'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
As one of WWE's 'Big Four' events, Royal Rumble as a concept is steeped in over three decades of history. The first pay-per-view of the year is generally the most exciting, thanks to the element of surprise of who will show up.
Several WWE Superstars, past and present, have made a huge impact in the Royal Rumble match. Many new stars use the Rumble as a chance to steal spotlight.
And when it comes to the Royal Rumble, it is all about the numbers. There are many different aspects of the Royal Rumble that can be quantified. With such a rich history that continues to excite fans, there have been many history-making moments in the Rumble match, with new records being set regularly.
They say records are made to be broken. However, some of them, as we will see, are unlikely to be topped. Here are five Royal Rumble records that may never be broken.
#5 Most participants in a Royal Rumble Match (50 - WWE Greatest Royal Rumble)
The standard number of participants in a Royal Rumble Match is 30, with only three exceptions to the rule. The first Rumble, in 1988, only featured 20 Superstars before it found it's identity over the years. Meanwhile, 2011 saw WWE expand the Royal Rumble field to 40 participants.
It seemed like that would remain the largest Rumble match in WWE history, but this record was broken seven years later. Deviating from the traditional January match, WWE booked a 50-man Royal Rumble for their first pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia. Yes, the Greatest Royal Rumble Match is being considered in this article.
While interesting as a concept, the 50-man Rumble dragged a lot in places. There were some fun moments, nevertheless. None of them were as fun as Titus O'Neil falling over during his entrance and landing completely under the ring. That definitely made the match a lot more bearable, especially after the nine matches on the card before it.
Even with WWE's large roster, it was difficult to fill 50 spots in the Greatest Royal Rumble Match. For that reason, a Rumble of that volume may never happen again. WWE may book another 40-man Royal Rumble at some point, but the record for most participants will likely stay with the April 2018 match from Jeddah.
#4 Shortest time spent in a Royal Rumble Match (0:01 - Santino Marella)
This is a Royal Rumble record that WWE has seemingly attempted to break over the years, but Santino Marella's 1.9-second stint in 2009 remains the quickest elimination in Rumble history. The "Italian" Superstar entered at number 28 and was immediately tossed out of the match by Kane, much to everybody's amusement.
Santino repeatedly claimed that he "wasn't ready" but to no avail. Unfortunately for him, no other Superstar was ready to be dumped out from the Royal Rumble in 1.9 seconds. WWE did try to give the record to Titus O'Neil, who had another unplanned Royal Rumble moment in 2015.
O'Neil was supposed to be instantly eliminated from the match by Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose, but he couldn't get over the top rope in time. He lasted four seconds. That is how long Liv Morgan lasted in 2019, the shortest time spent in a Women's Royal Rumble Match. A record that could realistically be broken as soon as this year.
Another recent instant Rumble stint belonged to Sheamus, who lasted two seconds in the 2018 match before getting eliminated by Heath Slater. However, this shows how difficult it is to get eliminated from the Royal Rumble as quickly as possible. Santino Marella truly did well at Royal Rumble 2009. He created a historic moment.
#3 Most eliminations in a Royal Rumble Match (13 - Braun Strowman and Brock Lesnar)
Following Kane's legendary performance at Royal Rumble 2001, The Big Red Machine held the record for the most eliminations in a single match for a long time. However, recent years have seen the record broken multiple times. 11 became 12 courtesy of Roman Reigns in 2014, before Braun Strowman came around four years later.
The Monster Among Men eliminated 13 men from the Greatest Royal Rumble Match, although he did have an advantage of 20 extra available Superstars over Reigns. That being said, Brock Lesnar matched that feat in the 2020 Royal Rumble Match. He went on an incredibly dominant run during the first half of the match.
The Beast encountered a host of faces from his past, eliminating them all. Lesnar took out former rivals, Kofi Kingston and Rey Mysterio, as well as his former training partner, Shelton Benjamin. Rather impressively, he equalled Strowman's record by eliminating the Monster and Keith Lee at the same time.
Considering how unprecedented and unique Brock Lesnar's period of dominance in last year's Royal Rumble Match was, it is extremely unlikely that his record will ever be broken. It will take a superhuman effort from a gargantuan Superstar for Lesnar and Strowman's record of 13 eliminations to be topped.
#2 Least eliminations by a Royal Rumble winner (1 - Vince McMahon and Randy Orton)
Unless a Superstar is figuratively and literally gifted a Royal Rumble victory, this record can never be broken. One Superstar and one Chairman share this distinction, by eliminating just one person en route to winning the Royal Rumble Match.
Vince McMahon somehow won the 1999 edition, that too from number 2. He did not eliminate a single competitor until the end. McMahon eliminated 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin thanks to a major assist from The Rock. This Rumble victory was as underhanded as it gets.
A much fairer Royal Rumble victory came 18 years later, as Randy Orton came out on top in 2017 despite eliminating a solitary competitor. The Viper entered the match at number 23 and dumped Roman Reigns out to win a star-studded Rumble that featured Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, and The Undertaker.
All three part-timers entered the match towards the end, which might explain Orton's relative inactivity in terms of eliminations. Anyway, the only way this record could be broken would be if the final entrant of the Royal Rumble comes out after every other Superstar has been eliminated. Very unlikely, but interesting nonetheless.
#1 Longest time spent in a Royal Rumble Match (76:05 - Daniel Bryan)
Linked with the largest Royal Rumble Match in WWE history, Daniel Bryan's performance in Saudi Arabia was miraculous. He entered the Greatest Royal Rumble Match at number 1 and stayed all the way until the final three. Bryan set a new record in the process as well.
Again, this could be reasoned with the fact that there were 50 participants in the match. However, that only makes the task of staying the course even tougher. Bryan lasted over 76 minutes and eliminated three Superstars, before getting sent out of the ring by Big Cass, with his chest looking like raw meat.
Those battle-scars are a testament to the heart and guts that Daniel Bryan possesses, who had only returned to in-ring action less than three weeks before his Royal Rumble masterclass. Hopefully, he can immortalize his Rumble legacy with a victory in this year's 30-man match.
The longest time spent in a standard Royal Rumble belongs to Rey Mysterio, who lasted the entire 62 minutes in his stunning victory in 2006. Several Superstars - like Chris Jericho and Triple H - have also crossed an hour spent in a single Royal Rumble Match.
However, nobody comes close to Daniel Bryan's 76:05 at the Greatest Royal Rumble.
