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What's the story?
So far, the only match announced for the Royal Rumble (apart from the two Rumble matches itself) was the Universal Championship match between Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman.
However, on WWE Main Event, it was announced that Asuka vs Becky Lynch for the SmackDown Women's Championship is now official for the Royal Rumble PPV!
In case you didn't know...
It's been an incredible year from Becky Lynch as she rose to the top of Women's division on SmackDown Live after undergoing a major character change. She became the most popular superstar on the roster and at TLC, found herself in a triple threat feud against Asuka and Charlotte Flair.
Thanks to interference from RAW Women's Champion Ronda Rousey, Becky Lynch and Charlotte were both taken out, costing them a potential win. The beneficiary of this was none other than The Empress Of Tomorrow Asuka, who ended up winning the title instead.
The heart of the matter
On WWE Main Event, it was announced that Becky Lynch and Asuka would face off for the SmackDown Women's Championship (Courtesy Wrestlingnews.co)
From the look of things, Asuka will not be participating in the Royal Rumble match itself. She won the first-ever match last year, but she has a title to defend. It's still possible that Becky Lynch enters the Rumble if she loses the match as she's rumoured to be set for a high profile WrestleMania 35 match.
This will be the first televised match between Asuka and Becky Lynch. They've faced off before in WWE's Japan Live Events, but never on-screen. This is going to be a blockbuster match!
What's next?
Both women will be gearing up for the Rumble as the road to WrestleMania begins then. It's going to be interesting to see what direction WWE takes for the women's division heading into the show of shows.
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