We are bolting through the Road of WrestleMania and the biggest landmark on this journey is the Royal Rumble. 30 men, 30 women, and only two of those 60 competitors will guarantee themselves a world title opportunity at WrestleMania 40 in Lincoln Financial Field.
A lot has changed over the course of this week in the WWE. A lot of breaking news and major updates could potentially change the direction of WrestleMania Weekend.
Four matches are announced as of this writing, so we’ll dive into these matches and tell you what to expect for this weekend.
United States Champion Logan Paul vs. Kevin Owens
Yes, you read that right. Logan Paul is a WWE superstar, and more than that, he is the reigning United States Champion.
Logan Paul won the championship from Rey Mysterio in Saudi Arabia last fall at Crown Jewel. This will be Logan Paul’s first title defense and first match since.
Kevin Owens recently won a tournament to crown a #1 contender and broke his hand in the process. After wearing the protective cast during his matches, he promised on SmackDown not to wear it for the Royal Rumble. So how does Logan Paul respond? Paul attacks the area and potentially “re-breaks” the hand of Kevin Owens going into their match.
If Kevin Owens loses this Saturday, this will be his forth consecutive loss in a championship match at the Royal Rumble event. The last time he won at the Royal Rumble was in 2017 retaining his Universal Championship against Roman Reigns. My, how times have changed.
I believe the end-game is to see Logan Paul walk into WrestleMania as United States Champion, potentially for a showdown with the beloved LA Knight (yeah!). So with that said, I believe Kevin’s string of bad luck continues.
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles vs. LA Knight vs. Randy Orton
Roman Reigns has been champion over 1200 days, and if he holds it until then, will mark four years this August. He passed Bruno Sammartino this week for the 4th-longest reign in company history behind Hulk Hogan, Bob Backlund, and Bruno again.
This is the first time Roman has defended in a Fatal-4 Way match during this title run. He’s notably won triple threat matches, including WrestleMania 37 against Daniel Bryan and Edge.
LA Knight is the hottest thing with the WWE Universe right now. His signature catchphrases have stolen the hearts of the fanbase and he is destined for gold at this event. And notably speaking, one year ago at this event he wrestled Bray Wyatt in a Mtn. Dew Pitch Black Match, which would be Bray’s final match before he tragically passed in August 2023.
LA Knight got an opportunity at the championship because of AJ Styles being taken out by The Bloodline. Now AJ is back and wants a piece at the world champion. Styles hasn’t been world champion since November 2018 when he dropped the championship to Daniel Bryan.
Then Randy Orton returns. Orton had a legitimate spinal injury and potentially would never step back in the ring again. His final match came against The Usos, who were both in Roman’s Bloodline at the time, but now he’s back as a singles competitor and challenging Reigns for the championship. Orton hasn’t been world champion since he was WWE Champion on Raw for a brief three-week stint during the pandemic.
While everyone draws up scenarios for Roman Reigns to lose the championship and not have to get pinned, it simply won’t happen. If you’re tuning in to see Reigns drop the title, you’ll walk away disappointed. If you’re watching this weekend to witness greatness and an entertaining match, I believe you’ll enjoy your time this Saturday night. Roman walks into WrestleMania as the champion.
30-Woman Royal Rumble Match
The allure of the event is the Royal Rumble matches themselves. One woman earns the right to challenge the women’s champion at WrestleMania. It’s no guarantee, but the Royal Rumble winners from the women’s side are 4-2 in their WrestleMania title matches.
The women have only had this opportunity since 2018 when the women’s revolution was strong in the WWE. Asuka was the first winner and in the six women’s rumbles, we have never had a repeat winner.
The only women confirmed so far are Bayley, Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, and Nia Jax, leaving 26 spots to be unveiled as they enter the Rumble on Saturday. We’ll definitely see some surprise entrants and potentially a Hall of Famer or two come back to have a nice moment. Some speculate Sasha Banks or Naomi could potentially return to the company this weekend.
As for the winner, it’s so uncertain at this point the direction. Many are pointing towards Bayley winning her first and potentially challenging Damage CTRL partner Iyo Sky for the title at WrestleMania. This would be Bayley’s first singles match at WrestleMania for the title.
If I had a prediction, my bet would be on “The Man” Becky Lynch. Lynch had a promo where she stood up to Rhea Ripley and they have been kept away from each other in their storylines over Rhea’s title reign this past year. WWE has never had a woman win the Royal Rumble twice, and if there was anyone to break that mold, it would be Becky Lynch who won it 5 years ago and gave us Wrestle-MAN-ia.
30-Man Royal Rumble Match
We also have the men competing in their Royal Rumble match, number 36 if we don’t count “The Greatest Royal Rumble” scheme in Saudi Arabia.
Like the women, this match could have so many different outcomes.
All stories indicated towards CM Punk challenging Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 40, and either The Rock or Cody Rhodes challenging Roman Reigns on SmackDown. With Seth getting injured, it’s a strong possibility plans could be altered.
While CM Punk and Cody Rhodes have been the favorites from the onset, don’t be surprised if Gunther shocks everyone and wins the Royal Rumble this Saturday. The longest reigning Intercontinental Champion had a promo battle with Seth Rollins this past Monday on Raw and if Rollins wrestles at Mania, he likely will take time to heal from his injury afterwards. It’s a stronger possibility Gunther could walk away from WrestleMania with both titles rather than CM Punk beating Seth Rollins to become champion.
Gunther is a name to watch out for, but after The Rock’s recent activity joining the TKO’s Board of Directors and showing up on the Day 1 edition of Raw earlier this month, “The Great One” would also be a strong candidate to win this match. If The Rock is wrestling Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, the Royal Rumble Match is the perfect place to create buzz and build their program.
The Royal Rumble has four matches scheduled but it’s always an exciting weekend for wrestling fans. If you aren’t a fan, this might be the weekend you fall in love with it. It’s available on Peacock and will be waiting on you.
If you enjoyed this article, Michael Davis hosts a weekly wrestling podcast Drop the Mike where he discussed the Royal Rumble in detail with other content creators as his guests, along with some major WWE breaking news. You can watch the podcast on Tobacco Road Sports Radio’s YouTube channel at this direct link.
