It isn't Royal Rumble season until the official details for my annual Royal Rumble Game are released, and thus here we are! It's actually quite crazy to think that it was five years ago this month that I started doing the Royal Rumble Game, and the turnout every year has only grown exponentially since then. Here's to another five years and many more!​ Plus, I'll be in attendance for this year's Royal Rumble event for the first time ever, making me extremely excited for this upcoming installment!

By this point, everyone should be fairly familiar with the rules of the Royal Rumble (considering it's usually the same people who throw their name in the hat every year), but for those who are unfamiliar with the concept, here have been the rules in the past: You pick a number 1-30. Each entry is limited to one person (you can still play unofficially if you'd like), and it's first come, first serve. The designated sign-up date and time is below. Whoever enters at your number in the Royal Rumble Game will be your "favorite" wrestler for the next year. I said that lightheartedly because you don't have to stick to that if you don't want to, but it's more fun if you do.

All of that will remain the same this year... except that with a women's Royal Rumble happening in addition to the men's, there will be 60 available spots in total in the 2018 Royal Rumble Game! You are still limited to only one spot, but when you choose a number 1-30, please specify whether it's for the men's or women's Rumble. No two people can choose the same spot in either Rumble. Therefore, there will be two winners for the first time ever!

First and foremost, I'd like to sincerely apologize in delaying this post for so long. Usually, I post the rules for the annual Royal Rumble Game much earlier in January, and it's been a busy albeit exciting 2017 thus far, but better late than never, right? And after all, this will our fifth consecutive Royal Rumble Game​, and potentially our best yet!

It seems as if we have the same people participate in the Royal Rumble Game each year (and that's a great thing!), so the rules have been fairly well-documented by now. But for those who are unfamiliar with the concept, here's a quick rundown of the rules: You pick a number 1-30. Each entry is limited to one person (you can still play unofficially if you'd like), and it's first come first serve. The designated sign-up date and time is below. Whoever enters at your number in the Royal Rumble Game will be your "favorite" wrestler for the next year. I said that lightheartedly because you don't have to stick to that if you don't want to, but it's more fun if you do.

​It doesn't end there, though. For the second straight year, we will have a prize hanging in the balance! Not only will you have the honor of winning the Rumble Game if your entry comes out on top in the annual Battle Royal on January 29th, you will also win a free WrestleRant Radio t-shirt! They were recently released in our all-new WhatAManeuver.net store and are currently available for purchase, but this is your chance to win one for free! If you win, I will contact you in the subsequent days with information as to how it will be sent over to you.

Also, if you win the 2017 Royal Rumble Game, you automatically earn entry into next year's game and get to choose your number before anyone else! Due to winning the 2016 Royal Rumble Game, RJ Marceau has already entered this year's installment, choosing the No. 27. As always, I'll have the No. 17 (it's my favorite number, so that's the only reasoning behind it). In the past, I've gotten The Godfather, Sheamus, Kofi Kingston and Braun Strowman, so we'll see what this year has in store.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

An annual tradition since 2013, the Year in Review Awards, covering the very best (and worst) of WWE and NXT throughout the year, are set to be brought back for a fourth time this year. The polls will officially open this Friday, December 2nd.

I always enjoy holding these awards each year because it gives you a say in what you think the highlights and low points of the year are. And for the first time ever, you will get to see the results of each poll yourself immediately after voting. You are only allowed to vote once.

In years past, I would open the polls and reveal the results on the final edition of WrestleRant Radio of the year, but we'll be switching it up this year (simply because of the newer and better software we'll be using for the polls) in that you can now see who's winning the polls and you don't have to wait to find out who won.

Nevertheless, I (and likely someone else) will be discussing the results on the December 30th WrestleRant Radio. The polls will be closed that day as well, so you'll have four full weeks to cast your votes. That said, don't miss your opportunity to take part! Every vote counts!!

Categories for this year are no different than they usually are: Wrestler of the Year, Match of the Year, Feud of the Year, etc. They will be a few new ones as well, with there being ten total categories. The link to the polls will be available on the main page all December long.

Also, thanks for six years of Next Era Wrestling! We hit the milestone on November 17th, and it never ceases to amaze me how long I've been doing this for. The amount of people we attract to the site each month continues to grow by leaps and bounds, so thank you for your tremendous support!

​I look forward to seeing what you guys vote for, especially considering how crazy of a year 2016 has been. Happy holidays!

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

I always enjoy doing something notable during WrestleMania season each year. I've done a WrestleMania countdown on my official Facebook page for the past two years, but this year, I'm bringing to the fun to Next Era Wrestling.

Starting March 1st, I will be debuting a daily series on the Columnist Corner entitled "WrestleMania Recall." Every installment will count down my top 31 favorite WrestleMaina matches each day of the month, culminating with my favorite 'Mania match of all-time on March 31st, mere days before WrestleMania 32. Also note that these aren't just including the WrestleManias I have been a fan for; anything from WrestleMania 1 to WrestleMania 31 is game.

Furthermore, I would like to take this opportunity to everyone who has contributed work to Next Era Wrestling in recent months, most notably RJ Marceau, Jared Jackson-Ferrans, and Thomas Brunt. All of their articles have been excellent reads and it's a treat for me to post them here on the site. To say their contributions are greatly appreciated would be a massive understatement.

That being said, if you are interested in writing about wrestling (or whatever!) for Next Era Wrestling, feel free to send in an application through the Contact Form. Simply attach your contact information and a sample of your work and I'll shoot you response if it is up to par. No paid positions are available at this time, but Next Era Wrestling has grown tremendously over the past five years. We actually broke the record for highest amount of traffic in one day on two occasions just last month, so it's the perfect platform for you to showcase your skills!

Again, thanks for your support of the site, and with new content going up almost every single day, continue to check back to Next Era Wrestling daily for awesome articles and more, especially as the world of wrestling heats up with WrestleMania 32 right around the corner!

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

You didn't think we would have a Royal Rumble without the return of the Royal Rumble Game, did you? Yes, it's back! And for the fourth straight year in a row! Sorry I've been behind on making the official announcement as 2016 has been all sorts of busy (and exciting), but better late than never and we still have some time before the big pay-per-view in less than two weeks!

Longtime followers, friends and fans of mine might be familiar with the Royal Rumble Game, but if you aren't, here's a quick rundown of the rules: You pick a number 1-30. Each entry is limited to one person (you can still play unofficially if you'd like), and it's first come first serve. The designated sign-up date and time is below. Whoever enters at your number in the Royal Rumble Game will be your "favorite" wrestler for the next year. I said that lightheartedly because you don't have to stick to that if you don't want to, but it's more fun if you do.