4 Mistakes WWE has already made with Royal Rumble 2025

WWE Royal Rumble 2025 will emanate from Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis, Indiana, in less than two weeks. The iconic PLE will, as always, kick off the Road to WrestleMania, with the two Rumble matches setting up two world title encounters at The Show of Shows. Additionally, the February 1 show will get the ball rolling toward the Elimination Chamber PLE and tease more 'Mania matches via various elimination angles.

The hype for the fan-favorite annual extravaganza is understandably considerable, with names like John Cena, Roman Reigns, and CM Punk confirmed to compete. However, one can't help but feel that the Triple H-led creative team could have done better in its buildup in several aspects and potentially generated more buzz for the over 55,000 fans who will be in attendance and the millions at home.

Here are four ways WWE has mishandled the buildup to Royal Rumble 2025:

---

#4. Confirmed participants have had very little interaction

Roman Reigns, Rey Mysterio, CM Punk, and John Cena have all declared for the Men's Royal Rumble. [Images via WWE.com]

Whatever shortcomings WWE has had in building up the 2025 Royal Rumble PLE, lack of star power is not one of them. From John Cena, Roman Reigns, and CM Punk to LA Knight, Jey Uso, and Seth Rollins, the Men's Rumble Match is stacked. The women's match has had less focus (more on that later) but still has Nia Jax, on top of Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens battling for the Undisputed WWE Title in a Ladder Match.

However, for all the big names declared, there has been little interaction to generate "heat." Most names announcing their entry into the Rumble matches did so in promo segments or backstage, going uninterrupted and unchallenged. By contrast, the build to the 2024 PLE saw top-tier exchanges between stars such as Punk and Rollins, Punk and Rhodes, Gunther and Rollins, and so on.

With last year's buildup in mind, one can't help but feel underwhelmed by this year's effort.

---

#3. WWE's placing of Saturday Night's Main Event has drawn focus away from the 2025 Royal Rumble PLE

The year 2025 has begun at full speed for WWE, with RAW debuting on Netflix, SmackDown moving to three hours, and four new women's champions crowned. These huge moves have launched the year in high gear, setting a high bar for the Royal Rumble PLE. However, they have also consumed some of the big storylines that would potentially have made the Indianapolis show even more must-see.

All this makes the placement of Saturday Night's Main Event on January 25, just a week before the Rumble, even more curious. The second episode of the recently revived special show will see Jey Uso face Gunther for the World Heavyweight Title among three confirmed matches.

This seems counterproductive because Uso's confirmed Rumble participation makes the SNME match predictable and implies that The Ring General won't compete in Indianapolis. Having such a big show so close to the iconic PLE has arguably taken some of the shine and focus away from the Royal Rumble, dampening fan enthusiasm.

---

#2. The women's division has had minimal buildup ahead of WWE Royal Rumble 2025

Heading into the WWE Royal Rumble 2025, the field for the men's match has been stacked to epic proportions with many big names. Outside that, the Undisputed WWE Title match between Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens has received heavy focus, with Shawn Michaels even being roped in to moderate their contract signing at SNME. On the other hand, the women's division has been eerily quiet.

Thus far, only Nia Jax has declared for the 30-woman melee, with no singles feuds looking likely to make the card. This has caused concern among fans, who fear that the division will be neglected on the Road to WrestleMania 41. While it could be intentional to save big returns for the Rumble, it's still worrying that the active talent hasn't been used to generate buzz beforehand.

With stars like Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, and IYO SKY appearing weekly, this dissatisfaction is completely understandable

---

#1. The 2025 WWE Royal Rumble PLE has a thin card

Two weeks out from WWE Royal Rumble 2025, only three matches have been confirmed for the PLE. Other than the two Rumble matches, only Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens for the Undisputed WWE Title has been added to the card. While the three aforementioned matches will undoubtedly be much-anticipated, one can't help but feel that one or two more bouts should be added before February 1.

The Triple H Era has come under fire from certain fans for its strict adherence to five-match cards, so a three-match offering is not likely to go down well. Given that the 2024 edition featured four bouts, one can expect at least one more addition to the lineup in Indianapolis. Even then, many fans will likely feel shortchanged and demand more.

We have seen massive matches on RAW's Netflix debut, Saturday Night's Main Event, and other weekly shows in 2025 thus far, so fans can't help but feel that one or two of them could have been saved to beef up the Royal Rumble card.