WWE Royal Rumble 2012: The Ultimate Royal Rumble Roster

With the WWE's mainstay event in the month of January celebrating its 25th anniversary next month, the Royal Rumble has seen some of the best superstars to come through the company get tossed over the top rope during the history of the match since the original in 1988.

Among the more than 700 entrants to make their way into the Royal Rumble over the past 24 years, this slideshow will give you the All-Star roster for an ultimate Royal Rumble filled with superstars from today's WWE through the attitude era in the 1990s and ending with former legends that competed in the first Rumble in the '80s. 

Alberto Del Rio

Reason for Inclusion: 2011 Winner

The Mexican Aristocrat fulfilled his destiny in winning the Royal Rumble and getting his shot at the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 27 last January, but Alberto Del Rio came up short against the champion, Edge, later at the event in Atlanta.  

Andre the Giant

Reason for Inclusion: Eliminated Himself during the 1989 Rumble

Even though the legendary giant of the old WWF days eliminated three wrestlers during the 1989 Rumble, Andre the Giant quickly eliminated himself from the battle royal after seeing Jake "the Snake" Roberts toss his snake, Damien, in the ring, which led Andre to promptly head for much safer ground.

If it weren't for Robert's boa constrictor, Andre the Giant could have been a winner of the WWE's January classic instead of just another superstar who competed in the match.

Batista

Reason for Inclusion: 2005 Winner

Even though the Animal entered the 2005 Rumble with the 28th entry, Batista made an immediate impact in the match as he eliminated six superstars, including Edge, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho and finally John Cena to get the victory.

He would eventually defeat Triple H for the World Heavyweight title at WrestleMania 21. 

Big John Studd

Reason for Inclusion: 1989 Winner

In the first Royal Rumble match that consisted of the traditional 30-man format, Big John Studd became only the second winner of the Rumble, as he sent Ted DiBiase over the top rope in 1989 before the winner received a trip to the main event of WrestleMania.

Big Show

Reason for Inclusion: Two-Time Runner-Up

Even with a massive size advantage over most superstars taking part in the Royal Rumble, the Big Show has never won the Rumble during his WWE career, but he did make it to the final two participants in 2000 and 2004, as he was last eliminated by the Rock and Chris Benoit, respectively.

Bob Backland

Reason for Inclusion: Third-Longest Time Spent in Royal Rumble

After entering the Rumble with the No. 2 entrant alongside Ric Flair in 1993, former WWE Champion Bob Backland set the record for longevity in the Royal Rumble after spending 01:01:10 in the match, a record that would stand more than a decade until Chris Benoit broke the mark by 20 seconds in his win during the 2004 Royal Rumble.  

Bret Hart

Reason for Inclusion: 1994 Co-Winner

In the 1994 Royal Rumble, the traditional single winner of the Royal Rumble was not enough, as Bret Hart and Lex Luger eliminated each other and hit the floor at the same time to become the only duo to be named co-winners of the Rumble in the history of the WWE.

Brock Lesnar

Reason for Inclusion: 2003 Winner

After defeating the Big Show in a Rumble qualification match in the first match of the night, Brock Lesnar entered the 2003 Royal Rumble later in the evening with the No. 29 draw and punched his ticket to the main event of WrestleMania XIX against Kurt Angle, as he last eliminated the Undertaker to win the match.

Chris Benoit

Reason for Inclusion: 2004 Winner

While the WWE attempts to erase the memory of Chris Benoit from their archives, the Wolverine had one of the greatest performances in the history of the Royal Rumble, as he entered the match at No. 1 and lasted more than a hour.

He eliminated the Big Show by himself to win the 2004 Rumble.

CM Punk

Reason for Inclusion: Seven Consecutive Eliminations in the 2011 Rumble

With the advantage of having the Nexus alongside him during last year's Royal Rumble, CM Punk eliminated seven consecutive superstars from the largest Royal Rumble in the history of the event, as superstars like Daniel Bryan, John Morrison, R-Truth and Mark Henry were eliminated during his streak in the 2011 Rumble.

Edge

Reason for Inclusion: 2010 Winner

After being out of action the previous six months due to injury, Edge made his surprise return to the WWE with the No. 29 draw in the 2010 Royal Rumble.

He took over the match by eliminating Chris Jericho and John Cena, and the Rated R Superstar would end up choosing Jericho for his title match at WrestleMania.

Hulk Hogan

Reason for Inclusion: 1990, 1991 Winner

As the first superstar to win back-to-back Royal Rumbles in the history of the WWE, Hulk Hogan won the 1990 and 1991 Rumbles from the No. 25 and 24 draws, respectively.

The WWE Hall of Famer holds the record for the second-most eliminations in a Rumble with 10, and the most consecutive eliminations with eight in 1989.

Jim Duggan

Reason for Inclusion: 1988 Winner

On a cold January day in Hamilton, Ontario in 1988, the very first Royal Rumble match was held in a special on the USA Network which saw "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan win the first edition of what would become the January staple of the WWE's pay-per-view schedule for the next 24 years.

John Cena

Reason for Inclusion: 2008 Winner

Just like Edge's return to the WWE with a surprise entry into the Royal Rumble, John Cena entered the 2008 Rumble with the No. 30 draw and joined the Undertaker as the only superstars to win the match from the No. 30 entry during the 21st edition of the Royal Rumble at Madison Square Garden.

Kane

Reason for Inclusion: Second-Most Eliminations in Rumble History

Even though he has never tasted victory in the Royal Rumble over his career, Kane has been one of the most dominant superstars in the match over the years.

He holds the record for most eliminations in a single Rumble with 11 in 2001 and sits two behind Shawn Michaels at No. 2 with 39 career Royal Rumble eliminations. 

Lex Luger

Reason for Inclusion: 1994 Co-Winner

Like I mentioned earlier in the slideshow, Lex Luger was the other winner of the 1994 Royal Rumble alongside Bret Hart, as both superstars hit the floor at the same time to become the only duo to be named co-winners of the Rumble in the history of the WWE.

Macho Man Randy Savage

Reason for Inclusion: Never Entered the 1991 Rumble

Even though the Macho Man never won the Royal Rumble, Randy Savage actually no-showed his entry into the 1991 Royal Rumble, fearing the wrath of the Ultimate Warrior after Savage cost him the WWE title against Sgt Slaughter earlier in the night.

If Savage actually did enter the match in 1991, we might have seen a different winner instead of Hulk Hogan winning his second straight Royal Rumble.

Randy Orton

Reason for Inclusion: 2009 Winner 

In the shadow of the Motor City, Randy Orton survived more than 48 minutes in the Royal Rumble during his 2009 victory after entering with the No. 8 draw while eliminating some of the biggest superstars in the match that year, including the Big Show, Kane and the final elimination of the match, Triple H.

Ric Flair

Reason for Inclusion: 1992 Winner

In the fifth anniversary of the Royal Rumble, Ric Flair won the match and the WWE Championship, completely skipping the now-traditional process of getting a shot at the title.

The Nature Boy won the vacant championship after entering with the No. 3 draw in 1992.

Rey Mysterio

Reason for Inclusion: 2006 Winner

Unlike former winners like Yokozuna or the Undertaker, that dwarf the 2006 winner of the Royal Rumble, Rey Mysterio holds the record for the longest time spent in the Rumble, as he entered the match with the No. 2 draw, eventually winning the match more than an hour and two minutes later for his title shot at WrestleMania.

Rikishi

Reason for Inclusion: Entered 10 of the 25 Rumbles

In another superstar that gets the nod of inclusion into the greatest Royal Rumble roster, Rikishi is added to the list because he has entered 10 of the 24 Royal Rumbles in the history of the event for the third most appearances.

He's only topped by Kane's 15 and Shawn Michaels' 12.

Rob Van Dam

Reason for Inclusion: Four Different Final Six Appearances (2002-2004, 2006)

While rumors are swirling that the former multiple-time Intercontinental Champion is returning to the WWE, Rob Van Dam was very effective in his appearances in the Royal Rumble, as the "whole f'n show" made the final six in the 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006 Rumbles.

The Rock

Reason for Inclusion: 2000 Winner

In a moment that seemed like deja vu of the Bret Hart/Lex Luger double elimination in the 1994 Royal Rumble, the Big Show was about to toss the Rock over the top rope to win the 2000 Rumble, but as both men were going over, Rock thought quick enough to grab the top rope, securing the victory and sending the Great One to WrestleMania 2000.

Santino Marella

Reason for Inclusion: Shortest Time in the Royal Rumble

Some people might be curious why Santino Marella has made this list for the worst record in the history of the Royal Rumble.

If you look at it from optimistic point of view, the record by Santino will go down in WWE and Royal Rumble history as a mark that will never be broken in any future Rumble events.

Shawn Michaels

Reason for Inclusion: 1995, 1996 Winner 

After Hulk Hogan won back-to-back Rumbles in 1990 and 1991, the Heartbreak Kid matched the Hulkster's mark from earlier in the decade by winning the 1995 and 1996 Rumbles.

Michaels' record of most eliminations (41) will likely be broken by Kane this year if the Big Red Machine enters later this month.

Stone Cold Steve Austin

Reason for Inclusion: 1997, 1998, 2001 Winner

Along with Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan as a back-to-back winner and the only three-time winner, Stone Cold Steve Austin's resume in the Royal Rumble speaks for itself.

The Rattlesnake is firmly one of the greatest superstars to come through the Rumble, if not the WWE as a whole.

Triple H

Reason for Inclusion: 2002 Winner

In yet another surprise return by an injured WWE superstar to the Royal Rumble, Triple H made his return from injury to win the 2002 Royal Rumble by eliminating Kurt Angle to set up the Game's road to WrestleMania, where he defeated Chris Jericho for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania X8 in Toronto.

Undertaker

Reason for Inclusion: 2007 Winner

After 19 years of the WWE saying the No. 30 draw was the best over the years, the Undertaker proved that statement right in 2007, as the Phenom eliminated Shawn Michaels to go onto WrestleMania and win the World Heavyweight Championship against Batista in Detroit. 

Vince McMahon

Reason for Inclusion: 1999 Winner

While the boss doesn't match up to any of the legends and superstars on this list, McMahon won the Rumble himself, keeping his guarantee that his rival, Stone Cold Steve Austin, would not win the 1999 Royal Rumble, even though Austin would go on to beat him next month in a cage match at St Valentine's Day Massacre for his trip to WrestleMania.  

Yokozuna

Reason for Inclusion: 1993 Winner

Without a doubt, the biggest winner in the history of the Royal Rumble, Yokozuna, dominated the 1993 Royal Rumble.

As the No. 27 draw, the giant sumo wrestler eliminated seven of the last 10 superstars to win the match to go onto WrestleMania IX to defeat Bret Hart for the WWE Championship.

Chris Humphrey is a WWE featured columnist for BleacherReport.com. In his time before joining the WWE section, he has wrote for multiple sections on B/R like college basketball, the UFC, the NBA, the NFL and college football in a short period of time with the site. You can become a fan of him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter @_CBH_.