The coveted Royal Rumble event has received its first competitor, and it isn’t a member of the currentWWEroster. After appearing on the December 10 edition of SmackDown,Jackass Foreverstar Johnny Knoxville has announced his hopes to involve himself in the 2022 Royal Rumble.
The Royal Rumble event has been held annually since 1988 and has featured hundreds of competitors over the years. The winner of the Royal Rumble goes on to earn a championship match atWWE’sbiggest event of the year: WrestleMania. With both the WWE Championship and WWE Universal Championship up for grabs, the winner of the Royal Rumble match will be able to choose which championship they wish to challenge for.
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Knoxville’s announcement was shown duringWWE’s Day 1 pay-per-view eventthat streamed exclusively on Peacock on January 1. The video was later released on WWE’s social media account and it featured Knoxville declaring for the match, going as far as to say that he is not impressed by the stars currently on the WWE roster. “They don’t have anyone big enough to throw me over the top rope,” Knoxville said. “What? Is Little E or Roman Ruins going to do it?” At the time the video aired, Big E and Roman Reigns were the WWE Champion and Universal Champion, respectively. Big E would go on to lose the WWE Championship in Day 1’s main event to Brock Lesnar. Reigns was unable to compete at the event after testing positive for COVID-19.
If he competes, Knoxville would not be the first celebrity to step foot inside a WWE ring. At WrestleMania 37, Bad Bunny wrestled in a tag team match alongside Damian Priest totake on The Mizand John Morrison. In 2001, Drew Carey participated in the Royal Rumble match, entering at No. 5. After the Hardy Boyz’s battle led to the elimination of them both, Carey was left alone in the ring until Kane entered at No. 6. As Kane prepared to chokeslam Carey, Raven entered at No. 7, giving Carey enough time to eliminate himself by climbing over the top rope.
In orderto win the Royal Rumble, Knoxville will have to outlast 29 other superstars. Two men will start the match and every 90 seconds, they will be joined by another superstar. After entering the match, the competitors can be eliminated after going over the top rope and having both feet hit the floor. Those who enter the Rumble early on are typically at a disadvantage because it is easy to become fatigued throughout the long match. Entrants who enter in the late-twenties have seen the most success in winning the Royal Rumble match. In 2018, WWE introduced its first Royal Rumble match that consists entirely of women. Since then, the Royal Rumble pay-per-view has featured both the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches.
Knoxville’s declaration to enter the Royal Rumble does leave 29 other spots open. WWE has never made a habit of releasing the names of all competitors, leaving plenty of room for surprise entrants like Knoxville, or as equally triumphant returns ofother WWE superstars. As Knoxville has expressed his displeasure for those currently on the WWE roster, he may find himself surprised with entrants he never would’ve seen coming.
WWE’s Royal Rumble will stream live from St. Louis, Missouri on June 11, 2025, on Peacock.
