The 11 Worst Royal Rumble PPVs, According To Cagematch.net

Since its inception in January 1988, the Royal Rumble has been a mainstay on WWE's pay-per-view calendar. It's the third of the four "Big Four" events with the main attraction of the event being the Royal Rumble match. However, since 1993 the winner of the Royal Rumble match has been awarded a World Championship match at WrestleMania.RELATED: 10 Royal Rumble Runner-Ups Who Still Had A World Championship Match At WrestleManiaAs with other pay-per-views, of course, the Royal Rumble event hasn't always lived up to the expectation. There have been some dreadful Royal Rumble matches and some matches on the undercard have been underwhelming too. Fans are not afraid to voice their opinions and if they don't like the winner of the Royal Rumble they will boo. Nevertheless, wrestling fans on Cagematch.net have reviewed Royal Rumble events and they rated the worst editions of this serene event.

11 Royal Rumble 1998 - 5.85

The 1998 Royal Rumble certainly had its ups and downs. Steve Austin was public enemy number one in the Royal Rumble match that year but he overcame the odds to win the Rumble for the second year in succession.

The Rock and Ken Shamrock clashed in a decent Intercontinental Championship match, and The New Age Outlaws hung onto their WWE Tag Team Championship by disqualification although they lost the match to LOD. The main event featured Shawn Michaels retaining WWE Title against The Undertaker in a casket match but it came at a huge cost as he suffered a severe back injury after falling awkwardly on the casket.

10 Royal Rumble 2013 - 5.80

There were only four matches on the main show of the Royal Rumble in 2013. Alberto Del Rio defeated Big Show to retain the World Heavyweight Championship in the curtain-raiser in a competitive Last Man Standing match.

Team Hell No retained the WWE Tag Team Championship. However, the final two matches had WrestleMania implications on the line. John Cena eliminated Ryback to win the Royal Rumble match for the second time in his career. The Rock ended CM Punk's historic 434-day WWE Championship reign in the main event, which set up his rematch with Cena at WrestleMania 29.

9 Royal Rumble 1996 - 5.78

The 1996 Royal Rumble featured Goldust dethroning Razor Ramon to become Intercontinental Champion for the first time in his career. The Smoking Gunns were successful in their Tag Team Championship defense against The Bodydonnas.

Shawn Michaels' quest of becoming WWE Champion took another step in the right direction as he won his second-straight Royal Rumble match. Ultimately, Bret Hart and The Undertaker headlined the show in an average WWE Championship match for their standards.

8 Royal Rumble 1990 - 5.71

It's rare for WWE to not have at least one championship match on their pay-per-view but the 1990 Royal Rumble failed to feature one. The Bushwhackers prevailed in a tag team contest against the Fabulous Rougeaus.

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Ronnie Garvin outlasted Greg "The Hammer" Valentine in a submission match. However, the 1990 Royal Rumble match featured the likes of WWE Champion Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Bret Hart, and Ted DiBiase. The Hulkster entered 25th, and he eliminated six wrestlers en route to winning the Rumble for the first time.

7 Royal Rumble 2014 - 5.27

The 2014 Royal Rumble was lackluster despite the firepower on show. Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan's opener was by far the match of the night. Brock Lesnar dismantled Big Show, and he pummeled him repeatedly with sickening chair shots.

Randy Orton and John Cena's WWE Championship was decent but fans had seen it all before, and they weren't interested. Fans were desperate to see Daniel Bryan appear in the Royal Rumble match but that failed to materialize. Roman Reigns made history by breaking Kane's 13-year record of the most eliminations in a single Rumble match with 12. Ultimately, Batista won the Rumble for the second time in his career with fans far from pleased with the outcome.

6 Royal Rumble 1989 - 5.26

Royal Rumble 1989 featured the first 30-man Royal Rumble match. Big John Studd eliminated Ted DiBiase to win the Rumble, although he hardly pushed on after he emerged victorious.

The rest of the card was average with Rockin' Robin besting Judy Martin to retain the WWE Women's Championship. Haku defeated King Harley Race for the King of the Ring crown and cape. The show opener featured last year's winner Jim Duggan and The Hart Foundation prevailing in a six-man tag team two-out-of-three falls match.

5 Royal Rumble 2012 - 5.16

The 2012 Royal Rumble match was unpredictable as it was hard to tell who was going to win. Chris Jericho has never won a Rumble match, but he was runner-up to a red-hot Sheamus.

RELATED: Every 2010s WWE Championship Match At The Royal Rumble, Ranked

Daniel Bryan outlasted Big Show and Mark Henry in a triple threat steel cage match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler's WWE Title match was sensational with the Straight Edge Savior retaining the championship. However, Kane and John Cena's clash, and the eight-diva tag team match were forgettable affairs.

4 Royal Rumble 1988 - 5.16

The inaugural Royal Rumble took place in 1988, and the first Royal Rumble match featured only 20 competitors. It wasn't the best of Royal Rumble matches but Jim Duggan has the honor of being recognized as the first Royal Rumble winner.

There were only three matches on the main card, and the Rumble didn't even headline the show. The Islanders beat the Young Stallions in a two-out-of-three falls match in the show closer. Moreover, the Jumping Bomb Angels captured the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship from the Glamour Girls in a competitive two-out-of-three falls match.

3 Royal Rumble 1999 - 5.05

Unfortunately, the 1999 Royal Rumble should have been miles better than what it was. Big Boss Man defeated Road Dogg, and Ken Shamrock picked up another win for the Corporation by beating Billy Gunn in an Intercontinental Championship match. X-Pac and Gangrel's European Title match was better than expected, and Sable retained the Women's Championship in a strap match against Luna.

The match of the night was The Rock reclaiming the WWE Title from Mankind in an "I Quit" match although the chair shots to Mankind's head were sickening. Mr. McMahon won the Royal Rumble match by stopping Austin from achieving a three-peat. They were the first two entrants in the Rumble but spent a large time outside of the ring which hampered the quality of the bout.

2 Royal Rumble 2015 - 4.38

The 2015 Royal Rumble arguably staged the worst Royal Rumble match in history. Daniel Bryan was the perennial favorite, and he made his return from injury, but it did not go according to plan for the American Dragon.

Fans slated the match and booed. Roman Reigns won the Rumble, and not even an appearance from The Rock could save him from a hostile reception. However, the show-stealer was Brock Lesnar's successful WWE Championship against John Cena and Seth Rollins in a triple threat match.

1 Royal Rumble 2006 - 3.59

For the first time in eight years, the Royal Rumble match did not headline the 2006 Royal Rumble extravaganza. Rey Mysterio paid homage to the late Eddie Guerrero by winning the Royal Rumble match from the number two position.

The undercard was atrocious with The Boogeyman beating JBL, and Mickie James overcoming Ashley with Women's Champion Trish Stratus as the special guest referee. The two World Championship matches featured immediately after the Royal Rumble match. Edge's WWE Championship reign lasted three weeks with John Cena reclaiming the title, and Kurt Angle retained the World Heavyweight Championship against Mark Henry in a surprising choice to go on last. The Undertaker returned and the ring broke as he was signaling a title clash with Kurt Angle.