10 Best Performances From Number 1 In WWE Royal Rumble Match
5. Ted DiBiase - 1990
It could be argued that the Royal Rumble was Ted DiBiase's signature match in its early days.
He was runner-up in the second ever Rumble match in 1989 and, in 1990, he set the template for the Rumble's "Iron Man".
DiBiase started the 1990 Rumble after being the final entrant in the previous year's match. In 1989, DiBiase had used his money to buy the last spot in the match, but this time he was going to have to prove himself as an athlete if he wanted to walk away the winner. And prove that he did.
DiBiase eliminated three men during the match before he was tossed out by The Ultimate Warrior after a gruelling 44 minutes and 47 seconds in the ring. This smashed the previous longevity record in a single Rumble match; Mr. Perfect's time of 27:58 from the previous year.
Fans were eager to see the dastardly rich man thrown out of the ring and the longer they had to wait to see it, the more they wanted it.
Wrestlers lasting for forty plus minutes in a single Rumble match is commonplace now, but DiBiase was the first man to do it. That's worth a million dollars any day.