WWE Royal Rumble 2015 Results: Power Ranking Every Match at PPV

The WWE title bout outclassed the main event at WWE Royal Rumble 2015.

Traditionally, the 30-man Battle Royal is the event's highlight, a thrilling crowning of a contender. Narrative missteps gutted that match this year, though. Even with the momentum the contest generated early, it floundered. 

John Cena and Seth Rollins' pursuit of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, meanwhile, saved the show.

How does the tag-team heavy undercard stack up against the Rumble? What was the night's surprise gem?

To answer those questions, we'll pick apart the stories all the matches told, how well WWE built them up beforehand and break down how exciting the action was. Compelling endings and memorable moments move bouts up the rankings as well.

6. The Ascension vs. the New Age Outlaws

Credit: WWE.com

The Royal Rumble's least effective, least entertaining match pitted a pair of rookies struggling to gain traction against two semi-retired names from the past.

WWE has presented The Ascension as a cocky new tag team already convinced that they belong in the pantheon of the greats. They have trash-talked classic squads, eventually leading to The New Age Outlaws being one of three of them to smack the newcomers around on Raw.

The way to make the most of that angle would have been to have Viktor and Konnor steamroll over The New Age Outlaws.

It would make them look dangerous and not just like two blowhards with oversized egos. Instead, they struggled with their older foes. In the end, they resorted to taking a few cheap shots when the referee wasn't looking.

That had The Ascension's win feel less significant and like they were lucky, not monstrous. 

The action itself wasn't memorable in the least. Few highlights and a sloppy version of The Fall of Man made for a snoozer of an opener.

5. The Bella Twins vs. Paige and Natalya

Credit: WWE.com

Giving the Divas more time than usual led to a better match than fans are used to from the division.

Paige and Natalya vs. The Bellas was a solid outing built around classic tag team strategy. The heels kept Natalya in their corner, pounding on her while Paige watched in frustration from the ring apron.

Allowing her to come in and go on a frenzied flurry would have added to the bout, but that never happened. 

Still, the women delivered a hard-hitting bout that was more interesting from start to finish than The Ascension's victory. Nikki and Brie also debuted a new move, rolling Natalya over onto the mat with their legs. 

The lack of story limited how good this could be, though. There has been no clear direction for this feud. WWE has not found a way to raise the stakes or give anyone added motivation.

That left this feeling like a decent TV bout, not something worthy of a spot on a pay-per-view.

4. The New Day vs. Cesaro and Tyson Kidd

The pre-show match took a while to get going, but once it did, the result was a good burst of tag team action.

Big E and Kofi Kingston's new gimmick is clearly still struggling to catch on with fans. Their opponents, though, are forcing folks to take notice.

Cesaro and Kidd's chemistry is fun to watch. Their double-team moves excite. Their energy engages. 

We saw some of that on display when they ganged up on their opponents, combining an elbow drop and a vertical suplex or a dropkick with the Cesaro Swing. There wasn't enough electricity to be a great match, but there was plenty to outdo the Divas and The New Age Outlaws vs. The Ascension. 

Had there been more buildup, more reasons for these guys to be at each other's throats and more action like the last moments of the match featured, it would have climbed higher on this list. 

For now, it's a glimpse at what's possible for the tag team division if WWE affords it more focus.

3. Royal Rumble Match

By default, the Royal Rumble is usually excellent. At times, this one was too.

Bray Wyatt dump-trucking a line of foes, Bubba Ray Dudley making a comeback and Damien Mizdow's internal struggle to choose between opportunity and loyalty to The Miz were all key highlights. What stomped on all of those good moments was the choice to oust Daniel Bryan early.

The Philadelphia crowd turned at that moment.

The vibe went from fun to uneasy. Rather than building suspense, WWE showed its hand early. Roman Reigns was the obvious winner about mid-way into this.

That cast a shadow over everything that followed Bryan's exit. An anticlimactic ending added to the bout's woes. 

It ended up being a contest that began with promise before shriveling up. The positives of the match and its inherently entertaining format easily pushed it past the majority of the undercard matches. Its flaws are so glaring, though, that it sits lower on the list than the tag team title match.

That bout left fans cheering, not chanting, a word that is decidedly not PG as the Rumble did.

2. The Miz and Damien Mizdow vs. The Usos

Minimal pre-match story hurt this championship match, but the performers did their best to counteract that.

WWE has seemingly forgotten about the top of the tag team division, leaving The Miz and Damien Mizdow's feud with The Usos to be a shallow one. While this was a repeat of the many collisions they have had before, it had enough highlights to slide past the backlash-inducing Rumble match.

Once again, they teased Mizdow tagging in really well, building up suspense for his eventual arrival to the fray. Jimmy and Jey dished out their usual high-flying offense. During one of those flights, The Miz tossed Mizdow into Jimmy, treating him like a human shield.

The fans ate up Mizdow's antics and roared when he nearly knocked Jey out with the Skull Crushing Finale.

The crowd-pleasing action, even in a match that no one will mistake for a classic, was more enjoyable than the Rumble. The 30-man match had more stars and high stakes, but the tag title bout didn't make you want to punch the TV in frustration.

1. Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena

The WWE World Heavyweight Championship match is far and away the best the 2015 Royal Rumble had to offer. It may even hold up as the year's best match.

Every man had a chance to shine here and even if you were rooting for Seth Rollins or John Cena to win, you left happy.

Cena was a powerful bruiser here, often the star of the action. Brock Lesnar looked simply beastly, reminding us why WWE is willing to put the belt on a part-timer.

Rollins announced to the world that he most certainly belongs on the same stage as Cena and Lesnar. He provided many of the bout's highlights, including a Phoenix Splash onto Cena and an elbow drop that drove Lesnar through a table.

The stories of Cena's need to right two wrongs, of Rollins' desperation and cunning, and of Lesnar's seemingly inhuman ability to absorb pain were all extremely well-told.

A great pace, highlights in surplus and three talented performers giving every last drop that they had in them led to this being the class of the Rumble. Lesnar, Cena and Rollins put on an instant classic on a night that sorely needed one.