The Royal Rumble match is a professional wrestling match format created by Pat Patterson, a wrestler and WWE Hall of Famer, and first staged at a house show in October 1987. Based on the classic battle royal concept, the match traditionally features 30 wrestlers who compete to eliminate opponents by tossing them over the top rope until both feet touch the floor, with the last remaining competitor declared the winner. The match serves as the main event of WWE's January pay-per-view and livestreaming event of the same name, and the winner is typically awarded a World title match, most commonly at WrestleMania.
The Royal Rumble name is trademarked by WWE, though numerous other professional wrestling promotions have introduced their own variations of the format. Notable derivations include World War 3 in World Championship Wrestling, the Gauntlet for the Gold in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and the Casino Battle Royale in All Elite Wrestling, reflecting the widespread influence the match concept has had across the broader professional wrestling industry.
Sources used for verification
- Wikipedia