WWE Royal Rumble 2016: Most Underrated Matches in Event's History

The Royal Rumble is a pay-per-view synonymous with the match for which it is named but, over the 27 years that it has been in existence, has been home to some extraordinary matches that have been underrated by fans and management alike.

Some were undercard bouts designed to further ongoing angles. Others existed just to kick off the show with a burst of energy. Still others featured the top prize in the sport on the line as two Superstars battled for the world heavyweight championship.

Whether they occurred early in the 1990s or well into the new Millennium, the matches helped bolster many a Rumble card and earned the show its reputation as one of the most anticipated and popular events on the WWE pay-per-view calendar.

The Rock, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels all make their presences felt in the following four matches.

What are they and what about them makes these contests so special?

Take a look for yourself.

WWE Undisputed Championship Match: The Rock vs. Chris Jericho (2002)

The semi-main event of 2002's Royal Rumble bout, the battle between The Rock and Chris Jericho was, arguably, the best of their series of bouts over the top prize in sports-entertainment. Combining a series of dramatic near-falls with a molten-hot crowd pulling for the People's Champion to knock off the arrogant and whiny Y2J to take the title, they watched in awe as the consummate professionals delivered the night's greatest match.

Even a referee bump and the appearances of Lance Storm and Christian, not to mention shenanigans involving crooked referee Nick Patrick, could not pull down the quality of the contest.

In the end, a resourceful Jericho sent his top contender into an exposed turnbuckle, rolled him up and scored the pinfall victory with his feet draped on the ropes for added leverage. It was good, old-school cheating from a villain just finding his feet. The crowd hated the outcome, but it helped Jericho grow into his role as the lead heel in the company, even if that role would change dramatically just weeks later.

World Heavyweight Championship Match: The Undertaker vs. Rey Mysterio (2010)

There may be no more harder-hitting match in the history of Royal Rumble than the World Heavyweight Championship between Undertaker and Rey Mysterio.

A rare babyface vs. babyface match, and the first time the two Superstars clashed on pay-per-view, the contest was reminiscent of the wars between Sting and Big Van Vader in that The Phenom was the much larger champion who used his strength and size to overwhelm his smaller opponent, while Mysterio was the plucky underdog who offset his opponents strengths with his speed and high flying.

The two beloved stars beat the ever-loving hell out of each other, with Mysterio blasting his opponent with a kick that broke his nose. In the end, though, an attempt at the West Coast Pop landed the challenger in the grasp of The Deadman, who obliterated him with The Last Ride for the pinfall victory and successful title defense.

This was a classic big vs. little match that the company has inexplicably allowed to be buried in the annals of time rather than celebrated for its greatness.

The Big Boss Man vs. The Barbarian (1991)

One of the hottest rivalries in WWE in 1991 pitted The Big Boss Man against The Heenan Family, led by the great Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. The legendary manager and commentator had made disparaging remarks about Boss Man's mother and, in turn, the former correction's officer made it his mission to tear through every one of Heenan's charges to get his hands on the arrogant second.

At the 1991 Royal Rumble match, Boss Man battled The Barbarian in a match that had no business being as good as it was. As talented a big man as the babyface was, Barbarian was not. He was a lumbering big man who worked a solid power style but was not nearly the quality of worker fans could trust to deliver a quality match.

That is why the excellent power match that unfolded at the Rumble event was that much more surprising. Late in the bout, an eye-poke and piledriver nearly ended Boss Man's quest for vengeance on a low note, but the driven hero fought back and scored the victory with an inside cradle.

This was a strong wrestling match between two grizzled veterans that may be better than the higher-profile match between Boss Man and Mr. Perfect two months later at WrestleMania VII.

Credit: WWE.com

The Rockers vs. The Orient Express (1991)

Further proving that the 1991 Royal Rumble card may be one of the best of all time, The Rockers vs. The Orient Express is the second match from that event to make this list.

There are some who will argue that this contest is not underrated, that it is remembered for being as great as it is. In retrospect, though, the contest is so extraordinarily great that it ranks as one of the best tag team matches of 1990s WWE.

Shawn Michaels played the babyface-in-peril to perfection, with the hot tag to Marty Jannetty fueling the energetic and chaotic conclusion to the bout.

The contest meshed elements of lucha libre and a more traditional tag style, all the while building drama and leading to a molten-hot finish that saw Jannetty score the victory for his team with a sunset flip.