10 Most Underrated WWE Royal Rumble Performers

Another name whose legacy at the Rumble has somewhat faded over time, but a guy who was at one point a real force to be reckoned with, is Diesel.

Though he never held the record for most eliminations outright, his debut in the Rumble he took out an impressive seven men in just 18 minutes, and two years later in his second outing he helped himself to another five scalps.

These days, those numbers may not look quite so impressive, with Kane racking up 11 eliminations in 2001 before Roman Reigns raised the bar even higher with a round dozen in 2014. Either way, Diesel’s 12 from two appearances was—for the time—no mean feat at all.

A second factor that further endears Diesel as a vital supporting player in Royal Rumble history is his more recent involvement in the match-up. First in 2011, then again in 2014 as plain old Kevin Nash, Diesel turned back the clocks to emerge as a surprise entrant in the Rumble match. Sure, he didn’t steal the show, but no Rumble is complete without a nostalgia pop—and that’s exactly what Diesel’s delivered twice now.

As both a legitimate contender and a blast from the past, over the years Diesel has proved himself a versatile, and valuable, Royal Rumble participant.