The 30th Royal Rumble: A return to tradition in San Antonio
In short: In January 2017, the WWE's 30th annual Royal Rumble event marked a significant turning point. After a year of deviating from tradition, the event restored the stakes for the men's match, offering winners a high-stakes championship opportunity at WrestleMania 33 amidst a newly restructured brand landscape.
The event served as a turning point for WWE, occurring at San Antonio, Texas's Alamodome on January 29, 2017. It served as the 30th annual Royal Rumble and was one of the promotion's 'Big Four' pay-per-view events. This particular edition was unique because it included the Cruiserweight Championship, the Raw Women's Championship, and the Universal Championship. It also marked the final time the event featured only a men's match, as a women's version was introduced the following year.
The men's Royal Rumble match acted as the main event, a 30-man battle royal variant where competitors enter at set intervals. Following a deviation in 2016, the 2017 event returned to the tradition of awarding a WrestleMania match to the winner. Because the brand split returned in July 2016, the stakes changed: for the first time since 2013, winners could vie for either SmackDown's WWE Championship or Raw's WWE Universal Championship.
The main event saw SmackDown's Randy Orton secure his second Royal Rumble victory, having last won in 2009. Orton achieved this by being the last man to eliminate Raw's Roman Reigns. Other notable results included John Cena defeating AJ Styles to tie Ric Flair's record of 16 world championships, capturing his 13th WWE Championship. The event also saw Kevin Owens retain the Universal Championship against Roman Reigns, Charlotte Flair retain the Raw Women's Championship against Bayley, and Neville win the Raw WWE Cruiserweight Championship.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Royal Rumble (2017)
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