What would Americans be entertained by if not the Royal Rumble Matches?
It is based on the classic Battle Royal match. It means all the wrestlers are eliminated one by one until there’s one winner.
In 2018, many American TVs broadcast the WWE Greatest Royal Rumble Matches straight from Saudi Arabia.
Curious about who were the stars of the show?
Let’s find out!
History of the Royal Rumble
The first time the Royal Rumble took place was on 24th January 1988 in the USA. This annual competition takes place a week before the Super Bowl in late January. Therefore, the exact date is not constant.
The winner of the first Royal Rumble was Hacksaw Jim Duggan.
He is one of the many great wrestlers throughout WWE Royal Rumble history.
Among the other significant Royal Rumble winners are:
- The Undertaker
- Shawn Michaels
- Bert Hart.
But, there is only one wrestler in Royal Rumble history who had many wins.
Steve Austin, currently retired, won in 1997, 1998, and 2001.
Yet, WWE has been promoting events not only in the USA but since 2014 – in Saudi Arabia.
The Top 5 WWE Greatest Royal Rumble Matches of All Time
Speaking of WWE events in Saudi Arabia, one of the best is “Greatest Royal Rumble.”
It was held at King Abdullah International Stadium in Jeddah on 27th April 2018. This event was the first in a series of WWE events in this country.
Let’s check out some of its best matches and see what the WWE’s Greatest Royal Rumble results were.
John Cena vs Triple H
The match rated ***¾ (2.75)
The most impressive Greatest Royal Rumble match was between John Cena and Triple H.
When Triple H made his entrance, the crowd went wild and was happy to see him.
Afterwards, John Cena entered, and the audience greeted him with a standing ovation.
The pay-per-view opened with John Cena facing Triple H.
Both opponents pushed each other, but the fight got tougher afterwards.
Triple H kicked Cena and hit him with a running shoulder tackle. Cena then whipped Triple H into the turnbuckle, but he did his trademark bump over the top to the floor.
Cena led to victory by performing his third Attitude Adjustment.
50-Man Royal Rumble Match
The match rated ***1 / 2 (3.25 stars)
Braun Strowman won the first 50-Man Royal Rumble Match in the history of the Royal Rumble events.
He defeated his opponent Big Cass, thus gaining victory. As a result, Braun was named the Greatest Royal Rumble Championship winner.
Braun Strowman entered as number 41 in the match. But, he eliminated 13 of his opponents before reaching the finale.
He beat the previous record held by Roman Reigns, who had eliminated 12 opponents.
Big Cass tried to defeat Braun Strowman but never managed to succeed.
The audience found the match exciting and fun.
Moreover, people were watching the greatest WWE stars in action.
The Undertaker vs Rusev (Casket Match)
The match rated **1 / 4 (2 stars).
The Undertaker beat Rusev in his signature casket match.
He hadn’t had a casket match in three years before scheduling to face Rusev on the WWE Greatest Royal Rumble stage.
At the beginning of the match, Rusev bailed to the floor. But, one of the highest-paid WWE wrestlers, the Undertaker, went after him, attacked him with punches, and threw him right back in the ring.
He then asked for the casket lid to be opened so he could throw him in it.
The Undertaker did his patented sit-up and pushed Rusev into a casket.
After closing the lid, the victory was his. He celebrated as the stadium was filled with purple light and his fist up in the air.
Related: Highest paid WWE fighters
AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE GRR match is ***1 / 2 rating (3.25 stars)
The AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura match is one of the Greatest Royal Rumble matches ever.
None of the wrestlers pinned down the other in this match. It meant there wasn’t a clear winner, but that left room for another match to see who the better WWE wrestler was.
AJ did the Ushiogroshi neck breaker for a two-count, but Nakamura returned with a spin kick.
They wrestled until Nakamura bailed to the floor, and AJ tackled him over the announce table.
The ref counted them out of the ring, and thus the match ended in a double count-out.
But AJ Styles went back to the ring and held up the WWE Title in the air since he was still the WWE Champion.
The stunts of these WWE stars have definitely impressed the audience.
WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match: Cedric Alexander vs Kalisto
The match has a rating of **3 / 4 (3.5 stars).
Kalisto opened the match with a hurricanrana. Then, he knocked Alexander to the floor and made a springboard attack on him.
Alexander disabled his opponent with a waist lock. He also did a dropkick on him, which connected for a two-count.
He tried to make a springboard attack, but a kick in the face was what he got. Then, Kalisto did a top-rope hurricanrana which Alexander blocked. But, Kalisto hit a springboard Spanish Fly variation for a two-count.
In the end, Alexander hit a Lumbar Check, pinned his opponent, and won the match.
The match lasted for about 10 minutes. The audience wasn’t loud and cheerful during this match. Maybe, they didn’t perceive Alexander or Kalisto as their favourite stars.
Why do we think these are the greatest WWE Royal Rumble matches?
These WWE Greatest Royal Rumble matches are among the most thrilling to watch.
Why’s that?
Three simple words: Excitement, Fun, and Action (lots of it!).
They are among the best Pay Per View events in the USA.
If you’re a fan, there isn’t a single doubt that you’ll enjoy these matches yourself.
So why don’t you check them out and see what all the fuss is about?
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