WWE Royal Rumble coming to Philadelphia in 2018

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Road to WWE WrestleMania 34 will begin in Philadelphia next January.

On Thursday, WWE announced it is bringing its annual Royal Rumble event to the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia on January 28, 2018.

The Royal Rumble is where WWE starts the countdown towards its biggest show of the year - WrestleMania.

WrestleMania 34 will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Royal Rumble will be part of four consecutive nights of WWE action in South Philadelphia.

On Saturday, January 27, the night before the Royal Rumble, WWE's developmental league, which has become a popular brand of its own, NXT will be on display during an NXT Takeover event.

The two nights following the Rumble, the Wells Fargo Center will be the home of WWE's weekly shows Monday Night Raw and Smackdown Live!

"We are excited to have Philadelphia serve as host to one of WWE's biggest events of 2018," John Saboor, WWE Executive Vice President, Special Events, said in a statement. "We look forward to an unprecedented four consecutive nights of WWE action at Wells Fargo Center as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Royal Rumble."

WWE last held the Royal Rumble in Philadelphia in 2015.

2018 will mark the 30th anniversary of the event.

"We are very happy to continue Philadelphia's amazing relationship with WWE by bringing Royal Rumble back to our city," Larry Needle, Executive Director of PHL Sports, a division of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, said in a statement. "We look forward to working closely with WWE to build a great fan experience for all those attending from around the world."

This year's Royal Rumble is this Sunday in San Antonio, Texas on the WWE Network.