More Names Announced For WWE Royal Rumble Matches, Update On Brock Lesnar's Status
It's that time of year when 30 male and 30 female WWE stars duke it out in their respective Royal Rumble matches for a shot at glory at WrestleMania 40. Last night's "WWE SmackDown" saw the announced field of competitors completed; Cody Rhodes, Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre, Shinsuke Nakamura, Chad Gable, Otis, Akira Tozawa, Gunther, Kofi Kingston, Damian Priest, Santos Escobar, Carlito, R-Truth, Grayson Waller, Austin Theory, and Jimmy Uso have all been confirmed for the men's Rumble. The women's rumble will feature Bayley, Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Nia Jax, Maxxine Dupri, Ivy Nile, Zelina Vega, Alba Fyre, Shotzi, and Mia Yim.
Fightful Select reported that the very few announced Royal Rumble entrants was "deliberate" ahead of this weekend's event, leaving plenty of room for surprise cameos. One of whom could be Brock Lesnar, who is reportedly scheduled to travel to Tampa for the event. Lesnar's name is currently a controversial one following a lawsuit filed against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE by former employee Janel Grant, who alleges she was sexually assaulted, exploited, and trafficked by McMahon to others in the company.
Lesnar was identified in the suit as a "former UFC Heavyweight Champion the company was actively trying to re-sign in 2020," and it was alleged McMahon instructed Grant to create "personalized sexual content" for Lesnar in an attempt to get his signature. Lesnar allegedly told McMahon he enjoyed the content, and McMahon mentioned to Grant later that Lesnar had re-signed with WWE so he could engage in sexual relations with her.
Stay tuned to Wrestling Inc. all weekend for all your WWE Royal Rumble news, including live coverage of the event.