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What's the story?
Daniel Bryan will return to the ring this Sunday for WrestleMania 34, but the SmackDown General Manager will be wrestling in an even bigger match later this month.
WWE announced that Bryan along with Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman, Big Show and Kane have formally entered the Greatest Royal Rumble match in Saudi Arabia on Friday, April 27.
In case you didn't know...
The Royal Rumble pay-per-view will feature a historic 50-man Royal Rumble match, seven championship matches and John Cena taking on Triple H in singles action for the first time in eight years.
The heart of the matter
Bryan's entrance in this match will mark his fourth appearance in a Rumble match and could potentially be the sight of his first Rumble victory.
The "Yes!" man made his Rumble debut in 2011 at the number two spot and faced former WWE superstar CM Punk to start the match. His last Royal Rumble match took place in 2015, where his elimination lead to massive controversy and outrage from fans in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In an interview with Al Arabiya English, Bryan said that the Greatest Royal Rumble could be on par with or even greater than WrestleMania 34.
"Wrestlemania is a big event, the biggest event of the year for us," Bryan said. "But I think, historically, the show on the 27th might end up being more important, if you look at where WWE’s trajectory goes and our influence on the region."
This match will also mark the return of the Big Show - who has not been seen on WWE programming since his steel cage match against Strowman on September 4th last year.
Wyatt has not been seen on Monday Night Raw since losing to "Woken" Matt Hardy in Ultimate Deletion, so this event could lead to Wyatt's return to TV if he doesn't participate in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
What's next?
With only five supertars announced for the match, WWE will have to reveal close to 45 participants who plan to compete.
Other names rumoured for the event were The Undertaker and Chris Jericho, but that has yet to be officially confirmed.
Author's take
Though the anticipation for WrestleMania 34 will have most people's focus this week, the Greatest Royal Rumble is quickly attracting plenty of interest and has the makings of a great show.
