WWE Announces First Ever Women's Royal Rumble

Stephanie McMahon last night announced the first ever women's Royal Rumble match, which is set to take place at January's Royal Rumble pay per view event.

The Raw commissioner interrupted a mass brawl between several members of the Raw women's division, before announcing the historic bout.

There is no word yet on the number of competitors in the match. The men's Rumble is, of course, a 30-man contest - although the inaugural 1988 bout had 20 entrants, and the 2011 edition had 40.

WWE.com released a statement shortly following the announcement:

'The much-anticipated contest could not be coming at a more pivotal moment for the ground-breaking women of each brand. In addition to the elite competitors who continue to make the Women's Evolution the cutting-edge phenomenon that it is, the main roster has experienced an influx of talented new Superstars over the past several months, including Raw's undefeated Asuka, the returning Paige and her destructive Absolution cohorts, as well as SmackDown LIVE's Riott Squad. This surge of talent will undoubtedly help make the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble a can't-miss contest.'

Since Stephanie's announcement, several members of the women's division have posted tweets regarding the mach - as well as WWE Hall of Famer, Trish Stratus:

https://twitter.com/trishstratuscom/status/942971160811237376

This could simply be a joke, rather than an earnest declaration of intent for January 28th, but it raises an interesting point. The men's Rumble often features surprise appearances from past Superstars; will the women's match also do the same?

This is the latest step in a crucial time for women's wrestling, as 2016 saw not only the first women's Hell in a Cell match (between Charlotte and Sasha Banks), but 2017 brought us the first women's Money in the Bank ladder match. The former was also the first women's match to main event a main roster pay per view.

Another match was also announced for the Rumble PPV last night, as Raw GM Kurt Angle booked a triple threat between Braun Strowman, Kane, and Universal Champion Brock Lesnar.