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No. 25 is a historic entry for women, as the first winner of the all-female Royal Rumble was the 25th entrant to the Royal Rumble, Asuka.
From the announcement to the women headlining the show, every step forward was a step towards the progression of women's wrestling from the Bra and Panties generation of the attitude era towards the serious contests that the women of the WWE have today.
Originally announced by the Chief Branding Officer of the WWE, Stephanie McMahon, on the December 18 episode of Monday Night Raw in front of the entire female roster of the WWE.
Rumors had been circulating for months that the WWE planned to pull the trigger on the event, which had been gaining traction due to the incredibly talented female roster that the WWE had begun to accumulate over the last years.
The match itself was a great spectacle and much like the regular Royal Rumble, it saw talents across multiple WWE eras interact in the ring with each other, as talents like Trish Stratus, Lita, Jacqueline, Molly Holly, Michelle McCool, Kelly Kelly, and The Bellas faced off against the likes of Becky Lynch, Naomi, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Nia Jax, and Asuka.
You can see the other entries in this series below:
Part 1 is here; Part 6 is here; Part 11 is here; Part 16 is here; Part 21 is here
Part 2 is here; Part 7 is here; Part 12 is here; Part 17 is here; Part 22 is here
Part 3 is here; Part 8 is here; Part 13 is here; Part 18 is here; Part 23 is here
Part 4 is here; Part 9 is here; Part 14 is here; Part 19 is here; Part 24 is here
Part 5 is here; Part 10 is here; Part 15 is here; Part 20 is here
#5 Bastion Booger (1994) - Unable to Compete
In the 1994 Royal Rumble, the number 25 entrant was supposed to be oddball wrestler Bastion Booger.
However, after the number was reached no one entered the match at the time and everything proceeded as normal. While this had happened before with Macho Man Randy Savage not entering the Royal Rumble when his number came up in the 1991 match.
The difference being that during Savage's no-show, there was a storyline explanation as he had interfered in the Ultimate Warriors' title match earlier in the night. Whereas Bastion Booger appeared a no-show the entire event, the explanation was later given that Booger "didn't feel well".
He would continue to wrestle for the promotion before being released in August of the same year. He would re-appear for a one-off guest appearance on an episode of Raw in 2007, but that would be his final appearance for the company as he passed away in September 2010.
If we look at what was at stake during the match, it is pretty much inexcusable that Booger did not take his spot in the match. In a locker room full of superstars where only 30 men get to compete in a match and there are plenty of qualifier bouts and backstage attacks just to get a coveted spot in the Rumble match, the Booger 'no showing' the event is a massive surprise.
The WWE could have ideally repalced him like they have done so in the other years. For example, Mic Foley attacked Test backstage in order to get even with Randy Orton and inserted himself in the 21st spot in the 2004 Royal Rumble.
#4 Chris Jericho (2004) - Eliminated 27th - 1 Elimination
Chris Jericho has participated in 11 Royal Rumbles during his career at the WWE, and judging by the fact that he has now signed a contract with All Elite Wrestling, he may not participate in another Rumble again for the promotion.
While Jericho has achieved a lot during his career at WWE after crossing over from WCW during the Monday Night Wars, one thing he never managed to achieve was winning the Royal Rumble.
One of Jericho's best performances was at the Royal Rumble in 2004 when he made it to the final 4 alongside the Big Show, Kurt Angle, and that year's winner Chris Benoit. He was the 27th contestant to be eliminated. Coming in at entry 25, Jericho only eliminated one participant during the Royal Rumble that year, being Christian, whom he would face later at that year's Wrestlemania.
Jericho's rumble heroics are the stuff of legend and he holds the record for cumulative time spent in Royal Rumble matches that amount to almost five hours of in-ring presence.
Colossal numbers, to say the least, and Jericho still has a lot left in his tank.
#3 John Cena (2005) - Eliminated 29th - 3 Eliminations
The end of the 2005 Rumble is one of the most exciting ends to a Royal Rumble that has occurred in the matches over 30-year history.
With only number 25, John Cena, and number 28, Batista, left in the ring, both men tumbled over the top rope and appeared to hit the ground at the same time. The two returned to the ring with the Raw referees declaring Batista the winner and the Smackdown referees declaring John Cena the winner.
This lead to another memorable moment as irate CEO of the WWE, Vince McMahon, stormed to the ring. Unfortunately, as Vince slid into the ring he tore both of his quadriceps muscles leading to him not being able to stand and was forced to bark instructions while seated in the ring. Despite the fact that the 1994 Rumble had previously had a draw, McMahon ordered that the two restart the match again.
Batista was able to successfully defeat John Cena and eliminate him cleanly the second time around. Both men would go on to Wrestlemania to compete for and win their respective shows top titles. Batista would go on to defeat Triple H at Wrestlemania for the World Heavyweight title, while John Cena would defeat JBL for the WWE title.
Quite an anti-climax to one the most exciting Royal Rumble matches in recent history.
#2 Hulk Hogan (1990) - Winner - 6 Eliminations
In the 1980s, and for much of the '90s, Hulk Hogan was the biggest draw professional wrestling ever knew. Despite this, Hogan never wrestled in the first Royal Rumble and wrestled in the second as the Champion but was eliminated before the end.
However, in the 1990 Royal Rumble, Hulk Hogan would enter in at position 25 and clean house, eliminating six other competitors to claim victory.
During the Hulk's winning Royal Rumble, he would eliminate Jimmy Snuka, Haku, The Honky Tonk Man, The Ultimate Warrior, Rick Rude, and lastly Mr. Perfect for the win. Hogan, the WWF Champion at the time, and one of the longest reigning champions was seen as the dominant force in the WWF.
He would go on to face the Intercontinental Champion, the Ultimate Warrior, at Wrestlemania VI in a match that would unify both the Intercontinental and WWF belts, with Hulk Hogan losing clean to the beloved Ultimate Warrior.
Hogan was a bigger entity than the business itself back in the day and it is no surprise that he won the event amidst much fanfare.
#1 Asuka (2018) - Winner - 3 Eliminations
After signing with the WWE in 2015, Asuka would spend years in the developmental NXT division and would not lose a single match during her two-year tenure with the brand, taking a much-publicized undefeated streak with her into the main roster. In September 2017, vignettes began to air promising Asuka's debut on Raw.
Asuka would carry her undefeated streak on to the main roster, picking up victories against Emma, Dana Brooke, and Alicia Fox, but also winning the Mixed Match challenge with the Miz.
Asuka would also help the Raw Women's team win at Survivor Series as the team's sole survivor. Heading into the Royal Rumble, Asuka would once again claim victory, eliminating former NXT rivals, Nia Jax and Ember Moon, before eliminating Nikki Bella to claim victory.
Asuka would go on to Wrestlemania undefeated, where she chose to face Smackdown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair. She would go on to suffer her first defeat in the WWE at Wrestlemania, tapping out to Flair's figure-8 leg lock.
Asuka has been an integral part of WWE's women's division, helping elevate the wrestling standards.
