10 Most Underrated WWE Royal Rumble Performers
A look at some of the standouts who've slipped under the radar...
When we think of the stars of the Royal Rumble, chances are we think of former winners; the usual suspects like Stone Cold Steve Austin or Shawn Michaels, Hulk Hogan or Triple H. You might even think of those who’ve smashed elimination records; such as Kane or, more recently, Roman Reigns. Some might even think of guys like Kofi Kingston or John Morrison, who made headlines of their own for a canny knack of finding the most incredible ways of hanging on in there.
Point being; one group we don’t necessarily think of is the match’s supporting cast.
So the next time Michael Cole’s telling you that Shawn Michaels once won the Rumble after entering at number one, spare a thought for the other guys. Guys who don’t make headlines for their elimination records, who don’t get praise for their survival antics and who’ve never stolen the show by winning the thing outright, but who’ve nonetheless been vital ingredients in the Royal Rumble match over the years.
This article makes the case for those unsung stars, considering things like consistency, total appearances, total time spent in Rumble, as well as some more subjective factors.
Oh, and we won’t be covering any of the above names, or anyone who’s already won the Rumble outright. They've already had their moments in the sun; time to share the spotlight, boys!
10. Bob Backlund
Way back in 1993, Bob Backlund set the record for the longest-ever stint in the Royal Rumble match, clocking in with a mammoth time of 1:01:10.
These days though, he rarely gets much of a mention in the Royal Rumble conversation, and there a few potential reasons why.
First off, his record has since been broken. Twice, in fact; first by Chris Benoit in 2004 and again by Rey Mysterio in 2006. On top of that, and despite the titanic effort, Backlund didn’t actually win the Rumble outright—falling at the penultimate hurdle to eventual winner Yokozuna. Benoit and Mysterio, on the other hand, did manage to end the night victorious to punctuate their hour-plus stints.
Finally, and perhaps most crucially, he wasn’t the first to breech the 60-minute mark. 12 months prior in 1992, Ric Flair had lasted one hour and two seconds, and not only that but, much like Benoit and Mysterio, Flair’s effort had been a winning one.
So it’s easy for Backlund’s name to be overlooked when we scan back through the history books, but given that his record stood for an impressive 11 years, I reckon that’s enough to earn him a spot on this list.