WWE Royal Rumble 2023 Predictions and Result
WWE takes its first step to WrestleMania 39 at the WWE Royal Rumble 2023. This blockbuster event was highlighted by two 30-man battle royals and Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens in a highly anticipated bout for the undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
Even before the pay-per-view card took shape, the Royal Rumble set a box office record with the largest live gate in the event’s history.
Now, the show is expected to sell out, which should come as no surprise as it is a star-studded show that, as it usually is, is set to feature several major story developments and blockbuster returns.
Cody Rhodes won the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match
Mountain Dew Pitch Black Match: Bray Wyatt defeated LA Knight by pinfall.
Raw Women’s Championship Match: Bianca Belair (c) defeated Alexa Bliss by pinfall.
Rhea Ripley won the 30-Woman Royal Rumble Match
TBD – Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Kevin Owens
The Royal Rumble is one of WWE’s most exciting pay-per-views, and with some big surprises potentially taking place inside the Alamodome, it could be a show for the ages. Of course, this largely depends on Triple H and the WWE creative team hosting the shows that set the stage for WrestleMania 39.
So, how should the event be booked? Let’s look at 5 important decisions WWE should make at the Royal Rumble.
Roman Reigns defeated Kevin Owens
Barring a minor miracle, Roman Reigns will headline either night one or two at WrestleMania as he approaches the 1,000-day mark as World Champion. Reigns’ several successful title defenses have been aided by The Bloodline, and “The Tribal Chief” could be in line for another tainted victory.
The obvious X-factor here is Sami Zayn, who appears to be an outlier with WWE and has a long history of feuding with—and simultaneously—Reigns’ Royal Rumble opponent, Kevin Owens.
Owens likely has other plans for WrestleMania 39, so it’s okay for him to take a loss here. Reigns need to come back stronger than ever during his historic title reign, and that means that Owens, despite his apparent popularity, will surely be the “l” to have a massive title defense for Reigns at WrestleMania 39. “should be followed.
With the visible rifts in The Bloodline, Zayn and Jey Uso will likely play a significant part at the end of the match, but in the end, Reigns should win.
The obvious X-factor here is Sami Zayn, who appears to be an outlier with WWE and has a long history of feuding with—and simultaneously—Reigns’ Royal Rumble opponent, Kevin Owens.
Owens likely has other plans for WrestleMania 39, so it’s okay for him to take a loss here. Reigns need to come back stronger than ever during his historic title reign, and that means that Owens, despite his apparent popularity, will surely be the “l” to have a massive title defense for Reigns at WrestleMania 39. “should be followed.
With the visible rifts in The Bloodline, Zayn and Jey Uso will likely play a significant part at the end of the match, but in the end, Reigns should win.
Bianca Bellaire Retain
Bianca Belair has risen quickly through the ranks over the past two years and solidified herself as one of WWE’s biggest stars, and she’s on the verge of having a major title match at WrestleMania for the third straight year.
The only obstacle in Belair’s way is Alexa Bliss. Still, Bliss hasn’t been positioned as a legitimate threat to “The EST of WWE,” with the creative team instead planning for Bliss to eventually reunite with Bray Wyatt setting the stage for Some top WWE stars reportedly don’t want to feud with Wyatt due to the creative difficulties that come with working with the nearly unbeatable paranormal character. Those constraints will apply to Bliss as the champion as well.
While Bliss is a great overall performer, a supernatural gimmick doesn’t suit a world champion during this era. Therefore, Belair should remain at the Royal Rumble en route to another marquee WrestleMania match while Bliss turns a storyline with Wyatt.
Rhea Ripley won the Women’s, Royal Rumble
There are only a few potential winners in the Women’s Royal Rumble. Although Becky Lynch is the biggest star of that group, the hottest performer in the women’s division is undoubtedly Rhea Ripley, who has been doing some great character work alongside Dominik Mysterio.
In many ways, Ripley has carried Judgment Day for most of its existence, and as a rising star in her mid-20s, she’s easily the freshest face with a legitimate chance to win the Royal Rumble.
Ripley, the runaway betting favorite, would make Belair or Charlotte Flair a viable opponent at WrestleMania. Perhaps more importantly, she would be a welcome change from the typical world title feuds involving the likes of Lynch and Ronda Rousey.
Lynch doesn’t need a Royal Rumble win to get a marquee WrestleMania match, and no other woman has a chance to win this match outside of Raquel Rodriguez. Rodriguez would be a solid choice, but he’s not as polished – or more so than Ripley.
Cody Rhodes or Sami Zayn win the Men’s Royal Rumble
Sometimes the most obvious choice is also the best choice. This is one of those times.
While Seth Rollins would be a solid choice to win the Royal Rumble, there are two routes WWE could take here, and either outcome would be a great decision.
Although Zayn is reportedly set for a blockbuster tag title match at WrestleMania, he is easily the most star in WWE right now who could force WWE’s hand.
Think of Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 30 or Kofi Kingston at WrestleMania 35 as the underdog babyface who gave WWE no choice but to give him world title matches – matches that both stars won – at WrestleMania, and Zayn did the same could follow the path.
And if not, Zain? That leaves WWE with Cody Rhodes as another great option – for several reasons.
One, the story of Rhodes finally winning the big one is an easy one. Two, it’s even better to do so by ending Reigns’ historic reign.
Three, Rhodes is presented as a huge star who can compete with Reigns. Lastly, he has been largely over since his return to WWE. This list could be much longer.
With The Rock vs. Reigns reportedly now off the table, there is arguably no bigger Universal Title match at WrestleMania than Rhodes vs. Reigns, a generational clash between two of the industry’s biggest stars. However, in terms of storytelling, there may not be a more compelling narrative than Zayn vs. Reigns.
WWE has two great options for its Royal Rumble Zayn and Rhodes. And the best part? Can’t go wrong with either star.
List of men’s WWE Royal Rumble winners
year winner
- 1988 Jim Dugan
- 1989 Big John Studd
- 1990 Hulk Hogan
- 1991 Hulk Hogan
- 1992 Ric Flair
- 1993 yokozuna
- 1994 Lex Luger and Bret Hart
- 1995 Shawn Michaels
- 1996 Shawn Michaels
- 1997 “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
- 1998 “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
- 1999 McMahon
- 2000 The Rock
- 2001 “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
- 2002 Triple H
- 2003 Brock Lesnar
- 2004 Chris Benoit
- 2005 Batista
- 2006 Rey Mysterio
- 2007 The Undertaker
- 2008 John Cena
- 2009 Randy Orton
- 2010 Edge
- 2011 Alberto Del Rio
- 2012 Sheamus
- 2013 John Cena
- 2014 Batista
- 2015 Roman Reigns
- 2016 triple h
- 2017 Randy Orton
- 2018 Shinsuke Nakamura
- 2019 Seth Rollins
- 2020 Drew McIntyre
- 2021 edge
- 2022 Brock Lesnar
List of women’s WWE Royal Rumble winners
date winner
- 2018 Asuka
- 2019 Becky Lynch
- 2020 Charlotte Flair
- 2021 Bianca Bellaire
- 2022 Ronda Rousey
Royal Rumble order: Does it matter?
The order number can affect who can bet to win the Royal Rumble match.
The following are the top four numbers with the best chances to win the Royal Rumble match (for the men’s match):
- 30: Four times, an entrant has won the Royal Rumble by entering this number (2007, 2008, 2016, 2022).
- 27: Four times, an entrant has won the Royal Rumble by entering this number (2007, 2008, 2016, 2022).
- 1: Three times a contestant has won the Royal Rumble by entering this number (1995, 2004, 2021).
- 24: Three times an entrant has won the Royal Rumble by entering this number (1991, 1998, 2000).
- Two entrants through number 28 have won the match for the Women’s Royal Rumble.
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