SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
The 2025 Royal Rumble will take place on February 1, 2025, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Kevin Owens – Undisputed WWE Championship ladder match
Story in a nutshell: After Kevin Owens stole the “Winged Eagle” Championship belt after Cody Rhodes successfully defended the Undisputed WWE Championship, both the “Winged Eagle” and “Undisputed” belts will be the prize in a ladder match in Owens and Rhodes’s championship rematch.
Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes granted his friend, Kevin Owens, a championship match claiming that Owens deserved a shot. Owens was resistant since he had won any big matches lately. Eventually they had their match. Owens’s killer instinct had been called into question in the lead up and sure enough, Owens didn’t finish off Rhodes when Rhodes appeared to be injured, which gave Rhodes the opening to beat Owens.
At Bad Blood, Rhodes teamed up with Roman Reigns to face the rogue Bloodline despite Reigns’s having been a bitter enemy of Rhodes and Owens, much to Owens’s disconcertment. After the show, Owens confronted Rhodes where things got physical.
Randy Orton, who was Owens’s tag partner at the time as well as a former mentor to Rhodes, tried to intervene but this led to Owens turning on Orton too. This side feud ended when Owens hit Orton with a piledriver, a move banned in the WWE, injuring Orton.
Rhodes convinced authorities not to punish Owens instead wanting to avenge Orton and stop Owens himself. The two faced each other at the returning Saturday Night’s Main Event. To commemorate the occasion, Triple H allowed Cody Rhodes to carry the “Winged Eagle” belt as his championship. This is the belt design that was in use during most of the 90’s and a design Rhodes was very fond of.
While Rhodes won the match, Kevin Owens had hit Cody with a stunner during the match but the referee was knocked out and unable to make the count. Owens attacked Rhodes with another piledriver and stole the Winged Eagle belt. Owens declared that he was the real champion and paraded around with the belt.
G.M. Nick Aldis demanded that Owens return the belt or suffer serious consequences, but Rhodes convinced Aldis to schedule a ladder match with both belts on the line.
Prediction and Analysis: Cody wins. Owens did try to tempt Sami Zayn into interfering in the match to help Owens win the title and maybe that gets played into something. Zayn has also been targeted by Karrion Kross who has manipulated everyone he’s crossed paths with into becoming a heel. I doubt too much of this will factor into the match but the possibility is there.
Tommaso Chiampa & Johnny Gargano (c) vs. Chris Sabin & Alex Shelly – WWE Tag Team Championship two out of three falls match
Story in a nutshell: After losing the WWE Tag Team Championship to Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano when their former friend Gargano betrayed them into lowering their guard, Chris Sabin and Alex Shelly have a chance to win back the titles.
Tommaso Chiampa and Johnny Gargano were once Tag Team Champions but when they lost the titles, they never got a chance to win them back. Enter the legendary team of Chris Sabin and Alex Shelly who soon won the WWE Tag Team Championship.
Tommaso Ciampa began getting more aggressive and began questioning Gargano’s motivations especially since Gargano and Shelly were friends. The Street Profits were set to challenge Sabin and Shelly, but they came down with a sudden case of backstage assault. Gargano convinced GM Nick Aldis that they’d take the Profits’s spot in the match.
During the match, Ciampa became really aggressive with Gargano, and it seemed they were headed to a split. It was a ruse however and Gargano cheated when he hit Sabin with a low blow and captured the titles.
Gargano and Chiampa refused to give Sabin and Shelly a rematch, telling them that they’d have to earn another shot. Over the next few weeks, Shelly and Sabin did just that.
Prediction and Analysis: I have Shelly & Sabin winning though it’s a tossup really.
Men’s Royal Rumble match
Story in a nutshell: Thirty men enter the ring at regular intervals and are eliminated by getting tossed over the top rope with both feet touching the ground with the last person standing winning a title shot against the champion of their choice.
The following is a list of participants announced as of writing along with issues they may have with other participants when applicable:
John Cena has announced his in ring retirement after this current run and hopes to go out with another championship added to his tally. Both he and C.M. Punk have mentioned each other in promos and current TNA Champion Joe Hendry want a match with Cena who he sees as his hero. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Cena as TNA Champion by the end of this.
Punk, for his part, is also hoping to finish a story, that he has never headlined a WrestleMania since that spot went to part time wrestlers when Punk was on top. Same as his story last year. This year it is more plausible though. Both Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins (as well as others I’m sure) hate his guts. He also seems to have his eye set on Roman Reigns a through his connection through Paul Heyman.
Drew McIntyre wants to kill Reigns and Punk. He’s also butted heads with Rollins. He also has issues with all the OG Bloodline members.
Roman Reigns is officially the tribal chief again and many on the roster hasn’t forgotten or forgiven his reign of terror as champion and are hellbent on preventing a reoccurrence. I’m sure the Bloodline will have him in their sights if they are involved in the Rumble and this is a good opportunity to further things between him and Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, or even the Rock.
Shinsuke Nakamura declared and isn’t involved in anything truly major right now.
L.A. Knight isn’t either outside of finding himself on the wrong side of the Rogue Bloodlines attention.
Chad Gable is having problems preforming against luchador/masked men. I expect this will put him in conflict with Penta and/or Rey Mysterio.
Jey Uso is the defacto top Raw (exclusive) babyface for now. He has strained connections with the rest of the OG Bloodline and is sure to be a target for the Rogue Bloodline and McIntyre.
Sami Zayn is ditto on what I said about Jey.
Seth Rollins has had issues with just about everyone. While he hasn’t turned to the darkside like many who detest Reigns and his allies (yet), he has a strained relationship with Zayn and the Usos while simultaneously hating Reigns.
Rey Mysterio has an interesting encounter with Penta in store for him. Is estranged son Dominik might be involved.
Logan Paul will likely find his WrestleMania dance partner sometime during this match. I expect he’ll have a spotlight stealing spot.
Penta’s display this match will be telling of how hard WWE is about to push he guy. I would not be surprised if he’s in the final four/five. Penta crossing paths with Rey will be a moment.
Bron Breaker ditto what I said about Penta. Well, minus the Rey thing.
Carmelo Hayes is also in the match. Maybe Trick Williams get a shot at the Rumble and they cross paths.
Some to keep an eye on, Braun Strowman was nearly killed by Jacob Fatu and if either are involved in the match, the other will be too. Also, they’re in Indy, Pat McAfee is getting involved.
Prediction and Analysis: I’m doing this a bit differently with categories.
Winner: Roman Reigns unless he’s taken out by the Rock in some way, leading to that being a Wrestlemania match.
Final Five: Reigns, Punk, McIntyre, Rollins, Penta
- Most eliminations: Fatu if he’s involved. Breaker or Penta if not.
- Longest in the match: Jey or Sami.
- Surprise: Matt Cardona
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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Women’s Royal Rumble match
Story in a nutshell: Thirty women enter the ring at regular intervals and are eliminated by getting tossed over the top rope with both feet touching the ground with the last person standing winning a title shot against the champion of their choice.
The following is a list of participants announced as of writing along with issues they may have with other participants when applicable (though, like last year, it isn’t much):
Nia Jax was champ until recently and will likely have the spot were the whole ring teams up against her.
Bayley has been involved with Cora Jade as of late.
Charlotte Flair is returning from a long layoff.
Naomi and Bianca Belair have been teaming as tag champions ever since Jade Cargill was taken out. I expect Jade to return, and we find out who dunnit.
Liv Morgan will be opportunistic and will likely be caught from elimination by Dominik Mysterio.
Raquel Rodriguez will back up Liv but I wouldn’t be surprised if some mishap occurs between the two leading to eliminations.
Lyra Valkyria, is in this and will likely find the challenger for her new title.
Ivy Nile, also in this. Has issues with Maxine Dupri.
Iyo Sky, is also, also in this. There might still be bad blood between he and Bayley, or maybe the end up teaming up.
Also to keep and eye out for, Jordynne Grace who has recently signed with the WWE and has been in previous Rumbles as a TNA star. Cora Jade, and others from nXt (which I don’t watch so sorry). AJ Lee since Punk is really hard at keeping secret or is hardcore trolling everyone. Becky Lynch coming back from her layoff.
Prediction and Analysis: I’m doing this a bit differently with categories.
Winner: Becky Lynch if she’s back, Charlotte if not.
Final Five: Becky, Charlotte, Jordynne, Bianca, Bayley
- Most eliminations: Jax or Rodriguez
- Longest: Bayley.
- Surprise: Grace winning.
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