WWE Royal Rumble

The Royal Rumble is an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced every January by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The event's main featured match is a Battle Royal-type match, entitled the Royal Rumble match. The pay-per-view is part of wrestling's "Big Four", along with WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series. The Royal Rumble is also one of WWE's more popular pay-per-views. The idea behind the Royal Rumble match is credited to Pat Patterson. The first Royal Rumble took place on January 24, 1988 and was broadcast live on the USA Network. The rules and format, however, have changed since the match's debut. The following year, the event was rebranded as a pay-per-view. The winner of the Rumble receives a title match at that year's WrestleMania.