As NXT has grown into a more established brand within the WWE ranks, we have seen the Superstars of the Black and Gold brand find their way into Royal Rumble.
WWE’s greatest gimmick match has now seen 34 entries from 32 different NXT Superstars and fans have begun to expect to see the stars from the development brand take part. We have crunched the numbers and analyzed the statistical history of NXT Superstars in the Royal Rumble.
The first ever entrant from NXT came in 2013 when Bo Dallas entered the match, lasting a staggering 21:42 and getting one elimination.
Dallas’ run in the match would be the longest by an NXT Superstar for five years before Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas lasted 29:24. Andrade is still the longest lasting male NXT Superstar in the Royal Rumble match, but the record for longest time in the match was taken by Bianca Belair in last years match, entering at number two and lasting an incredible 33:20.
But that is not the only record that the Est of NXT claimed in last years match, with her and Shayna Baszler earning the joint most eliminations by an NXT Superstar in the Royal Rumble, with both women eliminating eight participants.
Not only is this the record for an NXT Superstar, but it is also the record for the Women’s Royal Rumble match in general. The men have not had as much look in the match, with no male NXT Superstar eliminating more than one competitor from the match.
The record for the shortest time spent in the Royal Rumble also came in that very same match, with Chelsea Green spending just 12 seconds in the match to start off a very strange 2020 for the Hot Mess.
The 2020 Women’s Royal Rumble was also historical for NXT, seeing ten competitors enter from the brand, the most from NXT in the matches history.
The Royal Rumble match has now seen NXT stars in the ring for 5 hours 13 minutes and 2 seconds, with the average time spent in the match coming in at 9:12.
NXT Champions have not featured heavily in the match over the years, with just two of the 32 competitors being NXT Champion at the time, with Andrade and Ember Moon entering their respective matches in 2018 holding NXT’s top gold.
NXT UK was represented in the match for the first time in 2019, with Rhea Ripley being the first competitor to enter the match from the UK brand. There have been only two more entrants from NXT UK, with Pete Dunne entering the match later that night before Toni Storm entered the match last year.
Overall, NXT’s representation within the match has gotten stronger and stronger with every passing year, with the quality work of the women’s division clearly being rewarded with their cameos in 2020.
The men have yet to receive a strong showing in the match, with Keith Lee arguably having the biggest rub from the match following Brock Lesnar’s reaction to his entrance, but hopefully we are heading towards a strong performance from the likes of Adam Cole, Killer Kross and Walter.
NXT RUMBLE ELIMINATIONS – BY THE NUMBERS
2013
Bo Dallas 21:42 – 1 Elimination
2014
Alexander Rusev 07:06 – 0 Eliminations
2016
Sami Zayn 04:55 – 1 Elimination
2017
Tye Dyllinger – 05:27 – 0 Eliminations
2018
Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas – 29:24 – 1 Elimination
Adam Cole – 06:02 – 0 Eliminations
Kairi Sane – 04:49 – 0 Eliminations
Ember Moon – 06:14 – 0 Eliminations
2019
Xia Li – 04:48 – 0 Eliminations
Kairi Sane (2019) – 17:00 – 1 Elimination
Candice Le Rae – 09:35 – 0 Eliminations
Kacy Catanzaro – 10:45 – 0 Eliminations
Io Shirai – 13:21 – 0 Eliminations
Rhea Ripley (NXT UK) – 07:55 – 3 Eliminations
Johnny Gargano – 13:50 – 1 Elimination
Pete Dunne (NXT UK) – 11:13 – 0 Elimination
Aleister Black – 06:09 – 1 Elimination
2020
Bianca Belair – 33:20 – 8 Eliminations
Mercedes Martinez – 08:14 – 0 Eliminations
Candice Le Rae (2020) – 09:01 – 0 Eliminations
Mia Yim – 06:30 – 0 Eliminations
Dakota Kai – 01:32 – 0 Eliminations
Chelsea Green – 0:12 – 1 Elimination
Toni Storm (NXT UK) – 18:40 – 0 Eliminations
Xia Li (2020) – 10:49 – 0 Eliminations
Shotzi Blackheart – 07:57 – 0 Eliminations
Tegan Nox – 03:50 – 0 Eliminations
Shayna Baszler – 04:27 – 8 Eliminations
Keith Lee – 03:32 – 0 Eliminations
Matt Riddle – 0:41 – 0 Eliminations
Greatest Royal Rumble
Tucker Knight – 10:08 – 1 Elimination
Roderick Strong – 06:00 – 1 Elimination
Babatunde – 05:53 – 0 Eliminations
Dan Matha – 02:01 – 0 Eliminations