When you think of sports in January, one usually has their mind immediately lean to the NFL playoffs or the ramping up of the NBA and NHL seasons. However, there is one annual event that remains as timeless as any as it can bring in viewership from new and old fans alike. This spectacle is none other than the WWE’s Royal Rumble. You don’t even have to be a current wrestling fan to at least be familiar with the concept of what the Rumble is. Your friends who haven’t tuned in to a second of wrestling in 15 years are more than likely aware of the event. One of the WWE’s two or three biggest shows of the year (or the biggest depending on who you ask), a thirty-person, every-man-for-himself bought where the only rules are you eliminate others by throwing them over the top rope, and both feet hit the floor. Competitors enter one-by-one and the last man (and now, woman) standing get rewarded with the opportunity of a lifetime: a championship match headlining WrestleMania. The Rumble debuted in 1988 and has been the company’s flagship January event ever since. In the 31 years of its existence, WWE seems to have come up with every possible storyline, set, surprise entrant, and way to win in the book. So how has the company kept the Rumble held to such a high mainstream standard even though there is virtually no change in the rules or match itself year after year? An interesting question indeed, considering that many of the other events and match types produced by Vince McMahon and the WWE have run their course and become stale. So why has the Royal Rumble not done the same? The answer is quite simple actually, in that it lies within the complete unpredictability this match is littered with.
The largest perennial mainstay of the Royal Rumble is surprise entrants. Many fans who do not regularly tune in or keep up with WWE’s current programming will watch the Rumble, simply for the possibility of their favorite childhood wrestler making an unexpected entry into the match. As soon as that music hits, viewers are hit with a wave of nostalgia that in many cases can remind them of a simpler time. The crowd popping to a returning superstar that was on the shelf for months with an injury is enough to give any wrestling fan goosebumps, especially if that person stands a decent chance at coming out on top (See John Cena’s return at Madison Square Garden in 2008 or Edge’s entry at #29 in 2010). For diehard fans, it’s always entertaining to see how weeks of speculated entrants actually play out when the match comes to fruition. Unexpected nostalgic acts and surprise entries from young stars looking to make a name for themselves on one of the year’s biggest nights. Even if it may seem like there is not a chance of being truly caught off-guard by an entrant, it is never a sure thing.
Another attracting point for the Rumble is the utter barbarity of it. Other than the simple rules stated above, essentially anything goes. Steel chairs, tables, and outside interference are just the tip of the iceberg. An easy example would be to look at the 2001 pay-per-view, widely regarded as one of the best Rumbles to date. It was chock full of foreign objects that would normally merit a disqualification in other matches. The device that differentiates this from other special-stipulation WWE matches is it is a sideshow of the match that does not always make an appearance. Some Royal Rumbles are more gruesome than others, and fans know each year they will not be getting an exact copy of the previous year. Other annual shows with special stipulations like Hell in a Cell, Elimination Chamber, and even Money in the Bank ladder matches have started to gain criticism of being repetitive, but the Royal Rumble remains unpredictable as far as what fans can expect in terms of in-ring antics.
For fans caught up with the current WWE product, storylines can play a tremendous part into the year’s Rumble match. A superstar may be looking at a last chance to get a title shot and go to desperate measures to try to win (see Shawn Michaels in 2010), or a wrestler who has gone through a lifetime of hardship to try to break into the wrestling industry finally sees their hard work and grit paid off by winning one of the most prominent matches for the most popular wrestling company in the world. Fans who can closely relate with this feel second-hand pride for said wrestlers. In 2006 Rey Mysterio won the match entering at #2 and dedicating his performance to his late friend and wrestling legend Eddie Guerrero, after his real-life death just a few months earlier. Truly a classic underdog story, that’s hard for anyone to look back on and not find themselves rooting for the luchador.
In 2018, we saw the first women’s Royal Rumble match implemented into the show’s card, and it ended up being a huge success. This in its own shows the strides women’s wrestling has made and how it is now getting mainstream clout it rightfully deserves. In 2021 the Royal Rumble will for the first time be in an empty arena with fans on monitors which WWE has coined the “Thunderdome”. Obviously under unforeseen circumstances venue-wise, the show still marks a special date in the calendar for wrestling fans. This year’s matches have no sure favorites, and as always, anything can happen.
Written By: Kyle Coreth
January 23, 2021