Daniel Bryan Lasts a Record 76 Minutes at the Greatest Royal Rumble After Ending His Retirement

Daniel Bryan has set a new Royal Rumble record, lasting more than 76 minutes in the 50-man Greatest Royal Rumble in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday, April 27, just weeks after returning from retirement.

Bryan drew the dreaded number one spot and survived until the final three before Big Cass finally eliminated him. His time of 1:16 smashed the previous record of 1:02:12 set by Rey Mysterio in 2006, according to Last Word on Pro Wrestling. That was only a minute or so shorter than the match itself, and made it the second longest anyone has spent in a single match in WWE history. Braun Strowman won the Rumble with a record 13 eliminations in front of 60,000 fans at the King Abdullah International Stadium.

Bryan was forced to retire in 2016 because of concussions, and was only medically cleared to wrestle again in March. Going the distance with 49 other men, in his first month back in the ring, is quite a statement about his conditioning, as the full entry list shows.

The SmackDown star has eaten mainly plant-based for years, and while he no longer likes the vegan label, plants are still at the heart of his diet. Speaking on the Why Not Now? podcast, transcribed by Wrestling Inc, he explained:

I'm mostly vegan, but I think the term 'vegan' turns off a lot of people too... I also really like the term 'plant-based' more than anything else because more so than judging people or anything like that, for healthy lifestyles, the more plants you eat, the better and I just think the better for the planet too.

Bryan is part of a strong plant-powered contingent in wrestling. Just last month Austin Aries completed the Impact Grand Slam, and we've also covered the WWE heavyweight who is vegan because he “gives a damn”. In combat sports, Nate Diaz famously outlasted Conor McGregor.

Seventy-six minutes and still going. Yes! Yes! Yes!