Roman Reigns winning the most bleak match in WWE history was a major factor, as tracked by the excellent Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics. The backlash to that dismal match informed the worst ratings pattern on the road to WrestleMania since 1996.

Each WWE Royal Rumble match starts with two participants. But what were the best opening pairs from the 1980s to the present day?

Following the blockbuster declarations from Roman Reigns, John Cena and CM Punk, two more former WWE Champions are entering the Royal Rumble match.