10 Fascinating WWE Royal Rumble 1988 Facts

10. It Wasn't Actually WWE's First Rumble Match

As noted, Duggan is often credited as being the first winner of a Royal Rumble match, but that's technically incorrect. On October 4, 1987, three and a half months before the January 1988 TV special, WWE held a Royal Rumble dry-run in St. Louis, MO. It was at a house show and, yeah, house shows "don't count", but if you're talking the first-ever WWE-branded Royal Rumble match, then this is it.

The "original" Royal Rumble had less than 20 entrants (between 12 and 14, it's not 100 percent clear), and was won by The One Man Gang, who eliminated Junkyard Dog. Other entrants included Don Muraco, Cowboy Bob Orton, Demolition, Davey Boy Smith, and others.

The match was to determine who would face Hulk Hogan in a championship match one month later in the same building. However, WWE made quite a faux pas when they announced during intermission that Hogan would be facing Gang at that card, thus spoiling the forthcoming Rumble finish. When Gang emerged victorious, the crowd disgustedly booed at the amateurish mistake.