Since 1988, the Royal Rumble has featured a combined total of nearly 1000 Superstars. That still leaves plenty of room for repeat performances but that’s not the case with everyone. Several superstars and legends over the years have surprisingly only been apart of just one Royal Rumble, whether the match had 20, 30, or even 40 men. The same holds true for the women’s match, now three years in.
It’s pretty amazing when you think about it. With 32 Rumbles in history and so many different competitors, feuds, and storylines, still, these men and women have only found themselves participating in just one Royal Rumble on the road to WrestleMania.
10 Big John Studd - 1989
The first-ever event to include thirty superstars and be on PPV needed some big names to include in the match and garner buy rates. As far as big names of this era go, Big John Studd was way up there, no pun intended.
He made his return at the '89 Rumble and went on to win the match. Unfortunately, Studd didn’t stay much longer with the company. He was the guest referee for the Jake Roberts/Andre the Giant match at WrestleMania V and left WWE shortly after.
9 Vince McMahon - 1999
In his quest to rid WWE of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Vince McMahon not only placed a $100,000 bounty on Austin’s head to anyone who would eliminate him from the match but he also decided to jump into the fray and compete in the match as well.
The boss waged war and used members of The Corporation to help him take out Austin. Not only did that happen, thanks to The Rock, but McMahon actually won the match!
8 Sid Justice - 1992
Between the commentary of Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby The Brain, the performance of Ric Flair, and the work rate of nearly the entire field of Hall Of Famers make the 1992 Royal Rumble possibly the best ever. The ending featured babyface Hogan acting like a sore loser heel because he got eliminated by Sid Justice.
He reached over and grabbed the big man’s arm while Ric Flair helped dump him from the inside. Sid would still have a few memorable moments and matches with the company over the years, but somehow he never wrestled in another Rumble match again.
7 Mil Máscaras - 1997
Had it not been for the legend of Mil Máscaras and the background story that Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard has told over the years, the legendary Luchador’s appearance at the 1997 Royal Rumble might have largely been forgotten.
Máscaras had agreed to be a part of the match, but famously never liked to do favors for anyone. Since he certainly wasn’t going to be booked to win the match, he instead leaped off the top rope, eliminating himself and not doing the job.
6 Sabu - 2007
For years, Sabu crafted a legacy of being a hardcore icon. He finally brought his penchant for plunder to the WWE when it was time to relaunch ECW. In his brief tenure, he was able to work at least one classic dream match against Rey Mysterio.
He also got to take the 2007 Rumble to the extreme. He entered the match and set up a table. The very same table used by Kane to chokeslam Sabu into and eliminate him from the match.
5 Lita - 2018
Before the Women’s Rumble match debuted in 2018, several women had made their mark in the men’s match, namely Beth Phoenix, Kharma, and Chyna. It is strange however that with as much as Lita mixed it up with the men during her Hall Of Fame run that she didn’t make a Rumble appearance until the first ladies match.
She didn’t last long in the contest, but she was able to eliminate both Mandy Rose and Tamina before getting tossed by Becky Lynch.
4 Sgt. Slaughter - 1992
One year prior to the epic 1992 Rumble match, Sarge was nothing but an American turncoat who had cheated to win the WWE Title. But months later, he asked for and was granted “his country back.” The fans did welcome him back, but not enough to push him to win the title a second time and the second year in a row.
He was one of six former champions to be a part of the match, but he got dumped out by Sid before Hogan cheated and cost him the title.
3 Adam Cole - 2018
The leader of The Undisputed Era, Adam Cole has seemingly been a pet project of Triple H and NXT’s for some time now. At the 2018 Royal Rumble match, Cole got to show what he could do on the main stage.
He came into the match at number 23 and gave the crowd something to chant “Bay Bay” about before she was eliminated by the returning Rey Mysterio. For fans who didn't know how good Cole is, this was their first taste at someone who will hopefully get a big push on the main roster.
2 Shane Douglas - 1991
He was nowhere near the Extreme icon he would become, but even The Franchise Shane Douglas got to be a part of a Royal Rumble.
He drew number 17 at the 1991 event and the then clean-cut babyface was booked in the hope spot, where he would take a slew of punishment and garner some offense in while lasting nearly a half hour. After he was eliminated, the Miami crowd gave him a nice ovation.
1 Finn Bálor - 2018
Had it not been for the errant Buckle Bomb that shelved Finn Bálor during his moment of glory, the WWE main event scene might look slightly different these days. Alas, there isn’t a "what if" game to play. Bálor started the match with Rusev as number two and was able to show the WWE Universe why in some ways he still is the uncrowned Universal Champion, regardless of who has the belt.
He would last nearly an hour, eliminating some big names like Rey Mysterio and Dolph Ziggler before getting eliminated by John Cena. He has not been in a Rumble match since.