The Royal Rumble match is unquestionably one of WWE’s best gimmick matches. The Royal Rumble is hotly anticipated every year due to the chaotic nature of the titular bout. However, some years picking a Royal Rumble winner is obvious, and other years it’s hard to call.
However, several Royal Rumble winners have had dominant performances by eliminating multiple wrestlers to win the Rumble. Steve Austin in 1997 eliminated 10 wrestlers en route to victory, and Shawn Michaels eliminated eight in back-to-back triumphs in 1995 and 1996.
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While some Royal Rumble winners have had record-breaking performances, some have done little to win the Rumble. Getting the job done and winning the Royal Rumble match is all that matters. A late entry and time spent out of the ring are some of the contributing factors as to why a Royal Rumble match winner has garnered a handful of eliminations.
6. Big John Studd – 2 (1989)
The 1989 Royal Rumble match was the first Royal Rumble to feature 30 men, which became the norm in Royal Rumble matches. However, if you asked a few wrestling fans with little knowledge about who won the 1989 Royal Rumble match, many would’ve said Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, or Ted DiBiase. The winner emerging from the pack was Big John Studd.
Studd’s appearance in the 1989 Royal Rumble match was his first outing in a Rumble. He entered from the 27th position, which at one point boasted the most winners in a Rumble match. In his 12-minute cameo, Studd eliminated Akeem and “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase to win the Rumble. A title match wasn’t awarded for the winner at WrestleMania until 1993, but Studd didn’t even have a match at WrestleMania 5.
5. Alberto Del Rio – 2 (2011)
Alberto Del Rio debuted in 2010, but he was pushed in 2011. The Mexican Aristocrat featured in the first-ever 40-man Royal Rumble match. Del Rio entered 38th, and his performance was far from vintage. However, he ensured that 2009 winner Randy Orton’s night ended in misery as he eliminated him from the Rumble.
With a field that included the likes of John Cena, Randy Orton, and Rey Mysterio, Del Rio and Santino Marella as the final two say everything you need to know about the 2011 Royal Rumble match. At one point, Marella was close to winning the Rumble, but Del Rio threw him over the top rope, edging one step closer to achieving his “destiny.”
