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| Cody Rhodes doin' work in the 2012 Rumble out of the #4 spot Photo Credit: WWE.com |
Final four: The Rock (2nd, 1998)
Multiple draws: None
Longest: The Rock (1998), 51:32
Shortest: JTG (2010): 0:25.
Most eliminations: Six — Cody Rhodes (2012)
No one who entered the Royal Rumble at No. 4 has gone on to win the match. Though the same is true about 13 other entry spots (not counting outlier spots 31-40), it’s least surprising for this one closest to the start. That’s why it’s no shock only one No. 4 has made it to the end of a Rumble — The Rock in 1998, going 51:32, logging three eliminations along the way before being ousted by archrival Steve Austin.
This was a classic case of a strong Rumble performance ushering a rising star onto the main stage. Rock earlier in the night defended his Intercontinental Championship in a 10-minute match against Ken Shamrock, but the final showdown between he and Austin proved that although Stone Cold was already strapped to a rocket targeted for the stratosphere, Rock would not be far behind.
Much like at No. 3, where Ric Flair is the standard and nothing else comes close, Cody Rhodes again is the clear best of the rest. His 2012 performance from No. 4 (43:57, six eliminations) is far superior to his 2013 showing from No. 3 (27:39, four eliminations), though both are great compared to the field at either spot. Looking at how Rhodes’ 2012 showing ranks against other No. 4s is an even wider gap: 17 of the 26 men to enter at No. 4 logged no eliminations; 11 failed to last even four minutes.
Only six men who came in fourth lasted 20 minutes or longer. Ted DiBiase logged 24:55 in 1993 with four eliminations, a great showing compared to the typical middling of the fourth guy out (though a step down from his 1990 performance from the first spot). Kofi Kingston did manage 21:18 in 2013 with two eliminations, but it was all just backdrop to his (now routine) acrobatic elimination avoidance, this one involving hopping on a chair to return safely to the ring. Being the center of a memorable singular moment is nice, but it’s not as significant as being an essential component of the story of the match.
Many fans who came to wrestling with the rise of Hulkamania in the early 1980s were not aware, until many years later, of the early WWF run of Curt Hennig. So when he appeared back with the company in late 1988, shortly after turning 30 and on the heels of a dominant run in the AWA, he was more or less presented as a bright, young, new star with a promising future. Still occasionally using his birth name in addition to the “Mr. Perfect” moniker when he entered the 1989 Royal Rumble at No. 4, Hennig was not yet clad in his signature two-colored singlet. But his talent and potential were unmistakable, as shown by lasting nearly 28 minutes in the ring and eliminating Ax.
Jerry “The King” Lawler has been in four Rumbles, but in two he was out within a minute. Entering at No. 4 in 1996 he did manage to technically stay in the match for 36:02, but logged no eliminations before eventual winner Shawn Michaels showed him to the floor. It wasn’t a great night in regards to Rumble history, but as No. 4s go it was far better than average. Unless you count the fact he hid under the ring for most of that time...
Much more common are the likes of Jerry Sags in 1992 (1:02), Phineas Godwinn in 1997 (2:52), Christian in 2000 (2:08) and Psicosis in 2006 (1:15) — and even those are better than the sub-60-second showings of Zack Ryder (43 seconds in 2011) and JTG (25 seconds in 2010).
One of the most disappointing No. 4 performances is the Great Khali’s paltry 1:09 in 2008. In his first Rumble the year before, Khali eliminated seven men in just 3:45. But the Undertaker had his number then and again in 2008. And that’s the reality of a Rumble: the multiple stories to be told throughout the evening will always focus on a handful of competitors, and most of the rest of the entrants are little more than ornate props.
Still, if you’re planning to wager on this year’s match, don’t invest a large sum in the fourth spot.
Year
|
Wrestler
|
Dur.
|
Out
|
El.
|
Elim. By
|
Elim. 2
|
1988
|
Jim Neidhart
|
0:19:06
|
6
|
1
|
Jim
| |
1989
|
Mr. Perfect
|
0:27:58
|
11
|
1
|
Hogan
| |
1990
|
Jake Roberts
|
0:10:03
|
3
|
0
|
Savage
| |
1991
|
Paul Roma
|
0:14:05
|
3
|
0
|
Roberts
| |
1992
|
Jerry Sags
|
0:01:06
|
2
|
0
|
Smith
| |
1993
|
Ted DiBiase
|
0:24:55
|
13
|
4
|
Undertaker
| |
1994
|
Savio Vega (Kwang)
|
0:05:57
|
6
|
0
|
Diesel
| |
1995
|
Duke Droese
|
0:08:13
|
3
|
0
|
Michaels
| |
1996
|
Jerry Lawler
|
0:36:02
|
16
|
0
|
Michaels
| |
1997
|
Phineas Godwinn
|
0:02:52
|
4
|
1
|
Austin
| |
1998
|
Rock
|
0:51:32
|
28
|
3
|
Austin
| |
1999
|
Droz
|
0:12:30
|
7
|
0
|
Mabel
| |
2000
|
Christian
|
0:02:08
|
2
|
0
|
Rikishi
| |
2001
|
Faarooq
|
0:00:58
|
2
|
0
|
M. Hardy
|
J. Hardy
|
2002
|
JBL (Bradshaw)
|
0:07:17
|
3
|
0
|
Billy Gunn
| |
2003
|
Rey Mysterio
|
0:05:55
|
3
|
1
|
Jericho
| |
2004
|
Tajiri
|
0:03:39
|
2
|
0
|
Rhyno
| |
2005
|
Bob Holly
|
0:01:59
|
2
|
1
|
Benoit
|
E. Guerrero
|
2006
|
Psicosis
|
0:01:15
|
2
|
0
|
Mysterio
| |
2007
|
Matt Hardy
|
0:18:55
|
9
|
0
|
Orton
| |
2008
|
Great Khali
|
0:01:09
|
2
|
0
|
Undertaker
| |
2009
|
MVP
|
0:03:52
|
2
|
0
|
Kozlov
| |
2010
|
JTG
|
0:00:25
|
3
|
0
|
Punk
| |
2011
|
Zack Ryder
|
0:00:43
|
2
|
0
|
Bryan
| |
2012
|
Cody Rhodes
|
0:43:57
|
24
|
6
|
Big Show
| |
2013
|
Kofi Kingston
|
0:21:18
|
9
|
2
|
C. Rhodes
|
