Tag: WWE ROYAL RUMBLE

Orlando preparing bid to host 2024 WWE Royal Rumble

Proposed site Camping World Stadium has hosted two previous editions of WrestleMania, but this would be its first Royal Rumble.

The city of Orlando wants to host the 2024 WWE Royal Rumble, and is preparing a sizable bid to throw its hat in the ring.

Orlando’s NBC station, WESH, reported today that the city’s Tourist Development Tax Sports Incentive Committee “will request $850,000 for the Greater Orlando Sports Commission to bid on the 2024 Royal Rumble.” It noted that if the bid is accepted, the event will be held Jan. 27, 2024, though that date hasn’t been confirmed by WWE and likely won’t until a venue is announced.

The proposed site for Royal Rumble is Camping World Stadium. Formerly known as the Florida Citrus Bowl, the football stadium can seat more than 60,000 fans. It also has an established WWE history, hosting both WrestleMania XXIV in 2008 and WrestleMania 33 in 2017.

It’s yet to be the site for a Royal Rumble, but that’s largely due to the fact that the event has a much short history as a stadium show than WrestleMania. As recently as 2018, the Royal Rumble was held at a basketball/hockey arena, but with the exception of the 2021 edition affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s taken place at larger, football or multi-purpose stadiums since then.

Orlando is also one of the few places WWE visits regularly that could host an outdoor Royal Rumble in late January. The city’s bid will estimate attendance at 54,000 fans, which is slightly higher than WWE’s reported attendance (which always needs to be taken with a grain of salt), but if the venue can hit that mark, it will likely set an all-time gate record for any Royal Rumble.

The location for this year’s event was announced in early September 2022, so it’s likely Orlando won’t know until after the summer whether it’s bid will be successful.

Cody Rhodes says calling his shot at Royal Rumble better than being a surprise

Rhodes likes the idea that he made a big claim and then backed it up.

When Cody Rhodes was on the shelf recovering from the torn pectoral muscle he suffered last year, the hope for WWE fans was that he’d make his way back to health in time to be a surprise entrant in the 2023 Royal Rumble. The thinking went that if Rhodes won it, he could continue his quest to win the world championship his late father never did, facing Roman Reigns in the main event at WrestleMania 39.

All of that played out exactly as theorized, except for one fairly significant difference: Rhodes’ return at the Rumble was no surprise.

In a break from its time-honored tactic of having big stars as unannounced Royal Rumble entrants, WWE produced a series of vignettes focused on Rhodes’ recovery and injury rehab. They were simply teases until the final installment, which flat out announced that Cody would enter the Royal Rumble match in San Antonio.

Was it the right move? It’s easy to see the tradeoff from WWE’s perspective: Hooking people to tune in for the event to see Rhodes make his comeback as opposed to watching and hoping he did.

Since this is wrestling we’re talking about, there are fans who still insist it would have been better off the other way. But in a recent interview with Peter Rosenberg of HOT 97 (h/t POST Wrestling), Rhodes says there was value in having him carry out exactly what he said he would do by winning the Rumble.

“I really didn’t have an opinion on whether it should be a surprise or not, but I do think there’s something about, especially as a character that is being received positively and warmly, hey, I’m gonna tell you what I’m gonna do, and you’re gonna take the ride with me, but what I’m saying is gonna happen — and I think there’s something powerful in that messaging,” Rhodes said.

“I hope fans of mine and critics as well can go, ‘oh, okay, well (I’ll) watch, I’m gonna follow this,'” he added. “And I think just having seeing those live events and seeing some of the metrics, as far as I’m concerned on the shows, it seems like people are vibing with it. It’s a discussion, but discussion’s the best.”

Rhodes will have another chance to call his shot when he faces Reigns at WrestleMania in April. Expect another fun debate of this type if he manages to pull it off.

Royal Rumble 2023 will take place in San Antonio at Alamodome

The Royal Rumble will head to a familiar site in Texas in 2023.

The most important stop on the road to WrestleMania 39 has been revealed.

WWE announced today that the 2023 Royal Rumble will take place in the Alamodome in San Antonio. In keeping with precedent that’s been established this year, the show will be held on a Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023.

“We are thrilled to bring back one of WWE’s most exciting events of the year to San Antonio,” the city’s mayor, Ron Nirenberg, said in a press release. “Royal Rumble will bring tens of thousands of WWE fans from around the world to the Alamodome, bringing both an incredible economic boost to our beautiful city and community outreach events that will give back in a multitude of ways.”

The city has a history with the Royal Rumble that dates back to 1997, and Texas-born wrestlers have won two of the Rumble matches there. Stone Cold Steve Austin won his first of back-to-back victories in 1997 at the Alamodome, while The Undertaker emerged triumphant at the AT&T Center 10 years later. Randy Orton was the victor in the most recent San Antonio Royal Rumble match, at the Alamodome in 2017.

WWE is promoting the event with two 30-person Royal Rumble matches, one each for the men and women, which has been the case for the last five years. Only once so far, in 2018, did the women’s Rumble get to be the main event.

The Royal Rumble will be streamed as all WWE premium live events are on Peacock in the U.S. and WWE Network elsewhere. Tickets go on sale Friday, Sept. 30 via Ticketmaster, though anyone wanting to ensure themselves the earliest possible chance at seats can register for pre-sale information now.