| From WorldWrestlingInsanity.com Canadian Bulldog
Who's the guy who can go longer than anyone else, sometimes an hour at a stretch? Before you ladies out there get too excited, I'm referring to the Royal Rumble. Yes, this month marks the 25th Anniversary of the Royal Rumble, an event that actually began not an hour away from where I live (Hamilton, Ontario - a/k/a "Stinktown"). The pay-per-view is not only a personal favorite, it's typically a great one to follow for statistics geeks like myself. Every year, WWE whips up a video package that compiles totals and throws out interesting stats. And yours truly noted a few interesting (read: stupid) things about the Rumble a year ago. But here's a new way to look at the January classic, or at least, one I haven't explored before: which wrestlers have had the most ring time riding the on-ramp to the Road to WrestleMania? Here's how I crunched the numbers: using data supplied by Wikipedia (that hopefully hasn't been tampered with), I added up the ring times for all 273 competitors in the battle royale over the past quarter-century, and from there, a list of 25 Royal Rumble Iron Men. What's fascinating to me is that only two minutes and 19 seconds separate the two top competitors. Oh, and one final note on my methodology - Let's say that Juan Rivera competed in various Rumbles as both Kwang and Savio Vega (he did). In that case, I combined the times. We all know they're the same dude, so why not give them full credit for his career accomplishments, right? And now.... for the thousands in attendance and the millions watching at home.... llllllllllet's get ready to rumblllllllllllle!
Triple H (also competed as Hunter Hearst Helmsley)
Who did The Game have to sleep with to get such a prime spot? Oh, right. In any event, lasting close to four combined hours is nothing to sneeze at, and it may be tough for anyone to replicate the feat. And strangely enough, his BFF came pretty damn close.
Shawn Michaels
Mr. WrestleMania is also Mr. Royal Rumble, as he's one of only three guys to win the event more than once. And for even more bragging rights, HBK can say he has more eliminations than anyone in Rumble history.
Rey Mysterio
Booyaka! More than a third of Rey Rey's hang time came from his show-stopping performance in 2006, when he won the whole match and dedicated it to his hermanno Eddie Guerrero.
Kane (also competed as Isaac Yankem and Fake Diesel)
If I'm not mistaken (and I rarely am), The Big Red Machine has more Rumbles under his belt than anyone else, and has the best time on this list of a competitor that didn't win the match. Kane also has the third-biggest number of eliminations on this list, fueled by one year in particular where the guy was (ahem) on fire.
Stone Cold Steve Austin (also competed as The Ringmaster)
WHAT? Stone Cold has won more Royal Rumbles than anyone else. WHAT? I said, the Texas Rattlesnake also has the second-biggest number of eliminations on this list. WHAT? Had it not been for the Russoesque decision to have Vince McMahon win the Rumble in the 1999, the toughest SOB in the WWE may have even won a fourth honor.
Chris Benoit
WWE has strictly forbidden me from talking about this guy, whomever he is, but there's no denying that 1:01:30 performance en route to winning the World Championship at WrestleMania XX will never be forgotten. Unless WWE gets its way, I guess.
The Undertaker
Not exactly a shocker here, as The Deadman is generally guaranteed to do some damage in a match like this, year in and year out. What's somewhat more surprising is that he lasted a mere 4:14 in 1993 before being eliminated by Giant Gonzales, of all people.
Randy Orton
Orton could definitely be seen as a rising star in this event (as he is at Survivor Series) as it doesn't make a ton of sense to eliminate him in a matter of minutes. Orton's longest Rumble was the event he won in 2009, lasting 48:27.
Edge
The 2012 Hall of Famer didn't really dominate any Rumbles during his career, but his average appearance times are longer than most. Strangely enough, his shortest appearance ever (EVER!!!) was a 7:19 stint in 2012 -- where he won the match.
Davey Boy Smith (also competed as The British Bulldog)
The British Bulldog (no relation) is best known in Royal Rumble lore for starting the 1995 match along with Shawn Michaels and almost winning the whole thing, before HBK caught a lucky break.
Chris Jericho
Y2J is probably one of the bigger names never to win a Royal Rumble, although it's possible he changes his look in 2012, what with the shiny jacket and everything.
CM Punk
Punk is likely to get more ring time as his WWE career continues on; his 35:21 go-round last year included the elimination of seven wrestlers.
The Rock (also competed as Rocky Maivia)
Although The People's Champ isn't likely to Just Bring It this year and Layeth the Smacketh Down... it doesn't MATTER what your name is! (sorry, I've got nothin'). The Great One had his greatest Rumble success after a controversial victory over The Big Show in 2000.
Hardcore Holly (also competed as Thurman "Sparky" Plugg)
Wondering what in the blue hell Hardcore Friggin' Holly is doing on this list? You're not alone.
John Cena
This is more like it. It's almost surprising to think the guy hasn't lasted longer or won more than one Rumble since 2003, but the numbers don't lie. Cena's best ring time was last year, in which he went 33:17 before being eliminated by The Miz, who wasn't, technically, a competitor in the match.
John Morrison (also competed as Johnny Nitro)
Morrison's finest hour in the Rumble (well, 11:24, if we're being all technical about it) came last year when, after being tossed over the top rope by William Regal, he landed on the ringside barrier, without having his feet touch the ground. He then pulled himself up on to the barrier, walked about 15 feet, leapt to the ring steps, used one leg to kick Regal at ringside, and managed to make it still back into the ring.
Rick Martel
History may show Martel as a midcard heel during his WWE run as "The Model" but he was an essential part of the early Rumbles. In fact, he set the longevity record in 1991, lasting an impressive 52:17.
Bret Hart
Bret Hart was the original Royal Rumble Iron Man, lasting 25:42 in the 1988 event. Followers of the match will recall that he co-won the event with Lex Luger in 1994, and then almost won again three years later, when Steve Austin outsmarted The Hit Man.
Rob Van Dam
RVD has hardly been "The Whole F'n Show" for an entire Rumble, but he's had some decent moments over the years. Perhaps the best one was his surprise appearance in 2009, where he lasted 13:56 without even being under WWE contract!
Greg Valentine
Not much I can here add to this beyond the obvious stats. Good for The Hammer, I guess.
Ric Flair
Nature Boy's Royal Rumble story begins and ends with 1992, when he entered the match third and defeated an all-star cast during an incredible 59:26 performance. Sure, he was in the Rumble four other times thereafter, but with a couple fo sub-two minute performances, he never quite recaptured his past glory.
Rikishi (also competed as Fatu and The Sultan)
Another perennial midcarder with some decent ringtime, although it's more due to numerous appearances than anything else. His most memorable moment came in 2000, when he danced with Too Cool teammates Grandmaster Sexay and Scotty 2 Hotty, before eliminating both of them.
Tito Santana
See also: Valentine, Greg.
Matt Hardy
Not entirely sure why this Huge Douche Canoe ended up getting so much more time than his brother Jeff (a combined 19:13 over four appearances), but at least there's always the magic Rumble moment in 2009 where the two brothers briefly squared off.
"The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase
The Million Dollar Man thought he could buy himself a good number in 1989, but that strategy didn't work. The next year, DiBiase entered at number one and lasted 44:47 before succumbing to The Ultimate Warrior.
Canadian Bulldog has been writing about professional wrestling since 2003, and became a WWI Superstar at World Wrestling Insanity in January 2006. Need more Bulldog? Check out his "Complete and Utter Bulldog" podcast at Club WWI ; like his Facebook page, and follow him on Twitter.
© Copyright by WorldWrestlingInsanity.com WorldWrestlingInsanity.com is not
affiliated with any wrestling promotion. |
