25 Interesting Royal Rumble facts that will stun you

25 interesting Royal Rumble facts

When it comes to the Royal Rumble match, it’s all about the numbers. It’s also about being at the right place at the right time. For 25 years, the sheer unpredictability attached to this event has made it a huge success. While a few men have mastered it, many have faltered at the task of succeeding in a Royal Rumble match. While you may have already known the familiar stats about the Royal Rumble, here are 25 interesting Royal Rumble facts that will surprise you.

1. Vince McMahon, who won the Royal Rumble in 1999, holds the record for making the least number of eliminations by a winner in a Royal Rumble match. Vince eliminated just one participant(Stone Cold Steve Austin) en-route to his victory.
2. Three superstars have won consecutive Royal Rumble matches, so far. Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin are those three victorious men.
3. Three men – Mark Henry, Chris Jericho and The Great Khali, have been eliminated by female Royal Rumble participants, so far.
4. ‘Heart Break Kid’ Shawn Michaels has participated in Royal Rumble matches held in four different decades – 80s, 90s, 2000s and 2010s. He last participated in the 2010 Royal Rumble match.
5. Only five men who entered the match as #1 have survived till #30 had entered the match. Shawn Michaels (1995), Stone Cold Steve Austin (1999), Chris Benoit (2004), Triple H (2006) and Rey Mysterio (2009) are those five resilient men.
6. WWE commentator Jerry Lawler is the only wrestler to have donned both hats on the same night. In the 1997 Royal Rumble match, Jerry commented till he entered the match at #22. His stay was too short as Bret Hart made quick work of him to enable him to return to the commentary booth to continue his primary job.
7. The current record for the shortest stay in a Royal Rumble match including an elimination is held by MVP (Montel Vontavious Porter) who eliminated The Miz and himself within 7 seconds at the 2010 Royal Rumble match.
8. With 8 Royal Rumble appearances, Triple H holds the record for lasting the longest amount of time in a Royal Rumble match, cumulatively. He heads the pack with 3 hours, 51 minutes and 33 seconds.
9. Hulk Hogan went on a rampage during the 1989 Royal rumble match, during which he eliminated 8 men on the trot – a record which stands till date.
10. Ten men have won the Royal Rumble matches in their very first attempt. Here is a list of those lucky debutantes - Hacksaw Jim Duggan (1988), Big John Studd (1989), Ric Flair (1992), Yokozuna (1993), Lex Luger (1994), Vince McMahon (1999), Brock Lesnar (2003), Chris Benoit (2004), Batista (2005) and Alberto Del Rio (2011).
11. All 11 men eliminated by Kane in 2001 have won atleast one Championship in their career.
12. All three members of the Rhodes family – Dusty, Dustin and Cody, have participated in the Royal Rumble match.
13. Butch Reed was the first man to be eliminated in a Royal Rumble match. Jake the snake Roberts was the first eliminator.
14. D-Von Dudley and Bubba Ray Dudley are the only two men who haven’t been involved in the Royal Rumble match in their career despite being a part of the Royal Rumble event five times.
15. Albert a.k.a. A-Train holds the record for participating in the most number of Royal Rumble matches without making a single elimination – Five.
16. Thirteen might be considered an inauspicious number but it has produced atleast one Royal Rumble winner – Jim Duggan (1988). Sixteen other numbers that haven’t produced a single royal rumble winner are 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 25 and 26. (Considering upto 30).
17. Shawn Michaels has eliminated his former tag team partners Diesel, Marty Jannetty and Triple H on three separate occasions.
18. Hacksaw Jim Duggan holds the record for the longest period of absence between successive Royal Rumble match appearances. Duggan participated in 1992 and made his return in 2009.
19. Shawn Michaels has entered three Royal Rumble matches as #18, a record in itself. He shares the record with Edge and The Undertaker who have entered thrice at #5 and #30 respectively.
20. Since 1993, all except one Royal Rumble winner has gone one to win championship titles at some point of their career. Lex Luger is the only Royal Rumble winner to have not won even a single championship title in his career.
21. When #30 entered the 2009 Royal Rumble match, 15 men were inside the ring, which happens to be the highest in history under similar circumstances.
22. Edge spent just 7 minutes and 19 seconds inside the ring in his 2010 Royal Rumble victory, which is a record for the least time spent inside the ring by a Royal Rumble winner.
23. Alberto Del Rio is the only Royal Rumble winner to have also won the Money in the Bank briefcase in the same year (2011). Edge too had achieved a similar feat but it wasn’t in the same year.
24. Royal Rumble match has never seen a hometown winner in its 24 years of existence. Will Randy Orton be able to break this jinx in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, in 2012?
25. Undertaker may be on a 19-0 undefeated streak at Wrestlemania, but his storyline brother Kane is yet to win a Royal Rumble match after 15 attempts (including New Diesel).