The Road to WrestleMania began with the Royal Rumble. Where WWE Superstars opened up their paths towards the biggest stage of them all, WrestleMania. With two Royal Rumble Winners crowned Saturday Night, the WrestleMania matches are beginning to unfold. It all started with the Rumble, so let’s go ahead and go through a recap, results, and grades of each match through a report card.
2024 Royal Rumble Recap, Results, Report Card
Before the Rumble began, we were shown a couple of the big stars arriving at Tropicana Field. Pat McAfee also came to join Michael Cole and Corey Graves at ringside.
Women’s Royal Rumble Match:
The Women’s Royal Rumble started with a surprise return as Naomi began the Women’s Royal Rumble at #2 against Natalya, who started at #1. Naomi has not been in a WWE since walking out of the company in May. It was a back-and-forth battle before Bayley entered the fray, representing Damage CTRL. Candice LeRae joined the fight at number four and went straight for everyone.
At #5, the fans were awarded another surprise, and this time, it was TNA’s Knockouts champion, Jordynne Grace. This was a special moment as Grace beat Naomi to become the Knockouts champion in TNA. Grace and Naomi hugged it out right before they attacked one another. Two big surprises in just the first five entrants.
Women’s #6-10:
LeRae was happy to have the #6 entrant, her tag team partner, Indi Hartwell, inside the match. However, Bayley seemed content with seeing her group member, Asuka, with the lucky #7. Indi was the first eliminated by Bayley as Indi was distracted trying to eliminate Asuka. The #8 entrant was Ivy Nile, who made her Rumble debut.
As Bayley mocked Michael Cole in commentary to get in the ring, Katana Chance became the #9 entrant. Nile and Grace had a strength showdown with double vertical duplexes to LeRae and Katana. A third of the way through #10 was none other than the EST of WWE, Bianca Belair. Belair is a fan favorite who won the Rumble in 2021.
Women’s #11-15:
Damage CTRL seemed to have all the momentum, with Kairi Sane entering at #11. With three members in the match already, Damage CTRL made quick work of LeRae, eliminating her from the Rumble.
With the #12 entrant, Tegan Nox joined the fray. Natalya quickly saved Nox from Grace and went to hug Nox. Right after the hug, Natalya tried to backstab Nox, but it backfired on her, and Nox eliminated Natalya from the Rumble. Just as quickly, Bayley eliminated Nox from behind.
#13 turned out to be Chance’s partner, Kayden Carter. The former tag team champions, Chance & Carter, eliminated the current women’s tag team champions, Sane and Asuka.
Chelsea Green joins at #14, trying to surpass her 5-second record inside a Royal Rumble match. Belair eliminated Grace with an impressive KOD on the apron. Halfway through at #15, Piper Niven joined to help Green just in time before both her feet touched the floor. Niven and Green, however, were not on the same page. Niven kept inadvertently landing or hitting Green. Then comes the #16 entrant.
Women’s #16-20:
The #16 entrant was none other than Xia Li. #17 Zelina Vega joins the party inside her 5th Rumble appearance. Vega showed her quickness and agility with a tornado DDT to Niven. From the Alpha Academy making her Rumble debut came Maxxine Dupri. Niven, with a big right hand, eliminated Carter right before Nia Jax entered at #19.
Jax wasted no time eliminating Li with a headbutt and Nile right after. Niven again inadvertently hits Green a couple of times in a row. When Green finally got up, Jax and Niven sandwiched her at full speed from both sides. 2/3 of the way, Shotzi joined at #20.
Women’s #20-25:
As the 20th entrant came into the ring, Dupri was distracted and got eliminated by Bayley. Jax then eliminates Niven through sheer force as she tosses her over the ropes. Jax then eliminated Chance right before #21 Becky Lynch entered the match.
The Man Becky Lynch was the 2019 Royal Rumble Winner and went straight for Jax, her rival. Lynch showed no remorse to Green as she pushed her outside of the ring, eliminating Green from the match. Alba Fyre entered at #22, and Shayna Bazzler at #23.
#24 was Valhalla, but her entrance was interrupted by R-Truth. The “Judgement Day” member did not get the memo and accidentally entered the Women’s Rumble match, to his and everyone’s confusion.
The Raw General Manager had to escort Truth out. Valhalla got distracted and eliminated by Jax, thanks to Truth. Valhalla tied with Green with the fastest elimination from a Rumble at 5 seconds. At 25 was Michin, who entered her 3rd Rumble.
Women’s #25-30:
Right after the 25th entrant entered, Naomi, who had been quiet for the majority of the match, eliminated Fyre. #26 was Zoey Starks, who many considered to be the dark horse of the Rumble.
Bazzler and Starks eliminated Vega with an impressive double-team move. Making her way from NXT was none other than Roxanne Perez at #27. Jax again showed her dominance by eliminating both Bazzler and Michin. Shotzi is yet another victim of Jax, as Jax powerbombs her outside of the ring and eliminates Shotzi.
As Jax got her 8th elimination of the night, Jade Cargill finally made her WWE debut at #28. Cargill showed why she was the most sought-after free agent as she quickly overpowered and eliminated Jax.
Coming from NXT in her first Rumble was the #29 entrant Tiffany Stratton. The last entrant to the Rumble was another surprise, the returning Liv Morgan. Morgan had been sidelined with a shoulder injury thanks to the Raw Women’s champion, Rhea Ripley. With Liv as the final entrant, who won?
Who won?
After the last entrant, Liv quickly eliminated Stark and blew her a kiss. As Perez tried to hold on from the ropes, Stratton pushed her off and eliminated her NXT rival, Perez. The powerhouses Belair and Cargill had a quick showdown after bench-pressing Lynch and Liv.
Naomi eliminated Lynch, one of the favorites to win it all, and then Cargill eliminated Naomi, who lasted 1 hour and 2 minutes in the match. The last five were Liv, Belair, Stratton, Bayley, and Cargill. Stratton was hanging on for dear life on Belair’s braid, but Bayley pushed them both, eliminating them from the match.
Morgan hit her finisher, Oblivion, on the edge of the apron, eliminating Cargill. Bayley capitalizes by kicking Morgan from the edge of the apron and winning the 2024 Royal Rumble.
Grade:
The Women’s Royal Rumble had a bit of everything. NXT hopefuls in Perez and Stratton had a decent showing. Naomi and Liv’s returns were great. The surprise was that TNA Knockouts champion Grace was in WWE.
She had a great showing, too. Nia Jax looked dominant throughout the whole match. Dupri, Niven, Truth, and Green had great comedy showings. Cargill finally made her long-awaited debut, and she looked fantastic.
The Rumble showed us what the plans seem to be for Mania for the Women’s matches. Bayley seems to be set to face her Damage Ctrl teammate and Smackdown Women’s champion, IYO SKY. Rhea Ripley will probably face Liv Morgan. We could even see Belair versus Cargill at Mania.
Overall, the Rumble was fast-paced and fun to watch. The right person won the match; Bayley winning was perfect as the camera pans out to Io, who did not seem too thrilled that her partner, Bayley, won.
The story is there, and it is going to be a great story all the way to Mania as the inevitable betrayal lurks nearby. Final grade A. After the match, they announce that the WWE Universal championship fatal four-way is next.
The Fatal Four-Way Match:
This match is between Roman Reigns (c), LA Knight, AJ Styles, and Randy Orton. Each man had reasons to hate the tribal chief Roman Reigns and the Bloodline. The Bloodline made Orton lose a year and a half of his career due to injury. Bloodline also cost Styles a couple of months due to injury.
They also prevented Knight from gaining his first WWE championship. Great moment as Samantha Irvin was announcing all the challengers, and Orton was staring down Reigns the whole time with hatred in his eyes. The match started with all three challengers attacking Reigns. Orton kept his focus on Reigns for the majority of the match as Styles and Knight continued their feud with one another.
Orton was the MVP of the match. He had a counter for everyone and everything. He looked like he did not miss a step since the back injury/surgery. Knight showcased why he should be a future WWE World Champion, and Styles looked good too. Reigns honestly looked like the worst of the match.
Every time he tried to adjust or gain momentum, someone else would out-wrestle and out-maneuver the champion. The only reason Reigns won was due once again to Solo Sikoa from the Bloodline. It was a typical Reigns match; the opponents seemed to get the better of him, and when it appeared it was over, a distraction or someone from the Bloodline attacked from behind and helped Reigns retain.
The overall grade is a B. Solid match, a bit short. Orton looked the strongest, hitting RKO after RKO, even turning Reings’ spear into an RKO. Orton was about to win his 15th world title, pinning Reigns until Solo got involved.
It should be soon that Orton finally gets his 15th world title. The match was better if the outcome was different in every Roman Reigns match. He gets beat up; someone interferes, Reigns sneaks a victory with a spear, etc.
The match ended with a spear to AJ Styles. After the match, he seemed to flip off Orton, maybe signaling a future encounter between the two. This match also showcased a possible Mania match between Styles and Knight. The next match announced was Logan Paul versus Kevin Owens.
United States Championship match:
The next match was a United States championship match as Logan Paul (c) defended his championship against Kevin Owens. Paul mockingly tried to shake KO’s hand as soon as the match started. KO had none of it, ruthlessly attacking the YouTube star.
Every time Paul seemed to counter a move, he would mock the crowd or KO and lose the momentum. Paul’s offensive strategy relied on his high-flying ability as well as some dirty tactics.
At the same time, KO seemed to do well with his brawling and technical skills. Paul seemed to target KO’s hand a lot and was more aggressive than usual. KO seemed to outwrestle him at every turn, though. Paul KO’d KO with a big right hand, but KO kicked out, and Paul seemed stressed.
Paul’s friend came out of the crowd and distracted the referee and security guard. He got help from Austin Theory and Grayson Waller. With the distraction from Theory, Paul was given the brass knuckles only to get rolled up into a pin by KO. KO then countered another hit and used the brass knuckles on Paul.
Right as the ref was going to count to three, he saw Owens’s hand that still had the brass knuckles. KO got disqualified and Paul retained. The overall grade is a C. It was a decent match with a dramatic ending. It did not seem logical that a WWE referee finally had the common sense to see the weapon. After a good match, the main event was near: the Men’s Royal Rumble match.
Men’s Royal Rumble Match:
It was only fitting that the men’s Royal Rumble started with Jey Uso at #1 and Jimmy Uso at #2. The two brothers have only interacted a few times since Jey left the Bloodline and moved to Raw. Both twin brothers showed no remorse as they both traded punches and moves. Both stars know each other so well.
The sibling rivalry was interrupted by the #3 entrant, Grayson Waller. Then, at #4, we had a great surprise as Andrade came back to WWE. Andrade came in strong, paying homage to Eddie Guerrero with three amigos to Waller. At #5, Carmelo Hayes made his Rumble debut. Hayes immediately eliminated Waller in his first minute in the Rumble as the fans awaited #6.
Men’s #6-10:
Shinsuke Nakamura came at #6, and Mcafee went crazy in the commentary booth, dancing along to Nakamura’s theme song. Santos Escobar went into the match at #7.
Escobar seemed to think he had an allegiance with Andrade, but Andrade refused, instigating an attack by Escobar on the returning star. Karrion Kross entered the Rumble at #8 and Dominik Mysterio at #9. A third of the way through the Rumble and, Carlito enters at #10.
Men’s #10-15:
At 10, Carlito wasted no time going against Escobar and Dominik. Carlito spits an apple in the face of Escobar, blindsiding him and eliminating Escobar. #11 Bobby Lashley entered the fray. He entered with spears and spine busters for everybody. Lashley unintentionally eliminated Carliton, then got his revenge on Kross and eliminated him.
The Authors of Pain came to Kross’s aid, and that helped Kross eliminate Lashley from the outside. The Street Profits went to Lashley’s aid.
Another star entering his first Rumble, this time at #12, is Ludwig Kaiser. #13 is Austin Theory entering the rumble for the fourth time in his career. Dominik gets help with #14 Finn Balor, a fellow member of the Judgement Day.
While Hayes was stomping on Dominik, Balor eliminated Hayes from behind. #15 ends up being the American Nightmare Cody Rhodes. Rhodes wasted no time eliminating Theory after a Cody Cutter. Halfway through the Rumble, the fans await #16.
Men’s #15-20:
The 16th entrant is none other than Big Bronson Reed. Reed had a good showing, picking up Balor and Dominik at the same time and then eliminating Andrade. Meanwhile, Nakamura and Rhodes continued their feud. Coming in at #17 was Kofi Kingston, entering his historical 16th Rumble appearance. Rhodes hit a cross Rhodes through the ropes, eliminating Nakamura.
Kingston got his revenge on Kaiser with a dropkick, eliminating him from the Rumble. The reigning Intercontinental champion Gunther entered the Rumble at #18. Last year, Gunther entered at 1, lasting 1 hour and 11 minutes, and 40 seconds before losing to Rhodes. Gunther sent a message to Kingston eliminating him.
At #19 is Ivar from the Viking Raiders. 2/3 of the way, we get the NXT superstar Bron Breakker. Breakker immediately spears Jimmy Uso and eliminates him with a clothesline. The surprise of the Rumble was Breakker spearing Balor and eliminating him from the Rumble so early. Breakker even speared Gunther before the 21st entrant.
Men’s #21-25:
At 21, the 7’3 giant Omos makes his return after being absent from WWE for a while. The giant eliminated the 300-pounder Reed with a big kick to the face. Breakker then hits a humungous spear on Ivar, eliminating him from the Rumble before Pat Mcafee comes at
#22. McAfee eliminates himself from the Rumble after Omos and Breakker stare him down. Breakker continued to impress this time by eliminating Omos right before Judgement Day member JD McDonagh entered at #23. While Breakker is distracted by Omos, Dominik sneaks one in and eliminates Breakker.
The NXT superstar Breakker spears McDonagh out of frustration on the outside of the ring. At #24, entered R-Truth. Truth grabs McDonagh and throws him inside the ring while Jey quickly eliminates JD McDonagh. Truth waits on the turnbuckle for Dominik to tag him in while Gunther attacks Dominik. At #25 was The Miz.
Men’s #25-30:
Miz enters at 25 in his 15th Rumble appearance. #26 was the last member to join from Judgement Day, the money in the bank winner, Damian Priest. DP had enough of Truth thinking he is on Judgement Day and eliminates him from the match.
At #27, making his in-ring return, was CM Punk. Punk quickly eliminated Dominik before #28 Ricochet entered the ring. Miz makes the mistake of going to the top rope, and Gunther chops Miz’s chest, knocking him off balance and eliminating him from the match.
At #29 was the Scottish Warrior Drew McIntyre, the 2020 Rumble winner. Jey Uso super kicks Gunther, but Gunther holds on to the top rope. Jey’s momentum gets the best of him, and Gunther eliminates him from the Rumble after 50 minutes in the match. The final participant at #30 was the returning Sami Zayn.
Who Won?
At 30, Zayn turned his attention to McIntyre, who injured him for weeks. McIntyre eliminated Ricochet, flipping him over the top rope and landing hard on the ground. Zayn clotheslines DP out of the ring, eliminating him.
The final five are Zayn, McIntyre, Rhodes, Gunther, and Punk. McIntyre, while Zayn is looking at DP, throws Zayn out, eliminating him from the match. We see Rollins and Reigns looking at the final four from the stands.
After McIntyre Claymore kicks Punk, he talks trash to him and taunts him, causing Punk to lift him over the ropes and eliminate McIntyre. Rhodes, with shades from last year, eliminated Gunther once again. Punk and Rhodes go back and forth for a few minutes, each giving it their all. Punk hits a pedigree on Rhodes.
He tries going for a GTS, telling him he did not come back to get beaten by Dusty’s kid, and Rhodes counters it and eliminates Punk. Rhodes wins the Rumble for the second time in his career.
Grade and Overview:
The Men’s Royal Rumble was good despite not having enough surprises. NXT Stars Hayes and Breakker look comfortable in the main roster. They both look like stars, but the one to watch is Bron Breakker. He looked like an absolute star out there with a terrific combination of power and speed, eliminating everyone who got in his way. Jey Uso also put on a strong showing as a main event star-caliber talent.
The obvious stars looked great, like Rhodes, Gunther, Punk, McIntyre, and Zayn. Balor was the shock of the night being thrown out earlier than expected. Jimmy Uso and Truth were comedy gold in the match, with Jimmy dancing and smiling every time someone hit Jey. Truth believes he is a member of the Judgement Day.
This match showed us where the WrestleMania plans seem to be headed. As Rhodes wins, he stares down Reigns, and Reigns seems outraged that Rhodes won. It’s fair to assume we are getting Reigns/Cody 2 at Mania for the Universal championship.
Rollins and Punk seem to be the direction for the World Heavyweight championship. Gunther’s Intercontinental title could be in trouble if he is to face Breakker at Mania. McIntyre vs. Zayn could be another match, and the same could be true with Jimmy Uso vs. Jey Uso.
Overall, I would give this match a B-. Rhodes winning over Punk is a huge win. Cody Rhodes seems to be the new face of the WWE, and his path is to finish the story and win the title his father, the late great Dusty Rhodes, never won.
The American Nightmare won his second rumble in a row, making him the fourth star to do that and legitimizing his status as a threat. Punk will have to face adversity at the Elimination Chamber if he is to have a title match at Mania, the final PLE stop before Mania.
Overall, I give the PLE a solid B. The Women’s match was probably the best of the night. The Men’s match and the fatal four-way were both solid matches. The US title match was mid but dramatic and fun to see. We saw some great returns like Liv, Punk, Zayn, Naomi, and Andrade. Some great debuts like Cargill and Grace. We also got to see the NXT stars show why they have promised to be the future of WWE. The right Royal Rumble winners won, and the PLE opened up a lot of possibilities for WrestleMania.
