9 Unofficial WWE Royal Rumbles
The not-so-Royal Rumbles.
The latest WWE announcement to get the internet talking is that of the 50-man Royal Rumble, which is due take place in Saudi Arabia next month.
Details, at the moment, remain few and far between. We don't know who from the company's considerable roster will feature, for example (except Triple H - there's no way he's missing it). We don't even know whether it will be broadcast on the Network, or lost to the archives like last year's Starrcade.
But something about the Royal Rumble, as a match-type, just always seems to get the pulses racing. Apart from Shinsuke Nakamura's smile, there's probably no better sight in wrestling than a group of the industry's biggest and best stars all in the ring at once, preferably with the stakes really high.
In all likelihood, the stakes will be relatively low in April, but that's not to say that it can't still be entertaining. In fact, nine other unofficial Royal Rumble matches have taken place outside of the eponymous pay-per-view over the last 30 years, and many of them - though not as prestigious - have been plenty fun...
9. 12-Man Royal Rumble (St. Louis, MO - 4/10/87)
In the WWE history books, the first-ever Royal Rumble took place on pay-per-view in January 1988, a 20-man affair won by Hacksaw Jim Duggan, who eliminated One Man Gang at the death.
But any true fans of the sport - or anyone who has visited Wikipedia, anyway - will know that this isn't so, and that the original Rumble in fact took place three months earlier at a house show in St Louis, Missouri.
In front of a crowd of just 2,000, this time it was One Man Gang who emerged with the spoils, having reportedly tumbled over the top rope and hit the floor on the outside a couple of milliseconds after fellow 1980s WWF royalty Junkyard Dog.
Only 12 men featured in total, which is frankly pathetic compared to the 50 who are due to partake in the upcoming Saudi Arabia special. It seems Vince McMahon has come to realise that, in wrestling, more really is more. You need at least twice that to make it worth watching.