5 WWE Superstars who never got eliminated from the Royal Rumble match
With WWE Royal Rumble 2024 just hours away from kicking off, it's time to remember the talented performers who were never thrown over the top rope.
Over the decades, the Royal Rumble matches have featured more than 1,000 entrants vying to be the last one standing in the ring. Of course, a match can have only one winner (two in 1994), and that's the nature of the game.
However, some WWE Superstars have to live with the fact that they didn't have their hands raised despite never being eliminated. These performers were robbed of an opportunity to headline The Grandest Stage of Them All, and there's nothing that can be done about it now.
Who are those Royal Rumble participants who were never dumped out of the ring? Here are five of them!
#5. R-Truth (2019)
When it comes to the iconic 30-man bout, the final entrant has an advantage over the rest. So, it makes sense for multiple people to strive to attain the coveted #30 spot.
Ahead of WWE Royal Rumble 2019, R-Truth and Carmella won the Mixed Match Challenge and earned themselves the #30 spots in their respective Rumbles. Truth was confident that he had the victory in the bag, unaware of the colossal disappointment in store for him.
When the countdown hit zero, 'What's Up?' started echoing through the stadium, and out came the final participant of the men's Rumble match... at least that's what the WWE Universe thought.
However, amid his entrance, R-Truth was attacked by Nia Jax, who proceeded to steal his spot. To this day, the 54-time 24/7 Champion remains in the aforementioned bout.
#4. Lana (2019)
R-Truth wasn't the only WWE Superstar who got his dreams crushed at the 2019 edition of Royal Rumble. Lana also had a disappointing night.
During the pre-show, the Pitch Perfect 2 star got hurt while managing her husband, Rusev. What she hoped was a minor sprain turned out to be a dark cloud hovering over her Rumble hopes.
In the women's Royal Rumble match, Lana drew the #28 number. Unfortunately for her, even the late entry didn't provide her enough time to rest her knee injury. As a result, the mere task of entering the ring became an uphill battle for her.
That was when Becky Lynch, who wasn't a part of the match, appeared and replaced The Ice Queen. To add even more salt to Lana's wounds, Big Time Becks ended up winning the match!
#3. Curtis Axel (2015)
Seth Rollins might not have dared to pull off the heist of the century had the 2015 WWE Royal Rumble been won by Curtis Axel.
In the said Rumble, the third-generation superstar drew entry #6. With utter confidence, he stepped onto the stage, only to find himself at the mercy of the gigantic Erick Rowan.
Rowan jumped Axel and left him unable to enter the match. Thus, the remaining participants got rid of the mountain of a task that would've been eliminating the former Intercontinental Champion.
Axel's Royal Rumble snub led to him trending on social media and him turning it into an angle on the Road to WWE WrestleMania 31.
#2. Hornswoggle (2008)
It's been exactly 16 years, and no WWE Superstar has eliminated Hornswoggle from the 2008 Royal Rumble match.
The standout performer of the WeeLC match entered the aforementioned Rumble bout at #9. Interestingly, he wasn't a last-minute participant. He earned his spot along with Mick Foley.
Even though The Leprechaun found it best to hide under the ring until Finlay's arrival, he sneaked out to eliminate The Miz. However, Hornswoggle's smart approach came to a frightening halt when Mark Henry and Big Daddy V caught him.
Because of that, Finlay rushed out to the ring to fend off the monsters and safely escort his storyline son to the back. It's worth restating that Hornswoggle never went over the top rope.
#1. Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Spike Dudley
If a book titled 'The Burden of Bad Timing' comes out, chances are that Spike Dudley would be its author.
Back in The Attitude and Ruthless Aggression Eras, most undercard WWE Superstars didn't get many opportunities to make it big. However, Spike Dudley found himself as a recipient of Lady Luck's blessing when he got a spot in the 2004 Royal Rumble match.
However, 'The Giant Killer' received the unlucky #13 spot. It was unlucky because moments prior to his entrance, Kane had been eliminated after being distracted by The Undertaker's gong.
Assuming that the gong was a prank by Dudley, The Big Red Machine took his anger out on 'The Little Show' during his entrance. As a result, the former Cruiserweight Champion got an involuntary early night off.