Everyone knows that the Road to WrestleMania kicks off with in February with one of the greatest spectacles in wrestling entertainment: the Royal Rumble match. While the basic rules are the same as the traditional battle royal, where participants try to eliminate their opponents by throwing them out of the ring, whats always made the Royal Rumble special is that it starts with only two wrestlers in the ring, with new entrants entering the match every 90 seconds or so, allowing for all sorts of surprise returns and memorable showdowns. As much as wrestling fans love to argue about everything, almost everyone looks forward to the 30-man Rumble.But as great of a concept as it is, some Royal Rumbles are a lot better than others. In fact, there have been some surprisingly bad, or predictable, rumbles over the years (notice how few rumbles from the 90s made this list). But when the Royal Rumble is put together well, it emphasizes everything thats great about the sport of professional wrestling. Weve ranked the 13 best Royal Rumble matches in wrestling history:13. 2018 Womens Royal RumbleIn some ways, its surprising that the WWE didnt even try to book a womens Royal Rumble until 2018. Sure, the womens roster wasnt always so extensive, but the inaugural womens rumble match showed that it cab be done quite well. The 2018 match featured a great mix of the very best women on the roster at the time, like Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Becky Lynch, plus plenty of returning Hall of Famers, including Trish Stratus, Lita, and Beth Phoenix.But most importantly, the way it was booked, it really did seem like almost any of these women could win, with Asukas ultimate victory being both completely warranted and just surprising enough to please most fans.12. 1990 Royal RumbleThis was only the third ever Royal Rumble match, and watching it now, its clear that the WWE was still feeling out the concept. No, there arent any huge surprises, or really creative eliminations. Hell, the winner didnt even get a title shot back then. But the match does have a lot of really solid storytelling.After cheating to get a late entry the previous year, The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase entered first, and lasted an impressive 45 minutes before being eliminated (a record at the time). But what most older wrestling fans remember this match for is for the shocking first encounter between Hulk Hogan (the winner of the match) and The Ultimate Warrior, which set up their legendary match at WrestleManiaVI a few months later.11. 2018 Mens Royal RumbleIf you watch enough professional wrestling, it starts getting pretty easy to predict a lot of the outcomes. Most longtime wrestling fans figured that Cody Rhodes would win the 2023 and 2024 Royal Rumble matches to finish the story. But in 2018, the outcome of the Rumble was truly unpredictable, and the ultimate victory of Shinsuke Nakamura was a real shock from a company that tends to rely on the same handful of main eventers time and time again.Beyond that though, this was a really enjoyable match, with a couple cool surprise entrants in The Hurricane and Rey Mysterio and a unique old school vs. new school stare down between the final six menRandy Orton, John Cena, Mysterio, Finn Balor, Nakamura, and Roman Reignsthat hadnt really been done in one of these matches before.10. 2023 Womens Royal RumbleThe problem with the first few womens Royal Rumbles was that the WWE had to fill the match with far too many legends and NXT call ups that everyone knew had no chance of winning. While Michelle McCool made a rare return in this match, and there were a few NXT wrestlers as well, this actually felt like a much more wide open, competitive rumble.Starting the match with Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan, and having them both last until the end was a bold choice, and Rhea ultimately winning was the right call. It helped catapult her to the top of the card at the WWE, with Liv Morgan right behind her.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!9. 2005 Royal RumbleBotches happen in professional wrestling. Its unavoidable. Usually, its a small miscue, and you just go on with the match. Sometimes fans dont even really notice. But then theres the infamous botched finish to the 2005 Royal Rumble that will forever put it among the very best of these matches.Going into the event, Batista was booked to win by throwing John Cena over the top rope last. As planned, Batista got Cena up for his signature Batista Bomb, Cena countered with a head scissors and they both promptly fell right over the top rope, landing on the floor at the exact same time. Vince McMahon was so pissed off, he then came to the ring to restart the match, somehow legitimately tearing both his quads in the process. The match restarted, Batista promptly threw Cena over the top rope as planned, and fans were left with one of the greatest, most chaotic Royal Rumble finishes of all time.8. 2008 Royal RumbleThis is a divisive Rumble match for a lot of fans. Yes, it was a little too busy at times, but the good here easily outweighs the bad and earns it a place on the list. The match opens with Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker as the first two entrants. You really cant go wrong with that combo, and they each lasted an impressive 30+ minutes.There are some fun spots here, such as an unexpected showdown between legends Roddy Piper and Jimmy Snuka, and Hornswoggle hiding under the ring, but the most memorable part of this match is John Cena entering at number 30. Cena had legit torn his pectoral muscle just three months before, and was expected to be out of action for six months, so the crowd was completely shocked to see him show up and win the whole thing. His return still remains one of the biggest pops in WWE history.7. 2016 Royal RumbleTo be fair, theres a lot to like and dislike about this Rumble match. First, the good. It was interesting to see the WWE try something different here. A pre-Tribal Chief Roman Reigns had to enter first to defend his WWE Championship, and he had an impressive run throughout the match, even though he went backstage for part of it. This was also the debut of A.J. Styles in the WWE, and he did indeed look phenomenal, lasting almost 30 minutes. The Wyatt Family was also booked as a real force to be reckoned with here, working together to eliminate Brock Lesnar and Mark Henry.But while most of the match was enjoyable to watch, the ending was far too predictable, with Triple H entering at number 30, eliminating Reigns and ultimately winning the Rumble. The match does get a lot of valid criticism for the underwhelming finish, but if you can get past that, its a really good Rumble.6. 2024 Womens Royal RumbleThe most recent womens Royal Rumble is easily the best so far. The match started off right out the gate with a couple of huge surprises. The returning Naomi entered in the second spot to a huge pop from the crowd, but then what really shocked the arena was TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace showing up as the fifth entrant, with the TNA belt in tow. Its still mind blowing to see stuff like this after WWE refused to acknowledge other promotions for decades.But beyond the surprises, there were some other really great moments, like the Nia Jax and Jade Cargill showdown, and a very confused R-Truth trying to enter the match and wondering where all the men were. In the end, Bayley lasting more than an hour from the third spot was the right call here, which really moved her story along.5. 2001 Royal RumbleAs beloved as the Attitude Era was, even its biggest supporters have to admit that most of the Royal Rumble matches from this period were surprisingly lackluster, with few surprises and most of the top stars skipping the Rumble for other matches on the card. But the 2001 Rumble was a big exception.Most of the biggest names of the era appeared in the 2001 Royal Rumble, with Kane in particular giving a dominant and career-defining performance thanks to his record-breaking 11 eliminations. Comedian Drew Carey entering the match was a unique choice played for laughs that still worked well. But of course the real star here was Stone Cold Steve Austin, who captured his third Royal Rumble win, a record that stands to this day.4. 2020 Mens Royal RumbleAfter more than 30 years of Royal Rumble matches, what more could the WWE do to really mix up the formula? In 2020, the answer to that was the Beat Incarnate. Then-WWE champion Brock Lesnar entered the Rumble first, and promptly dispatched 13 other entrants almost as quickly as they entered the ring. You might think that would get boring, but after all these years, it really doesnt get old watching Lesnar completely dominate his competition.Still, that just made it all the more satisfying to watch Drew McIntyre eliminate Lesnar, and eventually win the whole match. The 2020 Rumble is really a master class in booking performers to their fullest potential and building up a new main eventer.3. 2004 Royal RumbleWWE doesnt even really acknowledge this match because it was won by Chris Benoit. And since he entered from the first spot and lasted the entire thing, theres really no way to talk about it without mentioning him. Its unfortunate that the Benoit tragedy will always overshadow this Rumble, because it really is a spectacular match.At the time, Benoit was a well-respected midcarder who needed to reach the next level, and this match did a fantastic job of showing off his wrestling skills, right up until the final back and forth with Big Show, which is still one of the best endings to any Rumble match.2. 2007 Royal RumbleUsually, the battle royals and rumble matches end with a fairly brief spot between the last two competitors. Wrestlers get tired after being in there for an hour and just want to head to the back at that point. While this whole Rumble is quite good what truly puts it among the greats is the lengthy ending sequence.The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels put on an absolute clinic that could have headlined any show by itself, countering everything they threw at each other until Taker ducked a super kick to lift Michaels over the top rope and claim his first and only Royal Rumble victory. There may never be a better or more iconic finish to a Rumble than this.1. 1992 Royal RumbleWhats not to love about the 1992 Royal Rumble? For the first time ever, winning it actually meant something, with the last man standing being awarded the vacant WWF Championship. The entrants were a whos who of all time wrestling greats, ranging from Kerry Von Erich and Greg The Hammer Valentine to Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan.But when it was all said and done, the winner was none other than the number three entrant, arguably the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Ric Flair, after an impressive hour-long performance. And all this was called by the legendary commentating duo of Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon. If watching this match doesnt make you a professional wrestling fan, nothing will.