10 Most Obscure WWE Royal Rumble Records
9. Most/Least Eliminations In Winning Effort
Recordholders: Steve Austin (1997), 10; Mr. McMahon (1999) and Randy Orton (2017), 1
The image many fans have of a Royal Rumble victor is one of a wrestler entering the match a house afire, tossing superstars over the top rope in rapid succession en route to standing tall and pointing at the WrestleMania sign as pyro blasts in the background.
The reality is that most Rumble winners do not go wild tossing half the field. Most end up eliminating between three and seven wrestlers along the way. However, there are some who have mind-boggling numbers in both directions.
Unsurprisingly, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin holds the record for eliminations in a winning Rumble, with 10 in 1997. He would toss another 10 in his other two winning efforts in 1998 (seven) and 2001 (three). Shawn Michaels eliminated eight in each of his two Rumble wins in 1995-96.
On the flip side, two wrestlers have done the bare minimum when it comes to winning the Rumble, simply registering the final elimination in the match to win: Mr. McMahon’s abysmal turn in the 1999 Rumble, and Randy Orton in 2017. Each man eliminated the last person to win the Rumble.