WrestleMania season is almost upon us. It all starts with the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, which is just about a month away now, as the Royal Rumble match is the ultimate stepping stone for a wrestler to rocket into the main event of the grandest stage of them all. Royal Rumble matches might have been underwhelming in the past few years, but no one can deny that it still remains one of the most exciting and unpredictable events in the WWE, and it's something that every wrestling fan waits all year for.

The first ever Royal Rumble match took place almost 30 years ago, as the brain-child of Pat Patterson was brought together in an event in 1988. The top superstars of the time came together for a 20-man Royal Rumble match, which would become a pillar in the company's success for years to come.

Not many remember the men who competed in the first ever Royal Rumble, as a lot of them have since moved on from the industry. So we thought we'd take this opportunity to remember some of the pioneers of the wrestling world.

46 20. Jim Duggan (then)

via YouTube.com
via YouTube.com

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan was made into this American Patriot by the WWE who gave him a push by making him win the inaugural Royal Rumble match, as he entered at #13 and eliminated 3 superstars including the dominating One Man Gang to win the match and make the event a resounding success. This would be his only note-worthy achievement in the WWE, as he did feud with some of the top stars in the company in the future, but couldn't win anything which could turn him into a top star. He was then moved to an undercard status and left the company soon after because of his status in the roster.

45 20. Jim Duggan (now)

via wrestlingnews.co
via wrestlingnews.co

Duggan headed to WCW after failing to impress in the WWE, and got royal treatment as he won the United States Championship in his debut by defeating Steve Austin in a squash match which lasted thirty-five seconds. He'd then engage in various feuds and also became World Television Champion as he stayed with WCW till the end and went back to the Indy circuit afterwards. But he was called back by WWE in 2005, as he returned as the American Patriot to team with Eugene and continued to make various appearances despite his age at the time. He left again in 2009, as he keeps on wrestling in the Independent Circuit even now as he recently at a Modern Vintage Wrestling event as "Hacksaw" is still keeping the American flag flying high and will always be known for his infamous, underdog win at the inaugural Royal Rumble match.

44 19. Hillbilly Jim (then)

via WWE.com
via WWE.com

Hillbilly Jim was probably a gimmick which could've only worked in the 80s, as he was literally this Hillbilly who was a popular mid-carder back in the days and used as a filler to their shows by the WWE back in the days. He mostly wrestled in the tag team area, as he teamed up with a lot of people during his time. Jim would also be a participant of the first ever Royal Rumble, as he entered at No #16 and actually managed to eliminate Jim Neidhart, who was having a very impressive Rumble outing. Jim would be in the WWE till the early 90s, before finally leaving the company in 1992.

43 19. Hillbilly Jim (now)

via foxsports.com
via foxsports.com

Jim later returned to the WWE in 1995 as the manager of The Godwinns, as he'd accompany them to the ring before they turned heel. He then worked as a road agent for the WWE and even appeared in the Gimmick Battle Royal at WrestleMania X-Seven. Jim later went onto become the host of WWE's WrestleMania Axxess tour for various Wrestlemania's. He made an appearance in 2012 on an episode of Smackdown:Blast From The Past and now he plays a wide range of country music and Southern Rock for the Sirius Satellite Radio and even tells stories of his days with WWE between records. Jim also appeared on WWE's Legends House program on the Network, as he is one of the more recognized ones who competed in the Rumble and still has a good name within the company.

42 18. Junkyard Dog

via wwe.com
via wwe.com

Junkyard Dog was one of the first African-American wrestlers to have found popularity in the WWE, as he was an amazing face in the 80s as he often interacted with the audience during his matches and brought young kids to the ring to celebrate with him in his matches. Known for feuding with some of the greats of the time, Junkyard went onto compete in the first ever Royal Rumble match as he was actually the final participant at No #20 in the Rumble match, but only lasted about 2 minutes in the match as he was eliminated by Bass quite early on. He'd feud with Bass before leaving the WWE in that year, as he left behind quite a lot of memories.

He went on to wrestle for WCW after leaving WWE, as he faced quite a lot of top stars in the WCW and was a solid tag team wrestler as well. He paved the way for more African-American Wrestlers to come and gain relevance in the field of wrestling, as he wrestled mostly tag team matches towards the end of his WCW run and left the company in 1993 to rejuvenate his Indy career once again.

Junkyard Dog would tragically pass away in 1998, as he died in a car accident after he had apparently fallen asleep on the wheel. He had competed in ECW's Wrestlepalooza event a month prior to this. He was a man who influenced many young athletes to take up wrestling and follow in his footsteps.

41 17. Jake "The Snake" Roberts (then)

via wwe.com
via wwe.com

Jake "The Snake" Roberts is perhaps one of the most chilling heels in WWE history, as he was on top of his game when he was a heel but really fell down the order when turned into a face. Roberts went onto compete in the inaugural Royal Rumble match as a face, as he came out at no #5 and managed to survive an amazing 21 minutes in the match, eliminating 2 people in the process as well. Many thought that he should've won the Rumble but to no avail, as his run as a face really hampered his reputation in the company as he left the company in 1992.

40 17. Jake "The Snake" Roberts (now)

via ProWrestling.com
via ProWrestling.com

Roberts went to wrestle for WCW for a year in 1992, but that didn't work out so well as he went to wrestle in the Independent Circuit before returning to the WWE where he helped to kick-start the Attitude Era by putting over Stone Cold Steve Austin. Roberts would continue wrestling after this, but his condition got worse after the turn of the century as he got heavily addicted to drugs and alcohol, as he parted with his family and lived alone. In 2012, he moved in with Diamond Dallas Page to help him get rid of his addictions, as he is now a much healthier man who often appears in many wrestling events and despite of his bad health is trying his best to promote wrestling. Roberts might not have won anything, but his amazing performance in the 1st Royal Rumble should have been him winning the match and be pushed as a top star.

39 16. Butch Reed (then)

via WWE.com
via WWE.com

A charismatic mid-carder back in the days, Butch Reed was quite the heel during his days in the WWE as he only survived in the company for a couple of years, but did have his moments(for the better or worse) as he competed for the Intercontinental Championship at the time and also had a feud with former WWE Champion, "Superstar" Billy Graham. Reed would enter the Rumble at No #3 and became the first ever wrestler to get eliminated in the match when he was eliminated by Jake "The Snake" Roberts. He'd stick around in the WWE for a few more months, but then was let go.

38 16. Butch Reed (now)

via kennycasanova.com
via kennycasanova.com

After the WWE, Reed went onto wrestle for their rivals in WCW where he became more of a prominent tag team guy, teaming up with Ron Simmons to form "Doom" as they won the NWA Tag Team Championships together. They feuded with the best tag teams in WCW at the time, going onto defeat the Steiner Brothers as well as various other tag teams as they were quite the force to be reckoned with in the tag team division. Reed would eventually leave WCW, going to wrestle for the Independent Circuit before retiring in 2002. He'd return from retirement in 2005, going onto wrestle for some more Indy promotions as his last match to date was in 2011. Reed was part of the class action lawsuit filed against the WWE by former wrestlers for incurring brain damages, as he doesn't seem to be in their good books and will probably not be recognized by them despite being in their first ever Rumble match.

37 15. Harley Race (then)

via WWE.com
via WWE.com

Harley Race was a bonified legend in the territories before he made his leap to the WWE, as he came to the company with almost 2 decades of experience in 1986 and quickly won the King of the Ring tournament, helping him become "King Harley Race". Race would be helped by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan as he entered the first ever Royal Rumble match at No #6 and even though he couldn't eliminate anyone, he was in it for 10 minutes. This might come off as a disappointment to some, but Race was probably working the event hurt and managed to go through with it in the end, as he'd leave the company a year later.

36 15. Harley Race (now)

via YouTube.com
via YouTube.com

After leaving the WWE, Race went back to the independent circuit before going back to WCW, where he spent the next few years featuring in some big matches before he had to leave wrestling altogether after a car accident in 1995. After leaving the wrestling industry, Race kept out of wrestling for some years before he started his own wrestling promotion in World League Wrestling in 1999 as well as starting his own wrestling academy a year later. Race has made sporadic appearances to many high-profile wrestling promotions after retirement, as he's now training other wrestlers to reach their full potential as he never did reach his best in WWE, even though he has the accolade of being "King" and participating in the inaugural Rumble match under his belt.

35 14. The Ultimate Warrior

via WWE.com
via WWE.com

The Ultimate Warrior was one of THE Icons of the WWE in the 80s, as he was pushed and built really well by the company who first made him Intercontinental Champion before giving him the WWE Belt. But before all this, Warrior would also be receiving his early push in his first years in the company and appeared in the inaugural Royal Rumble match as well, coming in at No #18 but he wasn't that strong in this one as he was quickly eliminated by One Man Gang and Dino Bravo. He'd obviously go onto do great things in the future, as he also found much popularity in the early 90s and had a back and forth relationship with the WWE.

After initially leaving the WWE in 1992, Warrior would spend some time wrestling in the Independent Circuit and even opened his own wrestling school in the meanwhile. He returned again in 1996, but for a rather short stint which didn't lead up to anything. Warrior went onto wrestle for WCW in 1998, before announcing his retirement as he did some motivational speaking and writing after his retirement, but some controversies and drug issues didn't help his health at all. He was called back to the WWE in 2013 as he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014 and gave a speech to the fans in the Raw after that WrestleMania XXX which turned out to be his final public appearance after he tragically died 3 days later. Warrior left quite the legacy with his amazing work in his career, as he has another milestone added to his name with the participation in the first ever Rumble match.

34 13. B. Brian Blair (then)

via wwe.com
via wwe.com

B. Brian Blair was another prominent tag team guy in the 80s, as he had several stints in the WWE during that decade, the end one helping him turn up in the Royal Rumble match. Blair was part of the "Killer Bees" in the WWE with Jim Brunzell in his third stint in the WWE, as they mostly dominated jobbers but they also had a big feud with The Hart Foundation during the time as well. Blair would enter the Royal Rumble match at #15 but didn't manage to do that good, as he failed to eliminate anyone and got eliminated after 5 minutes into the match. He'd then leave WWE after a few years because of problems with management.

33 13. B. Brian Blair (now)

via wikimedia.com
via wikimedia.com

After leaving the WWE, Blair began to wrestle in the Indy circuit as he went onto wrestle for American Wrestling Association and Universal Wrestling Federation for a couple of years before wrestling for New Japan Pro Wrestling in the 90s as well. He'd take some-time off wrestling afterwards, but returned in 2012 and wrestled sporadically after that. Blair is now the President and CEO of the Cauliflower Alley Club(CAC) which gives financial assistance to people from the wrestling industry who have fallen into difficult times. The CAC has around 1000 members right now and had their 51st anniversary this year, as he seems to have his life sorted outside wrestling right now but is doing his bit to help his fellow wrestlers.

32 12. Tito Santana (then)

via WWE.com
via WWE.com

One of the earliest Hispanic wrestlers to gain mainstream popularity in the WWE, Tito Santana was quite the exciting wrestler back in the day as he was part of the amazing Intercontinental Championship scene in his years in the WWE, even winning the title twice in the fray. He'd then move onto the tag team scene, winning the tag titles with Rick Martel as part of "Strike Force" as he competed in the Royal Rumble match during his time with Martel, entering at No #2 but was eliminated after 10 minutes by the Hart Foundation. But as the new decade rolled in, Santana lost his place in the roster as he had to leave the WWE in 1993.

31 12. Tito Santana (now)

via rodolforoman.com
via rodolforoman.com

Santana went back to the Indy circuit after leaving the WWE, as he wrestled for various Independent promotions like International World Class Championship Wrestling, Regional Championship Wrestling and even a one time appearance in WCW as he has also sporadically returned for appearances in WWE. He currently teaches wrestling classes at the New Jersey based Independent Wrestling Federation and also used to be a Physical Education teacher in a New Jersey school. Santana is still wrestling at least a dozen matches per year at the age of 63, as he's a real inspiration for hispanic wrestlers and also became the first one to participate in the Rumble in 1988 and pave the way for more to come.

30 11. Nikolai Volkoff (then)

Nikolai Volkoff as face
via wwe.com

Nikolai Volkoff was one of the first and best foreign heels in the WWE, as he started his amazing heel work in the 70s when he often went for Bruno Sammartino's WWE Championship various times but failed to win it. He took a hiatus from WWE after that, returning again in 1984 to create a tag team with the Iron Sheikh as both these foreign heels got a lot of heat for their work. Volkoff went onto win the WWE Tag Team Championships from the US Express in the first ever WrestleMania, as he would be a strong team with Sheik and then create the "Bolsheviks" with another Russian in Boris Zhukov. It was during this time that he participated in the inaugural Royal Rumble match, as he'd be in the match for about 11 minutes before being eliminated by Jim Duggan. Volkoff became a face after the Bolsheviks disbanded, and slowly was phased out of the WWE by the mid 90s.

29 11. Nikolai Volkoff (now)

via wikiwand.com
via wikiwand.com

After his last run with the WWE ended, Volkoff entered into semi-retirement as he would appear in some Independent events to work sporadically. Volkoff would also sporadically return to the WWE, with his most recent one being in 2014 where he sang the Soviet Union national anthem with Rusev and Lana in a Raw Fallout video. He wrestled his last match over a year ago, as he now works in the Baltimore County Police Athletic League kids program and previously worked as a code enforcement officer in Baltimore County. Volkoff is now living a peaceful life, as he appears in wrestling events on a sporadic basis and has had the honor of competing in the first ever Royal Rumble match etched into his accolades as well.

28 10. Jim Brunzell (then)

via wwe.com
via wwe.com

The tag team partner of Blair in Jim Brunzell didn't really have that much of a successful wrestling career, but will be remembered for competing in the 1st ever Royal Rumble match . Brunzell was also a part of the "Killer Bees" with Blair, as they would be quite the successful team in the WWE, competing against the best even though they ended up losing. Brunzell came into the match at no #7 and had a much better outing than Blair, as he ended up surviving for 12 minutes and even eliminated one man in the meantime. He was eliminated by the great Nikolai Volkoff, as he had an impressive outing for a tag team guy and he kept being in the WWE for a few years more as a singles wrestler.

27 10. Jim Brunzell (now)

via youtube.com
via youtube.com

Brunzell would leave the WWE in 1993, as he went onto wrestle for the Independent Circuit this time around and wrestled for various promotions, mainly in the Chicago area for a couple of years before bowing out from wrestling. He wrestled his final match in 1999, and went onto working on a more management role as he now works in sales after retiring. He is also involved in his local church and does charity for children with diabetes. Brunzell was also named in the list of wrestlers who sued WWE for incurring brain damages, as he might be a forgotten figure in the wrestling world but his name will be in the history books for competing in the first ever Rumble.