On October 28th, history will be made when the first ever all-women's WWE pay-per-view, Evolution, takes place. Emanating live from the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, it will be the first ever WWE event consisting solely of women's matches with over 50 female Superstars, past and present, set to feature.
While all of WWE's women's championships will be defended at the event, not a great deal else has been confirmed for the event - which is less than two weeks away. That was, until last night when WWE made the announcement live on RAW that a huge Battle Royal would take place at the event with women from RAW, SmackDown Live and beyond competing for a future Women's Championship Match.
Now, Evolution is shaping up to be great, with matches like Ronda Rousey defending her Raw Women's Championship against Nikki Bella, Becky Lynch defending her SmackDown Women's Championship against Charlotte Flair in the first ever Last Woman Standing Match, Kairi Sane defending the NXT Championship in a rematch against Shayna Baszler and the NXT UK Women's Championship being defended, as well as the Mae Young Classic 2018 culminating at the event. Not to mention Trish Stratus and Lita returning to the ring to face off against Alexa Bliss and Mickie James.
But with only six matches confirmed, why announced a Battle Royal to fill the rest of the event? Well, I explore the reasons - and why it could be both a masterstroke, or a terrible decision.
GOOD - #3 It gets everyone on the card
Well, this one is self-explanatory. If WWE just had straight singles or tag team matches, there's no doubt that it would be tricky to fit 50 women on the card for Evolution. Adding a match where you could have 20 or 30 women in one match definitely eases that pressure.
With 14 women already announced for the event last night on RAW, it's simple to see why WWE may have opted for the match - with stars like The IIconics, Tamina, Alicia Fox and Dana Brooke who are no strangers to being left off of pay-per-view cards being guaranteed a spot at the event.
If you look at it that way, well, the match can only be a good thing! Below is a list of the 14 names already confirmed for the match.
BAD #3 - It's a waste of some major talent
Well, this one is also pretty obvious. With so many names squeezed into such a match, there are definitely some bigger Superstars who could, and maybe should, have been used in a much better way.
Asuka won the first ever Women's Royal Rumble Match, while on a monumental undefeated streak, back in January. The SmackDown Live star's win would be slightly overshadowed by Ronda Rousey debuting at the end of the match, but nonetheless, Asuka would go on to compete for the SmackDown Live Women's Championship at WrestleMania - where her losing streak came to an end against Charlotte Flair and, well, things have never been the same since.
With huge names like Asuka and even former Raw Women's Champion Nia Jax, who won the gold back at Mania, involved in the match, it definitely adds star power - but does it take power away from the stars?
GOOD #2 - different faces, new and old!
It has to be the thing we love most about Royal Rumbles, and it definitely rings true here. Much like the first ever Women's Royal Rumble and the WrestleMania Battle Royal - we WILL see some different faces.
While the match gets everyone from the roster onto the card, it also calls on some stars who may not be on the roster to make an appearance - whether that be NXT stars or the women who have graced the ring in years gone by.
One name already confirmed to appear is Torrie Wilson, who looked every bit as great at the Royal Rumble in January as she did in her WWE prime. If seeing Torrie Wilson, some up-and-coming NXT stars, and maybe even former stars like Michelle McCool appear doesn't excite you, well, I don't know what will.
BAD #2 - It could cheapen the Women's Royal Rumble
Well, one announcement that seemingly slipped under the radar amidst the announcement of the Evolution Battle Royal was the announcement of the second ever Women's Royal Rumble Match, which will take place just a few months away in January.
While the match types are different, there are obvious similarities, and with one Royal Rumble and one Battle Royal already in the books, not to mention a Money In The Bank Match, could we be seeing too many multi-person matches?
With the winner of the Battle Royal at Evolution getting a shot at the gold, does it cheapen the Royal Rumble? Sure, the Rumble winner gets a shot at WrestleMania, but with a Royal Rumble earlier in the year, then a Battle Royal at WrestleMania, another Battle Royal at Evolution and the next Royal Rumble in three months - are WWE risking oversaturation when it comes to these matches?
I guess only time will tell.
GOOD #1 - It'll set up a new number one contender
Leading on from the last point, a new challenger is rarely ever a bad thing. Ronda Rousey faces off against Nikki Bella at Evolution, and Becky Lynch and Charlotte's rivalry continues, too.
You'd expect both matches to be the culmination of a feud, with the latter being a Last Woman Standing Match, and this Battle Royal could effectively set up programming for the following weeks on either Raw or SmackDown. At least, if done correctly. We could end up with a great storyline coming out of the match and that isn't something to underes
A new number one contender is always a pretty exciting prospect, and WWE could easily throw in a curveball here and give us the unexpected.
With the winner of the match guaranteed a shot at either the Raw or SmackDown Women's Championship, at least the match won't be for nothing...
BAD #1 - The winners are often easily forgotten
Speaking of meaningless Battle Royals... Thankfully, it doesn't look like we'll get a repeat of WrestleMania here as there is a prize on offer that isn't a huge trophy we'll only see a couple of times - but that doesn't mean this one is destined to be memorable.
Asuka's Royal Rumble win, for instance, is rarely mentioned after the subsequent challenge at WrestleMania and, well, no Women's Battle Royals in the past has really gone down in history as a landmark event in terms of the winner - and that's mainly due to WWE not capitalising on the match and winner, and putting a huge story together following the match.
Could this time be different? Only time will tell.
Do you think the Battle Royal is a good idea or bad? Let us know in the comments.