5 Times WWE Got the Men’s Royal Rumble Winner Wrong

#5. WWE Likely Regrets Booking Alberto Del Rio to Win the 40-Man 2011 Royal Rumble

In 2011, Vince McMahon made the intriguing creative decision of booking a 40-man Men’s Royal Rumble, adding 10 extra competitors to the field. At the time, it was the biggest Rumble of all time, before WWE booked the 50-man Greatest Royal Rumble Ever in April 2018.

Nonetheless, the match had several bright spots. The New Nexus’ dominance, led by CM Punk, was a smart way to elevate the energy level. Booker T and Kevin Nash, as Diesel, were amazing surprise returns. John Morrison’s Spiderman-like athleticism saved him from a potential Rumble. The field was also pretty stacked with top names like John Cena, Randy Orton, Kane, and Big Show in the mix.

However, fans were divided on WWE’s decision to book Alberto Del Rio as the winner. Del Rio was still new to the roster and was only a few months into his run. Such a massive push carried the risk of overexposure. Furthermore, the company had better options at its disposal, especially with fans calling for Punk to have a World Title run.

15 years later, and there is barely any mention of Del Rio on WWE TV. The Mexican Aristocrat has not wrestled in the Stamford-based promotion since 2016. Furthermore, a string of controversies has damaged the former World Champion’s reputation. Hence, WWE likely does not look back upon Del Rio’s Rumble win with pride.

#4. Batista Was the Wrong Person to Win the 2014 Men’s Rumble

The curious case of the debacle that was the 2014 Men’s Royal Rumble demands explanation. In terms of the in-ring quality and surprises, there were few complaints. However, the Rumble was universally panned because WWE made the controversial decision of keeping crowd favorite Daniel Bryan out of the match.

To be fair, anyone not named Daniel Bryan would have been booed out of the building as the winner, but the live crowd loudly rejected Batista. This was meant to be the Animal’s grand homecoming. The successful actor was returning after 4 years for one last glorious run. Unfortunately, his comeback came during the peak of the Yes Movement.

By all means, Bryan should have competed in the Rumble and won the thing to book his ticket at Mania. Batista had already had his days of glory, and WWE should have seen the negative reaction coming.

#3. Roman Reigns Was Not Ready to Win the 2015 Men’s Rumble

WWE somehow managed to ruin two consecutive Royal Rumble matches. If the 2014 Men’s Rumble was bad, the 2015 version was a nightmare as the company nearly killed Roman Reigns in the eyes of Philadelphia that night.

The same fans who wanted Reigns to go over Batista the year prior in 2014 booed the Big Dog out of the building. Once again, Daniel Bryan was a vital part of this massive backlash. The Beard was a participant, but he was unceremoniously eliminated early to make room for Reigns’ entry and subsequent victory.

The reaction was so bad that fans cheered the villainous Rusev over Reigns. The Rock came out to endorse the Big Dog, but even the Great One couldn’t save Reigns that night. While Bryan would have been the safer and better option, Reigns was in no position to win the 30-man melee.

The Big Dog’s mic work left much to be desired, and he had just returned from injury. WWE had jumped the gun on his push. Fortunately, Reigns recovered from this miserable win, but Vince McMahon almost destroyed his career that night before it even began.

#2. Brock Lesnar winning the 2022 Men’s Rumble made no sense

The 2022 Men’s Royal Rumble was one of the most lackluster, underwhelming, and forgettable installments of the historic bout. There was a serious lack of star power in the field as WWE filled the ring with lesser-known undercard Superstars and Tag Team talent.

The match never really got going, and there were no memorable moments in the match. However, WWE managed to make things worse by booking the most underwhelming winner possible. Brock Lesnar, who had lost the WWE Championship to Bobby Lashley earlier in the night because of Roman Reigns’ interference, entered as the final entrant and quickly cleared the field to win the match.

The Beast didn’t need the win. Someone like Matt Riddle would have benefited more from the win. Furthermore, Lesnar randomly entered the Men’s Elimination Chamber match the following month and won the WWE Title. This effectively nullified the Beast’s Rumble win and set up a Championship Unification match against Reigns at Mania.

#1. Jey Uso’s Royal Rumble Win Last Year Still Doesn’t Make Much Sense

When one thinks of the most stacked Royal Rumble fields, the 2025 Men’s Rumble stands out with an all-star list of competitors. John Cena, CM Punk, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, Rey Mysterio, Drew McIntyre, and Logan Paul were part of the field. Despite such a stacked field, WWE made the controversial move of immortalizing Jey Uso that night.

No one expected Uso to win. While that added shock value, the stakes were too high, and WWE overexposed Jey early during his main event run. Punk and Cena were both red hot at the time, and amazing narratives heading into the Rumble. They would have been better candidates to win the Rumble last year.

A year later, Jey has slipped into the tag division again, and fans have moved on from his Rumble victory. It did earn him a World Championship at WrestleMania, but Jey didn’t truly become a staple in the main event scene.