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The Royal Rumble match is undoubtedly the most successful gimmick match in the history of wrestling. The match is the reason for Royal Rumble being one of WWE's 'big-4' pay-per-view.
While battle royales are often meaningless and unimpressive, ‘Rumble’ matches have consistently turned out to be stellar. This 30-superstar fight has been a treat for the WWE fans over the years, providing unforgettable moments.
Since the number of competitors in a 'Royal Rumble' match is quite large, there is adequate place for much of the roster. Hence, it has proven to be a great opportunity for WWE to showcase its talent; it has used the match to introduce new talent or make unexpected returns. The match has accounted for great debuts such as the arrival of AJ Styles in 2016; it has also seen surprise entrants as Beth Phoenix, who for the record, did not only enter in 2010, but also went on to eliminate The Great Khali.
Hence, it comes as a surprise that some famous men have never been a part of the match. Although they have spent years in the WWE. Here is a list of 5 former/present WWE stars who never have been a part of the Royal Rumble match.
#5 Curt Hawkins
Curt Hawkins' WWE career has seen him have multiple runs with the company in a decade.. While he is a 1-time WWE Tag Team Champion, his most impressive feat lies in losing rather than winning. To be more precise, he has the longest 'losing-streak' in the modern era with over 200 loses in a row.
Moreover, he has wrestled over 350+ times in WWE, but he has still never had the privilege to be a part of the Royal Rumble match.
Anyway, pro-wrestling runs on a never-say-never attitude, so he may enter the Royal Rumble one day, if only to put another feather to his amazing losing-streak.
#4 Funaki
Funaki had made his debut for Vince McMahon's company before its name changed from World Wrestling Federation to World Wrestling Entertainment. Thereafter, he has won the WWE Cruiserweight and Hardcore championships, spending a good part of 2 decades with the company.
Yet, he has never been in a Royal Rumble match. He has been at a Royal Rumble event, competing in a Cruiserweight Open match for the title in 2006, but has not participated in the actual match.
Funaki is past his wrestling days, working as WWE’s Japanese commentator. Hence, he will never be a part of a 'Royal Rumble' match.
#3 Shane McMahon
Shane McMahon has used his athletic skills to create some of the most memorable and breathtaking moments in WWE history. He has never shied away from taking unimaginable risks, winning the WWE European and Hardcore championships along the way.
McMahon won PWI's ‘Rookie of the year’ award in 1999 and the ‘Feud of the year’ award for his rivalry with Vince McMahon in 2001. He is extremely popular among WWE fans as evidenced by the props he received on his return to WWE after a 7 years of hiatus from the company on February 22, 2016 episode of RAW.
An interesting fact is that Shane has refereed the Royal Rumble match in 1991, but he has never wrestled in the actual match. Only time will tell if Shane will ever run-in to rumble.
#2 Luke Gallows
Luke Gallows is a big surprise on the list, isn’t he? He has had various runs in the WWE. The first of which began as Festus in 2007. Then, he wrestled as Luke Gallows being a part of CM Punk’s ‘Straight-edge Society’ until he was released in 2010.
It turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Gallows did some great work across the independent circuit, before returning to the WWE in 2016.
However, in all these years, Gallows has never been a part of the traditional 'Rumble' match, and time’s running out for him to make his moment. Nonetheless, he has been a part of the infamous 'Greatest Royal Rumble' match, if that's a good consolation prize.
#1 Sting
While, it isn’t really a surprise that Sting has never been a part of the match, this list would have been incomplete without the mention of 'the vigilante'.
Sting is the greatest WWE superstar over the last 3 decades to have never been a part of the Royal Rumble match. The WWE ‘hall of famer’ could have been a part of a lot of big things in the WWE, but it wasn’t meant to be like that.
It would have been wonderful to see Sting’s music hit when Rumble's countdown stopped at zero. But, we have to accept that Sting will never compete in the 'Royal Rumble' match; and it is our loss.
