FanPost

The Greatest Male Royal Rumble Participant...By The Numbers

WWE.com

It’s all about the numbers. It’s what WWE has used to sell the Royal Rumble for approximately fifteen years now. The numbers. The longest performance. The most eliminations. The most victories. As soon as another entry hits the ring, Jim Ross and Michael Cole have always seemed to have a statistic prepared for the viewer. Whether it’s about the number of entry or the wrestler themselves, there is always a statistic available for use. Three decades of the Royal Rumble offers that opportunity. There is a number, there is a statistic for virtually everything.

We all have our opinions. What was the best Royal Rumble? What the best surprise entry? What was the best elimination? And yes, even to be pessimistic for a moment…what was the worst Royal Rumble? Sorry Roman and Bootista, but they exist, too.

There is but one question that stands out above it all. The one question that makes all those statistics so precious.

Who is the greatest Royal Rumble participant ever?

Why, if we’re all so dedicated to the numbers, it seems vital that the numbers have their voice. Opinions are nice. But when it comes down to it? What truly matters is statistics…and history.

So what’s happen when every Male Royal Rumble Match is scored, and each participant is awarded points for their accolades? Well... let’s see what happens!

…By The Numbers!

To me, someone who has watched every Royal Rumble Match multiple times, it’s more about just the winner. Yes, a Royal Rumble victory should be valued more than anything else, no doubt about that. But a Royal Rumble victory isn’t always the most memorable thing about a Rumble, and the Rumble winner certainly doesn’t always have the best performance.

Sometimes, what we remember about a certain Rumble is the man who survives forty minutes. Fifty minutes. One hour.

Sometimes, it’s the man who eliminates ten other competitors.

Sometimes, it’s the runner up who came so darn close to accomplishing their goal, but came up just a little bit short.

Don’t they deserve some recognition for their performances? I do. And there’s three decades of performances that deserve some recognition. So, I think it’s about the time the numbers assist in receiving it.

Every wrestler who has entered the Royal Rumble and has even an ounce of success deserves some recognition. And the more success? The more recognition you deserve.

The following is my Royal Rumble Scoring System to accomplish that:

1 Elimination = 1 Point
20 Minute Performance = 2 Points
30 Minute Performance = 3 Points
40 Minute Performance = 4 Points
50 Minute Performance = 5 Points
1 Hour Performance = 10 Points
Runner Up = 5 Points
Royal Rumble Victory = 15 Points

Admittedly, there is one major flaw to my scoring system that I’d like to point out before I even begin. Longevity is the key to climbing up the rankings. The more Rumbles you’ve been in, the better chance to find your name near the top of the list. For example, I think Ric Flair in 1992 is the greatest Royal Rumble performance ever. But, that is also the only memorable performance ever in the Royal Rumble by Flair. Unfortunately for Ric, this isn’t in the list of the greatest Royal Rumble performances. We’re throwing it all together and looking at Rumble Careers as a whole.

Need some rules? So did I. Here are the rules to consider when you look over this list:

  • This is strictly just the official Royal Rumble event that takes place in January every year. No Greatest Royal Rumble. No special Rumble events on Raw or Smackdown.
  • I took all statistics from Wikipedia. If there is anything wrong, you can blame Wiki. And to be honest, potential human error. I’d never claim to be perfect!
  • If multiple wrestlers eliminated another participant, each wrestler will receive one elimination point.
  • Self eliminations do not receive a point. Sorry, Drew Carrey.
  • If a wrestler never received a point, they are not on the list. This list took long enough to compile already!
  • Wrestlers with multiple gimmicks had their statistics combined into one entry. But, like the previous rule mentions, if they didn’t receive a point while portraying that gimmick, they aren’t mentioned in the list. For example, The Godfather never received a point ever in the Rumble. But, Kama Mustafa did.
  • When scoring each Survival Time, I rounded DOWN to the whole number. If a wrestler didn’t reach the next echelon, that’s unfortunate for them. Yes, some wrestlers missed out on a point because they fell a few seconds short. But, I saw no need to overcomplicate things.
  • All Female competitors were not scored for this list. That’s because I intend to eventually do a Female Royal Rumble Score Sheet. See ya in January 2024!
  • Without further to do, let’s get started and look at the history of the Royal Rumble by the numbers. We’ll start from the bottom and work our way to the top…the top being the Greatest Male Royal Rumble Participant Ever!

    So, where do we start?

    Where else?

    The 1 Pointers!

    1 Point- Ahmed Johnson, Aldo Montoya, Aleister Black, The Berzerker, The Brian Kendrick, Bushwhacker Butch, Carlos Colon, Chad Gable, Chainz, Chavo Guerrero, Chris Masters, Curt Hawkins, Darren Young, Demolition Ax, Diamond Dallas Page, Eli Blu, El Torito, Ezekiel Jackson, Gene Snitsky, The Great Kabuki, Henry O. Godwinn, Hillbilly Jim, Jim Brunzell, Johnny Gargano, Kama Mustafa, Keith Lee, Ken Shamrock, Kevin Thorn, King Kong Bundy, Koko B. Ware, Luther Reigns, Madcap Moss, Marty Jannetty, Matt Morgan, Maven, Mil Mascaras, Mr. Kennedy, Nikolai Volkoff, Otis, Pierroth, Rene Dupree, Ricardo Rodriguez, Rick Boogs, Ricochet, Ridge Holland, Road Warrior Animal, Rhyno, Scott Steiner, Shane McMahon, Sin Cara, Titus O’ Neil, Tully Blanchard, Val Venis, Virgil, X-Pac

    2 Points - Arn Anderson, Bad Bunny, Bad News Brown, Bubba Ray Dudley, Charlie Haas, David Otunga, Dick Murdoch, Dominik Mysterio, Dusty Rhodes, Erick Rowan, Heath Slater, Irwin R. Schyster, Jerry Sags, Jimmy Snuka, Jim Neidhart, Jinder Mahal, Kevin Owens, Kurrgan, Mason Ryan,Mo, Rick Rude, Road Warrior Hawk, Ron Bass, R-Truth, Savio Vega/Kwang, Shane Douglas, The Texas Tornado, Thrasher

    3 Points - Al Snow, Austin Theory, Billy Gunn, Bo Dallas, Brian Knobbs, Chuck Palumbo, Dino Bravo, Don Muraco, Gangrel, Hornswoggle, Jeff Hardy, Mike Knox, Omos, Umaga, Vladmir Kozlov

    4 Points - 8-Ball, Bobby Lashley, Bradshaw, Chainsaw Charlie, Demolition Smash/Repo Man, D’Lo Brown, Elias, Faarooq, Haku, Joey Mercury, Michael McGillicutty, Phineas I. Godwinn

    5 Points - Andre The Giant, Antonio Cesaro, Carlito, Damian Priest, Eddie Guerrero, Road Dogg, Roddy Piper, Samoa Joe, Tatanka, Test, Tito Santana

    6 Points - Andrade Almas, The Barbarian/Sione, Big E, Christian, Finlay, Hercules, Goldberg, Goldust, Jerry Lawler, Mark Henry, Matt Hardy, Matt Riddle, Mustafa Ali, Sami Zayn, Santino Marella, Shelton Benjamin, Ted DiBiase Jr., The Ultimate Warrior, Vader

    7 Points - John Morrison/Johnny Nitro, Jake Roberts

    8 Points - Greg Valentine, Mabel/Viscera

    9 Points - Finn Balor, Luke Harper, The Miz, Owen Hart, Wade Barrett

    10 Points - Bam Bam Bigelow, Big Boss Man, Bob/Hardcore Holly, Crush, Daniel Bryan, The Great Khali, Kofi Kingston, Mick Foley (all 3 Faces), Ryback

    11 Points - Booker T/King Booker, Mr. Perfect, Sid Justice

    12 Points - AJ Styles, Kurt Angle, One Man Gang/Akeem, Rikishi Fatu

    13 Points - Baron/King/Happy Corbin, Bob Backlund, Randy Savage, Rob Vam Dam

    14 Points - Rick Martel

    15 Points – Earthquake

    17 Points - Alberto Del Rio, Big John Studd

    18 Points - Diesel/Kevin Nash, Dolph Ziggler

    19 Points - Dean Ambrose, Rusev

    20 Points - Bray Wyatt/Husky Harris

    21 Points - Jim Duggan, Vince McMahon

    Still with me? Alright, now it’s time to get further in depth. Let’s break down the Top 30 Greatest Male Royal Rumble Participants.

    Let’s see how they got there, shall we?

    (30) "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase - 22 Points

    1 – Runner Up
    1 – 40 Minute Performance
    1 – 20 Minute Performance
    11 – Eliminations

    (T-28) Yokozuna – 25 Points

    1 – Royal Rumble Victory
    10 – Eliminations

    (T-28) Shinsuke Nakamura – 25 Points

    1 – Royal Rumble Victory
    1 – 40 Minute Performance
    1 – 20 Minute Performance
    4 – Eliminations

    (T-26) Cody Rhodes – 26 Points

    1 – 40 Minute Performance
    1 – 30 Minute Performance
    3 – 20 Minute Performances
    13 –Eliminations

    (T-26) The British Bulldog – 26 Points

    1 – Runner Up
    2 – 30 Minute Performances
    1 – 20 Minute Performance
    13 – Eliminations

    (25) Lex Luger – 27 Points

    1 – Royal Rumble Victory
    1 – 20 Minute Performance
    10 – Eliminations

    (24) Braun Strowman – 28 Points

    1 – Runner Up
    23 – Eliminations

    (23) CM Punk – 31 Points

    1 – 40 Minute Performance
    1 – 30 Minute Performance
    3 – 20 Minute Performances
    18 – Eliminations

    (T- 21) Ric Flair – 33 Points

    1 – Royal Rumble Victory
    1 – 1 Hour Performance
    8 – Eliminations

    (T-21) Bret Hart – 33 Points

    1 – Royal Rumble Victory
    1 – Runner Up
    3 – 20 Minute Performances
    7 – Eliminations

    (20) Sheamus – 36 Points

    1 – Royal Rumble Victory
    1 – 30 Minute Performance
    2 – 20 Minute Performances
    14 – Eliminations

    (19) Drew McIntyre – 37 Points

    1 – Royal Rumble Victory
    1 – Runner Up
    1 – 30 Minute Performance
    1 – 20 Minute Performance
    12 – Eliminations

    (T-17) Seth Rollins – 38 Points

    1 – Royal Rumble Victory
    2 – 40 Minute Performances
    15 – Eliminations

    (T-17) The Rock – 38 Points

    1 – Royal Rumble Victory
    1 – Runner Up
    1 – 50 Minute Performance
    1 – 30 Minute Performance
    10 – Eliminations

    (T-15) Chris Benoit – 44 Points

    1 – Royal Rumble Victory
    1 – 1 Hour Performance
    1 – 40 Minute Performance
    1 – 30 Minute Performance
    13 – Eliminations

    (T-15) The Big Show – 44 Points

    2 – Runner Ups
    1 – 20 Minute Performance
    32 – Eliminations

    (14) Rey Mysterio – 49 Points

    1 – Royal Rumble Victory
    1 – 1 Hour Performance
    1 – 40 Minute Performance
    1 – 30 Minute Performance
    1 – 20 Minute Performance
    15 – Eliminations

    (T-12) Chris Jericho – 50 Points

    1 – Runner Up
    1 – 1 Hour Performance
    1 – 50 Minute Performance
    1 – 40 Minute Performance
    2 – 30 Minute Performances
    1 – 20 Minute Performance
    18 – Eliminations

    (T-12) Batista – 50 Points

    2 – Royal Rumble Victories
    1 – 30 Minute Performance
    17 – Eliminations

    (11) Kane/Isaac Yankem D.D.S. – 57 Points

    1 – Runner Up
    1 – 50 Minute Performance
    1 – 20 Minute Performance
    45 – Eliminations

    Yes, no one is more disappointed that Kane didn’t make the Top 10 of this list, even with some help from Isaac Yankem (1 Point!). Truth to be told, he was originally tied with Hogan at 59 Points, but after reviewing my numbers, I had made an error AND accidentally counted the time that Kane eliminated himself. So, I had to subtract 2 points from Kane.

    Truth is, while we celebrate Kane as one of the greatest Rumble performers, he had only one amazing year (2001), a couple okay years, and a bunch of forgettable ones where he (maybe) eliminated one or two guys. Most importantly, the thing that hurts Kane the most? The Big Red Machine has never won a Royal Rumble Match.

    Alright, it’s time for the Top 10. Let’s break this down a bit more as we inch closer to #1.

    (10) Hulk Hogan – 59 Points

    2 – Royal Rumble Victories
    1 – 20 Minute Performance
    27– Eliminations

    When we are quick to pick the Greatest Male Royal Rumble Participants Ever, Hogan is easily Top 5. The Hulkster dominated in the only four Rumbles that he participated in, winning two of them. I would even go so far as to say that Hogan helped make the Royal Rumble as popular as it is. His two victories made the Rumble event just important as Summer Slam. Really, the only thing that kept Hogan rising further islongevity as a whole. He was only in four Rumbles, and he certainly wasn’t going to dish out a forty minute performance in the process. That keeps Hogan down in the #10 spot.

    (9) Brock Lesnar – 61 Points

    2 – Royal Rumble Victories
    1 – 20 Minute Performance
    29 – Eliminations

    Like Hogan, Lesnar falls a bit short on the rankings due to longevity. But just like the Hulkster, when Brock is involved in the Rumble? The Beast dominates. Even during his short stints in the Rumble, Lesnar manages to at least toss out a few participants. Many people may have disliked Brock’s victory in 2022 (the entire Rumble Match, really). Nevertheless, Brock’s second Rumble victory helps propel him into the Top 10.

    (8) The Undertaker – 66 Points

    1 – Royal Rumble Victory
    1 – Runner Up
    2 – 30 Minute Performances
    40 – Eliminations

    Longevity helps the Deadman rise over two time winners Hulk & Brock to land at #8. The Undertaker entered nine Royal Rumbles during his career. While he doesn’t have very long performances on his record, there was one thing for certain. When the Deadman entered the Royal Rumble, bodies were going to be flying over the top rope.

    (7) Edge – 68 Points

    2 – Royal Rumble Victories
    1 – 50 Minute Performance
    2 – 40 Minute Performances
    1 – 20 Minute Performance
    23 – Eliminations

    If there is one name that doesn’t get enough recognition for his success in the Royal Rumble, I believe that would be Edge. He might not be the flashy choice with a ton of eliminations, but the Rated-R Superstar knows how to survive. Even before becoming a World Champion, Edge put out some solid performances in the Rumble. Plus, there is no one with two amazing surprise entries like Edge. Never count Edge out in the Rumble, he’s very likely going to be there towards the end!

    (6) John Cena – 74 Points

    2 – Royal Rumble Victories
    2 – Runner Ups
    1 – 30 Minute Performance
    3 – 20 Minute Performances
    25 – Eliminations

    SUPER CENA! If there is one thing you can attribute to the hate for Cena during his prime, it was that John was likely going to be there in January to ruin your hope for the Royal Rumble. Cena was likely going to toss out the guy who you were rooting for to win it all. After a couple ho-hum performances in 03 & 04, Cena dominated in every Rumble he entered after that. And of course, there’s his surprise return in 2008 in front of the live MSG crowd. Why isn’t Cena higher on this list? Well, it’s because usually he was already the champ when it was time for the Rumble!

    (5) Roman Reigns – 79 Points

    1 – Royal Rumble Victory
    4 – Runner Ups
    1 – 50 Minute Performance
    1 – 30 Minute Performance
    2 – 20 Minute Performances
    32 – Eliminations

    Hey, remember when I talked about crowd hate? Boy oh boy, no wonder Roman couldn’t get over as a babyface with a lot of fans. Just like Cena, there he’s been in January, tossing out all your Rumble favorites. Roman is the highest Rumble participant with only one Rumble victory. By BAH GAWD! Roman Reigns is the Runner Up KING! No one else has more than two. Guaranteed, if Roman ever finds himself in the Rumble again, I’d put good money that the Tribal Chief will AT LEAST be one of the Final Two.

    (4) Randy Orton – 81 Points

    2 – Royal Rumble Victories
    2 – Runner Ups
    1 – 50 Minute Performance
    1 – 40 Minute Performance
    1 – 30 Minute Performance
    2 – 20 Minute Performances
    25 – Eliminations

    Maybe the Viper isn’t spoken this highly when it comes to the Royal Rumble, but this is where longevity comes to play with this ranking. Orton has been in a whopping eleven Rumble matches and has managed to stick around in plenty of them. And even in a not-so-memorable performances, Orton still manages to notch a few eliminations in the process. Whether its by himself or aligning with a group, the Viper has always been able to find success in the Rumble.

    (3) Shawn Michaels – 91 Points

    2 – Royal Rumble Victories
    1 – Runner Up
    2 – 30 Minute Performances
    4 – 20 Minute Performances
    42 – Eliminations

    I would like to believe that Shawn Michaels is the one of the first names that any fan thinks of when they think about the Royal Rumble, so it’s only proper that HBK makes into the Top 3 of the ranking. HBK has been in 12 Rumble Matches, dating all the way back to 1989 as a Rocker. In only 2 of those Rumbles did Michaels not receive a point. To summarize, when Shawn Michaels entered the Rumble, there was a pretty good chance he was going to deliver something memorable. Whether it was skinning the cat to survive or delivering Sweet Chin Music to send someone over the top rope, the Show Stopper always knew how to deliver in the Rumble.

    (2) Triple H – 93 Points

    2 – Royal Rumble Victories
    2 – Runner Ups
    1 – 1 Hour Performance
    1 – 50 Minute Performance
    1 – 40 Minute Performance
    1 – 20 Minute Performance
    32– Eliminations

    I’m sure many (or all) would disagree that Triple H has no business over Shawn Michaels on this ranking. But, the numbers came out as they did. The Cerebral Assassin manages to sneak past his best friend to the #2 spot. More than any Rumble competitor, Triple H benefits from this ranking giving credit to participants who managed to survive a long time in the Rumble. No one succeeded in all facets of the Rumble like Hunter did. The Game survived long, The Game eliminated many, and The Game was likely there at the end. I mean, you could even say Triple H was really good at burying the competition whenever he entered the Royal Rumble. He's That. Damn. Good.

    (1) Stone Cold Steve Austin/The Ringmaster – 97 Points

    3 – Royal Rumble Victories
    1 – Runner Up
    1 – 50 Minute Performance
    1 – 40 Minute Performance
    1 – 20 Minute Performance
    36 – Eliminations

    Well…maybe you don’t need some cutesy numerical system to tell you who is the Greatest Royal Rumble Participant Ever. But…it was fun anyway!

    Break it down however you want, there is still one key statistic that matters more than anything. Who has the most Royal Rumble victories? That is, of course, none other than the Rattlesnake. In just 6 Royal Rumble Matches, Stone Cold managed to build himself a legacy as the greatest Rumble participant ever. In case you aren’t doing the math, that means if Stone Cold enters the Rumble? There is a 50% chance that Austin is coming out the winner!

    And let’s not forget his number of eliminations too, right behind the likes of HBK & Kane. If you do the math there, that tells you that when Austin enters the Rumble? There’s a good chance that 6 participants are about to hit the ringside floor.

    There’s a reason why Stone Cold’s Rumble legacy still stands tall twenty years later. It is just that memorable. The glass breaks. Austin hits the ring and stick arounds, delivering plenty of cans of whoop ass, and he’s probably going to win it all.

    Oh yeah, and Stone Cold can also thank The Ringmaster for assisting the Rattlesnake with a whopping 1 Point! Totally makes the difference!

    The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Cageside Seats readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cageside Seats editors or staff.