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The Royal Rumble is one of the special premium live events on the WWE calendar where anything really can happen.
Last year, WWE fans saw Jey Uso win the men’s Royal Rumble and earned a title shot at WrestleMania 41. Uso won the World Heavyweight Championship in a huge upset over Gunther. Charlotte Flair won the women’s Royal Rumble and challenged Tiffany Stratton for the WWE Women’s World Championship, but came up short.
Both male and female competitors on the WWE roster will try to climb to the top of the mountain and earn title opportunities again. First, they’ll have to survive 29 other opponents and ensure they get tossed over the top rope to eliminate them from the Royal Rumble.
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Jey Uso celebrates his victory during WrestleMania 41 on Saturday at Allegiant Stadium on April 19, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Andrew Timms/WWE via Getty Images)
The match begins with two participants in the ring and a new competitor enters the ring approximately every 90 seconds. The only way to eliminate participants is if they are thrown over the top rope and both feet touch the ground.
One of the best things about the game is the feeling that anyone can win and anyone can be in the game. WWE legends, stars recovering from injuries, or wrestlers fans haven’t seen in a while have been known to make epic comebacks and wow audiences.
The road to WrestleMania 42 has barely formed and there is a feeling in the air that anyone could win the Royal Rumble matches and come out on top.
Beyond the Royal Rumble matches, the rest of the lineup is pretty solid.
Sami Zayn will challenge Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Championship, while Gunther will try to be the “career killer” and end AJ Styles’ tenure in WWE.
The Royal Rumble is taking place for the first time in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It will be broadcast on ESPN at 2 pm ET.
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Read five predictions for the event below.
1. Gunther achieves “career killer” status
Gunther kicks CM Punk during the men’s Royal Rumble match at Tropicana Field on January 27, 2024. (Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports)
Gunther enters the Royal Rumble on a good streak since losing to Jey Uso at WrestleMania 41. In that period, he regained the World Heavyweight Championship and then lost it to CM Punk. He retired Goldberg and John Cena and now has AJ Styles in his sights. It will be a big moment for the “Ring General” if he gets another big win on his resume.
2. Drew McIntyre retains his title
Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns during the Men’s Royal Rumble match during the WWE Royal Rumble at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 1, 2025. (Joe Camporeale/Image Images)
Drew McIntyre will likely retain the WWE Undisputed Championship after winning it in a cage match against Cody Rhodes with indirect help from Jacob Fatu. The only question is how he will win it. Zayn is one of the best on the SmackDown brand and got his chance after winning a fatal four-way match over Trick Williams, Damian Priest and Randy Orton. But McIntyre has been on a roll lately and he made sure his opponents knew it too when he defeated Rhodes and Fatu in Saturday night’s Main Event. McIntyre should stay on top at the Royal Rumble and at least until WrestleMania.
3. The women’s side will feature returning familiar faces and NXT stars.
Sol Ruca enters the ring during NXT at the WWE Performance Center on June 17, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. (Kevin Sabitus/WWE via Getty Images)
Alexa Bliss, Trish Stratus and Nikki Bella were among the top surprises at the women’s Royal Rumble last year, while NXT stars Roxanne Perez, Lash Legend, Jaida Parker, Stephanie Vaquer and Giulia joined the fray. Jordynne Grace was also involved in the event after coming from TNA.
This year, there may not be as many surprises, but some injuries may return. Tiffany Stratton has not been seen since losing her title to Jade Cargill. Bianca Belair has been out of action since April and was only a referee at Evolution. Those two could come back.
NXT stars are likely to make an impact at the Royal Rumble. They may not have the same impact that Perez had last year, but he could be something special. Sol Ruca and Zaria have already been seen facing Flair and Bliss on the main roster. Jacy Jayne is also set to be called up after a successful run as NXT Women’s Champion.
4. The men’s team will feature new and old faces.
LA Knight and Jey Uso during the Men’s Royal Rumble match during the WWE Royal Rumble at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 1, 2025. (Joe Camporeale/Image Images)
The women’s side made some big returns last year, but this year it will be the men’s match that will have professional wrestling fans talking.
The biggest rumor has been the return of Chris Jericho. WWE fans have been clamoring for it since his contract with AEW supposedly ended. Jericho is a legend in WWE. He hasn’t been in a WWE match since 2018 and hasn’t been on WWE programming since 2022.
Two other professional wrestling superstars who could debut are Powerhouse Hobbs and EVIL. Hobbs was a superstar on the AEW roster since 2020 and was a two-time champion. EVIL was a star in New Japan Pro-Wrestling as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion and four-time NEVER Openweight Champion. Both are rumored to debut in WWE and it could happen soon.
There’s also a chance that WWE guys who haven’t been on WWE programming in a while will return. Fans cannot rule out LA Knight doing everything possible to enter the match and try to win it all. Seth Rollins has been out with a legitimate injury, but after his ruse to win at SummerSlam, anything is possible with him. Oba Femi has also been announced for the Rumble and could surprise the world.
5. Bron Breakker and Liv Morgan win the Rumble matches
Liv Morgan during the Women’s Royal Rumble during the WWE Royal Rumble at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 1, 2025. (Joe Camporeale/Image Images)
Bron Breakker and Liv Morgan will win this year’s men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches, respectively.
Breakker had an epic match against Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship starting in 2026 and a rematch would be an epic main event of WrestleMania 42. Breakker had a viral moment at last year’s Rumble when he attacked iShowSpeed. But he was eliminated by Roman Reigns after eliminating three participants. Breakker has improved a lot since then and could be in line for another title shot.
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Morgan returned to RAW earlier this month after returning from injury. She and Perez are number one contenders for the women’s tag team titles, but the bigger goal would be to get back to the top of the women’s division. A Royal Rumble victory will accomplish that, but it would likely mean a breakup on Judgment Day if Raquel Rodriguez defeats Vaquer for the Women’s World Championship.
It would definitely be an interesting WrestleMania if that were the case.
