7 superstars who have entered Royal Rumble at #1 twice

Entering first in the Royal Rumble is a rigorous task
Entering first in the Royal Rumble is a rigorous task

Royal Rumble Premium Live Event is one of the biggest nights in WWE. The namesake 30 superstar Battle Royale always promises to be worth the wait.

To win the match, an entrant has to outlast everyone else. The task sounds rigorous and is harder for those who enter early into the match. What can be more unfortunate than entering #1 or #2?

Though these two spots have to work equally hard, WWE tends to distinguish the two entrants. In the article, we will discuss seven superstars who entered the Royal Rumble match at #1 multiple times.


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#7. Bret Hart – Royal Rumble 1988 and 1991

Bret Hart is the first-ever superstar to enter the Royal Rumble match. In the inaugural 1988 edition, he became the first entrant in the match. He remained in the ring for a good 25 minutes and eliminated Tito Santana.

Three years later, the Hitman became the first superstar to enter the spot twice. He commenced the action in 1991 and survived 20 minutes. A stunning fact is despite remaining in the ring for 20 minutes, he was the fourth superstar to be eliminated. The man behind his elimination was The Undertaker.


#6. Shawn Michaels – Royal Rumble 1995 and 2003

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Shawn Michaels is one of the best in-ring performers WWE has ever had. After Bret Hart, he became the second superstar to have the unfortunate spot twice.

In the 1995 edition, he started the match against the British Bulldog. Every other participant was eliminated thereafter, and these two superstars were left as the ultimate contenders. Michaels, through unparalleled athleticism, managed to toss Bulldog over the top rope. He became the first-ever superstar to win the Rumble after entering at #1.

Eight years later, The Heartbreak Kid willingly chose the first spot to enter. He reached the ring in an attempt to replicate his aforesaid marvels. However, he became the first superstar to be eliminated.

Christian made his way to the ring disguised as Chris Jericho, the second entrant. As Michaels had his eyes set on the ramp, Jericho attacked him from behind with a steel chair. Michaels started bleeding and was eliminated by Y2J.


#5. Triple H – Royal Rumble 1996 and 2006

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It's rare to talk about wrestling without mentioning Triple H. His legacy and versatility are remarkable. The Cerebral Assassin, much like his DX counterpart, has entered the #1 spot twice.

The first time he did so was as Hunter Heart Helmsley. In the 48 minutes of struggle, he eliminated only one superstar. His pursuit was ended by Big Daddy Cool Diesel.

10 years later, he started the Rumble squaring off against Rey Mysterio. The Hall of Famer survived for a prolonged period. In 60 minutes, The Game tossed six superstars over the top rope. Mysterio became the man to crush his hopes.

#4. Ric Flair – Royal Rumble 1993 and 2007

Hundreds of superstars have entered the Royal Rumble. But hardly anyone has a career as vast as Ric Flair. NWA, WCW, WWE, and TNA have all witnessed the excellence of The Nature Boy.

He was the first entrant in the 1993 edition of the Rumble. He spent 18 minutes in the ring and eliminated Papa Shango. The 16-time world champion did the same in 2007 as well. However, he became the first superstar to get his hopes crushed.


#3. Dolph Ziggler – 2010 and 2013

Dolph Ziggler is the only superstar to enter the Rumble at #1 and #30 multiple times. Despite employing every tactic, he's yet to win it. The Showoff started the match in 2010 but was eliminated by CM Punk.

Things were different three years later. He remained in the ring for 49 minutes and was the Iron Man of the match. Ziggler eliminated Jericho and The Godfather in his quest, which was ended by Sheamus.

#2. CM Punk – Royal Rumble 2011 and 2014

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The 2011 Royal Rumble was bigger than usual. 40 men entered the event, and CM Punk was the first. He survived 35 minutes and eliminated seven superstars. Accompanied by Nexus, Punk looked pretty strong to win the Rumble until getting eliminated by John Cena.

The Best in the World entered the event three years later at the same spot. This was the last time he was seen in WWE. He started the match against his former protege Seth Rollins. His hopes were slain when an already eliminated Kane showed up to remove Punk from the equation.


#1. The Miz – 2012 and 2015

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The Miz is the most recent superstar to enter the Rumble at #1 twice. Luck favored him as he survived for 45 minutes in 2012. However, his tactics didn't protect him from The Big Show.

He repeated the entry spot three years later. However, he failed to replicate his earlier performance and was eliminated by Bubba Ray Dudley within four minutes.

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Edited by Abhinav Singh
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