Royal Rumble

The Royal Rumble Match is the premiere 30-man over-the-top battle royal which main events the yearly January/February PPV—the Royal Rumble—in the WWE E-Fed federation. The match consists of male (and occassionally female) superstars from both Raw and Smackdown, with the typical formula including 15 individuals from each brand. Past events, however, have seen this balance shift from 50/50, as inactive (and sometimes retired) superstars have been known to make their anticipated returns on this night. The rules of the match are as follows: Two individuals, randomly alloted #1 and #2 respectively, commence the match. A fixed timeframe later (ranging from 90 seconds to 2 full minutes), the individual who drew the subsequent number enters the ring, and this process continues until 30 superstars have entered the match. Eliminations occur only when an individual's entire body has gone over the top rope and both feet have touched the ground. The last competitor in the ring is declared the victor, and he moves on to face the champion of his brand at Wrestlemania, the WWE E-Fed's flagship event. The winner of the first Royal Rumble, the 2006 edition, was Matt Hardy, who entered at #4 to outlast the rest of the competition and last eliminate El Lizardo Loco. So distraught was El Lizardo Loco by this defeat that he returned to Mexico and accepted a job as a factory worker, never to be seen in the wrestling industry again. Dean Ambrose is the reigning Royal Rumble victor, last eliminating Adam Cole on January 7th, 2018. The record of most victories is jointly held by Matt Hardy and CM Punk, who have each won the prestigious event on 2 occasions.

Trivia Facts

 * CM Punk holds the record for most eliminations, having tossed 23 poor individuals over the top rope. He also possesses the most Royal Rumble efficiency, as he has won twice, while only participating 4 times (50% win rate).
 * The record for most individuals eliminated in a single Royal Rumble is also held by CM Punk, as he tossed 10 superstars in 2010.
 * Goldust and Matt Hardy (2012) share the record for longest time in the ring, as they entered at #1 and #2 respectively and lasted until the very end.
 * The Miz (2013) possesses the dubious honor of having lasted the shortest amount of time in the ring. His exact time was never recorded, but the write-up for the match announced him as having been eliminated in record fashion. There is some debate as to whether or not Jeff Hardy (2012) deserves this title, as his feet never touched the ground before being drop-kicked back out by Goldust.