5 Wrestlers Who Had Their Careers Made By The Royal Rumble (& 4 Who Were Ruined By It)
The Royal Rumble match is one of the most important bouts of the wrestling calendar year, and winning the match has the potential to really catapult someone's career. Winning the Rumble guarantees a World Title match, and (sometimes) the main event spot at WrestleMania, which can really propel people to new heights.
RELATED: 9 Wildest Backstage Stories From The Royal Rumble
Throughout history, many wrestlers have gone on to have massive success after winning the Rumble. The reason this match has become so popular is that fans know what it can do for a wrestler, but becoming a big hit and a top WWE Superstar isn't always guaranteed, as the pressure can actually have a negative impact.
9 Made Their Career: Steve Austin (1997)
The 1997 Royal Rumble match really helped make Steve Austin's career as an elite level main event wrestler. While his big King of the Ring win and famous "Austin 3:16" promo had already happened, this Rumble victory really took him to even further heights.
It led to Austin being seen as a top-tier wrestler and the fans were certainly beginning to get behind him, which was why this win was a huge moment for him.
8 Ruined By It: Roman Reigns (2015)
Granted, Roman Reigns maintained a main event position as one of the top WWE Superstars ever since this victory, but the win really hurt him. It has recently been sorted with Roman's heel turn, but WWE really did damage Roman for half a decade on this win.
RELATED: Royal Rumble: 10 Winners Who Had Terrible Matches At Wrestlemania
Roman shouldn't have won this match, and the moment he did is when the audiences went completely against him. Fans hated the way he was being pushed and they simply never gave him another chance as a babyface after this point.
7 Made Their Career: Drew McIntyre (2020)
The Scotsman is one of the top stars in WWE right now, and that all started from the Royal Rumble in 2020. Drew McIntyre was a man on the rise heading into that match, but he when he went on to win it, he took himself into the main event spot.
Eliminating Brock Lesnar was a huge moment for him that pushed Drew to become a top star. But when he actually won the match, it was a clear indication that WWE viewed him as a main eventer, which he has gone on to become.
6 Made Their Career: Asuka (2018)
Even though Asuka didn't actually win her match at WrestleMania against Charlotte Flair, her Royal Rumble victory was still a massive moment for her. This victory just established Asuka as a top-level athlete in the Women's Division who fans should take seriously.
RELATED: 10 Surprising Wrestlers Who Never Won A Royal Rumble
She was still fairly new at that point in her career on the main roster, but WWE ensured she would remain undefeated by winning the Royal Rumble. It was a huge victory that really did prove she had arrived in WWE and was going to be treated in the same manner as she was in NXT.
5 Ruined By It: Mr. Perfect (1990)
Heading into the 1990 Royal Rumble, Mr. Perfect absolutely could have been seen as a viable winner. Perfect winning this Rumble could have taken him to the main event scene where he certainly belonged.
However, this didn't happen and while Mr. Perfect continued to have a solid enough career, he never quite got back to the heights where people felt he belonged.
4 Made Their Career: Batista (2005)
WrestleMania 21 was a huge show for creating brand new talents, and Batista was one of those wrestlers who benefitted from that. But to get his World Heavyweight Title shot, The Animal would have to win the Royal Rumble, which really was the start of his rise.
This was the time when he was beginning to break out all on his own, without anybody else to help him. It was a huge performance and, from this victory, The Animal really benefitted from the Rumble match. It catapulted Big Dave into the main event scene for the remainder of his WWE career.
3 Ruined By It: Shinsuke Nakamura (2018)
Shinsuke Nakamura winning the Royal Rumble was a great idea on paper. A brand new star on the main roster who was very popular, coming off the back of a great run in NXT, seemed destined to reach the top of WWE.
RELATED: 10 Failed Royal Rumble Winners That Should Have Worked
However, once WrestleMania rolled around and Nakamura was beaten, it became clear that WWE didn't fully have a plan for him. From that point on, Nakamura's career never recovered, with this victory actually being the start of the end for Nakamura's main event potential.
2 Made Their Career: Shawn Michaels (1995)
Shawn Michaels' performance at the 1995 Royal Rumble is one of the best in the history of the event. Entering the match in the #1 spot, it seemed like the odds were completely against the Heartbreak Kid to win the match, but when he did, it was an incredibly heartfelt and hardworking moment.
The fact he was able to outlast 29 other men really established him as a top main event star who was someone fans could get behind. He was the ultimate babyface and this ended up being an incredible moment that absolutely made his career.
1 Ruined By It: Ryback (2013)
WWE's decision-making as to who wins a Royal Rumble match isn't an easy one. However, in 2013, it was clear that the company made the wrong call by having John Cena win the match.
WWE opted to set up John Cena facing The Rock yet again, which was very predictable and was a match that didn't need the WWE Championship. Ryback was massively popular at the time and would have benefitted from a major WrestleMania match. Instead, it never happened and he failed to get back to this level.
