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WWE Royal Rumble lit up Saturday night as fans tuned in to see who would become the next big challengers for WrestleMania 39. Meanwhile, Kevin Owens also got his hands on Roman Reigns at the show.
There were a couple of matches at the Royal Rumble that did not shine. LA Knight and Bray Wyatt had a quick contest that saw Uncle Howdy take down Knight after his loss. Alexa Bliss also failed to defeat Bianca Belair for the RAW Women’s Championship at the show.
The creative team did well to build the two Royal Rumble matches that saw big stars pick up the win. It will be interesting to see who they challenge in the coming weeks.
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Here's a look at the four things WWE Royal Rumble got right this year.
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#4. Cody Rhodes lived The American Dream at the WWE Royal Rumble after GUNTHER’s star-making performance
GUNTHER was the first superstar to come out to the ring at the WWE Royal Rumble 2023. He kicked off the match with Sheamus before they were joined by The Miz, Kofi Kingston, and Johnny Gargano.
Sheamus and Gargano eliminated The Miz before Xavier Woods joined them in the squared circle. The ring began to crowd up, and Drew McIntyre eliminated Karrion Kross pretty quickly.
Brock Lesnar joined the match at #12 and cleared the ring before Bobby Lashley came out next. He eliminated The Beast Incarnate, making Lesnar lose his cool and attack Baron Corbin on his way out.
More and more superstars joined the match, and fans saw Seth Rollins put on a great show after entering the Rumble. Members of The Judgment Day joined each other in the ring and worked together for some time before Edge returned at #24.
He eliminated Dominik, Damian Priest, and Finn Balor from the match and emerged as one of the favorites to win. In the end, only Rollins, GUNTHER, Logan Paul, and Cody Rhodes were left in the ring.
Logan eliminated Rollins before Cody took him out of the equation. In the end, Rhodes hit Cross Rhodes to GUNTHER before eliminating him to win the Royal Rumble.
The American Nightmare was the favorite to win the 30-man elimination match, and WWE did not pull off any swerves. There weren’t too many surprises or massive returns during the contest.
The Ring General put on one of the best Royal Rumble performances to prove how capable he is of carrying the company forward.
#3. Rhea Ripley proved herself at the WWE Royal Rumble 2023
Rhea Ripley took a Spear from Beth Phoenix during the men’s Royal Rumble match. However, she still entered the women’s match at #1. She was followed by Liv Morgan at #2.
Dana Brooke, Emma, and Shayna Baszler entered the Royal Rumble match, followed by Bayley and B-Fab. All the women in the ring tried to survive while attempting to eliminate each other from the equation.
The members of Damage CTRL joined each other and worked together to eliminate a few superstars. NXT stars such as Roxanne Perez and Zoey Stark also joined the contest and tried their luck but couldn’t survive for long.
Asuka returned and unveiled a new heelish persona that made her popular during her time before WWE. However, she, too couldn’t make it too far in the match.
Chelsea Green returned to WWE at the Royal Rumble and was immediately eliminated by the stars in the ring. Nia Jax also made a comeback and entered the match at #30 before facing off against Raquel Rodriguez.
Ripley hit Jax with a Riptide before others worked with her to eliminate the former RAW Women’s Champion. Rodriguez took out Piper Niven before The Nightmare got the better of Raquel.
Ripley and Morgan were the final two remaining in the contest, and they went hard at each other. In the end, The Nightmare threw Liv over the top rope to punch her ticket to WrestleMania 39.
The match was great and made The Eradicator look like a true star. While Cody Rhodes entered the match at #30 to win, Ripley survived 29 other women to make it through. Her victory will not only push her forward on RAW but also give a big boost to The Judgment Day.
#2. Roman Reigns retained his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Kevin Owens
Roman Reigns was upset with Sami Zayn for disobeying his orders on SmackDown before the WWE Royal Rumble. Jey Uso stepped up to tell The Tribal Chief that he had asked Zayn to come out and support Solo Sikoa at the show.
Reigns later took on Kevin Owens for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. KO got the upper hand early and continued to punish The Tribal Chief for some time.
Reigns fought back and hit some of his signature moves to make a comeback in the match. Owens dodged a Superman Punch after eating a powerbomb from the champion. The two men continued to trade some stiff strikes as the match ticked on.
Owens hit a powerbomb and could have gotten the win had the referee not been down. KO took a low blow before Roman asked Sami to pass him a steel chair. Zayn stalled for a bit but got Reigns the chair, however, Owens recovered to hit the Stunner for a near fall.
Reigns got a Spear on Owens, but the challenger rolled out of the ring. The Tribal Chief hit another through the barricades before smashing his head into the steel steps. Back in the ring, The Head of the Table hit another Spear for the win.
The result wasn’t unexpected, but the creative team did well to build the match. The referee was down at a crucial moment, and that protected Reigns from defeat. Meanwhile, Owens put on a strong performance at the Royal Rumble.
#1. Sami Zayn reached his breaking point as The Bloodline imploded
Roman Reigns was not done with Sami Zayn after the match. He asked The Usos to beat down The Prizefighter and hit him with the 1D before getting a chair and wrapping it around Owens’ neck. Sami Zayn watched on as Solo Sikoa hit a hip attack on him in the corner before The Usos handcuffed him to the ropes.
The Tribal Chief prepared to hit Owens with a steel chair again, but Sami stopped him. Reigns handed the chair to Zayn and asked him to hit KO instead. The champion slapped Zayn multiple times and pushed him to his limits.
The Honorary Uce hit Roman with a chair instead before Jimmy Uso took him down with a Superkick. The Bloodline beat down Zayn while Jey Uso left the ring. It was a very emotional moment for him and the rest of the WWE Universe.
WWE Royal Rumble had its highs and lows, and this was by far the biggest segment of the show. The Honorary Uce attacked Reigns first, making him the one to betray The Bloodline.
Jey added another layer to the storyline by walking away from the beatdown. It will be interesting to see how Reigns handles Uso, who initially joined him to form The Bloodline, and whether he will join Zayn and Owens in the fight against The Tribal Chief.
