WWE Royal Rumble: Ranking Every Winner After Lynch, Rollins Wins

Credit: WWE.com

34. Big John Studd

The 1989 Royal Rumble is pretty forgettable. Aside from the fact that it was the first installment to feature the now-standard 30 entrants, there’s not really much to talk about.

Big John Studd won the match, entering at Number 27, and eliminating only two men, including “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase to win the match.

The Royal Rumble was far from its current level of prestige in 1989, so Studd’s win was not treated as anything particularly monumental. Studd continued in his spot as an established mid-carder before leaving WWE in June and retiring from wrestling altogether later that year.

The tradition of the WrestleMania title shot had not yet been established, with the winner instead receiving a cash prize. In fact, Studd didn’t compete at WrestleMania at all. Instead, he served as a guest referee for the match between Andre the Giant and Jake “The Snake” Roberts.

This Royal Rumble often goes forgotten, especially being that WWE’s main event scene was being dominated by the explosion of the Mega Powers at the time. While the victory may have served as a peak for Big John Studd’s WWE career, it can hardly be said to be a peak for the Royal Rumble.