10 Greatest Individual Performances in WWE Royal Rumble History

Since its inception in 1988, the Royal Rumble match has seen numerous Hall of Famers emerge victoriously, their tickets to WrestleMania cashed and their title aspirations stronger than ever, but not all of the greatest performers in the history of the storied gimmick match have been lucky enough to leave with their arms raised.

Some of the greatest performances in the history of the match have come from iron men who went the distance, starting the match and sticking around toward the end of it, carrying the workload for that year's presentation.

Others set records for dominance and eliminations.

Whether they won or lost, set records or stole the show, they etched their names in the Royal Rumble history books, their performances at the show the best individual ones in match annals.

10. Rick Martel (1991)

Back before iron man performances in the Royal Rumble were cool—or as it seems is the case today, a necessity—Rick "The Model" Martel entered the 1991 match at No. 6 and proceeded to last just north of 52 minutes before being eliminated by The British Bulldog.

Martel was a blossoming heel, a midcard villain who had found his groove as the antagonizer of Jake "The Snake" Roberts and was just two months away from a high-profile Blindfold match against the future Hall of Famer.

So detestable and unlikable, particularly with his Arrogance perfume in-hand, fans wanted to see him dispatched of in short order. Instead, he fended off elimination, building heat for himself with every close call and lasted nearly one hour.

To that point, it was the longest run in a Rumble match and, even today, is reflective of the trust management had in the former AWA champion to be a centerpiece of the bout throughout its hourlong runtime.

9. Triple H (1996)

Triple H was a solid member of the WWE midcard as January 1996 arrived, but he was never what one would consider a potential breakout star in that month's Royal Rumble. Then, he lost a match to Duke "The Dumpster" Droese on the Free For All, under controversial circumstances, to "earn" the No. 1 entry.

Still under the Hunter Hearst Helmsley persona, the spoiled blue blood from Greenwich lasted 48 minutes in a day and age where the long-lasting Superstar was not necessarily an annual element of the match.

The crop of Superstars involved in that year's match was nowhere near what it would become in later years, when Triple H would deliver several performances, but his 1996 showing felt less forced. There was no real attempt to position himself as the iron man of the match. Instead, it happened more organically, the strong in-ring worker tasked with carrying the longest portion of the bout.

It should have made him a star, and it likely would have were it not for the Curtain Call months later.

8. Roman Reigns (2014)

Say what you will about Roman Reigns, but The Big Dog was the star of the 2014 match, shattering Kane's record for eliminations with 12.

With every Superstar thrown over the top rope, the crowd's reaction for Reigns grew louder and more passionate. If fans could not have their dream scenario of Daniel Bryan winning the match, they wanted to see the second-generation badass of The Shield eliminate Batista and win the damn thing.

It was not to be.

Despite an electrifying performance that should have represented the template management would ultimately use to get him over as a main event star, Reigns was the final Superstar eliminated.

7. Chris Jericho (2017)

If anyone doubted how great a worker Chris Jericho is in 2017, look no further than his hourlong Royal Rumble performance in which he was booked as the iron man of the match.

Still trusted by management to carry the bulk of the load in front of a rabid fanbase in San Antonio, he was the one consistent in the match.

Over the course of his time in the match, he eliminated only two Superstars before falling prey to Roman Reigns, who avenged his loss to Y2J's best friend Kevin Owens by tossing The Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla over the top and to the floor.

6. The Rock (1998)

It was clear for all the wrestling world to see that WWE officials had big plans in store for The Rock as 1998 rolled around. Still relatively fresh off a heel turn over the previous summer that allowed him to voice his frustrations on the WWE audience, he had embraced a cocky and arrogant side of himself that earned him crowd heat the likes of which few thought possible.

Hammering home the idea that WWE officials wanted desperately for the reigning intercontinental champion to be a major star in the very near future was his booking in the Royal Rumble match.

Entering at No. 5, the future Great One lasted just shy of 52 minutes. In fact, he was the final man eliminated from the match, enduring a Stone Cold Stunner from winner Steve Austin.

It was the longest performance of Rock's career to that point but one that showed the world fans would invest in him, that they were entertained and genuinely interested in him when he was between the ropes.

Whether he was unloading on Headbanger Mosh, Steve Blackman or ol' Stone Cold himself, Rock's star burnt brightest in his first opportunity to leave a lasting impression in a major main event match.

5. Diesel (1994)

The first hint of the monster in a Royal Rumble, a role eventually filled by the likes of Kane, Big Show and Brock Lesnar, came in 1994 when Diesel made a name for himself in the annual Battle Royal.

Diesel not only cleared the ring of the Superstars around him, he took the opportunity to pick off wrestler after wrestler as they entered the match, dispatching them one by one. Kwang, Owen Hart, Virgil, Billy and Bart Gunn, Bob Backlund and Scott Steiner all found their way to the arena floor courtesy of Big Daddy Cool.

His seven eliminations that night inspired a groundswell of support from fans who appreciated seeing the big man tear through the competition. It also caught the eye of management, who would make it a goal of theirs to continue booking Diesel strongly in hopes of positioning him as a main event star by year's end.

4. Rey Mysterio (2006)

Rey Mysterio holds the record for longest stint in a Royal Rumble match at 1:02:12, and while that was enough to win him the 2006 match, it is not enough to rank him any higher on this list.

Truth be told, upon rewatching that year's match, both Mysterio and Triple H lay around the ring for long periods of time, sometimes without even interacting with another Superstar. On occasion, they can even be seen sneaking drinks of water on-camera.

Yes, the length of the match would almost necessitate hydrating, but the record loses some of its specialness when one compares Mysterio's showing in 2006 to Ric Flair's in 1992. The Nature Boy was almost always at the heart of the action, whereas Mysterio and Triple H, who entered at No. 2 and lasted to the end of the match, were repeatedly out of the action altogether.

Still, one hour is a long time to last in any match, and Mysterio's win only further cements it as one of the better individual performances in Rumble history.

Even if there are Superstars who lasted much shorter but did more with the time they were given.

3. Kane (2001)

One of the most improbably great performances in Royal Rumble history came in 2001 when Kane entered the match at No. 5 and proceeded to wreak havoc and destroy the competition for nearly 54 minutes.

In the process, he also amassed what would be the record for eliminations in a single Royal Rumble match with 11.

The Big Red Machine had long been a staple of WWE programming and an elite performer for the company, but he was never what one would consider a performer capable of holding the attention of the fans for nearly one full hour.

Luckily, his booking in the match was so dominant that the Attitude Era fans had no choice but to sit up and take notice of the masked badass obliterating everyone around him.

He would fall short of winning the match, eliminated by a chair-assisted Steve Austin, but his status as one of the greatest Rumble performers ever was solidified.

2. Chris Benoit (2004)

Chris Benoit was largely considered the best technical wrestler on the planet by the time the 2004 Royal Rumble arrived, and it appeared, after years of professional frustration, he was finally en route to the most significant push of his career.

Unfairly entered into the Rumble by SmackDown general manager Paul Heyman at No. 1, Benoit would have to overcome one of the most impressive fields in match history if he wanted to leave Philadelphia with his arm raised in victory and his ticket to WrestleMania XX cashed.

He did just that.

Showing pure guts and determination, he lasted over one hour, outlasting the likes of Randy Orton, Goldberg, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho and John Cena.

It was his exchange with Big Show, in which he grabbed him in a front face lock and gradually pulled him over the top rope, that showed off the tenacity that was such an integral part of his performance on that night.

Benoit's win not only was the biggest of his career to that point, it also served as the genesis for a push that would culminate in a World Heavyweight Championship victory in Madison Square Garden at the Granddaddy of Them All.

1. Ric Flair (1992)

Ric Flair entered the 1992 Royal Rumble at No. 3 and proceeded to last longer than any other Superstar to that point at just over an hour. As a result of his longevity and awareness, which allowed him to dump Sid Justice over the top rope to win the match, he was awarded the vacant WWE Championship.

Equally as great as his performance in the match itself was his post-match promo in which he uttered the words, "with a tear in my eye, this is the greatest night of my life," really hammering home to viewers the significance of the moment they had just witnessed.

Flair, as he did over the course of his Hall of Fame career, captivated audiences for the entirety of his run.

The Nature Boy elicited the loudest reactions for his near-elimination and drew a pop when he finally ousted the final competitor and earned his first WWE Championship.

His knack for storytelling helped elevate the '92 match, earning it a reputation as the best ever by longtime WWE fans.