How the WWE Royal Rumble Was Created

The WWE has long been synonymous with massive success both on and off-screen, especially when it comes to the Royal Rumble. From their groundbreaking Netflix deal to record-setting ticket sales, the company continues to fire on all cylinders.

As the wrestling calendar cycles onward, one season captures the excitement of fans worldwide: the Road to WrestleMania. This electrifying journey kicks off each year with one of WWE’s most iconic events, the Royal Rumble.

Known for its unforgettable moments and surprise appearances, the Royal Rumble remains a fan-favorite spectacle. Whether it’s Edge’s triumphant return, Cody Rhodes’ historic victories, or countless other legendary Rumble matches, the event never fails to intrigue both dedicated and casual wrestling fans alike.

A cornerstone of WWE programming since its debut in 1988, the Royal Rumble has become a tradition steeped in history and excitement. This is the story of how it all began.

The Birth of the Royal Rumble

Where the idea came from

Having run annually since 1988, the inaugural Rumble was a television special. The following year, the Rumble became a PPV and has been ever since. Its legacy is so much so that it sees itself as a part of WWE’s “Big Four”, a group consisting of the Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Survivor Series.

The event’s brainchild is WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson. The company’s first Intercontinental Champion, Patterson was a hugely respected wrestler, producer and member of creative. Having worked in creative in the late 80s, Patterson has credited other stipulation matches as a reason he came up with the Royal Rumble:

Having looked at the Battle Royal, Patterson believed he could adapt the match and have it so wrestlers would enter every two minutes, until 20 wrestlers had been and gone and left one man standing.

From TV to PPV

How an attempt at embarrassment led to the event

An idea that he ran by Vince McMahon, the then-chairman of the WWE, complained that it would take too much time. Ironically, in trying to embarrass Patterson, McMahon made Pat tell his idea to the USA Network TV executive, Dick Ebersol. An idea that Ebersol would love, Patterson went on to produce the 1988 TV edition of the Royal Rumble, which would feature 20 Superstars.

With the event going down as a huge success, Vince, once complaining about the idea’s length, decided to up the ante and made it a 30-man event next time round. Having stayed that way ever since 1989, Patterson remains incredibly humble about his idea:

Birth of the Women’s Royal Rumble

An event that’s had various changes throughout the years, notably a 50-man version in 2018, no change has been as revolutionary as the introduction of the women’s Rumble.

Following the ascension of women’s wrestling in the WWE, they have slowly been granted the luxuries that men’s wrestlers have. From main-eventing PPVs to having their own all-women’s show ‘Evolution’, it all started in 2018. Having been given their first-ever women’s Royal Rumble in 2018, they didn’t squander the opportunity and have made themselves a staple of the PPV ever since.

Having created the unique event, Patterson’s idea inadvertently platformed women’s wrestling to new heights. With the 30-entrant event giving chances to new stars, it also meant women’s wrestlers of the past received their flowers. Equally looked forward to as the men’s version, the seven editions so far have seen seven unique winners.

Numbers Behind the Rumble

With “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan winning the first Royal Rumble in 1988, the 37 editions of the men’s Rumble since have seen 27 different winners. Among those 27, numerous wrestlers have won more than once, with Stone Cold Steve Austin being the most successful Royal Rumble entrant with three victories.

An event that grants the winner a world championship match of their choosing at WrestleMania, of the 27 Rumble winners, only 12 have gone on to fail at the Showcase of the Immortals. An interesting facet of the Rumble is how certain positions grant certain advantages. Across all events, it’s the number 30 that sees the most success, a spot that has five Rumble winners to its name.

For the men’s Rumble, Kane holds the most cumulative eliminations with 45, with current WWE Superstar Braun Strowman being the closest to that with 34 eliminations. On the women’s side, Rhea Ripley has the most eliminations with 20 and is only fifth on the list of cumulative time spent in the Women’s Rumble, validating her dominance at the event.

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