WWE Royal Rumble History: List of Winners, Stats & Records

WWE Men's Royal Rumble - List of Winners & Tournament History

The WWE Men's Royal Rumble is a men's pro wrestling special match type held periodically by World Wrestling Entertainment.

The competition was established on January 24, 1988, and the first edition was won by Jim Duggan , while the last edition took place on January 27, 2024 and was won by Cody Rhodes .

The Royal Rumble is one of the most iconic match types of WWE, often considered the match of the company.

It is a unique variation of the Battle Royal, invented by WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson. Traditionally, it features 30 wrestlers (though there have been exceptions, such as 20 participants in the inaugural 1988 edition and 40 in 2011).

Match Structure

Unlike a regular Battle Royal, the WWE Royal Rumble begins with just two participants in the ring. The rest of the competitors enter at regular intervals (which have varied throughout the years, but in recent times have been standardized to every 90 seconds). The order of entry is determined by a random draw held before the match.

Elimination Rules

Eliminations in the Royal Rumble occur under Over the Top Rope rules: a wrestler must be thrown over the top rope, and both feet must touch the floor for the elimination to count (this rule was introduced in the 1995 edition). The last participant remaining in the ring is declared the winner.

Annual Event and Prize

The WWE Royal Rumble takes place annually at the pay-per-view of the same name. Since 1991, the winner of the match earns a title shot for WWE's top championship at WrestleMania, the company's biggest event of the year (with the exception of the 1991 edition, where the vacant WWF Title was on the line).

Brand Split Participation

After WWE introduced its brand split, competitors from both SmackDown and RAW participate in the match (and during the time ECW was an active third brand, its members also competed). Special guests like legends, and commentators occasionally enter the match as well. Originally, the winner had to face the champion of their own brand at WrestleMania, but since 2004, the winner can choose whether to challenge the WWE Champion or the World Heavyweight Champion, regardless of their roster.

Women's Royal Rumble

The Women's Royal Rumble match was introduced in 2018, marking a significant milestone in WWE's women's division. This match follows the same rules as the men's Royal Rumble, with 30 participants entering at timed intervals and eliminations occurring via the Over the top rope rule, with both feet needing to touch the floor.

Records and Achievements

The wrestler with the most Royal Rumble victories to date is Stone Cold Steve Austin, who won three editions (1997, 1998, and 2001).

On this page, you can find the full list of all the WWE Men's Royal Rumble winners in history, along with dates, events, locations and statistics, plus the result of every championship opportunity at WrestleMania (click on each arrow to expand the details).

WWE Men's Royal Rumble: Info

Promotion World Wrestling Entertainment
Gender Male
Tournament Type Special Match
Date Established January 24, 1988

WWE Men's Royal Rumble: List of Winners

N.	Image	Winner
38		Cody Rhodes 2 January 27, 2024 St. Petersburg, FL \| WWE Royal Rumble 2024 298+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania XL against the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
37		Cody Rhodes 1 January 28, 2023 San Antonio, TX \| WWE Royal Rumble 2023 662+ days Unsuccessfully used the shot at WrestleMania 39 against the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
36		Brock Lesnar 2 January 29, 2022 St. Louis, MO \| WWE Royal Rumble 2022 1026+ days Unsuccessfully used the shot at WrestleMania 38 against the WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns (Lesnar also lost his WWE Championship).
35		Edge 2 January 31, 2021 St. Petersburg, FL \| WWE Royal Rumble 2021 1389+ days Unsuccessfully used the shot at WrestleMania 37 against the WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan.
34		Drew McIntyre 1 January 26, 2020 Houston, TX \| WWE Royal Rumble 2020 1760+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania 36 against the WWE Champion Brock Lesnar.
33		Seth Rollins 1 January 27, 2019 Phoenix, AZ \| WWE Royal Rumble 2019 2124+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania 35 against the WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar.
32		Braun Strowman 1 [Greatest Royal Rumble] April 27, 2018 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia \| WWE Greatest Royal Rumble 2399+ days This was a special edition 50-Man Royal Rumble match, with the winner receiving the Greatest Royal Rumble Trophy and a commemorative title belt.
31		Shinsuke Nakamura 1 January 28, 2018 Philadelphia, PA \| WWE Royal Rumble 2018 2488+ days Unsuccessfully used the shot at WrestleMania 34 against the WWE Champion AJ Styles.
30		Randy Orton 2 January 29, 2017 San Antonio, TX \| WWE Royal Rumble 2017 2852+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania 33 against the WWE Champion Bray Wyatt.
29		Triple H 2 January 24, 2016 Orlando, FL \| WWE Royal Rumble 2016 3223+ days This edition was directly for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, with the champion Roman Reigns as #1 entrant, and HHH successfully won the title.
28		Roman Reigns 1 January 25, 2015 Philadelphia, PA \| WWE Royal Rumble 2015 3587+ days Unsuccessfully used the shot at WrestleMania 31 against the WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar and Seth Rollins (who cashed-in the Money in the Bank contract joining the match).
27		Batista 2 January 26, 2014 Pittsburgh, PA \| WWE Royal Rumble 2014 3951+ days Unsuccessfully used the shot at WrestleMania XXX against the WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan.
26		John Cena 2 January 27, 2013 Phoenix, AZ \| WWE Royal Rumble 2013 4315+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania 29 against the WWE Champion The Rock.
25		Sheamus 1 January 29, 2012 St. Louis, MO \| WWE Royal Rumble 2012 4679+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania 28 against the World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan.
24		Alberto Del Rio 1 January 30, 2011 Boston, MA \| WWE Royal Rumble 2011 5043+ days This was a 40-Man Royal Rumble match. Unsuccessfully used the shot at WrestleMania XXVII against the World Heavyweight Champion Edge.
23		Edge 1 January 31, 2010 Atlanta, GA \| WWE Royal Rumble 2010 5407+ days Unsuccessfully used the shot at WrestleMania XXVI against the World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho.
22		Randy Orton 1 January 25, 2009 Detroit, MI \| WWE Royal Rumble 2009 5778+ days Unsuccessfully used the shot at WrestleMania XXV against the WWE Champion Triple H.
21		John Cena 1 January 27, 2008 New York City, NY \| WWE Royal Rumble 2008 6142+ days Instead of waiting until WrestleMania XXIV, Cena unsuccessfully used the shot at No Way Out 2009 against the WWE Champion Randy Orton.
20		The Undertaker 1 January 28, 2007 San Antonio, TX \| WWE Royal Rumble 2007 6506+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania 23 against the World Heavyweight Champion Batista.
19		Rey Mysterio 1 January 29, 2006 Miami, FL \| WWE Royal Rumble 2006 6870+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania 22 against the World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle and Randy Orton.
18		Batista 1 January 30, 2005 Fresno, CA \| WWE Royal Rumble 2005 7234+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania 21 against the World Heavyweight Champion Triple H.
17		Chris Benoit 1 January 25, 2004 Philadelphia, PA \| WWE Royal Rumble 2004 7605+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania XX against the World Heavyweight Champion Triple H and Shawn Michaels.
16		Brock Lesnar 1 January 19, 2003 Boston, MA \| WWE Royal Rumble 2003 7976+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania XIX against the WWE Champion Kurt Angle/a>.
15		Triple H 1 January 20, 2002 Atlanta, GA \| WWF Royal Rumble 2002 8340+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania X8 against the Undisputed WWF Champion Chris Jericho.
14		Stone Cold Steve Austin 3 January 21, 2001 New Orleans, LA \| WWF Royal Rumble 2001 8704+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania X-Seven against the WWF Champion The Rock.
13		The Rock 1 January 23, 2000 New York City, NY \| WWF Royal Rumble 2000 9068+ days Unsuccessfully used the shot at WrestleMania 2000 against the WWF Champion Triple H, Big Show and Mick Foley.
12		Mr. McMahon 1 January 24, 1999 Anaheim, CA \| WWF Royal Rumble 1999 9432+ days The next night on Raw McMahon renounced the shot, that was awarded by Commissioner Shawn Michaels to Stone Cold Steve Austin, who successfully used it at WrestleMania XV against the WWF Champion The Rock.
11		Stone Cold Steve Austin 2 January 18, 1998 San Jose, CA \| WWF Royal Rumble 1998 9803+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania XIV against the WWF Champion Shawn Michaels.
10		Stone Cold Steve Austin 1 January 19, 1997 San Antonio, TX \| WWF Royal Rumble 1997 10167+ days Due to Austin re-entering the Rumble match when the referees did not see when he was thrown out of the ring, WWF President Gorilla Monsoon ruled that he will not receive the shot.
9		Shawn Michaels 2 January 21, 1996 Fresno, CA \| WWF Royal Rumble 1996 10531+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania XII against the WWF Champion Bret Hart.
8		Shawn Michaels 1 January 22, 1995 Tampa, FL \| WWF Royal Rumble 1995 10895+ days Unsuccessfully used the shot at WrestleMania XI against the WWF Champion Diesel.
7		Lex Luger 1 & Bret "The Hitman" Hart 1 [co-winners] January 22, 1994 Providence, RI \| WWF Royal Rumble 1994 11260+ days Hart and Luger co-won the match by last eliminating each other. Luger unsuccessfully used his shot at WrestleMania X against the WWF Champion Yokozuna. , then the same night Hart successfully used his shot to win the WWF Championship.
6		Yokozuna 1 January 24, 1993 Sacramento, CA \| WWF Royal Rumble 1993 11623+ days For the first time the winner is awarded a title match for WWF's top championship at WrestleMania. Yokozuna successfully used the shot at WrestleMania IX against the WWF Champion Bret Hart, but lost it shortly afterwards to Hulk Hogan in a impromptu match.
5		Ric Flair 1 January 19, 1992 Albany, NY \| WWF Royal Rumble 1992 11994+ days In this edition the winner was awarded the vacant WWF Championship.
4		Hulk Hogan 2 January 19, 1991 Miami, FL \| WWF Royal Rumble 1991 12359+ days
3		Hulk Hogan 1 January 21, 1990 Orlando, FL \| WWF Royal Rumble 1990 12722+ days
2		Big John Studd 1 January 15, 1989 Houston, TX \| WWF Royal Rumble 1989 13093+ days
1		"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan 1 January 24, 1988 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada \| WWF Royal Rumble 1988 13450+ days

WWE Men's Royal Rumble: Names & Logos History

- WWE Men's Royal Rumble January 28, 2018
- WWE Greatest Royal Rumble April 27, 2018 April 27, 2018
- WWE Royal Rumble January 29, 2017 January 27, 2018
- WWE Royal Rumble January 24, 2016 January 28, 2017
- WWE Royal Rumble January 30, 2011 January 23, 2016
- WWE Royal Rumble January 28, 2007 January 29, 2011
- WWE Royal Rumble January 29, 2006 January 27, 2007
- WWE Royal Rumble January 30, 2005 January 28, 2006
- WWE Royal Rumble January 25, 2004 January 29, 2005
- WWE Royal Rumble January 19, 2003 January 24, 2004
- WWF Royal Rumble January 20, 2002 January 18, 2003
- WWF Royal Rumble January 21, 2001 January 19, 2002
- WWF Royal Rumble January 23, 2000 January 20, 2001
- WWF Royal Rumble January 24, 1999 January 22, 2000
- WWF Royal Rumble January 18, 1998 January 23, 1999
- WWF Royal Rumble January 21, 1996 January 17, 1998
- WWF Royal Rumble January 15, 1989 January 20, 1996
- WWF Royal Rumble January 24, 1988 January 14, 1989

WWE Men's Royal Rumble: Statistics & Records

Most Victories

Rank	Wrestler	Wins	Year
	Stone Cold Steve Austin	3	1997, 1998, 2001
	Hulk Hogan	2	1990, 1991
	Shawn Michaels	2	1995, 1996
	Triple H	2	2002, 2016
	Batista	2	2005, 2014
6	John Cena	2	2008, 2013
7	Brock Lesnar	2	2003, 2022
8	Randy Orton	2	2009, 2017
9	Edge	2	2010, 2021
10	Cody Rhodes	2	2023, 2024

Longest Survival Time in A Single Rumble

Wrestler	Time	Year
Daniel Bryan	1:16:05	GRR (50-man)
Gunther	1:11:40	2023
Rey Mysterio [win]	1:02:12	2006
Chris Benoit [win]	1:01:35	2004
Bob Backlund	1:01:10	1993

Most Eliminations in A Single Rumble

Wrestler	Eliminations	Year
Brock Lesnar	13	2020
Braun Strowman [win]	13	GRR (50-man)
Roman Reigns	12	2014
Kane	11	2001
Hulk Hogan	10	1989

Most Eliminations In Total

Wrestler	Eliminations	Rumbles Entered
Kane	46	20 (avg 2.3)
The Undertaker	40	11 (avg 3.64)
Shawn Michaels	39	12 (avg 3.41)
Steve Austin	36	6 (avg 6)
Braun Strowman	34	7 (avg 4.86)

Most Rumble Appearances

Wrestler	Rumbles Entered	First-Last
Kane	20	1996-2021
Kofi Kingston	16	2009-2024
Randy Orton	15	2003-2023
Rey Mysterio	15	2004-2022
The Miz	15	2007-2024

Other Miscellaneous Statistics

Entry Number with Most Wins: #30 (5 wins)
Shortest Survival Time in a Single Rumble: Santino Marella (00:00:01.9 - 2009)
Most Wrestlers Involved in a Single Elimination: 9 (to eliminate Viscera - 2007)
Female Entrants in Men's Royal Rumble: Chyna (1999, 2000), Beth Phoenix (2010), Kharma (2012), Nia Jax (2019)

N.	Image	Winner
38		Cody Rhodes 2 January 27, 2024 St. Petersburg, FL \| WWE Royal Rumble 2024 298+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania XL against the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
37		Cody Rhodes 1 January 28, 2023 San Antonio, TX \| WWE Royal Rumble 2023 662+ days Unsuccessfully used the shot at WrestleMania 39 against the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
36		Brock Lesnar 2 January 29, 2022 St. Louis, MO \| WWE Royal Rumble 2022 1026+ days Unsuccessfully used the shot at WrestleMania 38 against the WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns (Lesnar also lost his WWE Championship).
35		Edge 2 January 31, 2021 St. Petersburg, FL \| WWE Royal Rumble 2021 1389+ days Unsuccessfully used the shot at WrestleMania 37 against the WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan.
34		Drew McIntyre 1 January 26, 2020 Houston, TX \| WWE Royal Rumble 2020 1760+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania 36 against the WWE Champion Brock Lesnar.
33		Seth Rollins 1 January 27, 2019 Phoenix, AZ \| WWE Royal Rumble 2019 2124+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania 35 against the WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar.
32		Braun Strowman 1 [Greatest Royal Rumble] April 27, 2018 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia \| WWE Greatest Royal Rumble 2399+ days This was a special edition 50-Man Royal Rumble match, with the winner receiving the Greatest Royal Rumble Trophy and a commemorative title belt.
31		Shinsuke Nakamura 1 January 28, 2018 Philadelphia, PA \| WWE Royal Rumble 2018 2488+ days Unsuccessfully used the shot at WrestleMania 34 against the WWE Champion AJ Styles.
30		Randy Orton 2 January 29, 2017 San Antonio, TX \| WWE Royal Rumble 2017 2852+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania 33 against the WWE Champion Bray Wyatt.
29		Triple H 2 January 24, 2016 Orlando, FL \| WWE Royal Rumble 2016 3223+ days This edition was directly for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, with the champion Roman Reigns as #1 entrant, and HHH successfully won the title.
28		Roman Reigns 1 January 25, 2015 Philadelphia, PA \| WWE Royal Rumble 2015 3587+ days Unsuccessfully used the shot at WrestleMania 31 against the WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar and Seth Rollins (who cashed-in the Money in the Bank contract joining the match).
27		Batista 2 January 26, 2014 Pittsburgh, PA \| WWE Royal Rumble 2014 3951+ days Unsuccessfully used the shot at WrestleMania XXX against the WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan.
26		John Cena 2 January 27, 2013 Phoenix, AZ \| WWE Royal Rumble 2013 4315+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania 29 against the WWE Champion The Rock.
25		Sheamus 1 January 29, 2012 St. Louis, MO \| WWE Royal Rumble 2012 4679+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania 28 against the World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan.
24		Alberto Del Rio 1 January 30, 2011 Boston, MA \| WWE Royal Rumble 2011 5043+ days This was a 40-Man Royal Rumble match. Unsuccessfully used the shot at WrestleMania XXVII against the World Heavyweight Champion Edge.
23		Edge 1 January 31, 2010 Atlanta, GA \| WWE Royal Rumble 2010 5407+ days Unsuccessfully used the shot at WrestleMania XXVI against the World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho.
22		Randy Orton 1 January 25, 2009 Detroit, MI \| WWE Royal Rumble 2009 5778+ days Unsuccessfully used the shot at WrestleMania XXV against the WWE Champion Triple H.
21		John Cena 1 January 27, 2008 New York City, NY \| WWE Royal Rumble 2008 6142+ days Instead of waiting until WrestleMania XXIV, Cena unsuccessfully used the shot at No Way Out 2009 against the WWE Champion Randy Orton.
20		The Undertaker 1 January 28, 2007 San Antonio, TX \| WWE Royal Rumble 2007 6506+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania 23 against the World Heavyweight Champion Batista.
19		Rey Mysterio 1 January 29, 2006 Miami, FL \| WWE Royal Rumble 2006 6870+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania 22 against the World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle and Randy Orton.
18		Batista 1 January 30, 2005 Fresno, CA \| WWE Royal Rumble 2005 7234+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania 21 against the World Heavyweight Champion Triple H.
17		Chris Benoit 1 January 25, 2004 Philadelphia, PA \| WWE Royal Rumble 2004 7605+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania XX against the World Heavyweight Champion Triple H and Shawn Michaels.
16		Brock Lesnar 1 January 19, 2003 Boston, MA \| WWE Royal Rumble 2003 7976+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania XIX against the WWE Champion Kurt Angle/a>.
15		Triple H 1 January 20, 2002 Atlanta, GA \| WWF Royal Rumble 2002 8340+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania X8 against the Undisputed WWF Champion Chris Jericho.
14		Stone Cold Steve Austin 3 January 21, 2001 New Orleans, LA \| WWF Royal Rumble 2001 8704+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania X-Seven against the WWF Champion The Rock.
13		The Rock 1 January 23, 2000 New York City, NY \| WWF Royal Rumble 2000 9068+ days Unsuccessfully used the shot at WrestleMania 2000 against the WWF Champion Triple H, Big Show and Mick Foley.
12		Mr. McMahon 1 January 24, 1999 Anaheim, CA \| WWF Royal Rumble 1999 9432+ days The next night on Raw McMahon renounced the shot, that was awarded by Commissioner Shawn Michaels to Stone Cold Steve Austin, who successfully used it at WrestleMania XV against the WWF Champion The Rock.
11		Stone Cold Steve Austin 2 January 18, 1998 San Jose, CA \| WWF Royal Rumble 1998 9803+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania XIV against the WWF Champion Shawn Michaels.
10		Stone Cold Steve Austin 1 January 19, 1997 San Antonio, TX \| WWF Royal Rumble 1997 10167+ days Due to Austin re-entering the Rumble match when the referees did not see when he was thrown out of the ring, WWF President Gorilla Monsoon ruled that he will not receive the shot.
9		Shawn Michaels 2 January 21, 1996 Fresno, CA \| WWF Royal Rumble 1996 10531+ days Successfully used the shot at WrestleMania XII against the WWF Champion Bret Hart.
8		Shawn Michaels 1 January 22, 1995 Tampa, FL \| WWF Royal Rumble 1995 10895+ days Unsuccessfully used the shot at WrestleMania XI against the WWF Champion Diesel.
7		Lex Luger 1 & Bret "The Hitman" Hart 1 [co-winners] January 22, 1994 Providence, RI \| WWF Royal Rumble 1994 11260+ days Hart and Luger co-won the match by last eliminating each other. Luger unsuccessfully used his shot at WrestleMania X against the WWF Champion Yokozuna. , then the same night Hart successfully used his shot to win the WWF Championship.
6		Yokozuna 1 January 24, 1993 Sacramento, CA \| WWF Royal Rumble 1993 11623+ days For the first time the winner is awarded a title match for WWF's top championship at WrestleMania. Yokozuna successfully used the shot at WrestleMania IX against the WWF Champion Bret Hart, but lost it shortly afterwards to Hulk Hogan in a impromptu match.
5		Ric Flair 1 January 19, 1992 Albany, NY \| WWF Royal Rumble 1992 11994+ days In this edition the winner was awarded the vacant WWF Championship.
4		Hulk Hogan 2 January 19, 1991 Miami, FL \| WWF Royal Rumble 1991 12359+ days
3		Hulk Hogan 1 January 21, 1990 Orlando, FL \| WWF Royal Rumble 1990 12722+ days
2		Big John Studd 1 January 15, 1989 Houston, TX \| WWF Royal Rumble 1989 13093+ days
1		"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan 1 January 24, 1988 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada \| WWF Royal Rumble 1988 13450+ days

WWE Men's Royal Rumble

Match Structure

Elimination Rules

Annual Event and Prize

Brand Split Participation

Women's Royal Rumble

Records and Achievements

WWE Men's Royal Rumble: Info

WWE Men's Royal Rumble: List of Winners

Cody Rhodes 2

Cody Rhodes 1

Brock Lesnar 2

Edge 2

Drew McIntyre 1

Seth Rollins 1

Braun Strowman 1 [Greatest Royal Rumble]

Shinsuke Nakamura 1

Randy Orton 2

Triple H 2

Roman Reigns 1

Batista 2

John Cena 2

Sheamus 1

Alberto Del Rio 1

Edge 1

Randy Orton 1

John Cena 1

The Undertaker 1

Rey Mysterio 1

Batista 1

Chris Benoit 1

Brock Lesnar 1

Triple H 1

Stone Cold Steve Austin 3

The Rock 1

Mr. McMahon 1

Stone Cold Steve Austin 2

Stone Cold Steve Austin 1

Shawn Michaels 2

Shawn Michaels 1

Lex Luger 1 & Bret "The Hitman" Hart 1 [co-winners]

Yokozuna 1

Ric Flair 1

Hulk Hogan 2

Hulk Hogan 1

Big John Studd 1

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan 1