Shack Chat: Which video game character would win the Royal Rumble?

The Royal Rumble is going down this weekend in Indianapolis, bringing about one of the wrestling world's largest annual events. That got us wondering, if video game characters were able to enter our reality and participate, which one would win the whole thing?

Question: Which video game character would win the Royal Rumble?

Mike Haggar - Ozzie Mejia, Senior Editor of Earth

Some might argue that Mike Haggar's storied career has led him down many paths. It's led him to become the Mayor of Earth. It's led him to become one of this planet's greatest heroes. He's even fought alongside and against Marvel superheroes. You know what Haggar is, however, before anything else? Dude is a wrestler!

Haggar hasn't spent all that time in games like Saturday Night Slam Masters and Ring of Destruction to not be a part of the greatest wrestling match that the world has to offer. Throwing 29 other suckers over the top rope? That's just another day in the mayor's office.

Ladiva - TJ Denzer, Granblue Fantasy Versus #1 Contender

When it comes to throwdowns in the squared circle, there’s only one champion I’d ever trust with all of my heart. It’s Granblue Fantasy’s Ladiva (or Fastiva depending on your region preference). A star duelist on the Jewel Resort casino liner, Ladiva has held championship gold and knows exactly what it takes to win. She’s also got a mean clothesline, a savage headbutt, and the most elegant arsenal of throws and grapples to get the job done. If the rest of the Rumble entrants don’t gang up on Ladiva, she’s not going over the ropes easy, and if it’s anything but a fellow top contender waiting for her at the end of the match, they’re probably in for a world of love (and pain).

The thing from the end of Inside - Sam Chandler, Champ

You know what’s better than one wrestler? Pure mass. No, not muscle mass. Biomass. Specifically, the thing at the end of the video game Inside. An entity consisting of the flesh of all those that came before it. The knowledge of each life squashed into a rippling orb of skin, sinew, and muscle fibre. Probably some bones, too. It seeks not only to escape, but to become victorious against its oppressors, and I think that’s the spirit of Royal Rumble.

Incineroar - Donovan Erskine, Great Driver

Incineroar, the wrestling cat that serves as the final evolution of Litten in the Pokemon games, makes an excellent fighter. At 5’11” and 183 pounds, Incineroar can leap and fly around the ring with ease, outlasting its opponents by being, well, a Pokemon. Its signature move, Darkest Lariat, is a bruising physical attack that would make for a stunning finisher.

Shovel Knight - Steve Tyminski, I can dig it!

What video game character would win the Royal Rumble. I’m going with Shovel Knight for this one. Like most wrestlers, he already has a cool costume that he can wear in the ring. The main purpose of the adventure is to stop the Order of No Quarter as well as save his love, Shield Knight. That takes care of his backstory, a key piece of information for any wrestler. There is also the fact that he has a shovel to kick some ass with. The shovel is his folding chair and if you’re going to wrestle, you need to know how to use a folding chair. One final point is that Shovel Knight has some great music so he has his “enter the ring” song all planned out too. So, Shovel Knight could win the Royal Rumble.

Kirby - Asif Khan, CEO, EIC, EIEIO

We're pretty sure @technosucks is the only person who has an investment thesis for Nintendo based on Smash Ultimate's World of Light opening cutscene and Kirby being the best boy. #GameTraderLive #Nintendo #SmashUltimate $NTDOY pic.twitter.com/KSbmAGWVCM

— Shacknews (@shacknews) February 1, 2025

Kirby would win the Royal Rumble by eating the best wrestler and using their moves against the other 28 opponents. Kirby has saved the universe several times, so beating a few wrestlers is a trivial task by comparison.

Those are the characters we thing would emerge victorious at the Royal Rumble. What about you? Let us know in the Chatty!

Shack Staff

Shack Staff stories are a collective effort with multiple staff members contributing. Many of our lists often involve entires from several editors, and our weekly Shack Chat is something we all contribute to as a group.