Key stats and info to know before the 2026 Royal Rumble - ESPN

Royal Rumble, the third-longest-running annual WWE premium live event, returns on Saturday (2 p.m. ET, ESPN Unlimited). The event, which will take place at KAFD in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, started in 1988 and is traditionally the first PLE of each year.

The show will feature a men's and women's Royal Rumble match, with the winners earning an opportunity to challenge for a world championship at WrestleMania 42 in April in Las Vegas. Also on the card, Undisputed WWE champion Drew McIntyre will look to defend his title against Sami Zayn and AJ Styles will put his in-ring career on the line against Gunther.

As the road to WrestleMania begins, here's a look at the history of its first stop.

WWE Hall of Famer «Hacksaw» Jim Duggan won the first Royal Rumble match in 1988. He recorded three eliminations in the match, including the final elimination of One Man Gang. The first Royal Rumble elimination occurred when Jake «The Snake» Roberts sent «The Natural» Butch Reed over the top rope.

This weekend, Jey Uso will look to become the next wrestler to win back-to-back Royal Rumble matches. That feat has been accomplished four times: Hulk Hogan (1990, 1991), Shawn Michaels (1995, 1996), «Stone Cold» Steve Austin (1997, 1998) and Cody Rhodes (2023, 2024).

The Miz has the most Royal Rumble match appearances among the active roster (16). The all-time leader in Rumble match entries is Kane with 18 (he had two more appearances under different personas). Kane also holds the record for most eliminations with 45.

Gunther set the record for the longest time spent in a single Royal Rumble match in 2023. He entered first and was the runner-up, spending over 1 hour, 11 minutes in the ring. Conversely, the shortest amount of time spent in a Royal