Major WWE faction unsure of Royal Rumble involvement
While most WWE Superstars are gearing up for potential spots in the 2024 Royal Rumble matches, some are still unsure about their involvement.
Alpha Academy's Chad Gable and Otis have been a tag team since late 2020, but they expanded the faction by adding Maxxine Dupri this past May, and then Akira Tozawa was brought on in October. The four-person team has quickly grown their fanbase and become one of WWE's fan-favorite stables.
Teams often rely on each other to win the annual Royal Rumble match. Alpha Academy will surely be looking to bring home a win in January, but they are still in the dark about their involvement in the match. Dupri recently appeared on the Lightweights podcast and was asked if Alpha Academy was training for the rumble.
"I'm ready. We've been training. We're staying training," she said. [H/T to Fightful]
The 26-year-old would be making her Royal Rumble Match debut, if she's booked next month. She was then asked if WWE officials have told her she will be an entrant.
"I don't know yet. I hope so," she said.
The 37th annual Royal Rumble is scheduled for Saturday, January 27, from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. Bayley and Nia Jax are the only names confirmed for the 30-Woman Royal Rumble as of this writing, while CM Punk and Cody Rhodes are the first 30-Man Royal Rumble entrants to be confirmed.
Maxxine Dupri wants to team with WWE Hall of Famer
In just over one year on the main roster, Maxxine Dupri has become one of the most fan-favorite female superstars in WWE. The Alpha Academy member has now revealed another popular star she wants to team with.
The former Sofia Cromwell recently spoke on the Lightweights podcast and was asked which legend she would like to eliminate in the upcoming Women's Royal Rumble. She quickly named Nikki Bella, but also said she wants to team with the WWE Hall of Famer.
"Nikki Bella. Now, she goes by Nikki Garcia, but she's my idol. Well, I wanna say I just want to be in the ring with her, but, if it's up to me, we would be a tag team, but if it's my only opportunity to be in the ring with her, I would throw her off the top rope. I will do my best. I will try," she said. [From 18:30 to 18:52]
Bella has not actively wrestled since 2018, but she did work one tag team match in 2019, and returned for the 2022 Royal Rumble. Dupri's answer is interesting as she previously made exclusive comments to Sportskeeda Wrestling about one-half of The Bella Twins and Rhea Ripley, who she lost to on RAW two weeks ago.
Do you want to see Alpha Academy in the 2024 Royal Rumble? What are your thoughts on Maxxine Dupri's WWE future? Sound off in the comments section below!