Interesting Royal Rumble Facts

The Royal Rumble arrives on January 27, 2008 and will be the 21st of this event type. This year's contest will again feature 30 competitors trying to eliminate each other from over the top ropes of the ring. It will be a mix of Raw, Smackdown and ECW stars, with the winner being granted a title shot from their respective brand.

Here's interesting facts from Royal Rumble history:

- The first Royal Rumble called "Rumble Royale" was held in 1988 and Hacksaw Jim Duggan won after being the 13th entry into the match. It featured just 20 competitors.

- In 1992 at the fifth ever Royal Rumble, the WWF Championship was on the line. Ric Flair won the Rumble and the title.

- 1994 saw the first set of "co-winners" with both Bret Hart and Lex Luger's feet hitting the floor at the same time to end the match.

- Two wrestlers have won the event after starting at #1: Shawn Michaels in 1996 and Chris Benoit in 2004.

- Undertaker is the only wrestler to win the event after starting at #30.

- Stone Cold Steve Austin has the most Royal Rumble wins with 3 (1997, 1998, 2001). In 1997, Austin's win involved cheating as he was eliminated, but re-entered the ring before a ref saw him.

- Stone Cold Steve Austin (97, 98), Hulk Hogan (90, 91) and Shawn Michaels (95, 96) have each won back to back Royal Rumbles.

- Starting in 2004, the Royal Rumble winner was given the option to challenge for either the WWE Title or World Heavyweight Title. In 2007, challenging for the ECW title was added as an option for the winner.

- Chyna competed in the 1999 Royal Rumble and is the only woman to have ever competed in the event.

- Record for most appearances in the Royal Rumble goes to Glenn Jacobs (as Kane, Isaac Yankem and Fake Diesel). He has appeared a total of 11 times in the event.

- Kane has appeared in 9 straight Royal Rumbles, the most consecutive of any wrestler in WWE history.

- The #2 entry, Rey Mysterio made history at the 2006 Rumble as he lasted 1 hour 2 minutes and 12 seconds, the longest time of any superstar in Rumble history.

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