Chris Jericho is one of the most accomplished WWE superstars of all time, with him also having a lot of success elsewhere in the wrestling world. He has won championships everywhere and has achieved a lot, but one honour that evaded him throughout his career was winning the Royal Rumble match.
Jericho appeared in 11 Rumbles, and came close on a few occasions, but was never able to get the job done, despite being one of the more prominent Rumble competitors of all time, breaking and holding records in the match.
11 Greatest Royal Rumble 2018
The inclusion of Jericho in this match was a shocking one, seen as he had been wrestling in NJPW around the same time. Regardless, WWE paid big bucks to bring Jericho in to help make the only ever fifty-man Royal Rumble feel even bigger.
Jericho was the final entrant in the match, and lasted just 3 minutes, picking up one elimination. It felt incredibly pointless, and a waste of such a huge name, who could have easily played more into the match.
10 Royal Rumble 2000
Jericho’s first Royal Rumble match came in 2000, a few months after his infamous WWE debut. However, he very quickly fell down the card despite a huge introduction and was far from where he would eventually get to in the company.
He lasted just three minutes in this match, being eliminated easily by Chyna, adding another chapter to their long-term rivalry. Jericho did pick up one elimination, tossing out legend Bob Backlund, but it was a very short stint, and didn’t mean too much in the long run.
9 Royal Rumble 2010
Jericho entered late in this match, coming out at 28, with just a few other competitors left in the ring by that point. Just a couple minutes later, Jericho’s former tag team partner, and man who he had badmouthed over the last year, Edge, came out to a rocking ovation and surprise return.
Edge took it straight to Jericho, and eliminated him quickly, after just over two minutes of being in the match. This was Jericho’s shortest time in a Rumble, but his facial reaction to Edge’s music hitting was absolutely priceless and made a great moment even better, maximising his short time spent in this Rumble.
8 Royal Rumble 2005
The 2005 Rumble saw Jericho last 28 minutes after entering at number 11. However, he didn’t have any high-profile eliminations, throwing out members of the lower card, and was eliminated well before the final four.
Even though his time spent in the match was strong, it wasn’t the most noteworthy of showings, with Jericho not feeling like a major player during the contest.
7 Royal Rumble 2009
2009’s Royal Rumble match suffered at times from too many people being in the ring at one time, with it filling up quite a lot in the middle. This meant that quite a few names got lost in the shuffle during the match, and that included Jericho.
Though he spent 37 minutes in the ring, his inclusion could have been easily missed, aside from eliminating RVD, who had made a shocking appearance during the match. The Undertaker managed to eliminate Jericho without much of an issue. It would have been nice to see Jericho a little more prominently featured in the match, especially after a strong main event run in 2008.
6 Royal Rumble 2004
Jericho entered this one late on, at the number 25 spot, and played a big role in the final stages, managing to make it to the final four of a very entertaining edition of the Rumble. He didn’t really feel like too much of a threat, being easily eliminated at the hands of the Big Show.
He survived a respectable 14 minutes, which is far from his highest total, but making it to the final four was an accomplishment in itself. He would also pick up just one elimination at that year’s event.
5 Royal Rumble 2016
A few weeks prior to the Rumble, Jericho made one of his several returns to WWE, and declared his entry into the Rumble. He lasted a brilliant 50 minutes, but never felt like a contender to winning the match.
He managed to mix it up with the likes of AJ Styles, Roman Reigns, and Triple H, playing a good role in the latter portion of the match, but only managed to gain one elimination. Regardless, it was a good performance.
4 Royal Rumble 2012
This was the closest Jericho ever came to winning a Royal Rumble match. After a big return earlier in the month, Jericho mixed it up in the ring for the first time when he entered late on in the contest, taking out a couple of superstars in the process, including Randy Orton.
Jericho was involved in the final two, with he and Sheamus going back and forth in an entertaining exchange, but Sheamus would emerge victorious. This was a huge shock, and Jericho seemed a sure-fire choice to win. Even though he was just in the match for 11 minutes, this was Jericho’s best ever placement in a Rumble, so that makes up for the lack of time spent in the ring. Jericho would still go onto Mania to fight for a title, however.
3 Royal Rumble 2017
The 2017 Rumble was a very significant one for Jericho. Entering at number 2, he became one of the very few individuals to pass the 1-hour mark in a Rumble match. This also broke helped him break the record for having the longest cumulative time spent in a Royal Rumble over the years, making history.
Jericho spent a lot of time either on the mat or outside the ring, which was a clever strategy, but at times he did feel a bit out of the match. Either way, this was a historic performance for the multi-time World Champion.
2 Royal Rumble 2013
Entering number 2, Jericho’s entrance into the Rumble was a huge surprise, and the crowd went crazy for it. Facing off against former rival Dolph Ziggler, he looked just as good as he was when he left, putting in a fantastic performance in the match, surviving 47 minutes.
He was one of the last men in the match, being poetically eliminated by Ziggler in the closing stages. The surprise, mixed with a great and unexpected performance, especially after being out of the ring for over half a year, was brilliant, and he was one of the better parts of an otherwise underwhelming Rumble.
1 Royal Rumble 2003
The first three quarters of this match were all about Jericho. Michaels entered at number one, and with the help of Christian, Jericho ambushed him from behind with a brutal assault, before easily chucking him over the top rope. It was an ingenious move which led to their fantastic Wrestlemania match.
Jericho lasted 39 minutes, eliminating 6 opponents including Rey Mysterio, Edge, Christian, and Tommy Dreamer. It would take a returning Michaels later in the match to eliminate Jericho, but he was made to look like a complete star in this match, and he was one of the major highlights.