs Goliath scenario

1994- Bret Hart wins by last eliminating Lex Luger; no co winners, they fight it out after they both go out at the same time with the match being restarted

1995- Lex Luger wins by last eliminating Shawn Michaels since Luger was robbed the hear before but eventually sets up a Lex Luger heel turn to face Diesel

1996- Michaels still wins but in a shocker by returning the night of the PPV itself completely shocking everyone in the match by last eliminating Diesel

1997- Undertaker wins by last eliminating Bret after Bret eliminates Austin with the referees seeing it but Austin would try to come back into the ring to attack Bret but Bret would see him coming and Taker eliminates Bret from behind

1998- Austin still wins by last eliminating Rock

1999- Austin back to back by last eliminating Vince because Vince didn't need the win

2000- The Rock still wins by last eliminating Big Show

2001- Kane wins by last eliminating Austin

2002- Triple H still wins but he eliminates Austin in the final 2 instead of eliminating Angle

2003- Lesnar still wins by last eliminating Taker

2004- Kurt Angle wins by last eliminating Benoit in the final 2; Angle goes to Mania in the main event with Angle jumping brands to go to RAW to set up a Triple Threat Match with HHH and HBK but Angle at this time was just as hot as Benoit was

2005- Batista still wins by last eliminating Cena

2006- Rey Mysterio still wins but he eliminates Triple H last instead of Orton

2007- Undertaker still wins by last eliminating Michaels

2008- Cena still wins by last eliminating Triple H

2009- Triple H wins by last eliminating Orton

2010- Edge still wins but he eliminates Jericho last

2011- Christian wins as a surprise entrant by last eliminating Del Rio

2012- Jericho wins by last eliminating Orton

2013- Ryback wins by last eliminating Cena

2014- CM Punk wins by last eliminating Batista after Del Rio tries to get involved and Punk from behind eliminates Batista

2015- Roman Reigns wins but he does it as a surprise entrant in a shocker by last eliminating Bray Wyatt

2016- AJ Styles in his debut in his first Rumble wins to become WWE World Heavyweight Champion by last eliminating Roman Reigns after Triple H gets involved after Reigns eliminates Triple H since Ambrose would be eliminated by Sheamus

 

[Pérez84]

1988: Jake Roberts. Much better performer than Duggan.

1989: B. J. Studd still. Avoiding Dibiase's victory from #30 was the right call.

1990: Ultimate Warrior going through the path of glory.

1991: Hogan.

1992: Flair no doubt.

1993: Yokozuna presented as a monster was good.

1994: I'm fine with the Bret-Luger tie.

1995: British Bulldog instead of Michaels.

1996: Shawn Michaels.

1997: Shawn Michaels better winning the Rumble than the title itself.

1998: Austin.

1999: Shane, Shamrock or Big Bossman. Not Vince.

2000: Rock.

2001: Austin.

2002: HHH.

2003: Lesnar.

2004: Mr. Nobody.

2005: Batista.

2006: Mysterio.

2007: Undertaker.

2008: Cena.

2009: Orton.

2010: Edge.

2011: Sheamus. Better have Sheamus win the Rumble a year prior than his actual win. ADR was not worthy.

2012: Jericho.

2013: Cena.

2014: Punk. Over Batista anyday.

2015: Reigns. I don't like him too much but with Bryan not cleared at all, Reigns was the right choice.

2016: Lesnar. I would keep him as "undefeated in the rumble match". HHH vs Reigns at Mania still can close the show without the title on the line, HHH winning was not needed IMO.

 

[MMK]

88: Ted Dibiase.
Have the Rumble be for the vacant WWF title after the controversial Hogan/Andre SNME match. Dibiase Enters at #20 (last entrant). Later its revealed he bought that number from someone else (Andre) and will defend the title against Savage (Savage would have entered at #1 and lasted the entire match only to be eliminated last by Dibiase who bought his way to the #20 spot). This way the RUmble has more importance and we avoid the awful 16 man tournament at Mania.

89: Warrior. No title or title shot on the line so the logical choice would be the next big star. Warrior's pop was second only to Hogan. Last man eliminated would be Rick Rude thus setting up their match at Mania.

90: Mr.Perfect. Hands down. He was undefeated going into this match and should have stayed that way. The Hogan/Warrior staredown was classic and was more than enough to set up their match at Mania. Neither had to win.

91: Macho King. Goes on to face Warrior at Mania in a title vs career stipulation match. Slaughter never should have been champion. He and Hogan could simply have a no holds barred flag match. Title didn't need to be involved.

92: Ric Flair. Best Rumble Ever. No changes needed.

93: Bret Hart. Instead of Flair vs Bret for the title in Oct 92 I would have saved Bret's first title win to be at Mania 9. Figure four vs Sharpshooter. Submission match. Flairs final match with WWF. Flair left a month before this ppv but Im sure could have been convinced to stay an extra month. Yokozuna should have entered at #1 and eliminated a bunch of guys like Diesel did in 94, only to get eliminated by 10 men.

94: Owen Hart. They actually did an alternative Royal Rumble in 94 at a house show which was in fact one by Owen Hart. Since I had Bret winning the title at Mania 9, I would keep it on him all through out 93 (which is what they should have done instead of that Lex Express crap) only to lose it to Owen at WMX. Owen/Bret could still open the show, which would allow Shawn/Razor to be in the main event which it deserved. Bret wins the title back in the cage match at Summerslam. Would love to have seen Owen win the title once.

95: Undertaker. Loved Shawn's "one foot" finish, but everything about that storyline of him entering at #1 and lasting the entire 60 minutes could have been done the following year when it would have been more appropriate seeing as how he was going on to face Bret in a 60 minute Iron Man Match. Shawn vs Diesel at WM11 was a good rivalry but it was never main event WWF title material. I would have had them meet for the IC title instead while Taker challenges Bret. Deadman vs Hitman. Face vs Face. WM11 needed a big match like that. No need for Bret to ever drop the belt to Backlund. Undertaker wins title at WM11.

96: Shawn. Only change being that this should be the year he enters at #1. He was a babyface in 96 so it makes more sense for him to do the underdog story this year as opposed to when he was a heel.

97: Austin. Great ending with the controversy invovling him and Bret. Only change I'd make would be that due to the controversy Bret/Taker/Vader (the three men AUstin screwed over) meet in a triple threat in February for Shawns vacant title. Bret wins and will defend against Austin at Mania. That Bret/Austin match was a classic and deserved to be for the title and in the main event.

98: Austin. No changes.

99: Austin. 3 years in a row.

00: Rock. No changes. EXCEPT I would have had Kurt Angle in this Rumble and have him put on a breakout performance and be the last man Rock eliminates.

01: Austin. No changes. Sets up Mania perfectly.

02: Kurt Angle. Man is an olympic gold medalist. He deserved to win a Rumble. Triple H not in this Rumble. I would have saved his return for after the Rumble. He and Shawn should have faced Hall and Nash at that years mania. DX vs nWo. Angle can challenge Jericho for the title or whoever happens to be champion by the time Mania rolls around.

03: Brock Lesnar. No changes.

04: Eddie Guerrero. At Mania it's Eddie vs Triple H vs Shawn Michaels for the Raw Title. Benoit vs Angle for the Smackdown Title. Eddie and Shawn in the same match would have been excellent. Plus, not having Benoit win means we don't have to pretend all these years later that this Rumble never happened.

(I stopped watching wrestling for the next few years so I have no opinion on what happens in 05, 06, 07, 08, 09. Crappy era not worth watching imo. Tuned in for Bret's return in Jan 2010 and got hooked again.)

10: Edge. No changes. His return and subsequent victory was predictable but still effective and well deserved.

11: Santino : Loved this Royal Rumble. 40 men was great. Diesel and Booker returns were awesome. I've always wanted to see a Rumble where a guy who legit on no ones radar ended up winning. 2011 was the closest we ever got to that. Crowd was flipping out when they teased Santino might win. I think he and Del Rio could have had a great feud had Santino won and ruined Del Rio's destiny. The biggest underdog winning the biggest RUmble of all time would have been awesome. Del Rio could still win the title in February then defend against Santino at Mania. At Mania Santino enters with the "Eye Of The Tiger" theme lol.

12: CM Punk: No question. He was the hottest wrestler going after his 2011 pipe bomb and should have won this Rumble.

13:The Rock Instead of Punk vs Rock for the title at the 2013 Rumble, I would have had Rock enter the Rumble and go on to challenge Punk at Mania. No need for Cena vs Rock 2 just so Cena can get his win back. Punk retains at Mania. Rock, as a part timer, wouldn't be able to defend the title on a regular basis, so I have Punk cheat to win. This could be the event where Punk turns heel. They should have went all in with Punk. He could have been up there with Austin.

14: Daniel Bryan. WWE botching this obvious scenario in favor of Batista is one of the dumbest blunders of all time.

15: Roman Reigns (I actually have no problem with Reigns winning last years Rumble. The reason it got such a bad reaction is because of how badly they screwed up the previous years Rumble. If Bryan had won in 2014 as he should have then fans wouldn't have been so negative to Reigns winning in 2015 as there would have been no reason to be upset about Bryan not winning since he won last year.)

16: Brock Lesnar. (If Brock is in a Rumble, he should win it. Period.)

 

[ilapierre]

I truly believe Vince hates himself for not discovering Paul Levesque when he was 14 years old. Paul could have taken the Hulkamania routine and ran wild with it all over the Iron Sheik and Piper. Paul's so damn smart he would come up with the Rumble idea right after Wrestlemania 1 and he would have those 4 rumbles that never happened. And to make TV ratings better back in the mid 80s Triple H would drop the belt every couple months only to win it back again at Wrestlemania. Then instead of a 14 time champ we'd have in 2006 a 99 time champ.

So who should have won each and every Royal Rumble? Hopefully I can state my opinion and back it up with an argument without getting an infraction for violating WZ's Rules Treatise. If you thought PG Era wrestling was an insult to your intelligence, just take a two hour 'skim' over the marathon list of things you can't do or say in the WrestleZone world that supposedly values freedom of speech. We're allowed to say what we like or don't like but it must be backed with an argument. But then if they don't like your argument and deem it offensive, they can just ban you! lol Tyranny at it's worst makes not just for bad WrestleZone, but horrible television. Best part of these laws? You cannot even state your opinion backed by an argument on the re-declared 'laws' thread. They wouldn't want anyone with a point drawing attention to just how 'over-the-top' serious these jokers take themselves to be here..And what it boils down to really is who won the Rumble last night. They don't want any 'hate' directed at that because guess who most likely gives WZ a considerable donation to present them favourably? I mean have you never wondered why LeBar, that other tool and all the writers here sound like they have their lips planted squarely on Vince's ass? They're on the checkbook. This site, like wrestling itself, has fallen off a cliff over the years.

Who should have won each Rumble by year:

1990 Triple H
1991Triple H
1992Triple H
1993Triple H
1994Triple H
1995Triple H
1996Triple H
1997Triple H
1998Triple H
1999Triple H
2000Triple H
2001Triple H
2002Triple H
2003Triple H
2004Triple H
2005Triple H
2006Triple H
2007Triple H
2008Triple H
2009Triple H
2010Triple H
2011Triple H
2012Triple H
2013Triple H
2014Triple H
2015Triple H
2016Triple H

And Wrestlezone can shove it if they deem this post 'spam' or some other nonsense. I'm posting an opinion with an argument if anyone here is bright enough to read between the lines. Wrestling SUCKS and it's never gonna get better if you're just gonna give all the heel pushes to a 46 year old man who was never able to put 'butts in the seats' in his prime. Nobody cares about Triple H the wrestler. He is like those old boring guys like Bruno or Thez from the 1940s-1970s who would never give up the strap or the limelight. Except, obviously, those guys were actually 'over' and deserved to be front and center. Triple H is like the Ted Dibiase or Jake Roberts of heels who married himself into an extra two decades of exposure. No matter what some of you apologists say, this fact just can't stop being repeated. It's time for WWE to give these heel massive heel pushes to people who can help draw for the next 10-20 years. Nobody is ever built up properly and it's discouraging. I always come back hoping to see these younger guys built up credibly but they're all exchanging victories and mid-card. Wrestling cannot evolve properly with these old guys giving themselves the neat angles and pushes. That bum Chris Jericho whined his entire 20s over guys like Hogan and Savage who wouldn't just fade away. Instead of giving AJ Styles a 50 minute push to legitimize him, fucking Jericho is given 50 minutes! Jericho your time has passed. No one cares dude. Give your push to Owens or Ziggler! Nobody new is gonna tune in if this year after year tradition of pushing the same 4 or 5 guys doesn't end. It's time for Trips, Jericho, Cena and Orton to just fade away. If Taker is gonna keep being wheeled out once a year then he needs to continue being used to build up future stars like he has since putting 'over' Triple H for a third Wrestlemania.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It'll play ball.. with this caveat.. NO winner goes to Mania... biggest idiot move in WWE history, they relied on it for more than most fans lifespans and this year realised... "yeah, we gotta change it up..." The below list is based on NOT going to Mania... not interested in anything else...

1988 - Jim Duggan
The right guy, getting a second chance and he did OK with it, not his fault the fans farted on it...

1989 - Rick Rude: Just come off losing the IC title "unfaurly" due to Warrior and Hulk bitching... this was the time to give Rude a marker that said he was "somebody" worth far more than the "cheers dude" they gave to John Studd... In mitigation, I guess they just found out what he died of... but it was a bad decision either way..

1990... That's the time to give Ted DiBiase something... nuff said... god this could get frustrating.... you could o 20+ years and do it better...

Reality is the only one they should have changed in recent history was last year... Ambrose going over Reigns and setting up a Shield v Brock 4 corners match.... out come the same , but Dean would have gotten something they seemingly refuse to give... is Vince THAT pissed off he's fcuking Renee?

 

[Goldie]

1988 – Back in the day they said ‘anyone has a chance to win the Rumble’, and this was clearly evident with Hacksaw winning- even if a lot of the main guys were not in the 20 man version. I would put Andre in there and have him win as he was the king of battle royals.
1989 – Looking back, again it seems a bit random having John Studd win it. I would book Randy Savage to win it (then world champion) and have him turn on Hogan (dumping him out) to ignite their WM5 fued.
1990 – Ted Dibiase. He famously ‘bought’ the #30 entry and then follows up his boast by winning
1991 – Hogan HAD to win it one year, so as I’ve changed the 1990 outcome- Hogan wins this year still
1992 – Ric Flair. Booked perfectly. No need to change this one.
1993 – I was looking for another guy to pick besides Yoko, but can’t change it. Flair was on his way to WCW and Savage was being phased into the commentary booth. The talent pool was weaker here than usual Rumbles so Yoko keeps it.
1994 – Have Bret Hart win this one solo- given it was downhill for Luger from here in the WWF
1995 – Much as I was rooting for Davey, Shawn was the hottest rising star and should keep his one man show.
1996 – Rebuilding era for the WWF. As Vader was later booked into oblivion, Shawn may as well keep the double win.
1997 – No need to change- Austin was developing into a huge star (despite the screwy finish)
1998 – Austin wins again!
1999 – Kane won the world title 6 months earlier- so he was still in a strong position before his demotion to the midcard. Vince winning whilst barely being in the ring was just silly
2000 – The Rock was the biggest star with Austin inactive- the right call.
2001 – Rather than Austin win again- I’d give this to Kurt Angle. In a year he had gone from wrestling dark matches to being world champion. A rumble win would seal his rapid rise to stardom.
2002 – Triple H returning from a 7 month layoff was always going to happen
2003 – Brock was the right call
2004 – It was polite applause rather than an ecstatic reception when Benoit won. I always though his short 2004 title push was a reward for the years of 5 star matches- then he was demoted back to the midcard. Big Show (a guy who really should have been booked better in Rumbles given his size) to win this one
2005 – I’d have liked to have seen Eddie Guerrero lie cheat and steal a win here
2006 – Too many cheap references to Eddies death spoilt Reys win for me. I’d give Randy Orton an earlier win here as a rising star a few years before he did win it
2007 – The Dead Man was always due a win some year
2008 – After making a surprise earlier than expected return from injury- Cenas return made sense
2009 – Would have liked to have seen Jericho win a Rumble
2010 – Keep as Edge
2011 – Though I like Del Rio- 2011 was an explosive year for CM Punk and a Rumble win here helps solidify this even more
2012 – Open field I guess. I don’t really acre if it was Sheamus or someone like Ziggler
2013 – I guess Cena had to win it to give him his pass to Wrestlemania and his return win over the Rock
2014 – This was the year to have Roman Reigns win it- before he had to compete with Daniel Ryan for popularity
2015 – Daniel Bryan was the peoples choice this year- not Roman Reigns
2016 – Oh not Triple H again! I would give this to Brock as he really does look unstoppable- or to build a younger star then Bray Wyatt

 

[Piss Bucket]

I truly believe Vince hates himself for not discovering Paul Levesque when he was 14 years old. Paul could have taken the Hulkamania routine and ran wild with it all over the Iron Sheik and Piper. Paul's so damn smart he would come up with the Rumble idea right after Wrestlemania 1 and he would have those 4 rumbles that never happened. And to make TV ratings better back in the mid 80s Triple H would drop the belt every couple months only to win it back again at Wrestlemania. Then instead of a 14 time champ we'd have in 2006 a 99 time champ.

So who should have won each and every Royal Rumble? Hopefully I can state my opinion and back it up with an argument without getting an infraction for violating WZ's Rules Treatise. If you thought PG Era wrestling was an insult to your intelligence, just take a two hour 'skim' over the marathon list of things you can't do or say in the WrestleZone world that supposedly values freedom of speech. We're allowed to say what we like or don't like but it must be backed with an argument. But then if they don't like your argument and deem it offensive, they can just ban you! lol Tyranny at it's worst makes not just for bad WrestleZone, but horrible television. Best part of these laws? You cannot even state your opinion backed by an argument on the re-declared 'laws' thread. They wouldn't want anyone with a point drawing attention to just how 'over-the-top' serious these jokers take themselves to be here..And what it boils down to really is who won the Rumble last night. They don't want any 'hate' directed at that because guess who most likely gives WZ a considerable donation to present them favourably? I mean have you never wondered why LeBar, that other tool and all the writers here sound like they have their lips planted squarely on Vince's ass? They're on the checkbook. This site, like wrestling itself, has fallen off a cliff over the years.

Who should have won each Rumble by year:

1990 Triple H
1991Triple H
1992Triple H
1993Triple H
1994Triple H
1995Triple H
1996Triple H
1997Triple H
1998Triple H
1999Triple H
2000Triple H
2001Triple H
2002Triple H
2003Triple H
2004Triple H
2005Triple H
2006Triple H
2007Triple H
2008Triple H
2009Triple H
2010Triple H
2011Triple H
2012Triple H
2013Triple H
2014Triple H
2015Triple H
2016Triple H

And Wrestlezone can shove it if they deem this post 'spam' or some other nonsense. I'm posting an opinion with an argument if anyone here is bright enough to read between the lines. Wrestling SUCKS and it's never gonna get better if you're just gonna give all the heel pushes to a 46 year old man who was never able to put 'butts in the seats' in his prime. Nobody cares about Triple H the wrestler. He is like those old boring guys like Bruno or Thez from the 1940s-1970s who would never give up the strap or the limelight. Except, obviously, those guys were actually 'over' and deserved to be front and center. Triple H is like the Ted Dibiase or Jake Roberts of heels who married himself into an extra two decades of exposure. No matter what some of you apologists say, this fact just can't stop being repeated. It's time for WWE to give these heel massive heel pushes to people who can help draw for the next 10-20 years. Nobody is ever built up properly and it's discouraging. I always come back hoping to see these younger guys built up credibly but they're all exchanging victories and mid-card. Wrestling cannot evolve properly with these old guys giving themselves the neat angles and pushes. That bum Chris Jericho whined his entire 20s over guys like Hogan and Savage who wouldn't just fade away. Instead of giving AJ Styles a 50 minute push to legitimize him, fucking Jericho is given 50 minutes! Jericho your time has passed. No one cares dude. Give your push to Owens or Ziggler! Nobody new is gonna tune in if this year after year tradition of pushing the same 4 or 5 guys doesn't end. It's time for Trips, Jericho, Cena and Orton to just fade away. If Taker is gonna keep being wheeled out once a year then he needs to continue being used to build up future stars like he has since putting 'over' Triple H for a third Wrestlemania.

You are an idiot, for a start HHH didn't debut till around Wrestle Mania 13 as I recall so he couldn't win the early 90s Rumbles and even if he had been around 26 years ago, would he have won everything? Nope, he wasn't married into the McMahons in those days.

 

[King Patrick Star]

Here is my list of changes.

1988 – Andre The Giant – It’s the Royal Rumble!! Andre The Giant should have drawn number 1 or number 20 and won the entire thing. Either that or Andre The Giant and the Million Dollar Man should have been the final two SuperStars in the ring, then Virgil hands Ted DiBiase a bag full of money, who then proceeds to give it to Andre to buy the win.

1989 – Hulk Hogan – This should have been the setup to the Mega Powers Exploding.

1990 – Ultimate Warrior – This should have been the first match that the Ultimate Warrior wins and Hulk Hogan loses, to plant the seeds for WrestleMania VI.

1997 – The Undertaker – Since Bret the Hitman Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin faced each other at WrestleMania 13 anyway, they should have let the Undertaker win and go on to face the eventual WWE Champion, Sycho Sid.

1999 – Stone Cold Steve Austin – There was really no point in having Vince McMahon win the Royal Rumble, but it is what it is.

 

[Terry Gyimah]

1988- The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase- With DiBiase winning I would either have him come into the first ever 20 man Royal Rumble Match either as #1 or better yet have him come out as #20 and then like whoever suggested if it is him and let's say another heel in the final 2 doesn't matter who but DiBiase basically buys the win by handing the superstar the briefcase full of money and the superstar who is in the final 2 with him sacrifices themselves by walking over the top rope and to the floor

Could you imagine the heat DiBiase would get by winning the Rumble? And not to mention at the time there was no WWF Champion if you remember because of the whole tournament thing but DiBiase he ended up in the tournament final that year at WrestleMania IV so

But as for who would be eliminated last in this match? None other than Andre the Giant

1989- Hulk Hogan by last eliminating Randy Savage in the final 2 after Hogan eliminates The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase last year's winner Savage the WWF Champion from behind tries to eliminate Hogan but Hogan sees it coming which basically sets up the tension between the Mega Powers as they then fight out with Hogan eventually eliminating his Mega Powers tag team partner and WWF Champion Savage to win it all basically setting up Hogan/Savage WrestleMania 5 for the WWF Championship

1990- Ultimate Warrior- With Warrior winning this Royal Rumble Match he would make history essentially as the first ever WWF Intercontinental Champion to win the Royal Rumble Match but who would Warrior eliminate last to win the Royal Rumble Match? He would eliminate none other than last year's Royal Rumble Match winner that being the WWF Champion Hogan and especially after the seeds were built with that iconic staredown I mean how could you not capitalize on that?

1991- Hulk Hogan- Even though on my revised list he won the 1989 Royal Rumble Match he would go on to win this one his 2nd Royal Rumble Match in 3 years by winning this one but as for who Hogan would eliminate last to win this? I would have him eliminate The Model Rick Martel who would surpass the 53 minute mark and make it all the way to the final 2 where it would like he would win it all but somehow Hogan would stay in the match with Hogan somehow skinning the cat even though Hogan is a big guy he would somehow do it and come back into the ring while Martel thinks he's won Hogan turns him around and they fight it out which eventually leads to Hogan eliminating him

1992- Flair winning was the right call because even though you had an array of talent probably the most star studded Rumble at that time and the fact that it was for the title Flair winning was probably inevitable anyway so why change it? But at the same time though instead of Flair eliminating Justice last from behind I would have had Flair eliminate Hogan from behind after Sid would basically turn heel on Hogan for eliminating him...Flair from behind takes Hogan out and not to mention with Monsoon and Heenan on commentary here I mean this match was perfect

Plus it would set up Flair as the WWF Champion going into Mania 8 but as for who would face him? Instead of it being Savage I would have had it been Hogan setting up the dream match I know we all wanted to see

1993- I would have given it to Savage hands down because not only was Savage originally booked to win the Royal Rumble Match before they gave the win practically to Yokozuna with Savage winning he would go on to WrestleMania 9 in the main event where then he would face the WWF Champion Bret Hart and I know everyone else would have rather have seen that as a main event than what we originally got in real life with Yoko/Bret and then Yoko/Hogan which was all a clusterf***

But as for who Savage would eliminate last? None other than Yokozuna

1994- Bret "The Hitman" Hart- Definitely would have given this to Bret because you would have thought that the Royal Rumble Match win would have done wonders for Lex Luger that it would have elevated him towards the title but it didn't it did nothing for Luger so that is why I would have just had Bret win it but basically have him eliminate Luger last which basically would set up Bret/Yokozuna either way in either scenario

1995- Lex Luger- I would have given it to Luger here basically to set up his redemption for last year where he was eliminated in the final 2 by Bret basically Luger would win this to eventually set up a heel turn for Luger which is what I would have done in the sense of him winning it as a babyface but making that transition into being a heel to face Diesel because Shawn at this time even though he was a rising star he wasn't ready for the Mania main event like let's be honest but I would have had Luger eliminate either HBK or Bulldog in the final 2

1996- This was always going to be the year of Shawn Michaels so why change history? But however for 1996 Shawn would be winning this for the first time but as a babyface here but I would have had Shawn come back at the Royal Rumble pay per view itself in the Royal Rumble Match but as a surprise entrant in the sense that no one hears from him for months no vignettes hyping his return just an unexpected return shocking everyone and as for who Michaels would eliminate last? None other than his best friend Diesel which I wouldn't change but it would still set up Bret/HBK either way

1997- The Undertaker- Austin as much as he deserved it even if it was under screwy controversial circumstances Austin was nowhere near ready for the main event while Taker on the other hand he was and not to mention Sid was the WWF Champion so with Taker winning the Royal Rumble Match it would have set up Sid/Taker either way while with Austin he would still eliminate Bret under screwy controversial circumstances but Taker would eliminate Austin last to win this

1998- Stone Cold Steve Austin- This was always going to be the year of Austin no matter what so why change history here? Austin being a marked man in this Royal Rumble Match was perfect but what I would have done is that I would have had Austin draw #1 and have him be the first guy out there and have him be the last man standing after all is said and done Austin would still win by still eliminating Rock but he would start out the match first pretty much making history by being the first guy to be the first one in there and being the last one to leave

1999- Stone Cold Steve Austin- Why they gave the win to Vince now that made no sense to me at all because Vince didn't need it and not to mention the Royal Rumble Match win did nothing for Vince while for Austin it would have benefited him more to win this and on my list Austin winning back to back here it would be much deserved but as for who Austin would eliminate last I would have him eliminate Vince last

With Austin winning his 2nd Royal Rumble Match here Austin would make history again because he would do it from spot #1 yet again since on my list he would have done it in 1998 as #1 and then 1999 as #1 he wins it again but eliminates Vince last basically showing us that he would have earned it

2000- The Rock winning was the right call and with Rock winning this it would set up him facing Triple H at WrestleMania 2000 for the title but as for who Rock would eliminate last he would still eliminate Big Show but no WrestleMania 2000 Fatal 4 Way nonsense

2001- Kane- This Royal Rumble Match screamed Kane's name as far as him winning it I mean come on he eliminated 11 people and not to mention Kane at this time he was a monster he was a beast so why not give him the win here? With Kane who would he eliminate last? He would eliminate Austin last but as for who it would set up Kane to face at Mania that year? Kane at Mania 17 he would have been in the main event but I would have had it been a Triple Threat Match with him, Austin and Rock

2002- Triple H winning was inevitable it was the right call so I wouldn't change anything here but as for who I would have Triple H eliminate last? Still Kurt Angle so I wouldn't change anything here

2003- Lesnar winning too was not only inevitable but it was the right call so I wouldn't change anything here either just like him eliminating Taker last I wouldn't change that either because it would still set up Lesnar/Angle Mania 19 which was a classic if you ask me

2004- Instead of Benoit winning this I would have had Jericho or Angle winning this preferably Kurt Angle by him eliminating Benoit last because Benoit he definitely did not deserve the Royal Rumble Match victory that's for sure because yeah even though he did get a push towards the title how long did his push really last? While with Angle winning this one it would have set up Angle/Guerrero either way

2005- Batista winning was the right call so I wouldn't change anything here just like how him eliminating Cena last after overtime restart I wouldn't change that either and plus it sets up Batista/HHH perfectly so

2006- Rey Mysterio whether we all like it or not him winning was the right call and I don't care what no one says because Rey deserved it I mean he spent over an hour and 2 minutes of hell here in this match especially for a guy his size to last that long in the Royal Rumble Match and especially from spot #2 no less but as for who he would eliminate last? Rather than eliminate Orton last I would have had him eliminate Triple H last because by him doing that it would basically cement Rey as a main event guy but also it would set up Mysterio/Angle/Orton either way so

2007- Undertaker winning was the right call just like how I wouldn't have changed who he eliminated last that being Shawn Michaels because it sets up Taker/Batista perfectly

2008- Cena winning was the right call because it was a surprise that no one saw coming and think about how emotional the Royal Rumble Match victory was too but for Cena I wouldn't have had him waste the shot at No Way Out I would have had him use it at Mania 24 but instead of Orton having the title at No Way Out I would have had him drop it in the RAW Chamber with having Orton to defend his title inside the RAW Chamber against Triple H, Jericho, Hardy, JBL and Umaga with Triple H coming out on top beating Orton which then would have set up Orton to have his rematch clause for Mania then throw in Cena which would have set up the Triple Threat either way

2009- Orton winning was the right call yet again given how he destroyed the McMahons on the Road to Mania but also given the fact that at this time Orton was white hot too because of Legacy being formed with Rhodes and DiBiase so giving Orton the win here was actually smart on WWE's part and him eliminating Triple H last from the Royal Rumble Match especially from behind was perfect heel tactic

2010- Edge winning was the right call but as for who he would eliminate last? Instead of him eliminating Cena last I would have had him eliminate Jericho last because I would have had them in the final 2 fighting it out with Edge still winning but then Jericho would somehow still win the title before Mania which then would set up Edge to win the title at Mania which is what I would have done

2011- Instead of Del Rio winning the 40 Man Royal Rumble Match I would have given it to Wade Barrett because at this time Barrett was white hot because not only did he have Nexus in 2010 he also had The Corre too so I would have had The Corre members helping him in this match with Barrett eliminating Orton last which would set up Barrett to face either Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship or to face Miz and Cena in a Triple Threat I would have had Barrett/Edge which would have made for a much better match

2012- Jericho should have been given the win here hell it should have been gift wrapped here because with Sheamus winning the Royal Rumble Match it didn't really do much for Sheamus while for Jericho it would have given him the heat he desperately needed especially against Punk because with Jericho winning it would have still set up him vs Punk Best in the World vs Best in the World at Mania for the title but as for who Jericho would eliminate last to win? I would have had him eliminate Orton last as revenge for Orton punting him in the skull Jericho eliminates Orton in his hometown of St. Louis at the Rumble

2013- Ryback should have won this because Ryback was not only white hot at the time but also with him winning it would have done wonders for Ryback it would have cemented him as a main event guy too think about it because with him winning Ryback could have decided to jump shows and go to Smackdown challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship which would have set up Ryback to face Big Show because I would have had Big Show still champion which would have set up Ryback to take the title from Show at Mania 29

2014- CM Punk- I would have given the Royal Rumble Match win here to CM Punk and why I say this? Because Daniel Bryan even though he was red hot at the time Bryan was competing in a match earlier on in the Royal Rumble PPV against Wyatt and not only that but it wouldn't have been realistic for Bryan to be in the Royal Rumble Match especially given that Bryan was injured concussion like symptoms from what I can remember so him winning wouldn't have been realistic

While with Punk winning it would have been more realistic because Punk he was what the #2 babyface in the company besides Bryan at the time that if he won it I don't think people would have had a problem with it and Punk winning he probably would have stayed with the company rather than going to UFC

Punk who would he eliminate last? Punk would eliminate Batista last after Del Rio would try to come back into the ring to try to attack Batista setting up a distraction which would cause Punk to take advantage therefore winning the match Punk goes on to Mania in the main event where he would face Orton and then you add Bryan into the mix

2015- Roman Reigns now that I think about it Roman Reigns winning actually kind of was the right call by WWE when you think about it but the way they went about it was all wrong but as for Reigns winning I would have delayed his return until the actual Royal Rumble PPV itself by having him return on the night of the PPV in the Royal Rumble Match as a surprise entrant and no one having any idea that he is in the match much less in the building he returns in a shocker as he still goes on to Mania but Reigns who would he eliminate last? He would eliminate Bryan last

2016- Brock Lesnar- I would have had The Beast The Conqueror win this becoming the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion because the win here has practically done nothing for Triple H because Triple H he doesn't need to be champion but is and all to feed his own ego

While with Brock winning it would reiterate the fact that he is a Beast that he is a Conqueror and not to mention Brock winning it would set up your Mania main event with Brock eliminating Reigns last after Reigns he would eliminate Triple H as a way to stick it to The Authority

Brock from behind eliminates Reigns to win it all

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

2013 - Undertaker

Taker wins the Rumble and defends his WM undefeated streak against Punk's title reign streak. Taker wins the WWE Title at WM and retires the next night.

2014 - Daniel Bryan

He got his match anyways. This also saves us from the disaster we got. Moving on.

2015 - I have no idea

Allow me to explain myself. No one deserved to win the Royal Rumble that year. Roman Reigns definitely didn't deserve it. He wasn't ready because at the time he was terrible on the mic and in the ring. (Notice how I said "at the time" - he's ready now).

Daniel Bryan is your ideal option, but it couldn't have happened. He got his moment the previous year, and could you imagine him taking suplexes from Lesnar? I would cringe after every one in fear his career is over. The David vs. Goliath ultimate underdog story would've been awesome, but it just couldn't have happened.

So who else was there? Sure, there were options to win the Rumble such as Wyatt, Ambrose, or Ziggler, but could you realistically see ANY of them defeating Lesnar, the man who ended Taker's Streak the year before? That was the major problem with Lesnar's booking - no one was credible enough to pin him. WWE was lucky enough (or smart enough) to have Seth Rollins around so he could cash-in.

 

[SHAGAMANIA 3:16]

2013- Undertaker this would of been a much more natural feud with Punk it would of been much better if it we're about streak vs streak than that whole Bearer death thing. Bearers death would of been used to enchance the feud rather than being the soul point. Taker would win the title and return the ministry he would turn heels and face The Rock at Summerslam for a blockbuster match.

 

[HBKperfect23]

88: Ted dibease to make him stronger and the "odds on favorite" going into WM4
89: ultimate warrior
90: hogan was the right call, teased hogan/warrior match
91: hogan again was the right call building him to win the title at 7
92: don't change a thing, perfect match
93: Yoko was the right call but I can't help wanting savage for wm9 so we could see savage/Bret and have savage pass the torch to Bret
94: I liked the duel winner and the mini tournament at 10. It's easy to say Bret here but if Luger isn't involved we don't get Bret/Owen at mania
95: Michaels. Michaels/Diesil was the mania match that year. Michaels/Davey turned a rumble with a lot of weak enhances into something enjoyable
96: Michaels
97: I would have went with Bret although I do see the point of Bret getting screwed adding to Brets heel character. Austin wasn't a credible threat to the belt yet.
98: Austin
99: Vince winning was a good curve ball and helped build towards mania
00: Rock should have won and had hhh/Rock one on one
01: Austin
02: Triple h he was very over coming back
03: lesnar
04: Benoit
05: Batista or cena would have been fine since they both went on to win titles at mnaia
06: triple h, he was closing the show with cena and that was the clear main event. I didn't mind Rey winning and the feel good story of hi, winning the title but this wasn't the main event
07: taker or Michaels Good finish, could have gone either way and I'd fine with it.
08: cena
09/10 never watched
11: not a 40 man rumble and not del rio. He wasn't ready. I'd go Punk and have him put over cena at mania.
12: Jericho, he was fighting the stronger champion
13: cena
14: Daniel Bryan. Obvious choice
15: the crowd wouldn't shit on reigns if Bryan won last year. I think reigns still gets the win but with a better crowd response.
16: Ambrose. Let the rumble crowd finally go home happy. H could win the belt the next night or next ppv

 

[Terry Gyimah]

88- Jake The Snake Roberts
89- Hulk Hogan
90- Warrior
91- Hogan
92- Flair
93- Savage
94- Bret/Luger (co-winners) (I wouldn't change this at all)
95- Michaels (I wouldn't change this at all)
96- Michaels (I wouldn't change this at all)
97- Undertaker (Austin wasn't ready at this point so I wouldn't have had him win)
98- Austin
99- Austin (Vince didn't need to win and with Austin overcoming the odds to win it it would have set up Mania nicely rather than Vince winning which made no sense)

00- Rock (sets up Rock/HHH one on one rather than the Fatal 4 Way we got at Mania that year)

01- Kane (sets up Kane to be in the main event with Rock and then you can add Austin into it making it a Triple Threat)

02- Triple H (I wouldn't change it at all)

03- Lesnar (I wouldn't change it at all)

04- Angle

05- Batista (I wouldn't change it at all)

06- Mysterio (I wouldn't change it at all)

07- Undertaker (I wouldn't change it at all)

08- Cena (I wouldn't change it at all)

09- Orton (I wouldn't change it at all)

10- Edge (I wouldn't change it at all)

11- Punk (Punk wins the Rumble and goes on to Mania setting up Punk/Cena/Miz Triple Threat with Rock crossing paths with all 3 guys on the way to Mania that year)

12- Jericho (Setting up Punk/Jericho perfectly)

13- Ryback (Setting up Ryback to be a main event guy in the company but Ryback he would finally go over at Mania winning the title by beating the World Heavyweight Champion who I would have had it been Big Show rather than Del Rio)

14- Daniel Bryan was injured I mean how was he the obvious choice when he was in an earlier match earlier in the night facing Bray Wyatt and he sustained a concussion in that match...if anything I would have had Punk win the Rumble from #1 with Punk winning his 2nd Rumble in 3 years which would set up Punk to face Orton and then you add Bryan into the mix make it a Triple Threat; you keep Batista away from the title scene and you have him face Brock at Mania which would set up Taker to face either Wyatt or Cena that year)

15- Daniel Bryan getting his moment so the crowd can finally get what they want

16- Lesnar winning the Rumble by last eliminating Reigns after Reigns eliminates Triple H who would still come in as a surprise but Triple H distracts Reigns long enough for Lesnar to take advantage and win

 

[Terry Gyimah]

- As far as Royal Rumble Matches of the past as far as winners go...past winners that I would rebook:

- 2016 I would have had Lesnar win the Royal Rumble Match for the 2nd time in his career Brock becoming a 2 time winner and becoming WWE World Heavyweight Champion with Brock eliminating Reigns last to win the Royal Rumble Match...Lesnar and Reigns in the final 2 after Reigns eliminates Triple H...Triple H would still be at ringside and he would try to distract Reigns and from behind Reigns gets caught in Suplex City and just when Lesnar picks up Reigns for an F-5 Reigns reverses it and comes off the ropes Superman punch and it barely floors Lesnar who is down to one knee and Reigns goes for the spear sets it up and is full on charging at Lesnar full speed with Lesnar catching Reigns in mid air...hitting the F-5 and then throwing Reigns over the top rope to win

Lesnar wins the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and Lesnar goes on to Mania as the WWE World Champion with there being a match to determine who faces Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Fast Lane 2016 you still have a Triple Threat Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship opportunity but it is between Reigns, Ambrose and the COO Triple H with Ambrose winning the Triple Threat by pinning Reigns...you book Ambrose vs Lesnar but it would be for the title and in the main event


- Another Rumble that I would rebook would be:

- Royal Rumble 2015 with Daniel Bryan winning the 2015 Royal Rumble Match in his return but for Bryan his return I would have held off on it by not bringing him back on TV right away but rather bringing him back on the night of the Royal Rumble itself by having him surprise everyone in the Royal Rumble Match but I would have had him come in at like entry number #27 the lucky number #27 so that way Bryan wouldn't have to do much and Bryan fighting off against Reigns in the final 2 with Bryan and Reigns going at it with Bryan eliminating Reigns last to win the Royal Rumble Match

- Bryan wins the Royal Rumble Match in his return and of course Bryan the next PPV...Fast Lane he has to put up his Mania spot by facing off against Roman Reigns with Bryan beating Reigns and then going on to WrestleMania 31 where he would face off against The Beast The Conqueror the then WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar in the main event... with Rollins' cash-in still happening with Rollins pinning Bryan to become champion

- Reigns would not be in the main event but Reigns I would have put him in the WWE Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match with him being in it instead of Bryan

 

[bjarvis]

Completely agree with Lesnar winning the 2016 Rumble.

Only difference is I'd have Reigns chase again and get his rematch at Mania. Ambrose and Lesnar sucked hard and the Lesnar/Reigns match the year before was pretty damn good. Hunter can face Ambrose.

The other one I'd change was from a few years ago. Jericho had returned and was being super cryptic. He was apparently pencilled in the win the Rumble, when Vince got cold feet and decided to surprise everyone, leading to a Sheamus win. Jericho still got the title shot but I feel a man of Jericho's stature who has given up so much, should have got the Rumble victory under his name.

 

[LoveReignsO'erMe]

Either (or both) of Hogan's wins. I can understand Hogan winning one, but they should have had the foresight to start using the Rumble to build someone up rather than put over the champion. In both years you had Hogan eliminating an up and coming heel who really could have used a push from a Rumble win.

My vote would be for Perfect in 90, but I would understand others preferring Earthquake in 91. Regardless, there should have been another heel getting built up at that time.

Also, I think 99 with McMahon winning was just lazy booking. It fit the storyline well enough, but come on. You need to put the ego aside at that point.

 

[Noshowers]

...Also, I think 99 with McMahon winning was just lazy booking. It fit the storyline well enough, but come on. You need to put the ego aside at that point.

While I agree with this on it's face, it basically turned out as a win for Austin as he is the one who ended up wrestling the Rock at Mania. There basically was no other way they were going to go but with Rock vs Austin at that point in 1999. I kind of agree with McMahon winning in that case also or we would have had a third year in a row of Stone Cold winning the match.

You could argue that is the lazy booking by the WWE. At minimum they could have had the Rock win that Rumble and have Stone Cold win a shot by some other means or just not have dropped the belt in the first place in the months prior

 

[LBGetBack]

Chris Jericho should have won the 2012 Rumble instead of Sheamus. All the hype for Jericho's return with the "End of the World" promos for weeks before he returned. His return and then the silent promos. Him finally talking right before the Rumble. He needed that win. Once he lost it became obvious that he was going to lose to Punk, and he lost every big match he wrestled in that run.

Sheamus didn't need the W at all, especially when his program with Bryan was not nearly as big as Jericho-Punk. The fans were insanely excited for Jericho-Punk. Giving Jericho the Rumble win was the way to go.