10 Finishers Used In A Royal Rumble Match To Eliminate An Opponent
When top-name Superstars and legends enter the Royal Rumble match, don't be surprised to see eliminations that are far from standard. Since 2018, WWE has added women's Royal Rumble matches to the mix, which means that 58 eliminations will now take place at each Rumble event. The standard clothesline over-the-top-rope and striking the apron-bound opponent to the mat eliminations are no problem.
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Even though some eliminations are not the most exciting, some have been incredibly unique. While some have involved commonplace offense, some wrestlers have incorporated their finishing move into eliminating an opponent.
10 Attitude Adjustment (John Cena)
John Cena tearing his pectoral injury in October 2007 was the first big sidelining moment for John. Days before he was set to defend his WWE Championship against Randy Orton, he relinquished the title which was subsequently awarded to Orton. Cena's timeline for return was about six months.
Three months was all John Cena needed to recover as he made his unannounced return, surprising everyone as the 30th entrant in the 2008 Royal Rumble match. Cena made it to the final two with Triple H and after getting Hunter up on his shoulders, he tossed him up and over the top rope and down to the floor with an F-U (now known as Attitude Adjustment) to win.
9 Sweet Chin Music (Shawn Michaels)
"HBK" Shawn Michaels' Sweet Chin Music finisher is one of the most dangerous moves in the Royal Rumble match. Though criticized by Eric Bischoff on WCW as a kick that "couldn't earn a green belt at a YMCA," the move did go on to be one of the most significant strikes in wrestling history.
Plenty of the current roster could perform a superkick for an elimination, but while in active competition the kick was generally reserved for Michaels. Shawn delivered SCM to Diesel, kicking him over the top rope, to the floor to win the 1996 Royal Rumble. Shawn used this elimination method against Triple H in 2010 and an apron-bound Shelton Benjamin in 2006.
8 Stunner ("Stone Cold" Steve Austin)
The Stone Cold Stunner has inadvertently tossed and thrown opponents across the ring from its nasty impact; in The Rock's case causing cartwheels. Steve Austin's Stunner has won him several championships and created many memorable moments from dropping esteemed guests in the ring like Vince McMahon, Donald Trump, and Santa Claus.
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At the time of writing, Austin still holds the record for most Royal Rumble wins, with three victories to his name. In 2002 he had a memorable elimination where after Booker T had just performed a Spin-a-Roonie, Austin stepped forward and delivered a Stunner to Booker which sent him tumbling over top rope to the floor.
7 Chokeslam From Hell (Kane)
"The Big Red Machine" Kane has sent enemies and, in some cases, friends to hell with his Chokeslam; he has complicated relationships. Kane once held the record for most eliminations in a Royal Rumble match (11), before it was broken by Roman Reigns in 2014.
Kane also has the record for most Royal Rumble match appearances, with 19 Rumbles to his name. There is a discrepancy about that last record because only 17 of those appearances were as Kane. Of the other two, one was as "Dr. Isaac Yankem, DDS" in 1996 and the other was as "Diesel" in 1997. In 2007, Kane wow'ed the crowd by using the Chokeslam From Hell to send an apron-bound Sabu down to the floor through a table which Sabu had set.
6 F5 (Brock Lesnar)
As "The Next Big Thing," Brock Lesnar won the 2003 Royal Rumble which was also in his rookie year. Lesnar won the match by last eliminating the 30th entrant, The Undertaker; little did they know what their futures held in store. Though Lesnar won by dump Taker up and over the top rope, one elimination stood out.
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Earlier in the match, Lesnar got Matt Hardy up onto his shoulders and delivered an F5 by the ropes, sending a spinning Hardy over the top rope and down onto Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas before touching the floor.
5 Brogue Kick (Sheamus)
Similar to Sweet Chin Music, the Brogue Kick by Sheamus is another move that is deadly in the Royal Rumble match, let alone any match. The kick that has won Sheamus numerous championships has also been incorporated by The Celtic Warrior in his Royal Rumble appearances.
Sheamus used his Brogue Kick to eliminate opponents in numerous Royal Rumble matches. He sent David Otunga off the ring apron to the floor in 2014 and did the same to Chris Jericho in 2012, the latter winning the 30-man match for Sheamus.
4 Mandible Claw (Mankind)
Who else could use a stinky sock to send someone over the top rope? The Mandible Claw used to be Mick Foley's debilitating finishing hold, immobilizing the opponent by applying pressure to the jaw and their central nervous system or some sort of medical explanation. Nonetheless, the hold was a big fixture in the move-set of Foley's "Mankind" persona.
After debuting in the WWE in 1996 and going through two hellacious feuds with The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, the WWE-rookie competed in the 1997 Royal Rumble match and eliminated a young Rocky Maivia by applying The Mandible Claw and backing Rocky up towards the ropes, sending him up and over the top rope and down to the floor.
3 Trouble In Paradise (Kofi Kingston)
The Trouble In Paradise is one of WWE's most legendary strikes, let alone finishers. Kofi Kingston has used his jumping, spinning, roundhouse kick to win championships including the WWE Championship in 2019.
Kofi also became synonymous for his athletic, innovative, and jaw-dropping ways to avoid elimination in the Royal Rumble match. One such occasion came in 2018 after being dumped over the top rope by Jinder Mahal. One of Kofi's feet touched the floor but the other was held by Xavier Woods and then a platter of pancakes. After being hoisted back up and into the ring by Woods and Big E, Kingston delivered Trouble In Paradise to Mahal that sent him flying over the top rope to the floor.
2 Stomp (Seth Rollins)
Seth Rollins' Stomp in WWE dates back almost a decade to his time in development after signing with the company. Known then as the Blackout, Rollins used the move on Jinder Mahal in 2012 to become the inaugural NXT Champion. Rollins has used the move to also win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and Universal Championship.
Although banned for a period in the mid-2010s, the move would return and would once again become a finishing move for Seth. In the 2019 Royal Rumble match, he and fellow finalist Braun Strowman were both on the ring apron. After a kick to the mid-section, Rollins delivered a Stomp to Strowman that knocked Braun to the floor to end the match.
1 Claymore Kick (Drew McIntyre)
The 2020 Royal Rumble match had an interesting swerve with WWE Champion Brock Lesnar entering the match and electing to be the first entrant, with the match still being non-title. One-by-one, Lesnar dominated and eliminated all oncoming opponents but eventually the odds would slightly even out.
After a low-blow by Ricochet left Lesnar stunned against the ropes, Drew McIntyre who was on the other side of the ring charged at Brock and threw a hellacious Claymore Kick that sent Lesnar over the top rope and down to the floor to a thunderous ovation. McIntyre went on to win the match and the WWE Championship from Lesnar at WrestleMania 36.
