30 facts you need to know about WWE Royal Rumble
With the Royal Rumble taking place Sunday, theScore is celebrating the official start of the Road to WrestleMania throughout the week with in-depth coverage. Here, we take a look at some essential facts you need to know about the 30-man, over-the-top-rope battle royal.
Related: Most shocking Royal Rumble eliminations in history
1. The first-ever Royal Rumble event took place at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario on Jan. 24, 1988 in front of 18,000 fans as a television special.
2. The very first entrant was Bret "The Hitman" Hart, who went on to last 25:42 in the match before being eliminated eighth by Don Muraco.
3. The winner of the inaugural battle royal - the only one to ever feature 20 superstars - was "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, who last eliminated the One Man Gang.
4. It wasn't until 1993 that the winner of the Rumble was awarded a shot at the WWE Championship at that year's WrestleMania. On this occasion, it was the mighty Yokozuna moving on to challenge Hart.
5. The two states that hold the distinction of hosting the most Rumbles are Florida and California with five each. Texas, the home of this year's event, will be holding its fourth Rumble.
6. In total, 507,102 members of the WWE Universe have attended the 30 Rumbles.
7. 870 WWE Superstars have taken part in Rumble matches.
8. Of those 870 participants, only 23 have gone on to win.
9. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin won the Rumble on three occasions (1997, 1998, 2001). Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Batista, and John Cena have each emerged victorious twice.
10. The title of "Iron Man" belongs to Rey Mysterio, who survived a staggering 1:02:12 in the 2006 Rumble before going on to win it as the No. 2 entrant.
11. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Santino Marella holds the unfortunate and dubious honor of lasting the shortest length of time - a single second - in 2009.
12. While Mysterio needed over an hour to win his Rumble, Edge - the No. 29 entrant in 2010 - only took 7:37 to have his hand raised.
13. Bob Backlund showcased his incredible stamina in 1993 by surviving 1:01:10, the most time by any individual who didn't go on to win.
14. Triple H holds the record for longest cumulative time spent in the Rumble at 4:06:08 over nine appearances.
15. "The Big Red Machine" Kane has been in 19 Rumbles (the most of any superstar), although not all of them featured his current gimmick. He also appeared under the monikers of Fake Diesel and Isaac Yankem.
16. Considering his long and storied history in the match, it should come as no surprise that Kane owns the record for most cumulative eliminations at 44.
17. Roman Reigns eliminated a record 12 men in 2014, even though he fell short in his bid to win the match.
18. Three women (Chyna, Beth Phoenix, and Kharma) have participated, each holding one elimination of a male superstar.
19. Securing entry in the bottom-third of the draw is ideal, as 19 Rumbles have been won from the No. 21-30 spot.
20. Entering No. 27 has provided the most positive results in the past, with four men (Big John Studd, Yokozuna, Hart, and Austin) going on to win as that entrant.
21. Being the runner-up in the Rumble was a tough pill to swallow for Triple H, Big Show, and Cena - the only men to have felt the agony of defeat on that level twice.
22. Surprisingly enough, four Rumble winners have come from either the No. 1 or 2 spot (Mysterio, Michaels, and Mr. McMahon).
23. The late Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka was 61 years old when he competed in the 2008 Rumble at Madison Square Garden.
24. The last three Rumble winners (Triple H, Reigns, and Batista) all fell short in their bid to either capture or retain the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. Batista lost a Triple Threat match to Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton at WrestleMania 30, Reigns was pinned by Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 31, and Triple H was speared into oblivion by Reigns at WrestleMania 32.
25. It was back in 1989 when Hogan bounced eight superstars in a row from the Rumble, a record that still stands to this day.
26. The Hulkster won the following two Rumbles in 1990 and 1991, becoming the first of three men (HBK and Austin) to win it consecutively.
27. It's never fun being eliminated first, but if you draw No. 3, chances are that will be the case, as that's happened 13 times.
28. WWE Hall of Fame commentator Jerry "The King" Lawler has called 18 Rumbles, with his 19th coming Sunday.
29. The luck of the draw tends to fall in Undertaker's favor with three No. 30 entries, although he only has one Rumble win (2007) to show for it.
30. The WWE World Heavyweight Championship has been defended in the Rumble twice. "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair captured the title in the 1992 Rumble, while Triple H took it home last year at the Amway Center.
- With h/t to WWE.com, Bleacher Report, Wrestledelphia, and ESPN