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Royal Rumble (2021)

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Royal Rumble
File:WWE Rumble 21.jpg
PromotionWWE
Brand(s)Raw
SmackDown
DateJanuary 31, 2021
CitySt. Petersburg, Florida
VenueTropicana Field
WWE Network event chronology
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TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 		Next →
NXT TakeOver
Royal Rumble chronology
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2020 		Next →
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The 2021 Royal Rumble is an upcoming professional wrestling pay-per-view and WWE Network event produced by WWE for their Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. It will take place on January 31, 2021, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. It will be the 34th event under the Royal Rumble chronology and feature WWE's virtual fan viewing experience called ThunderDome.

Production

Background

The Royal Rumble is an annual gimmick pay-per-view, produced every January by WWE since 1988. It is one of the promotion's original four pay-per-views, along with WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series, dubbed the "Big Four".[1] It is named after the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle royal in which the participants enter at timed intervals instead of all beginning in the ring at the same time. Both the men's and women's matches generally feature 30 wrestlers. Traditionally, the winner of the match earns a world championship match at that year's WrestleMania. The 2021 Royal Rumble will be the 34th event in the Royal Rumble chronology and feature wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brands.[2][3]

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, WWE presented the majority of its programming from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida since mid-March with no fans in attendance, although in late May, the promotion began using Performance Center trainees to serve as the live audience, which was further expanded to friends and family members of the wrestlers in mid-June. On August 17, WWE announced that all future shows and pay-per-views would be held at the Amway Center, a larger venue also located in Orlando, for the "foreseeable future", beginning with the August 21 episode of SmackDown. Furthermore, the shows now feature a new fan viewing experience called the "ThunderDome", which utilizes drones, lasers, pyro, smoke, and projections. Approximately 1,000 LED boards were installed in the Amway Center to allow fans to virtually attend the events for free and be seen on the rows and rows of LED boards. Arena audio is also mixed with that of the virtual fans so that chants from the fans can be heard.[4][5] WWE's initial agreement with the Amway Center expired on October 31, but with the option to extend the contract with a two weeks notice.[6] On October 12, PWInsider reported that the contract had been extended,[7] with Fightful revealing the amended contract's expiration date as November 24.[8] On November 19, WWE announced that they would relocate the ThunderDome to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, beginning with the December 11 episode of SmackDown. This move was also done due to the start of the 2020–21 ECHL and NBA seasons as the Amway Center is the shared home of the Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL) and the Orlando Magic (NBA). TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs was the first WWE pay-per-view presented from the ThunderDome at Tropicana Field.[9][10]

Storylines

The show will include matches that result from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portray heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results are predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands,[11][12] while storylines are produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown.[13]

Matches

Announced competitors in the Men's Royal Rumble match

5 of the 30 entrants have been announced as of October 20, 2024.

Brand
  – Raw
  – SmackDown
Wrestler[14] Date Notes
Daniel Bryan December 25, 2020 Announced on SmackDown
Bobby Lashley December 28, 2020 Announced on Raw
The rock January 4, 2021 Announced on Twitter
Randy Orton Announced on Raw
Dean Ambrose January 8, 2021 Announced on Twitter

Announced competitors in the Women’s Royal Rumble match

4 of the 30 entrants have been announced as of October 20, 2024.

Brand
  – Raw
  – SmackDown
Wrestler[15] Date Notes
Nia Jax December 28, 2020 Announced on Raw
Charlotte Flair January 4, 2021 Announced on WWE.com[16]
Bianca Belair January 8, 2021 Announced on SmackDown
Bayley

References

  1. ^ Hamilton, Ian. Wrestling's Sinking Ship: What Happens to an Industry Without Competition. p. 160.
  2. ^ "Specialty Matches: Royal Rumble". WWE. Archived from the original on February 18, 2010. Retrieved December 3, 2007.
  3. ^ Waldman, Jon (February 2, 2005). "Statistical survival – breaking down the Royal Rumble". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved December 9, 2007.
  4. ^ "WWE introducing new state-of-the-art viewing experience with WWE ThunderDome". WWE. August 17, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  5. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (August 17, 2020). "WWE Announces ThunderDome Arena; Enhanced Fan Experience, Residency At Amway Center; First Look Video Shown". Fightful. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  6. ^ Nason, Josh (August 25, 2020). "WWE/AMWAY CENTER CONTRACT REVEALS SEPTEMBER 27TH PPV DATE". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  7. ^ Johnson, Mike (October 12, 2020). "FUTURE OF THE WWE THUNDERDOME REVEALED". PWInsider. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  8. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (October 26, 2020). "WWE Contract With Amway Center Runs Through November 24". Fightful. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  9. ^ "WWE ThunderDome will head to Tampa Bay's Tropicana Field beginning Friday, Dec. 11". WWE. November 19, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  10. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (November 19, 2020). "WWE ThunderDome Moving To Tropicana Field On December 11". Fightful. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  11. ^ Grabianowski, Ed. "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 18, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  12. ^ "Live & Televised Entertainment". WWE. Archived from the original on February 26, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  13. ^ Steinberg, Brian (May 25, 2016). "WWE's 'Smackdown' Will Move To Live Broadcast On USA (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on May 26, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference MenRumble was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference WomenRumble was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ "Charlotte Flair declares for 2021 Royal Rumble: WWE Network Exclusive". WWE. January 4, 2021. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
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