Top 50 Royal Rumblers

Brock Lesnar

Under the formula listed above, Brock Lesnar scored 79 points, but what's more impressive is that he acheived that in a single performance (2003)! Yes, The Beast Incarnate competed in only one Rumble in his career, in which he lasted just under 9 minutes and threw out four men, ultimately winning the match.

Are you ready to Rumble? At the very least, you'll be ready to watch the Royal Rumble after going this comprehensive list (this is actually one of the two Top 50 lists on the Rumble - check back again next week).

Unlike most of the lists on Canadian Bulldog's World (see the bottom right-hand corner of the page for others), this list is actually scientific. We used a mathematical formula and everything!

In counting the Top 50 Royal Rumblers, we poured through stats for the 295 different competitors that have participated in the Royal Rumble match since 1988. Then, we looked at three factors:

How many minutes did they last (this is a running total for every Rumble a wrestler appears in)? If a wrestler lasts a full minute, they get one point. Minutes are rounded to the nearest point, so a showing of 5:30 would give a wrestler 6 points, but lasting 28 seconds would give a wrestler 0 points.
How many wrestlers did they eliminate? Each time a wrestler tosses someone out to the floor, they get 5 points. Multiple-wrestler eliminations (e.g. six guys toss out The Big Show) count as 5 points for each wrestler. But if they eliminate themselves for whatever reason, zero points for that.
How many Rumbles did they win? Each time that happens, the winner gets 50 points. Even in 1994, when there were co-winners.

So the formula is: Time + (Eliminations x 5) + (Wins x 50)

One last thing -- if a wrestlers competes in a Rumble one year as someone and another year as someone else - we're counting them as one person (even when WWE doesn't).

Ready? Here we go!

While Shelton Benjamin isn't a wrestler one would normally associate with success in the Royal Rumble, he did manage to score 81 points. How? The Gold Standard was involved in eight consecutive Rumble matches between 2003 and 2010, and often lasted in the ring much longer than the average competitor.

Shelton Benjamin

Mr. Perfect wasn't quite perfect in the Royal Rumble (or else he would have won them all), but he did score 102 points over five appearances. In his first Rumble match in 1989, he lasted 28 minutes and when he returned to the ring unexpectedly in 2002, Perfect was one of the final competitors in the match.

Any picks missing or misplaced? Leave your feedback in the Comments section below...

The Golden One has 96 points, competing in 9 different Rumbles, more than once returning in the ring after disappearing from the business for months or sometimes years. While he's never come close to winning the match, you'll still never forget the name..... Golddust!

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The Miz has scored 87 points over eight Royal Rumble performances -- and no, we didn't automatically hand him Damien Sandow's points (which, for the record, would be 18). In the 2012 Rumble, Miz had a particularly "awwwwe-some" performance, lasting more than 45 minutes.

The Miz

One of the advances of having so many different personas in the WWE is that you get to compete in multiple Royal Rumbles, which was the case with Mabel, who scored 88 points in his career. In one match (1999), he eliminated five men, which certainly helped his score overall.

WWE Hall of Famer Bob Backlund was involved in five Royal Rumbles during his career -- not bad for someone who returned to the company in his mid-40's and was invited back to compete several times. Mr. Backlund scored 91 points, mostly from an incredible 1993 performance that lasted over an hour.

Bob Backlund

Matt Hardy scored 92 points, according to our formula, which is actually much higher than his brother Jeff (35 points). Part of that may owe to V1 competing in several Royal Rumble events over the years, and putting in better-than-average longevity performances during the years 2001, 2003 and 2007.

Matt Hardy

Much like Matt Hardy, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T scored 92 points over seven Rumble matches during his career. While none of his annual performances were overly noteworthy, Booker did have a strong year in 2005. And even when he returned to WWE in 2011, it was as part of the Rumble.

Booker T

(also competed as King Booker)

WWE Hall of Famer Tito Santana obtained 93 points in our formula, and part of that was for his longevity. In fact, Santana was a competitor at the first six Royal Rumble matches, and he probably wouldn't fare too badly if used as a nostalgia entrant one of these years. Arriba!

Tito Santana

Like Tito Santana, The Big Boss Man earned 93 points and was a regular fixture at the Rumble event over the years. While he never came close to winning the matches, per se; the pride of Cobb Country, Georgia did, in fact fare quite well in the 1999 and 2000 events.

Big Boss Man

Diesel scored 94 points in our formula, and most of that was largely from his historic performance in 1994, in which he eliminated not one, not two, but seven men in the same match (which led to the wrestler with the most eliminations in any Rumble getting "The Diesel Push" down the road).

Diesel

(also competed as Kevin Nash)

Golddust

Top 50 Lists

Randy "Macho Man" Savage was a staple in the early Royal Rumbles, competing in every Rumble match between 1989 and 1994 and scoring 98 points for his efforts. Perhaps his most famous effort was in 1993 when he was among the final two in the ring and instead of trying to throw Yokozuna out, he went for a pin.

Randy "Macho Man" Savage

Like Randy Savage, Crush also scored 98 points, spread over four different Rumble matches. His best showing was in 1995, when he drew the final appearance of the night and threw out five men in a span of nine minutes, before eventually being tossed out himself by Davey Boy Smith.

Crush

While WWE Hall of Famer Jake "The Snake" Roberts didn't acheive his dream of appearing in last year's Royal Rumble, he did manage to score 99 points as a result of seven different Rumble appearances. His best moment was lasting 22 minutes and eliminating two men in the very first Rumble match in 1988.

Jake "The Snake" Roberts

Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, much like Jake Roberts, scored 99 points. The bulk of those points come from his appearance in 1991, where the WWE Hall of Famer lasted close to 45 points. Having said that, the former Intercontinental and Tag Team Champion was never seen as an odds-on favorite to win the match.

Greg "The Hammer" Valentine

WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley managed to score 101 points over the years, due to infrequent but recurring appearances in the match over the years. Having said that, the best-selling author had a slight advantage in 1998's Rumble match, competing as Mankind, Cactus Jack and Dude Love and lasting 20 minutes.

Mick Foley

(also competed as Cactus Jack, Dude Love, Mankind)

Mr. Perfect

Hoooooooo! "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan scored 110 points over five Rumble appearances, but his finest hour was at the inaugural event, in which he won the match, lasted 15 minutes and tossed out two competitors. Duggan has been used twice semi-recently as a "nostalgia" entrant.

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan

Much like "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, Dolph Ziggler scored 110 points for making appearances in the last six Royal Rumbles. In 2013, "The Show Off" had his best appearance yet, starting the match at # 1 and lasting nearly 50 minutes while also eliminating two competitors before getting tossed out by Sheamus.

Dolph Ziggler

Vince McMahon

Vince McMahon has perhaps the most unique success story in Royal Rumble history with 112 points. In 1998, he entered the ring second and spent most of the match outside of the ring but never was eliminated. When he returned some 57 minutes later, McMahon managed to win the match.

And the interesting thing about this is that "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase didn't pay anyone off to get to #30 (a reference to his infamous '89 Rumble antics). Instead, he scored 117 points over four Rumble matches. In 1990 (after being drawn as first in the ring), DiBiase lasted about 45 minutes.

"The Million Dollar Man"

Ted DiBiase\

Not only is Kofi Kingston responsible for the best spot in each year's Royal Rumble, but he, along with The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase, has scored 117 points while appearing in the past six Rumble matches. In the 2011 event, he lasted 24 minutes while eliminating one competitor.

Kofi Kingston

Another wrestler known for innovative Rumble spots is John Morrison, who ended up with 121 points in six different matches. In three of his appearances, the man once known as Johnny Nitro has lasted more than 20 minutes, not a bad accomplishment for any Royal Rumble participant.

John Morrison

(also competed as Johnny Nitro)

WWE Hall of Famer Yokozuna scored 134 points, made all that more impressive because he was only involved in two Royal Rumble matches. In his first outing in 1993, Yoko eliminated seven competitors to win the match. In 1996, he returned to the match and lasted 19 minutes before a memorable clash with Vader.

Yokozuna

Like Yokozuna, Hardcore Holly scored 134 points, although his was spread over seven Rumble matches (and a handful of gimmick changes). Incredibly, he lasted 40 minutes in the 1996 event despite eliminating no one. In the 2005 event, he briefly helped Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero toughen up Daniel Puder.

Hardcore Holly

(also competed as Bob Holly and Sparky Plugg)

Rob Van Dam scored 137 points through six different Royal Rumble appearances. One such appearance was in 2006, where RVD lasted nearly 24 minutes and eliminated three competitors, ending up as one of the match's final participants. Van Dam also had similar success in the 2003 Rumble match.

Rob Van Dam

Lex Luger managed to score 141 points - an impressive feat for only two Rumble matches. In his first effort (1994), Lex co-won the Rumble with Bret "Hit Man" Hart, lasting 22 minutes and eliminating six men. A year later, Lex lasted nearly 20 minutes before being eliminated by the duo of Shawn Michaels and Crush.

Lex Luger

Just as a cool side note: Rick "The Model" Martel was # 23 during last week's Top 50 list as well! Martel scored 142 points for his seven consecutive Rumble appearances between 1989 and 1995. While he was never a top name, he did hold the longevity record in 1991, lasting 52 minutes and eliminating three men.

"The Model" Rick Martel

Thanks to a handful of different personas over the years, Rikishi scored 146 points over 11 different Rumble matches between 1993 and 2004. Easily his most memorable appearance was in 2000, when Rikishi was alone in the ring with partners Too Cool. After dancing with them for about a minute, he tossed both.

Rikishi

(also competed as The Sultan and Fatu)

Two-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair scored 162 points over five Rumble matches, but really it all comes down to one match. In 1992, Flair entered the Rumble third, lasted for nearly an hour, tossed three men from the ring and ended up victorious, winning the vacated WWF World Title.

Ric Flair

The Big Show scored 175 points, thanks to appearances in nine of the last 15 Rumble matches. His standout performance came in 2004, when he lasted nearly 23 minutes, eliminated four competitors and was eliminated last by Chris Benoit. Interestingly enough, Show was also runner-up in the 2000 version.

The Big Show

WWE Hall of Famer Bret "Hit Man" Hart scored 180 points over five Rumble matches. Hart held the longevity record in the very first match in 1988, and in 1994, he and Lex Luger co-won the match after The Hitman lasted 15 minutes and eliminated three other men.

Bret "Hit Man" Hart

Davey Boy Smith scored 191 points over over six Rumble matches, in each of which he eliminated at least one competitor. His most famous effort happened in 1995, when he entered the match the same time as Shawn Michaels and lasted until the very end, losing on something of a fluke.

Davey Boy Smith

(also competed as The British Bulldog)

Sheamus scored 200 points, an impressive feat for a fella who has only been in four Rumble matches so far. The lion's share of that score comes from 2012, when he lasted about 22 minutes, eliminated three competitors and went on to surprisingly win the entire event.

Sheamus

Do you smell what The Rock is cookin'? Because it's worth 219 points, spread out (much like Sheamus) over four Rumble matches. Of course, The Great One's great one was in 2000, when he won the match, but honorable mention to 1998, where he entered fourth, lasted nearly an hour, and was runner up.

The Rock

(also competed as Rocky Maivia)

Perhaps the most surprising competitor to be ranked so highly, Cody Rhodes has 229 points, spread out over six Rumble matches. He's had several lengthy appearances, but perhaps his finest hour (42 minutes, technically speaking) was in 2012, when he entered fourth and was eliminated late in the match.

Cody Rhodes

WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan scored 231 points over the span of four Rumble matches. Certainly, his track record was helped immensely by winning the whole thing in both 1990 and 1991, but his other two appearances (1989 and 1992) were almost as memorable for The Hulkster.

Hulk Hogan

CM Punk scored 247 points over the course of six Rumble matches, and while he never came close to winning the entire thing, he had some memorable moments. For example, in the 2011 event (the only 40-man Rumble ever), Punk entered first and lasted 35 minutes with help from the New Nexus, eliminating seven men.

CM Punk

It's hard to believe, but Chris Jericho never actually won a Royal Rumble in his illustrious career. But at the same time, The Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla earned 259 points. This was largely due to his participation in eight different Royal Rumble matches. In 2013, he entered as number two and hung with number one (Dolph Ziggler) for a good 48 minutes before being eliminated. And a year earlier, Jericho was runner up to Rumble winner Sheamus.

Chris Jericho

Batista has scored 262 points with five Rumble appearances. Among his most memorable Rumbles were in 2005, when he eliminated six competitors en route to winning the match and going on to successfully challenge his teammate Triple H at WrestleMania. And of course, there was last year's event, where The Animal went 13 minutes and eliminated four men (including Roman Reigns) to win the entire match.

Batista

Randy Orton has scored 291 points, spread out over seven Royal Rumble matches. The Viper's biggest Rumble was in 2009, when he lasted about 48 minutes and eliminated three men including Triple H to win the match. Orton would face Triple H again - by that time, the WWE Champion - at WrestleMania 25. Orton also lasted more than a half hour in the 2004 Rumble match before being eliminated by Mick Foley.

Edge

At 277 points, Chris Benoit participated in four Royal Rumble matches. Certainly, his biggest moment (and the one WWE probably wishes never happened) was in 2004, where Benoit lasted 61 minutes (at the time, a Rumble longevity record that wouldn't be broken for two more years) and eliminated six men to win the match, moving on to challenge for the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania XX.

Chris Benoit

At 264 points, WWE Hall of Famer Edge has been in six Royal Rumble matches. Making a surprise return at the 2010 event, The Rated R Superstar lasted about 7 minutes and eliminated both John Cena and Chris Jericho to win the match. Having said that, Edge also made Rumble appearances in 2005 and 2006 where he lasted more than 40 minutes and eliminated several men without winning the big one.

Randy Orton

John Cena scored 294 points and like Randy Orton, has been involved in seven Royal Rumble matches. In 2008, he came in to the match at #30 as a surprise entrant and won the match, allowing him to (unsuccessfully) challenge Randy Orton and Triple H at WrestleMania 24. And in 2013, Cena lasted 27 minutes, eliminating four men including Ryback to win the match again and successfully challenge The Rock at WrestleMania 29.

John Cena

Rey Mysterio scored 302 points, spread out over seven Royal Rumble appearances. Most famously, Mysterio entered the 2006 event at number 2 and lasted a record 62 minutes, eliminating Triple H, Simon Dean, Psicosis, Super Crazy, Rob Van Dam and Randy Orton, all while dedicating the victory to his fallen friend Eddie Guerrero. Mysterio also had lengthy appearances in the 2004 and 2008 events.

Rey Mysterio

The Undertaker scored 368 points, with appearances in 10 Rumble matches between 1991 and 2009. The Dead Man's finest hour was in 2007, when he was the last one to enter the ring, lasting about 13 minutes and eliminated Shawn Michaels to win the bout and successfully challenge Batista at that year's WrestleMania. In addition, The Phenom lasted more than 30 minutes in both the 2008 and 2009 editions.

The Undertaker

Kane not only scored 374 points, but is also the highest-ranking wrestler to never win the Royal Rumble. How did he accomplish that? For beginners, The Devil's Favorite Demon competed in 17 Rumble matches, by far the most of any wrestlers. He also tossed out 11 competitors in 2001, which was the Rumble record for eliminations until Roman Reigns topped that last year.

Kane

(also competed as Isaac Yankem, New Diesel)

Triple H scored 406 points over eight Rumble matches and, even before he became The Cerebral Assassin, was already a forced to be reckoned with in the Royal Rumble. In his very first appearance in 1996, he started at number one (as the result of losing a pre-show match to Henry Godwinn) and lasted 48 minutes. In 2002, The Game won the Rumble match and successfully challenged for the WWF World Title at WrestleMania X-8.

Triple H

(also competed as Hunter Hearst Helmsley)

Right ahead of Triple H is his D-Generation X counterpart, WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels, who scored 502 points over 11 Rumble appearances. His best showing was in 1995, when he entered the match first, lasted nearly 39 minutes, eliminated eight wrestlers and won the match. He replicated this in 1996, going 26 minutes and eliminating another eight to win the match and successfully challenge for the WWF Title at WrestleMania.

Shawn Michaels

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin

(also competed as The Ringmaster)

Mabel

(also competed as Viscera and Big Daddy V)

WWE Hall of Famer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin scored a record 506 points in an impressive six Rumble matches. For beginners, Austin won the match in 1997, 1998 and 2001, becoming WWE's only three-time Royal Rumble winner. But what's equally impressive is that, over the course of those six Rumbles, Austin eliminated some 30 competitors, cementing his legacy as the greatest Royal Rumbler of all time. And that's the bottom line, 'cause Stone Cold said so!

June 12