Royal Rumble

Last updated

Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble logo (2022).png
WWE Royal Rumble logo
Created by Pat Patterson
Promotion WWE
Brands Raw (2003–2011, 2017–present)
SmackDown (2003–2011, 2017–present)
ECW (2007–2010)
205 Live (2019)
First event 1988
Signature match Royal Rumble match

Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle royal in which the participants enter at timed intervals instead of all beginning in the ring at the same time. After the inaugural 1988 event aired as a television special on the USA Network, the Royal Rumble has been broadcast via pay-per-view since the 1989 event and livestreaming since the 2015 event. From 1988 until 2024, it was held in late January, but will be held in early February in 2025 and then return to January in 2026. It is one of WWE's five biggest events of the year, along with WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and Money in the Bank, referred to as the "Big Five".

Contents

The Royal Rumble match is generally held as the main event of the annual event. There are some exceptions, such as the 1988, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2006, 2013, and 2023 events. In 1988, the main event was a tag team match, while for all the others, it was a men's world championship match. While originally only for men, a women's version of the Royal Rumble match was held as the main event at the 2018 event, which was also the first event to have two Rumble matches on one card. It subsequently became standard to have both a men's and women's Royal Rumble match at the annual event. The 2026 event will be the first to take place outside of North America as it will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

History

Event

The Royal Rumble match was created by wrestler and WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson and the event was established by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). After the match was first tested at a house show in October 1987, [1] the first Royal Rumble event took place on January 24, 1988, and was broadcast live as a television special on the USA Network. [2] The following year, the event started to be broadcast on pay-per-view (PPV), [3] and thus became one of the "Big Four" annual PPVs, along with WrestleMania, Survivor Series, and SummerSlam, the promotion's then-four biggest shows of the year. [4] [5] From 1993 to 2002, it was considered one of the "Big Five", including King of the Ring, but that PPV event was discontinued after 2002 (although it to returned to PPV in 2024). [6] In August 2021, Money in the Bank became recognized as one of the "Big Five". [7] [8]

In May 2002, the WWF was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) following a lawsuit with the World Wildlife Fund over the "WWF" initialism. [9] In April 2011, the promotion ceased using its full name with the "WWE" abbreviation becoming an orphaned initialism. [10] Also in March 2002, the promotion introduced the brand extension, in which the roster was divided between the Raw and SmackDown brands where wrestlers were exclusively assigned to perform on their respective weekly television shows [11] —ECW became a third brand in 2006. [12] The first brand extension was dissolved in August 2011, [13] but it was reintroduced in July 2016 (other brands, including NXT, NXT UK, and 205 Live, would also be active during this second brand split). [14] The Royal Rumble, along with the other original "Big Four" events, were the only PPVs to never be held exclusively for one brand during either brand split periods. The 2008 Royal Rumble was the first WWE pay-per-view to be available in high-definition. [15] In 2015, the Royal Rumble began to air on WWE's online streaming service, the WWE Network, which launched in February 2014, [16] and in 2022, the event became available on Peacock as the American version of the WWE Network merged under Peacock in March 2021. [17]

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic that began affecting the industry in March 2020, WWE had to hold its events behind closed doors. The 2021 event was in turn held in WWE's bio-secure bubble called the WWE ThunderDome, which at the time was hosted at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. [18] [19] WWE resumed live touring in July 2021 and the 2022 event was held at The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri. [20]

From its inception in 1988 up through the 2024 event, the Royal Rumble was held annually in late January. On June 24, 2024, WWE announced a partnership with the Indiana Sports Corp which would see the 2025 Royal Rumble, as well as a future WrestleMania and a future SummerSlam, held at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The date for the 2025 Royal Rumble was announced for February 1, thus marking the first Royal Rumble held outside of January. This will also be the first Royal Rumble to be livestreamed on Netflix following the international WWE Network's merger under the platform in January 2025. [21]

In early 2018, WWE began a 10-year strategic multiplatform partnership with the Ministry of Sport (formerly General Sports Authority) in support of Saudi Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia's social and economic reform program. The first event in this partnership was the one-off Greatest Royal Rumble, which featured a 50-man Royal Rumble match. [22] [23] In May 2024, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh, announced that the country was in talks with WWE to bring either the Royal Rumble or WrestleMania to the country in 2026 or 2027. [24] Ahead of Raw's premier on Netflix on January 6, 2025, WWE officially confirmed that the 39th Royal Rumble would be happening in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as part of Riyadh Season in January 2026, marking the first Royal Rumble to be held outside of North America, and the first of the "Big Five" held in Saudi Arabia. [25]

Due to the Royal Rumble matches taking up a large amount of time (most Rumble matches last roughly one hour), the Royal Rumble event tends to have a smaller card than most other pay-per-view events. The men's Royal Rumble match is usually the main event, though there have been exceptions, namely the 1988, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2006, 2013, 2018, and 2023 events. [26] In these cases, 1988's main event was a tag team match, while the others were men's world championship matches, except in 2018. The 2018 Royal Rumble was the first to include a women's Royal Rumble match, which was the main event for that year. It was subsequently the first in which two Rumble matches were contested on one card and it is now standard for the event to include both a men's and women's Rumble match. [27]

Match

The Royal Rumble match is based on the classic battle royal, in which a number of wrestlers (traditionally 30) aim at eliminating their competitors by tossing them over the top rope, with both feet touching the floor. The difference between a Royal Rumble and a standard battle royal is that in a standard battle royal, all participants start the match in the ring at the same time, where in a Royal Rumble match, two participants start and then the rest enter at timed intervals. [28] [29] The winner of the match is the last wrestler remaining after all others have been eliminated. Since the 1993 event, the prize for winning is a world championship match at WrestleMania, with the exception of the 2016 event, where the prize was the WWE Championship (at the time known as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship) as reigning champion Roman Reigns defended the title in the match. [28] [30] According to Hornswoggle, who worked for WWE from 2006 until 2016 and participated in two Rumbles, participants may learn their eliminations by knowing the two wrestlers who are eliminated before them and which wrestlers are entering the Royal Rumble before and after their elimination. [31]

Events and winners

#EventDateCityVenueWinnerRef.
MenNo.WomenNo.
1 Royal Rumble (1988) January 24, 1988 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Copps Coliseum Jim Duggan 13— [32] [33]
2 Royal Rumble (1989) January 15, 1989 Houston, Texas The Summit Big John Studd 27 [34] [35]
3 Royal Rumble (1990) January 21, 1990 Orlando, Florida Orlando Arena Hulk Hogan 25 [36] [37]
4 Royal Rumble (1991) January 19, 1991 Miami, Florida Miami Arena Hulk Hogan 24 [38] [39]
5 Royal Rumble (1992) January 19, 1992 Albany, New York Knickerbocker Arena Ric Flair 3 [40] [41]
6 Royal Rumble (1993) January 24, 1993 Sacramento, California ARCO Arena Yokozuna 27 [42] [43]
7 Royal Rumble (1994) January 22, 1994 Providence, Rhode Island Providence Civic Center Lex Luger 23 [44] [45]
Bret Hart 27
8 Royal Rumble (1995) January 22, 1995 Tampa, Florida USF Sun Dome Shawn Michaels 1 [46] [47]
9 Royal Rumble (1996) January 21, 1996 Fresno, California Selland Arena Shawn Michaels 18 [48] [49]
10 Royal Rumble (1997) January 19, 1997 San Antonio, Texas Alamodome Stone Cold Steve Austin 5 [50] [51]
11 Royal Rumble (1998) January 18, 1998 San Jose, California San Jose Arena Stone Cold Steve Austin 24 [52] [53] [54]
12 Royal Rumble (1999) January 24, 1999 Anaheim, California Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim Mr. McMahon 2 [55] [56] [57]
13 Royal Rumble (2000) January 23, 2000 New York City, New York Madison Square Garden The Rock 24 [58] [59] [60]
14 Royal Rumble (2001) January 21, 2001 New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans Arena Stone Cold Steve Austin 27 [61] [62] [63]
15 Royal Rumble (2002) January 20, 2002 Atlanta, Georgia Philips Arena Triple H 22 [64] [65] [66]
16 Royal Rumble (2003) January 19, 2003 Boston, Massachusetts FleetCenter Brock Lesnar 29 [67] [68]
17 Royal Rumble (2004) January 25, 2004 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wachovia Center Chris Benoit 1 [69] [70] [71]
18 Royal Rumble (2005) January 30, 2005 Fresno, California Save Mart Center Batista 28 [72] [73] [74]
19 Royal Rumble (2006) January 29, 2006 Miami, Florida American Airlines Arena Rey Mysterio 2 [75] [76] [77]
20 Royal Rumble (2007) January 28, 2007 San Antonio, Texas AT&T Center The Undertaker 30 [78] [79] [80]
21 Royal Rumble (2008) January 27, 2008 New York City, New York Madison Square Garden John Cena 30 [81] [82] [83]
22 Royal Rumble (2009) January 25, 2009 Detroit, Michigan Joe Louis Arena Randy Orton 8 [84] [85]
23 Royal Rumble (2010) January 31, 2010 Atlanta, Georgia Philips Arena Edge 29 [86] [87]
24 Royal Rumble (2011) January 30, 2011 Boston, Massachusetts TD Garden Alberto Del Rio 38 [88]
25 Royal Rumble (2012) January 29, 2012 St. Louis, Missouri Scottrade Center Sheamus 22 [89] [90] [91]
26 Royal Rumble (2013) January 27, 2013 Phoenix, Arizona US Airways Center John Cena 19 [92] [93]
27 Royal Rumble (2014) January 26, 2014 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Consol Energy Center Batista 28 [94] [95]
28 Royal Rumble (2015) January 25, 2015 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wells Fargo Center Roman Reigns 19 [96]
29 Royal Rumble (2016) January 24, 2016 Orlando, Florida Amway Center Triple H 30 [97] [98]
30 Royal Rumble (2017) January 29, 2017 San Antonio, Texas Alamodome Randy Orton 23 [99]
31 Royal Rumble (2018) January 28, 2018 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wells Fargo Center Shinsuke Nakamura 14 Asuka 25 [100] [101] [102]
32 Royal Rumble (2019) January 27, 2019 Phoenix, Arizona Chase Field Seth Rollins 10 Becky Lynch 28 [103]
33 Royal Rumble (2020) January 26, 2020 Houston, Texas Minute Maid Park Drew McIntyre 16 Charlotte Flair 17 [104]
34 Royal Rumble (2021) January 31, 2021 St. Petersburg, Florida WWE ThunderDome at Tropicana Field Edge 1 Bianca Belair 3 [105]
35 Royal Rumble (2022) January 29, 2022 St. Louis, Missouri The Dome at America's Center Brock Lesnar 30 Ronda Rousey 28 [106]
36 Royal Rumble (2023) January 28, 2023 San Antonio, Texas Alamodome Cody Rhodes 30 Rhea Ripley 1[ citation needed ]
37 Royal Rumble (2024) January 27, 2024 St. Petersburg, Florida Tropicana Field Cody Rhodes 15 Bayley 3 [107]
38 Royal Rumble (2025) February 1, 2025 Indianapolis, Indiana Lucas Oil Stadium [108]
39 Royal Rumble (2026) January 2026 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia TBA [109] [110]

Video box set

In March 2007, WWE released a complete DVD box set titled Royal Rumble: The Complete Anthology, which showcases every Royal Rumble event in its entirety, up to the 2007 Royal Rumble. [111]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King of the Ring</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event series

King and Queen of the Ring, formerly and still commonly known as simply King of the Ring, is a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The event was established in 1993 and centers on the men's King of the Ring tournament, which had been established in 1985, and beginning in 2024, the women's Queen of the Ring tournament, which was established in 2021 and originally known as the Queen's Crown tournament.

WWE Backlash is a professional wrestling event that is produced by the American company WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is broadcast live and has been available through pay-per-view (PPV) since 1999 and via livestreaming since 2016. Since premiering in 1999, 19 events have been held, with its most recent 19th edition occurring at the LDLC Arena in Décines-Charpieu in the Metropolis of Lyon, France on May 4, 2024. With the exception of the events held from 2016 to 2020, the concept of the show is based around the backlash of WWE's flagship event, WrestleMania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SummerSlam</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event series

SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind their flagship event, WrestleMania. It is also considered one of the company's five biggest events of the year, along with WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, and Money in the Bank, referred to as the "Big Five". The event has been broadcast on pay-per-view (PPV) since the inaugural 1988 event and via livestreaming since the 2014 event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Rumble (2005)</span> World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view event

The 2005 Royal Rumble was the 18th annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown! brand divisions. The event took place on January 30, 2005, at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. As has been customary since 1993, the Royal Rumble match winner received a world championship match at that year's WrestleMania. For the 2005 event, the winner received their choice to challenge for either Raw's World Heavyweight Championship or SmackDown!'s WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Rumble match</span> Professional wrestling match type

The Royal Rumble match is a professional wrestling match based on the classic Battle Royal match in which a number of wrestlers aim at eliminating their competitors by tossing them over the top rope, with both feet touching the floor. The match is typically the main event of WWE's January pay-per-view and livestreaming event known as the Royal Rumble. The winner of the event is the last wrestler remaining after all others have been eliminated. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin holds the record for most victories at three, achieved in 1997, 1998, and 2001, while Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, John Cena, Batista, Triple H, Randy Orton, Edge, Brock Lesnar, and Cody Rhodes have all won the match twice, with Hogan, Michaels, Austin, and Rhodes as the only four to win back-to-back matches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Year's Revolution (2005)</span> World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view event

The 2005 New Year's Revolution was the inaugural New Year's Revolution professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw brand division. It took place on January 9, 2005, at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was WWE's first pay-per-view event held in Puerto Rico and Latin America—it was the only WWE pay-per-view event held in Puerto Rico until Backlash on May 6, 2023. Tickets for this event sold out in less than a month, marking one of the fastest-selling events in the short history of the venue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Rumble (2010)</span> World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view event

The 2010 Royal Rumble was the 23rd annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brand divisions. The event took place on January 31, 2010, at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. As has been customary since 1993, the Royal Rumble match winner received a world championship match at that year's WrestleMania. For the 2010 event, the winner received their choice to challenge for either Raw's WWE Championship, SmackDown's World Heavyweight Championship, or the ECW Championship at WrestleMania XXVI—this was the last Royal Rumble in which the ECW Championship was an option as the ECW brand was disbanded in February, also deactivating the title, thus also being WWE's last PPV to include the ECW brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insurrextion (2003)</span> World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view event

The 2003 Insurrextion was the fourth annual and final Insurrextion professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the American promotion, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw brand division. The event took place on June 7, 2003, at the Newcastle Arena in Newcastle, England, and was broadcast exclusively in the United Kingdom. It was the only Insurrextion produced under the WWE name, as the promotion was renamed from World Wrestling Federation (WWF) to WWE just two days after the previous year's event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Rumble (2011)</span> World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view event

The 2011 Royal Rumble was the 24th annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on January 30, 2011, at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. As has been customary since 1993, the Royal Rumble match winner received a world championship match at that year's WrestleMania. For the 2011 event, the winner received their choice to challenge for either Raw's WWE Championship or SmackDown's World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXVII. This was the last Royal Rumble held under the first brand extension, which ended in August, but was reinstated in July 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWE Elimination Chamber</span> Professional wrestling event series

WWE Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. It is available only through pay-per-view (PPV) and the livestreaming services, Peacock and the WWE Network. The event was established in 2010, replacing No Way Out as the annual February PPV. The concept of the event is that one or two main event matches are contested inside the Elimination Chamber, either with championships or future opportunities at championships at stake. The Elimination Chamber match itself had been created in 2002 and held at various other WWE pay-per-views before the establishment of the namesake event in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWE Vengeance</span> Professional wrestling event series

WWE Vengeance, known as NXT Vengeance Day since 2021, is an American professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The event was originally created in 2001 as a pay-per-view (PPV), when the promotion was still called the World Wrestling Federation. Since 2021, the event has been held annually in February for WWE's developmental brand, NXT, under the title NXT Vengeance Day, which is a reference to the event taking place on or around Valentine's Day. The 2021 event aired on both traditional PPV and via livestreaming. The 2022 event was then held as a television special on the USA Network, but since 2023, it has aired exclusively via WWE's livestreaming platforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King of the Ring (2015)</span> WWE Network event

The 2015 King of the Ring was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE. It was the 11th King of the Ring event and was held on Tuesday, April 28, 2015, at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois. Unlike previous King of the Ring events, which aired on traditional pay-per-view (PPV) from 1993 to 2002, the 2015 event was livestreamed exclusively on WWE's online service, the WWE Network, which made it the first King of the Ring event to air on the platform, as well as the first dedicated King of the Ring event since 2002. The event featured the semifinals and finals of the 20th King of the Ring tournament, which was won by Bad News Barrett, who defeated Neville in the final and subsequently became known as King Barrett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greatest Royal Rumble</span> 2018 WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

WWE Greatest Royal Rumble was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by the American company WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown, and 205 Live brand divisions. The event took place on April 27, 2018, at the King Abdullah Sports City's King Abdullah International Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was the first in a series of WWE events held in Saudi Arabia in support of Saudi Vision 2030, the country's social and economic reform program. At the event, all men's main roster championships at the time were defended, in addition to a 50-man Royal Rumble match, titled the Greatest Royal Rumble match.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWE in Saudi Arabia</span> Series of professional wrestling events

WWE, an American professional wrestling promotion based in Stamford, Connecticut, has been promoting events in Saudi Arabia since 2014. After initially holding non-televised house shows, WWE announced a 10-year strategic partnership with the Ministry of Sport in 2018, which would see the hosting of pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming events in Saudi Arabia. In 2019, WWE announced it had "expanded" its partnership with the General Authority for Entertainment through 2027, under which it would hold two "large-scale events" in the country per-year. These events have been held at venues in Riyadh and Jeddah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super ShowDown (2020)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2020 Super ShowDown was the third annual and final Super ShowDown professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by the American company WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on February 27, 2020, at the Mohammed Abdu Arena on the Boulevard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was the fifth event that WWE held in Saudi Arabia under a 10-year partnership in support of Saudi Vision 2030. It was the last event held by WWE in Saudi Arabia until Crown Jewel in October 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic began severely restricting travel only weeks after Super ShowDown, with WWE holding all events behind closed doors until July 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King of the Ring tournament</span> Recurring professional wrestling tournament by WWE

The King of the Ring tournament is a men's professional wrestling single-elimination tournament held periodically by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. Established in 1985, the winner of the inaugural tournament was Don Muraco. The prize for winning the tournament is being crowned the "King of the Ring"; some wrestlers have incorporated this into their character, such as adorning king's attire and acting and speaking with a regal attitude. On two occasions, the tournament has awarded an additional reward, that being for a world championship match. The tournament is also notable for beginning "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's rise to stardom after he won the 1996 tournament. The most recent 2024 tournament was won by Gunther.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elimination Chamber (2022)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2022 Elimination Chamber was the 12th Elimination Chamber professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by the American company WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on Saturday, February 19, 2022, at the Jeddah Super Dome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Rumble (2025)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2025 Royal Rumble, also promoted as Royal Rumble: Indianapolis, is an upcoming professional wrestling event produced by WWE. It will be the 38th annual Royal Rumble. It will take place on Saturday, February 1, 2025, at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, marking the first Royal Rumble to not take place during the month of January. The event will air via pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming and feature wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. This will also be WWE's first PPV and livestreaming event to air on Netflix in most markets outside the US, following the WWE Network's move to the service in January 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Rumble (2026)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2026 Royal Rumble, also promoted as Royal Rumble: Riyadh, is an upcoming professional wrestling event produced by the American promotion WWE. It will be the 39th annual Royal Rumble and will take place in January 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as part of Riyadh Season, marking the first traditional Royal Rumble to take place outside of North America. This will subsequently be the second event WWE holds in Saudi Arabia to feature a Royal Rumble match after Greatest Royal Rumble in April 2018, and the first of WWE's "Big 5" events to take place in the country. The event will air via pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming and feature wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brand divisions.

References

General
Specific
  1. ↑ Burkholder, Denny (January 26, 2017). "The Lost Royal Rumble and how a signature WWE event survived despite early failure". CBSSports . Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  2. ↑ Ric Flair. Ric Flair: To Be the Man (p.161)
  3. ↑ "Royal Rumble results". ProWrestlingHistory.com. Retrieved December 5, 2007.
  4. ↑ Brian Shields. Main Event: WWE in the Raging 80s (p.166)
  5. ↑ Ian Hamilton. Wrestling's Sinking Ship: What Happens to an Industry Without Competition (p. 160)
  6. ↑ Sullivan, Kevin (November 23, 2010). The WWE Championship: A Look Back at the Rich History of the WWE Championship. Gallery Books. p. 124. ISBN   9781439193211. At the time, SummerSlam was one of WWE's "Big Five" Pay-Per-Views (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, King of the Ring, and Survivor Series were the others), ...
  7. ↑ News 3 Staff (August 22, 2021). "Las Vegas to host WWE's Money in the Bank in 2022". KSNV . Retrieved May 31, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ WWE.com Staff (January 5, 2023). "Money in the Bank headed to The O2 in London on Saturday, July 1". WWE . Retrieved January 5, 2023. The O2 is one of the world's premier venues and the perfect home for Money In The Bank. We are excited to bring one of our 'Big 5' events to the UK and look forward to welcoming the WWE Universe to London on July 1.
  9. ↑ "World Wrestling Federation Entertainment Drops The "F" To Emphasize the "E" for Entertainment". WWE. Archived from the original on January 19, 2009. Retrieved August 28, 2008.
  10. ↑ Sacco, Justine; Weitz, Michael (April 7, 2011). "The New WWE" (Press release). Connecticut: WWE . Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  11. ↑ "WWE Entertainment To Make RAW and SMACKDOWN Distinct Television Brands" (Press release). WWE. March 27, 2002. Archived from the original on April 17, 2010. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
  12. ↑ "WWE brings ECW to Sci Fi Channel". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved June 2, 2006.
  13. ↑ Nemer, Paul (August 30, 2011). "Raw Results – 8/29/11". Wrestleview. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  14. ↑ "WWE's destiny to be determined during SmackDown's Live premiere". WWE. June 20, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  15. ↑ Clayton, Cory. "How do I get WWE HD on my HDTV". WWE. Retrieved January 20, 2008.
  16. ↑ Hooton, Christopher (February 24, 2014). "WWE Network: Price, schedule and everything else you need to know". The Independent. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  17. ↑ WWE.com Staff (March 8, 2021). "WWE Network to launch on Peacock March 18". WWE . Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  18. ↑ "WWE ThunderDome will head to Tampa Bay's Tropicana Field beginning Friday, Dec. 11". WWE. November 19, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  19. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (November 19, 2020). "WWE ThunderDome Moving To Tropicana Field On December 11". Fightful. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  20. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (September 27, 2021). "WWE Announces Date And Location For Royal Rumble 2022". Fightful. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  21. ↑ Gaydos, Ryan (June 24, 2024). "WWE to host 3 major premium live events in Indianapolis, starting with 2025 Royal Rumble". Fox Business . Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  22. ↑ WWE.com Staff (March 5, 2018). "Saudi Arabia to host the Greatest Royal Rumble". WWE . Archived from the original on March 5, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  23. ↑ "National Transformation Program 2020" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 28, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Saudi Arabia Hosting WWE WrestleMania Or Royal Rumble Update". WrestleTalk. May 15, 2024.
  25. ↑ "Saudi Arabia to host Royal Rumble in 2026". WWE . Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  26. ↑ Dale Plummer and Nick Tylwalk (January 29, 2007). "Old guard dominates Rumble". SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on July 24, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2007.
  27. ↑ WWE.com Staff (December 18, 2017). "The first-ever 30-Woman Over-The-Top Royal Rumble Match". WWE.com. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  28. 1 2 "Specialty Matches: Royal Rumble". WWE. Archived from the original on May 12, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2007.
  29. ↑ Waldman, Jon (February 2, 2005). "Statistical survival – breaking down the Royal Rumble". SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2007.
  30. ↑ Dale Plummer and Nick Tylwalk (January 30, 2006). "Mysterio claims Rumble; Cena reigns again". SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2007.
  31. ↑ YouShoot Swoggle (Hornswoggle). Kayfabe Commentaries. Archived from the original on September 14, 2016.
  32. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1988 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  33. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1988 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  34. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1989 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  35. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1989 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  36. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1990 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  37. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1990 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  38. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1991 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  39. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1991 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  40. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1992 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  41. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1992 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  42. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1993 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  43. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1993 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  44. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1994 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  45. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1994 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  46. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1995 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  47. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1995 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  48. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1996 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  49. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1996 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  50. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1997 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  51. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1997 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  52. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1998 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  53. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1998 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  54. ↑ Powell, John (January 19, 1998). "Austin wins predictable Rumble". SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  55. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1999 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  56. ↑ "Royal Rumble 1999 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  57. ↑ Gramlich, Chris (January 25, 1998). "McMahon wins Rumble, Rock champ again". SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  58. ↑ "Royal Rumble 2000 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  59. ↑ "Royal Rumble 2000 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  60. ↑ Powell, John (January 24, 1998). "Rocky wins the Rumble, A bloody Triple H defeats Cactus Jack". SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  61. ↑ "Royal Rumble 2001 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  62. ↑ "Royal Rumble 2001 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  63. ↑ Powell, John (January 22, 1998). "Surprises dominate Rumble 2001". SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  64. ↑ "Royal Rumble 2002 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  65. ↑ "Royal Rumble 2002 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  66. ↑ Powell, John (January 21, 1998). "Rumble 2002 stumbles, Triple H wins WrestleMania spot". SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  67. ↑ "Royal Rumble 2003 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  68. ↑ "Royal Rumble 2003 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  69. ↑ "Royal Rumble 2004 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  70. ↑ "Royal Rumble 2004 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 4, 2009. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  71. ↑ Powell, John (January 26, 1998). "Benoit wins the 'Rumble'". SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  72. ↑ "Royal Rumble 2005 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  73. ↑ "Royal Rumble 2005 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  74. ↑ Plummer, Dale (January 31, 1998). "Batista claims the Rumble". SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  75. ↑ "Royal Rumble 2006 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  76. ↑ "Royal Rumble 2006 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  77. ↑ Plummer, Dale (January 30, 1998). "Mysterio claims Rumble; Cena reigns again". SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  78. ↑ "Royal Rumble 2007 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  79. ↑ "Royal Rumble 2007 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  80. ↑ Plummer, Dale (January 28, 1998). "Old guard dominates Rumble". SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on July 24, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  81. ↑ "Royal Rumble 2008 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  82. ↑ "Royal Rumble 2008 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  83. ↑ Plummer, Dale (January 28, 1998). "Cena wins Rumble in surprise return". SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  84. ↑ "Royal Rumble 2009 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  85. ↑ "Royal Rumble 2009 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  86. ↑ "Royal Rumble 2010 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  87. ↑ "Royal Rumble 2010 Main Event Synopsis". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  88. ↑ Gerweck, Steve (July 27, 2010). "Upcoming dates for WWE PPV events in 2011". WrestleView. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
  89. ↑ "WWE presents Royal Rumble, 01-29-2012". WWE. December 11, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  90. ↑ Murphy, Ryan (January 29, 2013). "Sheamus won the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match". WWE. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
  91. ↑ Powers, Kevin (January 29, 2012). "WWE Champion CM Punk def. Dolph Ziggler (Special Guest Referee John Laurinaitis)". WWE. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
  92. ↑ "Royal Rumble 2013 results". WWE. January 28, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
  93. ↑ Giannini, Alex; Linder, Zach (January 27, 2013). "John Cena won the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match". WWE. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
  94. ↑ Murphy, Ryan; Linder, Zach. "Batista won the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match". WWE. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  95. ↑ "Royal Rumble 2014 results" . Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  96. ↑ Royal Rumble (2015)#Results
  97. ↑ Jones, Elton (January 16, 2016). "When Is WWE Royal Rumble 2016? Date, Location & Start Time". Heavy.com . Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  98. ↑ Murphy, Ryan. "Triple H won the 2016 Royal Rumble Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship". WWE. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
  99. ↑ "Royal Rumble returns to Alamodome for the first time in 20 years". WWE. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  100. ↑ "Philadelphia to host 30th anniversary of WWE Royal Rumble in 2018". WWE. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  101. ↑ Benigno, Anthony. "Shinsuke Nakamura won the 2018 Men's Royal Rumble Match". WWE. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  102. ↑ Benigno, Anthony. "Asuka won the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble Match; Ronda Rousey debuted". WWE. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  103. ↑ "WWE fans, Royal Rumble 2019 is coming to Chase Field in Phoenix". AZ Central. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  104. ↑ Barron, David (February 16, 2019). "WWE's Royal Rumble coming to Minute Maid Park in 2020". Houston Chron. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  105. ↑ Powell, Jason (January 31, 2021). "WWE Royal Rumble results: Powell's live review of the Royal Rumble matches, Drew McIntyre vs. Goldberg for the WWE Championship, Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens in a Last Man Standing match for the WWE Universal Championship, Sasha Banks vs. Carmella for the Smackdown Women's Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  106. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (September 27, 2021). "WWE Announces Date And Location For Royal Rumble 2022". Fightful. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  107. ↑ Russell, Skylar (September 13, 2023). "WWE Royal Rumble 2024 To Take Place At Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida". Fightful. Archived from the original on September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  108. ↑ Russell, Skylar (June 24, 2024). "WWE Royal Rumble 2025 To Take Place On February 1 In Indianapolis, City Set To Host Future WrestleMania And SummerSlam Events". Fightful. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  109. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (January 3, 2025). "Report: WWE Royal Rumble 2026 To Be Held In Saudi Arabia". Fightful. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  110. ↑ Colin Tessier (January 6, 2025). "WWE Confirms WWE Royal Rumble 2026 Will Be In Saudi Arabia". WrestleZone.
  111. ↑ "Royal Rumble 2015". Royal Rumble. Retrieved January 18, 2015.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.