The Royal Rumble is one of WWE's largest annual Pay-Per-View (PPV) events. Not only is it big, but this event is important since winner of the 30-man brawl gets the opportunity to challenge for a championship at the main event of WrestleMania.
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Fans enjoy the spontaneous victories and surprise returns of wrestlers that the annual event offers. Another selling point is that Royal Rumble is the only time of the year where various superstars from RAW and SmackDown share the squared circle. Royal Rumble continues to be a popular event for WWE, but some years generate more money compared to others. Here are the top 10 Royal Rumble events based on monetary success:
10 Royal Rumble 2004 (500,000 PPV Buys)
Royal Rumble 2004 took place at the Wells Fargo Center (former Wachovia Center) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Brock Lesnar retained WWE Heavyweight Championship by defeating Hardcore Holly. Triple H defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Shawn Michaels in a Last Man Standing match. The two legends were counted out and the match was declared a draw, with Triple H retaining the title.
Chris Benoit was the first entrant of the Royal Rumble match. Benoit outlasted every participant and eventually eliminated Big Show to become the winner. Benoit became the second person to win the Royal Rumble at number one, joining Shawn Michaels. He also held the record for longevity in the match before Rey Mysterio broke the record in 2006.
9 Royal Rumble 2008 (533,000 PPV Buys)
Royal Rumble 2008 took place at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. Champions Edge and Randy Orton retained the WWE and World Heavyweight titles, respectively. Edge defeated Rey Mysterio while Orton defeated Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy.
The Royal Rumble match saw the surprise return of John Cena, who was sidelined due to a torn pectoral muscle. Memorably, Cena entered the match as the final participant and eliminated Triple H to become the winner. Cena set the record for the shortest in-ring time spent to become the Royal Rumble winner at 8 minutes and 29 seconds.
8 Royal Rumble 2006 (550,000 PPV Buys)
Royal Rumble 2006 took place at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Flordia. John Cena became the new WWE Champion by defeating Edge via submission. Kurt Angle retained the World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Mark Henry.
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Triple H and Rey Mysterio entered the Royal Rumble match as the first two contestants. The two superstars made it to the end, along with Randy Orton. Mysterio was able to eliminate both men to win the match. Mysterio held the record for the longest time spent in a Royal Rumble match at 62 minutes before Daniel Bryan broke the record in 2018.
7 Royal Rumble 2005 (575,000 PPV Buys)
Royal Rumble 2005 took place at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. A Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship consisted of John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL), Big Show, and Kurt Angle. And Triple H defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Randy Orton. Both JBL and Triple H retained their titles.
In an unprecedented turn of events, this Royal Rumble match ended in controversy. Batista and John Cena went over the top rope and landed on the floor at the same time. RAW and SmackDown officials had differing opinions, causing Vince McMahon to storm into the ring and legitimately tear both his quadriceps while getting in the ring. The match was restarted and Batista properly eliminated Cena to become the winner.
6 Royal Rumble 2013 (579,000 PPV Buys)
Royal Rumble 2013 took place at the Talking Stick Resort Arena (formerly US Airways Center) in Phoenix, Arizona. The opening match of the PPV was Alberto Del Rio retaining the World Heavyweight Championship against Big Show in a Last Man Standing match. Later on, The Rock defeated CM Punk to become the new WWE Champion. It was the first time The Rock held the title since 2002 and ended Punk's 434-day title reign.
Chris Jericho made a surprise return at the Royal Rumble match at number two. Jericho would make it to the final five before being eliminated by Dolph Ziggler. John Cena entered as the nineteenth entrant and eliminated Ryback to become a two-time Royal Rumble winner.
5 Royal Rumble 2003 (585,000 PPV Buys)
Royal Rumble 2003 took place at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. It was the first Royal Rumble event promoted under the WWE banner. The Royal Rumble match was also the first to feature an even split of 15 RAW and 15 SmackDown superstars.
Scott Steiner defeated Triple H via disqualification, which resulted in Triple H retaining the World Heavyweight Championship. Kurt Angle defeated Chris Benoit for the WWE Championship. The match is considered one of the best of 2003. The Royal Rumble featured the match debuts of John Cena, Batista, and Brock Lesnar. Lesnar eliminated The Undertaker to become the youngest Royal Rumble winner at age 25.
4 Royal Rumble 2000 (590,000 PPV Buys)
Royal Rumble 2000 took place at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. Triple H defeated Cactus Jack in a Street Fight match for the WWF Championship. The match involved a variety of weapons including a barbed wire two-by-four and thumbtacks. A Pedigree was performed on the latter to ensure Triple H's victory.
The Royal Rumble match came down to The Rock and the returning Big Show. In the final sequence, Big Show held The Rock on his shoulders and attempted to throw The Rock over the top rope. But The Rock managed to hold on to the top rope and pulled Big Show over to become the winner.
3 Royal Rumble 2001 (625,000 PPV Buys)
Royal Rumble 2001 took place at the Smoothie King Center (formerly New Orleans Arena) in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event was WWE's first PPV event in New Orleans. Of course, the city has since been a wrestling hub and hosted a couple of the largest WrestleMania events.
Kurt Angle defended the WWF Championship against Triple H. Angle would defeat Triple H with the help of Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Royal Rumble match was decided by Austin and Kane. The Big Red Machine entered at number six and set a new record at the time by eliminating eleven participants. However, Austin managed to eliminate Kane to become the first and only three-time Royal Rumble winner.
2 Royal Rumble 1999 (650,000 PPV Buys)
Royal Rumble 1999 took place at the Honda Center (formerly Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim) in Anaheim, California. The tagline for the event is "No Chance in Hell," the words Vince McMahon used to describe Stone Cold Steve Austin's chances at the Royal Rumble match.
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The Rock defeated Mankind to become the new WWF Champion in an "I Quit" match. The match is remembered for its brutality as Mankind was handcuffed and received several chair shots to the head. Steve Austin and Vince McMahon entered the Royal Rumble match as the first entrants. Chyna entered at #30, becoming the first woman to compete in the match. Austin and McMahon made to the end. With help from The Rock, McMahon eliminated Austin to become the winner.
1 Royal Rumble 2002 (670,000 PPV Buys)
Royal Rumble 2002 took place at the State Farm Arena (formerly Philipps Arena) in Atlanta, Georgia. This was the last Royal Rumble promoted under the WWF banner before the company renamed to the WWE. The event was the most successful Royal Rumble in the company's history, with a record of 670,000 PPV buys.
Chris Jericho defeated The Rock to remain the first and only Undisputed WWF Champion at the time. The Royal Rumble match saw the in-ring return of Triple H after suffering a torn left quadricep. The match featured the memorable moment of Maven eliminating The Undertaker, causing The Undertaker to go ballistic. Mr. Perfect made a surprising return and lasted to the final four--alongside Triple H, Kurt Angle and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Angle eliminated Austin and Triple H eliminated Mr. Perfect. Triple H then eliminated Angle to become the winner.
