Royal Rumble by (Entry) Numbers: 30

Hard to believe the first No. 30 to win was Undertaker 18 years after the match's inception Photo Credit: WWE.com

Winners: Undertaker (2007); John Cena (2008)
Final four: Ted DiBiase (2nd, 1989) Mr. Perfect (2nd, 1990); Randy Savage (2nd, 1994); Undertaker (2nd, 2003); Randy Orton (2nd, 2006); Ryback (2nd, 2013); Crush (3rd, 1995); X-Pac (3rd, 2000); Batista (3rd, 2010); Undertaker (4th, 1997); Wade Barrett (4th, 2011); Big Show (4th, 2012)
Multiple draws: Undertaker (1997, 2003, 2007); Big Show (2009, 2012)
Longest:RED BELLY Wade Barrett (2011), 19:07.
Shortest: Booker T (2002): 0:33.
Most eliminations: Six — Big Show (2009).

Out of 25 Royal Rumbles with at least 30 participants, 14 times the 30th entrant has been in the final four. And why not? What’s far more surprising is a No. 30 didn’t win until the 18th try — and that winner was the Undertaker, who’d already entered twice at No. 30. With the seal broken, it was less of a surprise to see No. 30 win the following year — though since the entrant was a supposedly-injured John Cena, there was still plenty of surprise to go around.

The first No. 30, Ted DiBiase, helped tell one of the great early Rumble stories as backstage vignettes throughout the show made it clear he was using some of his wealth to acquire the ideal entry position from Slick, manager of the Twin Towers. When the Million Dollar Man was left in the final three with Akeem and Big John Studd, it was clear the Africa Dream was on DiBiase’s payroll.

The story continued the next year when DiBiase ended up with No. 1, proving he’d been unable to buy power two years running. That same year No. 30 went naturally to Mr. Perfect, who crowed about owning “the perfect number.” As noted at the outset of this series, DiBiase pioneered the 30 one year, 1 the next, followed by Rikishi in 2001-2002 and Undertaker in 2007-2008. Ric Flair came in at No. 30 in 2005, 12 years after entering at No. 1 in 1993 and two years before repeating in 2007.

There have been utterly useless No. 30 entrants, such as Tugboat in 1991 and Warlord in 1992 — combined they lasted less than five minutes. Ten other No. 30s failed to last five minutes. However, a whole lot of those entrants at least affected the outcome. All but five 30th entrants recorded at least one elimination, the best performance of any spot (No. 1 is second with only seven of 26 entrants failing to record a single elimination). Collectively the 30th entrants have made 52 eliminations, in second place behind No. 1 with 62.

The list of short-timers who made a difference starts with Booker T in 2002. He lasted just 33 seconds, but that was long enough to dump Rob Van Dam. That’s two seconds longer in the ring than Chyna in 1999. The first woman to enter a Royal Rumble eliminated Mark Henry, but she lasted only 35 seconds in total. The common thread? Both were eliminated at the hands of Steve Austin.

As was the case with No. 29, No. 30 makes several contributions to the list of 30 wrestlers who have the shortest duration but are credited with at least one elimination. Booker T and Chyna are third and fourth on that list. Ric Flair is at 20th with 1:58 and one elimination, Vader is at 25th, lasting 2:16 with one elimination. Rikishi is 28th with 2:35 and one elimination. But that’s not all:

Goldberg lasted but 2:07 in 2003 yet recorded three eliminations. Even more impressive, Big Show mustered all of 1:51 in 2012, which was enough time to eliminate Jack Swagger, Cody Rhodes, The Miz and Dolph Ziggler. That was his second No. 30 entry — he made six eliminations three years earlier, a total of ten from the 30th spot.

But that leads us back to the Undertaker. Three Rumbles at No. 30, more than 25 minutes in all, ten total eliminations, a fourth-place finish, a second-place finish and finally, the best run of any No. 30, a win in 2007 featuring one of the most memorable endgame sequences ever, a one-on-one showdown with Shawn Michaels, arguably the greatest Rumbler of them all. The 13:15 he needed to win is the longest of any No. 30, aside from Wade Barrett in the 40-man 2011 Rumble.

That win, and that it came at the expense of the Heartbreak Kid, gives Undertaker the edge over Cena in 2008 as the single best performance from No. 30. Honorable mention surely is awarded to the powerhouse runs by Big Show, as well as the 9:06, five-elimination showing by Ryback in 2013. But making a splash and lasting to near the end is so common from 30, the win has to be the deciding factor. Take nothing away from Cena’s shocking return in 2008, Undertaker stole the show in 2007.

Hulk Hogan had a hand in eliminating No. 30 three years running. Austin eliminated No. 30 in three nonconsecutive years. In the last five years, No. 30 has been eliminated either by John Cena (2010, 2013) or Randy Orton, who coincidentally face each other this Sunday.

No. 30’s entrance often is bittersweet because it means the match is nearly over. Back when all the competitors were announced before the match, there was no surprise factor. Even in some of the years where the entrant was uncertain, it could be a dud like (no offense) Duke Droese or X-Pac. Barrett in 2011 was the first No. 30 since Flair in 2005 to be a certain non-winner, but he also had ten more entrants follow him to the ring at the succeeding entry positions.

To have No. 30 be both a legitimate contender as well as a total surprise is fairly difficult. Between spoilers about who happens to already be in the same city as the event (Sheamus, Chris Jericho), or active roster members who are more conspicuous by their absence from the match (Daniel Bryan), even the “surprise” entrants aren’t so much surprises as they would be the occasion for a knowing grin or, in the case of Bryan, a sigh of relief. And if none of those three have entered in the first 29 positions, sending out someone even as exciting as Seth Rollins or Big E Langston would be unfortunately anticlimactic — we know they’re in the match regardless, and we’re almost certain they won’t win.

Still, the potential for a magic moment is real, as it is with any spot if the performer and the plot are up to the challenge. That’s the beauty of the Rumble.