10 Most Obscure WWE Royal Rumble Records
1. Longest Late Winning Run
Recordholder: Cody Rhodes, 15:08 (2023)
It’s been fairly established that entering the Royal Rumble late enhances your chances of winning the match and advancing to WrestleMania: 14 men’s Rumble winners have entered the match in the last five spots (including Alberto Del Rio’s entry at #38 in 2011).
Those late entries typically have meant light work for the eventual winners. Brock Lesnar won two Rumbles in 11:32 combined (also a record). However, no one has wrestled longer from one of those late spots and won than Cody Rhodes, who won the 2023 Rumble after 15:08 in the match, which included a tremendous one-on-one battle with Gunther. (Bret Hart was a co-winner of the 1994 Rumble in the same time, but he entered at #27, so Cody wins the tiebreaker.)
Rhodes’ 15-minute journey to triumph is especially impressive when you realize that it’s a longer run than 15 other Rumble winners, despite entering last. He also eclipsed the previous record for a winning performance at #30, set by the Undertaker, who turned in a memorable 13:15 romp in 2007.