The Best of WWE: Royal Rumble Matches of the 2010s

Streaming Date: Tuesday, January 26, 2021

~Match Listing and Star Ratings~

1. Edge won the Royal Rumble Match at 49:20, last eliminating John Cena. [Royal Rumble 2010] ****¾
2. Asuka won the Royal Rumble Match, last eliminating Nikki Bella at 59:00. [Royal Rumble 2018] ****
3. Seth Rollins won the Royal Rumble Match at 57:35, last eliminating Braun Strowman. [Royal Rumble 2019] ***
4. Charlotte Flair won the Royal Rumble Match, last eliminating Shayna Baszler at 54:17. [Royal Rumble 2020] ***¾
5. Drew McIntyre won the Royal Rumble Match at 60:07, last eliminating Roman Reigns [Royal Rumble 2020] ****½

Check out my full Royal Rumble archive RIGHT HERE.

~JZ Says~

When ranking Rumble matches, the 2010 version is very high on my list. The best part is Shawn Michaels’ quest to win the match so he could get another shot at ending Undertaker’s streak, but they also threw in an impressive early run from CM Punk, Beth Phoenix memorably eliminating The Great Khali, and Edge returning from injury to get a measure of revenge on Chris Jericho on his way to a win. Incredibly entertaining from start to finish, and a great display of the talented roster they had at the time.

We skip ahead eight years to the first Women’s Royal Rumble Match, which was an absolute success. They did a great job mixing the current roster with the returning veterans (including four Hall of Famers). Asuka entered at number 25 and only eliminated two wrestlers (Ember Moon and Nikki Bella, plus an assist on Nia Jax), which is a little on the low side for a babyface winner. Everyone forgot about Asuka when Ronda Rousey made her WWE debut after the match and showed that she already had the one skill most necessary for success in the WWE – pointing at the WrestleMania sign.

The following year, Seth Rollins won a fine but ultimately forgettable Rumble. Rollins lasted over 40 minutes after entering at number 10, and Braun Strowman had a fun mini-match at the end. Also, Nia Jax ate an RKO but not much else about this one was memorable.

Finally, the last two matches make no sense, as they’re both from 2020. Yes, two matches from 2020 are on a five-match playlist titled “Royal Rumble Matches of the 2010s.” I like both matches, especially the men’s version, which featured Brock Lesnar mowing down about half the roster before being eliminated by eventual winner Drew McIntyre. Edge made his return after almost nine years away to a thunderous pop and was visibly emotional during his entrance.

Match quality on this list is pretty good, but I can’t help but be annoyed that the chosen matches don’t fit the title. How hard would that be to get right?