WWE Royal Rumble: Top Lists and Facts to Know

It's that time of year again as we begin the Road to Wrestlemania, starting this Sunday at the Royal Rumble. Always a fan favorite, the Rumble has been deemed one of the few events that could shoot a wrestler into superstar status. For the majority of the event's history, the winner of the Rumble has had the opportunity to fight for the World Title at Wrestlemania.

So I thought it would be the best time to make a list of interesting facts about the event along with some of the records associated with the event. For the most part the lists are either top 3 or top 5 lists and range from most eliminations to shortest times in a Rumble match. Hopefully with reading these lists, you can learn something new about one of the biggest events in the WWE, along with reliving infamous moments from its history.

 

Thanks to online resources like wikipedia and Yahoo answers for the help.

Top 3 Most Royal Rumble Wins

I'm sure that most wrestlers would admit that the idea of going into a match in which you face up to 29 other opponents and hope to win is crazy, but the idea of winning said match multiple times is nearly impossible. Yet three men have accomplished such a feat. Granted, Stone Cold's first win was marred by a lot of controversy as he had been eliminated earlier in the '97 Rumble, the win is still counted by the WWE due to the always popular “referee error.”

 

Stone Cold Steve Austin —three ('97, '98, '01)

Hulk Hogan—two ('90, '91)

Shawn Michaels—two ('95, '96)

Top 3 Most Times in Final Four

Another thing that has been difficult to accomplish is making it far into the match, similar to March Madness, the Final Four has that almost unobtainable luster. For some men, though, it's a lot easier to make it to that point. Whether it is due to the wrestler drawing a later number or being dominant, it is still impressive seeing how many times these wrestlers made it into the Final Four.

Shawn Michaels—five ('94-96, '07, '10)

Stone Cold Steve Austin—five ('97-99, '01, '02)

Kane—five('97*, '00, '01, '03, '08)

*was as New Diesel

Top 3 as Runner-Up

Probably even worse than making it into the Final Four and not winning the Rumble is being one of the final two participants and still not winning. Then there are those who have felt that feeling on multiple occasions in the Royal Rumble. Here are those unfortunate few listed below.

Big Show—two ('00, '04)

Triple H—two ('08, '09)

John Cena—two ('05, ;10)

Top 3 Longest Times Spent in a Single Rumble

One of the most incredible records when it comes to the Rumble is the record for how long someone can last in the match. For some, it's pure luck in surviving in the match. For others, it's about taking on all comers and trying to eliminate as many opponents as possible. So without further ado, here are the men who waded through the onslaught and earned the record for longest time in a single Rumble match.

Rey Mysterio—1:02:12 in 2006 (won)

Chris Benoit—1:01:30 in 2004 (won)

Bob Backlund—1:01:10 in 1993 (eliminated 28th)

Top 3 Shortest Times in a Single Rumble

Yet for all the longest-time records in a Rumble, there are a bunch more for guys who couldn't cut it and got eliminated very quickly. It really plays into the aggressiveness of the match in which you have to always be on your toes or else you'll end up like these unfortunate souls.

Santino Marella—:01 in 2009

The Warlord—:02 in 1989

Mo—:03 in 1995

Top 3 Shortest Times Spent by a Rumble Winner

Yet for every long record and every short record, there are those guys who find themselves in the right place at the right time, taking advantage of the spot that they received. It usually ends up being a combination of things that allow these guys to win the Rumble in such short amounts of time: a high entry number, opponents who are tired from being in the match for a longer time or there being fewer opponents in general when a person enters the Rumble. Whatever it is, it has allowed these three men the record spots for shortest time spent in the ring for a Rumble winner.

Edge—7:19 in 2010

John Cena—8:28 in 2008

Alberto Del Rio—8:33 in 2011

Top 3 Most Eliminations in a Single Rumble

If you ask most wrestling fans about the easiest record to remember concerning the Rumble, most would say the record for most eliminations in a single Rumble. Not only does the record allow the WWE to either make a face seem superhuman or a heel a monster. The record shows complete dominance for that wrestler and creates some big moments for the fans watching.

Kane—11 in 2001

Hulk Hogan—10 in 1989

Steve Austin—10 in 1997

Top 5 Most Consecutive Eliminations in a Single Rumble

Another important, though lesser known, record when it comes to eliminations is the record for consecutive eliminations. Not only does it show the dominance of a wrestler on a streak but also how he can command an entire ring and take control, especially in such a chaotic match as the Rumble. So without further delay, here are the men with the records for most consecutive eliminations in a single Rumble.

Hulk Hogan—eight in 1989

Diesel—seven in 1994

Rikishi—seven in 2000

Great Khali—seven in 2007

CM Punk—seven in 2011

Top 3 Total Eliminations in a Cumulative Royal Rumbles

With all of the elimination records for the Royal Rumble, the total cumulative eliminations record can be considered the lifetime home run record for pro wrestlers. It's not something that can be broken easily or be broken quickly, but if given enough time and effort, a wrestler can begin to build up a strong number of eliminations and hopefully one day break the record.

Shawn Michaels—41

Kane—39*

Steve Austin—36

*includes eliminations as Isaac Yankem and New Diesel

Top 5 Most Wrestlers Required to Eliminate Someone

Now while it takes a bit of work to eliminate a wrestler, some need a lot more work. Usually it can take one wrestler getting help from another to eliminate one man. Yet there are those wrestlers who just won't go over the top rope, not without a fight, anyway. This record is for those who it took an army of guys to take down. Interestingly enough, the top two records belong to the same man.

Viscera—eight in 2007

Mabel—seven in 1994

Rikishi—six in 2000

Kurrgan—six in 1998

Muhammad Hassan—six in 2005

Wrestlers Who Eliminated Themselves

Sometimes there are anomalies within the Royal Rumble, incidents that seem beyond reason. A wrestler has at times decided that something is more important than winning a chance to wrestle for the title at Wrestlemania. The reasons can range from eliminating a rival from the Rumble or keeping a feud alive by going after a rival if someone else eliminates him. Other times it can be like in Drew Carey's case in which they are terrified of an opponent, i.e. Kane.

Andre the Giant in '89

Randy Savage in '92*

Ahmed Johnson in '97

Mil Mascaras in '97

Faarooq in '97

Kane in '99

Drew Carey in '01

Mick Foley in '04

MVP in '10

*elimination was ignored

Wrestlers Who Had Their Numbers Stolen

Other times a wrestler doesn't even have the chance to choose if he wants to eliminate himself from the Rumble. While it is rare, there have been instances where a wrestler's position in the match has been stolen from him by another wrestler. These are those unlucky few, along with the fiends who robbed them.

Mosh by Mabel in '99

Test by Mick Foley in '04

Nunzio by Kurt Angle in '05

Wrestlers Who Were Eliminated by Outside People

While the previous wrestlers may have been robbed before getting into the match, there have been many more who have been screwed by outside forces. These forces are usually wrestlers who have already been eliminated from the Rumble or wrestlers who are there to help an ally against a rival or push a feud.

Big Bossman by Hulk Hogan in '89

 

Roddy Piper by Bad News Brown in '90

 

Sid Justice by Hulk Hogan in '92

 

The Undertaker by Giant Gonzalez in '93

 

Owen Hart by Triple H and Chyna in '98

 

Mabel by Mideon, Farooq and Bradshaw in '99

 

Maven by The Undertaker in '02

 

Chris Jericho by Shawn Michaels in '03

 

Shawn Michaels by Kurt Angle in '05

 

Shawn Michaels by Shane McMahon in '06

 

Kane by King Booker in '07

 

The Undertaker by Big Show in '09

 

John Cena by The Miz in '11