This year's Royal Rumble was definitely a lot different than past years. As a result, WWE had a contingency plan in order.
Having alternates for the Royal Rumble isn't new, but WWE had more than usual for 2021. As Fightful Select reported, some made it in, some didn't.
The Women's Royal Rumble match had plenty of surprises, as they announced only 16 entrants ahead of time. WWE went beyond and had additional names on hand in the event that some of the entrants couldn't make it. One of those names that couldn't make it was Mia Yim, now known as Reckoning. Fightful learned that Toni Storm actually wasn't originally planned for the Rumble match, and ended up serving as an alternate when Yim couldn't make it. Kacy Catanzaro, who was also at the venue, was another alternate WWE had ready in case someone else went down.
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