How many Royal Rumble winners won at Number 1 ?

The Royal Rumble match is perhaps the biggest match in all of pro wrestling. A match so huge that it puts even world title matches to shame. 30 gladiators enter one ring and throw each other over the top rope to punch their ticket to WrestleMania. It does not get crazier than this. Who basks in victory and who succumbs to the tide of elimination is always a sight to behold.

The entry numbers play a pivotal role in someone’s chances of victory. Those who enter the very last have logically the highest chances and those who enter the first are most likely to get thrown off before the final bell. However, there have been many determined superstars who defied all odds and won the Royal Rumble match after entering at number one. These wrestlers survived the entire match.

Royal Rumble winners after entering at number one

To date, there have been three wrestlers who have won the Men’s Royal Rumble match after entering at number one and one superstar who has won the Women’s Royal Rumble from the same spot. While one and two are separate spots, a match does not gets started before both of them are ready to fight. Thus, it only makes sense to acknowledge the number 2 entrants as well. In that case, there are two more wrestlers who have won the Royal Rumble from the starting spot.

Shawn Michaels - 1995 (Entry #1)

In 1995, Shawn Michaels became the first-ever wrestler to win the Royal Rumble match from the first spot. An interesting fact is that the final two entrants were Michaels and British Bulldog, who both had entered the Royal Rumble match at #1 and #2 respectively. The event is also known for introducing the infamous Michaels rule or one-leg rule in the Royal Rumble.

While Michaels’ one leg had touched the ground, he still hopped back in to eliminate Bulldog. This led to lot of debates before WWE finally acknowledged this as an official rule. This rule has of course used over the years to increase the chances of survival.

Mr. McMahon - 1999 (Entry #2)

Perhaps the most unlikely Royal Rumble winner of all time, Mr McMahon won the event in 1999. While guys like Kane, Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles and more do not hold a victory at the event, the owner does. At 1999, he entered number two while his archnemesis Steve Austin entered first.

Austin was looking to complete his Rumble hat-trick but the owner had other plans. Both superstars went to very last where The Rock helped McMahon get the win. The Chairman, however, remains the only Rumble winner after 1993 to not get their world title match.

Chris Benoit - 2004 (Entry #1)

The 2004 Royal Rumble saw Chris Benoit break the record for the longest time spent in the Royal Rumble match before it was taken over by Rey Mysterio just two years later. Benoit entered at the first spot and outlasted every other competitor to punch his ticket to WrestleMania. He eliminated six wrestlers, the last of whom was Big Show.

Rey Mysterio - 2006 (Entry #2)

Rey Mysterio had a perfect underdog victory in the 2006 Royal Rumble. Not only did he win the Free-for-All against the taller superstars, Mysterio did so in the most difficult way possible. He entered the Rumble at number 2 and went on to win the whole thing. He eliminated Rob Van Dam, Simon Dean, Super Crazy, Psicosis, Triple H and eventually Randy Orton to punch his golden ticket.

Edge - 2021 (Entry #1)

15 years later, Edge also joined the elite club. He surprised the fans by returning to pro wrestling in 2020. He doubled the money by entering at number one in the next Royal Rumble. The second entrant was Randy Orton, his bitter rival at the moment. Both the superstars lasted the other 28 wrestlers and were the last two man standing in the ring.

After a great back-and-forth battle, it was the Man with the Spear who got the better of The Viper. With this victory, Edge became the first Hall of Famer to win the Royal Rumble. However, he failed to win the World Title at WrestleMania and also became the only two-time Royal Rumble winner to fail in both the attempts.

Rhea Ripley - 2023 (Entry #1)

Walking on the path of his former Judgment Day leader, Rhea Ripley also entered the Royal Rumble match at number one in 2023. Her rival Liv Morgan entered at two. Just as in case of Shawn Michaels, Mr McMahon and Edge, Ripley and Morgan too were the final two woman standing in the ring. Ripley’s might was too much for Morgan to handle. Then, Ripley became the first woman to win the Royal Rumble from the first spot.