WWE Royal Rumble 2015: Former Winners with Best WrestleMania Showings
A win at the Royal Rumble is a first-class ticket to the main event of WrestleMania—but it's far from a sure-fire win at the biggest show of them all. Success or failure still comes a little further down the line; there are no guarantees.
In truth, the Royal Rumble is simply the first step on a winding path. In the past, we've seen wrestlers lose their right to the WrestleMania main event or find themselves immersed in controversy as to exactly who won the year's biggest battle royal.
At the end of this road is the WrestleMania main event itself. That's where wrestlers want to have the greatest match of their career—but many fall short.
The best of the best become legends at WrestleMania. Here are the Rumble winners who have gone on to have similarly strong showings at the Showcase of the Immortals.
10. Bret Hart at WrestleMania 10
1 of 10
In 1994, both Bret Hart and Lex Luger had a legitimate claim to the WrestleMania main event, as both men tumbled over the top rope in a controversial end to the Royal Rumble. The solution? A bracket that saw Luger meet then-champion Yokozuna and Hart face his brother Owen, before Bret would meet the winner of the first bout.
It was a complex system that was explained regularly in the build to the event and on the night both Rumble winners would lose their first match. Luger was taken out of title contention thanks to special referee Mr. Perfect, and Bret found himself outsmarted by his brother.
Fortunately for Bret, he still had an opportunity to salvage things with a win in the main event, which he did. Going home with the world title nabs Bret a spot on this list, but losing to his brother earlier in the night means he's fairly low in the rankings.
9. Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 14
2 of 10
WrestleMania 14 will forever be remembered as the night that the Austin era began. The journey that began with his classic post-match interview at King of the Ring 1996 culminated here, with the Rattlesnake defeating Shawn Michaels for the world title.
While it took something of a fast count from Mike Tyson to get the job done, Austin's victory certainly changed the face of pro wrestling—and Tyson's input wasn't anything close to the interference Stone Cold would require from Vince McMahon to win once again at WrestleMania three years later.
Austin's showing at WrestleMania 14 couldn't quite live up to his heroics against Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13—but doing so would be no small feat. His match against HBK is still one of the best performances to take place on such a grand stage.
8. Undertaker at WrestleMania 23
3 of 10
For the Undertaker, any match at WrestleMania was also a defence of his long-running streak. That made the stakes of his WrestleMania 23 title match against Batista a little higher—both men had plenty to lose if they couldn't pick up the win.
Batista was all over Undertaker from the opening bell, and it seemed for a moment that the streak might be in peril. A powerslam through the announce table seemed like it might have been enough to finish off the Deadman, but even multiple Batista Bombs couldn't put him away.
Eventually, Undertaker came out on top—absorbing a lot of punishment as he went. Despite his winning ways, Big Evil has had plenty of sub-par WrestleMania matches; this was certainly not one of them.
7. Batista at WrestleMania 21
4 of 10
When Batista won the 2005 Royal Rumble and went on to defeat Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania, it wasn't just about the title—it was about stepping out from the shadow of his mentor.
Batista had enjoyed the spoils of being part of Evolution, but now it was time for him to carve his out path. Triple H proved to be the biggest stumbling block, aware that his underling was about to fly the coop—and The Game would do anything to prevent being outshone.
Nevertheless, when WrestleMania 21 came around, Batista would be the one who ended the night standing tall. The Animal would go on to become one of the biggest stars of his era, but it might not have happened without his excellent showing at WrestleMania.
6. John Cena at WrestleMania 29
5 of 10
At WrestleMania 28, John Cena came up short in a marquee match against The Rock. One year later, he'd get his rematch—but only after The Great One claimed the WWE Championship from CM Punk and Cena was triumphant in the Royal Rumble.
A bad year for Cena would still make for a pretty excellent year for any other wrestler, but despite that, the Doctor of Thuganomics felt he had something to prove against The Rock. On the night, he did just that, notching up another title reign and exorcising the demons of the year before.
We've all seen Cena win plenty often, but there are few legends on par with The Rock. This might very turn out to be the People's Champion's last match—so leave it to Cena to make it a loss.
5. Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 22
6 of 10
Rey Mysterio has gone beyond what was expected of a man his size throughout his career but never quite as remarkably as in 2006. The Master of the 619 set a new record for time spent in a Rumble match with his battle royal win in January but would be faced with further trials on the road to WrestleMania.
His well-deserved main event spot was snatched away by Randy Orton—but Mysterio would be added to the match by Teddy Long, making it a Triple Threat. Orton and the defending champion Kurt Angle would put up stiff competition, but the luchadore came out on top.
To see off two huge stars like Angle and Orton is achievement enough in itself, but to do so with a considerable height and weight disadvantage defies belief. Mysterio proved that there are no limits on the main event scene in WWE—and perhaps laid the foundations for future world champions.
4. Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 19
7 of 10
Brock Lesnar's rookie year in WWE will perhaps never be surpassed; following his debut, the night after WrestleMania X8, he was on a path straight to the world title. Notching up four eliminations on his way to a Rumble win—including the Undertaker—it seemed that WWE's brightest new star would be made at WrestleMania.
However, the biggest show of them all would offer up a considerable challenge for Lesnar—the reigning WWE Champion, Kurt Angle. Lesnar's much-touted amateur background would be given its ultimate test by the gold medallist, but the Beast came out on top.
There's only one black mark on Lesnar's journey to the WWE Championship—the botched Shooting Star Press that nearly ended the show in a major industry. Thankfully it didn't—but had it come off as planned, it would perhaps have made this the greatest WrestleMania showing for a Royal Rumble winner of all time.
3. Triple H at WrestleMania X8
8 of 10
No one could stop the tear that Triple H was on upon his return in 2002. The Game took the Royal Rumble in his stride and had his sights firmly set on claiming the Undisputed Championship from Chris Jericho at WrestleMania X8.
Triple H's path to WrestleMania was littered with obstacles by Stephanie McMahon, as the pair's marriage had faltered shortly after his return to the active roster. The King of Kings lost and regained his right to the title shot along the Road to WrestleMania, all thanks to Stephanie.
The Billion Dollar Princess was a major fixture in the eventual match, as she accompanied Y2J to the ring—and also got involved in the action. Nevertheless, Triple H managed to overcome a stacked deck and become the second undisputed champion in WWE history.
2. Sheamus at WrestleMania 28
9 of 10
It's difficult to think of a better WrestleMania showing than the one Sheamus pulled off at WrestleMania 28. Admittedly, Daniel Bryan was distracted, but to win the World Heavyweight Championship in just 18 seconds is a feat that anyone would be proud of.
It's a testament to the power of the Brogue Kick, and it should perhaps have been the start of a glorious title reign for Sheamus. However, that wasn't the case; Sheamus would reign until the end of the year but didn't enjoy any real increase in popularity or spotlight.
On the other hand, Daniel Bryan's rise to the highest peaks of the WWE landscape began with this loss. It just goes to show that a strong showing at WrestleMania is great for a Royal Rumble winner, but what comes afterward is even more important.
1. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 12
10 of 10
Shawn Michaels making his boyhood dream come true in 1996 is one of the all-time great WrestleMania moments—but the Heartbreak Kid left it late to cement his place in history.
Michaels squared off with Bret Hart in a gruelling hour-long Iron Man match, but when all was said and done, the pair were tied. A decision had to be made, so the match went into sudden-death overtime; Michaels dealt with the pressure admirably and took home the gold.
This was Michaels' first world title reign and just the reversal of fortunes he was looking for after failing to capitalize on his Royal Rumble win the year before. It's a historic moment and one of the greatest matches of all time—despite not being a particularly dominant performance for HBK.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
