Line #11 YMMV/RoyalRumble


1	* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail:
2	** The ''entire idea of the Royal Rumble itself'' was actually this, with Wrestling/VinceMcMahon not at all sold on it when Wrestling/PatPatterson pitched him the idea back in 1987, and only agreeing to give it one shot to simultaneously placate Patterson and a network exec that had been badgering him about fresh match gimmicks. They had the first one on the Creator/USANetwork in 1988, and the rest is history.
3	** Many expected the first women's Royal Rumble in 2018 would be an epic botch fest that would convince the company to never do it again. The match turned out to be on par with some of the better men's Royal Rumble matches over the years, exceeding many people's expectations. While opinions vary as to whether or not it was as good as the men's Rumble that year (as that Rumble was one of the best Rumbles in a ''long'' time), the women's Rumble is regarded as deserving of its main event spot.
4	* BrokenBase:
5	** The 2016 Royal Rumble. The general perception seems to be that the Rumble itself was a great match: Wrestling/AJStyles debuting to a ''massive'' pop, [[Wrestling/JonMoxley Dean Ambrose]] in the final two and looking really strong, etc. What causes the divide is the winner. Some are okay with Wrestling/TripleH winning, since it follows logical storytelling; others are pissed, wanting a younger talent to win.[[note]]Mind you, Trips still got a ''monster'' pop when he eliminated Wrestling/RomanReigns, following it with a number of Wrestling/DGenerationX crotch chops to seal the deal[[/note]] Not helping things is that he eliminated EnsembleDarkhorse Ambrose to win. All of this being said, everyone agrees that it was ''much'' better than the previous two Rumbles.
6	** The appearance of [[Wrestling/SantinoMarella Santina Marella]] in the 2020 Women's Rumble. Some consider it a funny CallBack and a much-needed breather moment in a long match, while others think it's a slap to the face of the women's division and its improvement, and a waste of a spot that could be given to someone more deserving.
7	** The booking of Wrestling/BrockLesnar in the 2020 Men's Rumble, where he came in at #1 and single-handedly ploughed through 13 men in a row, including the returning Wrestling/JohnMorrison, the man he'd humiliated for the WWE Championship Wrestling/KofiKingston, and two other giants far more popular than him in Wrestling/BraunStrowman and Wrestling/KeithLee. While some put up a good fight before being eliminated (Kofi got in ''infinitely'' more offence against Lesnar than he had in his own failed no-more-than-ten-seconds-long title defense), in a lot of cases it was "guy comes out, guy gets in the ring, Lesnar beats them up, throws them out and waits for next guy". Opinion was divided over whether this was awesome and made Lesnar look unbelievably strong so that the man who inevitably eliminated him (which ended up being Wrestling/DrewMcIntyre) would get ''massive'' face credibility for doing so (which admittedly happened, especially when Drew went on to win not only the Rumble but the championship as well), or whether this was godawful, unnecessary and needlessly buried half the roster when everybody ''already knew'' Lesnar was an [[InvincibleVillain undefeatable monster]] who didn't need this kind of super-push. Reaction video live chat fields for the event were split during Lesnar's dominant run between those who were declaring the Rumble to be the best ever, and those who were calling it the ''worst.''
8	* HarsherInHindsight: Wrestling/BrayWyatt was getting a ''massive'' push leading into the 2023 Royal Rumble, with a sub-plot of the return of Alexa Bliss as part of the Fiend's stable, with an epic match against LA Knight, akin to the Firefly Funhouse match against Cena at Wrestlemania... then Bray Wyatt was taken out of action by COVID, dying to heart complications and Alexa had to step back due to ending up pregnant. Only [[Wrestling/BoDallas Uncle Howdy]] was left behind, and seemingly the Firefly Funhouse closed for good that night...
9	* HeartwarmingInHindsight:
10	** Wrestling/BeckyLynch and Wrestling/SethRollins winning their respective Rumble matches in 2019 becomes much sweeter with the revelation that they had actually begun their romantic relationship around that time.
11	** LA Knight and Bray Wyatt's match in 2023, given that it would jumpstart a push for the former and it being the final match for the latter.
12	* JustHereForGodzilla: Among viewers who don't watch regularly anymore, some former wrestling fans will still watch the Rumble every year.
13	* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound: The Rumble's signature buzzer, especially when a favorite superstar's entrance theme follows.
14	* OvershadowedByControversy: The 2014 and 2015 matches are remembered for the ''tremendous'' backlash that ensued. In both matches, a homegrown [[CreatorsPet pet project]] of Wrestling/VinceMcMahon and his associates won, Wrestling/{{Batista}} and Wrestling/RomanReigns, respectively, despite the fact that the crowd overwhelmingly wanted [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]] to win the match; unfortunately, Bryan wasn't even in the 2014 match and was quickly eliminated in 2015. The 2014 Rumble is also remembered for being the final straw that led to Wrestling/CMPunk quitting WWE the day afterward, while the 2015 edition is also remembered for a spot in which older stars Wrestling/BigShow and Wrestling/{{Kane}} eliminated other beloved {{Ensemble Dark Horse}}s like Wrestling/DolphZiggler and [[Wrestling/JonMoxley Dean Ambrose]] from the match as well, to thunderous chants of "PLEASE RETIRE!" It says a lot about a promotion's booking when post territory fans riot in protest to a babyface's victory.
15	* QuestionableCasting:
16	** Some people were somewhat annoyed at Wrestling/KellyKelly's appearance in the 2018 and 2020 Women's Royal Rumble matches, as they felt that she personified many bad things that the division had gotten away from in recent years. It should be noted that in both cases, Kelly was a last-minute replacement for someone else; in 2018, Wrestling/AliciaFox and Wrestling/{{Paige}} both got injured shortly before the Rumble, so she may have been a last minute replacement (it was later revealed Kairi Sane was Fox's replacement), while in 2020 Kelly was reportedly a replacement for Wrestling/SashaBanks, who was injured.
17	** Some people were baffled at the appearance of [[Wrestling/SantinoMarella Santina Marella]] at the 2020 Women's Royal Rumble match, due to being a comedy character who is actually played by a man in drag.
18	* RootingForTheEmpire: It really says a lot about how hated Wrestling/RomanReigns was when the fans were willing to cheer for Wrestling/TripleH to win the title in 2016 as long as Reigns wasn't the one to hold it. In fact, one of the only times Hunter was not universally cheered during that match is when it was down to the final two and his last opponent was EnsembleDarkHorse [[Wrestling/JonMoxley Dean Ambrose]], and the pop Hunter got when he personally eliminated Reigns (and followed it up with Wrestling/DGenerationX crotch chops) was one of the biggest in the entire match. It's all but confirmed that the reason Ambrose was the runner-up was because eliminating him was the only way Hunter was going to get heel heat after eliminating Reigns.
19	* {{Sequelitis}}: The Men's Royal Rumble in 2022, classified as one of the worst (if not ''the'' worst) Royal Rumble matches of all time. A lot of the superstars did not seem motivated due to backstage issues regarding the booking and production, and there were barely any notable surprise entrants to pop the crowd -- and of those that were there, only Celebrity SpecialGuest Music/BadBunny was considered in any way entertaining. The final nail in the coffin was Brock showing up in the #30 spot and winning the whole thing, which many considered predictable, especially since it was just to build up again to Reigns/Lesnar at ''Wrestling/{{WrestleMania}}'' after Reigns cost Lesnar his own title earlier that night, a feud that many have been sick of for ''years''. Say what you will about 2014 and 2015, but most agree that up until the ending those particular Rumbles were entertaining, and at least 2015 had a first-time winner in (ironically) Reigns, helping to build a new star. 2022, meanwhile, was a boring, predictable Rumble with a winner that many felt didn't need to win since he's already a mega star, classifying it under this trope for many fans.
20	* SignatureScene:
21	** 1988: Wrestling/HacksawJimDuggan's signature "Hoooo!" and a big thumbs up after winning the first event. Also, during the undercard, Wrestling/JesseVentura giving a little too much assistance to Dino Bravo in "helping" set a (non-legit) bench press record of 715 pounds.
22	** 1990: Wrestling/HulkHogan and Wrestling/UltimateWarrior's showdown during the Rumble match.
23	** 1991: Wrestling/SgtSlaughter defeating the Wrestling/UltimateWarrior for the WWF championship, or Wrestling/HulkHogan becoming the first ever back-to-back winner.
24	** 1992: Wrestling/RicFlair winning the Royal Rumble to win the WWF Championship.
25	** 1993: Wrestling/{{Yokozuna}} winning the Royal Rumble.
26	** 1994: Wrestling/BretHart and Wrestling/LexLuger becoming the only co-winners to date.
27	** 1995: Wrestling/ShawnMichaels winning the Royal Rumble as the #1 entrant, under very controversial circumstances.
28	** 1996: Wrestling/ShawnMichaels becoming the second back-to-back Rumble winner.
29	** 1997: Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin winning the Royal Rumble under controversial circumstances.
30	** 1998: Wrestling/ShawnMichaels vs. Wrestling/TheUndertaker in a casket match, Wrestling/MickFoley entering the Rumble three times using his three wrestling identities, or Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin becoming the third back-to-back winner.
31	** 1999: [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] vs [[Wrestling/MickFoley Mankind]] in the first-ever "I Quit" match.
32	** 2000: Either Wrestling/TripleH vs [[Wrestling/MickFoley Cactus Jack]] in a street fight for the WWF Title or [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] winning the Royal Rumble.
33	** 2001: Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin winning his third Royal Rumble, setting the record for most Rumble wins in history to date.
34	** 2002: Wrestling/TripleH winning the Royal Rumble, or Maven shocking everyone by eliminating Wrestling/TheUndertaker.
35	** 2003: Wrestling/KurtAngle vs. Wrestling/ChrisBenoit for the WWE Championship, or Wrestling/TripleH and Wrestling/ScottSteiner's infamous World Heavyweight Championship match (particularly Steiner's botched Double Underhook suplex).
36	** 2004: Wrestling/ChrisBenoit winning the Royal Rumble as the #1 entrant, [[PaterFamilicide though events years later]] [[CanonDiscontinuity have tarnished this.]]
37	** 2005: Wrestling/{{Batista}} winning the Rumble by last eliminating Wrestling/JohnCena, but only after both men had gone over the top ''simultaneously'' in one of the best botches in wrestling history. Wrestling/VinceMcMahon injuring himself while entering the ring to reinstate said match is also remembered.
38	** 2006: Wrestling/{{Rey Mysterio\|Jr}} surviving the Royal Rumble match in over an hour as #2, particularly his entrance on riding one of Eddie Guerrero's low-riders, or Wrestling/TheUndertaker destroying the ring with his electrokinetic abilities.
39	** 2007: Wrestling/TheUndertaker winning the Royal Rumble as the last entrant (the first wrestler to do so) by last eliminating Wrestling/ShawnMichaels. Also, Wrestling/JohnCena using the ring ropes to choke out Umaga in a Last Man Standing match for the WWE Championship.
40	** 2008: Wrestling/JohnCena returning from injury as the #30 entrant and winning the Rumble.
41	** 2009: Wrestling/MattHardy betraying his brother Wrestling/{{Jeff\|Hardy}}, allowing Wrestling/{{Edge\|Wrestler}} to win the WWE championship. Also Wrestling/RandyOrton winning his first Royal Rumble.
42	** 2010: Wrestling/{{Edge\|Wrestler}} returning from injury and winning the Rumble or Wrestling/ShawnMichaels' HeroicBSOD after getting eliminated by Wrestling/{{Batista}}.
43	** 2011: Wrestling/AlbertoDelRio winning the first-ever 40-man Royal Rumble or the Wrestling/JohnMorrison [[LeParkour "Spider-Man" spot]].
44	** 2012: Wrestling/KofiKingston doing his very first "Rumble Save" moment or Wrestling/{{Sheamus}} winning the Rumble.
45	** 2013: [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] defeating Wrestling/CMPunk to win the WWE Title for the eighth time (his tenth World Title overall) or Wrestling/JohnCena winning his second Royal Rumble.
46	** 2014: Wrestling/{{Batista}}'s [[XPacHeat controversial]] second Rumble victory.
47	** 2015: Either Wrestling/BrockLesnar vs. Wrestling/JohnCena vs. Wrestling/SethRollins for the WWE title or Wrestling/RomanReigns' [[XPacHeat controversial]] Rumble victory.
48	** 2016: Either Wrestling/AJStyles debuting in the Royal Rumble match or Wrestling/TripleH winning the match to win the WWE Title (his fourteenth World Title).
49	** 2017: Either Wrestling/JohnCena winning the WWE World Title for the 16th time, tying Wrestling/RicFlair; or Wrestling/RandyOrton winning his second Royal Rumble. Wrestling/RomanReigns entering at #30 is also [[XPacHeat infamously remembered.]]
50	** 2018: Wrestling/ShinsukeNakamura's celebration after winning the Royal Rumble, Wrestling/{{Rey Mysterio\|Jr}}'s return during said Rumble, [[Wrestling/KanakoUrai Asuka]] winning the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble, and Wrestling/RondaRousey's debut afterwards.
51	** Greatest Royal Rumble: Wrestling/TitusONeil tripping while running down the ramp [[EpicFail and sliding underneath the ring]].
52	** 2019: Wrestling/BeckyLynch replacing the injured [[Wrestling/RusevAndLana Lana]] and winning the Women's Royal Rumble, Wrestling/NiaJax running in and taking out [[Wrestling/RonKillings R-Truth]] during his entrance into the Men's Rumble at #30 and entering in his place (and subsequently taking several finishers [[Wrestling/DolphZiggler from]] [[Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr the]] [[Wrestling/RandyOrton men]] in the ring), and Wrestling/SethRollins winning the Men’s Rumble.
53	** 2020: Either Wrestling/CharlotteFlair [[XPacHeat controversially]] winning the Women's Royal Rumble, Wrestling/{{Edge\|Wrestler}} making his return in the Men's Royal Rumble match, or Wrestling/DrewMcIntyre ''eliminating Wrestling/BrockLesnar'' who earlier had eliminated 13 wrestlers in a row, and then winning the Men's Royal Rumble match.
54	** 2021: Wrestling/{{Edge\|Wrestler}} winning the the Men's Royal Rumble match from the number 1 spot, also Edge reuniting with his long-time partner Wrestling/{{Christian}}, or Wrestling/DrewMcIntyre defeating Wrestling/{{Goldberg}} in less than 3 minutes.
55	** 2022: Wrestling/SethRollins entering in Wrestling/TheShield theme and gear for his Universal Championship match with Wrestling/RomanReigns, as well as Wrestling/RondaRousey's comeback and Rumble victory.
56	** 2023: Wrestling/SamiZayn turns on Wrestling/RomanReigns and gets kicked out of the Bloodline (along with Jey Uso walking away in tears), Logan Paul and Ricochet's mid-air collision, or Asuka going back to her Kana gimmick.
57	** 2024: Wrestling/TheUsos facing off against each other as numbers 1 and 2, Andrade and Naomi returning, the appearance of TNA Knockout Champion Jordynne Grace in the Rumble, and the debut of Jade Cargill. On a sillier note, [[Wrestling/RonKillings R-Truth's]] antics in both Rumbles and Pat [=McAfee=]'s swift exit.
58	* SignatureSong: "Hero" by Music/{{Skillet}}, the 2010 theme, which was so awesome they included it in ''[=SmackDown=] vs. Raw 2010''.
59	* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: Every Rumble after the 2015 Rumble has gotten this reaction, with the 2018 men's Rumble having been considered one of the best Rumbles of all time.
60	* TooBleakStoppedCaring: In a case of Administrivia/TropesAreTools, after the two events illustrated above caused low expectations for the 2016 Royal Rumble, it ended up actually having fans genuinely surprised and elated when it turned out not to be the worst Rumble in history (except to Wrestling/BretHart). The highlight of the match was obviously Wrestling/AJStyles, but other parts of the event were well-received as well, such as the Last Man Standing match for the Intercontinental Championship between [[Wrestling/JonMoxley Dean Ambrose]] and Wrestling/KevinOwens. Some have even called it the best Rumble in the last five years.
61	* ToughActToFollow: Due to the novelty of the women's Rumble, it was decided it would main event the 2018 ''Royal Rumble'' PPV, so the men's Rumble was placed in the middle of the show. Said Rumble was the best Rumble the company had in ''years'', and subsequently wore out the crowd. The fans were dead for the following two matches, and it's believed that one of the main reasons why the women's Rumble had a proportionally higher amount of nostalgia entrants was to pop the crowd for the match and re-energize them.
62	* UnexpectedCharacter: The titular match leans ''heavily'' on this as a gimmick. If the #1 question for a Rumble match is "who wins and gets the championship match at Wrestlemania?" a close #2 is "which retired or recently injured wrestlers will make a return appearance during the match?"
63	** In the 2018 Men's Royal Rumble, nobody saw [[Wrestling/GregoryHelms The Hurricane]] and {{Wrestling/Rey Mysterio\|Jr}} returning, let alone the latter lasting until the final five.
64	** In the 2018 Women's Royal Rumble, while former golden girls and stars like Wrestling/TrishStratus, Wrestling/{{Lita}}, Wrestling/BethPhoenix and the Wrestling/BellaTwins were expected to return - few expected women that weren't often promoted by the company like Wrestling/TorrieWilson, Wrestling/KellyKelly, Wrestling/{{Jacqueline}}, Wrestling/MichelleMcCool and Wrestling/MollyHolly to return. Molly in particular had said she [[LyingCreator wouldn't be there as she wasn't in ring shape]].
65	** The 2019 Men's Royal Rumble has Wrestling/JeffJarrett in it, while it was assumed that things between him and the company were mended when he became a [[Wrestling/WWEHallOfFame Hall of Famer]], nobody expected that he would actually return to a match in WWE. Even ''more'' unexpected, Wrestling/NiaJax entered the Men's Rumble in the #30 spot after attacking [[Wrestling/RonKillings R-Truth]] during his entrance, as nobody ''ever'' expected to see another female entrant in a Men's Rumble again after the implementation of the Women's Rumble the year before, let alone her later receiving head-on the finishers of ''three'' male wrestlers, considering the curtailing of men-on-women violence during the PG Era.
66	** Several of the surprise entrants for the 2019 Women's Royal Rumble such as Rhea Ripley, Xia Li, and other NXT stars.
67	** In the 2020 Men's Royal Rumble, pretty much no one saw Wrestling/{{Edge\|Wrestler}} returning, after nine years in retirement due to a neck injury,[[note]]as while there were some rumors beforehand, Edge's denials about it were generally taken at face value due to said career-ending injury,[[/note]] let alone lasting until the final three.
68	** In the 2020 Women's Royal Rumble, show of hands: Who was expecting ''[[Wrestling/SantinoMarella Santina]]''?
69	** In the 2021 Men's Royal Rumble, nobody guessed that Wrestling/{{Christian}} was actually going to return, given how he made it very clear he would never be cleared to compete again. In the same page, Bad Bunny participating and then later on ''getting his own [=Wrestlemania=] storyline''.
70	*** Speaking of Bad Bunny, he returns for the 2022 Men's Royal Rumble, making it to the Top ''5'', a position unheard of for a celebrity participating in wrestling.
71	** Wrestling/MickieJames being announced for the 2022 women's Rumble doesn't seem like this, as she's been in multiple Rumbles previously. Mickie James being announced for the Rumble not only almost a year after being released from WWE, but completely lacking any of her WWE presentation in favour of her "Hardcore Country" gimmick and ''carrying the [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling Impact Knockouts Championship]]''? ''Definitely'' this.
72	** Logan Paul made a surprise return to the 2023 Men's Royal Rumble at #29, especially since he was recuperating from multiple injuries months ago.
73	*** To a lesser extent, Wrestling/BookerT (who hadn't wrestled in close to 10 years and was on the pre-show panel ''right before the match started'') and Michelle [=McCool=] (who was with her daughters ''in the crowd'') were both entrants.
74	** 2024 had a return for each of the Royal Rumble matches that many didn't expect. For the Women's it was Wrestling/{{Naomi}} due to a fallout she had with the company before she left and for the Men's, many didn't expect [[Wrestling/AndradeCienAlmas Andrade]] to return so soon.
75	*** Additionally, the Women's Rumble also had TNA Knockout Champion Jordynne Grace, who was never even employed by WWE, and Jade Cargill, as it was well known at the time that she was being trained at the performance center. Meanwhile, Pat [=McAfee=] was a bit of a surprise in the Men's Rumble to the point where even he didn't know that he was an entry.
76	* ValuesDissonance: Back in 2000, the WWE held the Miss Royal Rumble bikini contest in which Mae Young won and exposed her breasts before Mark Henry covered her up. With the [=#MeToo=] Movement, this segment would not happen ever again in the WWE.
77	* WatchItForTheMeme: Plenty look forward to seeing what crazy spot Wrestling/KofiKingston will do to stave off elimination every year.

Context YMMV / RoyalRumble