When WWE announced it was going to host a 50-man Royal Rumble match in Saudi Arabia on April 27, dubbed the “Greatest Royal Rumble” – some were questioning the possibility of whether or not people outside of the country would be able to see it.
There was speculation that WWE would air it on the WWE Network, including a statement from Roman Reigns.
Those rumors now have confirmation as WWE announced it will air the “Greatest Royal Rumble,” on the Network, complete with a kickoff show.
Incredibly, the Greatest Royal Rumble keeps getting bigger. The signature event, being hosted in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday, April 27, can be seen on the award-winning WWE Network at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT. Furthermore, it will be preceded by a special, one-hour Greatest Royal Rumble Kickoff, starting at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT.
In addition to the first-ever 50-Man Greatest Royal Rumble Match, the Greatest Royal Rumble event will feature John Cena vs. Triple H as well as seven championship matches, including a Raw Tag Team Championship Match: The Hardy Boyz vs. Sheamus & Cesaro, and an Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Seth Rollins vs. Finn Bálor vs. The Miz vs. Samoa Joe.
The Greatest Royal Rumble Kickoff will stream live from Jeddah’s King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on WWE Network at a special start time of 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT, and can be seen on a free stream on WWE.com, the WWE App, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Pinterest.
The other title matches on the card include the WWE, Universal, United States, Cruiserweight and Smackdown Tag team titles.
While this event takes place outside of the normal pay per view schedule, it’s something fans can be excited about.
For starters, the Rumble match itself will have a plethora of WWE talent – Daniel Bryan, Kane, Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt are confirmed for the match. Chances are the participants in the title match will join the Royal Rumble. There’s speculation that Chris Jericho and the Undertaker will appear at the event.
There are also seven championship matches on the card that could steal the show, particular the Intercontinental Ladder and the Raw Tag Team title bout.
But fans shouldn’t expect this event to be presented like any other pay per view. It is going to have a house show feel to it, which means the wrestlers will be given more time to shine in the ring.
The event will be akin to The Beast In the East and Live from Madison Square Garden events that aired on the WWE Network in 2015, as well as Roadblock from 2016.
As for the match itself, there does not seem to be anything at stake in the Royal Rumble match, nor does it appear the winner will receive anything for being the last man standing.
Some fans may say “this match doesn’t mean anything” because nothing is on the line, but in some cases bragging rights are enough and saying you won a 50-man battle royal could raise an individual’s stock.
Or who knows, maybe WWE will have a giant trophy for the winner.
