The first World Wrestling Federation Royal Rumble took place on Sunday, October 4, 1987, three months prior to the official televised Royal Rumble held on January 24, 1988. The match was held at Kiel Auditorium with the winner of the 1987 Royal Rumble match being One Man Gang.
CBSSPORTS.COM journalist, Denny Burkholder writes an extensive article regarding the 1987 Royal Rumble that can be found
HERE.