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The first Royal Rumble took place on January 24, 1988 in Hamilton, Ontario. “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan won, and the first pay-per-view Rumble occurred a year later. It has been traditionally booked by Pat Patterson, who is credited with “inventing” the match. Since his departure from WWE, the Rumble is booked by WWE’s creative team.

The Royal Rumble is comprised of 30 men; beginning with two men in the ring, and at regular timed intervals (usually, but not always, every 90 seconds), one of the remaining 28 wrestlers enters the ring. Participants must eliminate all other opponents and the winner of the event is the last wrestler remaining after all others have been eliminated.

A wrestler is eliminated when leaving the ring over the top rope, and then having both feet touch the floor. An egress between the second and third rope or under the bottom rope is not a valid elimination.

An elimination can also occur when a wrestler is thrown off the top rope by a non-competing opponent, or by one who had already been eliminated, or when the participant deliberately jumps outside the ring, for instance to take out someone who is outside the ring. Other wrestlers can be de facto eliminated due to interference preventing the wrestler from entering the ring, or due to a prolonged absence from the ring.

Although the order of entry is supposed to be random, it is common to have storylines where wrestlers compete for the right to enter last, or ask for a low number in order to prove their stamina by outlasting all others. A wrestler may also be assigned a high or low number by a figure of authority as a reward or a punishment. In reality, the order of entrance and elimination is carefully planned by the booker in order to put on an entertaining match.