The 2023 Royal Rumble has officially arrived and WWE has set up this year’s event to potentially be one of the biggest in history. With so many rumors swirling around the plans for WrestleMania 39 and this being the first year where Paul Levesque is behind the show’s booking, virtually anything is on the table. Could The Rock or “Stone Cold” Steve Austin make a surprise return to set up a blockbuster WrestleMania main event? Will Cody Rhodes take the next big step on his road to finally becoming world champion by guaranteeing himself a spot in the main event? And can anyone topple Rhea Ripley in the Women’s Royal Rumble given she’s been the odds-on favorite for a while?
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We’ve once again assembled ComicBook’s team of pro wrestling writers to break down the biggest questions heading into tonight’s show. Check out their picks below!
Cody, Sami, The Rock or Someone Else — Who Wins the Men’s Rumble?
Connor Casey: It’s Cody. There are so many questions heading into tonight’s show, particularly regarding how this all relates to WrestleMania and the main event scene. And because I don’t think they plan to answer all of those questions in one night, they’ll go with Cody simply because he’s the easiest piece of the puzzle to move around. Couldn’t get The Rock? Have Cody challenge Reigns. And if Rock is appearing, they can find a way to split up the titles or have Reigns pull double duty (though I have my doubts about the latter despite so many people assuming that’s the plan).
Matt Aguilar: I want it to be Sami. I understand if it ends up being Cody, but I’d be lying if my heart wasn’t invested in Zayn coming away the winner and what that could do to the already best storyline in WWE. The Bloodline saga continues to be must watch TV, and Sami winning here would put that story into overdrive. That said, I wouldn’t be mad at Rhodes winning, and still think you can have fun with Zayn’s story without him winning it.
Evan Valentine: I really have to give this one to Cody Rhodes as I think his return will set him up nicely for a major match at this year’s WrestleMania. While in my heart of hearts, I’m hoping that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson does eventually come back to finally dethrone Roman Reigns, I don’t see it happening this time around, though I’m happy to be wrong.
Nick Valdez: I’m in the “hoping Sami wins” camp here. The story’s totally there to pull it off, and as much as I love Cody, him winning almost seems like it’s such a good idea that it’s not, you know? I kinda want Sami to get that underdog win, but at the same time, I’m fine with it if there’s a good reason he doesn’t win.
Rhea Ripley or The Field — Who Wins the Women’s Rumble
Connor: It has to be Rhea. She and Bianca have been kept apart on TV ever since their NXT days (look it up, they haven’t been in a one-on-one televised match since TakeOver: Portland), Belair is going for a full year as Raw Women’s Champion and Ripley has Judgement Day to help stack the deck. It makes too much sense.
Matt: Rhea Ripley. She’s come close before and now would be the perfect time to make that happen. A Ripley vs Bianca Belair feud would be the perfect way to move both stars forward, and both stars have never had more momentum. Ripley is also a real threat, and you can easily see her winning the Title, which would make the ensuing match at WrestleMania all the better even if Belair retains.
Evan: I’m really hoping for a Rhea Ripley victory here as she has just continued to be a stellar addition to the Women’s roster. In a perfect world, she’d pull a “Ric Flair”, drop into the Rumble early, and outlast everyone to get a chance at a title match at ‘Mania.
Nick: I thought it’d be Raquel, honestly. She’s been not-so-secretly being built as a major contender on SmackDown, and that would get her a great dominant win. And for Rhea, it’s not like she needs to win the Rumble to challenge for the title anyway.
What Will Be the Biggest Surprise of Saturday Night
Connor: The Rock will show up after the main event a la John Cena at Money in the Bank 2021.
Matt: Part of me wants to say Naomi making a return to the roster, but I’m just not sure if that’s actually been worked out behind the scenes. The Rock would be the one everyone hopes for, but again, not sure how practical that is. I’m going to say though either of those would be the biggest surprise of the night.
Evan: I’m not saying that Undertaker is going to come out of retirement, but he’s said plenty of times in the past that he was retired and he came back eventually. His recent spat with Bray Wyatt might be setting the groundwork for him to pass off the “supernatural torch” as it were and I’m crossing my fingers that even if they don’t go toe-to-toe, we can see a crossover we’re they’re both in their full-blown spooky gear.
Nick: Honestly, it’d have to be The Rock right? If it’s not, that’s fine, but who’s on that level of surprise. Like sure, Stone Cold would be big, but The Rock has a built in story ready to go. Stone Cold would need to heat up with something.
Will the Pitch Black Match Be a Hit or Miss for Bray Wyatt?
Connor: For as great as Bray Wyatt is, so many of his gimmick matches have been disasters. The House of Horrors, The Wyatt Swamp Fight, the Firefly Inferno Match, his disastrous Hell in a Cell bout with Seth Rollins — every time WWE leans too spooky with Wyatt in matches, they simply don’t work. I think that given we’re under new leadership this might have a shot, but I have my concerns
(And before you say it, yes the Firefly Fun House match with John Cena was great. But that was more movie than match.)
Matt: Wyatt’s off-the-wall matches are very hit-and-miss with me, but the two people involved have me hopeful this will be in the former category. If it’s in the ring, there still needs to be a solid match between the two to make all the other stuff work, and in the past, too much attention has been paid to the theatrics as opposed to the in-ring storytelling. I’m going to say it’s a hit and cross my fingers.
Evan: I would have to imagine it will be a hit. I think Wyatt really excels with outside-of-the-box matches in general and I’m hoping that the Pitch Black Match gives him the opportunity to cut loose with more of a freaky spin on the fight against L.A. Knight.
Nick: Look, new creative team or not, Bray Wyatt’s in-ring gimmick matches rarely work out in his favor. I’m hoping that it hits because if not, oof we’ve just lost out on months of build up. Oh, he also has to win. Wyatt has a history of losing these big matches.
Will Reigns vs. Owens Be Better Than Their Two Previous Royal Rumble Matches?
Connor: Even though this is the third time they’ve wrestled at a Royal Rumble, this is actually a pretty easy bar to clear. Their first bout was nothing special minus Chris Jericho hanging in that shark cage and their Last Man Standing match had a flat ending thanks to some bad timing. They’ve nailed every aspect of the Sami Zayn/Bloodline storyline and I firmly believe this will be the next strong chapter in that.
Matt: Reigns matches are always theatrical and rarely not entertaining, and with the added factor of Sami Zayn hovering around it all this should be a lay-up for WWE. Owens and Reigns already play off each other extremely well, so the match itself should be thrilling, and if Zayn is used correctly, this could easily be the best of Reigns vs Owens.
Evan: Reigns/Owens matches have always been fantastic watches, for me anyway. They were able to pull off some convincing moves in 2021’s Rumble with a studio that was bereft of physical attendees, so while I might not think that this particular Royal Rumble will be able to top the previous, I would imagine we’re still in for a good time. That’s the tough thing about Roman matches for me now is that he’s just a runaway truck in terms of his championship and it seems like he’s only going to lose when it’s a legendary brawl and this doesn’t feel like it’ll be that.
Nick: Is Sami Zayn going to factor in yet? Then yes. Otherwise, it’s hard to beat Roman handcuffing Kevin Owens to keep him on the ground for me.
Where Are They Going With Alexa Bliss?
Connor: Not a clue. Just get her away from Bianca’s title reign, please.
Matt: I thought I knew at one point but now I have no idea. I was all for her not being tied to Wyatt but that’s been left by the wayside. I don’t dislike the supernatural elements though, I just wish they would commit to it wholeheartedly and really let her run with it. Perhaps we’ll get that this 2nd time around.
Evan: Where I hope they continue to go is let her continue to sneak out of Wyatt’s shadow and forge her character’s evolution that much more as a result. Certainly, whatever they’re planning with the Uncle Howdy storyline might give her the opportunity to do just that, and I’d love to see her get that much of a bigger role in the women’s roster.
Nick: I would have rather not her go this route, but if they have found a way to make her a little more aggressive with her new evil (rather than just the creepy power character that amounted to nothing), then I’m all for it. I’m sure she’ll be someone they can rely on for a solid B-plot for the Women’s Division on Raw week to week.
Predictions
=Connor:
- Men’s Rumble Winner: Cody Rhodes
- Women’s Rumble Winer: Rhea Ripley
- Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns def. Kevin Owens
- Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair def. Alexa Bliss
- Bray Wyatt def. LA Knight (Pitch Black Match)
Matt:
- Men’s Rumble Winner: Sami Zayn
- Women’s Rumble Winer: Rhea Ripley
- Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns def. Kevin Owens
- Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair def. Alexa Bliss
- Bray Wyatt def. LA Knight (Pitch Black Match)
Evan:
- Men’s Rumble Winner: Cody Rhodes
- Women’s Rumble Winer: Rhea Ripley
- Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns def. Kevin Owens
- Raw Women’s Championship: Alexa Bliss def. Bianca Belair
- Bray Wyatt def. LA Knight (Pitch Black Match)
Nick:
- Men’s Rumble Winner: Sami Zayn
- Women’s Rumble Winer: Raquel Rodriguez
- Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns def. Kevin Owens
- Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair def. Alexa Bliss
- Bray Wyatt def. LA Knight (Pitch Black Match)
