Royal Rumble By The Numbers WWE DON'T Want You To Know

5. 12

Jericho Rumble Numbers
WWE

In 1987, the WWF held the first, 'experimental' Royal Rumble match.

This contradicts company lore, which posits that the Rumble began life in 1988 as a brand new, much-hyped attraction instantly worth your time - time spent away from the NWA's Bunkhouse Stampede pay-per-view, which the free, cable-broadcast Rumble match clotheslined over the top rope and into financial oblivion. No: on October 4, 1987, the first prototype Royal Rumble emanated from St. Louis, Missouri.

Featuring just 12 competitors, One Man Gang emerged victorious. CBS Sports did a fabulous job piecing together its lost history, and even contacted the man who would become Akeem - who has no recollection of the disastrous night in question, which saw the WWF telegraph the result of an attraction that, with no TV hype to build it, left fans mystified about what exactly it was. The physical absence of Pat Patterson, who created the match, didn't help; talent and agents alike couldn't hope to play a pop classic with no tablature, and the whole thing went full Titus O'Neill.

Just the 12 stars, then. Still 10 more than 1995's 30-man.

There's a reason WWE first 'experimented' with the January Classic...

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!