Royal Rumble 2021 was hyped up in a big way with two mammoth returns set for next week. It has been now been officially announced that Drew McIntyre and WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg will be appearing, live from the WWE ThunderDome at the Tropicana Field on Raw’s next episode, This will also mark the go-home episode for the upcoming PPV event.
WWE’s build towards Royal Rumble 2021 hit a bigger obstacle when Drew McIntyre had to be kept off the TV for the past two weeks after testing positive for COVID-19. But he did show up on Raw, again via a pre-recorded message from his home-gym setup.
He was feeling a lot better from the initial coronavirus diagnosis days. This was when he announced to be back, next week. He also invited his scheduled title match challenger Goldberg to face him if he wants some action.
Later, WWE.com confirmed that The Myth will also be present under the same roof alongside the current WWE Champion on next week’s Raw. They could have one final face-off on the final red brand show before competing for the WWE Title at the Royal Rumble 2021 pay-per-view on January 31.
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Goldberg attended RAW during the Legends Night episode on January 4, which also marked the last night that McIntyre was present, live on the show. That was the same night where the Hall of Famer challenged McIntyre to the title match at Royal Rumble 2021. The challenge was accepted, last week.
As these two remained absent, this week’s Raw featured a segment where The Miz and John Morrison hosted The Dirt Sheet with Goldberg’s dummy Duane “Gillberg” Gill. A fake Drew McIntyre character was also present on the segment which ended with The Miz and Morrison promising that McIntyre and Goldberg will ultimately be the losers at Rumble because Miz would go to cash-in his Money In the Bank contract on that night.
More participants for both men’s and women’s editions of Royal Rumble 2021 have also been confirmed during this week’s Raw. Peyton Royce, Alexa Bliss, and Shayna Baszler are now official for the Women’s Rumble while former WWE Champion and top Raw Superstar Jeff Hardy declared his spot for the over-the-top-rope melee, male version.
Royal Rumble 2021 Match Card
Royal Rumble 2021 pay-per-view takes place on January 31 from Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay, Florida. Here’s the updated card for the show,
WWE Title Match
Bill Goldberg vs. Drew McIntyre (c)
Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Universal Title
Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns (c)
30-Man Royal Rumble Match
Daniel Bryan, WWE United States Champion Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Otis, The Miz, Jey Uso, Cesaro, Jeff Hardy, 21 Superstars TBA
Winner earns a title shot at WrestleMania 37
30-Woman Royal Rumble Match
Nia Jax, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Charlotte Flair, Bayley, Bianca Belair, Mandy Rose, Dana Brooke, Peyton Royce, Alexa Bliss, Shayna Baszler, 21 Superstars TBA
Winner earns a title shot at WrestleMania 37
