IT'S TIME TO RUMBLE: A Look Back At Royal Rumbles' Past (Part VI)

2008

Winner: JOHN CENA (do-doo-do-doooo...)

(Entry: 30th | Lasted: 9:51 | Eliminations: 4)

Bridesmaid: Triple H

(Entry: 29th | Lasted: 11:21 | Eliminations: 6)

Iron Man: Batista

(Entry: 8th | Lasted: 37:24 | Eliminations: 4)

Eliminator: Triple H (6)

First To Fall: Santino Marella

(Entry: 3rd | Lasted: 0:25)

Loser: Shelton Benjamin

(Entry: 17th | Lasted: 0:18 | Dumped: 7th)

NOTES:

• Total Match Time: 51:26
• John Cena was not scheduled to be in this Rumble.  It was one of the most recent shocking twists WWE was able to pull off on its audience (eight years ago).
• Cena is the second #30 in a row to win.  He is also the most recent.
• #29 and #30 have never before or since been the last two left in the ring.

Who Walked Out Of The Event As Champion?

Randy Orton retained the WWE Crown against Jeff Hardy, and Edge beat Rey Mysterio to keep big WHC gold around his waist.

Did The Winner Go On To Win The Championship?

No.  Randy Orton managed to fend off both winner and bridesmaid in a triple threat match.

2009

Winner: Randy Orton

(Entry: 8th | Lasted: 48:27 | Eliminations: 3)

Bridesmaid: Triple H

(Entry: 7th | Lasted: 49: 55 | Eliminations: 6)

Iron Man: Triple H (49:55)

Eliminator: TIE

Triple H (6)

The Big Show

(Entry: 30th | Lasted: 9:32 | Eliminations: 6 | Dumped: 25th)

First To Fall: The Great Khali

(Entry: 5th | Lasted: 1:30)

Loser: Santino Marella

(Entry: 28th | Lasted: 0:01.9 | Dumped: 15th)

NOTES:

• Total Match Time: 58:37
• Santino Marella breaks the 20 year old record of The Warlord by being eliminated in the quickest time of 1.9 seconds.  I saw it live when it happened, and you can't really be eliminated any faster than that.  It was the smoothest in and out I've ever seen.  Santino's first words after hitting the ground: "....I wasn't ready!  I wasn't ready!"
• Randy Orton is the first to win from the 8th slot.
• Four men lasted more than 45 minutes in this match.  They are Ted DiBiase (Jr.) (Entered 10th | Lasted: 45:11), Randy Orton (Entered 8th | Lasted 48:27), Rey Mysterio (Entered 1st | Lasted 49:24) and Triple H (Entered 7th | Lasted 49:55)

Who Walked Out Of The Event As Champion?

John Cena maintained control of the World Heavyweight Championship thanks to Shawn Michaels coming to his senses and superkicking JBL and their stupid manservant angle to oblivion.  Edge retained the WWE Title against Jeff Hardy.

Did The Winner Go On To Win The Championship?

No.  At No Way Out in February, Edge was pinned inside of three minutes in the WWE Title Elimination Chamber match (then went to sneak into the second chamber and win the World Heavyweight Championship, but that's another story).  Triple H came out of the Chamber as champion, then started a blood feud with Rumble winner Randy Orton involving both men's immediate families.  This of course culminated in a match where if Triple H got DQ'd, he'd lose the belt instead of the Street Fight it should have been.  As a result Wrestlemania ended with a wet noodle of a main event thanks to this handcuff of a stipulation.

2010

Winner: Edge

(Entry: 29th | Lasted: 7:19 | Eliminations: 2)

Bridesmaid: John Cena

(Entry: 19th | Lasted: 22:11 | Eliminations: 4)

Iron Man: John Cena (22:11)

Eliminator: Shawn Michaels

(Entry: 18th | Lasted: 20:45 | Eliminations: 6 | Dumped: 27th)

First To Fall: Evan Bourne

(Entry: 2nd | Lasted: 2:26)

Loser: Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP)

(Entry: 14th | Lasted: 0:07 | Eliminations: 1 | Dumped: 9th)

NOTES:

• Total Match Time:49:24
• Two eliminations is the least for a winner of the Rumble since Vince McMahon in 1999.
• John Cena's time of 22:11 is the lowest for an Iron Man in any Rumble by more than three minutes.  The original low was Bret Hart in 1988 (25:42), but that Rumble had only 20 participants and lasted a total of 33:35.
• MVP is the only Rumble participant ever to rack up an elimination with less than 10 seconds of ring time.  He eliminated himself and The Miz at the same time because Miz clocked him with the U.S. Title at the entrance and he wanted revenge.  Miz caught a BEAT down.
• Beth Phoenix is the first woman in Royal Rumble history to eliminate a competitor. She made out with The Great Khali while standing on the apron, and turned the liplock into a headlock and pulled the Punjabi Playboy out of the ring.
• This was Shawn Michaels's last Rumble.  He lost a retirement match at Wrestlemania XXVI, and for once in wrestling, the match stipulation stuck.  Michaels set a career elimination mark on the way out with 39 men thrown over the top rope in 12 appearances.
• This was MVP's last Rumble to date, as he went to Japan shortly thereafter.
• Ten wrestlers failed to last two minutes.  Eight failed to last one minute.  Six failed to last 30 seconds.
• This is the shortest Rumble Match since 1995, and the shortest ever with 90 second intervals.

Who Walked Out Of The Event As Champion?

Sheamus and The Undertaker had the WWE and WCH belts respectively.  Neither made it to Wrestlemania with gold.  John Cena won the WWE Title Chamber match only to be ambushed by Batista immediately afterwords and have his belt taken.  Chris Jericho won the World Heavyweight Championship thanks to Shawn Michaels coming through the floor grate and kicking an Undertaker with third-degree burns on his face and chest due to a pre-match pyrotechnic accident (which meant he wasn't at the following SmackDown, which meant $50 WASTED (the only redeeming thing about those TV tapings was seeing the first episode of NXT where Daniel Bryan debuted and fought Jericho); never did get to see Taker in person...).  Anyway, where was I?

Did The Winner Go On To Win The Championship?

No.  Edge lost to Chris Jericho.  That's...pretty much it.

2011

Winner: Alberto Del Rio

(Entry: 38th | Lasted: 9:33 | Eliminations: 2)

Bridesmaid: Santino Marella

(Entry: 37th | Lasted: 12:54 | Eliminations: 0)

Iron Man: CM Punk

(Entry: 1st | Lasted: 35:21 | Eliminations: 7 | Dumped: 21st)

Eliminator: TIE

CM Punk (7)

John Cena

(Entry: 22nd | Lasted: 34:17 | Eliminations: 7 | Dumped: 36th)

First To Fall: Justin Gabriel

(Entry: 3rd | Lasted: 0:58)

Loser: Tyler Reks

(Entry: 16th | Lasted: 0:34 | Dumped: 12th)

NOTES:

• Total Match Time: 69:49
• This is the only 40-man Royal Rumble to ever take place.
• This is the longest Royal Rumble, beating 2002 by 27 seconds.
• Everyone thought the final four men in the ring were Alberto Del Rio, Randy Orton, Wade Barrett and John Cena.  After Del Rio dumped the other three, Santino Marella (who had been thrown through the ropes, not over the top) peered up over the apron and got into the ring behind Del Rio's back.  He hit The Cobra and did his trombone dance while everybody went wild.  Santino was going to win the Rumble!!  Holy shit!!  Then Del Rio reversed Santino's elimination attempt and threw dude out, but it's still one of the best finishes they've ever done.  (Of course when they tried to do it again last year, it was in the middle of a clusterfuck and the fans had already turned on the event 20 minutes prior, so it didn't work quite as well...)

Who Walked Out Of The Event As Champion?

That would be Edge with the World Heavyweight Championship, and The Miz with the spinner.  They beat Dolph Ziggler and Randy Orton respectively.

Did The Winner Go On To Win The Championship?

No.  Alberto Del Rio would battle Edge in a losing effort in what would be "The Rated-R Superstar"'s final match.  The next day, an MRI revealed Edge had practically no spinal fluid left, and his shit=fucked.  It was also the first time a World Heavyweight Championship title match opened a Wrestlemania, meaning that the big gold belt was now basically the Intercontinental Title with a different name.