Such is the WWE's calendar that the majority of anticipation and excitement stems from the matches that go down at the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania. Traditionally, the victors of the 30-man - occasionally 40-man - over-the-top-rope match go on to earn a shot at one of the two world titles at the company's showpiece at the end of March or early April, and storylines usually lead to superstars being given a push on the back of their earlier triumph in January. However, just exactly how many Royal Rumble winners have become world champion at the following WrestleMania?
In an interview with Betway, inaugural winner Hacksaw Jim Duggan talks about the ideal tactics to win the Royal Rumble, but the legendary superstar and Big John Studd - the victor the following year - never earned world title shots at WrestleMania. It was only in the early nineties when the carrot of a world title shot was added to the equation, with Yokozuna the first to benefit through his 1993 success.
On the 29 occasions that has since come and gone, as many as 17 winners of the Royal Rumble have won a version of the world title at the following WrestleMania. When it has come to double winners, they have been crowned world champion more often than not, but Edge is the only two-time winner of the Royal Rumble to lose both of his subsequent challenges. In 2010, Edge lost out to Chris Jericho, while he also failed to prevail in a triple-threat match against Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan last year.
However, things are not always straightforward at WrestleMania. Yokozuna was a champion for a matter of minutes at WrestleMania IX before Hulk Hogan defeated the Japanese in an impromptu match, while Vince McMahon never went through with his championship match at WrestleMania XV after losing the rights to that bout in a steel cage match with Steve Austin at St Valentine's Day Massacre, the pay-per-view preceding that event.
Such instances will leave fans guessing over the ramifications of Brock Lesnar winning the 2022 edition last week. 'The Beast Incarnate' has already secured his spot in the main event at the upcoming WrestleMania on April 3, but he may still arrive in Texas as champion having been included in the upcoming WWE Championship bout at Elimination Chamber.
