This installment of our ranking of every WWE Royal Rumble entrant covers the upper tier from #50 to #119. This portion cracks the top 100, includes the first Royal Rumble winners on our countdown, and features Hall of Famers, former world champs, and more than one top runner-up. Among the notable names: Andre the Giant, Kurt Angle, The Ultimate Warrior, Randy Savage, and the iconic Mick Foley with his legendary triple-persona 1998 performance.
#118: Billy Gunn and Lacey Evans (Tie)
Billy Gunn and Lacey Evans represent very different Royal Rumble stories. For Gunn, it's all about longevity with seven Rumbles to his name, out of which he registered three cumulative eliminations. For Evans's part, she only worked three Rumbles but turned heads in her main roster debut in the 2019 Rumble. From the number one spot, she proceeded to last just shy of a full half hour, laying a foundation for her to garner a big introduction to main roster fans by interrupting action to walk the ramp, before promptly transitioning to the Raw Women's Championship picture coming out of WrestleMania season.
#116: Greg Valentine and Test (Tie)
The stories of Greg Valentine and Test are fairly similar, with both being long-time veterans who appeared in Rumbles four and five times respectively. Test accumulated three eliminations across his tenure. For Valentine's part, a 44-minute run in the 1991 Rumble marked one of the most impressive performances from his body of work in WWE.
#110: Andre the Giant, Brie Bella, Bron Breakker, Sami Zayn, Sid Justice, and Smash (Tie)
Battle royals are a huge part of Andre the Giant's legacy and, as such, it's a bit shocking that he didn't crack the top 100 for WWE's signature battle royal format. That said, he actually only ever worked two Royal Rumbles. Particularly at that stage of his career, he was never going to play the iron man role, but five career eliminations was a pretty solid stat—averaging almost exactly one elimination per five minutes spent in the match.
Sid Justice is also a noteworthy performer at this spot, particularly for an iconic dramatic performance in 1992 when he dumped Hulk Hogan from the match fair and square to reach the final two, only for Hogan to heelishly help Ric Flair dispatch of the big man to set the wheels in motion for WrestleMania 8's main event scene.
Smash racked up four eliminations across five Royal Rumble appearances, while Brie Bella and Bron Breakker not only share initials but near-identical Rumble numbers. To be fair, though, Breakker's just getting started, and between his powerhouse style and good outlook as a future main eventer, he will likely crack the top 100 before he's through.
#104: Dakota Kai, Goldberg, Kurt Angle, Ryback, Tito Santana, and Zelina Vega (Tie)
It's interesting to note the similarities between Tito Santana and Zelina Vega's stat lines as popular mid-card workhorses with two eliminations apiece across six Rumbles each. Vega will probably have future Rumbles and as such work her way up the rankings.
Despite only having two Rumbles under his belt and not lasting long in either, Goldberg's six eliminations bespoke how well he was suited to the match format. His less successful spiritual successor Ryback matched his numbers with one fewer Rumble and one more elimination. Kurt Angle falls a bit lower than fans would probably guess but worked a deceptively low four Royal Rumbles (offset by an impressive five world title matches at the Royal Rumble PPV across his career). That leaves us with Dakota Kai. Consistently underappreciated in her WWE efforts, this is one more area in which she performed quite respectably across her time in NXT and the main roster alike.
#102: Andrade and Piper Niven (Tie)
This unlikely pairing has quite arguably overachieved in Rumble performances. For Andrade, a half-hour run in the Rumble while reigning as NXT Champion in 2018, followed by a nearly half-hour run the following year after joining the SmackDown brand, helped him to a higher placement on the list, combined with a surprise return to WWE in the 2024 edition of the match. Piper Niven doesn't necessarily have a single signature Rumble performance to hang her hat on but lived up to her size advantage, racking up four eliminations in three Rumble appearances to date.
#100: Bob Backlund and The Ultimate Warrior (Tie)
The aesthetics don't get much more different than comparing old school Bob Backlund with The Ultimate Warrior. Accordingly, Backlund climbing up to the top 100 has a lot to do with his hour-long run in the match in 1993. By contrast, Warrior demonstrated the efficiency of mowing his way through six eliminations in just two Rumble matches.
#98: The Road Dogg and Vader (Tie)
From a perennial mid-card and tag team wrestler with a gift for gab to one of the great super heavyweight monster heels, The Road Dogg and Vader don't have much in common aside from similar Rumble output numbers. Over four Rumbles, Road Dogg racked up five eliminations as a nice testament to his steady spot on the roster. Vader only worked this match three times and, despite never lasting that long, accumulated five eliminations befitting his dominant persona.
#95: Dominik Mysterio, Sasha Banks, and Wade Barrett (Tie)
For all his progress as a performer, Dominik Mysterio still lands a fair bit behind his father Rey in this countdown. He nonetheless occupies an interesting spot to be tied with Sasha Banks. Mysterio cites Eddie Guerrero as his kayfabe biological father and an influence, and Banks made no bones about Latino Heat being her favorite and a star she patterned aspects of her career after.
Mysterio seems certain to climb the list as he already has five Rumbles under his belt with respectable numbers, while The Boss may well find herself back in the Rumble mix someday too.
For his part, Wade Barrett appears altogether done in the ring but leaves behind a very respectable Rumble legacy with five eliminations across four appearances in the bout.
#92: Carlito, Cesaro, and Christian (Tie)
92nd place is a workhorse spot, populated by guys with six, seven, and eight Rumble appearances respectively. Carlito was the cumulative iron man of the group but only had three eliminations to his name, while Cesaro and Christian each had six.
Christian probably gets the nod here as the most memorable Rumble performer at this spot on account of a great moment in the 2020 Rumble, making a surprise return to the ring and having an emotional reunion moment with eventual winner Edge. The moment has largely been erased because Christian would jump ship to AEW for his in-ring endeavors to follow (only for Adam Copeland to ultimately join him), but it was nonetheless a special sight for long-time fans to behold.
#91: The Barbarian
Despite always being a tag team or mid-card wrestler in WWE, it feels fitting The Barbarian would snag this respectable spot on the list for a long run with the company and powerhouse, bruising style that fit the Royal Rumble format well. The big man worked four Rumbles, with 37 cumulative minutes in the ring and six eliminations. Another fun bit of trivia is that, after a late entry, he was among the final five men in the ring in consecutive Rumbles in 1989 and 1990.
#85: Alexa Bliss, Bobby Lashley, Booker T, Nikki Bella, One Man Gang, and Shelton Benjamin (Tie)
It's interesting to find a quorum of elite-level Black stars tied at this spot with world champions Bobby Lashley and Booker T sharing the space with one of the best WWE performers to never get an earnest WWE main event push in Shelton Benjamin. Benjamin also garners the dubious distinction of being the lowest-ranked performer to have worked ten Rumbles.
It's also interesting to note the near-identical stat lines for Nikki Bella and the One Man Gang, each three-time Rumble participants with seven cumulative eliminations to their names. For her part, Alexa Bliss joined the fray with four Rumble appearances and six eliminations. Both women at this spot are still active and stand to move up in the rankings.
#83: Big E and Jake Roberts (Tie)
Both Jake Roberts and Big E benefited from longevity in their Rumble journeys. The Snake worked seven Rumble matches, averaging over ten minutes per outing and tallying five eliminations over his career. Big E worked eight, with a ten-and-a-half minute average time spent in the bout, but only four eliminations credited to him.
#81: Goldust and John Morrison (Tie)
For all their differences, Goldust and John Morrison actually had a lot of similarities to their WWE careers. Each were ahead of their time—Goldust for his edgy character work, Morrison for his innovative high spots. Each were mostly locked in the mid-card aside from entertaining tag runs. So it was that each tied for 81st place. The second Rhodes on the countdown made an impressive eleven appearances in the match, while Morrison worked three fewer Rumbles but clocked an extra forty-three cumulative minutes in the ring, not to mention a cool spot to avoid elimination when he flew from the apron to cling to the barricade before leaping back into action.
#78: Daniel Bryan, Earthquake, and Mark Henry (Tie)
One of these stars was not like the others. Indeed, Earthquake and Mark Henry both make sense in top 100 spots as super heavyweights with main event stints to their credit. Earthquake clocked an especially impressive eight eliminations in just four Rumble appearances; Henry had six in his eight matches but also significantly more time in the ring.
A unique part of Bryan's legacy is that not once, but twice it really felt like his year to win the Rumble, but it never happened. Indeed, in both 2014 and 2021 he wound up main eventing WrestleMania with a world title shot anyway, but he never won the Rumble to get there. He was left out of the 2014 Rumble altogether in what was, in hindsight, a real booking blunder given how hot he was with the WWE audience.
#76: Luke Harper and Matt Hardy (Tie)
This tie speaks to the importance of eliminations, as Matt Hardy had twice as many Rumble appearances and, cumulatively, nearly a half hour longer in the Royal Rumble than Luke Harper. The late, great Wyatt family member had no fewer than seven eliminations to his name, though, proving himself a difference maker each time he joined this match.
#73: Michelle McCool, Owen Hart, and Ruby Riott (Tie)
Owen Hart probably would have had additional Rumble appearances were it not for his untimely passing. It's also worth noting that he actually did have a breakout performance at a Rumble PPV in 1994, but it was in tag team action as WWE firmly put him on a collision course with his brother for WrestleMania 10 that led to a world title feud. The King of Harts never got to work a Rumble during his bona fide main event run, though.
Hart's joined by two talented women with very different journeys. Michelle McCool's Rumble appearances all came post-retirement, but that didn't stop her from nearly 45 minutes of ring time and eight eliminations. Ruby Riott's stat line was markedly similar, but she did it all in her prime as an underappreciated asset to a women's roster crowded with star power on top.
#71: Finn Balor and The Great Khali (Tie)
Despite never winning, nor reaching the final stages of a Royal Rumble, The Great Khali makes sense as a top 100 guy with eight Rumble appearances and his massive size facilitating an average of one elimination per appearance. By contrast, Balor's Rumble record is more of a study in efficiency, with only three appearances anchored by a standout iron man performance in 2019 that saw him last just shy of 58 minutes, score four eliminations, and reach the final four of the match.
#69: Iyo Sky and Rusev (Tie)
Despite only working three Royal Rumbles, Iyo Sky has impressively logged 110 minutes in the match with six eliminations to her name. In five Rumbles, Rusev has the same number of eliminations with just over an hour and a half of ring time.
Both of these talents stand to rise in the rankings. With Rusev back in WWE, his size and seemingly perpetual mid-card status place him as a likely Rumble participant for years to come with every chance of scoring an elimination here and there.
#67: Hardcore Holly and Mr. Perfect (Tie)
#67 is a spot for long-term, respected veterans it seems. Hardcore Holly scored five eliminations in seven Rumbles, while Perfect had seven eliminations in five Rumbles.
The main difference here comes down to likelihood of winning. Call him Hardcore, or call him racecar driver Bob—regardless, Holly never seemed like a credible candidate to actually take a Rumble. By contrast, in 1990 Perfect looked like a very legitimate threat to take it all (and by some accounts was originally planned to win) before Hulk Hogan took the duke instead, last eliminating Perfect.
#66: Damian Priest
With eight eliminations and forty-seven minutes of ring time across five Royal Rumbles, Damian Priest has a strong Royal Rumble record befitting his status as a rock-solid upper mid-card act who had a main event stint once and may well wind up back there down the road. Priest probably shouldn't be considered a favorite to win a Rumble at this point in his career, but more Rumbles and more eliminations seem all but certain.
#63: Crush, The Miz, and Rob Van Dam (Tie)
It's a fun piece of trivia that, despite both being WWE veterans, The Miz actually has had ten more Royal Rumble matches to date than RVD. The Rumble isn't The A-Lister's match, though, as across sixteen appearances, he has only tallied two eliminations. He did have a particularly memorable run in the 2012 edition, though, lasting forty-five minutes with a fun running theme early in the match of him being "haunted" by ghosts of his past with former partners Alex Riley and R-Truth giving him a taste of comeuppance early on before it was The Big Show who ultimately tossed Miz.
Rob Van Dam more efficiently had six Rumble appearances with an average of one elimination per outing, highlighted by his surprise return in the 2009 edition.
Crush earns this high placement largely for eliminations—credited with a total of eight across four Royal Rumble appearances that spanned his time as half of Demolition, his heel incarnation managed by Mr. Fuji, and finally as part of The Nation.
#62: Randy Savage
The Macho Man Randy Savage has a very real claim to be the biggest WWE star to have worked Royal Rumbles in his prime but never actually won one. In five appearances, he registered eight eliminations, including back-to-back final four runs in 1992 and 1993 and, before more Rumble norms were established, being a rare active world champion to work the Rumble back in 1989.
#59: Dean Ambrose, Sonya Deville, and Viscera (Tie)
While their total numbers shook out quite similarly, Dean Ambrose, Sonya Deville, and Viscera have very different histories in the Royal Rumble match. Despite arguably never getting her just due in WWE, Deville had a solid Rumble record bespeaking the length of her tenure with six appearances and nine eliminations.
As Mabel, Viscera, and finally Big Daddy V, one of WWE's biggest superheavyweights worked an impressive nine Rumbles with eight eliminations, though it's telling his most memorable moment was probably getting abducted by The Undertaker's minions during the 1999 match to rebrand him as a member of The Ministry of Darkness.
Dean Ambrose made the most of his five Rumbles with six cumulative eliminations and a spotlight performance in 2016 when he was the last man standing opposite surprise entrant Triple H who took the match and the WWE Championship that year.
#58: Gunther
Gunther's big claim to fame in WWE comes down to long championship reigns, as his runs with the NXT UK, Intercontinental, and World Heavyweight Championships each ran incredibly long. He's no stranger to long runs in the Royal Rumble either. Despite only competing twice to date, he logged an impressive hour and forty-one minutes between those outings. In 2024, his half-hour run took him all the way to the final three; the year before, an over-hour-long tenure in the ring carried five eliminations and took him to the final two as he went wire-to-wire from the number one entry spot.
Gunther can't be ruled out as a prospective Rumble winner someday. For sure, he's proven both his skill and his endurance, likely setting him up for more impressive Rumble performances to come.
#57: Big John Studd
And so the list arrives at a space of dubious honor with the lowest ranked performer to have nonetheless won a Royal Rumble. Big John Studd won the second-ever edition of the match in 1989, which also meant he was both the first man to win a thirty-man Rumble and the first to anoint the lucky number twenty-seven entry position.
Studd's numbers are a bit underwhelming, with only one Rumble appearance. He took the duke in twelve-and-a-half minutes of ring time and only two eliminations. The victory was further neutered by the lack of follow-up. In those early days, before the Rumble had a WrestleMania world title shot attached to it, Studd pulled guest referee duty at Mania, then wound up leaving WWE that summer over purported financial disagreements with WWE management.
#56: The Big Boss Man
The Big Boss Man landing this high on the list is largely a testament to longevity and his relevance in two distinct eras. In the Golden Era, Boss Man was an iconic character, momentary heel main eventer, and steady upper mid-card babyface thereafter. In the Attitude Era, he was a steady heel enforcer type. All of this added up to nearly an hour of cumulative Rumble ring time with eight eliminations to his credit.
#55: Mick Foley
A few spots earlier in the countdown, we noted Randy Savage was perhaps the biggest star to work a Rumble in his prime and not win it. Mick Foley also deserves a place in that conversation.
Despite only participating in four separate Royal Rumbles, Foley entered Rumble matches six times on account of an iconic 1998 showing when he worked as Mankind, Cactus Jack, and Dude Love, earning an extra boost in the rankings for the novelty of that effort. It's also worth noting that Foley gave two of the greatest performances of his career in working Royal Rumble PLE WWE Championship bouts against The Rock in 1999 and Triple H in 2000. Finally, Foley also made fun surprise returns in Rumble outings in 2008 and 2012.
#54: Mr. McMahon
So the list arrives at its second Royal Rumble winner, Mr. McMahon, who picked up the duke in his only Rumble appearance in 1999. For a Rumble winner, McMahon's stats were not super impressive. He only bagged one elimination against a distracted Stone Cold Steve Austin. Moreover, while he's credited with lasting nearly an hour in the match, that comes with a significant asterisk that he spent a majority of that time outside the ring, as this polarizing Rumble featured a lot of backstage shenanigans and even McMahon working commentary for a stretch of his participation in the match.
#53: Baron Corbin
Baron Corbin's relatively high placement is a testament to the big plans WWE seemed to have for him off and on throughout his tenure. Corbin tallied seven Rumble appearances with about an hour of ring time and an impressive ten eliminations. The Lone Wolf's most memorable performance came in his Rumble debut in 2017—a half-hour run that saw him cleanly clothesline a hitherto dominant Braun Strowman right over the top rope.
#52: Naomi
Seven Royal Rumble appearances with over three hours of cumulative ring time and five career eliminations offered Naomi a prominent spot on this list. Her work in the Rumble included a memorable return to WWE after a stint with TNA in 2024. She entered from the number two spot that year and lasted over an hour in the bout.
#51: Rick Martel
Despite once being a world champion in the AWA, Rick Martel's WWE career was defined first by being a tag team wrestler, then by working as a mid-card heel under The Model gimmick. It's a bit surprising to find a wrestler who never won a singles championship in WWE this high on the list, but Martel was a long-time respected hand in the company. Particularly noteworthy on his Rumble resume was his 1991 showing in which he lasted 52 minutes and registered four eliminations.
#50: Ronda Rousey
2022 wasn't exactly a well-received year for the Royal Rumble. Both Rumble matches saw a polarizing MMA-crossover entrant who had been rumored and thus was only sort-of-surprising return to take the duke. On the women's side, that victory went to Ronda Rousey.
Rousey was a bit greater surprise than her male counterpart (more on him later in the countdown) as she had been missing from the WWE landscape for over two years leading up to her comeback moment. The Baddest Woman on the Planet had an iconic moment when she made her more legitimately shocking debut at the end of the 2018 Royal Rumble (also, the first-ever women's Rumble). This time, she drew a more mixed reaction from the crowd but nonetheless entered from the 28 spot, lasted over ten minutes, registered four eliminations, and, most importantly, won to punch her ticket to WrestleMania 38.
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