10 things you must know about Royal Rumble
It’s again that time of the year when 30 WWE Superstars go against the odds and every individual tries to eliminate 29 other Superstars in his bid to headline WrestleMania. We all are aware of the Rumble records, but there are some Rumble facts which we know but don’t discuss enough. Here are 10 of those:
10. How old is the Royal Rumble pay-per-view?
The first ever Royal Rumble took place on 24th January, 1988 as a television special on the USA Network. It was won by “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan. From 1989 it became a pay-per-view. So, Royal Rumble is 26 years old, but the Rumble pay-per-view is only 25 years old. Next month will be the 26th anniversary of the PPV.
9. There will be surprise entries
Quite recently, Royal Rumble has been a package of surprises, with Legends and former WWE stars entering the Rumble to fight against the present-day stars. Road Dogg’s appearance in 2012, Diesel’s in 2011 and Rob Van Dam’s in 2009 are few examples of the level of surprise one can expect from the Rumble.
8. Winner is guaranteed a championship match at WrestleMania, not a win
It is often considered that the winner of the Royal Rumble will also win the Championship at WrestleMania; well this is not entirely true. In last 6 years, only Sheamus (’12) and John Cena (’13) are the two Rumble winners who have been able to win the Championship at WrestleMania, defeating Daniel Bryan and The Rock respectively.
7. Entering as #1 isn’t that unlucky
Although, entering at number 1 in the Rumble gives you the biggest disadvantage, the entry isn’t that unlucky as it has produced two winners, Shawn Michael (’95) and Chris Benoit (’04). Even last year’s #1 entrant, Dolph Ziggler came close to winning. He also spent most time in the ring; nearly 50 minutes.
6. Staying the longest inside the ring isn’t enough
Royal Rumble surely is a game about staying inside the ring for as long as you can, but staying the longest hasn’t always produced winners. Only 6 Superstars who have stayed inside the longest have won the Rumble. These 6 are: Ric Flair (’92), Shawn Michaels (’95), Stone Cold (’97), Vince McMahon (’99), Chris Benoit (’04) and Rey Mysterio (’06). Bob Backlund has been the most unfortunate Superstar as he stayed inside the ring for over an hour but still lost the ’93 Royal Rumble.