WWE seemingly erases Bryan Danielson's astonishing Royal Rumble record from the history books
WWE Royal Rumble 2023 is shaping up to be a potentially memorable Premium Live Event, and it's often the time when statistics around the decorated show come to the fore. Going by the latest "By The Numbers" video, it seems like the company isn't willing to acknowledge a huge Royal Rumble record of AEW's Bryan Danielson.
The former world champion spent 76 minutes in the 50-man Greatest Royal Rumble match in 2018.
While the special Saudi Arabia event doesn't always get mentioned alongside the traditional Royal Rumble series, the promotion has included Bryan Danielson's record in recent years on the all-time list.
Before Bryan's commendable feat in Jeddah five years ago, Rey Mysterio held the record for spending the most time in a Royal Rumble match.
The Master of the 619 entered the 2006 Royal Rumble match at #2 and lasted just over an hour before emerging as the last survivor in the ring. As noted below in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is once again acknowledging it as the longest time spent by a participant.
"In the WWE's produced 'By the Numbers' video, they reverted away from the Daniel Bryan record for most time in the match from the Saudi Arabia show of 76:06 and went back to the Rey Mysterio record of 62:12 set in 2006. One could argue you don't include the Saudi Arabia show, but in their other records, they did, so you can't make that argument."
It should be noted that the former Daniel Bryan continues to have a good relationship with most WWE officials despite being a member of the AEW roster.
Oddly, the Triple H-led WWE doesn't wish to recognize Danielson's incredible achievement heading into Royal Rumble 2023, and the connection to AEW could be why.
Did John Cena Sr. reveal a potential WWE Royal Rumble spoiler?
It's been a while since there has been this much hype for a Premium Live Event! Fans and pundits are eager to see what Triple H has cooked up for the Royal Rumble, and rest assured; we are bound to witness a few surprise returns.
During a recent chat with the legendary Bill Apter, John Cena Sr. sounded pretty confident about seeing his son enter the Royal Rumble match.
He also lauded the creative team for setting every storyline perfectly as we approach another high-profile WrestleMania season.
Here's an excerpt from the latest Sportskeeda Wrestling Exclusive:
"I think this is the beginning and I agree with you that yes, we might see him at the Royal Rumble, and I feel pretty great about WrestleMania," said Cena Sr. [3:06 onwards]
What is your biggest Royal Rumble prediction? Let us know in the comments section below.