Women's Royal Rumble Will Have 30 Entrants
Raw GM Kurt Angle confirms that the inaugural women's Rumble will feature 30 Superstars.
Jan 2, 2018
In the opening segment of tonight's Monday Night Raw, General Manager Kurt Angle announced that the inaugural women's Royal Rumble match will feature 30 Superstars.
This puts an end to speculation that the bout - which will take place at the Royal Rumble pay per view on January 28th - would be contested between a reduced number of competitors, most likely 20.
Angle also confirmed that the match will have standard over-the-top-rope elimination rules. Often women's battle royals of the past have simply required removing one's opponent from the ring in any way.
This is particularly interesting as the smaller number of wrestlers in WWE's women's division (as opposed to the male roster) means that there is wider scope for surprise entrants and potential returns.
It's possible - and indeed likely - that we'll see the inclusion of Superstars from NXT and last year's Mae Young Classic tournament.
A key factor in the popularity of Rumble matches is the annual sense of intrigue regarding surprise entrants, and this bout should be no different. Trish Stratus has already caused a stir online by teasing her interest in the match when it was initially announced.
The three main frontrunners for the bout - at least according to general online speculation - seem to be Asuka, Paige, and women's MMA pioneer Ronda Rousey. However, it's worth noting that Paige sustained an injury during a recent house show, and it's uncertain when she'll be returning to action. Also, despite being a well-known wrestling fan and reportedly training towards an eventual WWE career, Rousey has not yet appeared in a match.
Others who have officially announced their participation in the bout include Sasha Banks, Ruby Riott, and Naomi. The winner will receive a title shot at WrestleMania - and assuming no titles change hands before the Rumble itself, it seems as though the current Raw and SmackDown Women's title-holders won't be participating. At the time of writing, they are Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair respectively.