dishdude714
01-26-2010, 07:30 PM
(source: Wikipedia)
2004
# Chris Benoit became the second person to win the Royal Rumble with the #1 draw. The first was Shawn Michaels in 1995.
# Benoit also broke Bob Backlund's previous longevity record from the 1993 Rumble.
# Benoit was the first person to make use of a "contract loophole", enabling the Royal Rumble winner to change brands and challenge their champion of choice. Benoit defected to RAW the following night due to knowing GM Paul Heyman's intentions to screw him over and challenged Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship.
# During the Royal Rumble, the famous gong from The Undertaker's theme song played at #13. Kane, thinking Undertaker was buried and gone at Survivor Series 2003 got worried and ended up being eliminated by Booker T. Angry over his elimination, Kane attacked the real 13th participant; as a result, Spike Dudley couldn't make it to the ring.
# Test was set to enter at #21 but was found beaten up. Found by Steve Austin, he ordered another wrestler to enter the Rumble in Test's place. That wrestler turned out to be Mick Foley who immediately came out and eliminated Orton. The two then brawled to the back.
2005
# For the second year in a row, Chris Benoit remained in the Royal Rumble match from the beginning of the match until the thirtieth entrant.
# This was the fifth year a Royal Rumble match participant did not make it to the ring to compete: Randy Savage (1991), Bastion Booger (1994), Skull (1998), Spike Dudley (2004), Scotty 2 Hotty (2005).
# This was also the second time Scotty 2 Hotty was attacked at the entrance ramp before he could enter the ring for the Royal Rumble match. In 2002, he was attacked by the Undertaker, but still managed to enter the ring and participate in the match.
# During Vince McMahon's appearance during the finish, McMahon tried to run and slide into the ring but legitimately tore both his quadriceps muscles when he hit the ring apron. McMahon had to make his decision over the match while sitting in the ring.
2006
# Rey Mysterio broke the record for lasting the longest in a Royal Rumble match, 1:02:12. The previous record was 1:01:34, set by Chris Benoit at the 2004 Royal Rumble. Mysterio also became the first superstar in WWE history under 200 pounds to ever win the Royal Rumble, as well as the first masked superstar to win.
# Glen Jacobs (Isaac Yankem D.D.S., Fake Diesel, Kane) made his tenth appearance in a Royal Rumble match, tying the record for most Royal Rumble appearances with Solofa Fatu (Fatu, The Sultan, Rikishi). It also marked his eighth consecutive appearance in the Royal Rumble as Kane, breaking the previous record of seven consecutive appearances held by himself, Owen Hart and Rick Martel.
# During the Rumble match, Shane McMahon came in and eliminated Shawn Michaels after being distracted by Vince McMahon. This marked the second consecutive year that Michaels was eliminated by somebody other than a qualified participant. In 2005, he was eliminated by Kurt Angle after having already eliminated Angle earlier.
# The Angle/Henry match marked the first time that two former Olympians battled for a world title in history.
2004
# Chris Benoit became the second person to win the Royal Rumble with the #1 draw. The first was Shawn Michaels in 1995.
# Benoit also broke Bob Backlund's previous longevity record from the 1993 Rumble.
# Benoit was the first person to make use of a "contract loophole", enabling the Royal Rumble winner to change brands and challenge their champion of choice. Benoit defected to RAW the following night due to knowing GM Paul Heyman's intentions to screw him over and challenged Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship.
# During the Royal Rumble, the famous gong from The Undertaker's theme song played at #13. Kane, thinking Undertaker was buried and gone at Survivor Series 2003 got worried and ended up being eliminated by Booker T. Angry over his elimination, Kane attacked the real 13th participant; as a result, Spike Dudley couldn't make it to the ring.
# Test was set to enter at #21 but was found beaten up. Found by Steve Austin, he ordered another wrestler to enter the Rumble in Test's place. That wrestler turned out to be Mick Foley who immediately came out and eliminated Orton. The two then brawled to the back.
2005
# For the second year in a row, Chris Benoit remained in the Royal Rumble match from the beginning of the match until the thirtieth entrant.
# This was the fifth year a Royal Rumble match participant did not make it to the ring to compete: Randy Savage (1991), Bastion Booger (1994), Skull (1998), Spike Dudley (2004), Scotty 2 Hotty (2005).
# This was also the second time Scotty 2 Hotty was attacked at the entrance ramp before he could enter the ring for the Royal Rumble match. In 2002, he was attacked by the Undertaker, but still managed to enter the ring and participate in the match.
# During Vince McMahon's appearance during the finish, McMahon tried to run and slide into the ring but legitimately tore both his quadriceps muscles when he hit the ring apron. McMahon had to make his decision over the match while sitting in the ring.
2006
# Rey Mysterio broke the record for lasting the longest in a Royal Rumble match, 1:02:12. The previous record was 1:01:34, set by Chris Benoit at the 2004 Royal Rumble. Mysterio also became the first superstar in WWE history under 200 pounds to ever win the Royal Rumble, as well as the first masked superstar to win.
# Glen Jacobs (Isaac Yankem D.D.S., Fake Diesel, Kane) made his tenth appearance in a Royal Rumble match, tying the record for most Royal Rumble appearances with Solofa Fatu (Fatu, The Sultan, Rikishi). It also marked his eighth consecutive appearance in the Royal Rumble as Kane, breaking the previous record of seven consecutive appearances held by himself, Owen Hart and Rick Martel.
# During the Rumble match, Shane McMahon came in and eliminated Shawn Michaels after being distracted by Vince McMahon. This marked the second consecutive year that Michaels was eliminated by somebody other than a qualified participant. In 2005, he was eliminated by Kurt Angle after having already eliminated Angle earlier.
# The Angle/Henry match marked the first time that two former Olympians battled for a world title in history.