The Miz had lost some of his luster as a main-eventer and was treading water in the midcard by the time the 2015 Royal Rumble rolled around. However, he was a steady hand to thrust into the Rumble field and was given the first spot in the 2015 edition.
As part of the long-winded insistence of WWE to crown Roman Reigns as The Guy, his WWE Championship was put up for grabs in the 2016 Rumble with Reigns forced to enter first. Unfortunately, it still did not work and Roman wasn't able to garner the sympathy management was expecting. Thank God for the Tribal Chief character.
Now making waves for himself in AEW, the fomer Big Cass was in the middle of a mini-push after a heat-inducing heel turn on beloved tag-team partner Enzo Amore. He was even given the coveted entry No. 1 in the 2017 Royal Rumble match.
Rusev Day had taken over the entire WWE Universe was strong and the fan loyalty was handsomely rewarded with the Bulgarian superstar emerging as the first entrant in the 2018 Royal Rumble match.
Still mesmerizing crowds with his combination of wit and presentation, Elias had a unique start to the Rumble in 2019 beginning with a guitar in the ring, alongside his usual setup.
Unlike Roman Reigns earlier in the list, Brock Lesnar willingly went No. 1 overall in a bid to finish off the Rumble early. It led to iconic moments, like the 13-straight eliminations, the legendary introduction of Keith Lee, before it became the ultimate crowning moment for one Scottish Psychopath in Drew McIntyre.
A year after making the greatest return in Royal Rumble history, the odds were stacked against Edge when he entered the Royal Rumble at the No. 1 spot before lasting the entire field to cash in a chance to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania.
During one of the quietest periods of his WWE run, AJ Styles was given a chance as the Iron Man of the Royal Rumble, entering at No. 1 in the 2022 edition of the event.
Triple H has made it a point to start off the Royal Rumble with heated rivals as a way to revisit their magic to get the match off on a high note. It began in 2023 when Gunther entered at No.1 to tangle with Sheamus.
Following the same trend, it was a battle of the twins as Jey Uso, right on the cusp of becoming the most popular star on the roster came out with Jimmy Uso joining him from the second spot.
