10 Fascinating Facts That WWE Fans Always Get Wrong
You’ve been quoting wrestling history wrong for years... but don’t worry, so has everyone else.
WWE history is packed with unforgettable moments, legendary promos, and iconic matches—but as any long-time fan knows, the line between fact and fiction in wrestling is often blurrier than a dusty camera lens on a 1995 Raw taping before the company invested in smoke-clearing apparatus.
Over time, stories get embellished, timelines get twisted, and certain narratives become gospel—regardless of how accurate they actually are. Whether it’s the supposed instant rise of a future megastar, the mythologised end of a wrestling career, or the origins of a catchphrase that defined an era, fans have unknowingly bought into half-truths and company-spun legends for years.
Sometimes it’s WWE’s own revisionist storytelling at work, crafting a cleaner, more dramatic version of events that suits some sort of professional or personal edict. Other times, it’s just the result of decades of hearsay, misremembered promos, and internet echo chambers.
But when you dig a little deeper, the real stories are often far more interesting—and sometimes even more chaotic—than the myths we’ve come to accept. From misunderstood debuts to misattributed promos, and from overhyped turning points to under-appreciated exits, it’s time to set the record straight.
10. The First Royal Rumble Match Didn’t Happen in 1988
Ask any WWE fan when the first Royal Rumble took place, and they’ll confidently tell you it was in 1988, on a pay-per-view of the same name. But here’s the twist: that wasn’t actually the first Rumble match.
The real first Royal Rumble happened on October 4, 1987, at a house show in St. Louis, Missouri. That’s right—no TV cameras, just a test run in front of a live crowd. The match featured 12 participants (not the usual 20, 30, or once 40), and was won by none other than One Man Gang. WWE was experimenting with the concept, and while it didn’t make waves at the time, it laid the groundwork for what would become one of the company’s most iconic annual events.
The 1988 televised version, won by “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, is often credited as the first because it was the first to air publicly. But if you’re a true wrestling trivia buff, you’ll know the Rumble’s roots go back further—and started in a much humbler setting.