WWE News: The Royal Rumble and the 30 Coolest Traditions in Wrestling

Tradition and pro wrestling go together like scandal and college football.  Pro wrestling is a tradition in and of itself that dates back several decades. 

Since then, national companies such as the NWA, WCW, TNA and, most notably, the WWE have achieved ascendancy in the age-old industry, with a handful of time-honored traditions and events helping to shape the fabric of the pro wrestling product we see today.   

30. TNA's Thong Thunder

While TNA's newest Thanksgiving tradition, of Thong Thunder, offended a seemingly pre-pubescent and oft-delusional Wade Keller, TNA is heading in the right direction in terms of giving fans something that the WWE cannot. 

The TNA Knockouts have proven to have potential as a ratings draw, and an annual match where the Knockouts do battle while wearing seductive outfits will help add interest to the otherwise poorly rated Thanksgiving Impact.

29. WrestleMania Art

Beginning in 2008, the WWE celebrated WrestleMania season with the debut of WrestleMania Art, where WWE Superstars and Divas auctioned off works of their own art for charity.  

Not only is WrestleMania art a noble endeavor, but the event has also showcased WWE talents such as Eve, Curt Hawkins and Jerry "the King" Lawler.

28. WWE's Holiday-Themed Diva Matches

Holiday-themed Divas matches are usually kept fun, but they are certainly festive and helpful in getting fans into the holiday spirit. 

When the WWE trots its female show ponies out to the ring for some festive filler, it is at least easy on the eyes to watch beautiful women compete in their favorite holiday gear.

27. WCW's World War III Battle Royal

World War III was proof that bigger may not have always been better, but it was quite the sight to behold either way.

As WCW's answer to the Royal Rumble, World War III featured 60 wrestlers (compared to the WWE's 30) competing in three rings. 

The rapid-fire action was often difficult to track as WCW attempted to keep up by showing the match on a screen split three ways.

Past winners of World War III include Randy Savage, The Giant, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash.

26. WCW Road Wild

WCW's Southern roots were placed on center stage with their annual Road Wild pay-per-view, which first aired in 1997. 

The pay-per-view was held in Sturgis, S.D., as the crowd was peppered with Harley-Davidson motorcycles that could be heard revving up throughout the event. 

25. TNA's Ultimate X Match

TNA's alternative branding lies within its uber-athletic X-Division, and the talents of these high flyers have been featured each year in the Ultimate X match. 

The high-risk match has been held at Bound for Glory as well as Destination X, among other pay-per-views. 

The ladder match features a large "X" hanging in the distance between two cables.  The X Division wrestlers never fail to create innovative spots as they compete for the right to retrieve the opportunistic "X," which usually results in a X-Division title shot.

24. TNA's King of the Mountain Match

TNA's King of the Mountain match certainly had its flaws, but it was one of few entities that established the company as an alternative to the WWE. 

As an annual ladder match contested for the TNA/NWA Championships at TNA Slammiversary, the loaded gimmick match featured an obstacle course of rules, and ended once the victor hung the championship on the cable.

The King of the Mountain match, which was a casualty of the Hogan-Bischoff era, has not been featured since 2009.

23. WWE Guest Santas

Every year around Christmas, the WWE seems to feature a different, often popular WWE superstar playing the role of Santa Claus.

Past WWE superstars who played St. Nick include Chris Jericho, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mick Foley.

22. WWE's WrestleMania Revenge Tour

The WWE's WrestleMania revenge tour is an overseas tour shortly after WrestleMania.  The tour tends to coincide with a RAW show in London, where the energy is spectacular. 

In 2007, the main event of a RAW special in London featured Shawn Michaels and John Cena in a one-hour match that was widely regarded as the match of the year.

21. WWE Fan Axxess

WWE Fan Axxess provides the WWE with a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with their favorite wrestlers with the WWE Fan Axxess events. 

During WrestleMania and SummerSlam, fans get the chance to meet WWE superstars through autograph sessions, and they are also treated with a bonus wrestling match.  

Fan Axxess also features fascinating opportunities for fans to view items of WWE history, such as the Hell in a Cell, as well as the Undertaker's graveyard of past WrestleMania opponents.

20. WWE: The Music

Since 1985, the WWE has monetized popular entrance themes of its talent through the releases of WWE music albums. 

The WWE compiles entrance themes of WWE Superstars, most of which are composed by longtime WWE composer Jim Johnston.

The WWE has deviated from its typical album of entrance themes in the past, as they have come out with hip-hop versions of WWE theme songs in addition to albums where WWE Superstars sing their own theme songs.

19. WWE's Annual Write-off of Vince McMahon

Each year, over the past five years and counting, Vince McMahon returns to WWE television and each year he is written off TV in grand fashion. 

Since 2007, Vince McMahon has responded to sinking ratings by resurfacing on TV only to disappear following often-fatal circumstances. 

In 2007, McMahon was "killed off" when his limousine exploded at the conclusion of a special "McMahon Appreciation" edition of RAW.

In 2008, McMahon was the victim of a scaffolding accident at the conclusion of the 2008 WWE Draft during a campaign where he was giving his money away.

In 2009, McMahon was on the receiving end of a Randy Orton punt. 

In 2010, McMahon was beaten into a coma by the Nexus. 

And this year, McMahon was the tear-filled recipient of a firing that came down from the WWE Board of Directors.

18. The WWE Slammy Awards

The WWE Slammy Awards were made famous by the late Owen Hart, who comically told anybody willing to listen that he was the owner of two Slammy Awards. 

Hart won the Slammys at the WWE's traditional Slammy Award ceremony, where the promotion honors its superstars for their excellence and lack thereof.  

The WWE has been airing Slammy Award specials on and off since 1986, with the company deciding to bring back the awards in the form of a yearly three-hour special on RAW.

17. Vince McMahon's "Kiss My Ass" Club

The obnoxiously humbling segment where Vince McMahon inducts unlucky WWE talent into the "Kiss My Ass" club is often brought about upon insubordination or simply to send a message. 

The first inductee into the unenviable club was William Regal, who was also the only WWE Superstar to kiss McMahon's rear-end on his own accord. 

Other involuntary members of the club include Shawn Michaels and Jim Ross.

16. WWE Tribute to the Troops

The WWE's annual Tribute to the Troops TV special used to imply a grueling flight to Afghanistan for the already travel-worn WWE superstars and Divas. 

While WWE talent no longer travels to the Middle East for their annual special, the WWE still pays homage to the men and women of the United States armed forces with a similar production in Fort Hood, Texas.

Each year since 2003, the WWE airs a rare outdoor production around Christmas at a military base.  Former WWE Champion John Bradshaw Layfield is widely regarded as the brainchild behind an honorable television venture.

15. The WWE Draft

These days, any relevance pertaining to the WWE Draft has pretty much evaporated with WWE's constant mixing and matching of brands. 

In its early years, however, the WWE Draft was one of the more intriguing events, as the WWE would send big stars to either the RAW or SmackDown brands to create fresh, new matchups and storylines. 

14. WWE Elimination Chamber

WWE's Elimination Chamber is a visually stimulating structure, and the WWE has done a good job of preserving its value over the years by featuring two annual Chamber matches, with both matches being contested for a major championship or a shot at a major championship for a respective brand.

13. WWE Saturday Night Main Event

The Saturday Night Main Event is one of the WWE's most vintage programs.  During the WWE's golden age, legendary performers Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage and Andre' the Giant were all staples of the
program, which originally ran on NBC and FOX from 1985-1992. 

NBC revived the TV franchise in 2006, but pulled the plug in 2008 due to poor ratings.

12. WWE's Working Relationship with Playboy During WrestleMania Season

Prior to the TV-PG environment of the WWE, the WWE lent the services of one of its popular Divas to Playboy Magazine to be on the cover of the iconic men's magazine. 

The WWE usually chose WrestleMania season to begin its working relationship with Playboy Magazine, and starting with Sable in 1999, WWE Divas to be featured on the cover of Playboy Magazine include Chyna, Torrie Wilson, Christy Hemme, Ashley Massaro and Maria.

11. ECW One Night Stand

ECW's One Night Stand in its truest form was a brief tradition, but a memorable one nonetheless.  From 2005-2006, the WWE would air a pay-per-view special from the Hammerstein Ballroom, designed to pay tribute to the cult phenomenon that was ECW. 

Despite being hosted by the smallest venue the WWE played all year, ECW One Night Stand was the loudest, most emotionally-driven pay-per-view of the year. 

Following an incredible 2005 One Night Stand special, the pay-per-view returned by popular demand in 2006 when Rob Van Dam defeated John Cena for the WWE Championship.

10. TNA Lockdown

TNA puts all its efforts into making Bound for Glory its biggest pay-per-view of the year, but one could easily argue that TNA Lockdown is 1A in terms of importance. 

TNA Lockdown, which began in 2005, is unique in that every match is contested inside a steel cage, and while this gimmick sounds like it could get old quickly, TNA has managed to make this one of a small handful of TNA pay-per-views that is strongly anticipated. 

TNA Lockdown in 2008, which featured a shoot-style wrestling match between Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle, is widely regarded as the company's greatest pay-per-view of all time.

9. WCW/NWA War Games

An old-school wrestling tradition from the NWA-WCW days, War Games was a unique team match where two teams of four of five wrestlers each would do battle inside the confines of a large steel cage containing two rings. 

The War Games match has featured Hall of Fame teams such as the Four Horsemen, the Road Warriors and the New World Order. 

Fall Brawl in 1996, which played host to the 27th War Games match, was the last time the vintage Sting competed in a match before becoming the "Crow" Sting who we still see to this day. 

8. WWE Money in the Bank

The WWE Money in the Bank briefcase remains one of the hottest commodities in the WWE, as the promotion has protected its invaluable briefcase(s) by having each superstar who has cashed it in win a world championship. 

The Money in the Bank match seemed to mean more when it was exclusive to WrestleMania, but despite the fact that it has since been given its own pay-per-view franchise where there are now two Money in the Bank matches, it remains one of the most exciting and anticipated matches of the year. 

7. WWE SummerSlam

SummerSlam is considered one of the WWE's big four pay-per-views and almost always provides a much-needed shot in the arm for the WWE's business after its annual post-WrestleMania decline.

As an added tradition for the franchise itself, the WWE has featured SummerSlam at the Staples Center in Los Angeles each year since 2009

6. WWE King of the Ring

Before it was watered down into a ratings ploy, the King of the Ring used to be one of the most potent, star-making tools the WWE had at its disposal. 

Each year, the WWE would feature a pay-per-view spectacular with the main goal to virtually crown the next big thing in the WWE, and more times than not, the winner would go on to achieve remarkable success. 

Past King of the Ring winners include Bret Hart, Brock Lesnar, Edge and Kurt Angle.

5. The Undertaker's WrestleMania Streak

The Undertaker's winning streak at WrestleMania has become so automatic that it's damn-near tradition, as it is for the purposes of this list. 

The Undertaker has defeated a who's who of WWE talent from Diesel, to Batista, to Shawn Michaels, going 19-0 in total. 

Despite being in the twilight years of his WWE career, the Undertaker's best three WrestleMania matches have come over the last three years against Shawn Michaels and Triple H.  

4. WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony

WWE's Hall of Fame ceremony is among one of the most important traditions still intact.  What was first widely regarded as an abject joke, the WWE has taken its Hall of Fame more seriously over the years, especially since bringing it back in 2006. 

Recent inductees in the WWE Hall of Fame since '06 include Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels.

3. WWE Survivor Series Match

The WWE's foremost Thanksgiving tradition is the Survivor Series match.  Traditionally, the Survivor Series pay-per-view was loaded with Survivor Series-style matches, where two teams of four or five wrestlers would compete against one another. 

It used to be a regularity for one of these matches to close the show; however, the WWE has scaled back on these types of matches over the years to where there is usually one such match featured annually for the sake of nostalgia. 

Nonetheless, Survivor Series remains one of the WWE's most iconic pay-per-views as its origins date back over two decades.

2. WWE Royal Rumble

The WWE Royal Rumble is one of the most anticipated events of the year and is undoubtedly in the top two right next to WrestleMania. 

The Royal Rumble annually serves as the unofficial start to the road to WrestleMania, and each year its winner is rewarded with a shot at a world championship of their choosing.

The Rumble adds an added layer of story-telling to each subsequent world title feud to commence at WrestleMania, and it has featured some of the most memorable moments in WWE history.

The Royal Rumble never loses its luster, despite the WWE's best efforts.  Last year, despite being expanded to a record 40 participants, the annual battle royal remained as entertaining as ever. 

1. WWE WrestleMania

WrestleMania is the WWE's cash cow and is the cornerstone of sports and entertainment.  It is the reason most professional wrestlers aspire to sign on with the WWE, and over the years it has served as an institution for immortality. 

WrestleMania's brand took off after Hulk Hogan slammed Andre the Giant in the Pontiac Dome in front of an ambiguous amount of screaming fans.

Each year, WrestleMania is the highest-drawing pay-per-view for the WWE and creates a significant economic impact for cities with the privilege of hosting the event.

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