2. 2002 Royal Rumble Match
| Date | January 20, 2002 |
|---|---|
| Longest time in the match | Steve Austin (26:46) |
| Shortest time in the match | Booker T (0:33) |
| Most eliminations | Steve Austin & The Undertaker (7 each) |
| Winner | Triple H |
The 2002 Royal Rumble started with a surprise return when Goldust came out at #2 to start the Rumble alongside Rikishi. They both lasted around 13 minutes before getting eliminated by The Undertaker, who ran wild as soon as he entered the match at #8. Big Evil scored seven eliminations in 7:40 minutes of action: an average of almost one elimination per minute!
Established veterans like Rikishi, Goldust, Al Snow, and Billy Gunn were all taken out by Undertaker. Not even the multiple-time tag team champions, The Hardy Boyz, could stop ‘Taker despite working together.
A few moments later, Maven shocked the world when he eliminated Undertaker with a dropkick to the back (with a massive assist from The Hardy Boyz and Lita). The Tough Enough winner paid for this elimination immediately, as Undertaker beat him up all over the arena.
Stone Cold Steve Austin injected more energy into the Rumble when he entered the match at #19, and he’d soon be joined by the eventual winner Triple H (#22), the returning Mr. Perfect (#25), Kurt Angle (#26), and other top stars. Another highlight of this Rumble came when The Hurricane tried to Chokeslam both Austin and Triple H at the same time, only to get eliminated rather easily.
The 2002 Royal Rumble Match was terrific, and the only reason it doesn’t top our list is because of how phenomenal its predecessor was.
