WWE Royal Rumble 2017: Ranking All 30 Match Winners

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20. Big John Studd – 1989

The Royal Rumble’s first winner will always be remembered for “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan’s win in 1988. After that, it would be Big John Studd, whose victory may be one of the most forgettable ones.

Studd’s win in 1989 came before the Royal-Rumble-win-leads-to-a-WrestleMania-main-event-spot era. So, this made the big man’s victory just one to give him momentum heading into WrestleMania season.

Studd mostly stayed quiet after entering the Royal Rumble at No. 27. He fought off some of the remaining Superstars, but waited it out until the final moments. After a brief struggle, Studd threw out both Ted DiBiase and Akeem from the ring to win.

This would be a crowning moment for Studd’s career, one that doesn’t get mentioned often when the Royal Rumble history gets mentioned. It could be due to it not meaning anything toward WrestleMania, so it faded away once Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair started winning these matches.