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Traditionally, WWE has presented the Royal Rumble as the start of their Road to WrestleMania for almost four decades, which means that several generations of wrestling families have taken part in the event.
Thirty men have stepped into the Royal Rumble match, with the exception of the first Rumble match and the 40-man Rumble in 2011. So there are plenty of stars who have played their part in history and passed down the skills over time.
At present, there are several second and third-generation Superstars on WWE's main roster and many of these stars have been given the chance to compete in the annual Royal Rumble match as well.
The following list looks at just five WWE Superstars whose families have been able to enter The Royal Rumble match, showing just how much of a family affair wrestling can be.
#5. WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, current AEW stars Cody Rhodes and Goldust
WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes only ever entered one Royal Rumble match in his WWE career. The American Dream was part of the 1990 Royal Rumble match where he entered at number 10 and lasted more than 18 minutes before being eliminated by The Canadian Earthquake.
His eldest son Dustin Rhodes, who's also known as Goldust, was the first man to follow in his father's footsteps when he entered the Royal Rumble at number 14 in 1997. Goldust lasted just five minutes before being eliminated by Owen Hart.
The next year, Goldust entered at number 17 and was able to last 26 minutes before being eliminated by Chainz. Goldust has been in 13 Royal Rumble matches in his WWE career but has been unable to win the match despite so many entries.
The former Champion has also been in the Rumble match alongside his own brother Cody Rhodes. Rhodes made his Royal Rumble debut back in 2008 when he entered at number 13 before being eliminated by Triple H after 23 minutes.
Cody Rhodes and Goldust were both parts of the 2009 Royal Rumble match entering at 15 and 17, respectively. Rhodes lasted 37 minutes in that match whilst his brother lasted just over a minute after Rhodes himself was the one to hand out the elimination.
Rhodes was part of the 2010 and 2012 Royal Rumble matches where the latter saw him last 41 minutes and eliminate six men, which was the record for that year. It wasn't until the 2013 Royal Rumble that the two brothers crossed paths once again. Goldust was eliminated by his own brother, once again. The following year, Cody was the one who got eliminated by Goldust.
Goldust competed in his final Rumble match back in 2018 where he entered at number 29 and lasted just two minutes.
#4. Former WWE Superstar Matt Hardy and current RAW Superstar Jeff Hardy
Matt and Jeff Hardy have both had lengthy WWE careers. Matt and Jeff, collectively known as The Hardy Boyz, became an iconic tag-team throughout history.
Matt and Jeff Hardy entered their first WWE Royal Rumble match back in 2001 with Jeff in at number one and Matt in at number four. Even at this stage in their career, it was Matt who eliminated Jeff, and vice versa.
In 2002, both men entered the match at numbers nine and ten. The Hardy Boyz were eliminated by The Undertaker.
Matt Hardy lasted almost half an hour in the match in 2003 but was eliminated by Brock Lesnar. In the same match, Jeff Hardy was taken out by RVD after just seven minutes.
Matt Hardy entered alone in 2004 and was eliminated by Rene Dupree. 2006 saw Hardy eliminated by Viscera. Jeff Hardy returned in 2007 but neither man was able to make much of an impact in the Royal Rumble match.
Matt Hardy lasted just 20 seconds in 2010. Matt eliminated himself from the match in 2018. Jeff Hardy returned to the Rumble in 2019 but was eliminated after just seven minutes.
Matt Hardy has since left WWE for AEW, whilst his brother Jeff has already declared his entry for the upcoming Royal Rumble match.
#3. Two-time WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart and his niece, Natalya
The inaugural WWE Royal Rumble took place back in 1988 and Bret Hart has the unique distinction of being seen as the first man to enter the match that night.
Hart lasted 25 minutes before being eliminated by Don Muraco. This was the record that was set that night but was broken the following year by Mr. Perfect. Bret Hart entered his second Royal Rumble match in 1990 and was then eliminated by Dusty Rhodes. Hart returned to the number one position in 1991 but after 20 minutes, The Deadman ended his night.
Bret Hart and Lex Luger were the joint winners of the 1994 Royal Rumble match before he stepped into the 1997 Rumble match but only lasted 21 minutes.
Bret Hart's legacy in WWE continues on through his niece Natalya. Since 2018, WWE has allowed the women to have their own annual Royal Rumble match as well.
Natalya lasted 25 minutes in the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble match before being eliminated by Trish Stratus. The following year, Nattie entered at number two and lasted 56 minutes which was a new record for the women's match.
In 2020, Natalya lasted just 14 minutes before being eliminated by her friend Beth Phoenix. Could 2021 be Natalya's year?
#2. Two-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair and his daughter, Charlotte
Ric Flair is one of WWE's biggest legends as a former 16-time World Champion and a two-time Hall of Famer. One of Flair's most distinguished records is also the fact that The Nature Boy won the 1992 Royal Rumble match, which is the only match in history to be contested for a vacant Championship.
This was Flair's first Rumble match where he entered at number three and lasted over an hour before being declared the winner. Of course, Flair has been in several WWE Royal Rumble matches since that point, but none reach the level of his 1992 victory.
His daughter Charlotte has already proved that she has her father's ability since she won the 2020 Royal Rumble match and went on to fight for the NXT Women's Championship at WrestleMania. Charlotte was successful in her quest for the title and has already declared that she will be part of this year's match.
Flair has been part of all three Women's matches so far, but it wasn't until last year that The Queen was able to prove her worth in the 30-woman match.
#1. WWE legend The Rock and current Universal Champion Roman Reigns
The Rock won the Royal Rumble match back in 2000, but this wasn't actually the WWE legend's first Rumble match. The Rock entered his first Royal Rumble back in 1998 where he entered at number four and lasted for 51 minutes before being eliminated by Steve Austin.
The Royal Rumble in 2000 saw The Rock enter at number 24 and last 14 minutes before winning the match and going on to WrestleMania. The Rock has left quite the legacy in WWE and it appears that the mantel has been picked up by his cousin, Roman Reigns, who has been part of several Rumble matches himself.
Reigns' first Rumble came back in 2014, where he was the runner-up to Batista before winning the match itself in 2015. The following year, The Tribal Chief was forced to defend his World Championship inside the match but it was Triple H who came out victorious.
Roman Reigns was the number 30 entrant in 2017, the 28th entrant in 2018, and he even entered at the 26th position in 2020. But The Tribal Chief hasn't been able to recreate his magic from 2015 in recent years. Reigns came close in 2020 when he was the runner-up to the eventual winner, Drew McIntyre.
A WWE Hall of Famer called out AEW fans HERE
