The 2023 Royal Rumble is coming up and the fans cannot wait to see which legends will reappear, and which WWE superstar will walk out victorious. But what happens when you win the Royal Rumble? What is the prize for outlasting 30 other men (or women) on the way to achieving one of the biggest honours in WWE history?
What Happens When You Win The Royal Rumble?
There are three potential things that can happen when you win the Royal Rumble.
1) The Winner Earns A Championship Match At Wrestlemania (usually in the main event)
The main prize for winning the WWE Royal Rumble is to earn a world championship opportunity at Wrestlemania. However, this hasn’t always been the case. The stipulation was not added until 1993, whereas previously one of the two other prizes for winning were available instead.
On the whole, winning the Royal Rumble almost guarantees that you will win the WWE Championship (or another world title) at Wrestlemania. More wrestlers than not have walked out of Wrestlemania with the belt after outlasting 29 other men, including Undertaker, John Cena, Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels. However, in recent years it has been less predictable, with big names like Edge and Shinsuke Nakamura both failing to win the belt after triumphing at Wrestlemania. The winner of the match does not always wrestle in the main event of Wrestlemania, but it is advertised as such during the build up to the event.
Since 2018, WWE has also put on a Women’s Royal Rumble. The winner of this match has received a shot at the women’s championship (Raw or Smackdown) at Wrestlemania, and there has yet to be any other prize for winning the female edition of the match.
2) You Win A World Championship
On certain select events, the winner of the Royal Rumble has won themselves the WWE Championship. This has only happened twice and for two stark differences each time.
The first was in 1992, where Ric Flair beat 29 men to win the Royal Rumble match and win the WWE (then WWF) Championship. This was because WWF President Jack Tunney stripped Hulk Hogan of the WWF Championship, due to the ongoing controversy of his feud with The Undertaker throughout late 1991. This left the title vacant and put up for grabs as a prize at the Royal Rumble. Flair would go on to the call the moment he won the belt as “the greatest day in my life”.
The second was in 2016, where Vince McMahon and “The Authority” forced Roman Reigns to put his WWE Championship on the line inside the match. Reigns was compelled to enter the bout first, with the only way he could keep his belt was to defeat 29 of the top stars in the company in the over-the-top rope Battle Royal. He came third in the match, which was eventually won by Triple H. Reigns would go on to regain the title at Wrestlemania 32 against Triple H.
3) Nothing. Just the satisfaction of winning the match
In the early days of the Royal Rumble, there was no reward for winning the match. Prior to 1992, the winner of the match simply got the satisfaction of winning. It was first won by Jim Duggan, who was followed by Big John Studd and Hulk Hogan (twice) as men who won the Royal Rumble but received no such prize for the effort.
The 2023 Royal Rumble is fast approaching and looks to be one of the most exciting one yet. Who do you want to win the match and which legends would you like to see return in the match? Let us know in the comments or click below to read about the best surprise Royal Rumble return ever.