Royal Rumble

The Royal Rumble is an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced every January by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).cite web|url= http://www.wwe.com/inside/specialtymatches/royalrumble|title=Specialty Matches: Royal Rumble|publisher=WWE|accessdate=2007-12-03] The event's main featured match is a Battle Royal-type match,cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2005/02/01/917194.html|title=Statistical survival - breaking down the Royal Rumble|author=Jon Waldman|publisher=SLAM! Wrestling|accessdate=2007-12-09|date=2005-02-02] entitled the Royal Rumble match. The pay-per-view is part of WWE's "Big Four", along with WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series. [Ian Hamilton. "Wrestling's Sinking Ship: What Happens to an Industry Without Competition" (p.160)] The Royal Rumble is also one of WWE's more popular pay-per-views.cite web|url= http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2006/01/30/1418142.html|title=Mysterio claims Rumble; Cena reigns again|author= Dale Plummer and Nick Tylwalk|publisher=SLAM! Wrestling|accessdate=2007-12-09|date=2006-01-30]

The Rumble was originally aired on the USA Network before it was rebranded as a pay-per-view. The rules and format of the Rumble match have changed since the match's debut. Since 1993, the winner of the Rumble match has received a title match at that year's WrestleMania.

History

Match

The idea behind the Royal Rumble match is credited to Pat Patterson.cite web|url= http://www.wwe.com/superstars/halloffame/patpatterson/bio/|title=Hall of Fame: Pat Patterson|accessdate=2007-12-03|publisher= WWE] Before the match begins, the contestants draw spots in the Rumble. The match consists of thirty men, beginning with the two men who chose entry numbers one and two in the ring. At regular timed intervals, usually ninety seconds, one of the remaining 28 wrestlers enters the ring. Participants must eliminate all other opponents, and the winner of the event is the last wrestler remaining after all others have been eliminated.

Similar to a Battle Royal, a wrestler is eliminated when leaving the ring over the top rope, with both feet touching the floor. [cite web|url= http://www.wwe.com/inside/specialtymatches/battleroyal|title=Specialty Matches: Battle Royal|publisher=WWE|accessdate=2007-12-03] A referee, who is situated at ringside, must witness an elimination in order for it to be valid.cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/1988114111/mainevent/|title=Royal Rumble 1997: Main Event| publisher=WWE|accessdate=2007-12-03|quote=Stone Cold was actually eliminated during the match, but the referees failed to detect it, so he sneaked back in.] 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. 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. [cite web|url= http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/19881143/mainevent/|title=Royal Rumble 1999: Main Event|publisher=WWE|accessdate= 2007-12-30] 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.cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/198811421/mainevent/|title=Royal Rumble 1994: Main Event|publisher=WWE|accessdate=2007-12-05] 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.cite web|url= http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/198811/mainevent/|title=Royal Rumble 1995: Main Event|publisher=WWE|accessdate= 2007-12-05]

The reward for the 1992 Royal Rumble was the WWF Championship.cite web|url= http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/19881152/mainevent/|title=Royal Rumble 1992: Main Event|publisher=WWE|accessdate= 2007-12-05] The tradition of granting a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania started in 1993.cite web|url= http://prowrestling.about.com/od/thewrestlers/a/rumblewinnerfat.htm|title=The Fate of the Royal Rumble Winner|author=Eric Cohen|publisher=About.com|accessdate=2007-12-09|date=2007-04-25] Despite being introduced in late 2002, it was not until 2004 that a winner had the choice of fighting for the World Heavyweight Championship instead of the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. 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.cite web|url= http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/02052007/|title=Tickets punched for WrestleMania|author=Brett Hoffman|publisher=WWE| accessdate=2007-12-05|date=2007-02-05] From 2001 to 2007 the Royal Rumble match winner has gone on to win a World Championship title at WrestleMania. After winning the 2008 match, John Cena became the first to use his championship opportunity at an event other than WrestleMania. [cite web|url= http://www.wwe.com/shows/nowayout/matches/6235888/preview/|accessdate=2008-01-28|title=Randy Orton vs. John Cena (WWE Championship match): A battle for redemption with 'Mania implications|publisher=WWE|date=2008-01-28] 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.

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. The following year, the event was rebranded as a pay-per-view.cite web|url= http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/rumble.html#89|title=Royal Rumble results|publisher= ProWrestlingHistory.com|accessdate=2007-12-05] It is part of WWE's "classic five" pay-per-views, along with WrestleMania, Survivor Series, SummerSlam, and King of the Ring.Brian Shields. "Main Event: WWE in the Raging 80s" (p.166)]

The Royal Rumble match is usually situated at the top of the card.cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2007/01/28/3473071.html|title=Old guard dominates Rumble| author=Dale Plummer and Nick Tylwalk|publisher=SLAM! Wrestling|accessdate=2007-12-09|date=2007-01-29] This, however, is not always the case, as the 2006 event had the match in the middle of the pay-per-view.

The first Rumble match featured only twenty men,cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/1988114/mainevent/|title=Royal Rumble 1988: Main Event|publisher=WWE| accessdate=2007-12-03] and it was called the Rumble Royale.Ric Flair. "Ric Flair: To Be the Man" (p.161)] It lasted approximately thirty-three minutes of the two-hour broadcast.cite web|url= http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/facts/|title=Royal Rumble: Facts & Figures|publisher=WWE|accessdate=2007-12-30] 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.

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. [cite web|url= http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2004/01/26/325195.html|title=Benoit wins the 'Rumble'|author=John Powell| publisher=SLAM! Wrestling|accessdate=2007-12-23|date=2004-01-26] Starting in 2004, the Rumble winner had the option of challenging either brand's champion. For instance, Chris Benoit switched brands in 2004 and won the World Heavyweight Championship. The 2007 Royal Rumble marked the first year participants from the ECW brand competed along with the RAW and SmackDown! brands.cite web|url= http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/2007/matches/35535102/results/|title=A Phenom-enal Rumble|author=Louie Dee|publisher=WWE| accessdate=2007-12-05|date=2007-01-28] The winner of the Royal Rumble now has the option to challenge for the ECW Championship as well.

The 2008 Royal Rumble was the first WWE pay-per-view to be available in high-definition.cite web| url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/wwehdfaqs|title=How do I get WWE HD on my HDTV?|last=Clayton|first= Cory|accessdate=2008-01-20|publisher=WWE]

Dates and venues

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, up to the 2007 Royal Rumble, on March 13, 2007. [cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shop/dvd/royalrumbledvd|title=Royal Rumble: The Complete Anthology Box Set|publisher=WWE|accessdate=2007-01-18]

ee also

*Gauntlet for the Gold
*WCW World War 3

Footnotes

References

General
*cite web|url=http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/rumble.html#89|title=Royal Rumble results|publisher=ProWrestlingHistory.com|accessdate=2007-12-05
*cite web|url=http://prowrestling.about.com/od/ringresults/a/royalrumble_2.htm Royal|title=Royal Rumble History|author=Eric Cohen|publisher=About.com|accessdate=2007-12-09

Specific
*cite book|author=Ian Hamilton|title=Wrestling's Sinking Ship: What Happens to an Industry Without Competition|isbn= 1411612108|publisher=Lulu.com|date=2006
*cite book|author=Ric Flair|title=Ric Flair: To Be the Man|publisher=Simon and Schuster|date=2004|isbn=0743456912
*cite book|author=Brian Shields|title=Main Event: WWE in the Raging 80s|publisher=Simon and Schuster|date=2006|isbn=1416532579

Further reading

*cite book|author=Harley Race and Gerry Tritz|title=King of the Ring: The Harley Race Story|publisher=Sports Publishing| date=2004|isbn=1582618186
*cite book|author=Ross Davies|title=Kevin Nash|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group|date=2002|isbn=0823934926
*cite book|author=Dave Meltzer|title=Tributes II: Remembering More of the World's Greatest Professional Wrestlers|publisher=Sports Publishing LLC|date=2004|isbn=1582618178
*cite book|author=Brian Fritz and Christopher Murray|title=Between the Ropes: Wrestling's Greatest Triumphs and Failures|publisher=ECW Press|date=2006|isbn=1550227262
*cite book|author=Steve Austin and Jim Ross|title=The Stone Cold Truth|publisher=Simon and Schuster|date=2003|isbn=0743477200
*cite book|author=Scott Keith|title=Wrestling's One Ring Circus: The Death of the World Wrestling Federation|publisher=Citadel Press|date=2004|isbn=080652619X

External links

* [http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/ Official Royal Rumble Website]
* [http://www.wwe.com/inside/specialtymatches/royalrumble WWE.com: Royal Rumble match description]
* [http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/facts/ WWE.com: Royal Rumble Facts & Figures]
* [http://prowrestling.about.com/od/ringresults/a/royalrumble_2.htm Royal Rumble History at About.com]