For the second time ever, the WWE's Royal Rumble pay-per-view will be held in Phoenix -- and for the first time ever, a WWE event will be held at the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
WWE announced Wednesday that the 2019 Royal Rumble will take place at Chase Field on Jan. 27, 2019. It will mark the first time in history that the event will be held at a baseball stadium. The Royal Rumble took place at the Phoenix Suns' home arena, now called Talking Stick Resort Arena, in 2013.
The annual Royal Rumble match itself is one of the most popular in WWE. Thirty superstars enter the match one at a time at 90-second intervals. Wrestlers can be eliminated by being thrown over the top rope and have both feet touch the floor outside the ring. The last wrestler in the match receives a world championship opportunity at Wrestlemania.
For the first time ever, a women's Royal Rumble match was included in this year's event in January. It is unknown whether this will become an annual tradition.
A pair of former Arizona Cardinals-turned WWE superstars are excited for the Rumble to come to the Valley.
"It was always my favorite as a kid, so to be a part of it now is amazing," said Mojo Rawley (real name Dean Muhtadi), who was a defensive lineman for the Cardinals in 2010. "Add in the fact that it's now in Phoenix, where I used to live, where I used to play ball, where I have so many friends, it just makes it that much better."
Baron Corbin (real name Tom Pestock), who played offensive line for the Cards from 2010-11, said fans should expect the unexpected during the Rumble.
"That's what the cool thing about the Rumble: You never know who's coming next," he said. "It's always a part of history, because you're cementing yourself in the main event at Wrestlemania."
In addition, WWE has announced three other events will take place in Phoenix during a four-day span in January of next year. An NXT Takeover event will be held at Talking Stick Resort Arena the day before the Royal Rumble on Saturday, Jan. 26. Also, WWE Raw and Smackdown Live will take place at TSR Arena on Monday, Jan. 28 and Tuesday, Jan. 29, respectively.
