On Sunday night, WWE will celebrate the 29th year of the Royal Rumble , and there is no doubt that it is one of the most enjoyable events of every single year. The unpredictability makes things so exciting as fans try to figure out who will win and who will make a surprise return. Over the years, so many strange and phenomenal things have taken place, but it is time to look at the pay-per-view (PPV) by the numbers for stats, eliminations, lucky entrants, and much more.
The Royal Rumble is not your everyday run-of-the-mill PPV. The 30-superstar over-the-top-rope match means that anyone and everyone has the chance at main eventing WrestleMania . While some will say that it is all the luck of the draw, getting a number near the end doesn’t hurt, but it doesn’t guarantee victory.
Out of 29 events, only two of the major battle royals have ventured outside of the number of 30 superstars. The very first event in 1988 had only 20 wrestlers in it and in 2011, WWE tried to up things a bit and had 40 superstars in the match.
Let’s take a look at how the numbers stack up throughout the history of the Royal Rumble :
Entry number with most wins – 27
The luckiest number is not the final one as you may expect as number 30 has brought forth three victors, but number 27 has registered four: Big John Studd, Yokozuna, Bret Hart, Steve Austin.
The number 30 position has brought about only three Royal Rumble winners throughout the history of the PPV: The Undertaker, John Cena, and Triple H.
Unluckiest number – 26
While some would think that anything in the final five entries would be great to have, that isn’t necessarily always true. Number 26 has only produced five entrants in the final four of 29 Royal Rumble matches and not produced a single winner.
Most Royal Rumble victories – “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
Most eliminations in a single match – Roman Reigns with 12
Most eliminations total – Kane with 44
Longest time ever in a single match – Rey Mysterio in 2006 for one hour, two minutes, and 12 seconds
Shortest time ever in a single match – Santino Marella in 2009 for 1.9 seconds
Most Royal Rumble appearances – Kane with 17; The numbers jumps to 19 if counting his appearances as Isaac Yankem D.D.S. and the fake Diesel. If not counting Kane’s other gimmicks, Shawn Michaels has the top spot with 12, according to the Pro Fight Database .
Women in a Royal Rumble match: Kharma, Beth Phoenix, and Chyna are the only women to ever appear as official entrants.
Full list of Royal Rumble winners:
1988 – Hacksaw Jim Duggan (#13) 1989 – Big John Studd (#27) 1990 – Hulk Hogan (#25) 1991 – Hulk Hogan (#24) 1992 – Ric Flair (#3) 1993 – Yokozuna (#27) 1994 – Lex Luger (#23) and Bret “Hit Man” Hart (#27) 1995 – Shawn Michaels (#1) 1996 – Shawn Michaels (#18) 1997 – “Stone Cold” Steve Austin (#5) 1998 – “Stone Cold” Steve Austin (#24) 1999 – Vince McMahon (#2) 2000 – The Rock (#24) 2001 – “Stone Cold” Steve Austin (#27) 2002 – Triple H (#22) 2003 – Brock Lesnar (#29) 2004 – Chris Benoit (#1) 2005 – Batista (#28) 2006 – Rey Mysterio (#2) 2007 – Undertaker (#30) 2008 – John Cena (#30) 2009 – Randy Orton (#8) 2010 – Edge (#29) 2011 – Alberto Del Rio (#38) – 40-superstar match 2012 – Sheamus (#22) 2013 – John Cena (#19) 2014 – Batista (#28) 2015 – Roman Reigns (#19) 2016 – Triple H (#30)
As of Saturday night, there were still only 22 entrants officially announced for this year’s Royal Rumble , according to the preview page on the WWE website. While it is always possible that one of the surprises could win, it’s hard to believe that there aren’t already plans in place for one of the 22 superstars at WrestleMania 33 .
Over the last 30 years, a lot of stats have been built up for the Royal Rumble and many superstars have been able to showcase their talents and win the WrestleMania main event spot. Every year, that is what the superstars are fighting for, but it doesn’t hurt to get your name down in the record books as well. The 2017 event will only add to the numbers and statistics as 30 superstars look to outlast everyone else and not be thrown over the top rope and to the floor.
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