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The Royal Rumble marks the official start on the Road To WrestleMania every year. It also becomes a very exciting time for the WWE Universe as it is a time full of debuts, surprises, and turns.
The first-ever WWE Intercontinental Champion, Pat Patterson, is the creator of the Royal Rumble match. The story of the creation dates back in 1988 when Vince McMahon needed a headlining match for a three-hour special on the USA Network.
Patterson tweaked the traditional battle royal concept, and while Vince wasn't warm to the idea at first, it became one of the most iconic matches in WWE history. "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan won the first Rumble match in 1988 and Randy Orton won the last one in 2017.
In between, hundreds of wrestlers have come down the aisle every time the clock hit zero, and this article will take a look at five wrestlers you may not have known to compete in this historic match.
They include a couple of legends from the territorial days, a very powerful woman, a luchador icon, and a beer drinking, cigarette smoking extremist. Read on to see the first and only appearance in the Rumble for "The Mad Dog."
#5 Kharma (2012)
Kia Stevens is best known as Awesome Kong from her days in Impact Wrestling. During her time there, she was a two-time Impact Knockouts Champion before heading to the WWE in 2010 under the name of Kharma.
Not long into her WWE career, Kharma was pregnant, so she never really got a chance to get a solid footing in the women's division. She would make a surprise return at the 2012 Royal Rumble entering 21st, scaring Michael Cole into eliminating himself, and eliminating Hunico.
It was only a minute into her Royal Rumble appearance before Dolph Ziggler eliminated her. The July after her Rumble her appearance, the WWE released Kharma.
She would later have a one-year run in TNA, but she was fired from the company in 2016 after having a real-life backstage altercation with Matt Hardy's wife Reby Hardy.
#4 Harley Race (1988)
One of the greatest Heavyweight Champions of all-time actually participated in the very first Royal Rumble. The number of world championships the legendary Harley Race has obtained is staggering, but most don't realize he had a stint with the WWE from 1986 to 1989.
Race was approaching his mid-40's when it came time for the 1988 Royal Rumble. He would enter the match at number six and would be the fourth person to be eliminated from the match when Don Muraco tossed him over the top rope.
After leaving the WWE in 1989, Race wrestled a couple of more years before retiring in 1991. He as a part of the 2004 class of the WWE Hall Of Fame.
#3 Dory Funk Jr. (1996)
Legendary professional wrestler and trainer Dory Funk, Jr. had a short stint in the WWE with his brother Terry Funk during WrestleMania 2 in 1986. Shortly after Mania, both brothers would depart the WWE, but the older brother would make a surprise return in 1996.
Dory would be the eighth entrant in the 1996 Royal Rumble at the tender age of 55. There is definitely something in the Funk's blood to be able to wrestle for so long at an advanced age.
Funk didn't do too much in this Royal Rumble. He survived for ten minutes without eliminating anyone before Savio Vega threw him over the top rope to take him out of the match.
#2 The Sandman (2007)
One of the most iconic wrestlers from ECW is The Sandman, and during the reboot of the brand by the WWE in 2007, he would make his one and only Royal Rumble appearance.
Unfortunately for Sandman, his trademark entrance was longer than the time he lasted in the Royal Rumble. After hitting a couple of wrestlers with his kendo stick, King Booker would block the attack and toss him out of the ring within 13 seconds.
Though his WWE tenure did not have any accolades, he made his mark in ECW where he was a five-time world heavyweight champion for the company.
#1 Mil Mascaras (1997)
In 1997, the WWE was in a talent agreement with Lucha Libre AAA World Wide (or simply known as AAA), and for that particular year's Royal Rumble, one of the greatest luchadors of all-time entered the Rumble 11th in Mil Mascaras.
To the WWE fans, they will know Mil as the uncle of former WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio. They may also remember Mil as a part of the 2012 class of the WWE Hall Of Fame.
In the 1997 Rumble, Mil would eliminate two superstars and last for over seven minutes before eliminating himself by diving over the top rope onto AAA rival Pierroth, Jr.
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