Guide Note

The Royal Rumble is an annual professional wrestling event held by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The main event is a 30-man over-the-top-rope battle royal to decide who faces the WWE Champion (or World Heavyweight Championship) at WrestleMania.

Fast Facts

1. First Royal Rumble: 1988
2. First Rumble winner: Jim Duggan
3. Winner of the Royal Rumble faces world champion at WrestleMania
4. 2008 marks the 21st Royal Rumble
5. 2008 Location: Madison Square Garden, NYC
6. 2008 Winner: John Cena

The Royal Rumble is the WWE's January pay-per-view. Aside from the actual Royal Rumble match itself, the card usually features regular matches like any other event, including a WWE Championship match.

30 wrestlers draw numbers prior to the match, and those who draw numbers one and two enter the ring first to start the "Rumble". At timed intervals (it has varied from 90 seconds to two minutes), another wrestler enters the fray as his/her drawn number dictates. This continues until all 30 wrestlers have entered the ring.

A wrestler is eliminated only after being thrown over the top rope and both feet hit the arena floor. If a wrestler is thrown through the ropes, or if only one foot hits the floor, he/she is still active in the match.

The winner of the Royal Rumble is the last person left in the ring after the 29 others have been eliminated. The winner thereby earns a shot at a WWE world title (either the WWE Championship or the World Heavyweight Championship) at the WrestleMania pay-per-view in late March/early April.¹