WWE Royal Rumble 2023: Which star won the first-ever Rumble?

WWE Royal Rumble 2023 is one of the most highly anticipated events of the year, with the eventual winner joining multiple legends and Hall of Famers to become memorable stars.

The annual Royal Rumble event is part of the Stamford-based promotion's Big Four, alongside WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series. The 30-man Rumble match has featured numerous winners over the years, with even surprising returns and debuts. However, the first-ever event was quite different.

The first ever Royal Rumble event occurred on January 24, 1988, at the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Unlike the usual events in recent years, there were only 20 participants. It was not even the main event with 18,000 people in attendance.

The first-ever Royal Rumble winner was "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan. He entered at number 13 and lasted for almost 15 minutes inside the ring. On the way to victory, he eliminated the likes of One Man Gang, Nikolai Volkoff, and Danny Davis.

In 2014, the 68-year-old stated that winning the inaugural match was his claim to fame. Jim Duggan expressed that although he never held championships, being the first-ever winner was also a good title to have.

"It was really exciting and that is kind of my claim to fame, something a lot of people always remember is the winner of the first ever Royal Rumble match. I was never World Champion, Tag Team Champion or Intercontinental Champion. Winning that first ever Royal Rumble match was a good spot for me, a nice place to hang my hat."

WWE Royal Rumble 2023 is set to be an iconic and memorable event

The upcoming premium live event is set to be a sold-out show, and for understandable reasons. Not only are there big names being rumored to return, but the scheduled matches so far are something fans should not miss out on.

WWE Royal Rumble 2023 will have a special match between Bray Wyatt and LA Knight. Another set of stars slated to be in action for the event is Roman Reigns to defend the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship against Kevin Owens.

For the 30-man WWE Royal Rumble 2023 matches, Kofi Kingston and Ricochet are sure competitors for the match. Austin Theory, Seth Rollins, and Baron Corbin have also announced their interest.

For the women's division, it was announced that Liv Morgan has successfully added herself to the mix. Rhea Ripley and Candice LeRae have also announced their intentions to win the match.

WWE Royal Rumble 2023 will surely be an exciting lead-up to this year's WrestleMania.