WWE SmackDown Adds Several Fan Favorites to the Royal Rumble
With the Royal Rumble taking place in San Antonio tomorrow, tonight's episode of WWE SmackDown was bound to add a few more names to the Men's and Women's Royal Rumble matches, and it did just that. Before the night was over, WWE revealed eight more names for both matches, though the Women's Rumble match received the most new additions. Several fan favorites were added to the lineups, and the full list of new entrants includes The New Day's Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston, Damage CTRL's Bayley, Dakota Kai, and IYO SKY, The Miz, Lacey Evans, and Xia-Li.
That puts the Men's match at 19 so far and the Women's match at 12. The Women's match has more openings for surprise appearances, especially since it seems Ronda Rousey won't be involved and stars like Bianca Belair and Alexa Bliss are already featured elsewhere on the card. That said, they could still end up in the match somehow, so we'll have to wait and see.
The #RoyalRumble Match GROWS:
— WWE (@WWE) January 28, 2023
❗️@itsBayleyWWE
❗️@ImKingKota
❗️@Iyo_SkyWWE
❗️@LaceyEvansWWE
❗️@XiaWWE pic.twitter.com/4ajlzRAlbl
Earlier in the night there was another reveal for the Men's match, as Brock Lesnar surprised Bobby Lashley and attacked him after he cleared the ring. Lesnar told him he would see him tomorrow, and with his entry, the prediction of a winner becomes that much harder to guess, as he has won two Rumbles previously. The frontrunners before Lesnar's entry were Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn, but there is always the chance Lesnar could end up as the winner.
It's also possible we get an announcement or two ahead of tomorrow's event on social media, so we'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, you can find the full card for the Royal Rumble below.
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match: Roman Reigns (C) vs Kevin Owens
Raw Women's Championship Match: Bianca Belair (C) vs Alexa Bliss
The Pitch Black Match: Bray Wyatt vs LA Knight
Men's Royal Rumble Match: Includes Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston, Ricochet, Bobby Lashley, Seth Freakin Rollins, Austin Theory, Baron Corbin, Santos Escobar, Rey Mysterio, Drew McIntyre, Karrion Kross, Sheamus, Braun Strowman, Omos, Gunther, Brock Lesnar, Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston, and The Miz so far.
Women's Royal Rumble Match: Includes Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Rhea Ripley, Candice LeRae, Shayna Baszler, Zelina Vega, Emma, Bayley, Dakota Kai, IYO SKY, Lacey Evans, and Xia-Li so far.
The Royal Rumble kicks off on January 28th at 8 PM EST.
Who else do you want to see enter the Rumble matches? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!