5 WWE Superstars who were eliminated by the same wrestler in consecutive Royal Rumbles 

The history of WWE Royal Rumble is filled with interesting facts. But when it comes to superstars who were eliminated by the same performer in consecutive Rumbles, that's rarely discussed.

But just because WWE doesn't bring it up too often doesn't mean that's merely a one-off scenario. In fact, numerous wrestlers have had their WrestleMania dreams crushed by the same opponent in successive Royal Rumble outings.

Even in the 2024 Men's Royal Rumble match, there were a couple of instances of superstars being thrown over the top by the one who got rid of them last year. Call it bad luck or a miracle of timing, it's pretty interesting to experience as a fan.

That said, let's dive into the Royal Rumble history and fetch five such examples.

#5. Gunther (eliminated by Cody Rhodes in 2023 & 2024)

Since his main-roster call-up in 2022, The Ring General has chopped down almost every one of his foes. His only major setbacks have been in the Rumble bouts. Interestingly, there's only one person to blame for that.

Last year, the longest-reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion lasted until the final two. He came up short of his goal to win the whole thing, thanks to Cody Rhodes.

The American Nightmare tossed Gunther out to secure his main-event slot at WrestleMania 39. Interestingly, a win wasn't the only thing he repeated this year.

In the 2024 Royal Rumble match, The former Dashing One again eliminated The Ring General. The only difference was that this time, Gunther emerged as the second runner-up.

#4. Austin Theory (eliminated by Cody Rhodes in 2023 & 2024)

The Intercontinental Champion wasn't the only one on Cody Rhodes' radar at WWE Royal Rumble 2024. Rhodes also knew he had to eliminate the former two-time United States Champion... again!

In 2023, Austin Theory lasted over 15 minutes and reached the final five. Yet, that wasn't enough. His WrestleMania dreams met a Nightmare, and out he went, courtesy of Cody Rhodes.

It would turn out that the mayor of A-Town didn't do a good job preparing for Cody over the last 12 months. This year, too, his Rumble Kryptonite ended up being the Wrestling Royalty himself.

Now, WWE Universe is free to wonder if Theory would let a hat trick go down at his expense next year.

#3. Rusev (eliminated by Roman Reigns in 2015 & 2016)

Rusev/Miro is currently a member of the AEW roster. That said, he had a prominent presence in WWE during the mid and late-2010s.

During his time there, he got to compete in multiple Royal Rumble matches and throw down with numerous household names. One of his biggest rivals in the 30-man melee was The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns.

In 2015, The Bulgarian Brute made it to the final two and was seconds away from winning the whole thing. However, The Big Dog had his number and sent him over the top.

Then, a year later, Roman Reigns and Rusev opened the Royal Rumble match. This time, The Head of the Table didn't wait to get rid of The Redeemer. He tossed him out before the third entrant's arrival.

#2. Maven (eliminated by WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker in 2002 & 2003)

After being away from the wrestling business for years, Maven is currently experiencing newfound success with his YouTube channel.

On the platform, he frequently discusses one of the most viral moments of his WWE career. The moment in question is his eliminating The Undertaker from the 2002 Royal Rumble match.

The co-winner of the inaugural season of Tough Enough took advantage of a distracted Undertaker and dumped him out of the ring. This resulted in pure chaos as The Phenom headed back to the ring to return the favor.

Fast forward to Royal Rumble 2003, The Big Evil was fully aware of how to right the previous year's wrong. In an unceremonial fashion, he eliminated Maven from what would turn out to be the latter's final Rumble appearance.

#1. Marc Mero (eliminated by Stone Cold Steve Austin in 1997 & 1998)

It's next to impossible to win three Royal Rumble matches without encountering familiar faces along the way. The Texas Rattlesnake was well aware of that.

Stone Cold Steve Austin had to dump a whopping 10 wrestlers to win his first Rumble in 1997. Among those 10 names was Marc Mero, who was busy slugging it out with Owen Hart when Austin pulled a fast one on them.

But that wasn't the only time The Marvelous One had to take a backseat to The Stunning One. Even in the 1998 Royal Rumble match, the crown jewel of The Attitude Era was responsible for getting Mero out of the game.

Just like Maven, Marc Mero had his only two Rumble runs come to a halt because of the same WWE Superstar.