WWE News: Greatest Royal Rumble Event planned for Saudi Arabia
What's the Story?
Fans witnessed two Royal Rumble matches back in January, but the Middle East will get to attend a third.
WWE issued a press release stating that Saudi Arabia will host a third Royal Rumble match at the Greatest Royal Rumble event.
In Case You Didn't Know
The Royal Rumble match traditionally was an annual 30-man elimination match with WrestleMania implications for just the men's rosters, but WWE made history this year by hosting the first Women's Royal Rumble match - marking the first time in history that two Rumble matches took place.
The Heart of the Matter
The following is the press release WWE issued regarding the upcoming Greatest Royal Rumble event in Saudi Arabia:
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA and STAMFORD, Conn., March 5, 2018 – The Saudi General Sports Authority in partnership with WWE will present the Greatest Royal Rumble event at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Friday, April 27. For the first time ever, the Royal Rumble match will feature 50 WWE Superstars. As part of this historic event, fans will see WWE Superstars John CenaTM, Triple HTM, Roman ReignsTM, AJ StylesTM, Braun StrowmanTM, The New DayTM, Randy OrtonTM, Bray WyattTM and Shinsuke NakamuraTM, among others.
Ticket and broadcast information will be available in the coming weeks. This event is part of a 10-year strategic multiplatform partnership in support of Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s social and economic reform program.
“The Greatest Royal Rumble will be a spectacle of historic proportions,” said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman & CEO. “Our partnership with the Saudi General Sports Authority reflects a long-term commitment to present WWE’s world-class entertainment to a global audience on a grander scale than ever before.”
The decision to have 50 WWE superstars in the match will set a new record for most wrestlers to compete in a Rumble match.
The record was originally set in 2011 when WWE hosted a 40-man Royal Rumble that was won by Alberto Del Rio.
What's Next?
The press release said that the match would be broadcasted, but it seems like it will remain exclusive to fans in Saudi Arabia.
WWE Champion AJ Styles is booked for the match which suggests that this will be the first Royal Rumble since 1991 where the winner doesn't receive a title opportunity.
Author's Take
2018 is looking to be a year of historic moments for the WWE.
The spectacle of seeing 50 WWE superstars compete to win a Royal Rumble sounds interesting and hopefully, it ends up on the WWE Network.