Top 5 superstars with the most eliminations in a Royal Rumble match

Here is a list of five superstars who created history by showing their strength and eliminating the most competitors in their respective Royal Rumble matches.


Top 5 superstars with the most eliminations in a Royal Rumble match

Kane at Royal Rumble 2001 (via WWE)

The Royal Rumble is one of the greatest and most innovative match types created by WWE. The tradition of 30 men entering the ring at regular intervals gave a new spin to the normal battle royale. It is now one of the most anticipated matches of the year among fans. Whether you are a casual fan or a regular viewer, everyone enjoys the match to a great extent.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Royal Rumble match is the perfect platform for superstars to show their strength. It takes great power, tactics, and agility to eliminate one superstar from the ring, let alone multiple. Over the years, the fans have seen many such dominating performances at the Royal Rumble. Once every few years, a wrestler comes along who shows that level of dominance and wrecks everyone. The following five superstars are the ones who hold the current record for the most eliminations in a single Royal Rumble match.

Related: Top 5 Royal Rumble surprise entrants of all time

#5 Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin – 10 (1989 and 1997)

Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin
Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin

Hulk Hogan is one of the biggest names in WWE history. So, when it comes to the Royal Rumble, how can the Hulkster be left behind? The fans got to witness Hulkamania running wild at the second-ever Rumble event. He entered the match at number 18 and had the most eliminations to his name. Although he only lasted over 10 minutes in the match, Hogan eliminated one competitor almost every minute. His last elimination though was a controversial one as it was after his elimination. The Hulkster was eliminated by the Bigg Boss Man and Akeem. To exact revenge, Hogan got back and pulled Bigg Boss Man out of the match as well, bringing his tally to 10 eliminations.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin is another era-defining star who is tied with Hogan at 10 eliminations. And again, this one is a controversial one, maybe more so than 1989. After getting seven eliminations in the match, Steve Austin was actually eliminated by Bret Hart, but the referees never saw it. Taking advantage of the situation, the Texas Rattlesnake got back in the match and eliminated three more wrestlers. He eventually became one of the few wrestlers to have the most eliminations and a victory in the same match.

#4 Kane – 11 (2001)

Kane Royal Rumble
Kane at Royal Rumble 2001 (via WhatCulture)

One of the most consistently dominant superstars in Royal Rumble matches is Kane. Unfortunately, the Big Red Monster never won the match, but he held the record for most eliminations for the longest time. Kane was a wrecking machine at the 2001 match, where he lasted for more than 50 minutes and eliminated a total of 11 superstars.

Kane came very close to winning the match, becoming the last person to get eliminated by the eventual winner, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. That marked Austin’s third Royal Rumble victory, creating another record for the ages. After his dominant run, Kane was part of the video packages for years to come, as he held the record for 13 years.

#3 Roman Reigns – 12 (2014)

Roman Reigns Royal Rumble
Roman Reigns and Batista at Royal Rumble 2014 (via WWE)

Roman Reigns has been groomed for the main event push as a Vince McMahon project since his Shield days. When the powerhouse of the Shield entered his first Rumble in 2014, he left a significant mark on the match. Entering the match at number 15, Reigns broke Kane’s record by eliminating 12 other competitors. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Although he didn’t last as long as the Big Red Machine in 2001, he still managed to get over the half-hour mark, which is no small feat. Due to his impressive run in the match, the fans also got behind Reigns. This was the reason why the Pittsburgh crowd started chanting his name over Batista in the final two. Eventually, Reigns got eliminated by Batista, who surprisingly got a backlash from the fans, fueling his heel turn on the road to WrestleMania.

#2 Braun Strowman – 13 (2018 Greatest Royal Rumble)

Braun Strowman Royal Rumble
Braun Strowman at the Greatest Royal Rumble 2018 (via WWE)

In 2018, WWE went one step further with their already big battle royale stipulation and had the “Greatest Royal Rumble” in Saudi Arabia. The event took place in April, after WrestleMania, contrary to the traditional event in January. But what made the event the “Greatest” was that it had 50 men taking part in it for the first time.

At the match, Braun Strowman was a force to be reckoned with as he entered the match at number 41. In his relatively short run of 22 minutes, the Monster among Men eliminated a record 13 superstars. Strowman eventually won the match, joining the likes of Austin in 1997. However, rather than getting a guaranteed title shot, Braun was presented with a cup and a green belt, specially designed for this one-time event.

#1 Brock Lesnar – 13 (2020)

Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar at Royal Rumble 2020 (via WWE)

Despite there technically being a tie for the most eliminations, Brock Lesnar gets the first spot here. This is because it was much more impressive to get 13 eliminations in a 30-man match than to get them in a 50-man one. And it became more impressive as Lesnar, the WWE champion, entered the match at number 1. It was the first time that the WWE champion entered the Royal Rumble match without the title being on the line.

ADVERTISEMENT

Lesnar showed his power and strength from the onset. All the superstars that entered after him lasted mere seconds into the match before getting decimated by the Beast. It was not until Drew McIntyre, who entered the match at number 16, that Lesnar finally got a challenge. McIntyre shocked the WWE Universe by not just eliminating the WWE champion but eventually winning the match. The two would go on to fight at the main event of WrestleMania for the WWE championship, where the Scottish superstar came out on top once again.

In case you missed it!