5 WWE stars who spent the most time in a Royal Rumble

While winning the Royal Rumble is the ultimate goal, there are other accolades to make participation worthwhile. One is eliminating a plethora of stars. Kane and Roman Reigns, in different Rumbles, eliminated eight stars.

Another consolation prize in the Rumble is being the iron man or iron woman of the match. Some stars, like Rey Mysterio and Edge, started and finished a Rumble match. Mysterio, however, lasted longer than Edge did.

The iron person spot is usually reserved for either a popular top star or a highly touted new prospect. The spot went to Bianca Belair last year as she won after lasting for 56:52. It's the most time a woman has spent in the match.

Here are the five WWE stars with the longest runs in Rumble matches. The Greatest Rumble match is also included.

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#5. Triple H lasted for over an hour in the 2006 Royal Rumble

During the early and mid-2000s, The Game was atop WWE. He technically entered the match in the first spot while eventual winner Rey Mysterio entered second. During the 2006 match, Triple H lasted for 1:00.16.

The two men would stave off elimination for over an hour each, with Mysterio earning the title shot for WrestleMania. While The Game wasn't the runner-up, he was the second-to-last person eliminated in the match. Randy Orton was the runner-up that year.

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#4. WWE Hall of Famer Bob Backlund had a run of 1:01:10 in the 1993 Royal Rumble

When someone thinks of the Rumble, Bob Backlund's name probably isn't one of the first that comes to mind. That still doesn't change the fact that in 1993, Backlund lasted for 1:01.10 in the Rumble.

He only managed two eliminations and was eliminated by eventual winner Yokozuna. No one else in the match lasted more than 30 minutes, which is a testament to Backlund. It was also before Backlund pulled his heel turn in 1994, where he'd constantly torment Bret Hart over the WWE title.

#3. Chris Benoit lasted for 1:01.30 and won the 2004 Royal Rumble

While his spot in wrestling history is controversial for the wrong reasons, Chris Benoit has a place in Royal Rumble lore. The Wolverine was the first entrant in the 2004 match and went the distance (1:01.30) for the win.

With his Rumble victory, he challenged Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship at WM 20. Shawn Michaels was later added to the match, but Benoit would go on to capture the WHC at the event.

Since Benoit left SmackDown to challenge the champion on RAW, another rule was created because of his win. The caveat that Royal Rumble winners can pick a champion of their choosing began with Benoit's win.

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#2. Rey Mysterio won the 2006 Royal Rumble after a run of 1:02.12

Mysterio was one of the top stars on SmackDown at the time of his Rumble victory. In his hour-long run (1:02.12) in the match, Mysterio notched six eliminations, tying Triple H for the most in that year's contest.

While the win marked the first time a superstar under 5 feet 5 inches won the match, it was notable for another reason.

In November 2005, just a few months before the Royal Rumble, WWE Hall-of-Famer Eddie Guerrero passed away suddenly. With the Rumble win, Mysterio carried on Guerrero's championship legacy by defeating Kurt Angle at WM 22. Can Rey top his 2006 run in this year's match?

#1. Daniel Bryan holds the record with a run of 1:16.05 in 2018's Greatest Royal Rumble

Braun Strowman won the Greatest Royal Rumble in 2018. In the same match, Daniel Bryan set the record for time spent in a Rumble. Since it was filled with 50 participants, it meant that someone could have a longer run.

Bryan was beloved for his work and had never won a Rumble. While fans had hoped to see Bryan in both the 2014 and 2015 matches, his best feat in the match was a record time of 1:16.05 in the Greatest Rumble.

His win surpassed the previous record for longevity held by Rey Mysterio. In the match, Bryan entered first and was the third-to-last person to be eliminated. While he lasted for over 1:16, he only eliminated two other superstars.

Another interesting fact is that the Greatest Royal Rumble was Bryan's second-to-last Royal Rumble appearance. He participated in last year's match with a run of 28:50. In the two years before that, he participated in two title matches instead of entering the Rumble.