Royal Rumble
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Royal Rumble is an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced every January by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).[1] The event's main featured match is a Battle Royal-type match,[2] entitled the Royal Rumble match. The pay-per-view is part of WWE's "Big Four", along with WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series.[3] The Royal Rumble is also one of WWE's more popular pay-per-views.[4]
The Rumble was originally aired on the USA Network before it was rebranded as a pay-per-view.[5][6] The rules and format of the Rumble match have changed since the match's debut.[7] Since 1993, the winner of the Rumble match has received a title match at that year's WrestleMania.[4]
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Match
| Year | Winner | Entry |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Jim Duggan | 13 |
| 1989 | Big John Studd | 27 |
| 1990 | Hulk Hogan | 25 |
| 1991 | Hulk Hogan | 24 |
| 1992 | Ric Flair | 3 |
| 1993 | Yokozuna | 27 |
| 1994 | Bret Hart Lex Luger |
27 23 |
| 1995 | Shawn Michaels | 1 |
| 1996 | Shawn Michaels | 18 |
| 1997 | Steve Austin | 5 |
| 1998 | Steve Austin | 24 |
| 1999 | Vince McMahon | 2 |
| 2000 | The Rock | 24 |
| 2001 | Steve Austin | 27 |
| 2002 | Triple H | 22 |
| 2003 | Brock Lesnar | 29 |
| 2004 | Chris Benoit | 1 |
| 2005 | Batista | 28 |
| 2006 | Rey Mysterio | 2 |
| 2007 | The Undertaker | 30 |
| 2008 | John Cena | 30 |
The idea behind the Royal Rumble match is credited to Pat Patterson.[7] Before the match begins, the contestants draw spots in the Rumble.[1] The match consists of thirty men, beginning with the two men who chose entry numbers one and two in the ring.[1] At regular timed intervals, usually ninety seconds, one of the remaining 28 wrestlers enters the ring.[1] Participants must eliminate all other opponents, and the winner of the event is the last wrestler remaining after all others have been eliminated.[1][4]
Similar to a Battle Royal, a wrestler is eliminated when leaving the ring over the top rope, with both feet touching the floor.[1][2][8] A referee, who is situated at ringside, must witness an elimination in order for it to be valid.[9] A wrestler who is eliminated without a referee noticing may sometimes sneak back into the match. For example, Stone Cold Steve Austin was eliminated during the 1997 event, but he re-entered without the referees' knowledge and eventually won the match.[9] Moreover, a wrestler who exits the ring without going over the top rope is not eliminated from the contest. During the 1999 Rumble match, both Vince McMahon and Steve Austin left the ring, only to return later in the match.[10] In the 1994 match, the last two participants Bret Hart and Lex Luger were declared co-winners when it was decided that both of their feet touched the floor at exactly the same time.[11] A similar situation occurred in the 2005 match, however the match was restarted after Batista and John Cena eliminated each other at the same time. Batista eliminated Cena afterwards to win the match.[12]
The reward for the 1992 Royal Rumble was the WWF Championship.[13] The tradition of granting a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania started in 1993.[14] Beginning in 2004, the winner had their choice of a World Heavyweight Championship or WWE Championship match at WrestleMania.[14] Due to the revival of the ECW World Championship as a brand championship in mid-2006, the 2007 event added this championship as a choice to the winning stipulation.[15] From 2001 to 2007 the Royal Rumble match winner has gone on to win a World Championship title at WrestleMania.[16] After winning the 2008 match, John Cena became the first to use his championship opportunity at an event other than WrestleMania.[17] He also became the first man since 2000 to win the Royal Rumble match but fail to win the title in his championship opportunity as a result.
[edit] Pay-per-view
The Royal Rumble is a pay-per-view consisting of the Royal Rumble match, championship matches, and various other matches. The first Royal Rumble took place on January 24, 1988 and was broadcast live on the USA Network.[5] The following year, the event was rebranded as a pay-per-view.[6] It is part of WWE's "classic five" pay-per-views, along with WrestleMania, Survivor Series, SummerSlam, and King of the Ring.[18]
The Royal Rumble match is usually situated at the top of the card.[19] This, however, is not always the case, as the 2006 event had the match in the middle of the pay-per-view.[19]
The first Rumble match featured only twenty men,[20] and it was called the Rumble Royale.[5] It lasted approximately thirty-three minutes of the two-hour broadcast.[16] The modern Rumble matches are much longer, with the longest match, at the 2002 event, lasting over one hour and nine minutes of an approximately three-hour pay-per-view.[16]
With the brand extension introduced in mid-2002, the 30 entrants from 2003 to 2006 consisted of 15 wrestlers from both the RAW and SmackDown! brands. At first, the winner of the match received a shot at his brand's champion.[21] Starting in 2004, the Rumble winner had the option of challenging either brand's champion.[14] For instance, Chris Benoit switched brands in 2004 and won the World Heavyweight Championship.[14] The 2007 Royal Rumble marked the first year participants from the ECW brand competed along with the RAW and SmackDown! brands.[22] The winner of the Royal Rumble now has the option to challenge for the ECW World Championship as well.[15]
The 2008 Royal Rumble was the first WWE pay-per-view to be available in high-definition.[23]
[edit] Dates and venues
[edit] Video box set
WWE released a complete DVD box set entitled Royal Rumble: The Complete Anthology, which showcases every Royal Rumble event in its entirety, on March 13, 2007.[24]
[edit] See also
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f Specialty Matches: Royal Rumble. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-12-03.
- ^ a b Jon Waldman (2005-02-02). Statistical survival - breaking down the Royal Rumble. SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
- ^ Ian Hamilton. Wrestling's Sinking Ship: What Happens to an Industry Without Competition (p.160)
- ^ a b c Dale Plummer and Nick Tylwalk (2006-01-30). Mysterio claims Rumble; Cena reigns again. SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
- ^ a b c Ric Flair. Ric Flair: To Be the Man (p.161)
- ^ a b Royal Rumble results. ProWrestlingHistory.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
- ^ a b Hall of Fame: Pat Patterson. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-12-03.
- ^ Specialty Matches: Battle Royal. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-12-03.
- ^ a b Royal Rumble 1997: Main Event. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-12-03. “Stone Cold was actually eliminated during the match, but the referees failed to detect it, so he sneaked back in.”
- ^ Royal Rumble 1999: Main Event. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
- ^ Royal Rumble 1994: Main Event. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
- ^ Royal Rumble 1995: Main Event. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
- ^ Royal Rumble 1992: Main Event. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
- ^ a b c d Eric Cohen (2007-04-25). The Fate of the Royal Rumble Winner. About.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
- ^ a b Brett Hoffman (2007-02-05). Tickets punched for WrestleMania. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
- ^ a b c d Royal Rumble: Facts & Figures. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
- ^ Randy Orton vs. John Cena (WWE Championship match): A battle for redemption with 'Mania implications. WWE (2008-01-28). Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
- ^ Brian Shields. Main Event: WWE in the Raging 80s (p.166)
- ^ a b Dale Plummer and Nick Tylwalk (2007-01-29). Old guard dominates Rumble. SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
- ^ Royal Rumble 1988: Main Event. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-12-03.
- ^ John Powell (2004-01-26). Benoit wins the 'Rumble'. SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
- ^ Louie Dee (2007-01-28). A Phenom-enal Rumble. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
- ^ Clayton, Cory. How do I get WWE HD on my HDTV?. WWE. Retrieved on 2008-01-20.
- ^ Royal Rumble: The Complete Anthology Box Set. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
[edit] References
General
- Royal Rumble results. ProWrestlingHistory.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
- Eric Cohen. Royal Royal Rumble History. About.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
Specific
- Ian Hamilton (2006). Wrestling's Sinking Ship: What Happens to an Industry Without Competition. Lulu.com. ISBN 1411612108.
- Ric Flair (2004). Ric Flair: To Be the Man. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0743456912.
- Brian Shields (2006). Main Event: WWE in the Raging 80s. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 1416532579.
[edit] Further reading
- Harley Race and Gerry Tritz (2004). King of the Ring: The Harley Race Story. Sports Publishing. ISBN 1582618186.
- Ross Davies (2002). Kevin Nash. The Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN 0823934926.
- Dave Meltzer (2004). Tributes II: Remembering More of the World's Greatest Professional Wrestlers. Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 1582618178.
- Brian Fritz and Christopher Murray (2006). Between the Ropes: Wrestling's Greatest Triumphs and Failures. ECW Press. ISBN 1550227262.
- Steve Austin and Jim Ross (2003). The Stone Cold Truth. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0743477200.
- Scott Keith (2004). Wrestling's One Ring Circus: The Death of the World Wrestling Federation. Citadel Press. ISBN 080652619X.
[edit] External links
- Official Royal Rumble Website
- WWE.com: Royal Rumble match description
- WWE.com: Royal Rumble Facts & Figures
- Royal Rumble History at About.com
| Royal Rumble • No Way Out • WrestleMania • Backlash • Judgment Day • One Night Stand • Night of Champions |
| The Great American Bash • SummerSlam • Unforgiven • No Mercy • Cyber Sunday • Survivor Series • Armageddon |
| Royal Rumble |
|---|
| 1988 • 1989 • 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 |
| 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 |
| 2008 |
| Former pay-per-view events |
| The Wrestling Classic (1985) • This Tuesday in Texas (1991) • King of the Ring (1993-2002) |
| In Your House (1995-1999) • Bad Blood (1997, 2003-2004) • Fully Loaded (1998-2000) • Over the Edge (1998-1999) |
| InVasion (2001) • December to Dismember (2006) • New Year's Revolution (2005-2007) |
| Former International pay-per-view events |
| One Night Only (1997) • Mayhem in Manchester (1998) • Capital Carnage (1998) |
| No Mercy (UK) (1999) • Rebellion (1999-2002) • Insurrextion (2000-2003) |
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