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Lashley to defend WWE title inside Elimination Chamber in Saudi Arabia

WWE today announced that Bobby Lashley will be defending the WWE title inside the Elimination Chamber on Saturday, February 19.

Every year, one of the titles is up for grabs inside the steel structure and last year it was Drew McIntyre who had to defend the title against AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, Kofi Kingston, Sheamus, and Randy Orton. Lashley’s road to WrestleMania will be telling by the outcome of that match as Seth Rollins was originally booked to win the Day 1 main event when it was still a four-way match and before Brock Lesnar was inserted into the match.

The whole main event picture was altered due to Reigns getting COVID-19 in late December and WWE had to make some changes to steer back on course for the original matches on the card.

The Elimination Chamber will be taking place from the The Jeddah Super Dome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Due to the time difference, the show will air at Noon ET on Peacock and WWE Network.

Impact rating for 01/27/2022

Last Thursday’s Impact Wrestling on AXS TV drew 182,000 viewers, up 56,000 viewers from the previous episode and the most-watched episode since February 16, 2021. The show did 0.05 in the 18-49 demo, up 0.02 from last week and the highest since July 8. Impact placed #104 on the cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

Rousey and Lesnar on Raw tonight

The two Royal Rumble winners, Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar, will both be on Monday Night Raw tonight to address their win.

In Brock Lesnar’s case, it is being advertised that he will be choosing his WrestleMania opponent on the show and it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out where this one is heading. Brock will be heading back to Smackdown to continue his feud with Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman following tonight’s broadcast.

Meanwhile, for the first time in almost three years, the baddest woman on the planet will return to Monday Night Raw. The most logical match would be to reignite the feud with Raw Women’s champion Becky Lynch but apparently the plan is now for Rousey to move to Smackdown as well and go for the Smackdown Women’s title currently held by Charlotte Flair. Rousey took out Flair to win the Royal Rumble and the queen was not happy at all.

Flair and Rousey already wrestled each other at the Survivor Series while the one-on-one between Lynch and Rousey remains elusive, at least for now.

Shane McMahon set for both Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania

Dave Meltzer of the Observer is reporting that Shane McMahon is booked to appear at both the Elimination Chamber and the WrestleMania events.

McMahon returned on Saturday at the Royal Rumble for his first appearance since WrestleMania 37 where he lost his match against Braun Strowman. He was part of the final four and was eventually clotheslined over the top rope by the winner Brock Lesnar.

Despite having a performer contract, McMahon took a step back from his on-screen role over the past year although we’ll be seeing more of him during the next several weeks.

It remains to be seen what McMahon’s role at the Chamber will be. The show will take place in February from Saudi Arabia.

Fun statistics and numbers from the 2022 Royal Rumble

The road to WrestleMania started at the Royal Rumble last night with two former UFC champions – Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar – getting an express ticket to the main event of the two-night event this coming April in Dallas.

But as usual, the Royal Rumble is a match of numbers and this year it was no different.

Bianca Belair was the iron woman of the women’s Rumble match, lasting a total of 47 minutes and 30 seconds before she was eliminated by Charlotte Flair. Belair entered in #8 and was eliminated #27. Liv Morgan, maybe a surprise to many, was second with 37 minutes and 20 seconds on the clock and got thrown out by Brie Bella while Natalya, the woman of many records, was third with 36 minutes and 17 seconds and was eliminated by Bianca Belair.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Mighty Molly was the fastest one eliminated from the match within 20 seconds of hitting the ring. She was also producing the match, so hey, cut her some slack! Ivory was thrown out in 25 seconds and Sarah Logan was the third fastest with 43 seconds. Four other women – Carmella, Cameron, Summer Rae, and Melina were out in under a minute.

Charlotte Flair had the most eliminations in the Royal Rumble and eliminated five women in her 31 minutes and 23 seconds in the match. She took out Rhea Ripley, Lita, Bianca Belair, Shayna Baszler, and Aliyah. Ronda Rousey was second with most eliminations at four while Brie Bella and Rhea Ripley tied for third place with three eliminations each. Four women had two eliminations each and seven others had one each to their name.

The women’s match lasted 59 minutes and 40 seconds.

In the men’s match, AJ Styles was the iron man of the night with 29 minutes and 6 seconds on the clock before he was eliminated by Madcap Moss of all people! Styles entered #1 and was the #14 eliminated. Austin Theory also had a good showing with 22 minutes and 6 seconds coming in second and Dolph Ziggler, in his 15th Royal Rumble match, was third with 20 minutes and 46 seconds.

Kofi Kingston was the quickest one eliminated after 21 seconds when his usual yearly stunt went awry and slipped. They tried to cheat, but cameras caught him and referees sent Kofi packing. Oh well, it had to happen one day! Robert Roode was anything but glorious and was out in 54 seconds by AJ Styles but not before a face-to-face between the two and a “TNA” chant from the fans! Johnny Knoxville was the third quickest out and was eliminated after 1 minute and 26 seconds by Sami Zayn.

AJ Styles had the most eliminations in this match as well with six to his name: Sami Zayn, Ridge Holland, Austin Theory, Robert Roode, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Omos. Brock Lesnar, who came in at #30, got rid of five people in just 2 minutes and 32 seconds and threw out Randy Orton, Bad Bunny, Drew McIntyre, Riddle, and Shane McMahon on his way to victory. Omos and Happy Corbin were tied in third place with three eliminations each. Four other men had two eliminations each to their name and 12 others had one elimination each.

The men’s Rumble match lasted 51 minutes and 10 seconds.

The attendance announced by WWE was of 44,390 while the ticket tracking service WrestleTix counted a total of 39,417 tickets distributed out of 39,778 tickets available.

The 10 moms who rocked it at the Royal Rumble!

It was a memorable and record-breaking Royal Rumble night as WWE fielded a total of 10 mothers during the show, the most number from any other previous show.

During the actual over-the-top rope match, Mickie James, Michelle McCool, Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Tamina, Sarah Logan, and the winner Ronda Rousey all participated. The mixed tag team match also featured two mothers with Beth Phoenix and Maryse looking in top shape and of course Becky Lynch was also in action.

Incredibly enough, Rousey had just given birth four months prior and is now ready to hit the road again leading up to WrestleMania.

“I just had a baby 4 months ago. Since the day I found out I was pregnant and calculated my due date, I knew I wanted to return to the @wwe at the #royalrumble2022,” Ronda wrote in a post on Instagram. “Two weeks, even two months postpartum that goal seemed crazier than ever before. But I just missed it so much… and I so badly wanted to give Pō the same example that my mom gave to me and my sisters – she never broke stride following her dreams while having us. Now it’s my turn.”

Brie Bella also wrote how her daughter told her she’s the “coolest superhero” and although she didn’t win, that comment made her feel like she won, even though she likes Nikki A.S.H. more!

“Always feels good coming home to @wwe. Love you #BellaArmy. You are always making this girl feel on fire,” she continued before adding that her favorite moment was getting her twin sister Nikki out.

The surprise entrants of the 2022 Royal Rumble

The Royal Rumble produced some surprises, maybe not the ones that fans were waiting for, but 12 unannounced individuals took part in both the men’s and women’s matches.

When it comes to the men’s match, there were five unannounced spots with only one non-WWE performer making the list.

Ridge Holland was the first unannounced entry at #5 and had a good showing lasting just over 19 minutes. Drew McIntyre also returned after an injury and was #21, also going just over 19 minutes himself. Music superstar and crowd favorite Bad Bunny returned for the first time since WrestleMania and was #27, lasting just under eight minutes. Shane McMahon came out #28 to a thunderous pop from the crowd and was out in just under six minutes and #30 was Brock Lesnar, who eventually won the whole thing in under three minutes.

The women’s match produced seven surprise entries and the winner as well!

Melina was #2, and overcome with emotions, she was quickly dispatched out by Sasha Banks in under a minute. Former Funkadactyl Cameron came in at unlucky #13 and also lasted under a minute. The Right to Censor version of Ivory was #18 and talked on the mic while getting eliminated in less than 30 seconds. Alicia Fox did better than expected, coming in at #21 and lasting six-and-a-half minutes. Sarah Logan, formerly of the Riott Squad, was #25 and again, was out in 43 seconds. Mighty Molly was #27 and was out in 20 seconds as Nikki A.S.H. did not appreciate a second super hero in the match. And last and certainly not least, former Raw Women’s champion Ronda Rousey returned to a gigantic pop at #28 and won the match in just over 10 minutes.

The proverbial forbidden door was only opened once, for Mickie James, showing that there’s still a lot to go for WWE when it comes to working with other promotions.

Mickie James thanks WWE and Impact for historic night

Mickie James made history last night by becoming the first individual to carry an Impact title to a WWE event and be acknowledged as the Impact Knockouts champion during the Royal Rumble.

James, who was unceremoniously fired from WWE last year and her belongings sent in a trash bag, entered the Royal Rumble at #20 to a thunderous pop as Hardcore Country played in the background. She lasted nearly 12 minutes before being eliminated by another WWE legend and Hall of Famer Lita and had one elimination to her name, Michelle McCool.

Speaking backstage, James said it was unbelievable. “If you had said to me this moment would be happening right now, I would have said you’re insane,” Mickie said.

She said that her sights were set high so she’s disappointed that she did not get to win the match but just to go out there and represent Impact Wrestling with the Knockouts title, the world won because, “we just broke down one of the biggest ceilings that you’ve ever seen and we did it for the ladies.”

James called it an incredible night and thanked WWE and Impact for allowing her to make history. “Awesome. This was so awesome. I’m trying not to cry today, I promised,” she said, before revealing she cried with Beth Phoenix, she cried all day, and cried in Gorilla Position as well.

“I’m hardcore country. I promise!”

Brock Lesnar loses WWE title but wins the Royal Rumble

It looked like it was going to be a horrible night for Brock Lesnar with first his trusted advocate Paul Heyman turning on him and then losing the WWE title to Bobby Lashley thanks to the interference from Roman Reigns.

But after losing the title, Lesnar found himself in the 30-man Royal Rumble match, conveniently coming out at #30, eliminating five men, and win the match and a ticket to WrestleMania to face a champion of his choosing.

Before the Day 1 fiasco, Lesnar and Reigns were supposed to meet at WrestleMania but the road to Mania took a detour when Reigns tested positive and Lesnar won the WWE title instead. To get back on track, the Beast Incarnate had to lose the title and win the Rumble, and that’s exactly what happened at the Rumble.

This is Brock Lesnar’s second Royal Rumble win after he won the 2003 edition. Eventually he went on to win the WWE title from Kurt Angle that year at WrestleMania 19.

Ronda Rousey returns and wins the Royal Rumble

After an absence of nearly three years, Ronda Rousey made her return to WWE at the Royal Rumble and made a statement by winning the 30-woman over-the-top rope match.

The self-proclaimed “baddest woman on the planet” came out at #28 and got rid of five women in a short span of time, eliminating Charlotte Flair last to win the match. The final four also included Bianca Belair and Shayna Baszler.

Rumors started flying around yesterday that Ronda was back with the WWE for the rest of the year and heading into next year’s WrestleMania as well. She last appeared on WWE television at WrestleMania 35, losing the Raw Women’s title to Becky Lynch.

Since then, Ronda left and went on to have a family, giving birth to her baby daughter just four months ago.

Rousey is expected to be part of the Smackdown roster moving forward but will be on Monday Night Raw this coming Monday.

Royal Rumble 2022 results

Here are the results from the Royal Rumble which took place from The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

Seth Rollins defeated Roman Reigns via disqualification, so Roman retains the Universal title; Ronda Rousey won the 30-woman Royal Rumble match; Becky Lynch defeated Doudrop to retain the Raw Women’s title; Bobby Lashley defeated Brock Lesnar to win the WWE title; Edge and Beth Phoenix defeated The Miz and Maryse; Brock Lesnar won the 30-man Royal Rumble match.

WrestleMania sign catches fire at the Rumble

The WrestleMania sign hanging from the rafters at the Rumble caught fire thanks to the pyro which hit after Ronda Rousey won the Royal Rumble match.

Fans underneath the sign were quickly evacuated from their seats as riggers brought down the sign from the rafters, all this while the match between Becky and Doudrop was happening.

As soon as the sign was completely lowered, several personnel attacked it with fire extinguishers to remove the flames. Eventually security cordoned off the area until it was fixed and riggers slowly put the sign back up in its place.

After the sign was safely in place, the chairs were rearranged and everyone was allowed back to their place. But towards the end of the show, with a few minutes remaining in the men’s Rumble match, security once again evacuated the section underneath the sign in anticipation for more fireworks following the conclusion of the show.

And when Brock Lesnar won the match and pointed towards the sign, pyro once again set off…and the sign caught fire for the second time!

2022 WWE Royal Rumble PPV Pick’em report

Hey everybody!! It’s @TheMagnumDA bringing you the first PPV Pick’em report of 2022, and we’re kicking things off with one of my favorite shows of the year…the ROYALLLL RUMBLE!! Tonight, I’ll be defending the WOPC Championship against our very own Colin Vassallo. There’s enough bonus questions to keep things interesting, so let’s dive right in!

ON WITH THE PICKS!!!

WWE Championship Match
Brock Lesnar (c) (with Paul Heyman) vs. Bobby Lashley (with MVP)

Colin: I can’t see this going a very long time. Maybe 10 minutes max? We all know how Brock matches are with people his size. Full-on, hard-hitting from the first second of the match. I’m expecting a swerve here and Brock to be screwed out of the WWE title somehow. NEW CHAMP, Bobby Lashley.

Magnum: Damn, dude. Right off the bat, we’re seeing eye-to-eye. I suppose if The Usos can’t get involved with Roman’s match, maybe they get involved in this match? Or maybe The Hurt Business shows up? Either way, Brock’s going to remember Bobby after tonight. Lashley wins.

WWE Raw Women’s Championship
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Doudrop

Colin: It’s great that finally someone like Doudrop is getting a chance. But let’s face it, she has zero chance of winning this match especially with WrestleMania on the horizon. Hope she gets a great showing though as Piper Niven is a great in-ring worker. Becky retains.

Magnum: Doudrop is quickly becoming one of my favorite female performers. She’s the modern Monster Ripper – a combination of power, size and quickness. I really liked that segment on Monday, too. That said, Big Time Becks has gotta look good for when Ronda returns…so I’ll take Lynch to retain.

Mixed Tag Team Match
Edge and Beth Phoenix vs. The Miz and Maryse

Colin: I am actually looking forward to this match. All four will work their ass off for sure. Edge and Beth look in amazing shape. While I’d like Miz and Maryse to win this to continue the feud, I think this will be one-and-done and Edge/Beth will come out victorious and both will move on to different programs after this one.

Magnum: I don’t know why, but I think we’re in for a shocker here. Edge doesn’t have anything to gain from a win tonight, but if Miz somehow steals this (even by Maryse scoring a fluke victory over Beth), he will brag about it until he’s blue in the face. I could absolutely see that. Then again, I just can’t see Edge and Beth losing this match. I’ll take the Copelands to win!

WWE Universal Championship Match
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Seth “Freakin” Rollins – Usos barred from ringside

Colin: Seth has been amazing lately, his work on Smackdown last night was excellent. But he’s not going to dethrone the head of the table. Like he said, Roman has never beat him yet but that’s gonna change tonight. Roman wins.

Magnum: Man, this is really difficult. It comes down to this: Roman and Brock are booked so dominantly that it makes everyone else’s path to WrestleMania a little hazy. I wouldn’t be surprised to see KO and Seth have another Mania program…this time, with Seth as the babyface. Maybe KO costs Seth the match tonight? Yeah, that’s the ticket. Roman retains.

Women’s Royal Rumble Match

Colin: Another match I’m really looking forward to. Great to see so many people return, and I’m interested to see how they’ll book Mickie James in this one. She’ll probably be strong, otherwise she wouldn’t have accepted I imagine. With Ronda back, I totally see her winning this one and go on to meet Becky to main event night one of WrestleMania.

Magnum: Dude, I want Bayley or Sasha Banks to win this thing…but I don’t think it’s happening. I see a formula similar to 2020, where Drew McIntyre eliminated Brock Lesnar and then went on to defeat him at Mania XXXVI. In Brock’s role? Charlotte Flair. In Drew’s role? The returning Ronda Rousey.

Bonus Question #1: Who will draw #1?

Colin: Charlotte Flair

Magnum: Bianca Belair

Bonus Question #2: Who will last the longest?

Colin: Sasha Banks

Magnum: Bianca Belair

Bonus Question #3: Who will have the most eliminations?

Colin: Charlotte Flair

Magnum: Charlotte Flair

Bonus Question #4: Who will draw #30?

Colin: Ronda Rousey

Magnum: Ronda Rousey

Men’s Royal Rumble Match

Colin: I think this is the first time in a long time where I really don’t know where this is going. Big E and AJ Styles have been mentioned a lot but I don’t think any of them will be victorious. If I were a betting man, I’d put my money on Lesnar, who after losing his title, will find a way to get back his shot at WrestleMania.

Magnum: Colin, we are almost eye-to-eye tonight. Thankfully, we’re not exact! There are so many variables in play here: Big E, AJ, Brock, Seth, KO, Roman, Knoxville (okay maybe not that last one). I read that spoiler sheet where Reigns came into the Rumble, tossed out 4 people, and then got tossed by Riddle. That was pretty good! But plans have likely changed since then, pal. A ton of money came in for AJ Styles late…and he was the winner in that Dolphin1925 spoiler…but yeah, I gotta go with Brock here. You want your biggest match to be official by the end of tonight, so Lesnar winning would accomplish that. Brock, Brock till you drop. Lesnar wins.

Bonus Question #1: Who will draw #1?

Colin: AJ Styles

Magnum: Kevin Owens

Bonus Question #2: Who will last the longest?

Colin: Randy Orton

Magnum: Riddle

Bonus Question #3: Who will have the most eliminations?

Colin: Omos

Magnum: Omos

Bonus Question #4: Who will draw #30?

Colin: Big E

Magnum: Brock Lesnar

Well, there you have it everyone! I think, by the end of the night, this report will prove that Colin and I have absolutely no clue what’s going to happen tonight! Lol, ENJOY THE RUMBLE, see you next month for THE ELIMINATION CHAMBER!!! @TheMagnumDA, signing off.

Randy Orton talks how he changed his opinion on Riddle

In an interview with Ariel Helwani for BT Sport, Randy Orton discussed his relationship with Riddle and how he made a 180 on him ever since they’ve teamed up.

“I hated his guts,” Orton said bluntly. “A highly disrespectful prick.”

For two years, Orton explained how he ran into him backstage and Riddle never went out of his way to say hello and typically, guys who come from NXT always introduce themselves. But Riddle was different and Orton decided one fine day to introduce himself instead.

Orton recounted the encounter and said that Riddle had no banter, kept his headphones on with his eyes glazed, looked him, nodded, and walked away.

“But that’s him. I’ll text him now, and he won’t respond,” Orton laughed.

But the relationship between the two turned for the better and now Orton said that in a business where you don’t have a lot of friends, he’s lucky to call Riddle a friend.

“He’s got something special, he’s a lot smarter than he lets on both on TV and in real life,” Orton said, describing Riddle as “what you see is what you get” and that’s what makes him who he is.

“I’m lucky to have Riddle. I’m having more fun now and that’s directly related to him. He’s always in a good mood and gives 110%,” he continued.

Orton said that he can’t say enough good things about his tag team partner now but definitely was not a fan at first!

Lesnar bodyslams Jackass star Wee Man through a table at a restaurant

WWE champion Brock Lesnar body slammed Jackass star Wee Man through a table at a restaurant in St. Louis last night.

Footage obtained by TMZ shows Lesnar picking up the 4-foot TV personality and stunt performer Jason Acuna and then slamming him through a table, breaking the glasses in the process, as Johnny Knoxville laughs in the background.

It was all in fun and games though as Wee Man then laughed and celebrated with Knoxville as the rest of the Jackass crew laughed. Knoxville then is seen shaking hands with Lesnar and Lesnar hugs him. Apparently it was Knoxville who came up with the idea as then he’s seen telling his friends, while still laughing, that he told Lesnar to slam him through the table.

“And he did! He did,” Knoxville said while recounting what happened.

Full betting odds for tonight’s 2022 Royal Rumble

The road to WrestleMania officially kicks off today with the Royal Rumble. 30 men and 30 women will be battling for a first-class ticket to Dallas to main event WrestleMania this coming April.

With just hours to the show, we will take a look at the updated betting odds for the Royal Rumble and remember, you can bet wresting online at Thabet DH516. Odds might change by the time the show goes live so be careful.

In the men’s Rumble match, Brock Lesnar, despite not being officially in the match, is 9/4 to win this. AJ Styles is second favorite with odds of 3/1 while Big E is 4/1, Roman Reigns is at 10/1 and Drew McIntyre is at 12/1.

In the women’s Royal Rumble match, the unannounced Ronda Rousey remains favorite at 7/10. Rousey is back with WWE for the rest of the year so it’s natural that she’s favorite to win this one. Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks are joint second with 11/2 odds while Alexa Bliss is 9/1 and the unannounced Bayley is at 10/1.

The WWE Championship match sees Brock Lesnar taking on Bobby Lashley in their first-ever singles match against each other. The Beast Incarnate is still favorite to come out victorious here with his odds at 3/5 while Lashley is 6/5 to win.

Former Shield stable mates Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins collide for the Universal title and The Tribal Chief has the edge on the former champion, with Reigns’ odds set at 7/20 for a win while Rollins is 19/10 to take the title to the Raw brand.

The odds for the Raw Women’s title match remain unchanged from yesterday as Becky Lynch is the overwhelming favorite at 1/16 while Doudrop has a quite impossible task with her odds at 6/1 to walk away with the title.

Edge and Beth Phoenix vs The Miz and Maryse is the only other match on the card. The grIT couple are 1/5 favorites to beat the IT couple who are 3/1 for the victory.

Ziggler, Orton, Kofi, and Mysterio moving up the Rumble charts

Out of the announced Superstars who will be in the men’s Royal Rumble match, Dolph Ziggler, Randy Orton, Kofi Kingston, and Rey Mysterio are the ones with the most appearances under their belt.

Dolph Ziggler will be entering his 15th Royal Rumble believe it or not and he is second place when it comes to all-time appearances, only behind Kane who is at 20. Ziggler entered his first Rumble in 2009.

Randy Orton and Kofi Kingston will be on their 14th Royal Rumble appearance, with Orton having his first in 2004 and Kingston in 2009. They will be moving in third place in the overall appearance list once this year’s match is done.

And Rey Mysterio will be having his 13th Royal Rumble match, with his first one coming in 2003. Mysterio, just like Orton, is a former Royal Rumble winner.

Ronda Rousey back with WWE for the year

Dave Meltzer of the Observer reported today that Ronda Rousey is definitely back with WWE at least for the next year and she’s in St. Louis for the Royal Rumble, although her participation in the show is not confirmed.

But the former Raw Women’s champion is locked with the company moving forward, with Meltzer saying she’s going to be a regular on Smackdown and will do some Raw shows as well. “The only thing I know is that she will not be wrestling Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania,” Meltzer said, adding that the probability is going to be Lynch vs Rousey one-on-one.

Rousey lost the Raw Women’s title to Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 35 with a dubious pin and the feud between the two had been brewing for a while. Rousey left WWE immediately following WrestleMania to have a family and gave birth to a daughter last September.

UPDATE: Meltzer updated his story saying plans have changed and the direction is now Rousey vs Flair for this year’s WrestleMania.

A look at The Dome at America’s Center, the host of the 2022 Royal Rumble

Tonight, WWE will run at The Dome at America’s Center for the first time ever and while not the whole stadium will be used, nearly 40,000 tickets have so far been sold for quite a healthy attendance.

The Dome, which is the former home of the NFL’s St. Louis Rams, was also the home of the short-lived XFL team the St. Louis BattleHawks in early 2020 before coronavirus shut down operations. It opened in November 1995 after three years of construction and is owned by the St. Louis Regional Sports Authority and operated by the St. Louis Convention/Visitors Bureau.

While the stadium can seat up to 82,600 people, WWE opted for a more conservative layout, knowing full well they won’t be able to fill a full stadium. The company moved 20,000 tickets when tickets went on sale initially and then surpassed the 30,000 mark earlier this month. WrestleTix now reports that the stadium has been reconfigured to seat just over 38,000 seats and over 35,000 tickets have been sold.

Regardless of what attendance WWE announces, it will not break any record for the 26-year-old stadium which was renovated in 2010 after an initial construction cost of $280 million.

The attendance record dates back to January 1999 when Pope John Paul II held a mass in the stadium with over 100,000 people in attendance. When it comes to entertainment, Garth Brooks has the record with over 75,000 fans for a concert back in March 2019 before the pandemic wrecked havoc. The Backstreet Boys packed in 65,000 fans for a concert back in March 2000 and when it comes to sports, a Real Madrid vs Inter soccer match in August 2013 drew over 54,000 fans.

As for tonight’s Royal Rumble, please note that face coverings are required at all times inside the facility but proof of vaccination is not required. Approved bags include diaper bags/parent bags, clear plastic bags no larger than 12″ x 6″ x 12″, standard 1 gallon disposable zip-top bags, or a small clutch, with or without a handle, no larger than 4.5″ x 6.5″. Any bags outside of the above will not be allowed into the venue. All bags are subject to search.

Doors will open at 4:30PM.

Vince McMahon’s mother Vicki passes away at age 101

Vince McMahon’s mother, Vicki Askew, passed away of natural causes on January 20 according to her obituary. She was 101 years old. She died in her sleep at her home at The Woodlands, Texas.

Vicki was born on July 11, 1920 in Florence, South Carolina and had two kids, Vince and Rod. Rod passed away last year on the same day as his mother. She is survived by one son, four grandchildren, and 12 grandchildren.

Funeral services were already held on January 22 in Montgomery, Texas. She will be buried in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania at a later date.