10 Greatest Performances In WWE Royal Rumble History
7. Kane (2001)
As far as monstrous Royal Rumble performances go, it’s tough to top Kane’s in 2001. This was one of the Big Red Machine’s finest hours in WWE, and while it’s hard to think of him as an all-conquering behemoth in 2017, that’s exactly what he was 16 years ago. The night ultimately belonged to Stone Cold Steve Austin, who won the match, but nobody looked better than Kane in the 2001 Royal Rumble.
Entering at number six, Kane left the competition for dead. He started by prompting a terrified Drew Carey to eliminate himself from the match just by standing beside him, before a host of midcarders ran to the slaughter. The Honky Tonk Man had his guitar smashed over his head, Grand Master Sexay and Steve Blackman were thrown out effortlessly, and Kane was on fire.
Kane finished second overall, and was eventually eliminated by Austin. Regardless, he’d thrown a record 11 wrestlers out during his 53 minutes in the ring, and had all but secured his place in Rumble folklore. The next few years weren’t particularly kind for Kane, who saw his aura gradually eroded by the Katie Vick angle, his shambolic unmasking, and more but with a record 44 total eliminations to his name, Kane remains one of the best Royal Rumble performers of all-time.