WWE News: The 25 Greatest Non-Royal Rumble Matches in Royal Rumble History

The WWE Royal Rumble is basically an annual one-match show as the majority of interest is usually dedicated to the over-the-top-rope battle royal after which the event was named. 

In recent years, however, the WWE has put a bit more emphasis on the undercard, and as a result, there have been a handful of complete Royal Rumble cards from top to bottom. 

Dating back to the first event in 1988, there have been a wide variety of memorable Royal Rumble moments and matches that had nothing to do with the titular main event.

Current and future WWE Hall of Famers such as Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Triple H, and The Rock all had some of their greatest career matches at the Royal Rumble, proving the annual January spectacular isn't always just a one-match show. 

25. Goldust vs. Razor Ramon (1996)

The memorable debut of one of the most bizarre and controversial superstars in WWE history culminated at the 1996 Royal Rumble when Goldust accomplished the rare feat of winning the Intercontinental Championship on his first match.  

With Razor Ramon on his way out of the WWE, the most was made of a relatively long streak of jobbing to end his original run with the company as the talented yet beleaguered Ramon (Scott Hall) did a tremendous job putting Goldust over.

24. Edge vs. Rey Mysterio (2008)

Edge and Rey Mysterio always had great chemistry with one another, and their 2008 Royal Rumble tilt was no exception. 

Of course, Vickie Guerrero got involved in the match and took yet another impressive bump for her troubles to assist Edge in retaining the World Championship. 

23. John Cena vs. Edge (2006)

John Cena and Edge had one of the better rivalries in recent memory back in 2006, and one of the many chapters of this storied power struggle for championship supremacy came at the Royal Rumble. 

As impressive as John Cena's entrance was prior to a match against Edge to avenge the first-ever Money in the Bank Championship loss, his match with Edge was even more impressive. 

Cena was able to overcome outside interference from Lita and cut Edge's first WWE Championship reign short with a victory. 

22. Ric Flair vs. Vince McMahon (2006)

Upon Ric Flair's arrival in the WWE in 2001, one of many intriguing matchups for the iconic wrestler was against WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. 

While this match was not a technical masterpiece (nor did it try to be), Flair and McMahon worked extremely hard in submitting a serviceable brawling contest that ended in a victory for Flair. 

21. Sheamus vs. Randy Orton (2010)

This match was hurt in that it ended in a disqualification, but Sheamus and Orton worked very well together. 

This is the type of match that could have greatly aided the Celtic Warrior had he gone over clean, but instead paying customers were treated to yet another cheap finish in a Sheamus WWE title match. 

20. Edge vs. Jeff Hardy (2009)

This was just one in a string of strong matches that ended Jeff Hardy's momentous babyface run of 2009 and, in effect, his career. 

Jeff Hardy and Edge worked a strong no-disqualification match in a contest that had everything save the kitchen sink. 

At one point, Hardy performed his signature dive from a ladder through a table on Chavo Guerrero, but Edge survived thanks to outside interference from Vickie Guerrero. 

19. Shawn Michaels vs. the Undertaker (1998)

The match was overshadowed by star power and an injury that changed the course of wrestling history.  Sure, the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels in a pay-per-view Casket Match sounds enthralling to the naked ear. 

Yet given the overbooked finish that saw a revolving door of outside interference before Kane turned heel, the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels' effort at the Royal Rumble paled in comparison to what the two legends are capable of. 

18. Edge vs. Dolph Ziggler (2011)

In Edge's final Royal Rumble match, he and Dolph Ziggler opened the show with a strong back-and-forth contest as Ziggler demonstrated that he can hang with main event talent. 

With Vickie Guerrero in Dolph Ziggler's corner, following a longtime partnership with Edge, Ziggler still came up short in achieving his first legitimate World Title reign. 

17. Chris Jericho vs. The Rock (2002)

Chris Jericho was an underdog for the length of his first WWE Championship reign, yet he always seemed to be able to pull off the upset. 

Against yet another seasoned, multiple-time world champion, the Rock was unable to defeat Chris Jericho as Y2J continued to legitimize his world championship reign with yet another win over a future WWE Hall of Famer. 

16. Bret Hart vs. Razor Ramon (1993)

Razor Ramon's most serious push towards the WWE Championship came at the 1993 Royal Rumble. 

There, Ramon had a standout match with Bret Hart that went almost 20 minutes and appeared to be a sign of things to come for the talented young mid-carder. 

15. Shawn Michaels vs. Sycho Sid (1997)

In a match that preceded Shawn Michaels' controversial temporary departure from the WWE, Michaels defeated Sycho Sid in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas. 

Michaels worked hard and played to Sid's strengths as he avenged a WWE Championship defeat at Survivor Series. 

14. Shawn Michaels vs. Marty Jannetty (1993)

Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty's memorable split lead to a strong match for the Intercontinental Championship at Royal Rumble in 1993. 

Both individuals showed potential for strong singles careers, however it would be Shawn Michaels who achieved Hall of Fame-caliber success as Jannetty became the prototypical unenviable study in post-tag team failure. 

13. Diesel vs. Bret Hart (1995)

Diesel truly was an underrated worker in his career, and when paired with ring generals such as Bret Hart, he really shined in the ring. 

Diesel's feud with Bret Hart saw the former world champion have one of his better series of matches, and at the 1995 Royal Rumble pay-per-view, Hart and Diesel battled to a draw. 

12. Miss Royal Rumble, 2000

In an event that was the personification of the Attitude Era, Mae Young won one of the most entertaining bikini contests in WWE history. 

Sure, it wasn't necessarily a match, but the Miss Royal Rumble contest was a competition that garnered crowd interest and resulted in a winner and a lot of losers...including those who were subject to a topless Mae Young. 

The contest had a train-wreck effect as the WWE's resident senior citizen exposed her bare breasts en route to an unlikely victory. 

11. Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit (2001)

These two former Canadian friends made magic in the ring as Benoit and Jericho added luster to the WWE's already prestigious Intercontinental Championship. 

On a card that boasted arguably the greatest Royal Rumble of them all, Benoit and Jericho competed in a ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship that came dangerously close to stealing the show. 

10. Edge vs. Shawn Michaels (2005)

Edge began to carve out a comfortable spot in the main event after turning heel in 2005, and an intense feud with the legendary Shawn Michaels greatly facilitated Edge's rise to the top of the roster. 

Edge scored a huge victory in a singles match against Michaels, and built upon the impressive in-ring accomplishment the same way he built upon his well-known indiscretions out of the ring. 

9. Triple H vs. Randy Orton (2005)

Randy Orton and Triple H's jealousy-fueled feud of 2005 did not last quite as long as their later feuds towards the end of the decade, but their match at that year's Royal Rumble was as intense and physical of a match the two have ever had.

Orton fought hard, and hung tough as the tide turned following a ref bump, but Triple H's sustained punishment was too much for the then 24-year old challenger to overcome, as Triple H managed to retain the World title. 

8. Kurt Angle vs. Triple H (2001)

The 2001 Royal Rumble may have been one of the more complete Rumble cards as it was loaded with good matches and capped off with an extremely strong and dramatic Royal Rumble match. 

Kurt Angle and Triple H was a tough sell as it pitted heel vs. heel, but the two made the best of the hand they were dealt and turned in a very good match. 

Outside interference from Austin lead to a cheapened finish, it set the stage for a dramatic Royal Rumble win for Austin after Triple H got his revenge by battering and bloodying the Rattlesnake later that night. 

7. John Cena vs. John Bradshaw Layfield (2009)

Cena and JBL under any other circumstances would have inspired zero interest from wrestling fans, however the storyline that surrounding this matchup created one of the more intriguing showdowns between the consummate babyface (Cena) and heel (Layfield) in the WWE. 

With the otherwise beloved Shawn Michaels forced to be in JBL's corner (in accordance with a storyline where Michaels lost all his money and was forced to work for Layfield), fans waited with bated breath to find out whether Michaels would assist JBL in capturing a world championship.

Michaels drilled both JBL and Cena with Sweet Chin Music before storming off, which led to a Cena victory. 

6. Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit (2003)

Kurt Angle had chemistry with a lot of people given his incredible athletic abilities, yet Chris Benoit was arguably Angle's best 'dance partner,' as the feud between the two in the early 2000's included a strong crop of wrestling matches. 

The Royal Rumble in 2003 was no exception, as the two wrestled a back-and-forth contest for the WWE Championship that went almost 20 minutes as Angle won with the ankle lock. 

5. Hardy Boyz vs. Dudley Boyz (2000)

The Hardy Boyz and Dudley Boyz, among others, helped transcend the tag team division during the attitude era. 

High-risk, no-holds-barred tag team contests like their tables match at the 2000 Royal Rumble were one of the reasons why. 

Jeff Hardy beefed up his seemingly endless highlight reel with some impressive spots, including a Swanton bomb on Devon Dudley from the top of a balcony in Madison Square Garden through a table.

4. Triple H vs. Cactus Jack (2000)

Triple H and Mick Foley captured the energy of Madison Square Garden as they battled in a brawling masterpiece during their war at the 2000 Royal Rumble. 

In a rarity, Triple H and Cactus Jack's match outperformed that year's Royal Rumble in many people's eyes as Triple H was able to eke out a victory against the hardcore legend.

3. John Cena vs. Umaga (2007)

John Cena continued to prove his detractors wrong, showing he could have a strong wrestling match with a wide variety of individuals as opposed to just ring generals.

The late Umaga gave John Cena one of the best matches of his career as the two did battle in a last man standing match filled with drama and weapons. 

2. Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H (2004)

Shawn Michaels and Triple H's long rivalry in 2004 was almost as iconic as legendary as their friendship. 

The two went tit-for-tat in a 2004 Royal Rumble match that stole the show.  Nothing was decided on this night as the two battled to a draw in a last man standing match that should have served as a purveyor of finality. 

1. Mick Foley vs. The Rock (1999)

The infamous brawl between Mick Foley and the Rock will never be remembered as a wrestling masterpiece, but rather as a violent and controversial war that evoked very raw, real emotion. 

The most famous stretch of the "I Quit" match saw the Rock mercilessly beating Foley with unprotected chair shots as Mick Foley's wife and young children (who were legitimately unaware of the horrific scene they would be witnessing) sat in fear before leaving in protest. 

The Rock stole a crooked, yet creative, victory after it appeared as if Foley screamed 'I Quit,' before it was revealed that the Rock had used a pre-recorded version of Foley bellowing the self-defeating phrase.

Don't forget to check out (and compare this list to) Featured Columnist Chris Humphrey's list of the eight greatest non-Royal Rumble matches here!

Follow Big Nasty on Twitter @ThisIsNasty.