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The Royal Rumble match came into existence 30 years ago as an attraction match on a special TV event shown on the USA Network.
Devised by the first-ever Intercontinental Champion and WWE owner Vince McMahon's right hand man, Pat Patterson, the 'Rumble match pitted 20 (from 1989 onward, the match featured 30 performers, the 2011 version had a then-record 40) superstars against each other where elimination could only occur by a competitor being thrown over the top rope with both feet touching the floor.
The match differed from the traditional Battle Royal in that the match began with just two participants with an additional superstar entering the encounter at regularly scheduled intervals, between 90 seconds and two minutes.
Hacksaw Jim Duggan won the first edition of the match and the inaugural 'Rumble event proved so successful that WWE added the event to its burgeoning pay-per-view schedule in 1989.
In 1993, the prize for winning the match that everyone knows today was added. The winner of the bout would be named the number one contender for the WWE World Championship at Wrestlemania.
In 2018, WWE added a Woman's Royal Rumble match to their annual event for the first time and will host another in 2019.
On April 27, 2018, WWE promoted a 50-man version of the match for a WWE Network special in Saudi Arabia, won by Braun Strowman.
Winning the match is a major award for wrestlers and can catapult a superstar to superstardom. However, many wrestlers can become stars by being the 'Rumble "ironman" by lasting a long time in the match. The following slideshow looks at the seven men who have spent the longest time in a single 'Rumble match.
#8 Ric Flair - 1992 (59:20)
Ric Flair set the record time spent in a Royal Rumble match back in 1992 after he entered the match as the number three entrant and survived to win the match.
The 1992 edition of the match was the first where something was at stake for winning the bout. The winner of the 1992 Royal Rumble would be declared the new WWF Champion, with the title having been vacated almost two months earlier.
Flair eliminated five men in one of the most impressive 'Rumble performances in history and one that is still discussed fondly to this day.
The finish of the match came when Sid Justice eliminated Hulk Hogan and the Hulkster responded by tugging at Justice's arm. Seeing an opportunity, the wily Flair snuck up and tossed the giant out of the ring for the victory and his first WWF Championship.
#7 Roman Reigns - 2016 (59:48)
For the first time since 1992, the Royal Rumble match had the WWE Championship at stake. This time, the defending Champion, Roman Reigns had the deck stacked as he was forced to enter the match as the number one entrant and overcome 29 other superstars to remain WWE Champion.
Reigns impressively survived for almost a full hour, being battered on the outside by a steady supply of heel wrestlers for a lengthy period, but was finally one of the final four men in the match where he faced Shield buddy, Dean Ambrose, the man who he had traded the WWE title with- Sheamus and arch-enemy, Triple H.
Reigns dumped out Sheamus after the latter had missed a Brogue Kick, leaving him vulnerable to be tossed by Triple H, who would also dump Ambrose to win the match and the title.
Reigns' near hour title defence was in vain, though he would gain his revenge at Wrestlemania by defeating Triple H one on one to regain the belt.
=5 Triple H - 2006 (60:13)
Triple H entered the 2006 Royal Rumble match as the number one entrant as he had in 1996, a decade earlier.
This time, "The Game" was rather more successful, lasting just shy of an hour as he battled with number two entrant, Rey Mysterio. Both men made the final three of the contest before Mysterio countered a Triple H's attempted elimination of him into a hurricanrana which sent "The Cerebral Assassin" careering over the top rope.
Triple H did go on to challenge for a World title at Wrestlemania; earning his spot by winning a number one contenders tournament on Raw instead.
=5 Chris Jericho - 2017 (60:13)
Chris Jericho tossed both members of "The Bar" Cesaro and Sheamus as he became only the fourth man to compete in a Royal Rumble match for over an hour.
Entering number two, Jericho put in a tour de force performance remaining central to the in-ring action throughout.
Jericho finally succumbed and was eliminated by Roman Reigns as he finished fourth in the match, which was ultimately won by Randy Orton for the second time.
#4 Chris Benoit - 2004 (61:01)
The late Chris Benoit was the second man to enter the Royal Rumble as the number one entrant and outlast 29 competitors to win the match.
In truth, Benoit's feat was more impressive than Shawn Michaels's in 1995 who was the first man to achieve the distinction, due to the 1995 edition only featuring one-minute intervals between entrants rather than the traditional 90 seconds to two minutes.
Michaels tenure in the bout lasted a rather more modest 38:41. Benoit lasted well over 20 minutes longer.
Benoit finally won the encounter by impressively last eliminating The Bigshow by himself with a choke over the top rope. It was all the more incredible given the fact that Benoit was well over a foot shorter than the giant.
This would be one of the most celebrated 'Rumble victories in history.
#3 Bob Backlund -1993 (61:15)
In a stat that will surprise many, the second longest time spent in a Royal Rumble match came in 1993 by veteran Bob Backlund. Most likely as it occurred in one of the least memorable Rumble matches ever.
Backlund entered number two and contested the early stages of the match with number one entrant, Ric Flair in an interesting callback to their World Championship matches a decade earlier.
Backlund had just returned to the company after a near ten-year absence and was playing ostensibly the same character as he had in the 1970s and 80s. This was passé in 1993 and Backlund generated little interest from the fans and would not do so until he turned heel the following year and began portraying the crazy Mr. Backlund character.
However, for this one night, Backlund earned the contemporary audience's respect by becoming the first man to wrestle for over an hour in the 'Rumble as he lasted until after the 30th entrant had entered the ring and finished third in the match-up when he was eliminated by the eventual winner, Yokozuna.
#2 Rey Mysterio - 2006 (62:12)
Rey Mysterio, much like Bob Backlund in 1993, entered the 2006 Royal Rumble as the second entrant. In another 'Rumble callback, Mysterio and number one entrant, Triple H were not just the first two entrants in the match, they were the final three as well, mirroring the story of the 1995 'Rumble match wherein the number one and two entrants, Shawn Michaels and British Bulldog outlasted the field to be the final three in the ring.
Pre-match, Mysterio had dedicated his participation to his close friend, the late Eddie Guerrero who had died unexpectedly two months earlier at the age of 38.
Mysterio used the hurricanrana to eliminate Randy Orton and Triple H in quick succession to win the match. Not only was Mysterio victorious, he also set the record for the longest participation in a 'Rumble match. A record that remained for some 12 years.
#1 Daniel Bryan - 2018 - Greatest Royal Rumble (76:05)
Rey Mysterio's 12-year record was finally broken in the longest Royal Rumble match ever when a special 50 man edition of the match main evented WWE's first show in Saudi Arabia.
Daniel Bryan entered the match as the number one entrant and lasted a whopping 76 minutes, smashing Mysterio's record by almost 15 minutes.
Bryan was no passenger in the bout either as he eliminated three men as he went coast to coast surviving until the final three competitors.
Bryan was finally eliminated as the 48th man to be dismissed from the match when he was tossed by Big Cass, who was then ejected by the winner, Braun Strowman.
Following the match, there were only two things being discussed afterwards. One was Titus O'Neill's unfortunate slide underneath the ring apron during his ring entrance and the other Bryan's incredible performance.
It is difficult to see this record ever being broken.
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