10 Biggest Royal Rumble Fails

For WWEthe road to WrestleMania begins with the Royal rumble pay-per-view. The Royal rumble alters the traditional battle royale rules because all wrestlers in the match don’t begin in the ring. Two wrestlers start the match, while the rest enter in timed intervals until, typically, 30 wrestlers have entered.


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It’s not easy to be the last one standing, and Royal rumble‘s the high stakes don’t allow everyone to shine their brightest. The Royal rumble has seen major mistakes and strange decisions regarding winners or eliminations, creating a lasting memory in fans’ eyes as weaker moments of the Rumble’s history.

10 Live Morgan

Royal Rumble (2019)

Liv Morgan, a Riott Squad member who played a major part in antagonizing Natalya, entered the Women’s Royal Rumble at number 4. Liv Morgan singled out Natalya immediately, running directly for her. This gave Natalya the perfect opportunity to send Liv over the top rope, eliminating Liv in 8 seconds.

This 8-second loss earned Liv the record for spending the least amount of time in a rumble. Liv learned from the loss and is now tied for spending the longest time in a Royal rumble match with Rhea Ripley, who eliminated her for the win at 1:01:08 in 2023.

9 MVP

Royal Rumble (2010)

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MVP entered the Royal rumble at number 14 and was interrupted by Miz attacking him over the United States Championship that he retained during their match earlier in the program. Unable to make it into the ring after the ambush, MVP was ushered backstage by a referee.

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When Miz entered the Rumble at 16, MVP rushed into the ring. At the expense of his chance to headline WrestleMania, MVP got swept up by the opportunity to take Miz out, sending them both over the top rope with a lariat. By eliminator himself, MVP cut his time in the Royal rumble short at 7.3 seconds.

8 Rey Mysterio

Royal Rumble (2014)

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Rey Mysterio became collateral damage when he entered the Royal rumble at number 30. The crowd had been anxiously waiting for Daniel Bryan to enter the Rumble so he could headline WrestleMania.

When it was Rey Mysterio who entered the match, the crowd reacted less to Mysterio and more to the lack of Bryan. Without Bryan and leaving Batista to defeat Roman Reigns in the end, WWE Fans look back at this Rumble in confusion, believing the rightful winner wasn’t standing in the ring.

7 Beth Phoenix

Royal Rumble (2010)

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Beth Phoenix became the second woman ever to enter the Royal rumble. As entrant number six, she shifted the Great Khali’s focus away from CM Punk. Khali lifted her over the top rope. Beth Phoenix landed on the apron and kissed Khali before pulling him over the top rope to eliminate him.

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The Glamazon’s performance couldn’t truly reflect her strength and in-ring ability since it focused on her kissing someone for her only elimination. Beth Phoenix’s role in Rumble history is monumental, but it could have been an even bigger moment to see her power through the match as she helped pave the way for the women’s Royal rumble.

6 Chelsea Green

Royal Rumble (2023)

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Chelsea Green returned to the WWE and entered the women’s Royal rumble at number 20. This return was short-lived as she was eliminated by Rhea Ripley before entrant 21 entered the ring.

Although this proved to be Chelsea’s worst Rumble performance, she broke the record for spending the least time in a Royal rumble match with 5 seconds. With this Royal rumble time, Chelsea broke her personal record from 2020, where she lasted for 12 seconds, and took back the record from Liv Morgan’s 2019 performance.

5 Santina Marella

Royal Rumble (2020)

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Santino Marella brought back his “twin sister” alter-ego “Santina Marella” to enter the Women’s Royal rumble at number 29. In the ring, Santina didn’t want to cross Beth Phoenix and Natalya, attempting to run and use the cobra sock. Ultimately, Santina decided it was best to eliminate herself as she hopped over the top rope.

WWE aimed for a “comedic” moment by bringing Santina into the Women’s Rumble, but it didn’t land with the audience. True women’s legends surprisingly returned for the Rumble. With Mighty Molly, Kelly Kelly, and Beth Phoenix, another woman could have made better use of Santina’s place.

4 Titus O’Neil

Royal Rumble (2018)

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In one of the greatest Royal rumble entrances, Titus O’Neil tripped and fell down the ramp underneath the ring as he entered at number 39 of 50 wrestlers. This was a moment where even the commentators couldn’t control their laughter over replays of Titus’ trip.

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Commentators figured this may have been one of the greatest moments in Royal rumble history, despite it being because Titus made a mistake. Titus didn’t stay down for long, but the viewers never forgot the blunder.

3 Batista

Royal Rumble (2005)

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Batista entered the Royal rumble at number 28. Despite spending less than 11 minutes in the match, Batista eliminated wrestlers like Christian and Chris Jericho, earning six total eliminations by the time he won the match.

Batista’s win wasn’t easy to come by as he and John Cena were the last in the ring. Batista and Cena ended up eliminating each other when Batista couldn’t hold on to the rope to save himself from elimination. When both were declared winners, Vince McMahon demanded there be a single winner and restarted the match. Eliminating Cena, Batista became the sole winner of the Rumble despite the earlier elimination.

2 Chris Jericho

Royal Rumble (2012)

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Chris Jericho has always made the most of any opportunities, but one accomplishment evaded him his entire life WWE career. After making his triumphant return to WWEit seemed like the perfect time for him to add “Royal Rumble winner” to his list of achievements.

As one of the final entrants at 29, fans were ready for Jericho to get the win when it came down to him and Sheamus as the final two. However, Sheamus eliminated Jericho for the win and went on to defeat Daniel Bryan in 18 seconds at WrestleMania. Many believe the build-up of Jericho winning the Rumble fell flat, and Sheamus’ win never truly paid off.

1 Santino Marella

Royal Rumble (2009)

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Santino Marella entered the Royal rumble At number 28, ready to fight. As quickly as he ran and dove into the ring, Kane caught him in a clothesline that sent Santino over the top rope.

Santino’s nearly immediate elimination set the record for the shortest amount of time spent in a Royal rumble match with 1.9 seconds. Santino did nothing but get eliminated in the match. However, he secured a record that is difficult to break, given how hard it would be to spend less than a second in the Royal rumble.

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