Source: The Xavierite
The 2024 ‘Royal Rumble’ event is now in the rear view mirror and the focus is now on the road to ‘WrestleMania.’ Looking at some of the returns, debuts, and winners of the matches themselves, World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) roster looks stronger than ever.
WWE’s annual ‘Royal Rumble’ pay-per-view event marks the start of the build-up to ‘WrestleMania’ as the winners of both the men and women’s ‘Royal Rumble matches’ earn a Championship title match at the event in April. This year’s winners are none other than last year’s winner, Cody Rhodes and for the first time, Bayley.
The women’s Rumble match kicked off Saturday’s event. The first two competitors to enter the match were Natalya and the first surprise of the night, Naomi.
Naomi has been on a hiatus from the company since May 2022, after she and her tag-team partner Sasha Banks left the company on bad terms over a dispute on how their Women’s Tag-Team Championship title reign was being handled on WWE’s programming. Consequently, they were stripped of the Championship titles and suspended indefinitely.
While Banks found a home in Stardom and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Naomi made her debut for Total Nonstop Action (TNA) on May 4, 2023.
The highlight of her short TNA stint was her reign as TNA Knockouts World Champion. Naomi held the title for 182 days until TNA’s ‘Hard to Kill’ pay-per-view on Jan. 13, where she lost the title belt to Jordynne Grace.
Surprisingly, Grace was also a participant in the match, entering at #5. This is only the second time a competitor has appeared in a Royal Rumble match while remaining under contract with TNA, with Mickie James being the first in 2022.
The TNA Knockouts Champion had an impressive showing, lasting 20 minutes before being eliminated by Bianca Belair.
As expected, the match had appearances from WWE’s developmental show ‘NXT’, as Roxanne Perez and Tiffany Stratton both entered. The two former NXT Women’s Champions renewed their former rivalry on a bigger stage as Stratton eliminated Perez from the match.
The biggest highlight of the match however, was the in-ring debut of Jade Cargill. After her impressive stint in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), fans were excited to see Cargill step foot in the WWE when she signed in Sept. 2023. Cargill didn’t disappoint, as she became the only woman in the match’s history to eliminate Nia Jax on her own, and one of the final three women left in the ring.
Unfortunately, Cargill’s outstanding debut wasn’t enough to get the victory, as she was eliminated by Bayley, along with the returning Liv Morgan. This adds another accolade to Bayley’s resume. Though the question now becomes, which champion will she choose to go after? Rhea Ripley, or her ‘Damage CTRL’ partner Iyo Sky at ‘WrestleMania’?
The men’s Royal Rumble match had its own share of surprises, with ‘NXT’s Carmelo Hayes and Bron Breakker making appearances, as well as Sami Zayn and Andrade making their returns.
However, the biggest shock was Rhodes winning the match for a second year in a row.
For months, it seemed like Rhodes’ opportunity to “finish his story” against Roman Reigns at Mania was slipping through his grasp with the return of The Rock, and Punk’s own mission to win the Rumble.
That doubt was completely erased on Saturday with Rhodes eliminating Punk to win the match. As he celebrated his win, Rhodes made it clear that his eyes are set on Reigns once again at ‘WrestleMania’. The only question remaining is whether Rhodes’ win could become a nightmare for Reigns’ Undisputed Universal Championship reign.
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