10 Most Unexpected Royal Rumble Eliminations in WWE History
The Royal Rumble is one of the most anticipated matches on the WWE calendar, not only for its place as the beginning of the Road to WrestleMania, but also for its surprise appearances, moments, and eliminations. Fans consistently debate and discuss who they believe will be the first out, who lasts the longest, and who might be the dark horse surprise winner, punching their ticket to a main event championship match at WrestleMania.
There have been incredible and shocking moments throughout the history of the Rumble, but none more shocking than the unexpected elimination, the end of the line for a popular WWE Superstar who seemed to be on track for the big win. While the Superstar's main event dreams are dashed after being thrown over the top rope and onto the floor, it elevates the eliminator to legendary status, forever discussed and remembered in Rumble lore.
10 Bret Hart
1997 Royal Rumble
One man's end is another man's rocket to the top, and there was no bigger indicator of the shifting tides in WWE than the elimination of Bret Hart from the 1997 Royal Rumble by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Hot off his King of the Ring win, which featured the infamous "Austin 3:16" promo, Austin's trajectory was in full motion, until Hart dumped him over the top rope out of the match and assumed he'd won the Rumble.
While Austin's night should have ended there, the commotion on the outside of the ring kept the referees busy and allowed Austin to re-enter the ring, just in time to return the favor to The Hitman by dumping him over the top and being declared the winner. Austin's win, and Hart's loss, set the table for the rest of the tumultuous 1997 in WWE that saw Hart exit the company after the infamous "Montreal Screwjob" later that year.
9 Keith Lee
2020 Royal Rumble
The rise of Keith Lee in NXT was as fast as it was violent, and he became one of the most talked about new Superstars after an incredible showing against Roman Reigns in the Survivor Series match that pitted Raw, SmackDown, and NXT brands against each other. The buzz around Lee had never been louder after that moment, so it seemed to be destiny that he would end up at the 2020 Rumble as a competitor after winning the NXT North American Championship.
2020 was the Year of the Beast at the Rumble, and Lee came face to face with another one of WWE's biggest Superstars, Brock Lesnar, who seemed to be impressed by Lee's stature and size, famously mouthing "Big Boy!" to his advocate, Paul Heyman. Fans expected to see another impressive showing from Lee in the vain of his Survivor Series appearance, but destiny wasn't on his side as he became Lesnar's 12th elimination in the match, but not without cementing the moment as another classic big man/big man showdown.
8 "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
1999Royal Rumble
Perhaps no Royal Rumble, or major premium live event, embodies an era in WWE history better than the 1999 Royal Rumble, complete with every bit of magic and madness that the Attitude Era brought with it. The Attitude Era was never as hot as it was at the dawn of the new millennium, and Steve Austin was carrying WWE on his back as the antihero, the premiere bucker of authority, against his greatest opponent, Mr. McMahon, and they began this Rumble in spots 1 and 2, respectively.
Austin and McMahon carried on with plenty of gaga and shenanigans, both inside the ring and out, including a crowd spot, a trip to the ladies' room, and an ambulance, and while McMahon did his best to keep Austin out, all indications were that he was going to get his revenge on McMahon. However, once Austin tossed Big Boss Man over the top rope, The Rock interfered just long enough to allow McMahon to dump Austin over the top rope and win the Rumble, allowing the biggest heel of the era to get a win.
7 Hulk Hogan
1992 Royal Rumble
Considered by analysts and fans to be the gold standard and best Rumble of all time, the 1992 Royal Rumble was an embarrassment of riches in terms of talent at that time, and it was the first Rumble to feature Ric Flair in a WWE main event space after his tumultuous departure from WCW. Two other Superstars were also occupying the top babyface spaces in WWE, and Sid Justice and Hulk Hogan were building towards a major collision at WrestleMania XIII.
Hogan, arguably still the biggest babyface in WWE but audibly on a popularity decline with the fans in the New York crowd, was one of the last four in the match with Justice, Flair, and Randy Savage. As Hogan was putting the boots to Flair in the corner of the ring, Justice took the "every man for himself" mantra of the match to heart and dumped Hogan over the top rope. The moment, visibly and audibly celebrated by the crowd in attendance, was the beginning of the end of Hulkamania in WWE in hindsight, as he'd depart the company the following year.
6 Sid Justice
1992 Royal Rumble
As the crowd responded with both shock and excitement at the elimination of Hulk Hogan from the 1992 Royal Rumble, (mostly) fan favorite Sid Justice stood at the hard camera rope section of the ring and yelled out to an exasperated Hogan, "Every man for his self, big boy!" It was now down to Justice and Ric Flair, who had been in the Royal Rumble for well over an hour with the number three entry in the match.
As Justice turned his back on Hogan, Hogan pulled on Justice's arm and attempted to pull him over the top rope - not exactly the most babyface move in the business - and allowed Flair to catch his breath and toss Justice over the top rope. The moment allowed Flair to pick up his first big win in WWE, not only by winning the Royal Rumble match, but by becoming the Undisputed WWE Champion, cutting one of the most famous post-match promos of all time flanked by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and Mr. Perfect.
5 Brock Lesnar
2020 Royal Rumble
2020 was set to be the Year of the Beast, and Brock Lesnar was out to show that no other WWE Superstar was on his level as he entered the 2020 Royal Rumble as WWE Champion. In just under a half hour, Lesnar entered at number one and dominated and eliminated 13 other Superstars, making him one of the wrestlers with the most eliminations in a single Rumble match, including the aforementioned Keith Lee, two members of The New Day, and his former college wrestling teammate Shelton Benjamin.
However, the stage was set for the next big Superstar to take his place in WWE, and Drew McIntyre entered the Rumble at number 16 on a mission to show The Beast Incarnate he could, and would, step correctly. An assist by a low blow from Ricochet, allowed McIntyre to set Lesnar up for a Claymore Kick and sent him flying over the top rope, setting up their eventual face off at WrestleMania 36.
4 Sasha Banks
2022 Royal Rumble
Only a handful of wins eluded Sasha Banks during her WWE career, and no win eluded her more than the Royal Rumble. After an impassioned promo on the go-home SmackDown episode, The Boss appeared to have the support of the WWE Universe in her quest to win 2022's big one and main event WrestleMania against her Four Horsewomen stablemate, the SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair.
Dressed in Sailor Moon-inspired gear, Banks entered the Rumble at number one, dispatching Melina and Kelly Kelly over the top rope. She appeared to be on her way to a Ric Flair-style longevity streak in the match. But when Queen Zelina took an opportunity to interject in a squareoff between Banks and Tamina, she successfully eliminated Banks from the match, a move that angered the fans in attendance and Banks herself.
3 Daniel Bryan
2018 Greatest Royal Rumble
While not part of the traditional Royal Rumble timeline, the Greatest Royal Rumble from 2018 is notable and included in this list for two major reasons: it was the first match in the 10-year agreement between WWE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and it was where Daniel Bryan broke the longevity record for the most time spent in a Royal Rumble match, besting Rey Mysterio's previous record from 2006.
Bryan outlasted 46 other Superstars and made it to the final four with Big Cass, Braun Strowman, and Kevin Owens. After Strowman dispatched Owens, Bryan attempted to take out Strowman, only to have Big Cass toss him over the top and onto the floor to the dismay of the live Saudi crowd. Bryan still holds the all-time record for longevity in this match, competing for a jaw-dropping 1 hour, 16 minutes, and 5 seconds and cemented his place in Royal Rumble history.
2 Kofi Kingston
2022 Royal Rumble
Kofi Kingston is known for his creative and elimination-defying antics during the Rumble matches, and has utilized everything from the commentator's desk to the barricades to save himself. His entrance in the 2022 Royal Rumble brought forth questions about exactly what he'd do this year.
During what appeared to be his elimination by Kevin Owens, Kofi flew from the top turnbuckle and onto the barricades shortly after entering the match at number 24. However, on the review, both of Kingston's feet landed on the floor, and Kingston's moment to shine was stifled by an unintentionally botched landing, dashing his championship dreams at WrestleMania.
1 The Undertaker
2002 Royal Rumble
Whether he's The Deadman or the American Badass, no Superstar stuns the WWE Universe like The Undertaker, and during the 2002 Royal Rumble, Taker was on a spree of destruction. Dispatching the likes of Goldust, Al Snow, and Rikishi, Taker turned his sights on The Hardy Boyz in a 2-on-1 scenario.
Maven, the winner of the inaugural Tough Enough competition, entered at number 11, and took advantage of a distracted Taker by drop-kicking him over the top rope and onto the floor. Although Maven took a vicious chair shot after his elimination by Taker, Maven is now etched in history as giving the most unexpected Royal Rumble elimination in WWE history.
- Founded
- January 7, 1953
