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As another Royal Rumble approaches, it’s time to take a look back at one of the most important records from the event’s 30-year history.
Outside of winning the match itself, the biggest accomplishment a Superstar can hope for is gaining the most eliminations in a single match – a record that was held by Kane (11 eliminations) for 13 years before it was beaten by Roman Reigns (12 eliminations) in 2014.
In this article, we go one step further by taking a look at the top 10 Superstars who have gained the most cumulative eliminations in Rumble matches throughout their WWE careers.
#10 Randy Orton - 20 eliminations
With eight Royal Rumble appearances to his name, it’s not a major surprise to see Randy Orton sneak his way into this list with 20 eliminations.
“The Viper” is one of just seven men to have won two or more Rumbles, having been victorious for the first time in 2009 and most recently in 2017, and it is already confirmed that he will appear in the match again in 2018.
His best year for eliminations was in 2004 – his first-ever appearance in a Rumble – when he entered at #2 and eliminated Booker T, Rikishi, Shelton Benjamin, Ernest Miller and Rico before he was thrown over the top rope by Mick Foley.
#9 John Cena - 22 eliminations
Every time a Royal Rumble comes around, you can bet that John Cena will be among the favourites to win the match.
Throughout his 15-year WWE career, “The Face That Runs The Place” has been victorious in two of the seven Royal Rumble matches he has featured in and it’s not a surprise that he’s among the top contenders to win it again in 2018.
His most successful year for eliminations came in 2011 – the largest Rumble ever with 40 competitors – when he threw out CM Punk, Michael McGillicutty, David Otunga, Mason Ryan, Tyson Kidd, Heath Slater and Alex Riley before he was eliminated by The Miz.
#8 Roman Reigns - 26 eliminations
Roman Reigns only made his Royal Rumble debut in 2014 but he has already become synonymous with the annual event, setting the record for the most number of eliminations in a single match (12) during his first Rumble before winning the whole thing in front of a hostile Philadelphia crowd a year later.
In 2016, Reigns was the dreaded first entrant and lost his WWE Championship to Triple H in a match that revolved around him (remember “One Versus All”?), while he was the unadvertised – and unwelcome – 30th entrant in 2017.
Only one person (the next name on this list) has a better eliminations-per-appearance ratio than “The Big Dog”.
#7 Hulk Hogan - 27 eliminations
Who else would have a better eliminations-per-appearance ratio in Royal Rumble history than Hulk Hogan? “The Hulkster” appeared in four Rumble matches between 1989 and 1992, winning two of them (1990 and 1991) whilst eliminating 27 people in the process.
His most successful year in terms of eliminations came in 1989. Entering at #18, he spent less than 12 minutes in the match but was still able to throw out 10 people, including The Warlord after just two seconds, before Akeem and The Big Boss Man joined forces to eliminate him.
#6 Big Show - 31 eliminations
Despite never winning the Royal Rumble, you can always rely on Big Show to make an impact in the match. Since his debut at the 2000 event, he has appeared in 12 Rumbles and eliminated 31 people along the way.
His most eliminations in a single match came when he was the last entrant in 2009. During his nine-minute appearance, “The World’s Largest Athlete” eliminated Rey Mysterio, Mike Knox, The Undertaker, CM Punk, R-Truth and Jim Duggan before he was thrown out by eventual winner Randy Orton.
#5 Triple H - 33 eliminations
When you consider that 22 Royal Rumble matches have come and gone during Triple H’s time in WWE, it’s a little surprising that he has only appeared in nine of them.
“The Game” has gained 33 eliminations and two overall victories in that time (2002 and 2016), while he has spent a cumulative four hours in Rumble matches throughout his career – second only to Chris Jericho.
#4 Steve Austin - 36 eliminations
Not many people have eliminated multiple Superstars on such a consistent basis as Roman Reigns and Hulk Hogan over the years, but “Stone Cold” Steve Austin wasn’t far behind with an average of six eliminations every time he competed in a Rumble match.
“The Rattlesnake” threw 36 Superstars over the top rope during his six matches and is the only person to ever win the Rumble on three occasions (1997, 1998 and 2001).
His best year for eliminations was 1997 – also the year of his first victory – when he entered at #5 and threw 10 people over the top rope.
Joint #2 Shawn Michaels - 39 eliminations
Shawn Michaels is known for his legendary matches on grand stages, hence the nickname “Mr. WrestleMania”, but he has as much right to be known as “Mr. Royal Rumble”, too.
“The Heart Break Kid” appeared in 12 Royal Rumble matches between 1989 and 2010, gaining 39 eliminations, and he is one of just three back-to-back winners of the event (1995 and 1996), with Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin being the other two.
Joint #2 The Undertaker - 39 eliminations
Like Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker’s career will be defined by his moments at WrestleMania. However, with 39 eliminations in 11 matches, he’s also among the most successful Superstars in Royal Rumble history.
His best year for eliminations was when he threw out Rikishi, Goldust, Al Snow, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy and Billy Gunn in 2002 – the same year that he was shockingly knocked over the top rope by Tough Enough rookie Maven, who he later went on to eliminate despite being out of the match.
#1 Kane - 44 eliminations
In a strange Royal Rumble quirk, the only two names on this list who have never won the match are two of the tallest and most monstrous Superstars of their generation: Big Show and Kane.
Despite never being the last man standing at the event, “The Big Red Machine” is still a Rumble legend. He eliminated 11 people in 2001 and 44 people in total throughout his career, while he also holds the record for the most appearances in Rumble matches, featuring in 19 between 1996 and 2016.
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