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The 2021 WWE Royal Rumble takes place this Sunday night and is the first pay-per-view of the new year. The men and women of WWE will once again be handed their own respective Royal Rumble matches, whilst there are also several Championship bouts where the Universal, WWE, and WWE Women's Championships will be defended.
The winners of their respective Royal Rumble matches will go on to WrestleMania to face a Champion of their choice and interestingly since WrestleMania is over two nights this year, both Royal Rumble winners may be given the chance to main event.
The annual Royal Rumble is a place where statistics are very important, and the following list looks at just five interesting statistics that every fan needs to know ahead of this year's show.
#5. A new elimination record could be set in the Women's Royal Rumble match
At present, Bianca Belair and Shayna Baszler are tied for the number of eliminations in one Royal Rumble match. Both women have eliminated eight women whilst former WWE Women's Champion Charlotte Flair was able to eliminate nine overall in her first three Rumble matches.
The fact that these records are so low means that both of them could change this weekend, since Belair and Baszler have to eliminate just two stars to break Charlotte's record. That being said, if Rhea Ripley makes her Royal Rumble debut this weekend, then she could set the tone for her main roster career by breaking the single match elimination record by taking out nine other women.
Since the men's Royal Rumble elimination record sits at 13, it's likely that the women's will be pushed up from eight in the future. There are several women set to be part of this match this weekend who could completely dominate and prove their worth.
This isn't the only record that Charlotte Flair could be eyeing this weekend, since The Queen is just 20 minutes away from breaking Natalya's endurance record for the first three Royal Rumble matches. Flair won the Women's Royal Rumble last year and could even become the first-ever female back-to-back winner, which means that 2021 could definitely be the year of The Queen.
#4. Kofi Kingston's lengthy Royal Rumble streak could come to an end
This week on Monday Night RAW, Mustafa Ali noted that he would be taking Kofi Kingston's place in the 2021 Royal Rumble match. Kingston suffered a broken jaw a few weeks ago on an episode of RAW and has since been sidelined.
The former WWE Champion hasn't been given a return date as of yet, but Xavier Woods has stepped into a feud with RETRIBUTION in his absence, where Ali has set his sights on Kingston.
The injury has come at the worst time since both Dolph Ziggler and Kofi Kingston were set to appear in their 12th consecutive Royal Rumble match this weekend. The record would have been equaled by the duo next year, since Kane was able to appear in 13 consecutive matches in his career.
Many fans believe that Kingston will still make an appearance in the match and continue his feud with Ali, whilst others believe that Ziggler will take the record next year.
At present, Kingston isn't set to be part of the match and once again dazzle the WWE Universe with his impressive skills to avoid elimination, but the Royal Rumble has become known for surprises and the former WWE Champion could be one of those this year.
#3. Braun Strowman could make history at the 2021 Royal Rumble
Braun Strowman could make his return at the Royal Rumble since The Monster Among Men hasn't been seen on WWE TV since he assaulted WWE official Adam Pearce and was suspended from the company. It was reported that Strowman was suffering from a knee injury and would need some time on the sidelines to properly heal.
The Monster Among Men hasn't been announced or even teased for a Royal Rumble return, which means that he could be a surprise entrant. If Strowman is part of the match then 2021 could be his year, if the likes of Goldberg and Brock Lesnar are not added to the match.
Strowman is just 14 eliminations away from breaking Kane's all-time record at the Royal Rumble, whilst 14 eliminations would also allow him to break Brock Lesnar's record that was set as part of last year's show (Strowman also has a record of 13 eliminations but this came at The Greatest Royal Rumble).
Strowman was once billed as WWE's next monster and the only way for him to prove this is to stand out at this weekend's Royal Rumble and finally be handed the WrestleMania push that he deserves.
#2. Randy Orton could equal history at the Royal Rumble
Randy Orton steps into this year's Royal Rumble match with quite the target on his back. Not only does Orton have The Fiend already looking to exact revenge for his antics at TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs, but now Alexa Bliss is also out for blood.
Bliss is set to be part of the Women's Royal Rumble match, but after Orton cost her the RAW Women's Championship this past week, it's easy to see Bliss interfering and costing Orton his match as well.
Edge also announced his return to WWE after he was injured at the hands of Randy Orton at Backlash in June last year. The former World Champion will be another enemy for Orton to overcome inside the Royal Rumble match en route to equaling history.
Orton has already won the Royal Rumble on two occasions, in 2009 and 2017, and a win this year would allow him to equal Stone Cold Steve Austin's record of three Royal Rumble wins.
It will definitely be a tough task for The Viper but it would also be an interesting way for him to put his name in the history books.
#1. Edge will set a new Royal Rumble record
The Rated R Superstar announced that he would be part of the 2021 Royal Rumble match this week during a recent appearance on Monday Night RAW. The former 11-time WWE Champion made his surprise return as part of last year's show, but after suffering an injury back in June Edge was sidelined for seven months.
This appearance came nine years after Edge was forced to retire from the ring due to a neck injury and was able to signal the start of his comeback.
When Edge makes his return to the ring this weekend he will be making history since he will become the first WWE Superstar to compete in a Royal Rumble in the 90s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s.
Interestingly, Edge isn't the first star to compete in Royal Rumbles in four different decades since WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels and Jim Duggan were able to compete in the match during the 80s, 90s, 2000s, and 2010s.
This is a new record for The Rated R Superstar, who is also chasing his second Royal Rumble victory in the hopes that he can then head to WrestleMania and reclaim the Championship that he technically never lost.
A WWE Hall of Famer called out AEW fans HERE
