WWE Royal Rumble 2024 is coming up this Saturday! Before the event takes place, let’s run down everything you need to know about the upcoming pay-per-view.
Who is scheduled for the card? How interesting does the show seem? What’s going to happen with all the matches?
Here is a full preview of WWE Royal Rumble 2024.
PPV EVENT INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, January 27, 2024
Start Time: 7 p.m. ET (kickoff), 8 p.m. ET (main show)
Location: Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida
MATCH CARD, PREDICTIONS & HEAT INDEX ANTICIPATION LEVELS
(as currently advertised; card is always subject to change)
Temperature Scale = Scorching > Hot > Lukewarm > Temperate > Chilly > Cold > Freezing
Heat Index is my assessment of how interesting the segment is, including how excited I am for the match and how intriguing the feud has been. The hotter, the better. Scorching translates to not being able to wait to see it, while Freezing means I couldn’t possibly care less and think it will be awful.
FATAL 4-WAY MATCH FOR THE UNDISPUTED WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP:
Roman Reigns (c) vs. AJ Styles vs. LA Knight vs. Randy Orton
Heat Index = Hot
Prediction: Roman Reigns wins.
Thoughts: Look at how stacked this match is. It’s a shame the conclusion of it feels so certain. There’s no way Roman Reigns is going to drop the title prior to WrestleMania. I know that so many people are convinced he’ll lose it here because The Rock will cost him and someone else will take the pin, but WWE isn’t going to bypass having Reigns in the main event with the titles. So how does Reigns retain? Well, based on how little he wrestles anymore, I wouldn’t be shocked if he spends most of the match NOT in the match, to be honest. I could see the 3 challengers all beating him up, taking him out of it, so he sits out the majority of the match and fans get this hype of a new champion being crowned, only for Reigns to come in toward the tail end, hit some Superman Punches and spears, and retain by pinning Styles or Knight. Orton likely isn’t taking the pin. This should be a fun ride, regardless. I just wish the title wasn’t in a position where it so clearly isn’t changing hands, so there would be a little more doubt.
UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Logan Paul (c) vs. Kevin Owens
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Prediction: Logan Paul wins.
Thoughts: Just like Reigns not going into Mania without the title, we’re so close to it that I think Logan Paul will definitely retain the United States Championship. My running theory remains that he’s in a multi-man match at WrestleMania, or that he just goes up against LA Knight. I don’t know about what Kevin Owens does, which is a shame, as I hope he doesn’t get lost in the shuffle. But I don’t think he’ll be defending the US title over Paul. I’m not as close to Hot on this one as the Fatal 4-Way since I feel like this will be given a buffer segment position on the card and might not get the time necessary to fully become a great match. It could be rushed. Hopefully, I’m wrong, and it’s just awesome. Paul is way better in the ring than he has any right to be, and Owens is one of my favorites, so I’m still looking forward to it.
30-WOMAN ROYAL RUMBLE MATCH:
Participants: Bayley, Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Nia Jax and TBA
Heat Index = Scorching
Prediction: Bayley wins?
Thoughts: Any Royal Rumble is immediately going to get Scorching from me. It’s the most fun single match concept of the entire year. I’m looking forward to some potential surprises like AJ Lee, Naomi, Mickie James maybe? Jade Cargill popping up here would be cool to see. Also, I’m not sold on what is happening with Iyo Sky come WrestleMania. I’m fully expecting Rhea Ripley to fight Becky Lynch, but does that mean The Man wins this? If not, who wins to challenge Iyo? Or does Iyo lose the title at Elimination Chamber or in March, forcing some other match? Are we getting Bayley winning this? She seems like the most obvious challenger for Iyo. But for all we know, Sasha Banks is going to come back and win instead or something. Or, for that matter, Banks returns and teams with Bayley to fight The Kabuki Warriors for the tag titles at WrestleMania and Iyo fights someone else. Hell, Naomi and Sasha could fight for the tag titles and Bayley could fight Iyo. So many possibilities. Cargill wins and challenges Belair, who wins the title from Iyo before Mania? Not being certain what is going to happen makes this infinitely more interesting.
30-MAN ROYAL RUMBLE MATCH:
Participants: Bobby Lashley, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Damian Priest, Drew McIntyre, Gunther, Kofi Kingston, Shinsuke Nakamura and TBA
Heat Index = Scorching
Prediction: CM Punks wins.
Thoughts: The men’s match is almost always one of my favorite bouts of the year. This time around, I’m so nervous about what’s going to happen at WrestleMania. All I want to ensure is that Cody Rhodes beats Roman Reigns for the titles in the main event of night 2. However, with The Rock lingering, I’m not convinced that’s happening. As soon as the World Heavyweight Championship was created, I immediately shifted my focus to “Okay. This year’s Royal Rumble winner is going to challenge for that belt, not Roman.” I’ve maintained that idea, and I feel even more concrete in that once CM Punk returned. He’s the favorite to win in order to challenge Seth Rollins. They could even get away with the excuse that he wants Rollins at 100% so he’s willing to wait all of February and March to allow him to heal up. In the meantime, they do whatever they need to do to settle on who fights The Tribal Chief. As always, I’m excited for potential returns (Big E? Andrade?) and surprises, as well as just the general flow of this match. Unless they totally botch the execution, which does happen from time to time, this should be an awesome match.
With both the men’s and women’s matches, stay tuned for some more in-depth predictions of other elements like the Iron Man/Woman, Most Eliminations, Shortest Time and Final Four in two upcoming articles of mine. And if you want to take part in my annual Royal Rumble Predictions Contest, fill out the form!
OVERALL PPV:
How excited am I for the event as a whole?
Heat Index = Scorching
Thoughts: Royal Rumble is my favorite overall event of the year. I absolutely love watching these two matches. The buzz over starting The Road to WrestleMania makes it an infectious vibe. Let’s hope that by the end of this event, we’re all pumped, and not feeling anxious!
What do you think is going to happen at WWE Royal Rumble? Which matches are you most excited to see? Keep the discussion going in the comments below!
