The WWE Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event held annually by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It is a pay-per-view event, first held in 1988.
The concept of the event is simple: 30 wrestlers enter the ring at timed intervals, usually 90 seconds to 2 minutes apart. A wrestler is eliminated when they are thrown over the top rope, with both feet touching the floor. The last wrestler remaining is declared the winner.
The Royal Rumble has become one of WWE’s most popular events and has been held every year since its inception. It has also become a staple of WWE’s “big four,” which includes WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series.
WWE Royal Rumble 2023: Card
- Men’s Royal Rumble Match
- Women’s Royal Rumble Match
- Mountain Dew Pitch Black Match – Bray Wyatt vs. LA Knight
WWE Royal Rumble 2023: Date and start time
The 2023 edition of the Royal Rumble will take place on January 28th 2023, emanating from Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. It is the third Royal Rumble event to be held at the Alamodome, following 1997 and 2017.
The event will start at 8pm ET/5pm PT in the US and at 1am for fans in the UK.
WWE Royal Rumble 2023: How to watch and live stream
The event will stream live on Peacock for US fans and globally via the WWE Network.
UK fans can also purchase the event via BT Sport Box Office at a cost of £19.95.
WWE Royal Rumble history
The first Royal Rumble was held on January 24, 1988, at the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The event featured four matches, with the Royal Rumble match featuring 20 wrestlers. The final four wrestlers were Dino Bravo, One Man Gang, Don Muraco, and Jim Duggan. Jim Duggan won the match, last eliminating One Man Gang, after entering at number 13.

Over the years, the Royal Rumble has seen many memorable moments and has been won by many notable wrestlers. In 1992, Ric Flair won the Royal Rumble, becoming the first wrestler to win the WWE Championship in the match. In 1999, Vince McMahon, the owner of WWE, entered the Royal Rumble at number 2 and won, despite not being an active wrestler. In 2001, Stone Cold Steve Austin won the Royal Rumble after entering at number 27 and eliminating three other wrestlers.
In recent years, the Royal Rumble has also featured a women’s Royal Rumble match. The first women’s Royal Rumble was held in 2018 and was won by Asuka. The second women’s Royal Rumble was held in 2019 and was won by Becky Lynch. The women’s Royal Rumble has become a popular event, with many female wrestlers from WWE’s main roster and developmental brand, NXT, participating.
The Royal Rumble is known for its surprise entrants, with wrestlers who have not been seen in WWE in a while making surprise appearances. In 2008, John Cena made a surprise return from injury to win the Royal Rumble. In 2016, AJ Styles made his WWE debut during the match, entering at number 3 and lasting nearly 30 minutes before being eliminated. One of the most memorable surprise entrants was in 2020, when Edge made a surprise return to WWE after a nine-year absence and entered the Royal Rumble at number 21.
The winner of the Royal Rumble match is traditionally awarded a championship match at WrestleMania, WWE’s biggest event of the year. This has been the case since the 1993 edition. The Royal Rumble winner has the opportunity to choose which champion they want to face at WrestleMania, adding an extra layer of excitement to the event. Many wrestlers have used their Royal Rumble victory to launch successful runs at the WWE or Universal Championship, solidifying their place as one of the top wrestlers in the company.
WWE Royal Rumble records
There have been many records set in the Royal Rumble match over the years. One of the most notable records is the number of eliminations in a single match, with Brock Lesnar eliminating 13 wrestlers in the 2020 Royal Rumble.
In 1992, Ric Flair became the first wrestler to last over an hour in a Royal Rumble match on his way to victory, surviving for one hour and two seconds. This feat has since been achieved several times and Rey Mysterio holds the current record for longest time spent in a single Royal Rumble match, lasting one hour, 2 minutes and twelve seconds in the 2006 edition.
WWE Royal Rumble Latest News

Ric Flair Confirms Liv Morgan’s Relationship With Fellow WWE Star
Ric Flair put doubts about Liv Morgan's relationship status to rest when he revealed that she's romantically linked to a fellow WWE Superstar.

Jim Cornette Brutalises Bray Wyatt’s Pitch Black Match At WWE Royal Rumble
Jim Cornette was less than impressed with the Pitch Black Match between LA Knight and Bray Wyatt.

5 WWE Records Smashed During The 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble
This year's WWE Royal Rumble was as eventful as ever with the women's Rumble match smashing 5 records!

“I Went To The Ring Cold” – WWE Hall Of Famer Says Royal Rumble Return Was Unplanned
One WWE Hall of Famer wasn't planning to return as part of the Royal Rumble until minutes before the match!

Bianca Belair Passes Incredible WWE Milestone
Bianca Belair passed yet another incredible milestone during her reign as WWE Raw Women's Champion!

Ex-WWE Star Calls Out Logan Paul, Claims He’d Fall “Flat On His Face” Without Legend’s Help
One former WWE star doesn't believe the hype behind Logan Paul's in-ring work is justified, claiming he'd "fall flat on his face" without significant help from a WWE Hall of Famer.

Ric Flair Reacts To Rhea Ripley’s WrestleMania Challenge
Ric Flair has sent a message to Rhea Ripley after the Royal Rumble winner challenged Charlotte Flair for WrestleMania 39.

Huge Elimination Chamber Match Update, Details Revealed Ahead Of WWE Raw
Ahead of WWE Raw, the company announced huge details surrounding the upcoming Elimination Chamber match that will see a major championship defended.

Multiple WWE Superstars Injured During 2023 Royal Rumble
The blockbuster 2023 Royal Rumble left multiple WWE Superstars injured in its wake.

WWE Releases First Glimpse At Chelsea Green’s New ‘Karen’ Character [VIDEO]
Chelsea Green is back in WWE, and fans got a glimpse of her antagonistic new persona in a backstage interview!

What Happened With Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens After WWE Royal Rumble Went Dark [VIDEO]
Video has emerged of the aftermath of The Bloodline's beatdown on Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens!

WWE Smashes Two Mammoth Records During 2023 Royal Rumble
The 2023 Royal Rumble in San Antonio, TX smashed multiple massive WWE records!

WWE Hall of Famer Sends Heartfelt Message To Cody Rhodes Following 2023 Royal Rumble Win
A WWE Hall of Famer has sent his heartfelt congratulations to Cody Rhodes for winning the Men's Royal Rumble match.

Elon Musk Says Logan Paul Will Feud With Andrew Tate In The WWE
Elon Musk is no stranger to controversy, and he recently commented on the potential of Logan Paul taking on the incarcerated Andrew Tate inside a WWE ring!

The Undertaker Praises WWE Star’s Performance During The 2023 Royal Rumble
The Undertaker had high praise for one WWE star who made a return at the Royal Rumble!

Dwayne Johnson Reveals Where He Was During The 2023 WWE Royal Rumble
Despite the heavy speculation, Dwayne Johnson wasn't at the 2023 Royal Rumble, so where was he?

Sonya Deville Shows Off Gruesome Injury Sustained At The 2023 WWE Royal Rumble
WWE Superstar Sonya Deville took to social media to show off the nasty injury she suffered during her appearance in the Royal Rumble

Zelina Vega To Feature In Street Fighter 6 Following Series-Inspired Royal Rumble Cosplay
Zelina Vega was one of the many highlights from the women's Royal Rumble match when she appeared as Juri Han from Street Fighter 6.

Bray Wyatt Comments On Divisive WWE Royal Rumble Match
Feedback for the Royal Rumble's Pitch Black match has been mixed, but now Bray Wyatt has given his take on the matter.

Becky Lynch Once Kissed A WWE Legend On-Screen Before WWE Later Edited It Out
WWE has stricken an interaction between Becky Lynch and a Hall of Famer from the history books by editing it out of replay broadcasts.

Social Media Reacts To Sami Zayn’s Shocking Roman Reigns Betrayal
Sami Zayn's betrayal of Roman Reigns shocked wrestling fans worldwide, and social media has been abuzz in the fallout of this angle.


Rhea Ripley Makes History TWICE With Royal Rumble Victory
Rhea Ripley set two huge records on the way to her incredible victory at the 2023 Royal Rumble.