The Royal Rumble event is one of the most fun shows of the entire year for many different reasons, not the least of which is how there are many different records which can be broken or at least set for this year in comparison to others.
Since the Royal Rumble is so special, I’ve made it a point over the past few years to try and study patterns in WWE’s booking (which you can find here) and take my predictions to a whole new level. Instead of just guessing the winners of the matches, why not also shoot for the extraneous factors that make up the 30-man battle royal as well?
In the third and final part of this series, we will attempt to predict the laughing stock of the competition. Out of the 30 wrestlers involved, who is going to be eliminated in the quickest amount of time?
For many years, the record stood at only two seconds when The Warlord was eliminated by Hulk Hogan in the 1989 Royal Rumble. Many others since then have come close with very similar times, such as Bushwhacker Luke’s three second march to elimination in 1991.
However, the top spot goes to Santino Marella, who surpassed Warlord’s record in 2009 after being eliminated by Kane in just over one second. To his credit, he wasn’t ready. This is a rarity that is unlikely to be duplicated or surpassed this year, so any predictions for the 2015 Royal Rumble in regards to the shortest time should account for something above the two second mark. It’s nearly impossible for someone to break this record, so this year’s challengers at least have that going for them.
On average, the shortest elimination seems to be roughly 10-20 seconds, which his just enough time for someone to make his entrance, hit a few punches, and be tossed over the top rope before the next person joins the fray. Oftentimes, this comes about when a particular superstar is on a roll, as evidenced by Stone Cold Steve Austin’s performance in the 1997 match and CM Punk’s in both 2010 and 2011 with an assist to his teammates in The Nexus.
Usually, the winner of this award for inadequacy is someone on the comedic side of things. The Godfather fell victim to a dropkick from Dolph Ziggler in 2013 in under five seconds and Jerry Lawler was eliminated by Bret Hart so fast in 1997 that he was able to finish the sentence he started mere seconds beforehand back at the commentary table. Although, being a jobber is not a requirement to be shorthanded on time.
Owen Hart’s performance in the 1995 Royal Rumble after being attacked by his brother Bret led to a swift elimination. Sometimes, people even eliminate themselves to go after a bitter enemy, such as MVP in 2010.
When factoring in all of those elements, who stands the chance at being this year’s biggest losers?
ADAM ROSE
Although he has not officially been confirmed as a participant of this match, it would seem odd if Adam Rose wasn’t involved. Since he’s a bit of a joke character, WWE has an opportunity to have fun with his elimination in more than one way. Rose could be tossed over the ropes and assume that the Exotic Express would be there to catch him, only to find himself hitting the mat when the Rosebuds ditch him for having turned heel. There’s also the threat of The Bunny eliminating him, which may appear at face value to be a ridiculous idea, but we’re talking about a company that has had similar style eliminations involving El Torito, Hornswoggle, commentators, divas, and more. Adam Rose has become so hard to like and so easy to root against, so he may be a major player in this year’s infamous position.
JUSTIN GABRIEL
Clearly, Justin Gabriel is not one of the most valuable people on the roster today. While he is talented, he hasn’t been booked as anything more than a lower midcarder on his good days. In fact, Gabriel’s peak was in 2011, coming off his involvement in The Nexus and being a prominent member of The Corre, but he still was eliminated within 90 seconds. To assume anything less than a quick elimination for him this year would be foolish. Even sadder, if WWE is able to book some legends to make an appearance, Gabriel is one of the prime candidates on the chopping block to have his spot taken away from him in order to make room. The Cape Town Werewolf may stand at zero seconds and not be a factor in this match at all.
R-TRUTH
Very much in the same vein as Justin Gabriel, R-Truth’s stock in the company has gone down considerably over the past few years. When he was acting crazy, he was challenging John Cena for the WWE Championship and wrestling The Rock along with his Awesome Truth tag team partner, The Miz. But even when it came to the 2012 Royal Rumble, wherein R-Truth could have had an impressive showing, he was tossed out by The Miz like nothing. Since he has been so low on the pecking order for the past two years, it goes without being said that R-Truth will be far from this year’s Iron Man.
DEAN AMBROSE
What? Dean Ambrose?! He’s a potential winner! That’s insanity!
Exactly. If anybody is going to be in a situation where they let their emotions get the better of themselves and they are instrumental in their own elimination, it is the Lunatic Fringe. Ambrose has been on a losing streak for quite some time and WWE has been making a point to drive home the idea that he can sometimes get too reckless for his own wellbeing. There is an easy scenario to shock the audience here where Bray Wyatt can come out and be followed by Ambrose soon after. After a flurry of offense, Ambrose can eliminate both Wyatt and himself and continue brawling with him on the outside, sacrificing himself to ensure that Wyatt does not become the victor.
Who are some other people that you expect to see thrown out very fast? Cast your predictions in the comments below!
