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The Road to WrestleMania 39 kicked off at WWE Royal Rumble 2023. The two Rumble bouts allowed Cody Rhodes and Rhea Ripley to become the next big challengers to the men’s and women’s championships of their choosing.
Meanwhile, Roman Reigns defeated Kevin Owens to retain his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. His victory was overshadowed by Sami Zayn’s actions and the break-up of The Bloodline.
Royal Rumble has always been a great place to build rivalries for The Show of Shows, and this year’s event was no different. The show set up towards a few big matches for WrestleMania 39.
Take a look at the seven WrestleMania 39 matches that were set up at WWE Royal Rumble 2023.
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#7. Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik
Rey Mysterio was set to enter the WWE Royal Rumble match at #17. His entrance music was played, but the legend never came out to join the men’s Rumble match.
Dominik entered the match at #18, wearing Rey’s mask. It gave the impression that Dom attacked his father backstage before he could enter the match.
It was later reported that Rey sustained an injury during his match against Karrion Kross, and therefore he was pulled from the Royal Rumble match. However, that could play perfectly into the storyline involving his son.
The father and son could finally meet in a big match at WrestleMania 39, possibly with Rey’s career on the line. It would be the perfect way to join the pieces and give fans a much-anticipated match between the two superstars.
#6. Bayley vs. Becky Lynch
Bayley entered the women’s WWE Royal Rumble match at #6. She was closely followed by Dakota Kai and IYO SKY at #9 and #10. The members of Damage CTRL wreaked havoc during the match and eliminated many superstars.
Their biggest target, however, was Becky Lynch, who entered at #15. The trio worked against Becky for some time, and The Man eliminated SKY and Kai from the contest before being thrown out by Bayley.
Bayley and Lynch’s Steel Cage match on the episode of WWE RAW before Royal Rumble never got going, and it looks like the company will save it for WrestleMania 39.
The Man could form a partnership with two other superstars to take on Damage CTRL at Elimination Chamber before facing off against Bayley in a singles match at WrestleMania 39.
#5. Edge vs. Finn Balor
Edge and Finn Balor have had a long-running rivalry in WWE. Balor turned Edge’s faction Judgment Day against him in June 2022, before taking control of Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley.
The Rated-R Superstar lost in an “I Quit” Match against Balor at Extreme Rules 2022. He made his return at the 2023 Royal Rumble and stunned Balor, Dominik Mysterio, and Priest.
The former WWE Champion eventually eliminated Priest and Balor from the contest before being pulled out of the ring by The Prince.
It looks like WWE is going to book another massive contest between Edge and Balor down the line. Fans can see Edge teaming up with some superstars to take on Judgment Day in the coming weeks before he faces The Princes in a singles match at WrestleMania 39.
#4. Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley
The dream rivalry between Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley was reignited on an episode of WWE RAW before Royal Rumble. Lesnar cost Lashley his United States Championship shot against Austin Theory before attacking him again on the episode of SmackDown that followed.
The All Mighty got his revenge at the Royal Rumble, where he quickly eliminated The Beast Incarnate. Lesnar lost his cool after being eliminated and attacked Baron Corbin before strangling a referee and destroying some equipment.
WWE could suspend Lesnar for some time and keep him out of the ring once again. He could return following Elimination Chamber and challenge The All Mighty to another match at WrestleMania 39.
The two monsters are tied 1-1 in the singles competition, and a final tiebreaker between them would make WrestleMania 39 a must-watch. It would be great to see who comes out on top in the final match between the two legendary superstars.
#3. Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul
There were many surprises during this year’s WWE Royal Rumble. One of the biggest surprises was the return of Logan Paul to the ring. The YouTube Sensation came out at #29 and lasted for over ten minutes.
Paul faced off against many top superstars in the match. The most notable face-off he had during the night was against Seth “Freakin” Rollins. The Maverick and Rollins traded some strikes before Paul surprised everyone and eliminated The Visionary from the Royal Rumble match. Logan mocked Rollins for some time after eliminating him.
His actions could lead to a big match against Rollins at WrestleMania 39. Both men currently don’t have any set rivalries for The Show of Shows, and WWE could be looking to book them into a big rivalry.
They are fantastic on the mic and in the ring, and a blockbuster match between them could set WrestleMania 39 alight.
#2. Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39
Cody Rhodes took a relatively easy route to win the Royal Rumble match as he entered the contest at #30. However, the journey was a painful one as he had to wait years to reach this level and become a top star in the company.
Roman Reigns currently holds both the WWE and Universal Championships, and it looks like Rhodes won’t have to choose who to face at WrestleMania 39. However, WWE could give him the option to decide which title he wants to compete for.
Speaking at the Royal Rumble Post-Show Press Conference, The American Nightmare said that winning a world championship has been his mission since returning to the company. He said that The Tribal Chief knows that Rhodes is coming for his title.
"I've been very careful about even saying Roman's name, because it's one of those things that I knew, and I'm sure he knew, I came back and the first night I was back on RAW after WrestleMania I was pointing to my waist. I talked about it in the interview, the real story of wanting to win the WWE Championship, the one title that has eluded the family, and I'm sure he heard that and I've watched everything that Roman's done, I have nothing but respect," said Rhodes. [From 25:55 to 26:24]
This could mean that the match between Rhodes and Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship is set in stone. The two top stars could collide in the main event of WrestleMania 39 and give fans one of the greatest matches of all time.
#1. Royal Rumble winner Rhea Ripley vs. Bianca Belair for the RAW Women’s Championship
Rhea Ripley had a phenomenal night at Royal Rumble. She entered the women’s elimination match at #1 and survived 29 other superstars to win the contest.
Ripley’s performance immediately catapulted her to the top of the women’s roster again, and she’ll pose a massive threat to the RAW and SmackDown Women’s Champion in the coming weeks.
While speaking at the Royal Rumble Post-Show Press Conference, Rhea Ripley stated that she’s not sure who she wants to challenge at WrestleMania 39. However, she could choose to stick to the RAW brand and challenge Bianca Belair for her women’s title.
"I'm gonna have a lot of thinking to do before WrestleMania. I'm very torn by this decision. I've stepped in the ring with Bianca many times, and I absolutely love every second in the ring with her. I think that we bring out a side of each other that not many people will see, and we really take each other to the absolute limit," said Ripley. [From 8:19 to 8:43]
The match between the two superstars could be main event night one of WrestleMania 39. Winning at RAW Women’s Championship would allow Ripley to put her faction Judgment Day over on the Red brand.
