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While the Royal Rumble offers a chance for a superstar to end up with the title, or a shot at the title at Wrestlemania, the match also has a lot of filler positions for lesser known superstars to work with talents they otherwise would not. Some superstars are able to gain from the Rumble match even if they don't win it. Considering that no wrestler that entered at number 4 during the Royal Rumble has gone on to win it, these five competitors have gained something despite not winning it. From Jerry Lawler hiding under the ring, only to be discovered and eliminated by Shawn Michaels, to the Rock coming so close to winning it all in 1998, only to be eliminated by Stone Cold Steve Austin.
The number 4 entry is one of the unluckiest entries, as no one who came into the Royal Rumble from the number 4 spot has gone on to win the Royal Rumble, on top of this, no one from the number 4 spot has even made it to the final to. The Rock was the most successful, being eliminated after reaching the top 3 in the 1998 Royal Rumble. Cody Rhodes has made 2 appearances at the Royal Rumble at the number 4 entry, including a highly successful run in the 2012 Rumble where he made it to the final 6.
In terms of eliminations, wrestlers who came out in the 4th entry of the Royal Rumble have eliminated 22 wrestlers from the Royal Rumble. Wrestlers that came in at the number four entry are mostly eliminated second, with 11 wrestlers entering the Royal Rumble 4th only for them to be dumped out behind only one other wrestler. Only 5 wrestlers that came out of the number 4 spot made it past 10 eliminations, with Cody Rhodes having achieved the feat twice.
You can see the other entries in this series below:
Part 1 is here
Part 2 is here
Part 3 is here
# 5 Mandy Rose (2018) - Eliminated 1st - 0 Eliminations
While not the best performance in a Royal Rumble, Mandy Rose's entrance at the Royal Rumble was historically significant for the reason that she would become the women to be eliminated from the Royal Rumble in history. Coming in at the fourth entry, after Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, and Sarah Logan, yet all of those wrestlers lasted longer than Mandy Rose. Rose was eliminated by Lita, who entered the Rumble right after Rose herself.
Rose was one-third of the Absolution faction with Sonya Deville and Paige but didn't even manage to last to see Sonya Deville come out at number 7. Rose hasn't had much more luck since she and Deville were traded to Smackdown, with the exception of her even more eye-catching golden entrance.
Needless to say, the talent pool that has come out at number 4 in the Rumble is shallow.
# 4 Jerry Lawler (1996) - Eliminated 16th - 0 Eliminations
The legendary wrestler of the Memphis territory back in the days was used sparingly throughout the 90s by WWF in his King gimmick. He would go back and forth between color commentator and in-ring performer, occasionally combining the two by bringing a microphone into the ring and commentating his own matches.
Lawler was always great at generating heat against himself during his time as a wrestler, even though he is probably better known for his stints with Vince McMahon and Jim Ross as commentators.
During the 1996 Royal Rumble, Lawler drew the unlucky 4th spot and raced down to the ring. He managed to stay in the ring until the appearance of Jake "the Snake" Roberts, who brought his snakes into the ring. Lawler would subsequently roll out of the ring and hide beneath it. Lawler's tactic was almost successful as most of the wrestlers didn't seem to notice Lawler's sneaky escape from the ring.
He did manage to avoid the beating that most of the other in-ring competitors received from Vader, after he was eliminated, but was discovered later in the match by Shawn Michaels and pulled out of his hiding spot.
Michaels would throw Lawler back into the ring and eliminate him from the Royal Rumble in the 16th position, having spent over 30 minutes entered in the Royal Rumble with the majority of that spent below the ring.
# 3 Ted DiBiase (1993) - Eliminated 13th - 4 Eliminations
The Million Dollar Man, Ted DiBiase, was never a main event player in the WWF, having never been crowned as the promotion's main champion, despite buying the belt off of Andre the Giant. Dibiase was generally seen as a villainous rich tycoon who would prefer to buy his way to the top as opposed to fighting for his victories. The character allowed for DiBiase to become a top heel for the WWF, especially against the puritanical likes of Hogan and the other babyfaces.
However, during the 1993 Royal Rumble, DiBiase was given the freedom to actually try and wrestle for his worth. DiBiase stormed to the ring, tailed by his manager Jimmy Hart. During his time in the Rumble, DiBiase eliminated Brian Knobbs, Koko B Ware, and Terry Taylor as well as Mr. Perfect before he was eliminated himself by the Undertaker.
# 2 Cody Rhodes (2012) - Eliminated 24th - 6 Eliminations
Cody Rhodes is a two-time entrant of the Royal Rumble at the 4th entry. The first time he entered at number 4 was at the 2012 Royal Rumble. Rhodes battled bravely to his best Rumble performance ever in the WWE. Rhodes was electric in making it all the way to the final 6 competitors and eliminated 6 superstars along the way across the duration of the Rumble.
Rhodes would eliminate Mick Foley and Santino Marella at the same time, then would later eliminate the Great Khali and legends like Jerry "The King" Lawler, Booker T and the inaugural winner of the Royal Rumble "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan. Unfortunately, he was later eliminated by the Big Show and was unable to get close to this sort of Royal Rumble performance at the WWE.
Considering Rhodes' status and popularity on the independent scene, it may remain his best Royal Rumble performance.
# 1 The Rock (1998) - Eliminated 29th - 3 Eliminations
The Rock's performance is far and away the best performance by a wrestler coming into the Royal Rumble at the number 4 spot. He made it all the way to the final two but lost the eventual battle to "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. The Rock's performance was even more impressive considering that he had earlier retained his Intercontinental title against Ken Shamrock.
In the earlier match, Shamrock actually pinned the Rock for the three-count but after the bell, the Rock appealed to the referee Mike Chioda to check Shamrock's trunks for brass knuckles that the Rock had placed there earlier.
To the Royal Rumble match itself, the Rock sold the injuries of his early encounter, and despite the obvious handicap managed to battle his way through the Royal Rumble. During the Rumble, the Rock managed to eliminate Ken Shamrock and fellow member of the Nation of Domination, Farooq as well as having a hand in the elimination of Kurrgan.
The Rock made it all the way to the final two only to be eliminated by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Austin's second Royal Rumble victory in a row.
