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While WWE's Royal Rumble will be taking place this Sunday, AEW fans will have to wait a while for their version of the Premium Live Event, called the Casino Battle Royal.
The Royal Rumble is an annual Premium Live Event that's been held since 1988. The main event is a 30 man or - since recently - woman battle royal where entranants enter the ring at intervals. The only way to win is by eliminating all opponents by throwing them over the top rope, or by surviving until everyone else is eliminated.
It's no secret that quite a number of wrestlers currently signed to All Elite Wrestling were once in WWE. While their accolades in the Royal Rumbles all differ, practically all ex-WWE wrestlers took part at least once.
Let's look back at some of the current AEW stars who once featured in a Royal Rumble. The list will be sorted based on their achievements in all Royal Rumbles so far as well as some of their statistics.
7. Jake Hager of AEW's Inner Circle, FKA Jack Swagger
During Jake Hager's run in WWE, he went by the name of Jack Swagger. He was booked as an American Hero and his persona mainly revolved around his strong patriotism.
Swagger would eventually be paired with Zeb Colter - now known as Dutch Mantel. Colter would manage Swagger as well as form the short-lived stable known as "The Real Americans" alongside Cesaro. The odd pairing was unfortunately not well received by fans and didn't last.
Swagger found very little success in any Royal Rumble, and the only noteworthy thing is that he appeared in six of them. Oddly enough, even though he never won a Royal Rumble as Swagger, Hager won three different championships.
6. Former AEW Champion Jon Moxley
AEW star Jon Moxley was known as Dean Ambrose during his WWE run. Famously, he was a member of The Shield and also its de-facto leader for some time.
As Ambrose, Moxley made five appearances in a Rumble. But unlike Swagger, Ambrose would last until the final three alongside his former teammate Roman Reigns and Triple H during the 2016 Royal Rumble. Triple H eliminated Reigns first before getting rid of Ambrose.
Ambrose might never have won a Royal Rumble or achieved much in the Premium Live Event, but getting eliminated by The Game is an honor of its own.
5. The American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes
Unlike most wrestlers on this list, Cody Rhodes didn't have a name change after leaving WWE. Rhodes' time in Vince McMahon's company fluctuated in terms of quality.
At times he had brilliant gimmicks such as his "Shattered Cody Rhodes" persona, while also having been Stardust during his final run. Like his gimmicks, his Royal Rumble stats are also somewhat fluctuating.
Even though Rhodes appeared in only three RR's, he eliminated the most contestants (5) in the 2012 Rumble. He also has the 8th longest cumulative time in a RR, caping at 3 hours 06 minutes and 45 seconds.
4. Paul Wight, formerly known as The Big Show
Paul Wight has had a career spanning nearly 30 years. Making appearances in both WCW and WWE and now being signed to AEW, he's seen the entire gamut of pro wrestling.
During his time at WWE, Wight was known as The Big Show - a name fans recognize to this day. Although The Big Show held many titles, he never won a Royal Rumble.
Regardless, he appeared in 12 different RR's, holding the 4th most Rumble appearances. Through all these appearances, he eliminated the most entrants in 2009 at six, a record tied with Triple H. Most impressively, he's eliminated a total of 32 wrestlers through his 12 appearances, a record he shares with Roman Reigns.
3. AEW's American Dragon, Bryan Danielson
Bryan Danielson recently stirred up a storm in AEW by challenging Hangman Page and defeating numerous members of the Dark Order. But before he came to All Elite Wrestling, he was known as Daniel Bryan - one of WWE's greatest underdogs.
As Daniel Bryan he made a total of five Royal Rumble appearances, including in the Greatest Royal Rumble. The Greatest Royal Rumble was the only RR held in Saudi Arabia, hence the name change.
During the Greatest Rumble, Bryan entered first and lasted for 01 hour 16 minutes and 05 seconds, which is also the longest "Iron Man" record. The Iron Man record is only held by someone who enters 1st or 2nd and is based on how long they last.
Cumulatively, Danielson spent 02 hours, 24 minutes and 21 seconds across all of his Royal Rumbles, placing him at 17th for cumulative time.
2. The Best in the World, CM Punk
CM Punk's career in WWE is fondly remembered for his famous "pipe-bomb" promo. But apart from that, Punk also picked up a number of championships and accolades.
Although he never won a Rumble, Punk has one of the most impressive RR records amongst the AEW wrestlers. Punk made a total of six appearances in a Royal Rumble.
He held the Iron Man record on two separate occasions after being the #1 entrant. In 2011 he lasted for 35 minutes and 21 seconds and eliminated seven wrestlers, a record he shares with John Cena. In the 2014 RR, he lasted for 49 minutes and 15 seconds.
Punk's cumulative time is 02 hours, 48 minutes and 11 seconds, placing him 10th in the list of most time spent in a Rumble.
1. AEW's Le Champion, Chris Jericho
Summarizing Chris Jericho's career in professional wrestling would take a list of its own. Jericho appeared in 11 different Royal Rumbles, a record he shares with Shelton Benjamin and The Undertaker.
Of all his Rumble appearances, Jericho held the Iron Man record twice. In 2003, he lasted for 38 minutes 54 seconds and eliminated the most entrants at six, after entering at the #2 spot. He entered second in 2017 as well and lasted for 01 hour and 13 seconds.
Some might argue whether or not the former AEW Champion is the G.O.A.T. but Jericho spent a cumulative time of 04 hours 59 minutes and 33 seconds in Royal Rumbles. This number makes him the wrestler with the longest cumulative time ever. Notably, Jericho was a mere 27 seconds away from pushing that number to 5 hours.
