With TLC now firmly in the rear-view, WWE’s next major pay-per-view event has started to loom ever closer on the horizon. Lurking like some sort of multi-limbed, oversized Lars Sullivan.
One of WWE’s traditional ‘Big Five’ PPVs, the Royal Rumble is a date highlighted on every wrestling calendar. Although the pay-per-view is generally an entertaining spectacle, the show as a whole is often overshadowed by the Royal Rumble match itself. And with good reason.
The annual 30-man (and since last year, also 30-woman) brawl consistently produces some of the most compelling narratives of the wrestling year. Ranging from who will enter the match first to who will emerge as the winner – thereby kickstarting the Road to WrestleMania – the January showcase is invariably engaging, riveting and unpredictable throughout its one hour plus runtime.
One of the most intriguing questions leading into the Rumble is who might be responsible for this edition’s ironman effort. Each year, almost without fail, one wrestler steps up to produce a super-human feat of courage, endurance and persistence, as they hang around for long phases – often over an hour. And whether they’re destined to claim victory or fall agonizingly short, it’s those humble heroes who are featured in this list. Counting down from ten to one, we immortalize those brave souls who were able to cling to Royal Rumble life the longest, dating back to the inaugural event in 1988.
Before we begin, two special mentions are merited. Firstly, Daniel Bryan’s epic run last year. As this list is confined to the non-greatest Royal Rumble matches (the Royal Rumble Classics, if you will), Bryan’s incredible achievement of lasting 1 hour 16 minutes at the Greatest Royal Rumble would otherwise be omitted. It was by any measure a tremendous feat though, and so deserves be mentioned alongside the names that follow. Secondly, Sasha Banks lasting just shy of 55 minutes during the inaugural Women’s Royal Rumble last January, while not quite enough to earn a spot on this list, was still a jaw-dropping achievement.
But with that out the way, let’s get started with the tenth (and ninth) longest appearances in a Royal Rumble match.
T-10. Vince McMahon and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin (1999) – 56:38
We’re kicking things off with the most Attitude Era edition of any Royal Rumble ever. Fresh off of back-to-back victories at the event in ’97 and ’98, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin entered the last Rumble of the millennium at the number one spot. Entering at the equally unenviable number two spot? None other than Austin’s arch nemesis, Mr Vincent Kennedy McMahon.
Despite Vince’s relative lack of ability in the ring and Austin having a $100,000 bounty placed on his head (remember, Attitude Era), both men went wire-to-wire before a late distraction from The Rock gifted McMahon the opportunity to eliminate his foe and claim victory.
8. Finn Bálor (2018) – 57:30
Oh, early 2018. What a time to be alive.
Royal babies were popping out at an almost alarming rate, England still had a hope of winning the World Cup and Finn Bálor was treated as a somewhat believable threat in WWE.
In another instance of a starting entrant almost going the distance, the Irishman started his incredible efforts at last year’s Royal Rumble opposite Rusev. After gutting it out for almost an hour, Bálor’s Herculean display was eventually ended by John Cena, who eliminated him fourth from the end.
So how did the inaugural Universal Champion’s year unfold from there? Well, barely twenty-four hours later he was again losing an Elimination Chamber Qualifier to John Cena. So not great.
7. Ric Flair (1992) – 59:20
The fifth ever Royal Rumble event also produced the very first ironman performance. And who better to enter the record books for doing so than the legendary Ric Flair.
The lead-up to the event had seen two screwy finishes in title matches between The Undertaker and Hulk Hogan, resulting in Jack Tunney vacating the WWF Championship and placing it on the line in that year’s Royal Rumble match. (Interestingly, this stipulation marked the first time that the Royal Rumble bout carried true stakes, as the following year’s event was the first to award the winner the now customary shot at the title at WrestleMania.)
Entering at number three on the night, the ‘Nature Boy’ ran the gamut for almost an hour in front of a packed Knickerbocker Arena in New York, culminating in his elimination of Sid Justice, who had joined the fray at number 29.
As an aside, the 1992 Royal Rumble is also worth remembering as the time that Randy Savage unintentionally eliminated himself by catapulting over the top rope onto Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts. The ‘Macho Man’ thereafter casually climbed back into the ring as if nothing had happened and was allowed to simply continue the match. I coincidentally tried the same strategy after accidentally launching a cricket ball through my parents’ lounge window back in ‘99. They were less forgiving.
6. Roman Reigns (2016) – 59:48
For only the second time in WWE history, the company’s top belt would be on the line in a Royal Rumble match. This meant that while Roman Reigns entered the contest as the World Heavyweight Champion, due to McMahon family shenanigans, it was decided that the winner of the Royal Rumble would walk out with the belt.
Hurting his chances even further, Reigns was forced to enter the contest at number one. From there on out however, it was all ‘Big Dog’, as Reigns displayed incredible determination and stamina in making it all the way to the final three.
So which up-and-comer would be crowned the new champion? Who was this young hotshot poised to become the next great star? Well, as it turns out a 47-year-old Triple H, who just a few months later dropped the belt back to Reigns in a largely forgettable contest at WrestleMania 32, thereby rendering the entire exercise rather pointless and aggravating.
But then again, let me introduce you to WWE in 2016. I believe you’ve met?
5. Chris Jericho (2017) – 60:13
What a crazy Royal Rumble this was. As a quick refresher, this match featured names like The Undertaker, Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, Mark Henry, Big Show and Chris Jericho. In 2017! Oh, and Enzo Amore popped in at a consensual 27 too. It was wild.
Yet another opening entrant to go long, Chris Jericho was able to hang on for just over an hour – the longest run in more than a decade – on his path to making it to the final four alongside soon-to-be WWE Champion Bray Wyatt, a heavily booed 30th entrant Roman Reigns, and a Wyatt Family aligned Randy Orton.
Like I said, it was a crazy night.
Sadly, that’s as far as Jericho would make it in the match, as he was eliminated by Reigns in short order, paving the way for Orton to pick up his second Royal Rumble win.
One record that Jericho can claim though? The most time cumulatively spent in Royal Rumble matches. Y2J has recorded more than five hours in Royal Rumble contests since his debut in 2000, over an hour longer than anyone else in history.
4. Triple H (2006) – 60:16
Because of course he’s on the list.
In all seriousness though, it should come as no surprise that over a career spanning almost thirty years and sixteen Royal Rumble appearances (with two wins and two runner-up finishes), ‘The Man with Three Hs’ would have recorded at least one lengthy run in that event.
Having entered the 2006 match at number one, Triple H put in a serious shift, before ultimately falling tantalisingly short as the penultimate man to get the old “heave-ho” over the top rope.
Despite the gargantuan run, which lasted over an hour and included six eliminations, WWE’s COO would be outshone in both categories by an even greater performance on that night. The man who eclipsed Triple H in 2006? More on him later.
3. Bob Backlund (1993) – 61:10
Perhaps overshadowed by the shocking debut of the legendary, 8-foot-tall Giant González, Bob Backlund’s efforts at the 1993 Royal Rumble nevertheless deserve recognition.
Falling agonisingly shy of going bell-to-bell, Backlund broke the then record for the longest Rumble appearance and looked set to claim an unlikely victory. That was, at least, until he ran into the 500-pound Yokozuna. The massive Samoan made the ‘All-American’ his sixth victim on the night, before eliminating Randy Savage to win the match.
Backlund’s longevity was made all the more impressive when you consider that he was 44-years-old at the time of the 1993 Royal Rumble and sixteen years removed from his first shot at the WWWF Championship in 1977.
2. Chris Benoit (2004) – 61:31
The Rabid Wolverine’s victory in 2004 is noteworthy for marking only the second time that someone won the Royal Rumble from the #1 spot, with the first being Shawn Michaels in 1995.
Following his Rumble win, the Canadian went on to face Triple H and Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XX in a triple threat to decide the World Heavyweight Champion. Benoit would emerge victorious on the night, winning his first (and only) world championship in WWE, leading to iconic images of he and Eddie Guerrero (who had retained his WWE Championship earlier in the night) celebrating together in the ring.
1. Rey Mysterio (2006) – 62:12
Coming just fourteen months after the tragic passing of Eddie Guerrero, the diminutive high-flyer was dead set on honoring his long-time friend and claiming the World Championship. But he would have to overcome every obstacle imaginable in order to do so.
Entering the 2006 Royal Rumble as the second entrant, the undersized Mysterio started the match with the heavily favored Triple H. Despite the seemingly overwhelming odds, the babyface underdog embarked on one of the most unforgettable Rumble runs of all time, eliminating six other men in the process of going bell-to-bell. By the time Rey tossed both Triple H and Randy Orton over the top rope to win the Royal Rumble, the audience knew they were witnessing something special. Dedicating the victory to Eddie Guerrero during the post-match celebrations only served to solidify the Cruiserweight as the ultimate fan favorite.
A little over two months later, Mysterio would go on to claim the World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Orton and then Champion Kurt Angle in a triple threat match at WrestleMania 22. The once impossible dream had been realized, with Mysterio standing on the mountaintop, clutching the belt that had until then been reserved for the likes of Batista, Triple H and Goldberg.
His record-breaking run at the Royal Rumble was just another memorable moment in one of wrestling’s all-time greatest fairy tales. The ultimate underdog stood tall.
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