5 Best No. 13 Entries in the Royal Rumble
We're almost at the halfway stage of our 30-day countdown towards the 2019 Royal Rumble match. While the number 13 may be considered unlucky in some cultures, that isn't necessarily the case in the Royal Rumble. Entry number 13 in the first Royal Rumble back in 1988, 'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan, would be the first man to win the Royal Rumble, and the Rock would make it to the final 3 in 2002 from the 13th entry.
Interestingly enough, commentary always stresses the difficulty of the numbers one and two when it comes to the Royal Rumble, but as has already been noted in the series, the wrestlers starting in the ring combined have won 4 Royal Rumbles, which is more than most of the entries on the list, despite the two wrestlers being required to outlast every other competitor.
While 13th is considered an unlucky number, and the number 7 is generally considered good luck in many cultures around the world, that hasn't extended to the Royal Rumble. No person coming from the number 7 spot has won, with Triple H coming the closest, finishing 2nd in the 2009 Royal Rumble.
The phrase "good things come in threes" is a cornerstone of why some cultures believe that the number 3 is lucky, but only Ric Flair won from the number 3 back in 1992, but maybe they have something there as Flair would be the first person to win the Royal Rumble with the WWF belt on the line.
China, Japan, and Korea consider 8 to be a lucky number, and perhaps Randy Orton can agree with that as his first Royal Rumble win came from the number 8 spot.
You can see the other entries in this series below:
Part 1 is here; Part 6 is here; Part 11 is here
Part 2 is here; Part 7 is here; Part 12 is here
Part 3 is here; Part 8 is here
Part 4 is here; Part 9 is here
Part 5 is here; Part 10 is here
# 5 Spike Dudley (2004) - Never Made it to the Ring
Spike Dudley, the smallest and last member of the Dudley family to join the WWE, was most commonly seen alongside "brothers" D-von and Bubba Ray Dudley in tag team action or in a battle for the Cruiserweight, European or Hardcore title. In 2004, Spike Dudley was the 13th entrant into the Royal Rumble.
Unfortunately for Spike, right before his entry, the lights in the arena went down and a gong sounded, distracting Kane, who believed it to be a sign of the Undertaker, whom he had help Vince McMahon bury at the previous year's Survivor Series.
The distraction allowed Booker T to eliminate the Big Red Machine. After the lights went up, Spike Dudley was the next man to come down to the ring. Angry at being eliminated, Kane then performed a Chokeslam on Spike Dudley onto the entrance ramp.
Spike Dudley was removed from the ramp before the next entrant, Rikishi, came to the ring.