27 January 2024 , 12:00
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is traditionally a highlight of the WWE calendar for fans, with the 30-entrant tournament format of the two main matches offering excitement, social media friendly high spots and some celebrity and veteran surprise entrants along the way - even before the winners get to take centre stage with matches at Wrestlemania.
But 2024’s first premium live event is even more exciting than most, with it heralding the in-ring return of several big names - and - as well as offering tantalising opportunities for other big name entrants, including a Hollywood superstar who’s recently cropped up on WWE TV.
This year's Royal Rumble is the 37th annual version of the iconic event and will take place in St Petersburg, Florida. While in previous years, most notably 2023, the lineup of the two key battle royal matches was largely announced prior to the bell ringing, so far only a small number of wrestlers have been confirmed to be taking part - meaning fans can expect some big surprises.
Rumblings of versus as head of The Bloodline have been discussed for several years and fans’ ears pricked up at the point the actor made a reference to being ‘the head of the table,’ Reigns’ long-time status.
With WWE’s parent company TKO announcing this week that not only was Dwayne Johnson appointed to their Board of Directors but that he would be given full ownership and rights to his iconic 'The Rock' name and , an appearance in Florida would be timely - and a great way to ramp up excitement in the run up to Wrestlemania.
Chelsea complete record-breaking Enzo Fernandez transfer after deadline day rush
It’s been a busy week for WWE all round. As well as the announcement about The Rock, Netflix signed a $5bn deal to stream RAW in the US and all WWE content in the UK from 2025. Meanwhile, , and were announced as the cover stars for which is available on and comes out on March 8.
How to watch WWE Royal Rumble 2024 on UK TV: UK start time and channel
WWE Royal Rumble is live on Saturday night, January 27, in the US and, thanks to the time difference, this works out at 1am in the UK on Sunday morning (January 28).
TNT Sport, formerly known as BT Sport, is the home of most WWE programming in the UK (WWE NXT is available exclusively on the ) and is showing Royal Rumble live and on demand for £19.99 on .
You can view the event without being an existing TNT Sport subscriber. But if you want to see TNT Sport's wider WWE coverage you can get a for £29.99. This not only covers Smackdown and Raw but also TNT Sport's other coverage including games, rugby, MotoGP and cricket. Existing BT Broadband customers can get the deal for just £20 a month as part of the , again with no contract.
TNT Sports is available on the TNT Sports Box Office app on iOS and Android, or via once coverage starts. The event will also be available to watch on demand so don't worry if you miss the 1am start time.
Royal Rumble is also live on the .
WWE Royal Rumble 2024 final card
The current card for Royal Rumble is as follows, although additional matches may yet be added and, arguably more than any other of the WWE's Big Four events, more surprises are likely to emerge on the night.
But, for now, the card stands at:
Men's Royal Rumble Match (confirmed entrants include CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Shinsuke Nakamura, Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre, Gunther, Chad Gable, Otis, Akira Tozawa, Kofi Kingston and Damian Priest)
Women's Royal Rumble Match (confirmed entrants include Bayley, Becky Lynch, Nia Jax, Bianca Belair, Maxxine Dupri and Ivy Nile)
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Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton vs. LA Knight for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship
Logan Paul vs. Kevin Owens for the WWE United States Championship
For all the latest WWE news and reaction , our regular wrestling newsletter.