Royal Rumble Match Winners

The Royal Rumble is based on the classic Battle Royal match, in which a number of wrestlers (usually 30) aim at eliminating their competitors by tossing them over the top rope, with both feet touching the floor. The winner of the event is the last wrestler remaining after all others have been eliminated. According to Hornswoggle, who worked for WWE from 2006 until 2016 and participated in two Rumbles, participants may learn their eliminations by knowing the two wrestlers who are eliminated before them and which wrestlers are entering the Royal Rumble in between their elimination.

The Royal Rumble differs from the classical Battle Royal as the contestants do not enter the ring at the same time but instead are assigned entry numbers, usually via a lottery, although desirable spots are occasionally assigned by other means, the most common being winning a match. This lottery is usually staged right before the event begins. The match begins with the two wrestlers who have drawn entry numbers one and two, with the remaining wrestlers entering the ring at regular timed intervals, either 90 seconds or two minutes, according to their entry number. This format is credited to Pat Patterson. To date, only four men who have been one of the starting wrestlers have won the Royal Rumble: Shawn Michaels, Vince McMahon, Chris Benoit and Rey Mysterio. The most common number to win is number 27.

The Royal Rumble match commonly involves 30 wrestlers and usually lasts an hour, with the longest match, at the 2011 event, lasting over one hour and nine minutes of a three-hour pay-per-view. However, the first match, contested in 1988, involved only 20 men, and lasted 33 minutes of the two-hour broadcast. The 2011 Royal Rumble had a 40-man field, out of whom Alberto Del Rio was victorious.

The match has no stipulations or rules other than that elimination must occur by a participant being placed over the top rope and both feet touching the floor. A wrestler who only touches the floor with one foot is not eliminated from the match, a rule which greatly affected the 1995 match, allowing Shawn Michaels to re-enter the ring and win the match. Subsequently, a wrestler who exits the ring without going over the top rope is not eliminated from the contest.

The Title History for the WWE2K Network begins following WWE Wrestlemania 29, and statistics (such as number of reigns) will reflect as such. For the history of the title prior to anything below, please see WWE.com or Wikipedia.