WWE Royal Rumble – The Attraction from a Non-WWE Fan

The WWE Royal Rumble. Ask anyone, WWE fan or not and they tend to have some idea as to what the Royal Rumble is and what it involves.

30 WWE superstars battle it out for an opportunity to have a shot at a world title of their choice at the upcoming WrestleMania card, which is set to take place in April.

But what is the attraction of the Royal Rumble? Hardcore WWE fans, casuals and non-WWE fans alike appear to love the event. We look into why this is the case.

The 2026 Royal Rumble goes down this weekend from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

WWE Royal Rumble – The Attraction from a Non-WWE Fan

It’s Easy to Follow

WWE have a whole wide range of matches, from steel cage matches to hell in a cell, from buried alive matches to I quit matches, and the long forgotten Punjabi Prison match, but none are easier to follow than the Royal Rumble.

It’s simple. Two superstars begin the match and every 90 seconds, a new superstar enters the match. How do wrestlers get eliminated? If you’re thrown over the top rope and both feet touch the floor, that’s curtains! It’s that simple. No pinfalls, no submissions and no disqualifications.

It’s also easy to know who wins (unless it’s 2005, when Batista and John Cena were eliminated at the same time). It’s the last man or woman standing. The last superstar left in the Royal Rumble match earns a shot at the title at WrestleMania.

Superstar Returns

From a non-WWE fan’s perspective, one of the most entertaining, fun and highly anticipated parts of a Royal Rumble match are the fun returns of past superstars. As someone who hasn’t watched WWE since childhood, seeing old names get huge pops is always fun.

Former UFC champion, Ronda Rousey, returned to the WWE in 2022. Entering the match at #28, Rousey got a huge pop from the crowd and went on to win the match, securing a WrestleMania spot.

The biggest superstar returns include Edge’s iconic return in 2020. The Rated R Superstar returned to compete in his first match in nine years. John Cena’s 2008 return shocked fans and seemingly in-ring performers alike. He entered the Royal Rumble to a huge crowd reaction at #30 after returning early from an injury.

Whether it’s legends, surprise entrances from other organisations (NXT or TNA) or legends returning, the Royal Rumble always produces moments.

Setting up Storylines

The Royal Rumble is everyone for themselves. Fractions, tag teams, friendships and alliances mean nothing in the Royal Rumble, you can’t share a championship fight at WrestleMania. If you need to throw your friend over the top rope to win,  superstars will do it!

The winner has a jet pack attached to them and the push that they get following the Rumble is like nothing else. They become a main event star instantly. Of course, the WWE choose who they’re going to push, but they rarley make mistakes.

But even if a superstar doesn’t win the Royal Rumble, they can still steal headlines. Logan Paul colliding with fellow superstar Ricochet in mid-air had fans excited and gained Paul a lot of respect from fans.

Logan Paul and Ricochet colliding mid-air is one of the craziest spots ever done in the Royal Rumble.

I really hope we get more spots like this in future. pic.twitter.com/GKR5ZGqI43

— Popplayzz (@Popplayzz1) January 14, 2026

The Rumble is a great platform for setting up storylines going forward, with superstars bitter with oneanother for losing out on a chance to compete at WrestleMania. With just one blockbuster event scheduled between the Rumble and WrestleMania (Elimination Chamber in February), all roads lead to the biggest event of the year… and that road starts at the Royal Rumble this weekend.