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Competing in the main event at WrestleMania is one of the chief goals of anyone who competes in the squared circle. WrestleMania is the epitome of pageantry and athleticism – the premier event in sports-entertainment, where the lights are brightest and Superstars achieve immortality. But for 20 years, the Road to WrestleMania has begun at Royal Rumble in a 30-man over-the-top rope war, where the winner earns an opportunity to face a World Champion on the grandest stage of them all. For that reason alone, earning a spot in the Royal Rumble Match itself is one of the most coveted honors in sports-entertainment.
On the most basic level, the Royal Rumble Match is a Battle Royal where the object is to throw your opponent over the top rope. Their feet must touch the floor for their elimination to be official. The last man standing in the ring is the winner. But the Royal Rumble is more than a Battle Royal – it is the crème de la crème of Battle Royals. It features 30 of only the elite Superstars of WWE from Raw, SmackDown and ECW – the Superstars have to earn their place in qualifying matches.
Superstars enter the Rumble every 90 seconds. The luck of the draw can be vital in this match. Superstars who draw the first two spots in the match have much less of a chance of winning than the lucky soul who grabs No. 30.
However, drawing No. 1 is not a death knell to WrestleMania main event hopes – just ask Shawn Michaels and Rey Mysterio, who drew Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in different years and still won the Rumble. And in the only Royal Rumble Match in history that determined the WWE Championship, Ric Flair drew No. 3 and survived for more than an hour to win the title in 1992.
And if Royal Rumble’s track record is any indication, it is a strong measure of a champion. From “Stone Cold” Steve Austin (who holds the most Royal Rumble wins in history with three) to Triple H to Batista to Undertaker last year, 15 out of the 17 different winners of the Rumble have been World Champions. In addition, the last seven Rumble winners have won a World Championship at WrestleMania. So, if Superstars are superstitious, they may believe that the Royal Rumble is the golden prognosticator – an event where future world champions emerge. A ticket to Royal Rumble is truly a potentially golden ticket.
But, as the saying goes, “You have to be in it to win it.” Stay with WWE programming on Raw, ECW and SmackDown and find out who qualifies for Royal Rumble. And who will emerge victorious at the Rumble and earn a World Championship opportunity at WrestleMania XXIV? Who will be the last of the 30 competitors standing? And will this winner become a future new World Champion? The only way to find out and witness this historic event is to catch Royal Rumble live on pay-per-view on Sunday, Jan. 27 at the Mecca of sports-entertainment, New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
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