The last day in January saw the WWE hold their annual Royal Rumble event at the Thunderdome in Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. Obviously, there were no fans in attendance but instead on video screens that surrounded the ring inside the Thunderdome. While wrestling without fans sucks, the virtual fans at least gives the grapplers someone to address with their promos. I do have to admit that WWE has found some very creative ways to entertain during this pandemic.
The main event at the Royal Rumble has always been the 30 man (and now woman) over-the-top-rope match. There are always surprises, such as legends returning or NXT superstars joining in on the fun. This year was no different than others with a number of surprises, however, one of the biggest for me was the absence of Reckoning. Born Stephanie Hym Bell, Reckoning is a veteran whom has appeared in many promotions. She wrestled as Jade for Impact Wrestling and was a TNA Knockouts Champion. Most people know her as Mia Yim for her appearances in Ring of Honor, Jersey All Pro Wrestling, Combat Zone Wrestling, Shine Wrestling, and Shimmer Women Athletes, to name a few.
She participated in the Mae Young Classic in 2017 and 2018. In NXT, Mia Yim faced competitors such as Aliyah, Bianca Belair, Reina Gonzalez and Shayna Baszler. Rhea Ripley chose Yim to be a member of her team for a WarGames match. Dakota Kai ended up attacking Yim before the match leaving her unable to compete. Kai ended up being Yim's replacement for the match and sabotaged her own team by attacking Tegan Nox. This led to an entertaining feud between Yim and Nox.
She was called up to the WWE as Reckoning, who is a member of the Retribution stable. Headed by Mustafa Ali, Retribution was eventually revealed to also include T-Bar, Mace and Slapjack. She did appear as one of Adam Rose's Rose Buds in the WWE, during his stint in the big show. I was definitely looking forward to seeing her compete in the rumble match. Bianca Belair ended up winning the Women's Royal Rumble match, whom Yim has faced numerous times in NXT. Multiple sources have reported that Yim didn't appear due to testing positive for COVID-19. As a matter of fact, an absence that occurred during the Men's Royal Rumble that was equally surprising was Keith Lee, who had to quarantine due to Yim's positive test, due to them being in a relationship. I wish both Yim and Lee the best and am looking forward to both of them returning to the ring. I can't help but think that Reckoning would have put on a great show and maybe have had her hand raised if she was able to compete last night!