WWE Announces Unique New Match For Royal Rumble

WWE has announced the first-ever "pitch black match" for the upcoming Royal Rumble premium live event.

As per a video released on WWE's social media, "anything can happen" in the unique gimmick match, where all the lights will presumably be turned off as superstars wrestle in the ring. The promo video included shots of WWE Hall of Famer Edge and pictures of the crowd reacting to Bray Wyatt's return at Extreme Rules. As such, one can presume the match will feature either Edge or Wyatt, both of whom are rumored to wrestle at Royal Rumble. In fact, WrestlingNews.Co reported last month that WWE's creative team had made a pitch for the unique "pitch black match" specifically for Wyatt. 

It's worth noting that the match is being sponsored by Mountain Dew as part of the brand's "pitch black" soda flavor relaunch. WWE had previously done a sponsor-driven gimmick match – the infamous Lumberjack Zombies Match – at the WrestleMania Backlash premium live event in May 2021. While that match was criticized heavily by mainstream outlets and wrestlers alike, it was revealed later that WWE was paid over $1 million to promote the "Army Of The Dead" film via the gimmick match.

It remains to be seen if the "pitch black match" will include comedic elements, as was the case with The Miz and John Morrison being literally "eaten" by zombies last year. Fans on social media believe Wyatt or Edge's potential involvement in the Royal Rumble match could lead to a more serious contest. 

Speaking of Wyatt, the former Universal Champion made his in-ring comeback at a WWE live event in Madison Square Garden this week. Could the rumored Wyatt vs. LA Knight match at the Royal Rumble include the "pitch black" stipulation?