What are the rules of the WWE Royal Rumble?

The Royal Rumble is often viewed as the second-most exciting WWE show of the year, behind WrestleMania. When it comes to the match itself, few bouts have the same level of anticipation.

Not many matches have such high stakes, and in the case of the Royal Rumble, it's an opportunity for one man and one woman every year to get a slot in the main event of WrestleMania.

The Royal Rumble match dates back to 1988, with the first winner being "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan. However, the all-important WrestleMania spot wasn't introduced until 1993 - with Yokozuna being the first to get a championship opportunity via Rumble.

In that context, what are the rules of the Royal Rumble match? Five rules apply to both the men's and women's matches, and they are as follows:

1. Two superstars will start in the ring
2. Every 90 seconds, another superstar will enter
3. A superstar can only be eliminated when both feet touch the floor outside the ring
4. Every superstar must go over the top rope only
5. The winner of the match gets to choose the champion of their choice to face at WrestleMania

It should be noted that the 90-second rule isn't always followed, as many have pointed out that WWE has been inconsistent with it.

As for both feet touching the floor, WWE has used this loophole to build dramatic moments and establish Kofi Kingston as an icon of the Rumble. Despite the former WWE Champion never winning the match, he is famous for using creative ways to avoid elimination - something he inevitably faces every time.

The number one and number two spots are essentially the same, but WWE often glorifies winning from the #1 spot - something that has only been achieved by Shawn Michaels (1995), Chris Benoit (2004), and Edge (2021). Vince McMahon (1999) and Rey Mysterio (2006) are the only two to win from the second spot.

Does the Royal Rumble winner always headline WrestleMania?

In many cases, the Rumble winners didn't headline WrestleMania. For example, only Becky Lynch (2019) and Bianca Belair (2021) have gone on to headline WrestleMania, while Asuka (2018) and Charlotte Flair (2020) have competed in matches early in the card.

2021 was the first year since the introduction of the Women's Rumble match, where both the male and female winners headlined WrestleMania. Bianca Belair headlined Night 1 of WrestleMania 37, while Edge headlined Night 2.

Seth Rollins (2019), Shinsuke Nakamura (2018), and Randy Orton (2017) are three recent examples of winners who didn't go on to headline WrestleMania.

Who is your pick to win the Rumble matches this year? Let us know in the comments below.