One of the tent-pole occasions of the WWE calendar is right here. Typically thought of among the many “majors” is the Royal Rumble. The annual occasion attracts many followers in as there’s all the time potential for surprising outcomes and entrants into the match. It all goes down on Saturday night time contained in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
The fashionable model of the Royal Rumble options two matches: a males’s and girls’s match, every that includes 30 members. Two superstars start the match with entrants arriving one after the other in timed intervals. Superstars are eradicated as soon as thrown excessive rope and each ft contact the ground. The winner is said solely as soon as their 29 opponents have all been eradicated. Generally, the winners of the Rumbles are assured a world championship match towards the champion of their selecting on the upcoming WrestleMania. The matches typically characteristic shock entrants: returning superstars, debutants, one-off appearances from retired wrestlers and superstar visitor spots.
Expectations are comparatively excessive for this yr’s occasion following an abysmal males’s Royal Rumble final yr that ranked among the many worst within the firm’s historical past. WWE has undergone a change in inventive management since final yr’s match, however the future is unpredictable following information of Vince McMahon’s return from a quick retirement.
Take a glance beneath on the confirmed matches for the 2023 Royal Rumble. Check again for updates and predictions.
2023 WWE Royal Rumble matches
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship — Roman Reigns (c) vs. Kevin Owens: Owens’ interjection into Survivor Series WarGames set him on a path with Reigns. Owens was moments away from defeating The Bloodline at Survivor Series, however Sami Zayn betrayed his friendship with Owens in favor of absolutely aligning with the faction. Owens additional positioned himself as Reigns’ largest menace on the ultimate SmackDown of 2022. Owens enlisted John Cena in a successful effort towards Reigns and Zayn in a tag group match. Owens goaded an emotional Reigns right into a title match the next week.
Raw Women’s Championship — Bianca Belair (c) vs. Alexa Bliss: Bliss gained two matches in a single night time to earn her title shot. She then instantly turned on Belair, a girl she stood side-by-side with towards Bayley and Damage CTRL, first threatening to hit the champion with Sister Abigail — seemingly beginning a flip to the darkish aspect within the wake of Bray Wyatt’s return — after which hitting Belair with a vase throughout a sit-down interview. After getting herself disqualified in a match with Belair on Raw, Bliss mentioned that she had already gained by getting in Belair’s head. Fed up with Bliss, Belair laid out a problem for the 2 to battle on the Rumble.
Men’s Royal Rumble: 30 male superstars will compete for the correct to problem for the world championships presently held by Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39. Among these named to take part this yr are Brock Lesnar, Kofi Kingston, intercontinental champion Gunter, United States champion Austin Theory, and lots of extra. But the largest identify set to make his return within the match is Cody Rhodes, who was on a title difficult trajectory earlier than he suffered a torn pectoral muscle final yr.
Women’s Royal Rumble: 30 ladies will compete to problem for the Raw ladies’s championship or the SmackDown ladies’s champion at WrestleMania 39. Reigning titleholders — presently Raw ladies’s champion Bianca Belair and SmackDown ladies’s champion Charlotte Flair — are often omitted from the match. Occasionally, a championship might be on the road or a champion could embody themselves within the match like Flair did final yr. Liv Morgan was the primary celebrity to announce her participation within the match.
Bray Wyatt vs. LA Knight (Pitch Black match): Wyatt and Knight have traded barbs on the microphone ever since Wyatt’s return to WWE programming at Extreme Rules in October. The braggadocious Knight was repeatedly assaulted backstage in current weeks, suspecting Wyatt because the wrongdoer. Wyatt’s steadfast denial led to the revelation that Uncle Howdy will not be Wyatt’s alter-ego, however a separate entity totally. Knight challenged Wyatt to a match on the Royal Rumble. Wyatt accepted and selected an uncommon Pitch Black match because the stipulation.
