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One of the WWE’s signature pay-per-view’s will take place on Saturday night with the 2022 Royal Rumble coming live from the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX.
The show is headlined by a pair of 30-person over-the-top-rope battle royals or “Royal Rumble” matches for both the men’s and women’s rosters. The unique nature of the matches combined with the surprises and star-making moments that accompanies them has made this a staple on wrestling fan’s calendars since 1988.
With so much history coming out of the Royal Rumble, we’ll go over some of the numbers that goes behind this match concept.
How many individuals have won the Royal Rumble?
31
Since the Royal Rumble’s debut in 1988, there have been 31 individuals who have won a rumble match. There was only a men’s Royal Rumble until 2018, when a women’s Royal Rumble was incorporated into the show. Hacksaw Jim Duggan won the inaugural event in 1988 and Ronda Rousey became the most recent first-time winner last year.
Some quirks on this front include Bret Hart and Lex Luger being declared co-winners in 1994 when both men eliminated each other at the end of the match. Vince McMahon is the only non-wrestler to win the event when he emerged victorious in 1999.
Braun Strowman did win the Greatest Royal Rumble match in Saudi Arabia in 2018, but that’s considered non-canon in traditional Royal Rumble lore.
Who holds the record for most Royal Rumble victories?
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin has won a record three Royal Rumbles, emerging victorious in 1997, 1998, and 2001. He was technically eliminated from the ‘97 Rumble, but took advantage of the officials being distracted outside of the ring by sneaking back in to eliminate Bret Hart and win the match.
How many individuals have won multiple Royal Rumbles?
9
Just nine individuals carry the distinction of winning the Royal Rumble more than once. Austin has won three times while Randy Orton, Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, John Cena, Batista, Triple H, Edge, and Brock Lesnar have each won the match twice.
What entrant number has produced the most winners?
Update: Cody Rhodes won the 2023 men’s Royal Rumble from the 30 spot. He became the fifth man to win from that spot and it has overtaken 27 for being the luckiest number in rumble history.
27, 30
The number of the Rumble winner obviously comes down to where the company wants to slot the victor and the story they want to tell with them during the match. Two particular numbers have proven to be the luckiest as four winners have come from the 27 and 30 slots.
The 27-spot winners include Big John Studd in 1989, Yokozuna in 1993, Bret Hart as a co-winner in 1994, and Austin in 2001. The 30-spot winners include The Undertaker in 2007, Cena in 2008, Triple H in 2016, and Brock Lesnar in 2022.
How many times has someone won from No. 1?
3
There’s been three times where someone has run the gauntlet and won from the first spot. It’s been accomplished by Shawn Michaels in 1995, Chris Benoit in 2004 (which isn’t mentioned on WWE broadcasts for obvious reasons), and Edge in 2021.
A weird quirk about the rumble that kind of screws this stat up is the fact that the No. 2 entrant is basically the same as the No. 1 entrant since they both start the match at the same time. Nevertheless, only Vince McMahon in 1999 and Rey Mysterio in 2006 have won the match from the two-spot.
Who has spent the most time in a single traditional Royal Rumble match?
Men: Rey Mysterio, Women: Bianca Belair
When Mysterio won the Royal Rumble in 2006, he was in for a record one hour, two minutes, and 12 seconds.
Daniel Bryan spent one hour, 16 minutes, and five seconds in the Greatest Royal Rumble in 2018, but that match was a 50-man rumble and again, non-canon in regards to traditional rumbles.
On the women’s side, Belair spent a record 56 minutes and 52 second during her victory in 2021.
Who has spent the least time in a single traditional Royal Rumble match?
Men: Santino Marella, Women: Liv Morgan
Santino Marella was eliminated in a record 1.9 seconds during the 2009 Royal Rumble. The Warlord (1989), Sheamus (2018), and No Way Jose (2019) are all tied for second with two-second eliminations.
On the women’s side, Liv Morgan was eliminated after just eight seconds in the 2019 match.
Who owns the record for most eliminations in a single traditional Royal Rumble match?
Men: Brock Lesnar, Women: Shayna Baszler/Bianca Belair
Brock Lesnar netted a record 13 eliminations in his legendary performance during the first half of the 2020 Royal Rumble. During that same year, both Shayna Baszler and Bianca Belair carved through the women’s field and threw out eight competitors each.
Who holds the record for most traditional Royal Rumble match appearances?
Glenn Jacobs
Whether as Dr. Isaac Yankem, Fake Diesel, or his most successful character Kane, Glenn Jacobs has appeared in 20 Royal Rumbles. He also holds the record for cumulative eliminations at 46.