Royal Rumble by (Entry) Numbers: 22

Sheamus, the latest winner from the No. 22 spot Photo Credit: WWE.com

Winners: Triple H (2002); Sheamus (2012)
Final four: Earthquake (2nd, 1991); Diesel (2nd, 1996); Big Boss Man (3rd, 1998), Kane (3rd, 2003)
Multiple draws: Big Boss Man (1989, 1999)
Longest: John Cena (2001); 34:17
Shortest: Jerry Lawler (1997): 0:04.
Most eliminations: Seven — John Cena (2011)

We’re nearing the end of this 30-day project, but we’re also getting to the good stuff.

While nobody who enters a Rumble at 22 has a chance to do anything as legendary as Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels or Rey Mysterio (or the other guy), there’s been no shortage of great performances from this position. Six men entering at 22 placed in the final four, a mark topped only by spots 29 (seven), 28 (ten) and 30 (14). Two men have won from No. 22 — Triple H in 2002 and Sheamus a decade later. And the No. 22 entrants combined for 35 eliminations in the past 25 years (fifth all time) with only 12 No. 22s failing to record a single elimination.

John Cena holds the honor of the most ring time from No. 22 (34:17), but he earned that distinction in 2011 — the 40-man Rumble. That means he entered at practically the halfway mark, the equivalent of 11 or 12 in a 30-man Rumble. The more pure mark goes to Earthquake, who in 1991 lasted 24:42 and eliminated four men en route to a second-place finish.

Earthquake’s run ended at the hands of Hulk Hogan. It was the first of two straight years Hulk would eliminate No. 22, and the second of two years where he capped a lengthy feud with a one-on-one showdown to win the Rumble, thus freeing him for a title match with a new opponent at WrestleMania.

Triple H also tossed four men en route to winning the 2002 Rumble, which still is the longest Rumble on record at 1:09:22 — 11 seconds longer than the 2011 match. Sheamus, the 2012 winner, made only three eliminations. The final was a surprising ouster of a returning Chris Jericho, the second best non-winner in Rumble history.

So do we give the edge to the winners, or to Cena, who recorded a whopping seven eliminations before the Miz illegally eliminated Cena in hopes of keeping him from challenging for the WWE Title at WrestleMania XXVII? Maybe HHH and Sheamus would have had more eliminations had there been more opponents in their matches. The 2011 match had 14 Rumble rookies, the most since 1997 (16), compared to just eight in 2002 and 2012. Cena narrowly missed the final four, while Triple H had to outlast Steve Austin, Mr. Perfect and Kurt Angle. Sheamus encountered Big Show and Randy Orton in addition to Jericho. Both those are firmly among the toughest final fours ever.

Still, it’s awfully hard to argue with seven eliminations. After all, 27 men have been declared the winner of a Royal Rumble, but only 15 have eliminated seven or more men from a single match. Factor in the longevity, and I think I might give the nod to Cena.

Speaking of guys who got cheated from the No. 22 spot, that discussion starts with the first 22, Big Boss Man in 1989. He was in the ring for just 4:18 because Hulk Hogan, upset about being eliminated, returned to the ring to illegally dump one half of the Twin Towers. There’s no telling how he could have impacted the remainder of that match, especially with his partner Akeem still in the ring.

Boss Man fared much better entering 22nd in 1999, lasting 18:53 and finishing third behind Steve Austin and Vince McMahon, getting credit for two eliminations along the way. The other No. 22 to finish third, Kane in 2003, lasted about 90 seconds longer with one more elimination. Speaking of powerful final fours, the other three that year were Batista, the Undertaker and Brock Lesnar.

Hopefully not lost in the shuffle among all those great performances is the show Diesel put on in 1996. He lasted 17:51 and made five eliminations, but a surprise dose of Sweet Chin Music made him a runner-up as Shawn Michaels earned his second straight trip to the WrestleMania main event. What’s more amazing than this showing is that two years earlier Diesel made two more eliminations with ten fewer seconds of ring time.

Only six of the No. 22 entrants who made it to the ring failed to last five minutes, a strikingly low number compared to most other entry positions. Skull did not appear in his spot on account of injury, but primarily the vacancy was used to sell the idea Steve Austin would not be able to compete in the match — he entered two spots later.

Test, No. 22 in 2001, eliminated William Regal despite being in the ring just 2:08 That’s 24th on the list of shortest stays with at least one elimination. Big Show eliminated Test, the second consecutive year for that pairing.

If not for his surprise appearance in 2012, Mick Foley’s stint as No. 22 in 2008 would have been his final Rumble. It certainly was his last as something close to a member of the active roster, though it’s clear the way he’d been used on TV in 2007 and early 2008 he wasn’t a legitimate title contender. He lasted a quiet 11:29 before Triple H — with whom he had perhaps the most memorable WWF Title match in Royal Rumble history in 2000 — showed him to the floor.