The WWE Royal Rumble is one of the most exciting events in the wrestling calendar. It features the titular Royal Rumble match, which pits 30 WWE superstars, celebrities and legends against one another, with the winner getting one of the biggest prizes of all – a one-way ticket into the main event of Wrestlemania.
Everyone loves the match, as it allows for top stars to meet for the first time in the ring, and gives Legends a chance to make one last appearance in the match. Legendary returns include DDP, Kevin Nash, The Boogeyman and The Hurricane in recent years, with more rumoured (like The Rock) likely to appear in the 2023 edition.
However, many have wondered if AEW have their own version of the match. Keep reading to find out!
Does AEW Have Their Own Royal Rumble?
AEW has their own version of the Royal Rumble match, named the Casino Battle Royal. The match is AEW’s take on the legendary match type without outright copying the format (although it is incredibly similar).
The Casino Battle Royale features 21 entrants (although the two tag team editions featured 15 pairs) all vying to win a shot at the World Championship in their respective divisions. Winners have received title match for the AEW Championship, AEW Women’s Championship and AEW Tag Team Championship.
The match is a modified “Royal Rumble” type battle royal, with the staggered entrances that make WWE’s signature match type so iconic. The match begins with five wrestlers in the ring, as opposed to the usual two, decided by the drawing of a card suit before the match. The 21 wrestlers all draw from a modified deck of cards, split into five suits – Diamonds, Hearts, Spades, Clubs and as single Joker card. The joker card is the 21st entrant and is guaranteed to be the final man in the match giving them the best chance of winning. Each other suit contains five cards, so five wrestlers each enter at 5 minute intervals.
The wrestlers are eliminated by being thrown over the top rope with both feet having to touch the floor. This is the same as the Royal Rumble, with the only real difference in the Casino Battle Royal being the frequency and quantity of the number of entrances in each pre-determined interval.
The name “Casino Battle Royal” and the blackjack theme of the match came from the first ever time it took place. The first ever Casino Battle Royale match took place at Double or Nothing 2019, which due to it’s location being in Las Vegas, Nevada, had a heavy casino theme to the whole event.
The first winner of the Casino Battle Royal was Hangman Adam Page. The former AEW Champion last eliminated MJF to win the first iteration of the match and went on to wrestle Chris Jericho in a bid to become the first ever AEW Champion.
There have been four Male Casino Battle Royal’s where the winner gained a shot at the AEW Championship. The winners and locations are as follows;
- Adam Page – Double or Nothing 2019
- Lance Archer – All Out 2020
- Jungle Boy – Double or Nothing 2021
- Kyle O’Reilly – AEW Dynamite, June 8 2022
There have been two female editions of the match, with the winners being;
- Nyla Rose – All Out 2019
- Ruby Soho – All Out 2021
Meanwhile, the Tag Team match winners were;
- Death Triangle (PAC and Rey Fenix) – AEW Revolution 2021
- The Young Bucks – AEW Dynamite, March 2 2022
No winner of the Casino Battle Royal has ever gone on to win the championship they have been chasing. This is at odds with the WWE Royal Rumble, where the winner regularly goes on to Wrestlemania to win the WWE Championship or Women’s Championship.
Who do you think should win the next Casino Battle Royal in AEW? Let us know in the comments or click below to read about every winner of the Casino Ladder Match.