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Royal Rumble season is back, which usually brings with it many surprises, and it appears that a current TNA Champion will be in this year's Rumble match. The following information contains spoilers for tonight's WWE Royal Rumble PLE, and those wishing to avoid spoilers should not read further.
PWInsider Elite reports that TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace will compete in this year's Women's Royal Rumble. This is the second time a Knockouts Champion has competed in the Royal Rumble, as five-time Knockouts Champion Mickie James entered the Women's Royal Rumble 2022 as the then-Impact Knockouts Champion and even wore the belt at ringside. This will be Grace's WWE debut.
Grace won the TNA Knockouts Championship a few days ago at TNA Hard To Kill, her third reign with the title, dethroning former “WWE SmackDown” Women's Champion Trinity. While this will be Grace's in-ring debut for WWE, she has worked for the company or at least WWE's video games in the past, as she revealed that she was one of the wrestlers doing motion capture work for WWE 2K23 has made, particularly the moves of WWE superstar Ivy Nile, whose strength and physique have often drawn comparisons to Grace. Grace is unlikely to be a long-term candidate for WWE, however, as she only signed a two-year contract with TNA last August that will apparently keep her in the company until 2025. Grace has been with TNA since 2018, but also maintains an active program in the American independent scene.