Seth Rollins is in full promotion mode for the Royal Rumble, and he’s taking the debate to mainstream sports television. The Visionary stopped by ESPN’s First Take and laid out his top five Royal Rumble winners of all time, putting his stamp on one of WWE’s favorite barbershop arguments just days before the 30-plus-year institution kicks off the Road to WrestleMania.
The appearance is part of a wider press blitz built around the Royal Rumble premium live event, and it’s smart business from WWE. When one of the company’s most decorated stars curates an all-time list on a national platform, it does more than stir conversation—it reminds casual viewers why the Rumble matters and why its winners often define eras.
Rollins’ perspective carries weight. He’s not just a student of the game; he’s a former Royal Rumble winner himself, parlaying his 2019 victory into a world title triumph at WrestleMania. He’s shared locker rooms with multiple generations of Rumble legends and competed under modern rulesets that have evolved since the match debuted in 1988. When he ranks the greatest winners, he’s weighing performance, influence, and what came next.
That last piece—what comes next—is key. The Rumble is less about the last elimination and more about the collision course it creates with WrestleMania. The most impactful winners use the Rumble as a launchpad for transformative runs. That’s how the match transcended gimmick status to become a seasonal turning point for WWE programming.
Think about the benchmarks fans typically consider in this debate:
– Historical dominance. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s record three wins built an aura few can touch. He didn’t just win; he shifted the company’s momentum at the height of the Attitude Era.
– Endurance and presentation. Shawn Michaels went back-to-back in the mid-’90s and popularized the Iron Man ethos—enter early, outlast everyone, and make the performance itself the story.
– Shock value and comeback energy. John Cena’s return in 2008 reframed what a Rumble moment could be, and those swerve entries have become a storytelling staple ever since.
– Culture-shaping wins in the women’s division. Becky Lynch’s 2019 win was the ignition point for a WrestleMania main event breakthrough, while Bianca Belair’s 2021 victory solidified a long-term franchise player. Since the women’s Rumble launched in 2018, the conversation has rightly broadened to include legacies being built in real time.
Rollins’ list naturally filters those factors through a competitor’s lens. As a performer known for threading long-term narratives across multiple title reigns and eras—from The Shield to his current top-star run—he understands how a Rumble win can redefine a character, reshape a championship picture, and spike interest across weekly TV. A top-five ranking from him isn’t just trivia; it’s a view into how high-level talent evaluates the match’s purpose.
There’s bigger-picture value here, too. WWE continues to push beyond its core audience with high-profile media stops. A segment like this on First Take isn’t just a courtesy plug—it introduces the Rumble’s stakes to sports viewers who may not watch week to week but remember the spectacle. It’s also a reminder that WWE’s calendar year is built differently: while most sports crown champions at season’s end, WWE uses the Rumble as a springboard into its biggest show of the year. That narrative hook is easy to digest for non-regulars and has long fueled the Rumble’s crossover appeal.
The list itself—however you rank your five—also spotlights how varied the Rumble’s legacy is. Some winners are defined by the match they won; others by the WrestleMania moment that followed. Some are remembered for tallying eliminations and heroic survival spots; others for shocking returns. That flexibility is why the Rumble remains appointment viewing even when outcomes feel predictable on paper. The match can turn a star, refresh a veteran, or set up a title program fans didn’t know they needed.
For the active roster, a star like Rollins weighing in can be both validation and challenge. It reinforces the idea that the Rumble isn’t just a gateway—it’s a measuring stick. Win it the right way, follow through at WrestleMania, and your name lives on these lists forever. That’s motivation for everyone from established headliners to rising contenders trying to break through in front of packed stadiums and record streaming audiences.
From a storytelling angle, lists like Rollins’ also tee up future rivalries. If a current or past winner feels snubbed in the court of public opinion, that slight can become a segment, a promo line, or even a match. WWE thrives on these micro-conflicts that make weekly TV feel connected to a larger history, and the Rumble is the richest archive the company has for this kind of lore-building.
It’s worth noting how the women’s Rumble has quickly carved out its own canon. In just a few years, it’s gone from novelty to essential chapter in WWE’s annual arc. As more women headline stadium shows and anchor championship pictures, their Rumble wins will carry ever more weight in debates like Rollins’—not as a separate category, but in parallel as part of the same championship ecosystem the company books from January through April.
And then there’s the fan side. Top-five lists are catnip for wrestling audiences because they reveal what we value most. Is greatness about drawing power? Workrate? Longevity? Cultural influence? The Rumble lets you argue all of the above, and Rollins adding his voice only intensifies the conversation in the week the match matters most.
As WWE barrels into Royal Rumble weekend, Rollins’ First Take cameo does exactly what it set out to do: it spotlights the history, sharpens the stakes, and invites everyone—die-hards and drop-ins alike—to pick a side and tune in. Whether your list leans Attitude Era heavy, elevates modern standard-bearers, or blends both men’s and women’s results, the debate is the draw. The match will write the next chapter soon enough.
Rollins’ top five is out there now thanks to his ESPN stop. The only guarantee is that it will be argued, edited, and re-argued by the time the final entrant’s music hits. That’s the Rumble’s magic—and why a simple list from one of WWE’s most influential stars is enough to keep the conversation rolling right up to the opening buzzer.
