Royal Rumble Stats (2011 Edition)

[TheBigBoot]

I'm a mark for the "everyone has to team up to eliminate the fat guy" spot. Who didn't do that on the playground when you were at school?

 

That one with Viscera in 2005 was one of the biggest Rumble disappointments in recent years for me. That was when he wasn't under contract again yet and was just making sporadic appearances like the Ministry angle on SmackDown! and as Chris Benoit's 'mystery opponent' (which was odd because as pointed out on here at the time they started using him every week anyway!) and everyone thought they just put him in the Rumble so they could do some of those traditional 'big man' spots (clear the ring of jobbers, everyone teams up on him, etc.). Instead he just lasted three minutes and got eliminated by John Cena on his own (back when it seemed like Cena won everything at that point before he became WWE Champ) in the biggest anti-climax of the show.

[Happ Hazzard]

Was Razor Ramon/Scott Hall ever in the rumble? He always seemed to have singles matches on the PPV, and never in the rumble itself.

[tiger_rick]

Was Razor Ramon/Scott Hall ever in the rumble? He always seemed to have singles matches on the PPV, and never in the rumble itself.

No, only Razor Ramon version 2.

[dopper]

Top 10 Most Appearances

 

8. Bob Holly (7)

=. Billy Gunn (7)

=. Goldust (7)

=. Jake Roberts (7)

=. Matt Hardy (7)

=. Owen Hart (7)

=. Rick Martel (7)

=. The Big Show (7)

 

I always presumed Goldust would be second or third or something, the guy seems to always come back in time for it or already be there to put in the match.

 

This one got me thinking.

 

I remember leading up to the 2002 Rumble, WWE announced 4 superstars from the past would be returning to the company and entering the Rumble match.

 

Mr Perfect was the one we all got excited about at the time. The other 3 were Godfather, Val Venis, and Goldust.

 

With the latter 3, the way the commentators mentioned them it was as though they were coming in as funny "Do you remember ..." type characters, as they often do with older guys with comedy gimmicks now (even though all 3 hadn't long been out of the company).

 

It just seems strange that looking back now, Goldust was a sort of nostalgic entrant NINE YEARS AGO, and here he is in 2011 not working as a novelty or comedy act, but actually one of the most reliable mid-carders in the company.

 

Well done Dustin.

[TheBigBoot]

That is true. It is interesting the way his career has gone over the last decade.

 

In fairness to WWE, Goldust had been gone a while. 1999 to 2002 seemed like an eternity in those days when everything was moving so fast week to week.

 

By the time he came back for that Rumble a lot had changed: the then-current Undisputed Champion had been wrestling in the TV tournament in another company at the time Goldy last wrestled for McMahon; Austin had almost a year out, turned heel and was back babyface again; Rock had become a movie star and was linked to more upcoming films; Triple H had become a legit main eventer; Undertaker had become a biker; Foley was gone; Kurt Angle had become a top star; Jerry Lawler had quit and been brought back; WCW and ECW were no more; and Vince McMahon had tried (and failed) running the XFL.

 

A lot of the names and faces were different (new guys/girls like Chris Jericho, Stevie Richards, The Dudley Boyz, Kurt Angle, Crash Holly, Rikishi, Albert, Trish Stratus, Lita, Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, William Regal, Molly Holly, Spike Dudley, Justin Credible, Rhyno, RVD, Booker T., DDP, Chris Kanyon, Mike Awesome, Lance Storm, Tajiri, Billy Kidman, Torrie Wilson, Stacy Kiebler, Jazz, Ric Flair, etc.) had all come in since Goldust's last appearance teaming with Blue Meanie (who was long gone by 2002) on Heat in May, 1999 which made the company seem like a different place. As well, the style of the product itself had changed in that time since not only were Russo and Ferrera (the main writers when Goldust was last there) no more but their replacement Chris Kreski had been replaced by Stephanie McMahon and the mess of an Invasion angle seemed to somehow make anything that happened in the company even two or three years before seem further away than it actually was. The WWF itself had even become publicly traded company (in October 1999) since he left.

 

I'm not saying I'd have gone for the whole "Do you remember ..." type gimmick with him (who could forget the name Goldust? ) but I can sort of see why they did.

 

Yeah, the fact that he's one of the more reliable midcarders right now rather than just a nostalgia gimmick is testament to him putting the effort in. The guy looks almost as good now as he did in his WCW prime.

[dopper]

Commentators making comments like "[Wrestler A] has cost [Wrestler B] his dream of main eventing WrestleMania" at the Rumble each year make me check the following stats:

 

- The Winner of the Royal Rumble in 2006 (Mysterio), 2008 (Cena), and 2010 (Edge) did not main event that year's WrestleMania.

 

- Every year since the brand split in 2002, somebody who failed to win a Rumble match still went on to compete in a World/WWE Title match at that year's WrestleMania.