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WWE Royal Rumble makes first return to Alamodome in 20 years

The Alamodome in San Antonio will play host to WWE's Royal Rumble pay-per-view in January for the first time since 1997. Getty Images

The Royal Rumble will return to San Antonio's Alamodome for the first time in 20 years when the annual pay-per-view takes place at the stadium on Jan. 29, 2017, WWE announced on Friday.

During the Royal Rumble's last appearance at the Alamodome in 1997, Shawn Michaels won the WWE championship and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin won his first Royal Rumble match in front of 60,477, which still stands as the Royal Rumble attendance record.

The WWE will attempt to top that figure in 2017 with a card that will feature superstars from Raw and SmackDown Live. The winner of the 30-man over-the-top-rope Royal Rumble match will receive a title opportunity at WrestleMania 33 in Orlando on April 2, 2017.

The Royal Rumble is one of the WWE's "Big Four" pay-per-view events, along with WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Survivor Series. All four events have been held annually since 1988. The last Royal Rumble held in San Antonio took place in 2007, when The Undertaker won the match by eliminating Shawn Michaels at the AT&T Center.