10 Big Questions Ahead Of WWE Royal Rumble 2017

10. Can WWE Fill The Alamodome?

More than a few eyebrows were raised when WWE announced this year’s Royal Rumble location. The bulk of WWE’s pay-per-views are held in sub-20,000 capacity basketball arenas, with last year’s Rumble taking place in Orlando’s 18,846-seater Amway Center. This year, WWE have decided to host the event at the San Antonio Alamodome - a building that holds up to 65,000 people.

WWE have held the Rumble in San Antonio twice before, with the 1997 event drawing more than 60,000 fans to the same building. That particular card was bolstered by hometown hero Shawn Michaels challenging for Sycho Sid’s WWE Championship, however, and while HBK is expected to appear in a non-wrestling capacity on this year’s show, WWE haven’t drawn 60k+ to a non-WrestleMania PPV since then.

Regardless of whether Michaels appears or not, WWE have a huge task on their hands. The last thing they want is the embarrassment of empty seats at one of their biggest shows of the year, which is a real possibility at the moment. Fair play to them for showing such ambition, and the current level of unpredictability surrounding the event definitely helps build intrigue, but is the Alamodome a step too far? We’ll find out next weekend.