Greatest Individual Performances in WWE Royal Rumble History

For over three decades, the Royal Rumble match has provided WWE Superstars with the most amount of opportunities to shatter the glass ceiling and obtain superstardom.

It's traditionally the most important night of the year for many men and women, and for good reason: a strong showing in the Rumble can only equate to big things.

Of course, winning the Rumble and advancing to the main event of WrestleMania is the goal, but scoring as many eliminations as possible can sometimes be equally effective. Likewise, making a moment can go a long way in allowing a Superstar to stand out and eventually work their way up the ladder.

Kofi Kingston is a prime example of someone who, despite never having won the Rumble, has been a recurring highlight in the annual Battle Royal over the years. He always avoids elimination in entertaining fashion, and as a result of fans' unrelenting support, he finally captured the WWE Championship in 2019.

The most impressive competitor in any Rumble isn't necessarily the one who winds up winning it. Rather, they're the ones who get the entire wrestling world buzzing and go on to cement themselves as stars.

Nobody has announced their entry into the 2020 men's match just yet, but anyone looking to enter the fray should follow in the footsteps of these five men who went the distance and left an indelible mark on Royal Rumble history.

Chris Benoit (2004)

Credit: WWE.com

Although Chris Benoit's incredible Royal Rumble performance in 2004 will never again receive recognition from WWE for obvious reasons (and rightfully so), it doesn't change how it made him the main event player he was always destined to be.

Benoit held the WCW World Heavyweight Championship briefly in 2000 and vied for the WWE title on a few occasions the following year, though it wasn't until the onset of 2004 that it truly felt like he belonged among the elite in the world championship picture.

The fact he wasn't looked at as a heavy favorite to win the Rumble that year made his victory that much more satisfying. He was the first entrant and fought tooth and nail for over an hour before eliminating Big Show to a raucous ovation.

Better yet, he was heavily involved in the entire match and rarely took breaks. Among those he took out over the course of the contest were Mark Henry, Rhyno and Matt Morgan.

The longer he lasted, the more fans desperately wanted to see him prevail. Once he did, it made for an incredibly emotional moment. It was an underdog story for the ages.

Roman Reigns (2014)

Credit: WWE.com

If anyone among the current crop of WWE Superstars is deserving of the Mr. Royal Rumble title, it's Roman Reigns.

Of the five Rumble matches he's competed in throughout his career, he's made it until the final three in every one of them.

It all started with his Rumble debut in 2014. Tension was teased within The Shield heading into the match, so their looming demise weighed heavily on the minds of its members and the fans.

While Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins spent a majority of the match bickering back and forth, Reigns made the most of his time in the ring by taking out everyone in sight. From El Torito to JBL to his own teammates, no one was safe from his path of destruction. The Big Dog ended the contest with a record 12 eliminations.

Batista—fresh off a return to WWE and entered at No. 28—was expected to win, but Reigns' hot streak put that into question.

In the end, it came down to Reigns and Batista as the final two men in the match, with the fans loudly showing their support for The Big Dog.

Of course, it was the opposite situation for him the following year, but his record-setting performance on this night led to the masses taking him seriously as a star on the rise. Even in defeat, he proved he belonged.

Triple H (2006)

Credit: WWE.com

Truth be told, Rey Mysterio's performance from the 2006 Royal Rumble match (which he ended up winning) is vastly overrated.

Granted, he set a record for most amount of time spent in a single Rumble, but when you watch it back, it's apparent he doesn't do a whole lot until the end.

Meanwhile, Triple H lasted nearly as long as Mysterio and scored just as many eliminations, but he rarely gets credit for the strong showing he had. Unlike the previous two Superstars on this list, The Game was already a proven commodity, yet it was the outstanding outing he had here that caused the tide to turn in his favor.

Interestingly enough, Triple H didn't put himself over at everyone else's expense in this Rumble, which was part of the appeal of his performance. He helped spotlight several Superstars including Shawn Michaels, Big Show, Kane and the returning Rob Van Dam.

Triple H had always been such a great villain that he was actually beginning to unintentionally endear himself to the audience. After being eliminated by Mysterio, he threw The Master of the 619 into the steel steps at ringside, but the crowd couldn't help but cheer for him.

He went on to contest the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 22 despite his loss on this show before officially turning face shortly thereafter.

Kane (2001)

Credit: WWE.com

Before Roman Reigns, Kane previously held the record for most eliminations in one Royal Rumble match with 11.

It was 2001 and he was perhaps at the peak of his popularity, so his streak of dominance couldn't have come at a better time.

In his first two-and-a-half years in WWE, The Big Red Monster didn't do enough to feel truly intimidating. After his iconic feud with The Undertaker ran its course (he ended up on the losing side), he lacked direction and needed to do something remarkable to get him back on track.

His time to shine came in the 2001 Rumble where he ran through everyone who stood in his way. When he entered at No. 6, no one could stop him, not even The Honky Tonk Man and his signature guitar.

One by one, Kane threw everyone over the top rope and endured unimaginable pain with weapons being legal in this installment. No matter how big or small they were, all the Superstars fell to him.

If WWE wasn't determined to do The Rock vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin again in the main event of WrestleMania that year, Kane would have been the perfect choice to win. After 53 minutes of pure annihilation, though, he was sent spiraling over the top rope in the closing moments courtesy of Austin.

This Kane performance will be played in Royal Rumble video packages for many, many years to come.

Ric Flair (1992)

Credit: WWE.com

You'd be hard-pressed to find a better Royal Rumble match than the 1992 installment, which was the first to be contested for the WWE Championship.

Controversy surrounding the strap led to it being vacated shortly before the pay-per-view. The Rumble was already exciting enough, but the promise of a new champion being crowned in the annual Battle Royal made matters even more interesting.

While The Undertaker and Hulk Hogan traded the belt back and forth in the fall of 1991, Ric Flair was parading around WWE TV calling himself the "real world's champion" because of how he left WCW with their top title. Thus, he had a claim to the championship, but it would only be his if he could outlast 29 other men to retrieve it.

After entering at No. 3, Flair went on to wage war with the best the company had to offer. From The Texas Tornado to Randy Savage, it was surreal to see him not only crossing paths with WWE's top talent but throwing them out of the ring as well.

Hulk Hogan was on the way to winning his third Rumble before Sid Justice eliminated him. The crowd in Albany, New York, that night wanted nothing more than for Flair to reign supreme, and after Hogan helped him eliminate Justice, the entire arena erupted with elation.

In one of his first major matches for the company, Flair became the new WWE champion and cut an unforgettable promo backstage to celebrate the occasion.

Everything about the Battle Royal was near-perfect, but Flair's unbelievable performance and subsequent victory were simply the icing on the cake.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.