Eliminating your opponents and standing till the very last are two of the most important factors of a Royal Rumble match. While the former can be neglected at times, the latter becomes of utmost importance in that scenario. Not getting yourself thrown over that top rope is something which not many WWE Superstars have been able to do. However, there are a few who’ve displayed actual grit and the passion to main-event WrestleMania.
And to accomplish that dream, the WWE Universe has witnessed many lionhearted performances in the traditional Royal Rumble matches. Even though it had led to red-blooded chest, soaring lungs, toiled muscles or maybe separations, these superstars gave their all to remain in the ring until things ran out of their control. Take a look at 5 of those valorous performers who spent the maximum time in a Royal Rumble match.
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#5 Chris Jericho :- 60:13 (2017)
Six years ago, which eventually turned out to be Y2J’s last Rumble match, he pulled off a miraculous performance. Entering at number 2, he carried forward the entire match pace until the ring began to fill up with more and more superstars. In the process, he suffered the devastating wrath of Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton and Goldberg too.
However, he ensured to stay on the canvas despite being hit by various finishing maneuvers. Just after breaching a hour mark & passing 13 seconds over it, Roman Reigns eliminated the Canadian wrestler with a chorus of boos for the Big Dog. Before thrown out, Jericho eliminated 2 other men.
#4 Chris Benoit :- 61:01 (2004)
The 2004 Men’s Royal Rumble match edition elevated Chris Benoit to a whole new level. He entered at 1st position alongside Randy Orton as the follow-up and became only the second WWE Superstar after Shawn Michaels to have won the Royal Rumble match from that spot.
Benoit did 6 eliminations in the process and eventually went on to main-event WrestleMania XX. At the marquee event, he faced Triple H (c) and Shawn Michaels in a triple-threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship. In a highly draining classic, Benoit applied the Crippler Crossface to The Game, who tapped out.
#3 Bob Backlund :- 61:15 (1993)
The man who gave this industry it’s second-ever longest WWE (WWF) Championship reign in history falls in the middle of this Royal Rumble list. Back in 1993, he entered second in the Rumble match going up against Ric Flair to begin with.
In a performance that won hearts and created a belief to sustain for longer durations in these highly vulnerable matches, Backlund lasted for over a hour. At the 61:15 minute mark per the official clock, Bob Backlund was thrown over the top rope by Yokozuna, who eventually won that match.
#2 Rey Mysterio :- 62:12 (2006)
The legendary luchadore Rey Mysterio won the 2006 Men’s Royal Rumble match by lasting for 1:02:12 hours. While starting the match with the number 1 entrant Triple H, the Master of 619 outclassed 29 other competitors to create history. Mysterio eliminated 6 superstars with Randy Orton being the last one of them.
Then, going on to headline WrestleMania 22, he defeated Kurt Angle and Randy Orton in a triple-threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship to become the new champion and he ultimately paid tribute to his real-life best friend Eddie Guerrero in the process, who passed away few time ago from that juncture.
#1 Daniel Bryan :- 76:05 (2018)
WWE held the first-ever 50-Man Royal Rumble match back in 2018 at the Greatest Royal Rumble event in Saudi Arabia. The Master of the Yes Movement entered at 1st spot and lasted for a flabbergasting amount of 76:05 minutes in the match before getting eliminated by Big Cass.
With this, Bryan thrashed all previous records set by various WWE legends. By the time he was eliminated, Daniel Bryan’s chest developed some serious scars, which he received upon going through some insufferable beating during that match.
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