The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It has happened every January since 1988 and has quickly become the go-to pay per view to watch, for hardcore and casual fans alike. It is one of WWE’s five biggest events of the year, along with WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and Money in the Bank.
The Royal Rumble is perhaps the most prestigious event on the WWE Calendar. Every year, 30 male and 30 female superstars battle it out to enter the history books and have their name remembered forever – as Royal Rumble winners.
Winning the legendary match gives the victor an opportunity at the World Championship (or Women’s Championship for the female Royal Rumble) in the main event of Wrestlemania. Main eventing Wrestlemania is as big as a title belt itself and signifies that a wrestler is a top star in the company.
On some occasions, the match has been contested for another prize. In 1992 and 2016, the WWE Championship was on the line with the last man standing walking out with the ultimate prize. In 1992, Ric Flair won the match to become WWF Champion whilst in 2016 Roman Reigns put his WWE Championship on the line in the match which was eventually won by Triple H.
The Royal Rumble match is contested between thirty men (or women). Two start inside the ring and attempt to throw each other over the top rope. Once their two feet hit the floor, they are eliminated from the match. A new superstar enters every 90 seconds (120 seconds on rare occasions) until every wrestler has joined the match.
The match is known for it’s surprise entrances. Returning superstars, brand-new debuts and legends coming back for one last hurrah are commonplace in the Royal Rumble match. Click the link below to read about the best surprise Royal Rumble appearances in WWE.
Once 29 wrestlers have been eliminated, the last man standing is declared the winner and punches their ticket to Wrestlemania. The list of every Royal Rumble winner contains an astonishing number of WWE legends who would adorn any Hall of Fame list (also Alberto Del Rio). Some winners are mentioned less than others when looking back in history – 2004 Royal Rumble winner Chris Benoit has been erased from history due to the circumstances surrounding his death – but the Royal Rumble winner is generally considered to be one of the top wrestlers in the industry.
Below is the list of every Royal Rumble winner in history – both male and female, as there have been two matches on the Royal Rumble PPV since 2018. The below table also details when the match was, how it ended and the place where it took place.
Every Royal Rumble Winner
| Event Name | Winner | Date | Venue | City | Winner's Entry | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Royal Rumble 2022 | Ronda Rousey | Sat Jan 29,2022 | The Dome at America's Center | St. Louis, Missouri | 28 | Ronda Rousey won by last eliminating Charlotte Flair |
| Men's Royal Rumble 2022 | Brock Lesnar | Sat Jan 29,2022 | The Dome at America's Center | St. Louis, Missouri | 30 | Brock Lesnar won by last eliminating Drew McIntyre |
| Women's Royal Rumble 2021 | Bianca Belair | Sun Jan 31,2021 | Tropicana Field | St. Petersburg, Florida | 3 | Bianca Belair won by last eliminating Rhea Ripley |
| Men's Royal Rumble 2021 | Edge | Sun Jan 31,2021 | Tropicana Field | St. Petersburg, Florida | 1 | Edge won by last eliminating Randy Orton |
| Women's Royal Rumble 2020 | Charlotte Flair | Sun Jan 26,2020 | Minute Maid Park | Houston, Texas | 17 | Charlotte Flair won by last eliminating Shayna Baszler |
| Men's Royal Rumble 2020 | Drew McIntyre | Sun Jan 26,2020 | Minute Maid Park | Houston, Texas | 16 | Drew McIntyre won by last eliminating Roman Reigns |
| Men's Royal Rumble 2019 | Seth Rollins | Sun Jan 27,2019 | Chase Field | Phoenix, Arizona | 10 | Seth Rollins won by last eliminating Braun Strowman |
| Women's Royal Rumble 2019 | Becky Lynch | Sun Jan 27,2019 | Chase Field | Phoenix, Arizona | 28 | Becky Lynch won by last eliminating Charlotte Flair |
| Men's Royal Rumble 2018 | Shinsuke Nakamura | Sun Jan 28,2018 | Wells Fargo Center | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 14 | Shinsuke Nakamura won by last eliminating Roman Reigns |
| Women's Royal Rumble 2018 | Asuka | Sun Jan 28,2018 | Wells Fargo Center | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 25 | Asuka won by last eliminating Nikki Bella |
| Royal Rumble 2017 | Randy Orton | Sun Jan 29,2017 | Alamodome | San Antonio, Texas | 23 | Randy Orton won by last eliminating Roman Reigns |
| Royal Rumble 2016 | Triple H | Sun Jan 24,2016 | Amway Center | Orlando, Florida | 30 | Triple H won by last eliminating Dean Ambrose |
| Royal Rumble 2015 | Roman Reigns | Sun Jan 25,2015 | Wells Fargo Center | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 19 | Roman Reigns won by last eliminating Rusev |
| Royal Rumble 2014 | Batista | Sun Jan 26,2014 | Consol Energy Center | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 28 | Batista won by last eliminating Roman Reigns |
| Royal Rumble 2013 | John Cena | Sun Jan 27,2013 | US Airways Center | Phoenix, Arizona | 19 | John Cena won by last eliminating Ryback |
| Royal Rumble 2012 | Sheamus | Sun Jan 29,2012 | Scottrade Center | St. Louis, Missouri | 22 | Sheamus won by last eliminating Chris Jericho |
| Royal Rumble 2012 | Sheamus | Sun Jan 29,2012 | Scottrade Center | St. Louis, Missouri | 22 | Sheamus won by last eliminating Chris Jericho |
| Royal Rumble 2011 | Alberto Del Rio | Sun Jan 30,2011 | TD Garden | Boston, Massachusetts | 38 | Alberto Del Rio won by last eliminating Santino Marella |
| Royal Rumble 2010 | Edge | Sun Jan 31,2010 | Philips Arena | Atlanta, Georgia | 29 | Edge won by last eliminating John Cena |
| Royal Rumble 2009 | Randy Orton | Sun Jan 25,2009 | Joe Louis Arena | Detroit, Michigan | 8 | Randy Orton won by last eliminating Triple H |
| Royal Rumble 2008 | John Cena | Sun Jan 27,2008 | Madison Square Garden | New York City, New York | 30 | John Cena won by last eliminating Triple H |
| Royal Rumble 2007 | The Undertaker | Sun Jan 28,2007 | AT&T Center | San Antonio, Texas | 30 | The Undertaker won by last eliminating Shawn Michaels |
| Royal Rumble 2006 | Rey Mysterio | Sun Jan 29,2006 | American Airlines Arena | Miami, Florida | 2 | Rey Mysterio won by last eliminating Randy Orton |
| Royal Rumble 2005 | Batista | Sun Jan 30,2005 | Save Mart Center | Fresno, California | 28 | Batista won by last eliminating John Cena |
| Royal Rumble 2004 | Chris Benoit | Sun Jan 25,2004 | Wachovia Center | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 1 | Chris Benoit won by last eliminating Big Show |
| Royal Rumble 2003 | Brock Lesnar | Sun Jan 19,2003 | FleetCenter | Boston, Massachusetts | 29 | Brock Lesnar won by last eliminating The Undertaker |
| Royal Rumble 2002 | Triple H | Sun Jan 20,2002 | Philips Arena | Atlanta, Georgia | 22 | Triple H won by last eliminating Kurt Angle |
| Royal Rumble 2001 | Stone Cold Steve Austin | Sun Jan 21,2001 | New Orleans Arena | New Orleans, Louisiana | 27 | Stone Cold Steve Austin won by last eliminating Kane |
| Royal Rumble 2000 | The Rock | Sun Jan 23,2000 | Madison Square Garden | New York City, New York | 24 | The Rock won by last eliminating Big Show |
| Royal Rumble 1999 | Mr. McMahon | Sun Jan 24,1999 | Arrowhead Pond | Anaheim, California | 2 | Mr. McMahon won by last eliminating Stone Cold Steve Austin |
| Royal Rumble 1998 | Stone Cold Steve Austin | Sun Jan 18,1998 | San Jose Arena | San Jose, California | 24 | Stone Cold Steve Austin won by last eliminating The Rock |
| Royal Rumble 1997 | Stone Cold Steve Austin | Sun Jan 19,1997 | Alamodome | San Antonio, Texas | 5 | Stone Cold Steve Austin won last eliminating Bret Hart |
| Royal Rumble 1996 | Shawn Michaels | Sun Jan 21,1996 | Selland Arena | Fresno, California | 18 | Shawn Michaels won by last eliminating Diesel |
| Royal Rumble 1995 | Shawn Michaels | Sun Jan 22,1995 | USF Sun Dome | Tampa, Florida | 1 | Shawn Michaels won by last eliminating The British Bulldog |
| Royal Rumble 1994 | Bret Hart and Lex Luger | Sun Jan 23,1994 | Providence Civic Center | Providence, Rhode Island | 27 | Bret Hart and Lex Luger co-won the Royal Rumble by last eliminating each other |
| Royal Rumble 1993 | Yokozuna | Sun Jan 24,1993 | ARCO Arena | Sacramento, California | 27 | Yokozuna won by last eliminating Randy Savage |
| Royal Rumble 1992 | Ric Flair | Sun Jan 19,1992 | Knickerbocker Arena | Albany, New York | 3 | Ric Flair won by last eliminating Sid Justice |
| Royal Rumble 1991 | Hulk Hogan | Sat Jan 19,1991 | Miami Arena | Miami, Florida | 24 | Hulk Hogan won by last eliminating Earthquake |
| Royal Rumble 1990 | Hulk Hogan | Sun Jan 21,1990 | Orlando Arena | Orlando, Florida | 25 | Hulk Hogan won by last eliminating Mr. Perfect |
| Royal Rumble 1989 | Big John Studd | Sun Jan 15,1989 | The Summit | Houston, Texas | 27 | Big John Studd won by last eliminating Ted DiBiase |
| Royal Rumble 1988 | Jim Duggan | Sun Jan 24,1988 | Copps Coliseum | Hamilton, Ontario | 13 | Jim Duggan won by last eliminating One Man Gang |