WWE Announces First Women's Royal Rumble

STAMFORD, CT -- It wasn't so long ago that the women featured on WWE's wrestling shows participated primarily in matches seeming conceived by overheated pubescent boys: pudding matches, lingerie matches and the like.

In the last two years, though, the company has taken strides to distance itself from that ignominious past, proclaiming a "Women's Revolution," adding numerous women to its top roster and renaming the division from the "Divas" to "Women." In the meantime, women now routinely main event the promotion's weekly television broadcasts and participate in high-profile matches praised by critics. In particular, Sasha Banks and Bayley's pair of matches in 2015 for the WWE's developmental promotion NXT received widespread acclaim and attention both inside and outside of wrestling.

On a recent tour in Abu Dhabi, Banks and reigning Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss became the first women to wrestle in the United Arab Emirates - albeit in bodysuits, rather than their normal ring gear - and the crowd chanted "This is hope!" during their bout.

On Monday night, the women took another step, as WWE Chief Brand Officer and on-screen Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon announced the women will get their own Royal Rumble at the eponymous pay-per-view Jan. 28 in Philadelphia.

The Royal Rumble is that rarest of wrestling events in that it's universally beloved. Conceived in 1988 by wrestling legend Pat Patterson, the match consists of wrestlers -- in the men's event, there are typically 30 competitors - entering the ring at predetermined intervals - usually 90 seconds or two minutes. Wrestlers are eliminated if their feet hit the floor after being thrown over the top rope. The winner of the men's Royal Rumble typically gets a title shot at the following Wrestlemania.

The WWE has not announced how many women will participate in the event, though recent call-ups from NXT have beefed up the women's rosters on both Raw and Smackdown and this summer's women's tournament, the Mae Young Classic, introduced a number of women into the WWE fold. The Royal Rumble historically includes surprise entrants of debuting competitors or returning legends, as well.

While the event will be the first-ever all-woman Royal Rumble, three women - the late Chyna (who participated twice), Kharma and Beth Phoenix - participated in past Rumbles alongside male competitors.

WWE Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss at Wizard World 2017 at the Pennsyvania Convention Center in Philadelphia on June 3, 2017. Photo: Star Shooter / MediaPunch/IPX