The 31st WWE Royal Rumble will take place on January 28, 2018. The Royal Rumble has consistently been one of the WWE’s top events, highlighted by the 30-person rumble match, which consists of wrestlers eliminating one another by tossing them over the top rope until only one remains. The match typically serves as the main event at its respective event, with the winner earning a WWE title shot at Wrestlemania.
Over the past 30 years, the Royal Rumble has seen it all. Around 900 wrestlers have entered the ring and gone over the top rope to be eliminated. The match has provided big boost for up-and-coming faces and established Superstars alike. Wrestlers like Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin became fan favorites and champions after their rumble victories while someone like Hulk Hogan confirmed his dominance in being the first competitor to win the match in consecutive years.
Over the years, several stats have piled up. Records have been set and broken. Below, we’ve created an infographic featuring every Royal Rumble winner along with stats, records, and other trivia. Take a look and find out where your favorite Superstars land in Royal Rumble history.
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Over The Top Royal Rumble Stats & Records Transcript
For 30 years, the Royal Rumble has been the first stop on WWe's Road to WrestleMania. Thirty Superstars enter the battle royal at timed intervals, and entrants are eliminated by being thrown over the top rope and having both feet touch the floor outside the ring. The last Superstar standing gets a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the main event on WrestleMania. The Royal Rumble has produced unforgettable moments and seemingly-unbreakable records. Here are just a few of those statistics.
Winners Based On Entry Number
Since 1988's inaugural Royal rumble, 23 individual WWE Superstars have won the annual battle royal. Some won in multiple years, and one year produced co-winners. Drawing a high number and entering late is definitely an advantage, but it's not always enough. #1 entrants have won te Royal rumble just as often as those who have drawn #30. The coveted #27 sport has produced a record four winners, but the last time was in 2001.
- 1: Shawn Michaels (1995), Chris Benoit (2004)
- 2: Vince McMagon (1999), Rey Mysterio (2006)
- 3: Ric Flair (1992)
- 5: Steve Austin (1997)
- 8: Randy Orton (2009)
- 13: Jim Duggan (1988)
- 18: Shawn Michaels (1996)
- 19: John Cena (2013), Roman Reigns (2015)
- 22: Triple H (2002), Sheamus (2015)
- 23: Lex Lugger (1994), Randy Orton (2017)
- 24: Hulk Hogan (1991), Steve Austin (1998), The Rock (2000)
- 25: Hulk Hogan (1990)
- 27: Big John Studd (1989), Yokozuna (1993), Brett Hart (1994), Steve Austin (2001)
- 28: Batista (2005), Batista (2014)
- 29: Brock Lesnar (2003), Edge (2010)
- 30: The Undertaker (2007), John Cena (2008), Triple H (2016)
- 38: Alberto Del Rio (2011)
Infamous Royalty
- Hacksaw Jim Duggan
- First Rumble Win: 1988
- Ric Flair
- First Rumble + Title Win: 1992
- Yokozuna
- First Rumble Win +Wrestlemania Title Shot: 1993
- Hulk Hogan
- First Consecutive Rumble Wins: 1990-1991
- Shawn Michaels
- First Number One Entrant Win: 1995
- Chyna
- First Woman Entrant: 1999
- Stone Cold Steve Austin
- Most Royal Rumble Wins: 3
- Mick Foley
- Most Appearances (Single Royal Rumble): 3
- Mankind
- Cactus Jack
- Dude Love
- Most Appearances (Single Royal Rumble): 3
- Kane
- Most Appearances (All Time): 19 (13 Consecutive)
- Triple H
- Longest Gap Between Wins: 14 Years
- Roman Reigns
- Most Eliminations (Single Royal Rumble): 12
- Kane
- Most Eliminations (All-Time): 44
- Rey Mysterio
- Longest Time (Single Match): 1:2:12
- Satino Marella
- Fastest Elimination: 1.9 Seconds
- Chris Jericho
- Most Time (Cumulative): 4:56:00
Royal Ring Times
Average Ring Time Per Entrant
- 27:10
- 23:55
- 9:08
- 11:22
- 11:22
- 13:04
- 11:12
- 12:19
- 9:04
- 9:48
- 13:05
- 9:24
- 11:34
- 9:27
- 12:24
- 8:56
- 10:24
- 10:24
- 12:08
- 8:18
- 8:53
- 10:06
- 10:40
- 8:15
- 8:58
- 7:34
- 5:04
- 6:39
- 5:26
- 5:42
30 Years of Rumblin'
Royal Rumble Facts
- The first Royal Rumble was held on January 24, 1988 at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario with 18,000 in attendance.
- Twice in history has the Championship been awarded to the Rumble winner (Ric Flair in 1992 & Triple H in 2016).
- 13 wrestlers have lasted 10 seconds or less in their respective matches.
- 6 wrestlers have spent more than 3 cumulative hours in the match in history.
- 7 wrestlers slated to appear in the Royal Rumble Match didn't make it into the ring.
- In WWE history, 7 rumble matches have occurred outside of the Royal Rumble PPV event.
Sources: WWE.com, Prowrestlinghistory.com
Highlights and Heroes
Regardless of whether or not they capture championship gold at WrestleMania, the Royal Rumble winners join a list of "who's who" among WWE Legends and Hall of Fame inductees. Here is the complete list of Royal Rumble winners by year, including their entry number and the result of their match at that year's WrestleMania:
| YEAR | WINNER | ENTRY | WRESTLEMANIA RESULT |
| 1988 | Hacksaw Jim Duggan | 13 | L vs Ted DiBiase |
| 1989 | Big John Studd | 27 | No Match |
| 1990 | Hulk Hogan (WWE Champion) | 25 | L vs The Ultimate Warrior (Intercontinental Champion) Lost WWE Championship |
| 1991 | Hulk Hogan | 24 | W vs Sgt. Slaughter Won WWE Championship |
| 1992 | Ric Flair Won WWE Championship | 3 | L vs Macho Man Randy Savage Lost WWE Championship |
| 1993 | Yokozuna | 27 | W vs Bret Hart (WWE Champion) Won WWE Championship |
| L vs Hulk Hogan Lost WWE Championship | |||
| 1994 | Lex Luger | 23 | L vs Yokozuna (WWE Champion) |
| Bret Hart | 27 | L vs Owen Hart | |
| W vs Yokozuna (WWE Champion) Won WWE Championship | |||
| 1995 | Shawn Michaels | 1 | L vs Diesel (WWE Champion) |
| 1996 | Shawn Michaels | 18 | W vs Bret Hart (WWE Champion) Won WWE Championship |
| 1997 | Stone Cold Steve Austin | 5 | L vs Bret Hart |
| 1998 | Stone Cold Steve Austin | 24 | W vs Shawn Michaels (WWE Champion) Won WWE Championship |
| 1999 | Vince McMahon | 2 | No Match |
| 2000 | The Rock | 24 | L vs Triple H (WWE Champion), Mick Foley, Big Show |
| 2001 | Stone Cold Steve Austin | 27 | W vs The Rock (WWE Champion) Won WWE Championship |
| 2002 | Triple H | 22 | W vs Chris Jericho (WWE Champion) Won WWE Championship |
| 2003 | Brock Lesnar | 29 | W vs Kurt Angle (WWE Champion) Won WWE Championship |
| 2004 | Chris Benoit | 1 | W vs Triple H (World Heavyweight Champion), Shawn Michaels Won World Heavyweight Championship |
| 2005 | Batista | 28 | W vs Triple H (World Heavyweight Champion) Won World Heavyweight Championship |
| 2006 | Rey Mysterio | 2 | W vs Kurt Angle (World Heavyweight Champion), Randy Orton Won World Heavyweight Championship |
| 2007 | The Undertaker | 30 | W vs Batista (World Heavyweight Champion) Won World Heavyweight Championship |
| 2008 | John Cena | 30 | L vs Randy Orton (WWE Champion), Triple H |
| 2009 | Randy Orton | 8 | L vs Triple H (WWE Champion) |
| 2010 | Edge | 29 | L vs Chris Jericho (World Heavyweight Champion) |
| 2011 | Alberto Del Rio | 38 | L vs Edge (World Heavyweight Champion) |
| 2012 | Sheamus | 22 | W vs Daniel Bryan (World Heavyweight Champion) Won World Heavyweight Championship |
| 2013 | John Cena | 19 | W vs The Rock (WWE Champion) Won WWE Championship |
| 2014 | Batista | 28 | L vs Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton (WWE World Heavyweight Champion) |
| 2015 | Roman Reigns | 19 | L vs Seth Rollins, Brock Lesnar (WWE World Heavyweight Champion) |
| 2016 | Triple H | 30 | L vs Roman Reigns (WWE World Heavyweight Champion) |
| 2017 | Randy Orton | 23 | W vs Bray Wyatt (WWE Champion) Won WWE Championship |
There’s no telling what kind of mayhem this year’s Royal Rumble will bring. What kind of surprise entries will we see? Who will be the last man standing? While it’s sure to be an exciting match, we’ll also be seeing something new as well. For the first time ever, an all-women rumble match as been announced for the event. If all this wrestling information has inspired you to throw on some spandex and step into the ring, you can check out our full selection of WWE costumes and be ready to rumble in no time!
Infographic designed by Jacob Kuddes and originally published on our blog in January of 2015. It has been updated in January 2018 by Travis Green.
