Hello. The WWE Royal Rumble event is just around the corner, so let’s look at the all-time stats and records. This is more of a visual piece because there’s not much else to say outside of sharing the numbers.
Most Royal Rumble Victories
As of 2001, Stone Cold Steve Austin held the record of winning the Royal Rumble three times. The record still stands after 21 years, and the only current wrestlers who could match it (with one more victory) are Randy Orton, Edge, John Cena and Triple H. Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels and Batista also have two victories each. After four women’s Royal Rumble matches, Asuka, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair remain tied on one each.
Stone Cold Steve Austin: 3 times
Most Times As Runner-Up
This is not a record anyone wants to hold, but it’s there, and is currently held by the Universal Champion Roman Reigns. He was runner-up in 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2020, which is a record looking unlikely to be usurped soon. Reigns won the Royal Rumble in 2015 to challenge Brock Lesnar, but the main event is more remembered for Seth Rollins cashing in Money in the Bank and winning the title. Reigns does not have the best of luck at this event.
On the women’s side, Charlotte Flair is the only woman to have reached the final two participants twice. She was a runner-up in 2019 and won the event in 2020. You can’t have a record for this yet, because everyone is tied on 1.
Roman Reigns: 4 times
Winners By Entry Number
Some numbers are lucky, and this record shows us how likely they are at gaining success for a superstar. While this only represents the men’s side, it wouldn’t change anything if we were to add the women’s entry numbers.
- #27 – 1989 (Big John Studd), 1993 (Yokozuna), 1994 (Bret Hart), 2001 (Steve Austin)
- #1 – 1995 (Shawn Michaels), 2004 (Chris Benoit), 2021 (Edge)
- #30 – 2007 (The Undertaker), 2008 (John Cena), 2016 (Triple H)
- #24 – 1991 (Hulk Hogan), 1998 (Steve Austin), 2000 (The Rock)
As predicted, having a later number gives you a better chance of success. However, if you want to draw any of the first 15 numbers, #1 beats them all. The #2 spot isn’t bad either, as Mr. McMahon (1999) & Rey Mysterio (2006) won from there. You’d prefer to start the match than appear anywhere else in the first half. As of the end of 2021, Steve Austin is the only superstar to have drawn a lucky number twice. The women’s matches have been won from #3, #17, #25 and #28.
#27: 4 times
Longest Time In A Single Royal Rumble
Just so you know, these records include the “Greatest Royal Rumble” in 2018. 7 male Superstars have lasted over an hour. Bianca Belair came close to this feat last year, with her 56-minute and 52-second victory, setting the record for the longest time a woman has been in a single Royal Rumble. Counting to the #1 spot, here are the longest times in the history of men’s matches.
- #7. Ric Flair – 1 hour, 2 seconds in 1992 (Won WWF Championship from #3 spot)
- #6. Chris Jericho – 1 hour, 13 seconds in 2017 (Eliminated)
- #5. Triple H – 1 hour, 16 seconds in 2006 (Eliminated)
- #4. Bob Backlund – 1 hour, 1 minute, 10 seconds in 1993 (Eliminated)
- #3. Chris Benoit – 1 hour, 1 minute, 30 seconds in 2004 (Won from #1 spot)
- #2. Rey Mysterio – 1 hour, 2 minutes, 12 seconds in 2006 (Won from #2 spot)
- #1. Daniel Bryan – 1 hour, 16 minutes, 5 seconds in 2018 (Eliminated in 50-man Greatest Royal Rumble)
Can we put Daniel Bryan over Rey Mysterio’s time, when the Greatest Royal Rumble had 50 superstars versus 2006’s 30? It’s up to you. 2006 holds the time record for the first two entrants, as both Rey Mysterio & Triple hung on for over two hours.
Men’s (30+): Daniel Bryan – Men’s (20-30): Rey Mysterio – Women’s: Bianca Belair
Shortest Time In A Single Royal Rumble
Again, another record nobody wants, although it feels unlikely anyone could beat it. Why? Well, how do you beat 1.9 seconds? It’s near impossible. Since 1989, The Warlord held the record at 2 seconds. In 2009, Santino Marella beat it with a time claimed as 1.9 seconds.
Since then, WWE tried beating it again with Sheamus (2018) and No Way Jose (2019), but they clocked in at 2 seconds. Other close shaves include Mike Kanellis (2018) and Xavier Woods (2019) with times of 3 seconds. Owen Hart, Mo, Bushwacker Luke, Jerry Lawler, Titus O’Neil (twice) and The Godfather have tried, but range between the 3-5 second mark. Currently, Liv Morgan (2019) holds the record in women’s matches with 8 seconds.
Santino Marella: 1.9 seconds – Liv Morgan: 8 seconds
Longest Cumulative Time Spent
This is the amount of overall time spent in the Royal Rumble match across a superstar’s career. Chris Jericho holds this record with a time of 4 hours, 59 minutes and 33 seconds.
This record can be beaten if Randy Orton lasts over 28 minutes in this year’s match. It’s possible for Rey Mysterio to take the record too, but he would have to be in for 55 minutes. In women’s matches, Charlotte Flair holds the record with 1 hour, 51 minutes and 5 seconds. If she is eliminated quickly, it is possible to see Natalya, Bianca Belair or Naomi take over the top spot this year.
Chris Jericho: 4:59:33 – Charlotte Flair: 1:51:05
Most Eliminations In A Single Royal Rumble
Back in 1989, Hulk Hogan set the record at 10 eliminations, which was only matched by Steve Austin in 1997. In 2001, twelve years after Hogan set the record, Kane went one better with 11 eliminations. Kane held the record for thirteen years until Roman Reigns went one better with 12 eliminations in 2014. Since then, two men have beaten it.
In 2018, Braun Strowman set a record in the 50-man Greatest Royal Rumble with 13. Brock Lesnar matched this in the 30-man Royal Rumble of 2020. I don’t know about you, but eliminating almost half the field is more impressive. Not only that, but Brock Lesnar’s 13 earned a record of consecutive eliminations in a single match, beating Hogan’s previous record of 8.
On the women’s side, Shayna Baszler & Bianca Belair currently hold the record with 8 each. Baszler however, holds the most eliminations in cumulative Rumbles with 14.
Brock Lesnar/Braun Strowman: 13 – Shayna Baszler/Bianca Belair: 8
Total Eliminations In Cumulative Royal Rumble
This only counts for superstars who entered back-to-back Royal Rumble with no breaks. There are two ways we can look at this, so I’m including two leaderboards to show what I mean. One will list the most eliminations, while the other has the best average rate of eliminations.
- Kane (AKA Diesel/Issac Yankem) – 46 eliminations in 20 appearances (2.3 average)
- The Undertaker – 44 eliminations in 11 appearances (4 average)
- Shawn Michaels – 41 eliminations in 12 appearances (3.42 average)
Nobody is currently in a position to reach these numbers, so Kane’s record may go undefeated for decades. He is the undisputed ruler of Royal Rumble eliminations over the long term. However, it looks different if we only look at the averages.
- Hulk Hogan – 27 eliminations in 4 appearances (6.75 average)
- Steve Austin (AKA The Ringmaster) – 36 eliminations in 6 appearances (6 average)
- Brock Lesnar – 24 eliminations in 4 appearances (6 average)
As we can see, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, and Brock Lesnar dominated their 4-6 consecutive appearances. This destroys Kane’s average, but I’m going to include a picture of the Big Red Machine for his unmatched longevity. It’s a tougher record to beat.
Longevity: Kane – Dominance: Hulk Hogan
Highest Number Of Wrestlers Involved In An Elimination
It’s not nice being on the receiving end of a gang mentality, but it’s understandable with eliminating super heavyweights over the top rope.
Mabel (AKA Viscera) had 8 other superstars working together to eliminate him in 2008, beating his previous record of 7 in 1994. RIP Nelson Frazier Jr. Rikishi shares the third spot of 6 with Muhammad Hassan, who was so hated by his fellow superstars that they collectively decided it was his time. On the women’s side, Nia Jax was eliminated by 6 others in 2018.
Mabel/Viscera/Big Daddy V: 8
Most Royal Rumble Appearances
I think you already know who wins this without me telling you. Kane still holds the record for most appearances with 20, and he could make it 21 this year. Sadly, this also means Kane has the longest streak of Rumble appearances without winning it. Last year, he donated his payday to a local apprenticeship scheme.
Who is second? Dolph Ziggler has entered the Rumble 14 times. After that, Dustin Rhodes, The Miz, Randy Orton and Kofi Kingston share the 13 mark. Anyone of these guys could get somewhere near Kane’s record someday. On the women’s side, it’s pretty close, as there have only been 4 women’s Rumbles. Here are the superstars who have yet to miss out: Carmella, Dana Brooke, Tamina, Liv Morgan, Mandy Rose, Naomi and Natalya.
Kane: 20 appearances
Other Records
Other records and stats showing what else has happened in the history of the Royal Rumble match. I found some records from another article here: Goliath
– Batista is the only person to win from the same spot twice, at #28
– Mick Foley is the only superstar to enter the same match three times. To do this, he entered the 1998 Rumble as Dude Love, Cactus Jack and Mankind.
– Nia Jax is the only superstar to enter the men & women’s matches on the same night. In 2019, after participating in the women’s, she attacked R-Truth and took his #30 spot in the men’s match.
– Chyna is the only woman to enter a men’s Rumble twice, in 1999 and 2000. Aside from Nia Jax, others who entered once include Beth Phoenix & Kharma (AKA Awesome Kong). Santino Marella is the only man to enter a women’s Royal Rumble, which he did as “Santina Marella”.
– After earning a WrestleMania title shot in the Royal Rumble, 16 men have won the championship of their choice. 11 lost out, giving a success rate of .607. So far, three of the four women who have won their Royal Rumble have won at WrestleMania.
– Only two Royal Rumble winners did not challenge for the title. WWE stripped Stone Cold Steve Austin of the opportunity in 1997 after officials found someone had thrown him out of the ring. He later faced Bret Hart in the iconic “I Quit” match.
In 1999, Mr. McMahon renounced his own title opportunity and it would later become The Rock (c) vs. Steve Austin at WrestleMania. Austin won the title.
– Stone Cold Steve Austin is the only superstar who has twice won the Royal Rumble and claimed the title at WrestleMania.
– 1994 marks the only occasion when a Royal Rumble had co-winners. Both Bret Hart & Lex Luger would challenge Yokozuna at WrestleMania. As Luger won a coin toss, he faced Yokozuna first, while Bret would need to wrestle in the opening match against his brother Owen (Luger would have faced Crush if he lost). Luger lost his match to Yokozuna by DQ. After losing to Owen in the opener, Bret Hart defeated Yokozuna in the main event for the title.
– In 2020, Rumble winner Charlotte Flair made history by becoming the first superstar to decide to challenge for a NXT Championship. She defeated NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley in the opening match of night two, marking the first time in history that a NXT title had been on the line at WrestleMania.
– There have been 14 other Royal Rumble which aren’t included with the records. Many took place at House Shows or during episodes of Raw & SmackDown, and participants ranged from 4 to 30. Winners include: One Man Gang, Rick Rude, Owen Hart, The Undertaker twice, Kane & Mankind (Tag Team Rumble), Chyna, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, The Great Khali, Jerry Lawler, Hornswoggle & Ric Flair.
– Three of the above Rumbles decided the #1 contender. The most famous of these was Eddie Guerrero, earning a title shot against Brock Lesnar at No Way Out 2004. In 1999, The Undertaker earned a title shot in a 5-man Rumble. The last time was Jerry Lawler in 2011, who earned a shot at the WWE Champion, The Miz, at Elimination Chamber.
– Albert, otherwise known as A-Train or Tensai, holds a record of six Royal Rumble matches eliminating nobody. In 1996, Triple H went 48 minutes in a 58-minute Rumble eliminating no one.
– Shawn Michaels is the only superstar to have wrestled in a Royal Rumble across four different decades. His first was in 1989, and the last came in 2010.
– Edge has the record for winning the Royal Rumble in the shortest time. In 2010, from the #29 spot, he won in 7 minutes and 19 seconds.
– Because he only took part in the one Royal Rumble he won, Big John Studd is the only superstar to never be eliminated. Brock Lesnar shared this record for many years, but lost it after being eliminated upon his return to the Royal Rumble in the 2016 match.
– Mr. McMahon holds the record for eliminating the least amount of participants to win the Rumble. With help from The Rock, he eliminated just one superstar. Who was it? Of course, it was Stone Cold Steve Austin.
With that said, I know the Royal Rumble is something we look forward to each year. I hope this has helped you learn about the annually changing legacy of the concept created by Hall of Famer Pat Patterson. Thank you for reading!
Like Royal Rumble reviews? I once wrote a series on this, but eventually grew tired of it. If you like, you can read all the reviews at the following links:
