#8: Royal Rumble 2000
Winner: The Rock
The first PPV of the 21st century gets a bum rap for being a great PPV with a disappointing Rumble match, largely due to a lack of star power in the main event itself. This was due to Triple H and Cactus Jack fighting for the WWF Championship earlier in the night, both the Hardy Boyz and Dudley Boyz being involved in a tag team tables match, and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin sitting home following neck surgery. This led to The Rock being the obvious winner, as he was really the only true main event talent in the entire match.
That being said, what the Rumble lacked in star power, it made up for in pure entertainment. Rikishi became the clear man-to-beat early on, eliminating his first seven opponents all on his own. Too Cool did a dance routine, which Madison Square Garden ate up with a spoon, and Kai En Tai continued to interfere unsuccessfully in the match, despite being told they had been left off the card. There was some really good brawling between Kane, Degeneration X, Edge, Test, and others throughout the match, but Rikishi was really the true star of the Rumble, until The Rock eliminated the Big SHow to advance to WrestleMania. Ultimately a drastically underrated match that tried really hard, despite some obvious shortcomings, and manages to squeeze its way onto this list.
