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Introduction
The 2008 Royal Rumble took place in New York City, once again emanating from Madison Square Garden. In the showcase match, one of the most surprising moments took place at the event when John Cena, who was injured last October, returned from a pectoral injury ahead of schedule, to win the match from the number 30 spot.
Amongst the other surprise entrants was Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, who entered the match to rekindle their rivalry in the most famous arena in the world. Cena cashed in his title shot at the next month’s Pay Per View: No Way Out, though he also competed for the title at that year’s Wrestlemania in a triple threat match featuring Triple H.
27th January, 2008
New York, New York
Madison Square Garden
20,798
51:31
Notable Records
| Record | Individual |
|---|---|
| Winner | John Cena |
| Iron Men | Batista (37:53) |
| Least time in Match | Finlay (00:00) |
| Most Eliminations | Triple H (6) |
| Potential Winners (wrestlers in the ring after last entrant) | 9 (John Cena, Triple H, Batista, Kane, Umaga, Mr. Kennedy, Mark Henry, Chavo Guerrero, Carlito) |
| Number of debutants | 9 (Santino Marella, John Morrison, Hornswoggle, Jamie Noble, Cody Rhodes, Umaga, Mr. Kennedy, Big Daddy V, Elijah Burke) |
| Last Rumble Appearances | 11 (Bob Holly, Tommy Dreamer, Chuck Palumbo, Jamie Noble, Umaga, Gene Snitsky, Jimmy Snuka, Roddy Piper, Mr. Kennedy, Big Daddy V, Elijah Burke) |
| Average Time in match | 12:09 |
| Number of individuals with at least one elimination | 40% |
Did You Know?
- This match had the second time last year’s winner entered #1. The first being “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in the 1998 Royal Rumble
- This match also had the second time the previous year’s #30 entered first. The first being Ted Dibiase in the 1990 Royal Rumble.
- This event was announced by legendary boxing announcer Michael Buffer.
- Jimmy Snuka & “Rowdy” Roddy Piper were the first to active hall of famers to enter the Royal Rumble.
- Both Jimmy Snuka & “Rowdy” Roddy Piper men set records for the “longest time between Royal Rumble entries”, last appearing in the 1992 Royal Rumble.
- Shelton Benjamin became the first man to compete at 3 different Royal Rumbles for 3 different brands.
- Shelton Benjamin also became the first man to be eliminated by the same individual in 3 consecutive Royal Rumbles (Shawn Michaels).
Watch Royal Rumble 2008
You can watch Royal Rumble 2008 on YouTube for free. Watch it below.
Results
| Number of Entrant | Wrestler Name | Brand | Time of Entry | Time of Elimination | Time in Match | Finishing Position | Eliminations | Eliminated By | Other Facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Undertaker | Smackdown! | 00:00 | 32:36 | 32:36 | 20 | 3 | Shawn Michaels | |
| 2 | Shawn Michaels | Raw | 00:00 | 32:42 | 32:42 | 19 | 2 | Mr. Kennedy | |
| 3 | Santino Marella | Raw | 01:40 | 02:05 | 00:25 | 30 | 0 | The Undertaker | |
| 4 | The Great Khali | Smackdown! | 03:34 | 04:44 | 01:10 | 29 | 0 | The Undertaker | |
| 5 | Hardcore Holly | Raw | 05:06 | 18:52 | 13:46 | 25 | 0 | Umaga | |
| 6 | John Morrison | ECW | 06:42 | 36:07 | 29:25 | 17 | 0 | Kane | |
| 7 | Tommy Dreamer | ECW | 08:01 | 10:10 | 02:09 | 28 | 0 | Batista | |
| 8 | Batista | Smackdown! | 09:37 | 47:30 | 37:53 | 3 | 4 | Triple H | |
| 9 | Hornswoggle | Smackdown! | 34:38 | 37:02 | 02:24 | 16 | 1 | Disqualified |
|
| 10 | Chuck Palumbo | Smackdown! | 12:34 | 16:35 | 04:01 | 26 | 1 | CM Punk | |
| 11 | Jamie Noble | Smackdown! | 14:05 | 14:33 | 00:28 | 27 | 0 | Chuck Palumbo | |
| 12 | CM Punk | ECW | 15:28 | 39:20 | 23:52 | 14 | 1 | Chavo Guerrero | |
| 13 | Cody Rhodes | Raw | 17:01 | 40:16 | 23:15 | 13 | 0 | Triple H | |
| 14 | Umaga | Raw | 18:36 | 44:42 | 26:06 | 5 | 1 | Batista | |
| 15 | Snitsky | Raw | 20:05 | 32:32 | 12:27 | 21 | 0 | The Undertaker | |
| 16 | The Miz | ECW | 21:32 | 34:40 | 13:08 | 18 | 0 | Hornswoggle | |
| 17 | Shelton Benjamin | ECW | 22:50 | 23:08 | 00:18 | 24 | 0 | Shawn Michaels | |
| 18 | Jimmy Snuka | Hall of Fame | 24:18 | 27:02 | 02:44 | 22 | 0 | Kane | |
| 19 | Roddy Piper | Hall of Fame | 25:59 | 27:01 | 01:02 | 23 | 0 | Kane | |
| 20 | Kane | Smackdown! | 26:55 | 44:53 | 17:58 | 4 | 3 | Batista, Triple H | |
| 21 | Carlito | Raw | 28:12 | 43:19 | 15:07 | 9 | 0 | John Cena | |
| 22 | Mick Foley | Unaffiliated | 29:29 | 40:58 | 11:29 | 11 | 0 | Triple H | |
| 23 | Mr. Kennedy | Raw | 30:56 | 44:29 | 13:33 | 6 | 1 | Batista | |
| 24 | Big Daddy V | ECW | 32:44 | 40:33 | 07:49 | 12 | 0 | Triple H | Big Daddy V’s entrance occurred off camera, so it’s really a best guess. |
| 25 | Mark Henry | Smackdown! | 34:13 | 43:26 | 09:13 | 7 | 0 | John Cena | |
| 26 | Chavo Guerrero | ECW | 35:48 | 43:21 | 07:33 | 8 | 1 | John Cena | |
| 27 | Finlay | Smackdown! | 37:02 | 37:02 | 00:00 | 15 | 0 | Disqualified | Finlay was disqualified by jumping the buzzer and attacking Mark Henry & Big Daddy V. |
| 28 | Elijah Burke | ECW | 38:47 | 40:58 | 02:11 | 10 | 0 | Triple H | |
| 29 | Triple H | Raw | 40:08 | 51:30 | 11:22 | 2 | 6 | John Cena | |
| 30 | John Cena | Raw | 43:02 | 51:31 | 08:29 | 1 | 4 | Winner |
Graphs
Entrant Waterfall
Elimination Pie Chart
Time by Number
Eliminations by Number
Entrant Waterfall
Elimination Pie Chart
Time by Number
Eliminations by Number
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