The first-ever Royal Rumble match and event took place in 1988 with WWE wanting to try a new concept. Pat Patterson was the brilliant mind to come up with a unique spin on the battle royal. A countdown clock of wrestlers coming out one by one added a different element that found great results.
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Most fans only know that Jim Duggan won the match since WWE does not reference it too often. However, there are quite a few interesting tidbits out there about the first time fans were introduced to the format. Find out more about the historic outing that gave us an annual event that grows in popularity each year.
10 Ultimate Warrior Was Eliminated After 3 Minutes
The Ultimate Warrior was the biggest name in the first Royal Rumble match early into his push. Fans already realized Warrior was someone they wanted to rally behind with his unique look and presentation, but he wasn’t at a top star status yet.
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However, there was hope that Warrior could go deep into the match or even win the whole thing. The elimination of the future legend came just three minutes into his entrance when both Dino Bravo and One Man Gang tossed him out.
9 No Prize On The Line
The annual prize of a title shot at WrestleMania has made the Royal Rumble match extremely important. That wasn’t always the case as the title shot wasn’t added as an official prize until the early ‘90s.
There was no actual incentive for the match outside of another win. Jim Duggan did not receive a title shot or a crown or anything that typically came from having such a victory in WWE. The match becoming a hit was what later sparked the desire to add a prize.
8 Harley Race Appeared
Many fans forget that Harley Race signed with WWE for a short run in the ‘80s. The in-ring career of Race was nearing the end and he wanted to give WWE a crack as it was becoming the top mainstream promotion of the industry.
Race was one of the bigger names in the first Royal Rumble match, but he didn’t feel like a favorite since WWE was not pushing him at the time. The elimination of Race came after 10 minutes in the match by Don Muraco tossing him out.
7 Multiple Enhancement Talents Were Involved
WWE did not have a deep roster needed for the number of wrestlers typically required for the Royal Rumble match fans know today. In fact, the smaller number of 20 wrestlers instead of 30 still felt like overkill due to the lack of relevant names.
Quite a few lower card wrestlers or enhancement talents were used to make up enough names for the match concept. Sam Houston, Jim Brunzell, Boris Zhukov, Danny Davis, and Ron Bass were some of the wrestlers that had no realistic chance to win.
6 Dino Bravo Was In Final Four
The evolution of the Royal Rumble match would see only major names making it to the final four. Anyone outside of established talents in such a role either was planned to get pushed or had a role for a specific reason.
The first match of its kind did not have the same formula as a questionable name made the final four. Dino Bravo was an impressive wrestler, but he was never treated like a top star in WWE. The placement at the end of the match just felt off watching back.
5 Jake Roberts Made First Elimination
The first wrestler to score an elimination in the first Royal Rumble match was Jake Roberts. WWE booked Roberts strong as they recognized the talent of the future legend, but he was rarely placed in the main event picture.
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Butch Reed was the wrestler to get thrown over the top rope by Roberts to get the match going. Roberts had a strong performance lasting about 21 minutes before he was eliminated by One Man Gang.
4 No Former WWE Champions Were In Match
The lack of star power depth in the first Royal Rumble match made it a hit or miss idea on paper. No former WWE Champions were included which could have led to fans viewing it as a secondary concept.
Bret Hart and Ultimate Warrior did win the WWE Championship in the early '90s, but neither was a viable contender at the time. Names like Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and Andre the Giant were on the roster, but none took part in the first Rumble match.
3 Rick Rude & Ricky Steamboat Were Not In Rumble Due To Earlier Match
Fans are now used to wrestlers who have matches earlier in the night competing in the Royal Rumble, but that wasn’t always the case. The first Royal Rumble event featured Rick Rude and Ricky Steamboat having a strong opening contest.
WWE opted to have them not compete in the Rumble match later in the show since the importance of selling was different at the time. Roberts and Steamboat having any fight left in the Rumble was a no-no for WWE booking on this show.
2 One Man Gang Had Double The Number Of Eliminations As Anyone Else
WWE has showcased various dominant performances of wrestlers having double-digit eliminations in the Royal Rumble match like Braun Strowman, Kane and Roman Reigns. The first Rumble match would see One Man Gang having that appeal.
No one dominated as much as One Man Gang with 6 of the 19 total eliminations in the battle royal. The next wrestlers to have the most eliminations on this night were Don Muraco and Jim Duggan with three each.
1 Bret Hart Was The Iron Man
The title of the iron man or iron woman of the Royal Rumble match represents the wrestlers who last the longest, even if they didn’t win it all. Bret Hart set the tone for that role in the first Rumble match as the first entrant.
WWE already trusted Bret as an in-ring general here before his bigger singles push. Hart lasted about 25 minutes in the match before finally getting eliminated by Don Muraco. Even though no one expected Bret to win the Rumble, his performance earned more respect ahead of his legendary singles run.
NEXT: 10 Wrestlers With Longest Cumulative Time In The Royal Rumble, Ranked
