WWE Royal Rumble 2012: 20 Best Individual Royal Rumble Performances Ever

Over the 24-year history of the Royal Rumble, there have been great performances through the years by countless great superstars that have come and gone over the top rope in the WWE’s January classic.

Either by eliminating a multitude of superstars or showing a great deal of endurance, the following slideshow will detail the 20 best performances of the Royal Rumble since the creation of the event in 1988.

No. 20: The Heart Break Kid Eliminates 8 Superstars in His Second RR Victory

After winning the Royal Rumble from the No. 1 entry in 1995, Shawn Michaels didn’t get a chance to repeat the feat in 1996, but the Heartbreak Kid did eliminate eight during his second straight Rumble victory.

No. 19: Stone Cold Eliminates 8 During the Rumble in 1999 After Entering No. 1

Vince McMahon kept his promise of making sure there was no chance in hell the Rattlesnake would win the 1999 Royal Rumble, but Austin did eliminate eight superstars during his near hour in the match.

No. 18: Steve Austin Matches the Record of Hogan with 10 Eliminations in 1997

Even though being eliminated by Bret Hart earlier in the match, Stone Cold Steve Austin reentered the match without the referees at ringside seeing him and eliminating the Hitman to win his first of three Royal Rumbles.

No. 17: Hulk Hogan Sets the Record for Eliminations in a Royal Rumble with 10

Following his entry into the match at No. 18, Hulk Hogan went on to set the record for eliminations with 10 that stood for 12 years, which could have been more unless the Big Boss Man didn’t return to the ring to eliminate Hogan after he was eliminated.

No. 16: Kane Breaks Hogan’s Record, Eliminates 11 Superstars in the 2001 Rumble

As the Big Red Machine entered the Royal Rumble at No. 6 in 2001, Kane started a path of destruction in the match as he went to work on to eliminate 11 superstars, including the Honky Tonk Man, Albert, Steve Blackman and the Rock.

No. 15: CM Punk Eliminates Six Straight with the Help of the Nexus Last Year

With all members of the Nexus by his side in the early portions of the 2011 Rumble, CM Punk used the muscle of his group to eliminate superstars like Daniel Bryan, John Morrison and most importantly Mark Henry before the numbers caught up with him, and he was eliminated by John Cena.

No. 14: The Great Khali Eliminates Seven in a Row During the 2007 Royal Rumble

The Punjabi Playboy entered the 2007 Rumble with the 27 entry and made quick work of the superstars that were in the ring at that time. Khali eliminated the likes of Chris Benoit, the Miz, Rob Van Dam and CM Punk among others before being eliminated himself by the Undertaker.

No. 13: Rikishi Clears the Ring After Entering the 2001 Rumble at No. 5 Entry

After winning a qualifying match to be a part of the 2000 Royal Rumble, Rikishi made the most of his opportunity as the Samoan entered the match fifth and quickly made the first seven eliminations of the Rumble.

No. 12: Diesel Tosses Seven Straight over the Top Rope in the 1994 Royal Rumble

At the height of his career as his Diesel character in the 1990s, Kevin Nash cleared the ring during the 1994 Rumble as Big Daddy Cool tossed Scott Steiner and Owen Hart, among others, before being eliminated himself by a band of five superstars, including Bam Bam Bigelow and Shawn Michaels.

No. 11: Hulk Hogan Eliminates Eight Consecutive Superstars in the 1989 Rumble

In the second Rumble in WWE history, the legendary Hulk Hogan set a match record with eight straight eliminations as the Hulkster tossed the likes of Bad News Brown, Koko B Ware, Arn Anderson and the Macho Man Randy Savage during his streak in the match.

No. 10: The Rock Enters 1998 Royal Rumble Fourth, Lasts over 50 Minutes

After successfully defending his Intercontinental Championship against Ken Shamrock earlier in the night, the Rock lasted 51 of the entire 55 minutes of the 1998 Rumble before he was the 28th elimination at the hands of his future rival, Steve Austin.

No. 9: Rick Martel Sets the First Mark for Endurance in the 1991 Royal Rumble

The former three-time WWE Tag Team champion, Rick Martel, was the first superstar to go beyond the 45-minute mark in the Royal Rumble, as he went 51 minutes after entering the match with the fifth entry. He eliminated three superstars including the legendary Jake Roberts during the match.

No. 8: Kane Dominates the 2001 Royal Rumble, Last Eliminated by Stone Cold

In one of the most dominant performances in the history of the Royal Rumble, Kane set a match record with 11 eliminations in 2001, lasting 53 minutes in the match before finally being eliminated by Steve Austin, who won his third Rumble of his career.

No. 7: Stone Cold Steve Austin Starts the 1999 Royal Rumble, Eliminated Last

At the height of the Steve Austin/Vince McMahon, the chairman of the WWE accomplished his goal of keeping the Rattlesnake from winning the Rumble as McMahon eliminated Stone Cold with help from the Rock.

No. 6: Ric Flair Wins the WWE Championship at the 1992 Royal Rumble

In the only Royal Rumble to date to be for the WWE Championship, the Nature Boy entered the match as the third entrant and spent the fourth-longest time in Rumble history to win his first WWE title as he last eliminated Sid Vicious.

No. 5: Triple H Starts the 2006 Royal Rumble, Eliminated in the Final Three

At the 2006 Royal Rumble, the Game had his A-game going at the 19th edition of the Royal Rumble as Triple H lasted just nine seconds over an hour before being eliminated by the eventual winner Rey Mysterio, who started second in the match.

No. 4: Bob Backlund Lasts over an Hour in the 1993 Royal Rumble

Former WWE champion Bob Backlund entered the 1993 Royal Rumble with Ric Flair to start the match and wasn’t eliminated from the match until the massive Yokozuna sent him over the top rope after being in the match for an hour and one minute.

No. 3: Rey Mysterio Wins the 2006 Royal Rumble After Entering Second

After spending the most time in a Royal Rumble than any other superstar in WWE history, Rey Mysterio survived the entire match after entering with Triple H as one of the first two entrants to start the match and finally eliminating Randy Orton to win the match.

No. 2: Chris Benoit Wins the Royal Rumble from the No. 1 Draw

The Rabid Wolverine became the second superstar in WWE history to win the Royal Rumble after Shawn Michaels won from the same draw nine years before in 1995. Benoit eliminated the Big Show by himself to win the 2004 Royal Rumble and went on to win the World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania.

No. 1: Shawn Michaels Wins the Royal Rumble from the No. 1 Draw

While the British Bulldog thought he had won the 1995 Royal Rumble, Shawn Michaels only let one of his feet touch the ground after being tossed over the top rope before he returned to eliminate the Bulldog to win the Rumble.

Chris Humphrey is a featured columnist for BleacherReport.com. He has covered everything from college football, college basketball, UFC, NFL, NBA and the WWE in his short time writing for the website. You can become a fan of him on B/R and follow him on Twitter @_CBH_.