The Road to WrestleMania 39 officially begins at Royal Rumble 2023.
A stacked field of Superstars—including former winners Brock Lesnar, Drew McIntyre, Rey Mysterio, Seth Rollins, and Sheamus—have announced their entry into the 30-Man Royal Rumble, with 11 entrants still to be confirmed.
Cody Rhodes also joins the field in what will be his first match back from surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle.
With a WrestleMania main event on the line, and more than 42,000 WWE fans packed into San Antonio’s Alamodome, the stakes are as high as they come.
Who’s winning the Royal Rumble? The NZPWI Roundtable weighs in on one of WWE’s most must-see events.
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30-Man Royal Rumble Match:
Austin Theory vs. Baron Corbin vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Braun Strowman vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Dominik Mysterio vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Gunther vs. Karrion Kross vs. Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz vs. Omos vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Ricochet vs. Santos Escobar vs. Seth Rollins vs. Sheamus vs. Xavier Woods vs. ???
AJ Murtagh (@AJMurtagh):
Cody Rhodes has spent the better part of a year working to make this comeback. I have to believe he’s the hungriest entrant in the match and this hunger may make him unstoppable. Short of The Rock surprising everyone, I’m not sure who can stop a Cody Rhodes that is this driven.
Winner: Cody Rhodes
David Dunn (@david_dunn)
Cody Rhodes battled his way through a Hell in a Cell match with a torn pectoral muscle—and won—when there wasn’t a shot at the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship on the line…
Winner: Cody Rhodes
Grady Hooker (@GradyHooker):
The odds-on favourite here has to be Cody Rhodes. He was at the peak of the mountain before his injury and now we know where he is making his triumphant return. Rhodes is going to be every bit as motivated as before to get the WrestleMania main event, and no one is going to be able to stop him.
Winner: Cody Rhodes
Sammy G (@RealSammyG):
Ninety per cent of people who fall in love with sports entertainment all have “the dream” of one day making a big entrance on The Grandest Stage of Them All, WrestleMania. I think this year’s winner is about to have his biggest test to date when it comes to family… live the dream, or surrender to The Bloodline.
Winner: Sami Zayn
Steve McCleary (@SJMcCleary):
Only one man has spent months gutting it out from an impressive Hell in a Cell performance to rehabbing a torn pectoral. And that man is someone with an incredibly smart mind for the business, which has been left to think through everything he could do when he returns.
Winner: Cody Rhodes
30-Woman Royal Rumble Match:
Bayley vs. Candice LeRae vs. Dakota Kai vs. Emma vs. Iyo Sky vs. Lacey Evans vs. Liv Morgan vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Xia Li vs. Zelina Vega vs. ???
AJ:
My heart says Becky Lynch or Liv Morgan but my head says Rhea Ripley; since joining The Judgment Day she has taken her game to another level. Rhea will be one of the most powerful and ruthless competitors in this match and that combined with her momentum lately makes her the most dangerous entrant.
Winner: Rhea Ripley
David:
Could I see Becky Lynch entering the Royal Rumble and redeeming herself after the cage match fiasco on Raw? Definitely. Would I love to see Dakota Kai sweep the field and headline WrestleMania? Absolutely! But of all the women confirmed for this year’s Royal Rumble, none have been on form quite like Rhea Ripley.
Winner: Rhea Ripley
Grady:
For the men, I went logical. For the women, I’m going with my heart. I love everything I have seen from Rhea Ripley lately and I want to see good things in her future —with or without The Judgement Day. I can see her winning the title at WrestleMania after winning this Rumble.
Winner: Rhea Ripley
Sammy:
I think it’s time for Mami to step up and claim her spot at the top of the women’s roster! After Judgement Day comes, there can be only one woman left standing, and it will be Rhea Ripley!
Winner: Rhea Ripley
Steve:
To win a Rumble you need strength, talent, and more than a little cunning. You already know she can get this done, and she’s never been better than now. It’s about to be Judgment Day for the women’s division.
Winner: Rhea Ripley
Picks Summary
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship:
Kevin Owens: – (0%)
Roman Reigns: AJ, David, Grady, Sammy, Steve (100%)
Raw Women’s Championship:
Alexa Bliss: AJ, Grady, Sammy (60%)
Bianca Belair: David, Steve (40%)
30-Man Royal Rumble Match:
Austin Theory, Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley etc: – (0%)
Cody Rhodes: AJ, David, Grady, Steve (80%)
Sami Zayn: Sammy (20%)
30-Woman Royal Rumble Match:
Bayley, Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai etc: – (0%)
Rhea Ripley: AJ, David, Grady, Sammy, Steve (100%)
Mountain Dew Pitch Black Match:
Bray Wyatt: David, Grady, Sammy, Steve (80%)
LA Knight: AJ (20%)
WWE Royal Rumble 2023
Sunday, January 29
2pm NZDT (Royal Rumble Kickoff from 1pm)
WWE Network
