When you think iron man of a Royal Rumble, you think workhorses like Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio, Seth Rollins. You don’t think 6’4”, 250 lb Gunther. Well, in 2023, the Ring General shattered Mysterio’s record for the most time spent in the Rumble, lasting over 71 minutes. Although he didn’t win, Gunther earned the respect of the fans. He would eventually go on to become one of the greatest Intercontinental Champions of all time and subsequently World Heavyweight Champion.
Drawing the ire of Smackdown GM Paul Heyman, the Rabid Wolverine was forced to enter the 2004 Royal Rumble at No. 1. It’s one thing to last over an hour from the first spot. It’s another to win the match. But Chris Benoit had to go through one of the most stacked rosters in WWE history to do it.
It wasn’t enough that Brock Lesnar was WWE Champion. He entered the Royal Rumble anyway and was widely expected to win it as champion. He eliminated a record 13 opponents in the most dominant Rumble performance of all time. Fans were shocked when a Drew McIntyre Claymore kick sent the Beast Incarnate sailing over the top rope.
Both of these talented women are getting a spot here. Although Rhea Ripley scored 7 eliminations, winning the match from the No. 1 spot, let’s not overlook that she entered first along with her arch rival Liv Morgan. Both superstars went the distance, becoming the first women ever to be the first to enter and the last to leave the ring.
Following the death of close friend Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio was on a mission to win for Eddie. The wheels were set in motion when Rey entered the 2006 Royal Rumble at No. 2, lasting the entire 62 minutes. His performance would be worthy of appearing on this list even he didn’t win, but the win makes it even better.
The single greatest Royal Rumble return of all time was Edge in 2020. Unfortunately, a triceps injury cut his shocking return run short. In 2021, though, Edge got his moment, winning the Royal Rumble from the No. 1 spot. What makes his 58-minute tenure in the Rumble even more impressive is the fact that he was 47 years old when he did it.
Say what you want about Kane as legitimate main event player, or Glenn Jacobs as a human. But there’s no denying the Big Red Machine was a force in the Royal Rumble. His best performance came in 2001 when he eliminated a record (at the time) 11 superstars, lasting over 53 minutes in the match. Not bad for a 7-footer.
The 2014 Royal Rumble is widely regarded as one of the worst of all time, due almost entirely to WWE shoving Batista down our throats when everyone wanted Daniel Bryan to win it. As fans saw the writing on the wall, though, they rallied behind Roman Reigns before he became the chosen one. Reigns scored a record (at the time) 12 eliminations, breaking Kane’s 13-year long record, and had fans clamoring for him to overcome Batista. Although the Big Dog fell short, the performance set Reigns on the path to superstardom.
In 1995, the Heart Break Kid became the first superstar to win the Royal Rumble from the No. 1 spot. Michaels outlasted all 29 other men, eliminating 8 opponents along the way to claim his spot at the Wrestlemania main event.
The Nature Boy may not have entered first, by going the distance from the No. 3 spot is no small feat. Ric Flair lasted longer than any other superstar had at the time, over an hour. He notched 5 eliminations on his way to winning the match and his first ever WWF Championship.
