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WWE today announced plans to hold The Greatest Royal Rumble, a 50 competitor iteration of that match on Friday 4/27 as part of a new deal to hold live events in Saudi Arabia, a deal that Triple H flew overseas to consummate last week.
The event will be held at the King Abdullah Sports City just North of the city of Jeddah. The outdoor stadium complex opened in 2014 and can hold upwards of 62,000 fans, but WWE has run a smaller 10,000 seat arena that is also part of the complex in the past. If they run the Stadium side of the complex, it would be the first ever pro wrestling event held in that venue.
This would also be the first Rumble bout held outside of North America since a 1994 Rumble match held in Osaka, Japan featuring 18 competitors, won by The Undertaker when he eliminated Bam Bam Bigelow.
There is no word yet as to whether the event will stream on the WWE Network, either live or via VOD.
The official press release reads:
03/05/2018 - RIYADH, Saudi Arabia & STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- 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 Cena™, Triple H™, Roman Reigns™, AJ Styles™, Braun Strowman™, The New Day™, Randy Orton™, Bray Wyatt™ and Shinsuke Nakamura™, 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.”
About WWE
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