Everything You Need to Know Before Royal Rumble 2024

Royal Rumble is almost here. It’s the official start of the Road to WrestleMania as it awards two Superstars championship matches at WWE’s biggest Premium Live Event of the year in April. Beyond that, the format of the Royal Rumble match is some of the most fun you can have watching WWE. 

What is Royal Rumble? 

Royal Rumble is an annual WWE Premium Live Event. Its main draw is the two Royal Rumble matches, one for men and one for women. The Royal Rumble match is unlike anything else in WWE. 30 Superstars enter the ring at timed intervals (usually 90 seconds). If one gets thrown over the top rope and out of the ring, and both feet touch the floor of the arena, they’re eliminated. The last Superstar standing gets a championship match at WrestleMania. It’s an exciting match, with non-stop hectic action, dramatic story developments and even surprise contenders. You really can’t take your eyes off the screen during the Royal Rumble matches. 

Where will Royal Rumble take place? 

The 2024 edition of the Royal Rumble will take place at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL. 

When does Royal Rumble Start? 

Royal Rumble will start Saturday, Jan 27 at 8E/5P. Catch the Kickoff Show at 7E/4P for updates, interviews, predictions, and more. 

Where can I watch Royal Rumble? 

Royal Rumble is streaming exclusively on Peacock. Just download the app, navigate to the WWE category and start streaming the most exciting event of the weekend. 

When was the first Royal Rumble? 

The first Royal Rumble happened in 1988. We definitely recommend seeing it for yourself. Not only is it a glimpse into a different era of professional wrestling, you get to see WWE (then WWF) sell the audience on the idea of the match. It also wasn’t on Pay-Per-View. With no real idea of how successful it would be, WWE put it out there for everyone to see. By the end of the night, everyone watching was pretty much sold. It was an action-packed night, with Hacksaw Jim Duggan pulling the top rope down to eliminate the One Man Gang for the win. 

Watch Royal Rumble 1988 on Peacock. 

The Evolution of the Royal Rumble 

If you watch the first Royal Rumble match , you’ll notice it looks very different from the Royal Rumble we know today. It’s been through years of fine-tuning and experimentation. Things we now take as a given weren’t always in place. For example, the Royal Rumble match being the final event of the night. The main event of 1988’s event was a totally different match. Royal Rumble 1989 was the first time a Royal Rumble match was the main event of the night. It was also the first time 30 superstars would compete, as opposed to 1988’s 20. With a new hit match format and expanded field, WWE took the match to pay-per-view and never looked back. 

Watch Royal Rumble 1989 on Peacock. 

Even the prize for winning the Royal Rumble match has changed over the years. It wasn’t until 1993 that the winner of Royal Rumble received a championship match at that year’s WrestleMania. The stakes were raised instantly, guaranteeing a thrilling night and a big pop from the crowd when Yokuzuna pushed Macho Man Randy Savage over the top rope for the win. 

Watch Royal Rumble 1993 on Peacock. 

The most recent evolution to Royal Rumble came in 2018, when a women’s Royal Rumble match was added to the card. With all the talent in the women’s division of WWE, this was a very welcome addition. The match itself lived up to all expectations as the night’s main event with massive spots and tons of back-and-forth. This one’s also notable for the debut of Ronda Rousey, who interrupted the victory celebration to confirm that she’d signed full-time with WWE. 

Watch Royal Rumble 2018 on Peacock.

Other Memorable Royal Rumble Moments 

There’s no shortage of amazing moments in Royal Rumble history. In 1995, Shawn Michaels entered the ring first. He fought through 29 other Superstars before going one-on-one against the number-two entrant, Davey Boy Smith. Through a fun bit of trickery, Michaels threw Smith out of the ring, becoming the first number-one entrant to win a Royal Rumble match. 

Watch Royal Rumble 1995 on Peacock. 

1997 was another year where the main event of the night was not the Royal Rumble match. That doesn’t mean the match itself was any less exciting, though. This one saw Stone Cold Steve Austin going on an absolute tear. Twice in the match, he eliminated multiple opponents one-by-one and had the ring all to himself. In the end, Austin had Bret Hart convinced he’d already been eliminated, only to steal the win out from under him as Hart was celebrating. Not only did Austin win this match, he tied Hulk Hogan’s record for most eliminations in a single Royal Rumble. 

Watch Royal Rumble 1997 on Peacock. 

What to Expect from Royal Rumble 2024

That’s the exciting part. We really don’t know what to expect. In 2023, Rhea Ripley became the first woman to enter at number one and win the entire Royal Rumble match. She went on to win the SmackDown Women’s Championship, which was later renamed the Women’s World Championship, and has held the title ever since. Now Damage CTRL is causing trouble all over SmackDown brand with a mission to hold every title in WWE. Bayley is looking to prove herself as leader of the faction and hopes to win at Royal Rumble and challenge Ripley for the Women’s World Championship. Of course, there are 29 other Superstars looking for the same thing. Particularly Bianca Belair, who will be aiming for Iyo Sky’s WWE Women’s Championship. If she wins the match on Saturday, Damage CTRL will be in trouble. 

For the men’s match, we could see Cody Rhodes repeat as Royal Rumble champion. At last year’s event, he was the last Superstar to enter the ring and he ended up winning it all. He lost his Championship match against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, failing to “finish the story” the way he’d hoped. One year later, Rhodes has been fighting all year long to get back here. He even held the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship with Jey Uso for a while. He’s ready to get back in the ring and earn his way back to WrestleMania. He has an even tougher fight ahead of him this year, though. Drew McIntyre has been relentless in his pursuit of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and he’ll be fighting as hard as ever for a chance to challenge Seth Rollins for it. Meanwhile, CM Punk returned to WWE at Survivor Series: WarGames and has a ton of momentum (and love from the WWE Universe) behind him. Not to mention Shinsuke Nakamura, Bobby Lashley and Gunther, the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion in WWE History. This really is anybody’s match 

And those are just two of the matches scheduled for this Saturday. You’ll also see Kevin Owens challenge Logan Paul for the WWE United States Championship. Then there’s the main event. Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns faces his most dangerous battle yet: A fatal four-way match against AJ Styles, LA Knight, and Randy Orton. Any pin, even one Reigns isn’t involved in, takes the championship. Will we see a new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion on Saturday? Anything can happen at Royal Rumble. 

Watch Royal Rumble 2024 Saturday, Jan 27 on Peacock.