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The 2023 WWE Royal Rumble is set to go down this weekend at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. It will be the fourth Royal Rumble event to be held in San Antonio.
One match that has caught everyone’s eye is the Mountain Dew Pitch Black Match scheduled between Bray Wyatt and LA Knight.
But what exactly is a Pitch Black match?
While details have been few and far between, a report from Fightful Select says there will be “neon elements” in the bout. The name comes from sponsor Mountain Dew’s new energy drink flavor, appropriately dubbed “Pitch Black.”
“When it’s the Pitch Black match, anything can happen,” an advertisement for the bout said.
Earlier this month, commentator Michael Cole said: “It’s unique, it’s never been seen before. We don’t know quite what to expect. All we know is there are no rules, anything goes, pinfall or submission. Bray Wyatt has tried quite desperately to avoid this descent into darkness but he’s failing,” as transcribed by Metro.co.UK.
The @MountainDew Pitch Black match is coming! 👀 #ad pic.twitter.com/Imu4adoDUT
— WWE (@WWE) December 26, 2022
The match was first teased in late 2022 with a report from WrestlingNews.co.
“We were told about a pitch that was made for a ‘Pitch Black’ match and it was being seriously considered for the show,” the report said. “The source did not have any more details on the structure/rules of the match but one source in the company believes that the match is for Bray Wyatt.”
WWE has been tight-lipped regarding the gimmick, but with Bray Wyatt involved, we can expect something unique.
Perhaps we could see glowing neon lights like Wyatt’s match against Seth Rollins at Hell in a Cell in 2019 where the arena was illuminated in red lights? We will find out in a matter of hours.
Each year, the Royal Rumble is one of the most highly-anticipated events in professional wrestling with the winner earning a shot at the world championship at WrestleMania. The 36th annual Royal Rumble winners will have the choice of challenging for the Raw or SmackDown championships.
The action will get underway with the pre-show at 7:00 p.m. ET, while the main card will start at 8:00 p.m. ET. All of the action will be streamed live on Peacock.
Additional information can be seen below.
Royal Rumble Viewing Info & Details
Date: Saturday, January 28
Pre-Show Start Time: 7:00 P.M. ET
Main Card Start Time: 8:00 P.M. ET
Location: Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas
Live Stream: Peacock
