10 Things That Are No Longer Special About WWE Royal Rumble
3. Entry Numbers
Anyone tuning into WWE’s version of professional wrestling for the first time might be shocked to discover the stars can simply enter themselves into the legendary Royal Rumble rather than fight and claw their way. It’s a once-a-year opportunity to score a championship match in the main event (usually) of WrestleMania. With so much at stake, one would assume some sort of regulations were in place, but apparently, that red tape was cut long ago.
Prior to the last several years, performers were often required to win qualifying matches to draw their entry numbers for the Royal Rumble. The effort needed from a wrestler to enter the contest hardly mattered in the end, as the numbers were often the draw's luck. Someone could bust their ass off just to receive a low, single-digit number. Other times, spots like the #30 position were handed out as rewards. Getting a little more creative (?), Eddie Guerrero's ghost caused Rey Mysterio to draw #2 from the Rumble bingo cage back in 2006.
No matter how the past Rumbles did it, there was generally a selection process for the potential participants to help pique fan interest. Today, the numbers are randomly assigned to wrestlers. They might as well send an email blast to all Network subscribers, listing all 60 participants to help further remove any surprise. Hell, tell us the winners while you're at it, too.