Royal Rumble 2018: Ranking all final Rumble entrants (Part 1)
While we've already highlighted how difficult it is to make it at the number one spot in the Royal Rumble, do you know for a while there it seemed it was as difficult if not more for the final entrant in WWE's first PPV of the year?
The coveted number 30 spot (or 20/40 depending on the year) isn't actually the best position to be for most wrestlers that it's made out to be, more often than not the late entrant is a hyped up nobody whose more bridesmaid than the actual bride.
For quite a while there, nobody had managed to win from number 30, up until the Undertaker stole the show in 2007. Since then there have been three rumble winners who were the final entrant, that's just one more than the risky number one and number two spots (each with two wins apiece).
Out of those three winners, two of them came as genuine surprises which means not only were they finalists and fresh to go, but also none of the other participants had a chance to prepare for them.
All three of those men to win were also former world champions with extensive rumbling experience. In one case, the number 30 entrant had already won the rumble before.
To sum, it all up, the final entry is an advantageous spot to be in as long as you know how to take advantage of it, these next ten men couldn't even do that much. They are the ten few who wasted this special moment.
(PS: This is the first part of a three-part series; here we will countdown 30-21 of final number entrants)
#30 Dumped like a Dumpster
Though Droese walked into the Rumble with a victory over the future 'Game' Triple H on the pre-show, he was pretty much a non-factor in the Royal Rumble. Entry at the number 30 spot doesn't guarantee immediate victory, yet to keep up the mirage that victory is a possibility; management will hand the number to a top class superstar who has a chance of winning.
This wasn't the case here, Droese was mere enhancement talent that might have gained the final entry through random draw but it was clear the WWE couldn't care if he stuck around or not. The real story of the match was a viciously dominant Diesel (Kevin Nash) up against a resilient Shawn Michaels, seeking to score a back to back Rumble victory.
Unceremoniously dumped (pun intended) by Diesel with assistance from Kama, Droese always the curtain raiser went back to raising curtains. As for the man he beat on the pre-show? Well, he also managed to get the Number 30 spot once and create quite the stir (you'll see him later).
Eliminated by Diesel/w Kama