Royal Rumble by (Entry) Numbers: 19

Predictable but successful describes both Cena's 2013 Rumble win and, well, his entire career Photo Credit: WWE.com

Winners: John Cena (2013)
Final four: One Man Gang (2nd, 1988); John Cena (2nd, 2010); Kurt Angle (3rd, 2004); Lex Luger (4th, 1995); Steve Austin (4th, 2002)
Multiple draws: Animal (1991, 2006); John Cena (2010, 2013)
Longest: Kurt Angle (2004); 29:04
Shortest: Savio Vega (1997): 0:29.
Most eliminations: Seven — Steve Austin (2002)

Twenty-two entry positions (from 1 to 30) produced four or fewer final four finishers. Four, including No. 19, have produced five — the others are Nos. 1, 23 and 27. Of those, only 19 and 23 have produced but a single winner, and that wasn’t true about No. 19 until 2013, when John Cena won his second Rumble as one of the most predictable winners of all time.

Cena’s first Rumble was in 2003, but he entered only six of the next 11 Rumbles — probably because he tended to be busy pursuing or defending one of the top titles elsewhere on the card. While only logging four eliminations each from he two No. 19 entries, he did win one and finish second in the other, lasting more than 20 minutes each time. Given that he won and put in an extra 4:28, 2013 is Cena’s best No. 19 and the best by anyone choosing that number.

The first No. 19, One Man Gang, had the advantage of being in a 20-man Rumble. So it was little surprise he was around at the end, the last man standing before Jim Duggan showed him to the floor. It was only a 6:50 stay, but incredibly productive with six eliminations, including some of the strongest competitors in the match.

It was more impressive for Kurt Angle to finish third in 2004, though he made just one elimination in 29:04 in the ring — the longest ever for a No. 19 entrant. Yet that one elimination was a fresh No. 30 Goldberg, which is significant. Lex Luger finished fourth from No. 19 in 1995, a year after sharing the win with Bret Hart. But that Rumble was condensed, so he needed just 18:51 to reach the final four.

In 2002, Steve Austin also finished fourth from No. 19, yet he tossed seven men in 25:46 — best of any No. 19. We’ll talk more about Austin later in the series, but the 2002 Rumble was the last of six for the Rattlesnake, likely the greatest Rumble contestant of all time. How good was Stone Cold? He eliminated seven men in 24:56 and it was his third-best outing. He won three Rumbles, finished in the final four two other times and never missed the top ten.

While it’s unlikely we’ll ever see Austin in another Rumble, 19 has been a popular spot for nostalgia entries, starting with the Honky Tonk Man in 1998. Honky had been regularly involved with the company for a good chunk of 1997, so it wasn’t tremendously stunning to see him in the Rumble. However, it was odd to see him last 19:55. That’s 15:43 longer than his second best in the 1989 Rumble when he was more or less at the peak of his physical ability.

Other retro contestants at 19 included Animal in 2006 (2:49), Roddy Piper in 2008 (a minute flat, 33:06 shorter than his 1992 run, the 25th biggest disparity) and Jim Duggan in 2012 (56 seconds). They contribute mightily to the 12 No. 19s who failed to last five minutes.

Viscera was an active member of the Raw roster when he entered 19th in 2007 and set the record for most men required to eliminate a single contest. It took eight to dump the big man (an understatement) to the floor, one better than the seven it took to oust him in 1994, when he was known as Mabel. More of the story: Fat guys are hard to eliminate.

Two No. 19s placed on the list of shortest ring time with at least one elimination. Earthquake did it first, with two eliminations in 2:31, good for 27th on the list. Great Khali made just one elimination in 2011, but he did it in 77 seconds, in 2011, 11th on the all-time list. Who did he eliminate? No. 9, Husky Harris, a reminder I’ll be needing to update my data on account of all the rebranding of NXT guys since their last Rumble appearances.

Tomorrow — a look at No. 20, the last entry spot with 26 participants.