SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
The 2024 Royal Rumble will take place on January 27, 2024, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. L.A. Knight vs. A.J. Styles, Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match
Story in a nutshell: Roman Reigns thought he had outwitted everyone when he attacked the three possible contenders for his title during the match to determine who would be the next challenger for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, only to then be punished by being forced to face all three in a Fatal Four-way match.
LA Knight lost when he challenged Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship thanks to interference from Reigns’s Bloodline faction, so he wants another shot. Meanwhile, Randy Orton returned from injury and signed with Smackdown since he wanted a shot at Reigns’s title. Orton and Knight were forced into an unlikely alliance as they faced the force of the Bloodline. Outnumbered, AJ Styles returned from injury to help even the odds but then attacked Knight.
Styles had been out of action due to an attack by the Bloodline and accused Knight of taking his spot during his absence. To determine who’d be Reigns’s opponent, the three wrestled in a three-way match. Reigns and the Bloodline interfered and laid out all three men. General Manager Nick Aldis, upset with Reigns’s actions, declared that the match would now be a four-way match.
Prediction and Analysis: Reigns wins. Does Rock show up to play a role? Maybe he stops the Bloodline from interfering.
Logan Paul (c) vs. Kevin Owens, WWE Intercontinental Championship match
Story in a nutshell: Kevin Owens won a tournament for the right to challenge Logan Paul for the WWE Intercontinental Championship but has to do it as he recovers from a broken hand.
After winning the WWE Intercontinental Championship at Crown Jewel, Logan Paul said that there will be an eight-man tournament to determine his next contender. Kevin Owens won the tournament, going through Austin Theory, Carmelo Hayes, and Santos Escobar. Somewhere along the line, Owens hurt his hand/wrist requiring him to wear a cast. During an altercation with Logan, Owens gave him a black eye which Logan claimed was a result of the cast. Logan said that he won’t wrestle Owens if he has the cast and threatened legal action.
Prediction and Analysis: Logan likely keeps the title until WrestleMania, so I see him retaining, likely by using a foreign object, say, a cast, to K.O. K.O.
Men’s Royal Rumble match
Story in a nutshell: Thirty men enter the ring at regular intervals and are eliminated by getting tossed over the top rope with both feet touching the ground with the last person standing winning a title shot against the champion of their choice.
The following is a list of participants announced as of writing along with issues they may have with other participants when applicable:
Cody Rhodes is trying to “finish the story” (winning the title that eluded the late Dusty Rhodes) and winning a second consecutive Royal Rumble is his key to that. He has recently been feuding with Shinsuke Nakamura and has had testy exchanges with Drew McIntyre and CM Punk.
CM Punk, for his part, is also hoping to finish a story, that he has never headlined a WrestleMania since that spot went to part time wrestlers when Punk was on top.
Drew McIntyre is the third who is hoping to finish a story when his dream of winning the title in front of an adoring crowd was dashed, first by a pandemic, then by the Bloodline. He’s also has been having issues with Damien Priest.
Gunther has made his intentions known that he is coming after Seth Rollins when Rollins is healthy. He and his faction, Imperium, have been feuding with Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston of the New Day.
Shinsuke Nakamura is still intent on ruining Cody’s story.
Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits are feuding with Karrion Kross and the Authors of Pain, a new faction called the Final Testament.
Chad Gable, Otis, and Akira Tozawa are all part of Chad’s “school” with Tozawa currently obsessed with facing big men.
Kofi Kingston has a bone to pick with Imperium since they’ve tried to injure him and Xavier Woods.
Damien Priest has been dealing with acrimony within his faction, the Judgment Day, with issues being exacerbated by R Truth “joining” the group.
Prediction and Analysis: If they are going with Cody finally (which is my vote, Rock be damned), Cody winning two Rumble’s in a row would be a nice feather in his cap. The Rock could be a surprise entrant and win since he is likely going to be involved at WrestleMania. CM Punk, Gunther, and Drew McIntyre (all choosing to face Rollins) round up my top five.
As for unannounced/surprise participants, with there being three members of Imperium and New Day outnumbered in the feud, can we see a return of Big E to feud with Gunther, assuming Big E is healthy enough? (I admit that is wishful thinking). Also, I was expecting Gunther and Brock Lesnar to cross paths to set up something for WrestleMania but that might be up in the air thanks to allegations Lesnar has been tied to. Then there is Kazuchika Okada of New Japan fame and former faction mate of Shinsuke Nakamura in Chaos, who is leaving New Japan. While there are logistic hurdles to cross, Okada eliminating Cody is about the only way I could forgive the WWE for not letting Cody “finish the story.”
Women’s Royal Rumble match
Story in a nutshell: Thirty women enter the ring at regular intervals and are eliminated by getting tossed over the top rope with both feet touching the ground with the last person standing winning a title shot against the champion of their choice.
The following is a list of participants announced as of writing along with issues they may have with other participants when applicable (though, like last year, it isn’t much):
Nia Jax has been dominating the women on Raw, including a high profile win against Becky Lynch. She’s made a lot of enemies.
Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley have crossed path and have all but declared that they’ll be wrestling at WrestleMania.
Binca Belair continues her interminable feud with Damage CTRL of which the champions, Iyo Sharai is a member of.
Bayley, speaking of Damage CTRL, seems to be getting pushed out of her role as leader despite her earnestness in wanting the other members to be successful. Her plan is to challenge Ripley so that Damage CTRL holds all the gold.
Maxxine Dupri who is part of Gables group, and Ivy Nile who is a friend have also entered the Rumble.
Prediction and Analysis: There are only two real choices as there are only two women with any real momentum, storyline wise, heading into the Rumble. Becky doesn’t need to win to get her match against Ripley. Bayley is the most likely winner, forcing her to have to choose who she’ll face, likely through betrayal. You could do Nia Jax only she takes her opportunity at Elimination Chamber instead of WrestleMania, seeing it as an opportunity to humiliate Ripley in her home country.
Then, the longshot. A returning Sasha Banks winning and choosing Iyo creates a dilemma for Bayley who has to choose between her faction and her friend. And finally, might we see A.J. Lee?
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