#2 Rick Martel (1991)
By the time the Royal Rumble 1991 took place, 'Hulkamania' was running so wild that it was nearly impossible to imagine anyone else other than Hulk Hogan as the last man standing in the ring. 'The Hulkster' eliminated seven men from the Rumble, eventually winning the match for the second time. In the meanwhile, Hogan overshadowed inarguably the best Rumble performance till then. 'The Model' Rick Martel became the first man to cross the 50-minute mark in the Rumble. He broke the longevity record set by Ted DiBiase. He eliminated 4 men from the match, including Jake 'The Snake' Roberts, with whom he feuded at that time. Over the years, his performance has been forgotten by the fans. But it was truly the first 'Iron Man' performance by a WWE superstar in the Rumble match.