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WWE SmackDown Added To Royal Rumble Weekend In Indianapolis

Tickets will go on sale next week for the Royal Rumble go-home edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown
Rick Ucchino|
Jan 27, 2024; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Cody Rhodes celebrates after winning the Men s Royal Rumble match at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
Jan 27, 2024; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Cody Rhodes celebrates after winning the Men s Royal Rumble match at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The road to WrestleMania 41 is nearly upon us and WWE has now added a stop along the route to Las Vegas.

The Royal Rumble was already slated to take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana on February 1 next year. Now the go-home edition of Friday Night SmackDown has been booked for the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the home of the NBA's Indiana Pacers, on January 31.

The 38th annual Royal Rumble will be the first of three large stadium events in Indianapolis with Lucas Oil Stadium set to host both WrestleMania and a two-night SummerSlam in the near future.

Additionally, episodes of Raw, SmackDown, and NXT will emanate from arenas across Indiana as part of this new partnership with the Indiana Sports Corporation. Today's announced episode of SmackDown being among them.

MORE: WWE Royal Rumble 2025 Card Predictions: Could Cody Rhodes Go For Three In A Row?

Tickets will go on sale Wednesday, December 11 at 10am ET/7am PT via Ticketmaster for the Indianapolis SmackDown.

The Royal Rumble streams live in the U.S. exclusively on Peacock beginning at 6pm ET/3 pm PT on February 1.

John Cena has already declared for the Men's Royal Rumble Match next year. This will be the 16-time World Champions' final time competing in the event as he kicks-off a year long retirement tour in 2025.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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