'%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)
The road to WWE WrestleMania begins at the Royal Rumble. Since the inaugural 1988 Royal Rumble, which was won by 'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan, there have been a few superstars who have accomplished quite a feat. Here is a look at the facts and figures that give us the most valuable Royal Rumble contestants over the years.
#5 Triple H - 33 eliminations
'The Cerebral Assassin' has an impressive profile when it comes to the Royal Rumble match. He has clocked up just over 4 hours across 9 separate Royal Rumble appearances. 'The Game' has 2 Royal Rumble victories against his name, in which he has eliminated superstars from the past and the present, may it be friend or foe. Triple H has always been a force to be reckoned with. Triple H's 2016 win resulted in him becoming WWE Champion after Roman Reigns was forced to defend his title in the Royal Rumble match.
#4 Stone Cold Steve Austin - 36 eliminations
With the most number of Royal Rumble victories in the WWE, Stone Cold Steve Austin was always a threat in the match, inspite of having participated in only 6 matches. While being a part of the WWE, 'The Texas Rattle Snake' has eliminated 36 superstars and has also won the event in 1997,1998 and 2001. The reason for Stone Cold being lower down on this list is due to his fewer number of appearances.
#3 The Undertaker - 39 eliminations
One-half of the 'Brothers of Destruction' and one of the greatest of all time, The Undertaker has eliminated 39 other superstars since his debut in the 1991 Royal Rumble. Astonishingly, he has participated in only 11 Rumble matches since then. This is largely due to him either being a part of WWE Championship matches or being a part of heated fueds. Taker has won the Royal Rumble match only once and went on to headline WrestleMania 23 against Batista.
#2 Shawn Michaels - 39 eliminations
With the same number of eliminations as The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels is placed above The Undertaker due to his multiple wins in 1995 and 1996. Shawn has always been known as 'Mr WrestleMania' and one of the main reasons he has been able to perform at 'Mania in the main event, is due to his performances in the Royal Rumble. With notable eliminations of The British Bulldog, Lex Luger, Vader, Yokozuna, Diesel, Kane, Kurt Angle, HHH and Randy Orton, Shawn has always fared well against bigger men.
#1 Kane - 44 eliminations
'The Big Red Machine' has the most number of Royal Rumble eliminations. This may be due to his longevity in the WWE (22 years and 19 Rumble appearances) and also the fact that he is 7ft tall and weighs 320lb. Kane's first appearance in a Rumble was as Issac Yankem DDS, the personal dentist of Jerry Lawler. He was able to eliminate only one contestant that year, which was the Samoan Fatu who would later come back as Rikishi. Fast forward to 2001 and Kane eliminated 11 other superstars, his best performance in a Royal Rumble match so far. The surprising part about Kane is that eventhough he seems to be quite the unstoppable monster in the Rumble, he has never won it.
