WWE Royal Rumble full preview and predictions
One of the most anticipated WWE events of the year and the first stop on the road to WrestleMania 41 takes place on Saturday night
Hello, and welcome to a brand new edition of the Piledriver wrestling newsletter, where I will be giving a full preview and my predictions for this year’s WWE Royal Rumble event, which will be streamed live on Netflix from Indianapolis, Indiana, but with an earlier UK start time of 11pm. The road to WrestleMania 41 is starting with a show that is always filled with memorable and surprising moments.
There have been four matches announced for the show, which is the same as last year, and should give the 30 competitors in each of the rumble matches more than enough time to entertain. The card is also punctuated by two high-profile championship matches, which are sure to be equally as enthralling.
So, keep reading to find out who I think will come out on top at the Royal Rumble event. Share your thoughts by commenting below, and I hope you enjoy.
WWE Royal Rumble full preview and predictions
The Royal Rumble event is one of the primary WWE shows that I would describe as ‘can’t miss', with the nature of the 30 person rumble matches giving more superstars the chance to impress than at any other event. The aforementioned Royal Rumbles may be even better than usual, with star-studded lineups on both sides, and the two title matches that will also take place are bound to deliver.
So, without further ado, here is the WWE Royal Rumble full preview and predictions.
Women’s Royal Rumble Match (Confirmed Entrants: Nia Jax, Bayley, Raquel Rodriguez, Naomi, Liv Morgan, Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair, Lyra Valkyria, Iyo Sky, Ivy Nile and 20 other wrestlers)
The first of the two Royal Rumbles at the namesake event will see 30 women battle it out for a WrestleMania 41 title shot against either the Women’s Champion or Women’s World Champion, currently Tiffany Stratton and Rhea Ripley respectively. Many of WWE’s top female stars have declared for the match, with Nia Jax, Liv Morgan, Bianca Belair and the returning Charlotte Flair as the current favourites.
Now, in terms of who may win the match, there are a few options, with Nia Jax feeling like an obvious choice, but she has previously fought both Ripley and Stratton, so I feel like WWE may want to do something different in April. One match that many people would like to see is Jade Cargill vs Rhea Ripley, myself included, so I am making the bold prediction that Jade will return late in the match and get the win.
Winner: Jade Cargill
DIY vs Motor City Machine Guns for the WWE Tag Team Championships in a Two out of Three Falls Match
DIY and Motor City Machine Guns are two teams with a lot of history, as Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin had matches during their time on the independent scene. After MCMG won the tag team titles from the Bloodline, DIY would steal the championships away by nefarious means, turning heel in the process.
Since then, DIY have been reluctant to defend their titles, and Motor City Machine Guns had to win three matches against top class teams just to get to this point. I think that both teams will get a fall each to begin, making it 1-1 and setting up a tense finish, before Gargano and Ciampa once again deploy underhanded tactics, picking up the second fall and just about keeping the championships.
Winners: DIY
Cody Rhodes vs Kevin Owens for the Undisputed WWE Championship in a Ladder match
Since this rivalry began with Kevin Owens’ heinous attack on Cody Rhodes back at Bad Blood in October, both men have been trying to destroy one another at every turn. Even after Rhodes defeated Owens at Saturday Night’s Main Event in December, Owens hit a brutal and illegal piledriver to make sure that this rivalry would continue into the 2025.
Now, after an explosive contract signing that saw Shawn Michaels hit Kevin Owens with Sweet Chin Music, both the Undisputed WWE Championship and the ‘Winged Eagle’ WWE title will be hanging above the ring, and both Rhodes and Owens can hurt the other as much as they want with ladders. When the dust settles on this match however, I believe that Cody Rhodes will persevere, and the American Nightmare will still be the WWE Champion.
Winner: Cody Rhodes
Men’s Royal Rumble Match (Confirmed Entrants: LA Knight, John Cena, CM Punk, Jey Uso, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Rey Mysterio, Sami Zayn, Shinsuke Nakamura, Logan Paul, Penta, Chad Gable, Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes and 15 other wrestlers)
Now, as Royal Rumble matches go, this may be the most star-studded lineup we have ever seen, and only half of the competitors have been revealed at this point. The match seems to have everything, with legends like John Cena and CM Punk, former world champions such as Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre, huge stars like LA Knight, Jey Uso, and Sami Zayn, and wild cards like Logan Paul and Penta, so it is almost impossible to pick a winner.
Looking at different storylines and who is expected to fill the world title spots at WrestleMania, I have narrowed it down to John Cena and CM Punk, with Cena entering his final year as a WWE wrestler, and Punk desperate for a long-overdue WrestleMania main event. I think that we will see CM Punk win the Royal Rumble, after coming so close to winning at last year’s event, and he will finally be able to fulfill his main event ambitions at WrestleMania 41.
Winner: CM Punk
That’s all for this edition of the Piledriver wrestling newsletter.
Thanks for reading, and see you next time.
Owen Younger and the Piledriver team.