2021 Royal Rumble Participant Countdown

[ThankGodForSidJustice]

8. "Y2J" Chris Jericho-367 points
Stats
Ring Time: 298:30
Eliminations: 16
Assists: 3

Accomplishments
2003 Iron Man
2017 Iron Man
Most Eliminations (2003)
2012 Runner-Up
Final Four (2004, 2017)
Most Total Time in the History of the Royal Rumble

Jericho was in the 2000, 03, 04, 05, 09, 010, 012, 013, 016, and 017 Rumbles. Other then Kane, he's the best Rumble participant to never win the match. He's been the biggest iron man in the history of the match, logging in many 30+ minute performances. In 2000 he eliminated Bob Backlund but only lasted 3:47 before getting suplexed out by then rival Chyna. 03 was a strong showing. Going into the match that year he was in a rivalry with Shawn Michaels where he would keep trying to prove he was better then him. Jericho wanted the #1 spot that year so he could accomplish what HBK did in the 95 Rumble. However Michaels had already got that spot. After winning a pick your number match on Raw, Jericho picked #2. At the start of the match while Michaels was waiting in the ring, Jericho's buddy Christian appeared disguised as Jericho which allowed Jericho to sneak in from the crowd and put a big beatdown on HBK. In a big shocker Jericho eliminated the battered Michaels in under 3 minutes. Jericho then went onto eliminate Rey Mysterio, Tajiri, teamed with Christian to eliminate Tommy Dreamer, and then dumped both Christian and Edge when they were fighting on the ropes. Jericho almost made it to the end but then Michaels returned and distracted him long enough for Test to toss him after 38:54, the longest time that year.

Going into 04 he was in a tweener role as he was still officially a heel but was clearly turning face due to an angle where Christian was getting mad at him for falling for Trish Stratus. Jericho and Christian worked together at first but eventually began fighting with Jericho getting the better of him by putting him out with a backdrop. Jericho went onto last for nearly 15 minutes and was in the final 4 before getting tossed by Big Show. 05 was yet another good showing as he took part in the group elimination of Muhammad Hassan, eliminated Rene Dupree and was in for nearly a half hour before getting tossed by Batista in the finals. Jericho left the company shortly after Summerslam that year.

Y2J returned in late 07 but wasn't in the 08 Rumble due to being in another match that year. He was in the 09 match though. By this point he had cut his hair short, ditched his rock star gimmick and was now a serious heel business man type character. Jericho had another iron man showing as he was in for 37:15 and eliminated the returning Rob Van Dam in the finals before going out himself shortly after courtesy of the Undertaker. 2010 was crap and a total waste of his talent. After entering at #28 his former partner Edge returned, after being out for months with an torn achilles tendon, as the next entrant and tossed Jericho after just a little over 2 minutes. Jericho left the WWE in October of that year. He returned on January 2nd of 2012 after a series of cryptic vignettes. Jericho was in that years Rumble and was considered by most as the favorite to win it. After entering at #29 Jericho quickly tossed out David Otunga and later eliminated Randy Orton. Jericho ended up finishing runner-up though as Sheamus eliminated him with a brogue kick as Jericho was on the apron after a great back and forth exchange that lasted several minutes. Jericho's ring time was 11:34. After losing a match to Dolph Ziggler in August of 2012, Jericho once again left the WWE.

However he returned again at the 2013 Rumble at #2, conveniently opposing Ziggler who had entered at #1. Jericho put in another good showing as he eliminated Drew McIntyre and assisted in the group elimination of Brodus Clay before getting superkicked out by Ziggler after 47:53. 2016 was a strong showing as the 45 year old Jericho stayed for 50:50, which technically was the most time anyone lasted in the ring as Reigns was in the back for a large bulk of the hour he was in. Jericho also eliminated Kofi Kingston and made all the way to the last 5 before getting tossed by Dean Ambrose. In 2017 he was in a whopping 60:13 (shattering Triple H's total Rumble time record in the process), although he spent a good bit of it hiding outside the ring. He also eliminated Sheamus and Cesaro and made it all the way to the final four before getting superman punched off the turnbuckles by Roman Reigns and eliminated. In the Greatest Royal Rumble he drew the coveted #50. Jericho eliminated Shelton Benjamin but didn't last long as Braun got rid of him after just 3:18.

[ThankGodForSidJustice]

7. The Undertaker-367 points (7)
Stats
Ring Time: 151:22
Eliminations: 37
Assists: 2

Accomplishments
2007 Royal Rumble Winner
2003 Runner-Up

The Phenom appeared in the 91, 92, 93, 97, 01, 02, 03, 07, 08, 09, and 2017 Rumbles. In 91 he was still pretty new to the company, making his debut just a couple months before at the Survivor Series. Undertaker was impressive as he eliminated Bret Hart, Bushwhacker Butch, and Kerry Von Erich before the LOD eliminated him with a double clothesline after 14:16. He won the World Title from Hulk Hogan later in the year at Survivor Series before losing it back to Hogan in a controversial match, the next week at the one time PPV This Tuesday in Texas. Due to the controversy, WWF President Jack Tunney stripped Hogan of the title with the winner of the Royal Rumble being declared the new champion. Since they were the last two champions, Hogan and Taker were allowed to pick from numbers 20 through 30. Taker ended up getting the worst of the lot with #20. He immediately eliminated Jimmy Snuka which surprisingly turned out to be his only elimination of the night. Hogan eliminated him after 13:51 with a clothesline. In 93 he eliminated Samu, Tenryu, Ted Dibiase, and the Berzerker. Then Giant Gonzalez, who wasn't a official participant, came out and beat him down before tossing him after just a little over 4 minutes.

In the next seven years, Taker was in only one Rumble match with that being in 97 as he was either in other matches or was taking time off in the other years. In 97 he drew #30. He eliminated Henry Godwinn and Mankind before both him and Vader were dumped by Austin who had snuck back into the ring after the referees missed him being tossed by Bret Hart. In 01, now using a biker gimmick, he came to the aid of his "brother" Kane, who was being ganged up on everyone, before helping him clear the ring. Undertaker eliminated Bradshaw, Hardcore Holly and Val Venis. Scotty 2 Hotty was the unfortunate next entrant. Needless to say he was tossed by Taker and Kane in short order. Taker ended up getting eliminated in the finals by Rikishi which was pretty surprising. In 02 he cleared the ring as he eliminated Rikishi, Goldust, Al Snow, and Billy Gunn. The Hardy Boyz would then enter back to back and try to double team him, but Taker fought them off and tossed them. Maven entered next and was beat down. However, the Hardyz would interfere. and even though Undertaker disposed of them again it distracted him enough for Maven to dropkick him from behind and eliminate him in what has to be considered the biggest upset elimination in the history of the match. Taker got back in the ring and layed a beatdown on poor Maven before throwing him over the top rope. He then proceeded to beat the crap out of him through the arena before throwing him headfirst through a popcorn machine.

In 03, after taking some time off to heal some injuries, he returned for the Rumble match and drew #30 again. He eliminated John Cena, Jamal, Maven, Batista, and Kane before Brock Lesnar dumped him out to win it after Taker had just knocked the interfering Batista out of the ring with a chair. Taker once again took a long break from Rumble matches, as he wasn't in another until 07. He drew #30 for the third time that year. He quickly eliminated the Great Khali who had just finished tossing 7 men. He then tossed MVP not long after. MVP however attempted to reenter with a chair. The referees would intervene but not before Orton took the chair and hit Taker in the head with it. Orton and Edge double teamed Taker and attempted to give him a conchairto before Shawn Michaels surprised them and eliminated them. This left just Taker and Shawn. The two would have a great back and forth exchange that ended when Taker avoided Michaels sweet chin music and tossed him to win the match. This was the first time the #30 entrant had won the match.

In 08 Taker and Michaels started the match. Could they at least try to make it look random. Taker eliminated Santino, Khali again, and Snitsky before Michaels eliminated him with sweet chin music after 32:33. 09 was another long run as he was in for 32:27. He eliminated JTG, Shelton Benjamin, Mark Henry with help from Mysterio, and Jericho. In the finals him and Big Show battled to the apron. Orton eliminated Big Show with an RKO but neither him or his Legacy minions could knock Undertaker off. Then Big Show pulled him off in a cheap elimination with the two then brawling into the crowd. Taker wouldn't be in another Rumble until 2017. He drew a late number with 29 and eliminated Baron Corbin, Goldberg, Miz, and Sami Zayn before getting dumped from behind by Roman Reigns, setting up a WrestleMania match a few months later.

[ThankGodForSidJustice]

6. "The Rated R Superstar" Edge-372 points (11)
Stats
Ring Time: 211:35
Eliminations: 21
Assists: 2

Accomplishments
2010 Royal Rumble Winner
2021 Royal Rumble Winner
2007 Iron Man
2021 Iron Man
Most Eliminations (2005)
Final Four (2005, 2007, 2020)

Edge did well in every Rumble he has been in. He has been in seven Rumbles with his first back in 1999. That year he was in for close to 12 minutes and eliminated Gillberg. In 2000 he was in for close to 15 while helping in the group elimination of Rikisihi. In 2003 he was in for a little over a 11 minutes and eliminated Bill DeMott, Chavo Guerrero, and B-2 before both him and former partner Christian were dumped by Jericho as they were fighting on the ropes. 05 was a strong showing as he was starting to get pushed as a main event heel at the time. After drawing #7 he made it all the way to the last 3 while eliminating Shelton Benjamin, Eddie Guerrero, Ric Flair, and Rey Mysterio. He also was involved in the group elimination of Muhammad Hassan. His end would come when he stupidly charged at both Batista and John Cena who double backdropped him out after 40:19.

07 was another real good run as he eliminated Ric Flair, Kenny Dykstra, Super Crazy in a double team with then partner Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy, and Viscera in a group effort with seven others. Edge was in the final 4 along with Orton, Undertaker, and HBK. Orton caught Edge attempting to double cross him with a spear, but Edge managed to talk himself out of it and get him and Orton on the same page again. After Orton dropped Michaels with a RKO that sent him under the bottom rope, the two partners turned their attention to Undertaker. Undertaker fought them off but eventually fall victim to Edge's spear. Edge followed it up with a chairshot to the head before him and Orton attempted to finish the Deadman off with a conchairto. However before they could do it Michaels came back in and eliminated both of them. Edge was in for an impressive 44:02.

Edge didn't take part in the Rumble match in 08 and 09 as he was involved in title matches. In the summer of 09 he suffered a torn achilles tendon that sidelined him for the rest of the year. He made a surprise return at the 2010 Rumble as the 29th entrant. He immediately targeted former partner Chris Jericho, who had bad mouthed him during his time off for being fragile and injury prone, and eliminated him in short order. Edge then later eliminated John Cena to win the match after 7:19, which is the shortest time for a Rumble winner.

Edge would retire the following year but at the 2020 Rumble after nearly nine years out of the ring made a surprise return. Edge had a strong showing going for over 23 minutes, which was pretty impressive considering his long layoff, and making the last three. He also eliminated AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, and Randy Orton before getting eliminated by Roman Reigns. Edge would feud with Orton afterwards for a months before being sidelined by injury. This year he made his return, drawing #1 and starting the match against Orton. Edge and Orton would brawl on the floor with Edge getting the better of him after giving him an impaler DDT on the announce table. Orton would have to be helped to the back as a result. In the finals Edge would eliminate Braun Strowman and then Seth Rollins to seemingly win the match. Orton would then return and give Edge the RKO. Orton then would try to toss him, but Edge countered and tossed him instead after 58:30.

[ThankGodForSidJustice]

5. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin-376 points (4)
Stats
Ring Time: 165:09
Eliminations: 35
Assists: 1

Accomplishments
1997 Royal Rumble Winner*
1998 Royal Rumble Winner
2001 Royal Rumble Winner
1997 Iron Man
1999 Iron Man*
2002 Iron Man
Most Eliminations (1997, 1998, 1999, 2002)
1999 Runner-Up
Final Four (2002)

A bar room brawler with a quick and devastating finishing move that left opponents easy prey for elimination, Austin had a lot of success in Royal Rumbles. He has the most wins in the history of the match with three although his first in 1997 was quite controversial due to him sneaking back in the ring after the refs missed him being eliminated. As the "The Ringmaster" Steve Austin, he made his Rumble debut in 1996 under the tutelage of "The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase who had given him his Million Dollar Belt. Austin eliminated iron man Bob Holly, who had been in for close to 40 minutes, before getting eliminated by "Making a Difference" Fatu in a botched elimination after 10:57. I always found it odd that they had Austin, a new talent who they had plans for, get eliminated by Fatu who was pretty much a jobber at the time but recently Austin revealed on his podcast that it was a screw up as it was only supposed to a near elimination spot but he lost his grip on the top rope and accidentally spilled to the outside. Austin also said he was supposed to be in the final four that year. I'm guessing Kama most likely ended up taking his spot and role for the rest of the match.

Going into the 97 Rumble, Austin had quite a bit of momentum as he had won the King of the Ring and was feuding with top face Bret Hart. Now known as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, he entered at #5 and quickly eliminated Phinneas Godwinn after giving him the Stone Cold Stunner after Phinneas had just finished putting out Crush. Austin was the only guy in the ring and would start picking everybody off that entered as he eliminated Bart Gunn and Jake Roberts without much trouble. British Bulldog, who had a few run ins with Austin in the weeks leading up to the show, was next. Austin wouldn't have such a easy time with him and the ring would start filling up. Eventually though there was a rapid fire of eliminations concluding with Austin dumping out both Owen Hart and Marc Mero, which left him as the only guy in the ring again. Austin started picking guys off again as he eliminated former rival Savio Vega and Jesse James. Arch rival Bret Hart was next and would give Austin a hard time, putting him in his sharpshooter submission hold. The ring started filling up again. In the finals Hart tossed Austin, but the referees were distracted breaking up Mankind and Terry Funk which allowed Austin to sneak back in and dump Vader, Undertaker, and Hart to win the match after Hart had just finished putting out Fake Diesel. Stone Cold was in the match for 45:07. Due to the controversy of his win, President Gorilla Monsoon would take away Austin's Wrestlemania Title Shot. He gave him another chance for a title shot if could win a Four Way elimination match at the next month's PPV that also included Hart, Undertaker, and Vader who were also given another opportunity due to being cheated by Austin. Austin was eliminated first by Undertaker but returned later to distract him long enough for Bret Hart to dump him out. Then the next night on Raw he caused Hart to lose the title to Psycho Sid which led to a submission match between Hart and Austin at Wrestlemania that would then lead to Austin's face turn.

Going into the 98 Rumble, everybody and their mother knew Austin was taking it as there was nobody else in the match you could see winning and main eventing Wrestlemania. Going into the match Austin painted a bullseye on his back as he sneak attacked the other participants in the match in the weeks leading up to the show. When Austin's number was called and his music was played, everybody in the ring stopped fighting and started looking at the entraceway as they waited for him. Austin though came out through the crowd and ambused everybody. The Rattlesnake opened a can of whoop ass on everybody that got in his way and to the surprise of nobody won the match after a little over 15 minutes. Along the way he eliminated Marc Mero, 8-Ball, Tharasher, Kama Mustafa, Savio Vega, Chainz, and lastly The Rock.

In 99 he was forced into entering #1 by Chairman of the WWF and arch nemesis Mr.McMahon. However, Commissioner Shawn Michaels then forced McMahon to enter the match at #2. Going into the match, McMahon then put a out a bounty for anyone who could eliminate Austin. Austin not surprisingly beat Vince down in the opening minutes and could have tossed him, but then changed his mind so he could administer more punishment. This would come back to bite him later. Golga entered next and tried to collect the bounty but was tossed by Austin in just 15 seconds. Vince then escaped through the crowd with Austin following him. Vince then lured Austin into the bathroom where his Corporation was waiting. Austin was beatdown and stretchered into an ambulance while Vince headed over to the commentary table. Austin however commandeered the ambulance and returned to the arena. After coming back to the ring he took out Ken Shamrock, Billy Gunn, Test, Chyna, Triple H, Owen Hart and the Big Bossman which left just himself and Vince. Austin beat Vince up all around ringside before throwing back in the ring and giving him the stunner. Before he could eliminate him though, the Corporate Champion The Rock came out and distracted him which gave McMahon the chance to dump Stone Cold from behind to win the match.

Austin missed the 2000 Rumble due a neck injury he suffered after getting hit with a car driven by Rikishi, who had been paid off by Triple H. A couple of weeks before the Rumble, Triple H screwed Stone Cold over by costing him the WWF Title in his match with Kurt Angle. Austin then returned the favor at the PPV when he caused Triple H to lose to Angle in his title shot. Austin entered the Rumble match in a great position after drawing #27, but this was negated when Triple H attacked him in aisle and beat him to a bloody pulp. JR and King on commentary stated that it was unlikely that he would be able to compete. Rikishi entered #30 and tried to take advantage of the hurt Stone Cold, however Austin would get a sudden adrenaline rush and fight back on him before attacking everybody in the ring. He then eliminated both Haku and Billy Gunn. It ended up coming down to him, The Rock and Kane who had been in for over 50 minutes. Rock and Austin went at it and started fighting by the ropes. Kane then attempted to eliminate both of them but would only get Rock as Austin managed to land on the apron. Kane then attempted to give Austin a tombstone, but he managed to escape and give him the stunner. Austin then followed it up with three chairshots to the head and a clothesline to finally eliminate Kane to win the match.

In his last appearance in 2002 he eliminated Christian, Chuck Palumbo, Perry Saturn, Val Venis, Test, Hurricane with Triple H, and Booker T. He was in the final 4 before Angle dumped him out from behind after 26:46. Austin then hit the three remaining guys with a chair before leaving.

[ThankGodForSidJustice]

4. Kane/Issac Yankem/Fake Diesel-414 points (3)
Stats
Ring Time: 213:59
Eliminations: 36
Assists: 7

Accomplishments
2001 Iron Man
Most Eliminations (2001)
2001 Runner-up
Final Four (1997, 2000, 2003, 2008, 2015)
Most Rumble Appearances (19)
Most Total Eliminations in the History of the Royal Rumble Match

The Big Red Machine is the greatest Rumble performer to never win the match. He has the records for most appearances anf most eliminations in the history of the match. He made his Rumble debut in 1996 as the evil dentist, Dr. Issac Yankem. Yankem eliminated Fatu and was in the last 5 before getting dropkicked out by Shawn Michaels. In 97 he was the Fake Diesel, another bad gimmick. He had a good showing as he was in for 17:49 before getting eliminated by Bret Hart in the second to last elimination of the match. Later in the year he was repackaged again, this time as the Undertaker's evil younger brother Kane which has easily been his most successful gimmick. Kane was left out of the 98 Rumble probably for the reason that they wanted Austin to win and didn't want Kane, who was being booked as unstoppable, to look weak by getting eliminated. He was in it the next year though and would be in every one until 2011. In 99 he eliminated The Godfather, Kurrgan, Road Dogg and Goldust before eliminating himself to go attack men from from the insane asylum who had been ordered by Mr. McMahon, who Kane had pissed off by refusing to lay down for his corporate champ The Rock, to take him back. In 2000 he eliminated Val Venis, Prince Albert and Billy Gunn while making it to the final 4. In a impressive show of strength, Kane gave the Big Show a body slam but then turned around into a X-Pac spin kick that knocked him over the top rope and out after 6:11.

01 was his most memorable performance. That year he set the elimination record that still stood until 2014 with 11 while nearly winning the match after coming in at #6. He eliminated Grandmaster Sexay, Steve Blackman, Al Snow, Raven, Perry Saturn, Honky Tonk Man after hitting him with his own guitar after being unimpressed with his singing, Tazz, Albert again, Crash Holly, and The Rock. It ended up coming down to him and Stone Cold. It took a stunner, multiple chairshots to the head, and a clothesline to finally put Kane out after a incredible 53:46. In 02 he body slammed Big Show out before getting eliminated by an olympic slam from Kurt Angle after just 1:02. 03 was a strong showing as was in for over 20 minutes and was in the last 3. Along the way he eliminated the 400 pound Rosey, teamed with Rob Van Dam to put out A-Train, and then double crossed RVD by press slamming him out. Kane would then get double crossed himself shortly after as he was duped and tossed by his brother the Undertaker. 04 was one of his worst showings. He gave everybody chokelslams before getting distracted by the gong entrance of Undertaker, who was now his enemy again, and eliminated from behind by Booker T after just 90 seconds. 05 was another letdown. He eliminated Mark Jindrak but then was taken out by Cena in a little under 4 minutes. In 06 he teamed with tag team champion partner Big Show to put out Bobby Lashley before the two decided to fight. Both were then eliminated by Triple H as they were fighting on the ropes after just 3:33.

In 07 he snapped out of his slump of letdown showings. That year he was in 13:21 while eliminating Tommy Dreamer, Sabu, and King Booker. However, Booker would get back in and toss him in cheap fashion before beating him down on the floor which led to a PPV match the next month which Kane won. 08 was another strong showing as he was in for close to 18 minutes while eliminating John Morrison, Roddy Piper, and Jimmy Snuka. He was also be in the final 4 that year but was the first to go after a double team from Batista and Triple H. In 09 he eliminated Dolph Ziggler, Santino in record time, and Finlay before getting ganged up on and eliminated by Legacy after 18:19. In 2010 he eliminated Matt Hardy before getting put out right after by Triple H after 7:58. 2011 sucked. After drawing #40 in the first 40 man Rumble he lowbridged Ezekiel Jackson out for his token elimination before Rey Mysterio, who is literally half his size, eliminated him after just 1:36. 2013 was another short run. He teamed with Team Hell No partner Daniel Bryan to dump Great Khali but Bryan then double crossed Kane and dumped him too after only 1:46. 2014 was his third consecutive weak showing. As Authority henchmen Corporate Kane he was only in for a little over a minute before Punk kicked him in the head and dumped him out.

The aging Kane had one of the stronger performances in 2015 for whatever reason as he was in for over 17 minutes and teamed with Authority partner the Big Show to eliminate Ryback, Dolph Ziggler, Bray Wyatt, and Dean Ambrose with Kane breaking Shawn Michaels all time elimination record as a result. Show and Kane would have a falling out though, which allowed Reigns to dump both of them out. 2016 was another good run as he was in for over 18 minutes and eliminated R-Truth before getting heaved out by Braun Strowman. He was back this year as a surprise entrant and eliminated Dolph Ziggler and Ricochet before getting dumped by Damien Priest in a little under 2 minutes.

[ThankGodForSidJustice]

3. Triple H-429 points (2)
Stats
Ring Time: 239:38
Eliminations: 25
Assists: 5

Accomplishments
2002 Royal Rumble Winner
2016 Royal Rumble Winner
1996 Iron Man
2009 Iron Man
Most Eliminations (2008, 2009)
2008 Runner-Up
2009 Runner-Up
Final Four (2006)

TIME TO PLAY THE GAME! Triple H made his Rumble debut back in 1996 as Hunter Hearst Helmsley. In the first and only time, numbers 1 and 30 were not in the tumbler that year and instead were replaced with two blank papers. Whoever drew these would then face each other on the free for all match before the PPV with the winner getting #30 and the loser getting #1. Helmsley and Duke "The Dumpster" Droese ended up being the two to draw the blank papers. Helmsley won the match after using a pair of brass knuckles but the decision was reversed by President Gorilla Monsoon which meant Helmsley had to enter for the Rumble match at #1. He went onto last a impressive 48:01 that year before getting heaved out by Diesel. Despite his long time in, he scored no eliminations. In 97 he was eliminated by Goldust, who he successfully defended his IC Title against earlier in the night, after 6:42. Helmsley missed the 98 Rumble due to injury, but would be in the 99 edition. By this point he had ditched his aristocat snob gimmick and was going by Triple H, the leader of Degeneration X. Triple H eliminated Jeff Jarrett and Val Venis before Austin got rid of him after 14+ minutes.

Triple H was in title matches for the next two Rumble PPV's. In May of 2001 he tore his quad in a match and was out for the rest of the year. He made his return at the 2002 Royal Rumble, drawing #22. When he entered Triple H would have a one on one showdown with Stone Cold who he was teaming with as The Two Man Power Trip when he got hurt. Hurricane was the next guy in and attempted to give them a double chokeslam. Triple H and Austin just looked at each other in disbelief before they both tossed him. Faarooq entered next and was taken out by the Game in just 36 seconds. It ended up coming down to Triple H, Kurt Angle, and Mr. Perfect. Perfect was the first to go after a clothesline from Triple H. Angle then put out Triple H but the Game landed on the apron and clotheslined Angle, who had been celebrating prematurely, out to win the match after 23:14.

Triple H wouldn't be in a Rumble again until 06 as he was busy defending the World Title from 03 through 05 during his reign of terror on Raw with his group Evolution. Hunter drew #1 against #2 entrant Rey Mysterio. Triple H teamed with Mysterio to put out the next entrant Simon Dean. He then single handedly eliminated Ric Flair, Big Show, Kane, and Chavo Guerrero. Triple H was in the last 3 along with Rey Mysterio and former Evolution cohort Randy Orton. Hunter and Orton teamed up on Mysterio but Rey would manage to surprise Hunter with a headscissors to eliminate him after a little over an hour. The Game then pulled Mysterio out of the ring and rammed him into the steel steps before leaving. He then missed the 07 Rumble after retearing his quad the month before. He was back for 08 and drew a good number for himself with #29. He eliminated Cody Rhodes, Big Daddy V, Mick Foley and Elijah Burke all within his first minute in the ring. In the final 4 he teamed with Batista to eliminate Kane before eliminating Batista not long after. Triple H ended up finishing runner up though to #30 entrant John Cena who gave him an attitude adjustment over the top to win it.

In 09 he drew #7 and eliminated Vladamir Kozlov, who had just put out three men, shortly after he entered. Later he eliminated John Morrison, The Miz, and The Brian Kendrick. He made it to the final 4 but would face a 3 on 1 situation against Randy Orton's Legacy. Triple H would fight them off and toss both Ted Dibiase and Cody Rhodes. However, right after getting rid of the latter Orton dumped him from behind to win. Hunter was in for 49:51. In 010 he eliminated CM Punk, Kane, and teamed with D-X partner Shawn Michaels to eliminate Drew McIntyre, before Michaels superkicked him out after 17:50. 2010 was his last Rumble for a while as he stopped being a full time wrestler in April of 2011 as he became an on screen authority character (playing off his real life role) while usually only wrestling a few times a year. Triple H won the 2016 Rumble after entering as a surprise entrant at #30. I use the word surprise lightly as it was something most fans saw coming. Hunter eliminated Dolph Ziggler, Bray Wyatt with help from Sheamus, Roman Reigns, and lastly Dean Ambrose to win the match.

[ThankGodForSidJustice]

2. Randy Orton-432 points
Stats
Ring Time: 271:25
Eliminations: 25
Assists: 2

Accomplishments
2009 Royal Rumble Winner
2017 Royal Rumble Winner
2021 Iron Man*
2006 Runner-Up
2021 Runner-Up
Final Four (2007, 2011, 2012, 2020)

With a tainted near hour run this year, Orton has moved into the #2 spot. Although not talked about much as a Rumble great, he's done consistently well in them throughout the years. In his Rumble debut in 04 as a member of Evolution he was in for 33:43 from the #2 position while eliminating Rikishi, Booker T, Shelton Benjamin, The Cat, and Rico. It seemed like he might have had a shot at winning it but then Mick Foley, who Orton was feuding with at the time, entered the match by beating up Test backstage and taking his spot. Foley took both Orton and himself out of the match with a flying clothesline as Orton was in the ropes. In 06 he drew #30. He eliminated Chris Benoit and Orlando Jordan but ended up finishing runner up to Rey Mysterio who came in at #2 that year.

Orton was back again for the 07 Rumble. By this time he had formed a partnership with Edge known as Rated RKO. Orton had another good showing as he was in for over 27 minutes while eliminating Matt Hardy and teaming with Edge to eliminate Super Crazy. He was also be in the final 4 with Edge, Shawn Michaels, and the Undertaker. Edge and Orton continued to work together and were about to give Undertaker a conchairto before Michaels, who had been knocked out outside the ring, came back in and eliminated both of them. Orton was busy defending the WWE Championship in 08 but was back for 09. Orton with help from his Legacy lackey's Ted Dibiase Jr. and Cody Rhodes won it that year after over 48 minutes in the match. In route to his win he eliminated Kane with help from Dibiase and Rhodes, Big Show and lastly Triple H who had just finished eliminating both Dibiase and Rhodes.

In 2011 he lost in controversial fashion to the Miz in the WWE Title match after interference from CM Punk and the Nexus but yet was allowed to participate the Rumble match at the end of the night. I guess the GM let him due to the cheapness of his loss. Coming in at #39 in the first ever 40 man Rumble, Orton immediately start dealing out RKO's on everybody before eliminating both Kofi Kingston and Sheamus. In the final four he eliminated Wade Barrett also but then was dumped out right after by Alberto Del Rio. Orton was one of the of the favorites to win the 2012 match. The Rumble that year was a comeback match for him as he had been on the shelf for about a month after suffering a back injury after getting thrown down a set of stairs by Wade Barrett. After once again getting a excellent draw with #28, Orton quickly got revenge on Barrett by RKOing him and tossing him out. Orton also eliminated Jey Uso and Big Show, and was in the last 3 before getting dumped by Jericho after Orton had just finished dumping Big Show. In 2013 he eliminated Zack Ryder and was in the last 5 before getting clotheslined out by Ryback after 10:20.

In a bit of an upset he won the 2017 Rumble match, becoming the sixth repeat winner. He was in for 20:52 and won the match by RKOing Roman Reigns and clotheslining him out, which was actually his only elimination in the match. In 2018 he eliminated Andrade and was in for 13:55 before getting tossed by Reigns in the finals. In the Greatest Royal Rumble he took out Karl Anderson, Mojo Rawley, Apollo Crews, and Baron Corbin before getting dumped by Elias after 10:58. In 2019 he eliminated Rey Mysterio in the finals but was then dumped immediately afterwards by Andrade after 6 minutes. In 2020 he eliminated Karl Anderson and had seemingly formed an alliance with old partner Edge however that pact would be broken as Edge ended up tossing the Viper in the final four after 14:37. This year he drew #2 and started against Edge who drew #1. They would quickly end up brawling outside the ring with Edge getting the upper hand by DDTing him on the announce table. Orton was taken to the back and treated by the medical team. After Edge had eliminated Seth Rollins to seemingly win the match, Orton would return and give him the RKO. However Edge would reverse the follow up elimination attempt and toss Orton to win after 58:30

1. "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels-452 points (1)
Stats
Ring Time: 222:32
Eliminations: 33
Assists: 5

Accomplishments
1995 Royal Rumble Winner
1996 Royal Rumble Winner
1995 Ironman
Most Eliminations (1995, 1996, 2010)
2007 Runner-up
Final Four (1994, 2010)

One of six men to win two Rumbles, Michaels is also third for total eliminations in the history of the Rumble, scoring 38 in 12 appearances. 10 of those 12 were good to excellent showings. He made his first Rumble appearance in 1989 as one half of the Rockers along with Marty Jannetty. He teamed with Jannetty to eliminate Ron Bass with a double dropkick before getting eliminated after 14:30 following a double elbow from Arn Anderson and Randy Savage which was kind of weird. 1990 sucked as he entered when Hogan and the Warrior were cleaning house. Michaels was tossed by the Warrior after just 12 seconds. The Rockers were involved in another match for the 91 PPV but both were scheduled for the 92 Rumble match for the WWF Title. However, in the weeks leading up to the show the team went on a losing streak and there was clearly quite a bit of dissension in the ranks. It reached the boiling point two weeks before the event on Brutus Beecake's Barber Shop talk show segment which both men had agreed to appear on to settle their differences. After it appeared that the two had reconciled with a hand shake, Michaels turned on Jannetty with a violent attack that ended with him slamming his head through the window of the set, putting him out of the match in the process. With his new found attitude, Michaels lasted a solid 15+ minutes in the Rumble match before going out in a double elimination spot with Tito Santana which led to a Wrestlemania match which Michaels won.

94 was the first of many iron man showings for Michaels. He was in for close to a half hour that year while making it to the final four before getting eliminated by Lex Luger. Along the way he eliminated Jannetty and assisted in the group elimination of Mabel. In 95 he became the first person in history of the match to win after entering #1. His performance was kind of overrated though as the intervals were only a minute that year and the roster was the weakest in the history of the match. Michaels was in for 38:41 while eliminating Duke Droese, Tom Pritchard, Jacob Blue, both Bushwhackers, Luger with help from Crush, and lastly British Bulldog who had drawn #2. It looked like Bulldog had eliminated him moments earlier, but only one of his feet touched the floor. By the 96 match, he had turned face and became one of the company's biggest stars. He became the second person to win back to back Rumbles that year. He eliminated Yokozuna and Vader at the same time as they were fighting on the ropes, 1-2-3 Kid, Jerry Lawler, Issac Yankem, British Bulldog, and lastly his friend Diesel with a superkick as Diesel was turning around after putting out Kama. It took Michaels 26:09 to win. He defeated Bret Hart two months later at Wrestlemania to win his first WWF Title.

The 96 Rumble was his last for a while as he was tied up in title matches for 97 and 98, suffering a serious back injury in the latter which would end up putting him into retirement. He came out of retirement in 2002 and participated in the 2003 Rumble match. That year he was entering at #1 which he picked. Chris Jericho, who Michaels was feuding with, wanted #1 so he could prove he was better then Michaels by winning the match from that position like Michaels had done in 95. After winning a pick your number match on Raw, Jericho picked #2. At the beginning of the Rumble match, Jericho tricked HBK by having his lackey Christian dress up as him for his entrance while he came out of the crowd and jumped Michaels from behind. Jericho hit Michaels with a chair and beat him to a bloody pulp before dumping after just a little over 2 minutes. Michaels ended up getting payback on him later though as he returned towards the end of the match and distracted Jericho long enough for Test to toss him out. In 2005 Michaels eliminated Simon Dean, Charlie Haas, and Kurt Angle. Angle didn't take it well and snuck back in the ring and dumped Michaels out. Angle then assaulted him with the steel steps before putting him in the ankle lock. This led to a classic match between the two a few months later at Wrestlemania.

In 06 he eliminated Trevor Murdoch, Johnny Nitro and Shelton Benjamin before getting screwed over again when Vince McMahon came out and distracted him which allowed his son Shane, who wasn't a participant in the match, to sneak in and toss him. In 07 he was in for 24:11 while eliminating Finlay, Shelton Benjamin, Randy Orton, and Edge. He ended up finishing runner up to The Undertaker who dumped him after a missed superkick after a great 5 minute sequence between the two where you honestly didn't know who was going to win. The following year he started the match with Undertaker after drawing #2. Michaels eliminated Benjamin again and then would later eliminated Undertaker with sweet chin music. Michaels then got tossed right after by Mr.Kennedy after 32:39. In 2010, he hoped to win and face Undertaker, who was the World Champion at the time, at Wrestlemania as he had come very close to defeating him the previous year and ending the Deadman's Wrestlemania's undefeated streak in what was one of the all time great matches. Michaels quickly eliminated Carlito, both members of Legacy, and John Morrison before teaming with D-X partner Triple H to put out Drew McIntyre, which left them as the only two in the ring. John Cena then entered next. After Triple H had given Cena the pedigree, Michaels shockingly eliminated his partner with a superkick. Michaels was in the final 4 with Cena, Edge and Batista. He nailed Batista and Cena with superkicks before Edge nailed him with a clothseline that sent both guys to the apron. Michaels nailed Edge with a superkick that knocked him back in the ring, but was then knocked off by Batista after 20:46. Michaels, upset that his chance of facing Undertaker had gone the tubes, would take his frusuration out on the outside referee with a superkick. He ended up facing Undertaker at Mania anyway, after he had pissed him off by costing him the title at Elimination Chamber. This time though Michaels would have to put his career on the line. He ende up losing in another classic match between the two, putting a end to his legendary career.

[RI Richmark]

WE GOT A NEW #1!!!

[darthobiwan]

Apr 15, 2021 7:15:18 GMT -5 RI Richmark said:

WE GOT A NEW #1!!!

Dislike!!!

[sungod2020]

I don't agree with Orton being #1 because as you stated, his hour run was tainted due to being out for most of the match. He had the same number of points as Shawn Michaels, so because of the work Shawn put in, I'd give the tie breaker to HBK. Then again, that's just me.

[darthobiwan]

Apr 17, 2021 10:18:08 GMT -5 sungod2020 said:

I don't agree with Orton being #1 because as you stated, his hour run was tainted due to being out for most of the match. He had the same number of points as Shawn Michaels, so because of the work Shawn put in, I'd give the tie breaker to HBK. Then again, that's just me.

Which is why I think the current point system counting time, even when not in the ring, is flawed. For counting ring time, it should only be when the person was IN THE RING, as they can not be eliminated when they are not in the ring when they need to go over top rope and on the floor with both feet.


Although I know if would be a major overhaul and requiring a lot of rewatching to recalculate everones totals.

[ThankGodForSidJustice]

I didn't like putting Orton first either but wins is the first tiebreaker and they both had the same with two and then time is second and Orton has the higher official total time. Also it's important to note that Orton was only behind HBK by a little under 10 minutes in ring time going into this year and that's probably around how much time he actually spent in the ring this year before they did the spot where he got "taken out". So even if you take away the time he spent in the back he would probably have about the same time as HBK or at the least maybe slightly less.

I don't like crediting points for time outside the ring but it would be going down quite a rabbit hole counting just literal time in ring as for example if I tried to figure Orton's actual literal time with just his feet in the ring, then I would have to figure out Edge's time as he fought with Orton outside the ring a decent bit, then Austin and McMahon in 1999, then a lot of the women in 2018 who kept constantly rolling out of the ring and napping for long stretches, then all the people who got the put through the announce table nap time spot (2001 Rock, 2015 Reigns, 2019 Rollins), then Rick Martel because he slid outside the ring for 20 seconds or whatever it was to avoid Jake Roberts in 1991, and so on and so forth. I would have to recalculate everyone's points even if they just slid out of the ring for a very short time. It would just be so time consuming and such a pain in the ass to figure out. Once they step in the ring the clock starts regardless of what happens afterwards. It's flawed but I don't really know a way around it.

[RI Richmark]

Randy still has at least a couple of Rumbles in him so even if you wipe out the time out of the ring this year he probably would pass Michaels in a year or two anyway.

[ThankGodForSidJustice]

Alright so I think I've come up with a good solution for the out of ring time problem. I'm adding a new rule that will deduct 20 points for any wrestler that spent a ridiculous amount of time outside the ring in a Rumble (so about 15 minutes or more) and were unfairly ineligible for elimination. Orton (2021), Austin (99), Vince (99), Reigns (2016), Jericho (2017), and Lawler (96) will all have their point totals and rankings edited soon.

[ThankGodForSidJustice]

Ok so here's the list of changes made in the rankings mostly due to the added 20 point deduction rule for spending more then 15 minutes outside the ring rule that is also now listed in the rule list op:

1. Jerry Lawler has dropped from 103 to 135 after getting 20 points taken due to hiding outside the ring for his 1996 run.
2. Mr. McMahon has dropped from 72 to 86 after getting 20 points taken off for his 1999 run.
3. Roman Reigns has dropped from 9 to 11 after getting 20 points taken for his 2016 run.
4. Chris Jericho has dropped from 6 to 8 after getting 20 points taken for his 2017 run.
5. Steve Austin has had 20 points taken for his 1999 run but still remains in the 5 spot as he still has four more points then #6 ranked Edge.
6. Randy Orton has dropped from 1 to 2 after getting 20 points taken for his 2021 run.
7. Also not related to the new rule but Owen Hart has now been dropped from 60 to 73 as I just realized after all these years that I had messed up his point total and gave him 92 points when he really should have 82. I think what happened is when I first started doing this he was listed for more ring time then should've for his 1998 run as I think they credited him with an extra seven or eight minutes he shouldn't have before he even entered the ring after Jeff Jarrett jumped him.