5 inventive tactics used to avoid Royal Rumble elimination

It's that time of the year again. The Royal Rumble is just hours away, and the buildup to this year's event is incredibly promising.

Though matches like Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley and Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins are the highlights of the event, nothing can overshadow the Rumble match. 30 participants enter the event, everyone for themselves, and only one stands tall. Its tagline is enough for any fan to watch the whole match.

Every entrant does their best to survive as long as possible and win the match. The conventional way of overpowering superstars doesn't help on every occasion. Superstars have to employ various tactics to extend their time in the Rumble.

In the listicle, we'll discuss five innovative ways in which superstars avoided their elimination in the Royal Rumble. Comment down below if you think any current superstar has some tricks up their sleeve to use at this year's event.

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#5. Either do not enter the Royal Rumble or leave in between the match

One's claim of winning the Rumble ends when he's thrown out of the ring over the top rope. To get eliminated, one first needs to enter the match. As the mammoth task of overcoming 29 other men is difficult to overcome, certain superstars exploit this rule.

Brock Lesnar wreaked havoc in the 2016 edition. The Miz is one of the smartest people in the room, and he proved it then. He didn't make an effort against The Beast Incarnate, waiting at the announcer's table until Lesnar's elimination.

Enzo Amore challenged Brock Lesnar the following year at Rumble. The brutal clothesline he received from The Beast Incarnate will be wrestling folklore in the future. It could've been The Miz if he had dared to face Lesnar that day.

Even if one enters the Rumble, they can leave the ring without being eliminated. As per the rules, one has to get tossed over the top rope to be eliminated. Hence, superstars use the middle rope to stay away from the action for a while.

Big names like Roman Reigns, Steve Austin, Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman, and Vince McMahon have all spent considerable time out of the ring and managed to win the event or at least postpone their elimination. Even Santino Marella was about to win the Rumble in 2011 by using this tactic.

#4. Eliminated under the nose of officials

Steve Austin is the only superstar to win the Royal Rumble match thrice. However, the first of these victories was controversial, to say the least.

In the 1997 edition of the Rumble, Bret Hart threw Austin over the top rope, legitimately eliminating him. However, officials were busy settling a dispute between Terry Funk and Mankind on the other side of the ring.

The Texas Rattlesnake exploited the opportunity and snuck back into the ring. He ultimately won the match by last eliminating The Hitman himself.

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#3. Employing teamwork in the Royal Rumble

The fundamental tagline of the event states that every man is for himself. However, that doesn't stop the entrants from working on the same page to survive as long as possible.

The likes of The New Nexus, The Authority, The Wyatt Family, and The New Day have all joined forces within the Rumble to increase their chances of victory.

However, these entrants show their true colors in the final moments, like Edge and Randy Orton conflict, Nikki Bella eliminating Brie Bella, Roman Reigns throwing Seth Rollins, and so on. Nonetheless, this tactic will remain overused perpetually.

#2. Shawn Michaels' one leg rule

The 1995 Royal Rumble started with Shawn Michaels and The British Bulldog. All the other entrants arrived and got their hopes crushed, while these two were the ultimate survivors.

The British Bulldog tossed Michaels off the top rope and started celebrating his victory. However, the Hall of Famer wasn't eliminated and was struggling on the ropes to get back inside.

The match requires a superstar's both feet to touch the ground to be eliminated. There was no express rule for a situation where only one of the feet touched the ground until 1995.

One of his legs touched the ground entirely in this attempt. The Heartbreak Kid eventually went inside and eliminated The Bulldog to become the first superstar to win the eponymous Battle Royal after entering first.

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#1. Kofi Kingston spots in Royal Rumble

Kofi Kingston miraculously saving himself from getting eliminated has now become a staple for the event.

Though it feels like superstars such as Big Show, Braun Strowman and Brock Lesnar would be the toughest guys to eliminate because of their sheer size, arguably the honor should be given to Kingston.

He somehow manages to get inside most of the time. From using a chair as a pogo stick to jumping from the barricades, Kofi does it all to survive.

Though his tactics have never bestowed upon him a Royal Rumble victory, he will still go down as one of the best Rumble competitors.