5 Royal Rumble Winners Who Had Memorable Victories at WrestleMania

The Royal Rumble match is the golden ticket for WWE superstars to create history on the biggest stage in the wrestling world, WrestleMania. This has been done by many stars who won the 30-man Royal Rumble bout to create memorable victories at The Show of Shows.
WWE Royal Rumble is often credited as the start of the ascension of a rising star to main event status. Over the years, many superstars have won bouts to earn a World title opportunity at WrestleMania. However, only a select few have been able to clinch a huge victory at the Show of Shows.
Moreover, these top names have not only won the big one at WrestleMania but also created memorable victories in the process through their storylines and performances at the show. Here are the top five Royal Rumble winners who had memorable wins at WrestleMania:

Batista won the 2005 Royal Rumble match despite a controversial finish involving him and John Cena. The Animal, who was a member of Evolution at the time, turned on his mentor Triple H and picked him as his opponent. This led to a monumental clash at WrestleMania 21 where Batista outlasted The Game and won his first World title, cementing his status as a main event star.

Rey Mysterio paid homage to his late friend, Eddie Guerrero by winning the 2006 Royal Rumble match from the #2 spot. He competed for the World title in a triple threat match involving the champion, Kurt Angle and Randy Orton at WrestleMania 22. The Master of the 619 was a huge favourite and did the unthinkable by scoring the pin and completing his underdog story to become World Champion for the first time in his life.

Rhea Ripley made history at the 2023 Royal Rumble event by becoming the first woman to win the Rumble match from the #1 spot. Mami challenged the top champion at the time, Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39 and delivered a captivating performance. She took down The Queen to become the new SmackDown Women’s Champion and avenged her WrestleMania defeat from three years prior at the hands of Flair.

Becky Lynch entered the 2019 Royal Rumble match after losing her title match at the start of the show and taking the place of an injured Lana. The Man walked away the winner and kickstarted the most intriguing storyline leading up to WrestleMania 35. Crossing all obstacles and bridges, Becky Lynch created history by winning the first-ever women’s WrestleMania main event against Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair to become both RAW and SmackDown Women’s Champion in one of the most memorable Mania moments ever.

Cody Rhodes became the first man to win back-to-back Royal Rumble matches since Stone Cold Steve Austin more than two decades ago. He fought his way to WrestleMania 40 against foes like The Bloodline and The Final Boss, The Rock. On Night Two of the show, Rhodes dethroned the record-setting champion, Roman Reigns and won his first-ever World title to ‘Finish The Story’, which became an iconic moment in WrestleMania history.
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