10 Fascinating WWE Royal Rumble 2001 Facts

8. The Ladder Match Is The Only Ladder Match In Rumble History

Austin Royal Rumble 2001
WWE

Given the increase in ladder matches through the current millennium, be they standard, TLC, Money in the Bank, or whatever other modifier you can come up with, it's a bit surprising that the Royal Rumble event has only held one such match in its three decades of existence.

The only Royal Rumble ladder match ever was arguably one of the greatest in company history, as Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho let it all hang out in their battle for Benoit's Intercontinental belt.

Whether Benoit was pushing up a Jericho-weighted ladder while pinned beneath it, or diving out of the ring into a Jericho chair-shot (which sounds much worse, given later events), the match had no shortage of dramatic, yet plausible, spots. Another particular spot created quite a visual, and segues into the next entry.

Contributor
Contributor

Justin has been a wrestling fan since 1989, and has been writing about it since 2009. Since 2014, Justin has been a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine. Justin also writes for History of Wrestling, and is a contributing author to James Dixon's Titan series.