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

Credit: WWE.com

33. Hacksaw Jim Duggan

Hacksaw Jim Duggan, on paper, seems like he should place higher than he does. The novelty of being the first ever winner of a Royal Rumble match should, theoretically, carry a bit of weight. For Duggan, however, it serves only to bring him to this level in the rankings.

The 1988 Royal Rumble was more of a test run than anything. It was aired on the USA Network as a one-off special and featured 20 competitors, rather than 30. Hacksaw Jim Duggan won the match from the Number 13 spot, racking up three eliminations, last tossing One Man Gang over the top rope to claim his place in WWE’s record books.

Again, the WrestleMania title shot rule had not yet been established, so Duggan’s victory was more a novelty than anything. When Duggan is brought up or makes an appearance in WWE, the inaugural Royal Rumble is inevitably mentioned, but this demonstrates that the victory was Duggan’s only real accomplishment of note as a WWE Superstar.

Duggan did compete in the WrestleMania IV tournament to crown a WWE Champion, but he was eliminated in a forgettable first round match that lasted less than five minutes. He went on to spend his remaining years in the company as a midcarder, never capturing gold or being considered a serious main event contender.

Though Hacksaw Jim Duggan’s place in WWE history as a Royal Rumble winner and a Hall of Famer are secure, his Royal Rumble victory is simply not on par with those who came after.