5 WWE Superstars who lasted an hour in the Royal Rumble

For a wrestler to stay in the Royal Rumble match for a long time, he has to have a blend of luck, skill and timing. Luck is required with regard to the entry number the performer draws, skill’s role in the equation is obvious, and timing can matter because of who might be in the ring when a guy gets inside the ropes.

Men like Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns Chris Jericho and CM Punk have turned in marathon performances in recent years, but none of them managed to cross the one-hour mark. There are five men who have done so; how many can you name?

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Ric Flair – 1:00:02 (1992)

The Nature Boy Ric Flair was in rare form after collecting the WWF Championship by winning the Rumble in 1992.

As anyone who has watched the 1992 Royal Rumble can attest, viewers got a full hour of, “It’s not fair to Flair!” With manager Bobby “The Brain” Heenan on commentary pleading his case, Ric Flair came in at No. 3 and lasted the rest of the way.

That year was a special Rumble, as the WWF Championship had been vacated due to the controversy surrounding matches involving champion Hulk Hogan in late 1991. As a result, the winner of the Royal Rumble was set to become champion, so the belt – and the legendary post-match promo – went to Flair.

Triple H – 1:00:16 (2006)

Triple H developed one of the most recognizable ring entrances in recent WWE history.

The 2006 Royal Rumble was a special one in that it actually had two men break the one-hour mark. One of those men was Triple H, who barely edged out Flair’s time and nearly went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 entry that year.

He fought his way into the final three men with Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton, but a joint effort with Orton backfired, and Triple H was eliminated by Mysterio. Triple H may not have won that battle, but he has two Rumble wins to his credit, most recently in 2016 to win his 14^th world championship.

Bob Backlund – 1:01:10 (1993)

Bob Backlund squared off with the great Ric Flair to open up the 1993 Royal Rumble.

Long before he was working to “Make Darren Young Great Again,” Bob Backlund was, of course, a top champion in the WWF. Perhaps as impressive as his championship wins, though, was his 1993 Royal Rumble effort.

Coming out as one of the first two men with Ric Flair, Backlund went over an our and lasted until the final three men were in the ring – Backlund, Randy Savage and eventual winner Yokozuna. Backlund was eliminated by Yokozuna to gain the distinction of having the longest run in a Rumble match without winning.

Chris Benoit – 1:01:31 (2004)

Chris Benoit’s in-ring accomplishments were unfortunately overshadowed by the way his life ended.

These days, Chris Benoit is unfortunately most remembered for the apparent murder-suicide that he perpetrated against his family. In the ring, though, he accomplished some incredible things and put on some incredible performances.

One such performance came in the 2004 Royal Rumble, in which Benoit cleared the 60-minute mark and survived a star-studded final four scenario against Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle and the Big Show. He even eliminated the “World’s Largest Athlete” to win the match and eventually the world title.

Rey Mysterio – 1:02:12 (2006)

Rey Mysterio defied the odds to become the Royal Rumble Winner in 2006.

The 2006 Royal Rumble was a memorable one for lots of reasons, not the least of which was Triple H and Rey Mysterio going from the first two slots all the way to the last three men standing. Both men lasted an hour, but Mysterio managed to outlast Triple H for the win and the record.

The victory came just a couple months after the death of fellow Mexican superstar Eddie Guerrero, which was likely a factor in Mysterio being chosen as winner. He later went on to win his first of two world championships in WWE.