FAQ

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Is it really free?

Yes — free, no account, no ads, no strings. It runs entirely in your browser. If it made your draft night, there's a tip jar; that's it.

How do I know the commissioner didn't rig it?

Two layers. Replay links: the link encodes the names + seed, and the same link produces the identical match on any device — so the result is checkable by everyone. Sealed Reveal: for draft parties, the draw is bound to a future tick of a public randomness beacon; until the scheduled moment the result provably doesn't exist (the sealed page demonstrates this live), so re-rolling is impossible — not just detectable. Full detail in How It Works.

If you update the site later, do old replay links still play the same match?

Yes. The replay link carries the seed, the names, and the version of the match engine that produced it (the v= at the end). Old engines are never deleted, so a link always replays on the one it was made with, not on whatever happens to be deployed. Balance changes, new moves, a bigger roster — none of it can reach back and change a rumble your league already watched.

Links shared before this existed were all made by engine v1 and are read as v1. Sealed links carry the same stamp, so a reveal scheduled weeks out is immune to anything that ships before the bell. If you ever open a link made by a newer engine than the site you're on, it says so instead of pretending.

Do the wrestlers affect the odds?

No. Wrestler personas are pure presentation. Every manager faces the same seeded dice. Big Boone would call it "the fairest fight in sports entertainment."

Isn't entering first a disadvantage?

Yes, and that part is on purpose — same as a real rumble, where drawing number one is brutal. Across 2,000 simulated 12-team matches, entry #1 finished last 47% of the time and won 1.7%, while entry #12 won 14.2%. So your entry number matters a lot.

The entry number itself is a fair lottery, though, and that's the part that counts. Across 6,000 simulated matches, it made no difference where a manager's name sat in the list: every position averaged the same finishing spot (pick 6.5 of 12), won about 8.3% of the time, and drew the dreaded number one about 8.3% of the time. Statistically that's indistinguishable from perfect fairness.

Short version: getting number one is genuinely bad luck, and everybody has exactly the same chance of getting it. Nobody's spot in the list, and nobody's wrestler, tilts the draw.

If your league wants that luck tilted — last place gets a better shot, like a draft lottery — that's what the optional weighted draw does, and it does it by weighting exactly this: the entry number. See below.

Can we give last place better odds, like a draft lottery?

Yes — open Weighted draw on the setup screen. It's off by default. Each manager gets a number of ping-pong balls, and the balls decide a lottery for entry numbers: more balls, more likely to come in late and fresh. There's a one-click Reverse standings preset that reads your list as last season's table, champion on the top line.

Nothing changes once the bell rings. In the ring every manager still faces the identical dice, and the wrestlers are still cosmetic. The handicap lives entirely in the entry number — the same place a real rumble's handicap lives — which is what keeps a weighted draw honest and checkable.

The setup screen shows each manager's real odds and an overall tilt meter before you run anything, and those numbers are measured against 60,000 simulated matches at every league size, not guessed. In a 12-team league with the reverse-standings preset, last place goes from 8.3% to 10.6% at the first overall pick, and from 8.3% to 1.6% at picking last. Which is the honest headline: weighting protects you from the bottom far more than it boosts you to the top. Even a manager holding every ball in the drum tops out around 14% at the first pick — roughly what the worst team gets in the real NBA lottery.

The ball counts are written into the replay link, and into a Sealed Reveal's commitment, so the whole league can see and re-run exactly what was drawn. Nobody can hand themselves extra balls quietly. A weighted draw runs on match engine v2 and is stamped v=2; plain draws are untouched and still replay on v1 forever.

What league sizes work?

2 to 30 members, including odd sizes — 9-team and 11-team leagues welcome.

Does it work on phones?

Yes — iPhone and Android, in the browser, no app. Tap once to start audio (a browser rule). On iPhone, check the ring/silent switch if the crowd is quiet.

How long does it take?

About 30–40 seconds per league member at 1× — a 12-team league is roughly a 6–7 minute show. 2× and 4× speed buttons and a Skip-to-results button are in the header the whole time.

Can we all watch together remotely?

Yes — create a Sealed Reveal, and everyone's reveal unlocks at the same scheduled moment. Add your Zoom/Meet/Discord link to the optional watch-party field and the countdown page gets a "Join the watch party" button for the whole league.

Can we put this on the TV for our draft party?

Yes, and there are two buttons for it in the top bar during the match. TV switches on big screen mode, which scales up the wrestlers, the name tags, the draft board, and the commentary so they read from across a room. Full goes fullscreen. Turn both on before you start.

To get it on the television itself:

• HDMI cable from a laptop is the most reliable, and the only option that never stutters.
• Chrome or Edge: three-dot menu, then Cast, then choose your Chromecast or smart TV and pick "Cast tab." This carries the audio too, so the announcers come through the TV.
• Mac or iPhone: AirPlay screen mirroring from Control Center to an Apple TV.

Casting mirrors your browser, so keep the tab in the foreground while it plays.

We finished — can we re-run it?

You can watch the identical match again from the replay link any time (it's permanent). A different result would need a new draw — and if you used a Sealed Reveal, your league will know the board is the board.

My league wants keeper/auction draft tools. Is that this?

Rumble Draft decides your draft order. It doesn't replace your platform's draft room — it replaces the boring wheel-spinner before it.

Does it work for basketball, hockey or baseball leagues?

Yes. Nothing in the ring is football-specific: type the managers, pick the reveal time if you want one, and the booth calls it the same way. Picking next season's order at the championship party works too, since a Sealed Reveal can be scheduled months out.

Something broke / I have an idea

Message u/dishee on Reddit or @rumbledraft on X. Bug reports with a replay link attached are the most fixable bugs on Earth — the replay reproduces exactly.