Royal Rumble 1996 was the ninth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It took place on January 21, 1996 at the Selland Arena in Fresno, California. Duke "The Dumpster" Droese's victory over Hunter Hearst Helmsley on the Free for All prior to the event earned him the coveted number 30 spot in the Royal Rumble match while Helmsley had to enter first. This was the first Royal Rumble to play the entry music of each wrestler when they entered the Royal Rumble match.