4-time champion talks about being "approved to break the record" at WWE Royal Rumble

The 2024 WWE Royal Rumble is only a few nights away, and fans are excited to see what Triple H has in store for the wrestling world. A legendary superstar recently spoke about a record he created during the 2009 Royal Rumble match.

Santino Marella is known as one of the best comic characters WWE has ever produced. He was involved in major rivalries that saw him dish out some great content. The four-time champion had his fair share of highs and lows in the Stamford-based wrestling promotion.

Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Marella opened up about when he was eliminated from the 2009 Royal Rumble match within seconds. He noted that he wanted to have the record after the higher-ups told him about his plans for the match.

"There were times I was given lemons and I made lemonade, and that was like a perfect example because, during the production meeting, they said, 'You're coming out' whatever number it is, 16, 17, I can't remember. 'But, it's going to be quick. Just so you know, it's going to be quick,'" Marella explained.

He added that he pitched the idea to break the record, and a WWE executive approved it later in the day.

"And then I said, 'Okay, no problem. Can we try and break the record?' I believe it was Dean Malenko [who] was like, 'Let me get back to you.' Later in the day, he came back and gave me the thumbs up, and said, 'Yup, you're approved to break the record,'" the WWE legend added. [H/T Wrestling Inc]

The elimination made headlines and also became a meme over the internet. It helped push the superstar even more as it was perfectly on-brand with his character. In the same interview, Santino Marella joked that he got paid $27 million/hour for the WWE Royal Rumble but only worked one second.

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WWE fans could see some new records at the 2024 Royal Rumble

Triple H will aim to go big at this year’s Royal Rumble event. The men’s match will see Gunther, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, and Drew McIntyre as the contest's favorites.

The Ring General could score the most eliminations this year after setting the Iron Man record at last year’s show. Meanwhile, Rhodes could create history by winning the 30-man elimination match once again.

Nia Jax will look to set a record for the most eliminations in the women’s Rumble. Fans could also see Becky Lynch or Bayley set a new record for the Iron Woman in the match’s history.

Do you want to see Santino Marella show up for a cameo at this year’s Royal Rumble? Sound off in the comments section below.