The Seven Best Non-Royal Rumble Matches From WWE’s Royal Rumble Pay-Per-Views

The Royal Rumble is one of the biggest pay-per-views of the wrestling year overall, but while most of the attention is drawn to the actual Royal Rumble matches themselves, the rest of the pay-per-view is no slouch. In fact, there can be some of the biggest matches in history tucked away outside of the Royal Rumble events. When looking back on the history of the Royal Rumble pay-per-view overall, it can be quite surprising to find that some of the most well-known matches were actually a part of these events rather than WrestleMania or SummerSlam.

But which are the best non-Royal Rumble matches overall? Some of the favorites include some of the stars you’d expect to see as part of the conversation like Mick Foley, and some include stars you wouldn’t expect like Umaga. Either way, everyone one of these matches definitely found a way to be a highlight even with the Royal Rumble matches coming not long after.

Read on for some of our picks for the best non-Royal Rumble matches ever, and let us know your picks in the comments! What were some of your favorites from over the years?

Mankind vs. The Rock (1999)

Mick Foley should definitely be in the conversation when debating who “Mr. Rumble” truly is. Not only is he the only one to enter the same Royal Rumble match three time with each of his personas, he truly goes the extra mile even when not involved in the Royal Rumble match itself. One of the best, and potentially most gruesome example of this was his “I Quit” match against Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Not only did it go down in history for the dangerous and multiple unprotected chair shots Foley took to his head, but it also has one of the most creative finishes when it was later revealed that The Rock used a pre-recording of an unconscious Foley to secure the victory. It’s still just as brutal of a match as it was back then. 

Triple H vs. Cactus Jack (2000)

Mick Foley took that brutality right to the next year with an even more aggressive match against Triple H. In a Street Fight for the WWF Championship, both Triple H and Foley really gave it their all with the kinds of weaponry used during the bout. Things got even more intense when a barbed wire wrapped stick was introduced to the match, and Foley even found himself taking chair shots while handcuffed once again. Even The Rock was involved this time around as well, but this time as an ally to Foley! When thinking back to how these two incredible matches were one year from one another, it really goes to demonstrate the strength of WWE’s long term storytelling. 

Chris Jericho vs. The Rock (2002)

Speaking of The Rock, he truly shone with the right opponents and one that helped to bring the best out of him was Chris Jericho. Vying to become the Undisputed Champion, Jericho and The Rock had some of the best in-ring chemistry out there. Jericho had trouble maintaining his legitimacy as champion for a while before this match took place, and him sneaking out the win certainly didn’t help matters.

But at the same time, it also made him quite the heel as The Rock’s star continued to rise to unforeseen levels of popularity. By taking the win with a low blow into the turnbuckle that he had set up towards the start of the match, it was a neat full circle moment showing Jericho’s more strategic nature. 

Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels (2004)

When looking to the best matches in these Royal Rumble pay-per-views, the best ones often have a gimmick that allows both competitors to really go all out. This includes the Last Man Standing match between Triple H and Shawn Michaels as a follow up to several of the “draws” between the two of them leading to the pay-per-view.

Capitalizing on their long history, this match was the pinnacle of brutality with both bleeding profusely before it all came to an end. As it ended with a draw, Michaels came out looking better than ever as it was his final blow that took down Triple H. Triple H might have retained, but fans really felt like Michaels took the title that day. 

John Cena vs. Umaga (2007)

Speaking of Last Man Standing matches, John Cena and Umaga truly had one to remember in 2007. For one reason or another, Umaga isn’t really the first WWE Superstar many fans mention when looking back on some of the most legendary figures over the years, but he truly ruled when against the right opponent. This was the case for his bout with John Cena, which inserted some major twists to the Last Man Standing match formula with the continuous use of the steel ring steps. It didn’t stop there as the two literally tore the ring apart in order to defeat one another. It was a great showing for both, and hopefully cemented John Cena in fans’ minds. 

Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins (2015)

It didn’t last long, however, as Cena was still getting booed years later during the triple threat match against Brock Lesnar and then rising star (and Money in the Bank winner) Seth Rollins. While Lesnar was known for quick and dominate matches, this match was a great showing for all three as none of them were quickly taken down. There was a balance between all three as every type of fan had something to root for in this one.

Cena and Rollins sold Lesnar’s suplexes better than anyone in that time, and Lesnar came out looking even better after this. What’s different here from other Lesnar victories, however, is that it wasn’t at the expense of making his opponents look worse. 

John Cena vs. AJ Styles (2016)

As another major reminder of how good he can be in the ring, John Cena eventually took on AJ Styles. Styles continues to be one of the most athletically impressive superstars on the roster, so it’s kind of a big deal if someone can keep up with him or elevate his style to the next level. That exact thing happened in 2016 when Cena was vying to tie Ric Flair’s record of sixteen world title runs. This was still in the height of the “John Cena sucks” chant years, but it was clear from the outset that both Cena and Styles wanted to have the best match possible. 

The amount of offensive moves it took to eventually take Styles down made him look great in defeat, and also made Cena look better as a result of this hard won victory. With some rare moves from the both of them, some believable near-falls, and a double AA (with the first off the top rope?!?!), this could very well be one of the best matches in Cena’s career overall.