Who holds the record for the most Royal Rumble eliminations in WWE history?

Who holds the record for the most Royal Rumble eliminations in WWE history?

Grace Waruguru
March 10, 2024 at 2:23 PM

Who has the most Royal Rumble eliminations in WWE? Numerous professional wrestlers have participated in the annual event that sees the winner compete at Wrestlemania. The participants seek to eliminate the most fighters, and the last man standing wins. In this article, find out which wrestlers have the most eliminations.

Most Royal Rumble eliminations
Stone Cold Steve Austin (L), Triple H (Center), and Undertaker (R) have the most eliminations in Royal Rumble history. Photo: @steveaustinbsr, @tripleh, @Undertaker (Modified by author)
Source: Instagram

Table of Сontents:

What are the most Royal Rumble eliminations ever? The Royal Rumble was founded in January 1988 by WWE, created by former professional wrestler Pat Patterson. The event started airing on Pay-Per-View the following year after running as a TV special on USA Network. Who has the most Royal Rumble eliminations? Read on and find out.

Which wrestlers have the most Royal Rumble eliminations?

The goal of the Royal Rumble is for participants to eliminate as many opponents as possible, preferably in the shortest time possible. 30 competitors enter the ring at different intervals. We have compiled our research from trusted online sources like wrestlingjunkie.usatoday.com and sportskeeda.com and analyzed the wrestlers with the most eliminations. Here is a ranked list:

6. Triple H - 32

  • Full name: Paul Michael Levesque
  • Date of birth: July 27th, 1969
  • Nickname: Triple H
Triple H in October 2019
Triple H speaks at a WWE news conference at T-Mobile Arena on October 11, 2019, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo: Ethan Miller (Modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

Triple H, known fully as Paul Michael Levesque, boasts 32 Royal Rumble eliminations. Additionally, he won the contest in 2002 and 2016 and was a runner-up in 2008 and 2009.

The 14-time WWE World Champion's Best Royal Rumble performance was in 2002 when he battled it out to Stone Cold, Farooq, and Mr. Perfect and eventually threw Angle over the rope.

5. Braun Strowman - 34

  • Full name: Adam Joseph Scherr
  • Date of birth: September 6th, 1983
  • Nickname: The Monster Among Men
Braun Strowman in June 2023
Braun Strowman addresses the media during a press conference before the NASCAR Cup Series at Sonoma Raceway on June 11, 2023, in California. Photo: Sean Gardner (Modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

How many Royal Rumble eliminations does Braun Strowman have? The retired American professional wrestler and strongman is among the athletes with the most Royal Rumble eliminations ever. In 2016, Braun became the Greatest Royal Rumble Champion after winning the Greatest Royal Rumble Champion.

Who has the most Royal Rumble eliminations in one match? Strowman entered the 50-man match at number 41 and eliminated 13, the highest record in a single match. The Monster Among Men, as he is widely known, has 34 Royal Rumble eliminations (as of March 2024).

4. Stone Cold Steve Austin - 36

  • Full name: Steve Austin
  • Date of birth: December 18th, 1964
  • Nickname: The Texas Rattlesnake
Stone Cold in August 2019
Stone Cold Steve Austin speaks at Silicon Valley Comic Con at the San Jose Convention Center on August 17, 2019. Photo: Bill Watters (Modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

The Texas Rattlesnake, as he is popularly known, has attained 36 Royal Rumble eliminations as of March 2024. He has made six appearances in the match, winning three, the most victories (1997, 1998, 2001.

The highest number of eliminations by Stone Cold was in 1997 when he took out 10. The same year, he sustained a neck injury that slowed his performance. The WWE Hall of Famer is recognized as the Greatest of All Time thanks to his exhilarating performances in every fight.

3. Shawn Michaels - 39

  • Full name: Michael Shawn Hickenbottom
  • Date of birth: July 22nd, 1965
  • Nickname: Mr. Wrestlemania, The Best of the Best
Shawn Michaels in April 2011
Shawn Michaels attends the 2011 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Philips Arena on April 3, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo: Moses Robinson (Modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

The legendary Shawn Michaels has one of the most Royal Rumble eliminations career. The 58-year-old has made 12 appearances in the WWE bout, attaining the most eliminations in 1995 and 1996 (eight in both). Additionally, Michaels won the Royal Rumble in both years.

The Royal Rumble rule that a player is only considered eliminated if both feet touch the floor was included after Shawn's 1995 match when he and Davie Boy Smith (The British Bulldog) lasted the entire match as the first and last two entrants.

2. The Undertaker - 40

  • Full name: Mark William Calaway
  • Date of birth: March 24th, 1965
  • Nickname: The Undertaker
The Undertaker in August 2015
The Undertaker attends Wizard World Comic Con Chicago 2015 at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center on August 21, 2015, in Chicago, Illinois. Photo: Gilbert Carrasquillo (Modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

The Undertaker is among the wrestlers with the most Royal Rumble eliminations in 2024. He participated in 11 matches, winning one (2007), where he was the 30th entrant, and finished runner-up in 2003. The wrestler's most eliminations were in 2002 when he took out seven contestants in a single match.

Mark Calaway holds the record for the most Royal Rumbles entered before winning, with 8 entries before winning the 2007 Royal Rumble. The wrestler has a 21-year undefeated streak at Wrestlemania (1991 to 2013).

1. Kane - 46 eliminations

  • Full name: Glenn Thomas Jacobs
  • Date of birth: April 26th, 1967
  • Nickname: Kane
Kane in March 2014
Kane attends the "Scooby Doo! WrestleMania Mystery" New York Premiere at Tribeca Cinemas on March 22, 2014, in New York City. Photo: Paul Zimmerman (Modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

The Undertaker's ring brother, Kane, boasts the most Royal Rumble eliminations of all time. The professional wrestler turned politician made 20 Royal Rumble appearances and eliminated 46 wrestlers. Kane's highest number of eliminations was in 2001 when he removed 11, the highest one experienced in 15 years.

Despite his numerous eliminations, Kane never won a Royal Rumble. According to the sportster.com, all his performances left an impression on the fans. In 1999, at his debut match, he eliminated everyone in the ring, including himself.

Who was never eliminated from the Royal Rumble?

Several participants failed to show up in the ring for various reasons, while others eliminated themselves, meaning that they did not last until the official elimination. Here is a list of wrestlers who have never been eliminated from WWE's Royal Rumble, per wwe.com:

  • Hornswoggle and Fit Finley (2008)
  • Curtis Axel (2015)
  • Spike Dudley (1998)
  • Skull (1998)
  • Randy Savage (1991)

Final word

Royal Rumble eliminations are not equal to the contest's winnings. Several fans enjoy the action-packed contests while the wrestlers build their player profiles and earn a chance to shine at Wrestlemania. These top athletes have eliminated competitors within seconds, adding to the thrill of the match that takes place annually.

READ ALSO: Top 15 professional wrestlers who died in the ring

Sports Brief published a listicle featuring famous wrestlers whose lives ended in the line of duty. Wrestling is among the highly physical and dangerous sports that have caused several fatal injuries and accidents among athletes. Who are some of the wrestlers that have died in the ring?

Emiko Kado, a Japanese female wrestler, died in April 1999 and was the second Japanese to lose her life to a wrestling-related matter. Larry Cameron suffered a heart attack in December 1993 during a fight with Tony St. Clair. Check out the above article for the complete list of famous wrestlers who died in the ring.

Authors
Grace Waruguru photo
Grace Waruguru
Grace has over 4 years of experience in article writing and digital media content creation for various local and global brands. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication (Public Relations) from Daystar University, Kenya.