Who will be the superstar who main events at WrestleMania?
The road to WrestleMania officially begins with Royal Rumble 2024 taking place on Saturday. WWE's first premium live event of the year is highlighted by the men's and women's Royal Rumble matches, with the winner of each match earning a championship shot at WrestleMania.
Roman Reigns is also scheduled to put the WWE's undisputed world title on the line in a fatal four-way match against Randy Orton, AJ Styles, and L.A. Knight. Also, Logan Paul defends his United States Championship for the first time.
Follow USA TODAY Sports for all the action from the Royal Rumble:
Fatal 4-Way Match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) defeated Randy Orton, AJ Styles and L.A. Knight
The match is in progress.
Women's Royal Rumble match
Sixty-three minutes and three seconds.
It took over an hour, but Bayley went from third place to the winner of the women's Royal Rumble match. There were many great spots in the match, but the bottom three places went to Bayley, Jade Cargill and Liv Morgan.
The three ended up on the edge of the ring, and Morgan and Bayley tried to take the powerful Cargill out of the match. It took several attempts, but Morgan was able to eliminate Cargill, but Bayley seized the moment by taking Morgan out before she knew it and winning her first Royal Rumble match while also breaking the record for the longest in-ring tenure for a women's match. .
Bayley will now face World Women's Champion Rhea Ripley, or perhaps go after fellow Damage CTRL member and WWE Women's Champion Iyo Sky. Regardless, Damage CTRL now stands at the top of the women's division.
All participants in the Women's Royal Rumble match will be listed, as well as when/if they are eliminated.
No. 30: Liv Morgan
Liv Morgan returns from injury.
Eliminated by Bayley.
No. 29: Tiffany Stratton
She was eliminated by Bianca Belair.
No. 28: Jade Cargill
You have finally arrived.
Jade Cargill made her in-ring debut next He signed with WWE in September.
He was eliminated by Liv Morgan.
No. 27: Roxanne Perez
He was eliminated by Tiffany Stratton.
No. 26: Zoe Stark
He was eliminated by many stars.
No. 25: Mission
She was eliminated by Nia Jax.
R truth appears
Classic tr truth.
R-Truth, known for being confused about matches, showed up and was confused about where the players were. Then Nia Jax dumped him.
No. 24: Valhalla
He was eliminated by Nia Jax in five seconds.
No. 23: Shayna Baszler
She was eliminated by Nia Jax.
No. 22: Alba Fire
She was eliminated by Naomi.
No. 21: Becky Lynch
He was eliminated by Jade Cargill and Becky Lynch.
Number 20: Shotzi
She was eliminated by Nia Jax.
No. 19: Nia Jax
Eliminated by Jade Cargill.
No. 18: Maxine Dupree
Eliminated by Bayley.
No. 17: Zelina Vega
She was eliminated by Shayna Baszler.
No. 16: Xia Li
She was eliminated by Nia Jax.
Number 15: Piper Niven
She was eliminated by Nia Jax.
No. 14: Chelsea Green
She was eliminated by Becky Lynch.
Number 13: Kayden Carter
Eliminated by Piper Niven.
No. 12: Tegan Nox
Eliminated by Bayley.
Number 11: Kairi Sane
He was eliminated by Kayden Carter and Katana Chance.
No. 10: Bianca Belair
He was eliminated by Tiffany Stratton.
No. 9: Katana Chance
She was eliminated by Nia Jax.
No. 8: Ivy Nile
She was eliminated by Nia Jax.
Number 7: Asuka
He was eliminated by Kayden Carter and Katana Chance.
No. 6: Indy Hartwell
Eliminated by Bayley.
No. 5: Jordin Grace
Another surprise is that Grace is currently the TNA Knockouts Champion.
She was eliminated by Bianca Belair.
No. 4: Candice LeRae
Removed via damage control.
Number 3: Bayley
winner.
No. 2: Naomi
The first upset at the Royal Rumble is Naomi, making her return to WWE next Leaving the company in May 2022.
Eliminated by Jade Cargill.
No. 1: Natalia
Eliminated by Tegan Nox.
Pat McAfee returns
The ESPN star has returned to WWE.
Just like last year, Pat McAfee appeared at the Royal Rumble to serve as a special commentator for Saturday's event. He was previously a commentator on “SmackDown” in 2022.
What time is Royal Rumble 2024?
The 2024 Royal Rumble match will take place on Saturday, January 27 at 8 PM ET.
Where is Royal Rumble 2024?
The 2024 Royal Rumble match will be at Tropicana Field – home of the Tampa Bay Rays – in St. Petersburg, Florida.
How to watch Royal Rumble 2024
The event can be broadcast on peacock, but you must have a premium or premium subscription to watch. Internationally, it will be available on the WWE Network.
Royal Rumble 2024 match card
The matches are not in order
- Men's Royal Rumble match
- Women's Royal Rumble match
- US Championship match: Logan Paul (c) vs. Kevin Owens
- Fatal Four-Way Match for the Undisputed WWE World Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles vs. L.A. Knight
Royal Rumble 2024 Predictions
- Winner of the Men's Royal Rumble Match: CM Punk
- Women's Royal Rumble Match Winner: Bayley
- US Championship match: Logan Paul (c) defeated Kevin Owens
- Fatal Four-Way Match for the Undisputed WWE World Championship: Roman Reigns (c) defeated Randy Orton, AJ Styles and L.A. Knight
Who will participate in the men's Royal Rumble match?
As Saturday approaches, 21 of the 30 participants have been announced. they:
- Cody Rhodes
- C m Bank
- Shinsuke Nakamura
- Bobby Lashley
- Drew McIntyre
- Gunther
- Damian the priest
- Kofi Kingston
- Chad Gable
- Otis
- Akira Tozawa
- Santos Escobar
- R the truth
- Carlito
- Grayson Waller
- Austin's theory
- Jimmy Uso
- Dominik Mysterio
- Finn Balor
- JD McDonagh
- Ivar
Who will participate in the women's Royal Rumble match?
Entering Saturday, 11 women were confirmed to be participating in the match. they:
- Bailey
- Nia Jax
- Becky Lynch
- Bianca Belair
- Maxine Dupree
- Ivy Nile
- Alba Fire
- Shotzi
- Zelina Vega
- Mishin
- Valhalla
How does the Royal Rumble match take place?
A 30-person match starts with two participants, and every 90 seconds, another competitor enters the match.
The only way to get eliminated from the match is to be thrown over the top rope of the ring and both feet hit the floor. If only one foot hits the ground, the competitor can re-enter the ring. The match continues until there is one person left in the ring who has not been eliminated. The winner of the match then gets a guaranteed championship match at WrestleMania.
Men's Royal Rumble history
The match was first held in 1988 – “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan won the inaugural event – and has been held every year since. Below is the list of winners:
- 1988: “Hasaw” Jim Duggan
- 1989: Big John Studd
- 1990: Hulk Hogan
- 1991: Hulk Hogan (second win)
- 1992: Ric Flair
- 1993: Yokozuna
- 1994: Lex Luger and Bret Hart
- 1995: Shawn Michaels
- 1996: Shawn Michaels (2nd win)
- 1997: Stone Cold Steve Austin
- 1998: Stone Cold Steve Austin (2nd win)
- 1999: Vince McMahon
- 2000: The Rock
- 2001: Stone Cold Steve Austin (3rd win)
- 2002: Triple H
- 2003: Brock Lesnar
- 2004: Chris Benoit
- 2005: Batista
- 2006: Rey Mysterio
- 2007: Undertaker
- 2008: John Cena
- 2009: Randy Orton
- 2010: The Edge
- 2011: Alberto del Rio
- 2012: Seamus
- 2013: John Cena (second win)
- 2014: Batista (second win)
- 2015: Roman Reigns
- 2016: Triple H (second win)
- 2017: Randy Orton (2nd win)
- 2018: Shinsuke Nakamura
- 2019: Seth Rollins
- 2020: Drew McIntyre
- 2021: Edge (2nd win)
- 2022: Brock Lesnar (2nd win)
- 2023: Cody Rhodes
Women's Royal Rumble History
The women's Royal Rumble match was introduced in 2018, with Asuka winning the first edition. Below is the list of winners:
- 2018: Asuka
- 2019: Becky Lynch
- 2020: Charlotte Flair
- 2021: Bianca Belair
- 2022: Ronda Rousey
- 2023: Rhea Ripley
Best number to enter the Royal Rumble?
Save the best for last when it comes to the men's match; Five winners came in the top 30, the most of any entry. All of the wins have occurred since 2007. The second is No. 27 with four wins and No. 1 and No. 24 with three wins. The numbers 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 15, 17, 20, 21 and 26 have never been winning numbers.
The later numbers were the most successful, with 22 of the 37 winners (59.4%) coming at least 22nd or later.
On the women's side, the number 28 was the most successful as it was the only participant number to achieve two wins (2019, 2022).
How well do Royal Rumble winners fare at WrestleMania?
The idea of the Royal Rumble winner receiving a title shot at WrestleMania was not introduced until the 1993 event.
Since then, the winner of the men's match has mostly succeeded in capturing a title in the main event, going 16-14 in those matches with a 53.3% success rate. However, the winners are on a losing streak, with the previous three – Edge, Brock Lesnar and Cody Rhodes – losing to Roman Reigns.
Women's winners have had great success in the match's short history. Royal Rumble victors have gone 4-2 in WrestleMania matches, including Rhea Ripley last year.
Royal Rumble surprises: Who will return?
The Royal Rumble is known to be an event where a surprise entry occurs, usually stars of the past or newly signed talent. WWE has gone to great lengths to keep surprise arrivals from spoilers, so fans have no idea who might show up on Saturday. But here are the popular candidates who are likely to make it into the match:
- the rock
- Sasha Banks
- Naomi
- Jade Cargill
- Liv morgan
- Gable Steveson
- Andrade
The WrestleMania 40 sign goes up
The Road to WrestleMania will not officially begin until the WrestleMania 40 banner is erected, and will be hanging inside Tropicana Field, where the winner of the men's and women's Royal Rumble matches will point to signify their shot at the upcoming tournament.
Bayley, damage control continues to rise
When WWE Superstar Bayley returned from injury at SummerSlam 2022, she brought back Dakota Kai and Io Sky to form Team Damage CTRL, hoping to help the former NXT talents make a name for themselves on the main roster.
A year and a half later, and even with some bumps in the road, the faction has continued to elevate themselves to a dominant level, earning gold medals twice. Sky is the current WWE Women's Champion. As if the group needed more firepower, it now includes some decorated stars in addition to Asuka and Kairi Sane, who captured the Women's Tag Team Championship on Friday.
It's been a long journey for the now five-woman group, and there were times when Bayley, the de facto leader of Damage CTRL, wondered if success was on the horizon. But now, the three-time Women's Champion is “very proud” of what the group has accomplished ahead of Saturday's big Royal Rumble show.
“There were tough times where we were like, 'Okay, maybe this isn't going to be exactly everything we hoped for,'” Bailey told USA TODAY Sports. “I'm proud of what Damage CTRL has brought to the women's division.”
– Read more about Bayley and Damage CTRLhere.
Bianca Belair continues to break barriers
Being on A WWE 2K24 cover isn't the only thing Bianca Belair has accomplished as a breakout wrestling star.
When she defeated Sasha Banks for the SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania 37, it marked the first time two black women had headlined a WWE main event. A three-time champion and former Royal Rumble winner, Belair also has one of the longest reigning women's titles in the past 20 years.
And if her star power in the ring wasn't enough, she and husband Montez Ford have become major celebrities to star in. Special reality show, airs next month. She also mentioned that her husband spent the past two years talking about her being on the cover of the video game.
With everything going well for Belair, she's hoping the high level she's at now will translate into a successful road to WrestleMania, which begins with the Royal Rumble on Saturday.
“I think I've set my tone as being a history maker, that I'm a barrier breaker, so I would love to become the first woman to ever win the Royal Rumble twice and go to WrestleMania,” Belair said.
– Read more about Bianca Belairhere.
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