10 Things That Are No Longer Special About WWE Royal Rumble

Each year, WWE presents the #1 position in the Royal Rumble match as a death sentence. For obvious reasons, being the first to enter an at least hour-long bout with 29 other competitors is less than ideal. Only Shawn Michaels had won the contest from the starting position for over a decade, which helped make the impressive feat that much more legendary.

WWE never lets well enough alone, though, and often tries to recapture the magic from monumental moments.

Arguably, there were few better at the time than Chris Benoit to follow in ‘The Heartbreak Kid’s’ footsteps, as his size and determination made his victory unforgettable. However, by having a second wrestler match HBK, the #1 position was no longer that unique.

If you do the math (and the numbers don't lie), it's not the worst number to draw. In fact, only three other positions have had more victors than the #1 spot. Conversely, winning from #3-#18 seems like a real chore. As of 2020, the #30 position had only seen one more winner than the first. WWE can boast about the difficulties of starting as numero uno in the Rumble, but it's harder to argue the odds are entirely stacked against whoever kicks things off.