The Royal Rumble is one of the most popular and anticipated events in professional wrestling, created by the world’s leading promotion, WWE. First held in 1988, the event takes its name from the iconic Royal Rumble match – a battle royal featuring 30 wrestlers who enter the ring at timed intervals. Over more than 30 years, the Royal Rumble has cemented its status as one of WWE’s “Big Five” pay-per-view events, alongside other flagship events like WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Survivor Series.
The original concept for the Royal Rumble match is credited to WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson, while the event itself was spearheaded by the then-World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). The inaugural event was held on January 24, 1988, at the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario and was broadcast live on the USA Network. While that first Royal Rumble only featured 20 wrestlers and lasted 33 minutes, it began a new WWE tradition that has thrilled fans year after year.
Today, the Royal Rumble takes place every January, marking the unofficial start of the “Road to WrestleMania” as the winner of the Rumble match gets a guaranteed title shot at that year’s Showcase of the Immortals. Over nearly four decades, the event has been hosted in various major arenas around the United States as well as Canada, drawing tens of thousands of impassioned members of the WWE Universe. Besides the signature battle royal, the Royal Rumble card also showcases other marquee matches, like title defenses.
With its chaotic and unpredictable nature featuring non-stop action, surprise entrants, dramatic eliminations and historic victories, the Royal Rumble pay-per-view has deservedly earned a place as one of the most entertaining shows WWE puts on. It never fails to deliver jaw-dropping moments that capture the imagination of wrestling fans everywhere.