The 39th Royal Rumble PLE is in the books as we progress towards WrestleMania 42 in Vegas. Liv Morgan and Roman Reigns won their respective Royal Rumble matches and earned championship opportunities at the biggest WWE event of the year.
What is a Royal Rumble match?
The Royal Rumble typically involves 30 participants (though there have been exceptions), beginning with two. Superstars enter the ring in intervals and eliminations occur when they go over the top rope with both feet touching the outside of the ring. The final performer is the winner.
The winner of the Royal Rumble match earns a championship opportunity at the biggest show of the year, WrestleMania.
Take a look at a selection of historic Royal Rumble matches and memorable eliminations below:
Royal Rumble match, 1988
The first-ever Royal Rumble match in 1988 featured 20 participants, the lowest number in history. From 1989 on, 30 superstars participated with the exception of 2011, which featured 40. In 2018, the WWE presented the Greatest Royal Rumble which featured 50, but it's not considered to be included as part of the annual event. Numbers aside, this inaugural match set the stage for one of the most-anticipated events on the WWE calendar.
WWE Hall of Famer "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan entered at No. 13. The match culminated with Duggan and One Man Gang, who had the most eliminations (5). Duggan recorded the last elimination and will forever be known as the first Royal Rumble winner.
Royal Rumble match, 1992
Generally, the winner of the Royal Rumble match earns an opportunity to challenge for a championship at WrestleMania. Before 1992, there was no official reward, but that changed in a big way.
In 1992, the stakes were even higher as the Rumble match was for the vacant WWE championship. In December 1991, Hulk Hogan was stripped of the championship. The storyline reasoning pertained to multiple championship matches with The Undertaker ending due to outside interference and tainted victories.
Ric Flair entered the match at No. 3 and lasted over an hour. With an assist from Hogan, who had just been eliminated, Flair flipped Sid Justice over the top rope to win the match and his first WWE championship.
In a backstage interview afterward, Flair famously said, "I'm going to tell you all -- with a tear in my eye -- this is the greatest moment in my life."
Royal Rumble match, 2001
Before 2001, there were three superstars with multiple Royal Rumble victories -- Hogan (1990, 1991), Shawn Michaels (1995, 1996) and Stone Cold Steven Austin (1997, 1998). Austin cranked that stat up a notch on this night.
As the 27th entrant in the match, Austin claimed victory by eliminating Kane to become the first and only three-time Royal Rumble winner, a record that still stands.
Austin earned a title match at WrestleMania 17 where he would defeat The Rock, win a fifth WWE championship and turning heel, aligning himself with his greatest rival, Mr. McMahon.
Royal Rumble match, 2007
A strong Royal Rumble match came down to longtime rivals Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. The final showdown between the two functioned as if it were a one-on-one match. Their in-ring chemistry was off the charts and the two delivered a thrilling ending.
The finish saw Undertaker avoid a Sweet Chin Music superkick by Michaels leading to an elimination for the win.
The Undertaker's victory also marked the first time the 30th and final Royal Rumble entrant produced a winner. Since then, the 30th entrant has generated the most men's Rumble winners of all time (5 total).
Royal Rumble match, 2008
For the second time in history and for the second year in a row, the 30th entrant in the Royal Rumble match was victorious. But that was not the premier story in 2008.
The 30th participant -- and eventual winner -- was a true surprise entrant as John Cena made his unexpected return. In October 2007, Cena tore a pectoral muscle. The initial estimation called for seven-month surgery/rehab process, which would put his WrestleMania 24 status in question.
Not only did Cena defeat those odds, but he returned two months before WrestleMania and missed less than four months of action.
Cena eliminated Triple H to win the Royal Rumble match. They would meet again at WrestleMania 24 in a triple-threat WWE championship match with Randy Orton.
Royal Rumble match, 2016
For the first time since 1992 and the only time since, the Royal Rumble match was not for a WWE championship opportunity, but for the WWE championship itself. However, there was a slight difference compared with the 1992 match. The WWE championship was not vacant.
Roman Reigns was the champ and his title was on the line against 29 other competitors. As if that weren't enough of a challenge, Reigns was the first entrant in the match, a storyline punishment from the McMahon family he was rivaling.
Reigns lasted close to an hour and was among the final three participants, but it was Triple H who triumphed. In doing so, he became WWE champion for the first time in close to seven years.
Triple H and Reigns squared off again in Dallas at WrestleMania 32, where Reigns got his revenge and regained the WWE championship.
Women's Royal Rumble match, 2018
The main event of the 2018 Royal Rumble PLE was the inaugural women's Rumble match. The match was filled with current superstars and legends who helped elevate women's wrestling to its highest point over the years.
WWE Hall of Famers Trish Stratus, Lita, Michelle McCool, Jacqueline and Beth Phoenix all took part.
In fact, it was future Hall of Famer (inducted in 2020) Nikki Bella who stood across from Asuka as the final two competitors vying for history.
Asuka eliminated Bella to become the first women's Royal Rumble winner. She went on to battle Charlotte Flair for the "SmackDown" women's championship at WrestleMania 34.
Royal Rumble match, 2020
The 2020 men's Royal Rumble match was notable for multiple reasons. Rumble matches are known for their surprise entrants (we covered one of those in 2008). 2020 gave us another exciting one.
Edge, who retired in 2011 due to a neck injury, hadn't performed in a match in over eight years. That changed in the 2020 men's Rumble match as he made his return as the 21st entrant. The Houston crowd erupted, but it was the expression of emotion on Edge's face that truly told the story as he entered the ring.
This was Drew McIntyre's night, though. He eliminated Roman Reigns to win the match and an eventual WWE championship at WrestleMania 36 -- the only WrestleMania with zero fans in attendance, due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Women's Royal Rumble match, 2025
Prior to 2025, 10 superstars registered multiple Royal Rumble victories, but Charlotte Flair became the first to win multiple women's Rumble matches.
Flair, who had been out of action since December 2023, made her return and recorded four eliminations, the last of which was Roxanne Perez, who set a record for longest time spent in a single women's Royal Rumble match (over one hour and seven minutes).
Flair is no stranger to making history. She's a record 14-time WWE women's champion and headlined the first women's WrestleMania main event in 2019.
Let's expand our retrospective roundup with a selection of memorable Royal Rumble eliminations:
• 1988 -- Jake "The Snake" Roberts eliminated Butch Reed: Though not generally considered a memorable Royal Rumble elimination, it was historic nevertheless. This was the first elimination to occur in a Rumble match.
• 1994 -- This Royal Rumble match came down to Bret Hart and Lex Luger. They eliminated each other simultaneously and were both declared winners. As they tumbled over the top rope, all four of their feet touched the ground at the exact same time.
• 1999 -- Though the first women's Royal Rumble match took place in 2018, women have taken part in men's Royal Rumble matches. Chyna was the first to do so in 1999 and recorded an elimination when she sent Mark Henry over the top rope. Beth Phoenix, Kharma and Nia Jax have also taken part in men's Royal Rumble matches. In fact, Jax took part in both the men's and women's Rumble matches in 2019.
• 2002 -- Arguably the most shocking Royal Rumble elimination occurred when newbie Maven connected with a dropkick to the back of one of the greatest of all time, The Undertaker, causing him to tumble over the top rope. Maven paid for it. Despite being eliminated, Undertaker climbed back into the ring, tossed Maven over the top rope and obliterated him across the whole arena.
• 2020 -- Brock Lesnar was on a roll in this men's Royal Rumble match. He was the first entrant and eliminated 13 competitors. Enter McIntyre, who connected with a picture-perfect Claymore and eliminated Lesnar en route to victory.
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