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
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Hamish is a writer and podcaster and wrestling fan who is a key part of the Atletifo team.
After playing countless hours of WrestleMania X8 on the Gamecube, he discovered Rey Mysterio getting his head crushed by The Great Khali, and thus a love for professional wrestling was born.
He is also a Media Graduate, as well as writing for multiple sites about Premier League football and the culture of Wales – his home country.
