Top six superstars with most WWE Royal Rumble runner-up finishes

These stars were moments away from victory.

There are a total of five biggest events produced by the Stamford-based promotion, one of which is the Royal Rumble PLE, which officially kicks off the Road to WrestleMania. The event is also the first PLE from the promotion every year.

WWE superstars claiming victory at the show, in the two men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches, can pick a champion of their choosing for a showdown for the title at the ‘Grandest Stage.’

Introduced in 1988, the Royal Rumble PLE has created some of the most memorable moments. While initially the PLE only featured the men’s Rumble match in 2018, the same match was introduced for the women’s division.

Since its inception, multiple superstars have created unique records, with some winning back-to-back Rumbles and others winning multiple. However, on the other side of the coin, there are stars who fail to reach the top and have to finish as the runner-up. Here, we will take a look at the top six such stars who have the most runner-up finishes in WWE Royal Rumble matches.

6. Shawn Michaels (2007)

‘The Heartbreak Kid’ Shawn Michaels, or WWE’s Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative, Shawn Michael has failed to secure victory twice in the Rumble match, despite being inches away from realizing the dream. Michaels finished up as the runner-up in the 1994 and the 2007 Rumble event. Out of his twelve appearances, Michaels has secured victory in two of them.

Also Read: All WWE superstars who are multi-time Royal Rumble winners

5. Liv Morgan (2023, 2024)

Despite competing in every women’s Royal Rumble match since its inception in 2018, Judgment Day’s Liv Morgan has been unable to win the Rumble match. Morgan is also on the fifth spot of this list, with two runner-up finishes in the 2023 and 2024 event where Rhea Ripley and Bayley picked up the win.

4. Charlotte Flair (2019, 2022)

One of the most successful stars in WWE, ‘The Queen’ Charlotte Flair, has secured two wins in the women’s Rumble match. Notably, she is the only multiple-time women’s Rumble match winner following her wins in 2020 and 2025.

She has taken part in five Rumble matches and has been among the final four participants in all of them. However, she also failed twice in 2019 and 2022 as she finished as the runner-up in both matches.

3. Triple H (2008, 2009)

WWE CCO Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque’s name is plastered through all of WWE’s record books; sometimes it’s good, and sometimes it isn’t. This is the case for HHH, as he has finished twice as the runner-up in Rumble matches with his back-to-back close calls in 2008 and 2009.

Along with Liv and Flair, Triple H is also tied with The Big Show, who has falso inished twice as the runner-up in the 2000 and 2004 Rumble matches.

2. John Cena (2005, 2010, 2025)

‘The 17-time WWE World Champion’ John Cena, during his farewell tour, aimed to win the Rumble match and go on to WrestleMania to challenge for the title, looking to break the tie with Ric Flair and become the one and only 17-time Champion.

While Cena ultimately achieved his goal, he initially fell short at the Royal Rumble. However, his runner-up finish in 2025 broke a tie with Ric Flair, Liv Morgan, Big Show, and Triple H, making Cena a three-time Royal Rumble runner-up, having also finished second in 2005 and 2010.

1. Roman Reigns (2014, 2017, 2018, 2020)

‘The OTC’ Roman Reigns has secured the first place on this list, as, despite his dominant resume, he has been unable to secure his second Rumble win in over a decade. In contrast, Reigns has managed to add three more runner-up finishes after his first and only win till now in 2015.

With four runner-up finishes in 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2020, Reigns is likely to remain atop this list for a long time. With Cena officially retired from professional wrestling, the remaining superstars would need to add at least two more runner-up finishes to catch him, something no competitor is realistically aiming to achieve.

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