Over the Top: WWE Royal Rumble Stats & Records
by Devin Rubink
The 30th WWE Royal Rumble will take place on January 28, 2018. The Royal Rumble has consistently been one of the WWE’s top events, highlighted by the 30-person rumble match, which consists of wrestlers eliminating one another by tossing them over the top rope until only one remains. The match typically serves as the main event at its respective event, with the winner earning a WWE title shot at Wrestlemania.
Over the past 30 years, the Royal Rumble has seen it all. Around 900 wrestlers have entered the ring and gone over the top rope to be eliminated. The match has provided big boost for up-and-coming faces and established Superstars alike. Wrestlers like Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin became fan favorites and champions after their rumble victories while someone like Hulk Hogan confirmed his dominance in being the first competitor to win the match in consecutive years.
Over the years, several stats have piled up. Records have been set and broken. Below, we’ve created an infographic featuring every Royal Rumble winner along with stats, records, and other trivia. Take a look and find out where your favorite Superstars land in Royal Rumble history.
Highlights and Heroes
Regardless of whether or not they capture championship gold at WrestleMania, the Royal Rumble winners join a list of “who’s who” among WWE Legends and Hall of Fame inductees. Here is the complete list of Royal Rumble winners by year, including their entry number and the result of their match at that year’s WrestleMania:
| YEAR | WINNER | ENTRY | WRESTLEMANIA RESULT |
| 1988 | Hacksaw Jim Duggan | 13 | L vs Ted DiBiase |
| 1989 | Big John Studd | 27 | No Match |
| 1990 | Hulk Hogan (WWE Champion) | 25 | L vs The Ultimate Warrior (Intercontinental Champion) Lost WWE Championship |
| 1991 | Hulk Hogan | 24 | W vs Sgt. Slaughter Won WWE Championship |
| 1992 | Ric Flair Won WWE Championship |
3 | L vs Macho Man Randy Savage Lost WWE Championship |
| 1993 | Yokozuna | 27 | W vs Bret Hart (WWE Champion) Won WWE Championship |
| L vs Hulk Hogan Lost WWE Championship |
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| 1994 | Lex Luger | 23 | L vs Yokozuna (WWE Champion) |
| Bret Hart | 27 | L vs Owen Hart | |
| W vs Yokozuna (WWE Champion) Won WWE Championship |
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| 1995 | Shawn Michaels | 1 | L vs Diesel (WWE Champion) |
| 1996 | Shawn Michaels | 18 | W vs Bret Hart (WWE Champion) Won WWE Championship |
| 1997 | Stone Cold Steve Austin | 5 | L vs Bret Hart |
| 1998 | Stone Cold Steve Austin | 24 | W vs Shawn Michaels (WWE Champion) Won WWE Championship |
| 1999 | Vince McMahon | 2 | No Match |
| 2000 | The Rock | 24 | L vs Triple H (WWE Champion), Mick Foley, Big Show |
| 2001 | Stone Cold Steve Austin | 27 | W vs The Rock (WWE Champion) Won WWE Championship |
| 2002 | Triple H | 22 | W vs Chris Jericho (WWE Champion) Won WWE Championship |
| 2003 | Brock Lesnar | 29 | W vs Kurt Angle (WWE Champion) Won WWE Championship |
| 2004 | Chris Benoit | 1 | W vs Triple H (World Heavyweight Champion), Shawn Michaels Won World Heavyweight Championship |
| 2005 | Batista | 28 | W vs Triple H (World Heavyweight Champion) Won World Heavyweight Championship |
| 2006 | Rey Mysterio | 2 | W vs Kurt Angle (World Heavyweight Champion), Randy Orton Won World Heavyweight Championship |
| 2007 | The Undertaker | 30 | W vs Batista (World Heavyweight Champion) Won World Heavyweight Championship |
| 2008 | John Cena | 30 | L vs Randy Orton (WWE Champion), Triple H |
| 2009 | Randy Orton | 8 | L vs Triple H (WWE Champion) |
| 2010 | Edge | 29 | L vs Chris Jericho (World Heavyweight Champion) |
| 2011 | Alberto Del Rio | 38 | L vs Edge (World Heavyweight Champion) |
| 2012 | Sheamus | 22 | W vs Daniel Bryan (World Heavyweight Champion) Won World Heavyweight Championship |
| 2013 | John Cena | 19 | W vs The Rock (WWE Champion) Won WWE Championship |
| 2014 | Batista | 28 | L vs Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton (WWE World Heavyweight Champion) |
| 2015 | Roman Reigns | 19 | L vs Seth Rollins, Brock Lesnar (WWE World Heavyweight Champion) |
| 2016 | Triple H | 30 | L vs Roman Reigns (WWE World Heavyweight Champion) |
| 2017 | Randy Orton | 23 | W vs Bray Wyatt (WWE Champion) Won WWE Championship |
There’s no telling what kind of mayhem this year’s Royal Rumble will bring. What kind of surprise entries will we see? Who will be the last man standing? While it’s sure to be an exciting match, we’ll also be seeing something new as well. For the first time ever, an all-women rumble match as been announced for the event. If all this wrestling information has inspired you to throw on some spandex and step into the ring, you can check out our full selection of WWE costumes and be ready to rumble in no time!
Infographic designed by Jacob Kuddes and originally published on our blog in January of 2015. It has been updated in January 2018 by Travis Green.