The Cassino Battle Royale is a type of wrestling match introduced and used by All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It was created to make something similar and surprising to the tried and evaluated Royal Rumble from its competitor Royal Rumble. It has modified rumble rules, where participants enter the ring in various intervals or groups depending on the match variation. At the end there is a Joker who is the 21st person to enter the ring (usually). It is most often a surprise entrant or debut, so it is an anticipated match.
The winner of that match often gets some type of title shot opportunity or a chip. The name of the match stipulation comes from the gambling industry where you play local or online casino. It is a reference to blackjack with the 21 entrants, and a Joker which is supposed to be a surprise. This kind of match is also often hosted at AEW’s annual Pay-Per-View hosted in Las Vegas named Double or Nothing so there is also a connection there. The match is also present in the new AEW video game AEW: Fight Forever.
The Classic Casino Battle Royale
The original version of the match, which is a singles competition with only one winner, features 21 entrants. The match starts with a group of five wrestlers, and then every three minutes another group of five wrestlers enters the match. These groups are divided into suits like in decks of cards. Wrestlers are grouped and then for example spades enter the ring first, and diamonds at the end. The 21st entrant comes alone as the Joker. The winner of that match receives a world championship match for their respective gender’s division at either AEW World Championship or AEW Women’s World Championship.
Tag Team Casino Battle Royale
The tag variation of the match also has the rumble rules, with throwing opponents over the top rope. However, there are between 10 and 15 teams participating in a single match, which adds up to 20-30 wrestlers. The order of entrants is also based on the lottery, and here another team enters every 90 seconds (1 and a half minutes) twice as fast as in the classic Casino Battle Royale. The main difference is that if one person from the team is eliminated it does not eliminate the entire tag team. Members must be eliminated for the team to also be eliminated. The winners also gain a title shot at the AEW World Tag Team Championships.
Trios Casino Battle Royale
In this variation of the match, there are trios instead of tag teams, so groups of three. Also, all participants must be eliminated for the team to go out of the match. Entries are also determined by a lottery, and here there is a total of eight teams participating in the match so 24 wrestlers in total. The entry intervals are divided by 90 seconds (1 and a half minutes), and in its first iteration in 2022, the winners won 300 thousand dollars prize.
Cassino Battle Royale Through History
The first inaugural Casino Battle Royale was won by Adam Page at Double or Nothing 2019. Then at All Out 2020 the winner was Lance Archer, at Double or Nothing 2021 the winner was Jungle Boy, and the final Casino Battle Royale was won by Kyle O’Reilly on an episode of Dynamite in 2022.
Women had two Casino Battle Royales that both took place at All Out but in different years. The first one was won by Nyla Rose in 2019, and the second one by Ruby Soho in 2021, which was also her debut for the company.
Tag Team Casino Battle Royale took place at Revolution 2021 and was won by Death Triangle. The second one took place in 2022 at an episode of Dynamite and the Young Bucks were victorious there. Finally, we have the final Tag Team Casino Battle Royale that took place earlier this year also on an episode of Dynamite and was won by a franken-team of Orange Cassidy and Danhausen. The only Trios Casino Battle Royale was won by AR Fox and Top Flight teaming up in December of 2022 on an episode of AEW Rampage.
Is Cassino Battle Royale Actually Good?
It has its flaws that’s for sure, however, the concept is quite fun. It is better when the wrestlers come out one after the other, which was changed because, in the first iteration of the match, all five wrestlers came to the ring together. Right now, everyone gets a couple of seconds alone with their entrance music, so you can more easily distinguish singular superstars.
It is obvious that they cannot just copy the match from WWE in Royal Rumble, so they are tweaking this concept for the future. It is a fun tradition to have this type of match once or twice a year, but it also builds unrealistic expectations for a surprise debut or return with the Joker pick. Overall, I think it is a positive thing if built up correctly, without making expectations too high, and it can help create some new stars, if someone lasts from number one to the final two.
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
