History of the Casino Battle Royale

 

History:

The first Casino Battle Royale occurred during the pre-show of AEW's inaugural event, AEW Double or Nothing in May 2019, and was a men's match. The winner of this first match was entered into the match to determine the inaugural holder of the AEW World Championship at ALL OUT in August of that year. The second Casino Battle Royale was a women's match and was held during the pre-show of the aforementioned ALL OUT event. Like the first, the winner of the second iteration was entered into the match to determine the inaugural holder of the AEW Women's World Championship on the debut episode of AEW's weekly television show, AEW Dynamite. The third Casino Battle Royale, which was a men's match, took place at the following year's ALL OUT, held in September, and the winner received a future AEW World Championship match.

A men's tag team variation of the match, called the Casino Tag Team Royale, was first utilized at Revolution in March 2021. The winning tag team earned an AEW World Tag Team Championship match.

In December 2022, a version for three-man teams (referred to by AEW as trios) was established called the Casino Trios Royale, where the winning team would split $300,000. 

Rules:

Casino Battle Royal: 

The Casino Battle Royale is a modified rumble rules battle royal that features 21 entrants. It begins with a group of 5 wrestlers, and every 3 minutes, another group of 5 wrestlers enters, while the 21st and final entrant enters alone. The wrestlers are grouped based on the suit they drew from a deck of cards - spades, diamonds, clubs or hearts - and the order of when each group enters is based on a random draw of the cards. The 21st and final entrant is the wrestler who drew the joker. The winner receives a world championship match of their respective gender's division - either the AEW World Championship or AEW Women's World Championship.

Casino Tag Team Royale:

In the Casino Tag Team Royale, it is also a rumble rules battle royal, but with 10-15 teams participating (for a total of 20-30 wrestlers). The order of entrants is based on a lottery. Two tag teams start the match, and every 90 seconds, a new team enters. Individual eliminations occur when a wrestler has gone over the top rope and both feet have touched the floor; a team is eliminated when both members of the team have been ruled out of the match. The match ends when one wrestler or team is left. The winning tag team earns an AEW World Tag Team Championship match.

Casino Trios Royale:

In the  Casino Trios Royale, rumble rules are implemented, but with eight teams participating (for a total of 24 wrestlers). Entry order is determined by a lottery, with two teams starting the match, and a new team entering every 90 seconds. Eliminations occur when a wrestler is thrown over the top rope with both feet touching the floor. A team is eliminated when all three members have been ruled out of the match. The match ends when one wrestler or team is left, with the victors splitting a $300,000 winner's purse.

Dates, Venues and Winners:

Men:

#	Event	Date	Venue	Location	Winner	Draw
1	AEW Double or Nothing 2019	May 25, 2019	MGM Grand Garden Arena	Paradise, Nevada	Adam Page	Joker
2	AEW ALL OUT 2020	September 5, 2020	Daily's Place	Jacksonville, Florida	Lance Archer	Spades
3	AEW Double or Nothing 2021	May 30, 2021	Daily's Place	Jacksonville, Florida	Jungle Boy	Spades
4	AEW Dynamite	June 8, 2022	Cable Dahmer Arena	Independence, Missouri	Kyle O'Reilly	Spades

Women:

#	Event	Date	Venue	Location	Winner	Draw
1	AEW ALL OUT 2019	August 31, 2019	Sears Centre Arena*	Hoffman Estates, Illinois	Nyla Rose	Clubs
2	AEW ALL OUT 2021	September 5, 2021	Now Arena*	Hoffman Estates, Illinois	Ruby Soho	Joker

*Note: Same arena, with a name change in the time between events. 

Tag Team:

#	Event	Date	Venue	Location	Winner	Draw
1	AEW Revolution 2021	March 7, 2021	Daily's Place	Jacksonville, Florida	Death Triangle (Rey Fénix* and PAC)	14
2	AEW Dynamite	March 2, 2022	Daily's Place	Jacksonville, Florida	The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson* and Nick Jackson)	11
3	AEW Dynamite	March 1, 2023	Cow Palace	Daly City, California	Orange Cassidy* and Danhausen*	9

*Note: (*) - indicates individual winner. 

Trios:

#	Event	Date	Venue	Location	Winner	Draw
1	AEW Rampage	December 23, 2022	Freeman Coliseum	San Antonio, Texas	AR Fox & Top Flight (Dante* & Darius Martin*)	8

*Note: (*) - indicates individual winner.