Since its start in January 1988, the Royal Rumble has become a popular mainstay on WWE’s calendar, known for its surprise appearances and unexpected winners.
Wrestling-World.com have provided a fascinating guide on everything you need to know about the current champions, records, and stats from Royal Rumble history:
1. The most viewed Royal Rumble matches on YouTube
WWE’s YouTube channel is currently the 8th most subscribed to channel worldwide, with 92.7 million followers. WWE often upload full matches to YouTube for fans to rewatch, so below are the most popular Royal Rumble matches on the verified WWE channel.
Currently, the most viewed match on YouTube is the 2017 Royal Rumble, with 128 million views. The 2017 Rumble was a star-studded affair, featuring superstar legends such as The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, Chris Jericho, Goldberg, Randy Orton, and several other top stars from modern-day WWE.
The most viewed women’s Royal Rumble match, and the seventh most viewed overall, is the 2019 Royal Rumble won by Becky Lynch, with 33 million views.
| The most viewed Royal Rumble matches on YouTube | |||
| Rank | Year | Views | Men’s/Women’s |
| 1. | 2017 | 128,298,794 | Men’s |
| 2. | 2020 | 89,239,597 | Men’s |
| 3. | 2018 | 80,421,380 | Men’s |
| 4. | 2008 | 74,001,113 | Men’s |
| 5. | 2016 | 57,912,789 | Men’s |
| 6. | 2010 | 36,930,412 | Men’s |
| 7. | 2019 | 33,764,419 | Women’s |
| 8. | 2019 | 31,082,495 | Men’s |
| 9. | 2012 | 27,972,770 | Men’s |
| 10. | 2020 | 24,409,067 | Women’s |
2. Wrestlers with the most appearances in the Royal Rumble
- Kane/Isaac Yankem/Diesel (20 appearances)
- Dolph Ziggler (15 appearances)
- Kofi Kingston, Randy Orton (14 appearances)
- Goldust, The Miz, Rey Mysterio (13 appearances)
- Big Show, Shawn Michaels (12 appearances)
- Chris Jericho, Shelton Benjamin, The Undertaker (11 appearances)
- Mark Henry, Rikishi (10 appearances)
- Great Khali, Mabel/Viscera, Sheamus, Triple H (9 appearances)
- Booker T, Cody Rhodes, Edge, Godfather, John Cena, John Morrison, Matt Hardy, R-Truth (8 appearances)
- Baron Corbi, Billy Gunn, Bob Holly, Cesaro, Jake Roberts, Rick Martel, Owen Hart (7 appearances)
Kane unsurprisingly still holds the record for the most Royal Rumble appearances, competing in 20 matches in the event’s history, including appearances from Dr. Isaac Yankhem and Fake Diesel. He also holds the record for cumulative eliminations at 46. Dolph Ziggler ranks in second place with 15 Royal Rumble entries, with Kofi Kingson and Randy Orton following behind with 14 entries each.
3. Who holds the record for the most Royal Rumble victories?
Stone Cold Steve Austin currently holds the record for the most Royal Rumble victories, emerging victorious in 1997, 1998, and 2001. Although technically eliminated from the 1997 Royal Rumble, Austin snook back into the ring while the officials were distracted and eliminated Bret Hart to win the match.
Just eight wrestlers have won the Rumble twice; Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Brock Lesnar, Batista, John Cena, Randy Orton, and Edge.
| Wrestlers with the most Royal Rumble victories | ||
| Wins | Wrestler | Year |
| 3 | Stone Cold Steve Austin | 1997, 1998, 2001 |
| 2 | Hulk Hogan | 1990, 1991 |
| 2 | Shawn Michaels | 1995, 1996 |
| 2 | Triple H | 2002, 2016 |
| 2 | Brock Lesnar | 2003, 2022 |
| 2 | Batista | 2005, 2014 |
| 2 | John Cena | 2008, 2013 |
| 2 | Randy Orton | 2009, 2017 |
| 2 | Edge | 2010, 2021 |
4. Wrestlers with the longest cumulative time spent in the Royal Rumble
- Chris Jericho (4:59:33)
- Randy Orton (4:34:08)
- Rey Mysterio (4:14:45)
- Triple H (4:00:50)
- Shawn Michaels (3:47:32)
- Edge (3:31:51)
- Kane/Diesel/Isaac Yankem/DDS (3:19:40)
- Dolph Ziggler (3:08:40)
- Cody Rhodes/Stardust (3:06:45)
- John Cena (2:48:32)
Chris Jericho currently holds the record for overall time spent in the Royal Rumble match across a superstar’s career, with 4 hours, 59 minutes, and 33 seconds. In second place is Randy Orton with 4 hours, 34 minutes, and 8 seconds and in third place is Rey Mysterio, who could potentially take second place this year if he lasts over 20 minutes in the ring. In women’s matches, Charlotte Flair holds the record with 2 hours, 21 minutes, and 28 seconds.
5. Wrestlers with the most career eliminations in the Royal Rumble
- Kane (46 eliminations)
- The Undertaker (40 eliminations)
- Shawn Michaels (39 eliminations)
- Stone Cold Steve Austin (36 eliminations)
- Braun Strowman (33 eliminations)
- Big Show, Roman Reigns, Triple H (32 eliminations)
- Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton (29 eliminations)
- Hulk Hogan (27 eliminations)
- John Cena (25 eliminations)
- Edge (23 eliminations)
Kane currently holds the record for the most cumulative eliminations in Royal Rumble history after throwing an incredible 46 superstars over the top rope during his two dozen appearances in the company’s flagship battle royal. WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker ranks second, with 40 total career eliminations, followed by Shawn Michaels in third place, with 39 eliminations.
A spokesperson for Wrestling-World.com commented on the findings: “The WWE Royal Rumble is one of wrestling’s most legendary events, kicking off the year and setting the tone for what is to come for WrestleMania season.
“The Royal Rumble has a rich and interesting history since its beginning in 1988, with a lengthy list of legendary wrestlers setting some iconic records along the way. The following facts and statistics offer a fascinating insight into which matches are clear fan favourites and which superstars hold the most records to this day.”
This research was conducted by Wrestling-World.com, a portal dedicated to everything about the sport of wrestling, which strives to provide readers with daily news updates from around the wrestling world.