We’ve all seen the classic “Rumble by the numbers” that air every year on WWE TV. They list out facts like “400 WWE superstars have been thrown over the top rope” and “despite being 9 foot tall, they managed to throw Big Show over the top rope!”. They remark on Rey Mysterio‘s incredible 60 minute survival in 2006, and Steve Austin record three wins in the legendary match. It’s all fun facts about the WWE Royal Rumble and what we can expect from the next iteration of the match.
Another one that was oft mentioned was that “two men have entered from number one and won the whole match”. That has since been extended to three, with Edge’s impressive victory in 2021, but the famous line always stated “two men have won the Royal Rumble from number one – one of them was Shawn Michaels”.
This always amused fans who knew who the other man was, and bemused those new fans who had no idea. That man entered number 1 in the 2004 Royal Rumble, lasting the whole match before eliminating the Big Show to win the bout and stamp his ticket to the main event of Wrestlemania.
WWE will never, ever tell you who that man is. Here is who won the 2004 Royal Rumble and why the WWE don’t say who won that years’ rumble.
Who Won The 2004 Royal Rumble?
Chris Benoit won the 2004 Royal Rumble. The Canadian Crippler entered the match at number 1 and lasted the whole match, last eliminating the Big Show to win the match. He entered alongside Randy Orton, who was number 2, and eliminated six men on his way winning the biggest match of the year. When he won the Royal Rumble, Chris Benoit eliminated the following WWE superstars;
- Mark Henry
- Bradshaw
- Rhyno
- Matt Morgan
- A-Train
- Big Show
He lasted over an hour in the match (1:01:30 to be exact), one of the longest stays in the match in history. He was overtaken by Rey Mysterio in 2006 (who lasted 1:02:12, breaking the record set by Benoit as the longest appearance in a Royal Rumble match in history). His win was an impressive feat, as it finally saw one of the best technical wrestlers in the world given his due and a push into the main event scene, that he had not seen since his World Title victory in WWE years prior.
Chris Benoit went on to challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania XX. Ten years after fellow Canadian Bret Hart won the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania X, Benoit challenged Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a bid to win his first world title in WWE.
In one of the best matches in WWE history, Chris Benoit forced Triple H to tap out in the main event of Wrestlemania. He won the World Heavyweight Championship and celebrated in the ring with WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero, as the two best friends closed the show with their emotional shared moment.
Why Don’t WWE Say Who Won The 2004 Royal Rumble?
WWE refuse to mention that Chris Benoit won the 2004 Royal Rumble due to him murdering his wife and son, before killing himself. The former World Heavyweight Champion is the most disgraced star in WWE history and Vince McMahon vowed to never mention him on television again.
He has all but been scrubbed from the record books. His accomplishments aren’t mentioned. His name is omitted from the WWE Network shows featuring his matches. No DVD’s or books featuring his best moments are available and his name may not be uttered on any WWE program.
He brutally killed his wife and son in their homes in June 2007, as he missed a WWE pay per view match with CM Punk at Vengeance 2007. He killed the duo two days before turning on himself and hanging himself by the neck from his home gym, after texting Chavo Guerrero that “the dogs are in the enclosed pool area”.
WWE turned Monday Night Raw after his death in a tribute to Chris Benoit. However, it later came out what he did and on ECW the next night, they vowed to never speak his name on TV again. An angle involving Vince McMahon’s funeral was cancelled and the biggest storyline of the year (Vince McMahon’s death in an exploding Limo) was cancelled for good.
The 2004 Royal Rumble is one you wont see being shown again and the incredible achievements of Chris Benoit are now only available to look back in with the knowledge of the horrible things that he did at the end of his life.