WWE reveals location of 2020 Royal Rumble

It appears WWE is sticking with big stadium locations for the Royal Rumble.

Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas, has been home to concerts, boxing and even a fishing tournament. And since 2000, it’s been home to the Houston Astros. But in 2020, it’ll get to host something it never has before — the WWE Royal Rumble.

The 30-man, and now 30-woman, over-the-the-top battle royal event, one of the biggest on the WWE calendar, will head to Houston for the first time since 1989. It was held at the venue formerly known as The Summit. While it’s now home to Joel Osteen and the Central Campus of Lakewood Church, The Summit was host to just the second-ever Royal Rumble event.

Back in 1989, the landscape was of course very different. The sports-entertainment giant was then known as the World Wrestling Federation, and superstars such as Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior and “Macho Man” Randy Savage reigned supreme. And Big John Studd laid claim to the title of Royal Rumble winner, last eliminating “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase.

Fast forward 30 years, and WWE returns to downtown Houston for the 33rd installment of the company’s annual event. The roster now includes the likes of Finn Balor, Randy Orton, Charlotte and Becky Lynch. And the product is available to a lot more people now, thanks to the internet and the help of the WWE Network.

John Saboor, WWE’s executive vice president of special events, spoke with Houston’s Chron.com and said they’ve been working with the city to plan this since last summer.

"We had a wonderful experience at Chase Field, and that underscored our excitement with the decision to place the 2020 Royal Rumble at Minute Maid Park. We want to expose the WWE brand and its events to as many people as possible, and the size of facilities in which we present our major events is a key catalyst. This is an opportunity to build upon what has been a very special relationship built over several decades between WWE and Houston."

The Royal Rumble is one of the original WWE pay per view events. It joins WrestleMania, SummerSlam and the Survivor Series as the events that stood before the rest. At one time, the King of the Ring was an original annual card, but its annual date on the calendar was last seen in 2002.

Fans in Houston are typically used to weekly TV and smaller pay-per-view events at the downtown Toyota Center. WrestleMania 25 was held at NRG Stadium, so this will be the first time WWE has tested the waters with the Royal Rumble.

It’ll be a huge weekend for WWE. They’ll have the fanfest known as AXXESS as well as NXT: Takeover Houston on Saturday, the Royal Rumble on Sunday and then the following week’s TV events will stay in town. Monday Night Raw and Tuesday’s SmackDown! Live will both air from the Toyota Center.

All the fun of the 2020 WWE Royal Rumble, will take place on Sunday, January 26. And you can watch every bit of the action on the WWE Network.

If things go well in Houston next year, WWE could make a permanent switch and have the Royal Rumble exclusive to venues such as this. They’ve done well with shows at MetLife Stadium in the New York area and the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, so a big turnout at Minute Maid Park could open a lot of new doors for the company. And the Royal Rumble is the official kickoff for the Road to WrestleMania, so it’s always an exciting event to be a part of.