While the Casino Battle Royal is AEW’s premier battle royal format, the Royal Rampage is quickly becoming their top match in the promotion.
Taking inspiration from WWE’s Royal Rumble, the Royal Rampage is an AEW Rampage-exclusive match, pitting twenty of AEW’s wrestlers against one another.
Like in the WWE, the Royal Rampage winner earns a title shot in the future, although the belt on offer differs in every installment.
So far, only two men have won the Royal Rampage, and we will explain how each one did and what their future held after their victory.
AEW Royal Rampage 2022 – Brody King
The first ever AEW Royal Rampage took place on the July 1st, 2022 episode of AEW Rampage.
This came just days after the second-ever Blood & Guts match, which saw The Blackpool Combat Club take on the Jericho Appreciation Society in a fantastic bout.
On Rampage, the Royal Rampage took place for the first time, pitting twenty of AEW’s top stars against one another.
Brody King won the 2022 Royal Rampage, last eliminating Darby Allin to win the match.
He choked out the young star and tossed him over the ropes, outlasting 19 other men to earn himself a shot at Jon Moxley’s Interim AEW Championship.
Brody King failed to beat Jon Moxley the next week, but put on a fantastic performance that gave credence to the idea that winning the Royal Rampage is an achievement.
AEW Royal Rampage 2023 – Darby Allin
Darby Allin won the second-annual Royal Rampage match, earning a TNT Championship match in the near future.
He outlasted 19-other men to win the Battle Royal, last eliminating Swerve Strickland to win the bout.
The match contested under regular Royal Rumble rules, with two men starting in the ring and extra ones entering after regular intervals.
Darby Allin entered from number 1, starting the match alongside his fierce rival Swerve Strickland (who was number 2).
The match featured some big stars, like Matt Hardy, Brian Cage and the prodigy Nick Wayne, which makes the win a big boost for Darby Allin’s career.
Minoru Suzuki also made a shock appearance, garnering one of the biggest pops of the night from AEW fans.
Unlike the year before, Darby Allin earned a TNT Championship opportunity by winning the Royal Rampage, a downgrade from Brody King’s prize the year prior.