Santino Marella was hilariously eliminated in record time at the 2009 Royal Rumble | OneFootball

With the 2023 Royal Rumble fast approaching, let’s look back at the quickest elimination in the history of the famous event.

In the now-36 years of the Rumble, no man has spent less time in the match than Santino Marella in 2009, whose night of work clocked in at under 2 seconds. In and out without even breaking a sweat.

A brilliant comedy character, the Italian Stallion’s elimination is an iconic moment.

How did Santino get eliminated so quickly?

Santino had come up big with his entrance number, getting the no.28 spot for the match. With just two men entering after him, he should have been in with a good chance of success.

But given WWE is scripted, it created a brilliant opportunity for a true boom to bust moment for one of their funniest superstars, and also one who knew and played his role on the roster expertly.

He made a beeline for the ring in his familiar way, only to be met by Kane upon arrival who immediately clotheslined him back to where he came from in hilarious and stunning fashion. It had to be the easiest of the Big Red Machine’s record 46 Rumble eliminations.

Marella protested in sheer shock at what happened, claiming he wasn’t ready in fantastic adlib style. The shortest shift of the night gave fans one of the best moments of the match.

His official time came in at 1.09 seconds, which of course is unlikely to ever be topped barring a return of the Italian Stallion.

Take a look below at the hilarious Rumble moment (shared on Twitter by @WWE itself)

VIDEO: Santino Marella’s record-quick Royal Rumble elimination in 2009

Who won the 2009 Royal Rumble?

While Santino and his phenomenally funny unibrow were sent to the back, the match drove on with Randy Orton eventually emerging victorious. His career rival Triple H was eliminated last, but major help came from his Legacy teammates Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase.

This was the first of two wins for Orton in the famous match, with another coming in 2017.

Where is Santino now?

Santino might not have won the Rumble, but he perhaps won the night as a whole if we’re talking pure comedy.

He did eventually win a battle royale in 2009, or was it his twin sister “Santina Marella” who became Miss. WrestleMania at the 25th anniversary of the show.

Marella’s 10-year main roster WWE career from 2007-2017 was filled with laugh out loud moments, and he now finds himself working in Impact as the “Director of Authority” where humour is surely a guarantee.