WWE’s Royal Rumble History by the Records

If you are a fan of the WWE’s annual Royal Rumble, you know that it’s one of the most important pay-per-view events of the year. It’s one of the major four events that take place every year with the other three being Summer Slam, Survivor Series and, of course, Wrestlemania. But the Royal Rumble helps set the stage for Wrestlemania because the winner of the actual Royal Rumble match gets a free ticket to be in the main event at Wrestlemania which is a chance at the championship belt. Many things have happened at the Royal Rumble in its 25 year history and here are some of the numbers that have made this event such a spectacular one.

Most Wins

The Texas Rattlesnake is credited with winning the most Royal Rumble matches in WWE history with three wins. He won this coveted match in 1997, 1997 and 2001. It’s difficult enough to win one Royal Rumble match so winning three is unheard of! Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels are both tied for second place with two wins each under their belts.

Being the Runner-Up

How difficult must it be to come so close to winning the Royal Rumble and then being the last man tossed over the ring ropes and down to the floor? To have victory so close in your grasp and then lose it must be heartbreaking. And for those who have had this happen to them more than once, it must be twice as difficult. But three WWE superstars have had this distinction of being able to taste the win and then losing. Those three are The Big Show, Triple H and John Cena.

The Longest Time in the Ring

With the Royal Rumble match being a brutal and exhausting event, it’s a wonder how some people stay in the ring for more than a few minutes without their bodies giving out. But there are some WWE superstars who have managed to stay in the match for a very long time without being eliminated. Ray Mysterio holds the record for being in a Royal Rumble match for one hour and two minutes in 2006. He ended up winning the match that year. Chris Benoit and Bob Backlund both stayed in for just over an hour and one minute in 2004 and 1993 respectively.

Shortest Time in the Ring

If we are going to discuss the longest amount of time in the Royal Rumble match, we should also talk about the shortest time. In 1995, Mo held the record for lasting only three seconds before both feet hit the floor outside the ring. The Warlord, however, held the not-so-coveted record at two seconds when he gave it a shot in 1989. But Santino Marella broke that decades-long record in 2009 when he was knocked out almost instantaneously after one second.