Hulk Hogan

One of the most iconic wrestlers of all time, Hulk Hogan dominated the WWF in the 1980’s and early 1990’s, becoming a multiple time World Champion. When the Royal Rumble was a showcase match, Hogan was easily the most dominant performer in the match.

Hogan has won the match twice, having the most eliminations 3 times, and held the record for the most cumulative eliminations in a Royal Rumble of 27 up until the 2001 Royal Rumble, 9 years after he had participated. All in less than an hour of ring time.

Hogan’s first Royal Rumble was the 1989 match. His worst finish (a lowly 10th) was arguably his most dominant performance. The match was used to setup two feuds: the Mega Powers vs the Twin Towers, and also Hogan against then champion Randy Savage. He lost the match but eventually beat Savage at that year’s Wrestlemania V.

The following year’s match was also used to set up that year’s Wrestlemania. Hogan however won the Royal Rumble, setting up a champion vs champion match against The Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania VI, a match he lost.

In 1991 Hogan won in a bit of a nondescript match, last eliminating the gargantuan Earthquake to close the feud. 1992 saw him finish third – Sid Justice eliminating him paving the way for their Wrestlemania 8 main event match. Even though Hogan returned to the WWE in 2003, he never participated in a Royal Rumble match again.

No matter what happens, Hogan’s legacy in the Royal Rumble is one of the best ever.