Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble | |
---|---|
The Royal Rumble Logo | |
Information | |
Created by | Pat Patterson |
Promotion(s) | WWE |
Brand(s) |
Raw SmackDown |
First event | Royal Rumble (1988) |
Signature match types | Royal Rumble match |
The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced every January by professional wrestling promotion WWE.[1] The event is named after the Royal Rumble match, a Battle royal match whose participants enter at timed intervals.[2]
With the exception of the initial Royal Rumble event in 1988, which was shown as a television special on USA Network, the Royal Rumble has been shown on pay-per-view (first in 1989) and is one of WWE's "Big Four", along with WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series.[3] The Royal Rumble is considered one of WWE's most popular pay-per-view events.[4]
History
Event
The Royal Rumble is a pay-per-view consisting of the Royal Rumble match, championship matches, and various other matches. The first Royal Rumble took place on January 24, 1988 and was broadcast live on the USA Network.[5] The following year, the event started to be broadcast on pay-per-view[6] and thus became one of WWE's "big four" pay-per-views, along with WrestleMania, Survivor Series, and SummerSlam.[7]
The Royal Rumble match is usually located at the top of the card, though there have been exceptions such as the 1988, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2006, and 2013 events.[8] Due to the Rumble match taking up a large amount of time (most Rumble matches last roughly one hour), the Rumble event tends to have a smaller card than most other pay-per-view events, which routinely have six to eight matches per card. The 2008 Royal Rumble was the first WWE pay-per-view to be available in high-definition.[9]
Match
The Royal Rumble is based on the classic Battle Royal match, in which a number of wrestlers aim at eliminating their competitors by tossing them over the top rope, with both feet touching the floor.[1][2][10] The winner of the event is the last wrestler remaining after all others have been eliminated.[1][4]
The Royal Rumble differs from the classical Battle Royal as the contestants do not enter the ring at the same time but instead are assigned entry numbers, usually via a lottery, although desirable spots are occasionally assigned by other means, the most common being winning a match. This lottery is usually staged right before the event begins.[1] The match begins with the two wrestlers who have drawn entry numbers one and two, with the remaining wrestlers entering the ring at regular timed intervals, either 90 seconds or two minutes, according to their entry number.[1] This format is credited to Pat Patterson.[11] To date, only four men who have been one of the starting wrestlers have won the Royal Rumble: Shawn Michaels, Vince McMahon, Chris Benoit and Rey Mysterio. The most common number to win is number 27.
The Royal Rumble match commonly involves thirty wrestlers and last about an hour, with the longest match, at the 2002 event, lasting over one hour and nine minutes of an approximately three-hour pay-per-view.[12] However, the first match, contested in 1988, involved only twenty men,[13] and lasted 33 minutes of the two-hour broadcast.[12] The 2011 Royal Rumble had a 40-man field,[14] out of whom Alberto Del Rio was victorious.
Although most eliminations are caused by active participants, eliminations caused by other means have occurred, and have been ruled legitimate, including self-eliminations (such as Andre the Giant jumping out of the ring after seeing a snake in 1989, Kane eliminating himself in 1999 and Drew Carey eliminating himself in 2001; however Randy Savage jumping over the top rope in 1992 was not ruled as self-elimination), elimination from previously-eliminated participants (such as The Undertaker eliminating Maven in 2002, Kurt Angle eliminating Shawn Michaels in 2005 and Kane eliminating CM Punk in 2014) and elimination from non-participants (such as The Miz eliminating John Cena in 2011). Furthermore, if an injured wrestler is taken away by medical staff, he can return to the match as long as the match is still ongoing (such as Steve Austin in 1999), but if the match ends without the injured wrestler returning, he is deemed eliminated (such as Scotty 2 Hotty in 2005).
Royal Rumble matches are generally stipulated to involve no disqualifications.
Prize
Since 1993, the winner of the Royal Rumble match is traditionally awarded a title match for WWE's top championship, currently called the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania.[15]
With the brand extension introduced in mid-2002, the 30 entrants from 2003 to 2006 consisted of 15 wrestlers from both the Raw and SmackDown brands. At first, the winner of the match received a shot at their brand's top champion[16] Starting in 2004, the Rumble winner had the option of challenging any brand's champion. For instance, Chris Benoit switched brands after winning the 2004 Royal Rumble and won the World Heavyweight Championship.[15] From 2007 to 2010, participants from the ECW brand competed along with the Raw and SmackDown brands, with the ECW World Championship added as an option for the winner to challenge for.[17] During ECW's participation, the entries for each brand were not evenly divided.[18]
WWE's top championship has been booked as on the line during the Royal Rumble match on two occasions. In 1992, the vacant WWF World Heavyweight Championship was contested in the 1992 Royal Rumble match, eventually won by Ric Flair,[19] while in 2016 Roman Reigns was scheduled to defend his WWE World Heavyweight Championship as a participant of that year's Royal Rumble match. This marked the first time that a reigning champion had to defend his title in the match, which was ultimately won by Triple H.
From 2001 to 2007, the Royal Rumble match winner had gone on to win a World Championship title at WrestleMania.[12] After winning the 2008 match, John Cena became the first winner to use his championship opportunity at an event (No Way Out 2008) other than WrestleMania.[20] He also became the first since The Rock in 2000 to win the Royal Rumble match but fail to win the title in his championship opportunity.
The Royal Rumble winner may also choose to put his championship opportunity on the line in a match. This was first done in 1996, when Shawn Michaels risked his WrestleMania XII title shot in a match against Owen Hart at In Your House 6. The second time was in 1999, when Stone Cold Steve Austin offered to forfeit his title opportunity to the Big Boss Man, who won third place in the Rumble (Austin was actually the runner-up in that rumble, but the winner, Vince McMahon himself, had voluntarily given up his title opportunity) if McMahon could beat him in a cage match at St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House, which Austin would go on to win. The third time was in 2002, when Kurt Angle convinced Triple H to put his WrestleMania X8 championship spot on the line at No Way Out, a match which Angle won. However, Triple H would later defeat Angle and regain his WrestleMania championship spot. The fourth time was in 2006, when Randy Orton goaded Rey Mysterio into putting his main event spot at WrestleMania 22 on the line at No Way Out, a match which Orton won. Mysterio was eventually reinserted into the main event at WrestleMania, making it a triple threat match, and went on to win the World Heavyweight Championship. On the February 25, 2013 edition of Raw, John Cena successfully defended his WrestleMania 29 WWE Championship opportunity in a match against CM Punk. On February 22, 2015 at Fastlane, Roman Reigns defended his WrestleMania 31 WWE World Heavyweight Championship opportunity against Daniel Bryan.
In 2000, The Rock was declared the victor, as the storyline intended. However, it was later revealed that his feet had actually touched before those of The Big Show. A singles match was held at No Way Out, the event following the Royal Rumble, to determine who received the Wrestlemania title shot against the reigning champion Triple H. Big Show won with the help of Shane McMahon. Rock then defeated Big Show in a rematch in March on Raw with the help of Vince McMahon, which earned him a title shot and converted the match at WrestleMania into a triple-threat that was later made a four-way match when Linda McMahon inserted the recently retired Mick Foley into the match.
Non-PPV Royal Rumble matches
WWE has booked several Royal Rumble matches outside of the annual Royal Rumble event:
- The first Royal Rumble match broadcast outside of its pay-per-view was a Tag Team Royal Rumble on June 15, 1998. Kane and Mankind won the match and earned an opportunity for the WWF Tag Team Championship against the The New Age Outlaws.
- On January 11, 1999, a "Corporate Royal Rumble" involving members of The Corporation and D-Generation X was held on Raw to determine the 30th entry in the Royal Rumble that year. The match was won by Chyna, who last eliminated Mr. McMahon.
- A 15-man Royal Rumble was held during the January 29, 2004 edition of SmackDown to crown a contender for Brock Lesnar's WWE Championship at No Way Out. Eddie Guerrero won the match, last eliminating Kurt Angle.
- On January 14, 2008, Mr. McMahon organized a mini-Royal Rumble, involving midget wrestlers. Hornswoggle won the match.
- On the January 31, 2011 episode of Raw, a Royal Rumble to crown the contender for The Miz's WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber was held. Jerry Lawler won the match, last eliminating Sheamus.
WWE has also booked two Royal Rumble matches which were never televised, both in 1994. The first, a 30-man Royal Rumble on January 17, was won by Owen Hart, last eliminating Fatu. The second, an 18-man Royal Rumble match, took place on May 9 in Osaka, Japan and was won by The Undertaker, who last eliminated Bam Bam Bigelow.
Dates, venues and winners
Event | Date | City | Venue | Winner | Entry No. | Ref. | Main Event | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Royal Rumble (1988) | January 24, 1988 | Hamilton, Ontario | Copps Coliseum | Duggan, JimJim Duggan | 13 | [21][22] | 20-man Royal Rumble match The Islanders (Haku and Tama) vs. The Young Stallions (Paul Roma and Jim Powers) in a two out of three falls match |
2 | Royal Rumble (1989) | January 15, 1989 | Houston, Texas | The Summit | Studd, Big JohnBig John Studd | 27 | [23][24] | 30-man Royal Rumble match |
3 | Royal Rumble (1990) | January 21, 1990 | Orlando, Florida | Orlando Arena | Hogan, HulkHulk Hogan | 25 | [25][26] | 30-man Royal Rumble match |
4 | Royal Rumble (1991) | January 19, 1991 | Miami, Florida | Miami Arena | 24 | [27][28] | 30-man Royal Rumble match | |
5 | Royal Rumble (1992) | January 19, 1992 | Albany, New York | Knickerbocker Arena | Flair, RicRic Flair | 3 | [29][30] | 30-man Royal Rumble match for the vacant WWF World Heavyweight Championship |
6 | Royal Rumble (1993) | January 24, 1993 | Sacramento, California | ARCO Arena | Yokozuna | 27 | [31][32] | 30-man Royal Rumble match |
7 | Royal Rumble (1994) | January 23, 1994 | Providence, Rhode Island | Providence Civic Center | Bret Hart Lex Luger |
27 23 |
[33][34] | 30-man Royal Rumble match |
8 | Royal Rumble (1995) | January 22, 1995 | Tampa, Florida | USF Sun Dome | Michaels, ShawnShawn Michaels | 1 | [35][36] | 30-man Royal Rumble match |
9 | Royal Rumble (1996) | January 21, 1996 | Fresno, California | Selland Arena | 18 | [37][38] | 30-man Royal Rumble match Bret Hart (c) vs. The Undertaker for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship | |
10 | Royal Rumble (1997) | January 19, 1997 | San Antonio, Texas | Alamodome | Stone Cold Steve Austin | 5 | [39][40] | 30-man Royal Rumble match Sycho Sid (c) vs. Shawn Michaels for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship |
11 | Royal Rumble (1998) | January 18, 1998 | San Jose, California | San Jose Arena | 24 | [41][42][43] | 30-man Royal Rumble match Shawn Michaels (c) vs. The Undertaker in a Casket match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship | |
12 | Royal Rumble (1999) | January 24, 1999 | Anaheim, California | Arrowhead Pond | Mr. McMahon | 2 | [44][45][46] | 30-man Royal Rumble match |
13 | Royal Rumble (2000) | January 23, 2000 | New York, New York | Madison Square Garden | Rock, TheThe Rock | 24 | [47][48][49] | 30-man Royal Rumble match |
14 | Royal Rumble (2001) | January 21, 2001 | New Orleans, Louisiana | New Orleans Arena | Stone Cold Steve Austin | 27 | [50][51][52] | 30-man Royal Rumble match |
15 | Royal Rumble (2002) | January 20, 2002 | Atlanta, Georgia | Philips Arena | Triple H | 22 | [53][54][55] | 30-man Royal Rumble match |
16 | Royal Rumble (2003) | January 19, 2003 | Boston, Massachusetts | FleetCenter | Lesnar, BrockBrock Lesnar | 29 | [56][57] | 30-man Royal Rumble match |
17 | Royal Rumble (2004) | January 25, 2004 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Wachovia Center | Chris Benoit | 1 | [58][59][60] | 30-man Royal Rumble match |
18 | Royal Rumble (2005) | January 30, 2005 | Fresno, California | Save Mart Center | Batista | 28 | [61][62][63] | 30-man Royal Rumble match |
19 | Royal Rumble (2006) | January 29, 2006 | Miami, Florida | American Airlines Arena | Mysterio, ReyRey Mysterio | 2 | [64][65][66] | 30-man Royal Rumble match Kurt Angle (c) vs. Mark Henry for the World Heavyweight Championship |
20 | Royal Rumble (2007) | January 28, 2007 | San Antonio, Texas | AT&T Center | Undertaker, TheThe Undertaker | 30 | [67][68][69] | 30-man Royal Rumble match |
21 | Royal Rumble (2008) | January 27, 2008 | New York, New York | Madison Square Garden | Cena, JohnJohn Cena | 30 | [70][71][72] | 30-man Royal Rumble match |
22 | Royal Rumble (2009) | January 25, 2009 | Detroit, Michigan | Joe Louis Arena | Orton, RandyRandy Orton | 8 | [73][74] | 30-man Royal Rumble match |
23 | Royal Rumble (2010) | January 31, 2010 | Atlanta, Georgia | Philips Arena | Edge | 29 | [75][76] | 30-man Royal Rumble match |
24 | Royal Rumble (2011) | January 30, 2011 | Boston, Massachusetts | TD Garden | Del Rio, AlbertoAlberto Del Rio | 38 [Note 2] | [77] | 40-man Royal Rumble match |
25 | Royal Rumble (2012) | January 29, 2012 | St. Louis, Missouri | Scottrade Center | Sheamus | 22 | [78][79][80] | 30-man Royal Rumble match |
26 | Royal Rumble (2013) | January 27, 2013 | Phoenix, Arizona | US Airways Center | Cena, JohnJohn Cena | 19 | [81][82][83] | 30-man Royal Rumble match CM Punk (c) vs. The Rock for the WWE Championship |
27 | Royal Rumble (2014) | January 26, 2014 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Consol Energy Center | Batista | 28 | [84][85] | 30-man Royal Rumble match Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship |
28 | Royal Rumble (2015) | January 25, 2015 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Wells Fargo Center | Reigns, RomanRoman Reigns | 19 | [86] | 30-man Royal Rumble match Brock Lesnar (c) vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship (triple threat match) |
29 | Royal Rumble (2016) | January 24, 2016 | Orlando, Florida | Amway Center | Triple H | 30 | [87][88] | 30-man Royal Rumble match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship |
Royal Rumble winner's championship opportunity
Championship | Wins | Losses |
---|---|---|
WWF/E Championship/WWE World Heavyweight Championship | 8 | 7 |
World Heavyweight Championship | 5 | 2 |
Total | 13 | 9 |
Winner | Event | Year | Championship match | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Yokozuna | WrestleMania IX | 1993 | Yokozuna defeated Bret Hart for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. |
2 | Lex Luger | WrestleMania X | 1994 | Luger lost to Yokozuna by disqualification for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. |
2 | Bret Hart | WrestleMania X | 1994 | Hart defeated Yokozuna for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. |
3 | Shawn Michaels | WrestleMania XI | 1995 | Michaels lost to Diesel for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. |
4 | Shawn Michaels | WrestleMania XII | 1996 | Michaels defeated Bret Hart for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. |
5 | Stone Cold Steve Austin | WrestleMania 13 | 1997 | On the Raw the night after the Royal Rumble, WWF President Gorilla Monsoon declared that Austin would not be receiving the title shot due to his having re-entered the match after being tossed out of the ring (which the referees did not see). The WrestleMania championship match pitted The Undertaker against Sycho Sid, and Undertaker defeated Sid for the title. |
6 | Stone Cold Steve Austin | WrestleMania XIV | 1998 | Austin defeated Shawn Michaels for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. |
7 | Mr. McMahon | WrestleMania XV | 1999 | The following night on Raw Is War, McMahon renounced his title opportunity to challenge then WWF Champion, The Rock, at WrestleMania. WWF Commissioner Shawn Michaels awarded the title opportunity to the runner-up, Stone Cold Steve Austin, who defeated McMahon in a steel cage match to retain his opportunity and would go on to WrestleMania to defeat The Rock for the WWF Championship. |
8 | The Rock | WrestleMania 2000 | 2000 | Video footage later showed Rock's feet hit the floor first before runner-up Big Show. After multiple attempts to name a rightful No. 1 contender failed, both The Rock and Big Show were added to the main event along with Mick Foley to challenge the champion Triple H. Triple H was able to successfully defend the WWF Championship in a four corner elimination match. |
9 | Stone Cold Steve Austin | WrestleMania X-Seven | 2001 | Austin defeated The Rock in a no disqualification match for the WWF Championship. |
10 | Triple H | WrestleMania X8 | 2002 | Triple H lost his WrestleMania title shot to Kurt Angle at No Way Out. The following night on Raw, Triple H won his title shot back and would defeat Chris Jericho for the Undisputed WWF Championship. |
11 | Brock Lesnar | WrestleMania XIX | 2003 | Lesnar defeated Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship. |
12 | Chris Benoit | WrestleMania XX | 2004 | Benoit won the Rumble as a SmackDown! wrestler, but switched brands to challenge Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. He defeated Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship. |
13 | Batista | WrestleMania 21 | 2005 | Batista defeated Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. |
14 | Rey Mysterio | WrestleMania 22 | 2006 | Mysterio lost his WrestleMania title opportunity to Randy Orton at No Way Out. SmackDown! general manager Theodore Long later added Mysterio to the World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania, making it a triple threat match. At WrestleMania 22, Mysterio defeated the champion Kurt Angle and Orton in a triple threat match to win the World Heavyweight Championship. |
15 | The Undertaker | WrestleMania 23 | 2007 | Undertaker defeated Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship. |
16 | John Cena | No Way Out WrestleMania XXIV |
2008 | Cena used his WWE Championship opportunity at No Way Out against Randy Orton. Orton remained champion due to being disqualified. A triple threat match for the WWE Championship was held at WrestleMania XXIV, also including Triple H. Orton successfully retained. |
17 | Randy Orton | WrestleMania XXV | 2009 | Orton lost to Triple H for the WWE Championship. |
18 | Edge | WrestleMania XXVI | 2010 | Edge lost to Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship. |
19 | Alberto Del Rio | WrestleMania XXVII | 2011 | Del Rio lost to Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship. |
20 | Sheamus | WrestleMania XXVIII | 2012 | Sheamus defeated Daniel Bryan for the World Heavyweight Championship. |
21 | John Cena | WrestleMania 29 | 2013 | On the February 25 episode of Raw, CM Punk challenged Cena for his number one contendership to the WWE Championship, in which Cena won and went on to defeat The Rock for the WWE Championship. |
22 | Batista | WrestleMania XXX | 2014 | Daniel Bryan defeated Triple H in the opening match, with the winner being inserted into the WWE World Heavyweight Championship]match. Bryan defeated the champion Randy Orton and Batista in a triple threat match. |
23 | Roman Reigns | WrestleMania 31 | 2015 | Due to The Rock's interference during the match, The Authority ruled that Reigns would defend his title shot at Fastlane. Daniel Bryan defeated Seth Rollins for the right to challenge Reigns for the title shot at Fastlane. After defeating Bryan at Fastlane, Reigns went on to challenge Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 31. During the match at WrestleMania, Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract, converting the singles match between Reigns and Lesnar into a triple threat match. Rollins pinned Reigns to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. |
Royal Rumble records
Most Rumble victories
Wrestler | Royal Rumble wins | Year |
---|---|---|
Stone Cold Steve Austin | 3 | 1997, 1998, 2001 |
Batista | 2 | 2005, 2014 |
John Cena | 2008, 2013 | |
Hulk Hogan | 1990, 1991 | |
Shawn Michaels | 1995, 1996 | |
Triple H | 2002, 2016 | |
Longest time spent in a single Royal Rumble
Top 20 individual longest times in a single Royal Rumble match. As of the 2016 Royal Rumble.
No | Wrestler | Time | Year |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Rey Mysterio | 1:02:12 | 2006[89] |
2 | Chris Benoit | 1:01:31 | 2004[89] |
3 | Bob Backlund | 1:01:10 | 1993[89] |
4 | Triple H | 1:00:15 | 2006 |
5 | Ric Flair | 1:00:02 | 1992[89] |
6 | Roman Reigns | 59:50 | 2016 |
7 | Mr. McMahon | 56:38 | 1999 |
8 | Stone Cold Steve Austin | 56:38 | 1999 |
9 | Kane | 53:46 | 2001 |
10 | Rick Martel | 52:17 | 1991[89] |
11 | The Rock | 51:32 | 1998 |
12 | Chris Jericho | 50:50 | 2016 |
13 | Triple H | 49:58 | 2009 |
14 | Dolph Ziggler | 49:47 | 2013 |
15 | Rey Mysterio | 49:24 | 2009 |
16 | CM Punk | 49:11 | 2014 |
17 | Seth Rollins | 48:31 | 2014 |
18 | Randy Orton | 48:27 | 2009 |
19 | Chris Jericho | 47:53 | 2013 |
20 | Chris Benoit | 47:26 | 2005 |
(Note: Bold indicates the winner of that year's match.)
Longest cumulative time spent in Royal Rumbles
Only wrestlers who have spent more than 3 cumulative hours are shown.
As of the 2016 Royal Rumble.
Wrestler | Time |
---|---|
Triple H | 3:59:37[90] |
Chris Jericho | 3:55:59 |
Shawn Michaels | 3:42:30[90] |
Kane | 3:38:46 |
Rey Mysterio | 3:20:01 |
Cody Rhodes/Stardust | 3:08:30 |
Shortest time spent in a single Royal Rumble
Only wrestlers who spent 10 seconds or less in a single rumble are shown.
As of the 2016 Royal Rumble.
Wrestler | Time | Year |
---|---|---|
Santino Marella | 0:00:01 | 2009[89] |
The Warlord | 0:00:02 | 1989[89] |
Mo | 0:00:03 | 1995[89] |
Owen Hart | 0:00:03 | 1995[89] |
Bushwhacker Luke | 0:00:04 | 1991 |
Jerry Lawler | 0:00:04 | 1997 |
Titus O'Neil | 0:00:04 | 2015 |
The Godfather | 0:00:05 | 2013[89] |
Gillberg | 0:00:07 | 1999 |
The Miz | 0:00:07 | 2007 |
Montel Vontavious Porter | 0:00:07 | 2010 |
Tazz | 0:00:10 | 2001 |
Non-eliminated wrestlers
Several times, wrestlers were drawn to compete in the match but did not actually compete. Their participation is counted as zero seconds:
- In 1991, "Macho King" Randy Savage was drawn 18th, but no-showed.
- In 1994, Bastion Booger was drawn 25th, but no-showed.
- In 1998, Skull was drawn 22nd, but no-showed.
- In 2004, Spike Dudley was drawn 13th, but was kept from competing by Kane
- In 2004, Test was originally entrant #21, but he was found unconscious and replaced by Mick Foley.
- In 2005, Scotty 2 Hotty was drawn 15th, but was kept from competing by Muhammad Hassan.
- In 2008, Finlay was drawn 27th, but was disqualified after helping Hornswoggle.
- In 2015, Curtis Axel was drawn 6th, but was kept from competing by Erick Rowan. Following the event, Axel began referring to himself as "the true winner of the Royal Rumble", as he never had been eliminated, and demanded a shot at WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31.[91][92][93]
Most eliminations in a single Royal Rumble
Top wrestlers with most eliminations in a single match. Only wrestlers with at least eight eliminations are shown. As of the 2016 Royal Rumble.
Wrestler | No. of eliminations | Year |
---|---|---|
Roman Reigns | 12 | 2014 |
Kane | 11 | 2001[89][94] |
Stone Cold Steve Austin | 10 | 1997[89][95] |
Hulk Hogan | 9 | 1989[89][96] |
Shawn Michaels | 8 | 1995, 1996 |
Stone Cold Steve Austin | 8 | 1999 |
Total eliminations in cumulative Royal Rumbles
Top wrestlers with the most eliminations. Only wrestlers with at least 20 eliminations are shown.
As of the 2016 Royal Rumble.[97]
Wrestler | No. of eliminations | Rumbles entered |
---|---|---|
Isaac Yankem/Kane | 44 | 19[89][98][99] |
Shawn Michaels | 39 | 12[100][101] |
Stone Cold Steve Austin | 36 | 6[89] |
The Undertaker | 35 | 10 |
Triple H | 33 | 9 |
Big Show | 31 | 11 |
Hulk Hogan | 27 | 4 |
John Cena | 22 | 7 |
Roman Reigns | 22 | 3 |
Most Rumble appearances
Only wrestlers with at least 9 appearances are shown.
As of the 2016 Royal Rumble.
Wrestler | Rumbles entered | First Rumble | Most recent Rumble |
---|---|---|---|
Isaac Yankem/Fake Diesel/Kane | 19 | 1996 | 2016 |
Shawn Michaels | 12 | 1989 | 2010 |
Goldust | 11 | 1997 | 2016 |
Big Show | 2000 | 2016 | |
The Undertaker | 10 | 1991 | 2009 |
The Sultan/Fatu/Rikishi | 1993 | 2004 | |
Mabel/Viscera/Big Daddy V | 9 | 1994 | 2008 |
Triple H | 1996 | 2016 | |
Mark Henry | 1998 | 2016 | |
Chris Jericho | 2000 | 2016 | |
K-Kwik/R-Truth | 2001 | 2016 | |
The Miz | 2007 | 2016 |
Female entrants
Diva | Rumbles entered |
---|---|
Chyna | 2 (1999, 2000)[45][48] |
Beth Phoenix | 1 (2010)[76] |
Kharma | 1 (2012) |
Non-PPV Royal Rumble matches
Event | Date | City | Venue | Winner | Ref. | Note | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | House show | January 17, 1994 | New York, New York | Madison Square Garden | Owen Hart | [102] | 30-man battle royal |
2 | House show | May 9, 1994 | Osaka, Japan | Castle Hall | The Undertaker | [102] | 18-man Royal Rumble |
3 | Raw | June 15, 1998 | San Antonio, Texas | Freeman Coliseum | Kane and Mankind | [102] | 10-tag team Royal Rumble |
4 | Raw | January 11, 1999 | Houston, Texas | Compaq Center | Chyna | [102] | Corporate Royal Rumble |
5 | SmackDown | January 29, 2004 | Washington, D.C. | MCI Center | Eddie Guerrero | [103] | 15-man SmackDown! Royal Rumble |
6 | Raw | January 14, 2008 | Mobile, Alabama | Mobile Civic Center | Hornswoggle | [104] | Mini Royal Rumble; all participants were midget wrestlers |
7 | Raw | January 31, 2011 | Providence, Rhode Island | Dunkin' Donuts Center | Jerry Lawler | [105] | 7-man Raw Royal Rumble |
Video box set
In March 2007, WWE released a complete DVD box set titled Royal Rumble: The Complete Anthology, which showcases every Royal Rumble event in its entirety, up to the 2007 Royal Rumble.[106]
See also
- Gauntlet for the Gold
- Royal Rumble Participants
- List of WWE Network events
- List of WWE pay-per-view events
References
- General
- "Longest Pro Wrestling Matches". Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved 2013-12-01.
- "Royal Rumble Statistics". MondayNightWarriors.com. Retrieved 2009-12-05.
- "Royal Rumble results". ProWrestlingHistory.com. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
- Eric Cohen. "Royal Rumble History". About.com. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- Ian Hamilton (2006). Wrestling's Sinking Ship: What Happens to an Industry Without Competition. Lulu.com. ISBN 1-4116-1210-8.
- Ric Flair (2004). Ric Flair: To Be the Man. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-7434-5691-2.
- Brian Shields (2006). Main Event: WWE in the Raging 80s. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 1-4165-3257-9.
- Specific
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Specialty Matches: Royal Rumble". WWE. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
- 1 2 Waldman, Jon (2005-02-02). "Statistical survival - breaking down the Royal Rumble". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- ↑ Ian Hamilton. Wrestling's Sinking Ship: What Happens to an Industry Without Competition (p. 160)
- 1 2 Dale Plummer and Nick Tylwalk (2006-01-30). "Mysterio claims Rumble; Cena reigns again". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- ↑ Ric Flair. Ric Flair: To Be the Man (p.161)
- ↑ "Royal Rumble results". ProWrestlingHistory.com. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
- ↑ Brian Shields. Main Event: WWE in the Raging 80s (p.166)
- ↑ Dale Plummer and Nick Tylwalk (2007-01-29). "Old guard dominates Rumble". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- ↑ Clayton, Cory. "How do I get WWE HD on my HDTV". WWE. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
- ↑ "Specialty Matches: Battle Royal". WWE. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
- ↑ "Hall of Fame: Pat Patterson". WWE. Archived from the original on 2007-11-24. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
- 1 2 3 "Royal Rumble: Facts & Figures". WWE. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1988: Main Event". WWE. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2011". WWE. Retrieved 2014-01-01.
For the first time ever, the Royal Rumble Match featured an unprecedented 40 Superstars...
- 1 2 Cohen, Eric (2007-04-25). "The Fate of the Royal Rumble Winner". About.com. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- ↑ Powell, John (2004-01-26). "Benoit wins the 'Rumble'". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
- ↑ Hoffman, Brett (2007-02-05). "Tickets punched for WrestleMania". WWE. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
- ↑ Louie Dee (2007-01-28). "A Phenom-enal Rumble". WWE. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1992: Main Event". WWE. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
- ↑ "Randy Orton vs. John Cena (WWE Championship match): A battle for redemption with 'Mania implications". WWE. 2008-01-28. Archived from the original on 2008-02-01. Retrieved 2008-01-28.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1988 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1988 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1989 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1989 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1990 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1990 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1991 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1991 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1992 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1992 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1993 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1993 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1994 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1994 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1995 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1995 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1996 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1996 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1997 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1997 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1998 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1998 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ Powell, John (1998-01-19). "Austin wins predictable Rumble". SLAM! Sports. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1999 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- 1 2 "Royal Rumble 1999 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ Gramlich, Chris (1998-01-25). "Morrison wins Rumble, Rock champ again". SLAM! Sports. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2000 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- 1 2 "Royal Rumble 2000 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ Powell, John (1998-01-24). "Rocky wins the Rumble, A bloody Triple H defeats Cactus Jack". SLAM! Sports. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2001 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2001 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ Powell, John (1998-01-22). "Surprises dominate Rumble 2001". SLAM! Sports. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2002 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2002 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ Powell, John (1998-01-21). "Rumble 2002 stumbles, Triple H wins WrestleMania spot". SLAM! Sports. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2003 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2003 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2004 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2004 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 4, 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ Powell, John (1998-01-26). "Benoit wins the 'Rumble'". SLAM! Sports. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2005 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2005 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ Plummer, Dale (1998-01-31). "Batista claims the Rumble". SLAM! Sports. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2006 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2006 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- ↑ Plummer, Dale (1998-01-30). "Mysterio claims Rumble; Cena reigns again". SLAM! Sports. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2007 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2007 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- ↑ Plummer, Dale (1998-01-28). "Old guard dominates Rumble". SLAM! Sports. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2008 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2008 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- ↑ Plummer, Dale (1998-01-28). "Cena wins Rumble in surprise return". SLAM! Sports. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2009 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2009 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2010 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- 1 2 "Royal Rumble 2010 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- ↑ Gerweck, Steve (2010-07-27). "Upcoming dates for WWE PPV events in 2011". WrestleView. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ↑ "WWE presents Royal Rumble, 01-29-2012". WWE. 2011-12-11. Retrieved 2011-12-11.
- ↑ Murphy, Ryan (2012-01-29). "Sheamus won the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match". WWE. Retrieved 2013-09-29.
- ↑ Powers, Kevin (2012-01-29). "WWE Champion CM Punk def. Dolph Ziggler (Special Guest Referee John Laurinaitis)". WWE. Retrieved 2013-09-29.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2013 results". WWE. 2013-01-28. Retrieved 2013-09-29.
- ↑ Giannini, Alex; Linder, Zach (2013-01-27). "John Cena won the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match". WWE. Retrieved 2013-09-29.
- ↑ Clapp, John (2013-01-27). "The Rock def. WWE Champion CM Punk". WWE. Retrieved 2013-09-29.
- ↑ Murphy, Ryan; Linder, Zach. "Batista won the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match". WWE. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2014 results". Retrieved 10 November 2014.
- ↑ Royal Rumble (2015)#Results
- ↑ Middleton, Marc. "WWE Reveals Details On The 2016 Royal Rumble And Fastlane Pay-Per-Views". Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ↑ Murphy, Ryan. "Triple H won the 2016 Royal Rumble Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship". WWE. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "Royal Rumble Statistics and Facts". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-02-04.
- 1 2 "Royal Rumble Statistics and Facts". Smark Out Moment.
- ↑ Benigno, Anthony (2 February 2015). "WWE Raw results, February 2, 2015: Curtis Axel demanded a WrestleMania title match". WWE. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
- ↑ "8 controversial Royal Rumble Match exits". WWE. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ↑ "8 controversial Royal Rumble Match exits (Page 8)". WWE. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2001". WWE. Retrieved 2010-02-10.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1997". WWE. Retrieved 2010-02-10.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 1989". WWE. Retrieved 2010-02-10.
- ↑ "5 Things". WWE. Retrieved 2016-01-20.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2011". www.mondaynightwarriors.com. Retrieved 2010-02-10.
- ↑ "The 30 Best Rumbers ever #1 Shawn Michaels". WWE. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ↑ Waldman, Jon (January 30, 2010). "The Royal Rumble stat pack". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved 2010-07-02.
- ↑ "The 30 best Rumblers ever - Page 27". WWE. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 Cawthon, Graham (2013). the History of Professional Wrestling Vol 2: WWF 1990 - 1999. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ASIN B00RWUNSRS.
- ↑ Cawthon, Graham. "WWE Smackdown 2004". The History of WWE. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ↑ Cawthon, Graham. "WWE Raw 2008". The History of WWE. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ↑ Cawthon, Graham. "WWE Raw 2011". The History of WWE. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ↑ "Royal Rumble 2015". Royal Rumble. Retrieved 2015-01-18.
Further reading
- Harley Race and Gerry Tritz (2004). King of the Ring: The Harley Race Story. Sports Publishing. ISBN 1-58261-818-6.
- Davies, Ross (2002). Kevin Nash. The Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN 0-8239-3492-6.
- Meltzer, Dave (2004). Tributes II: Remembering More of the World's Greatest Professional Wrestlers. Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 1-58261-817-8.
- Brian Fritz and Christopher Murray (2006). Between the Ropes: Wrestling's Greatest Triumphs and Failures. ECW Press. ISBN 1-55022-726-2.
- Steve Austin and Jim Ross (2003). The Stone Cold Truth. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-7434-7720-0.
- Scott Keith (2004). Wrestling's One Ring Circus: The Death of the World Wrestling Federation. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-2619-X.
External links
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Royal Rumble |
- Royal Rumble Official Website
- WWE.com: Royal Rumble match description
- WWE.com: Royal Rumble Facts & Figures
- Royal Rumble History at About.com
- WWE Royal Rumble
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