60 participants. Two battle royal matches. Three championships up for grabs. And a Pitch Black match?
San Antonio, get your popcorn ready, because the WWE is touching down for its first pay-per-view event of the year at the AlamoDome on Saturday, Jan. 28.
The obvious marquee bouts are the women's and men's 30-wrestler battle royals, as the winner of each match will earn a guaranteed title shot against a world champion of their choice at WrestleMania.
Roman Reigns will put both of his world championships on the line at the Royal Rumble when he faces Kevin Owens. Owens' constant feuding with The Bloodline and former best friend Sami Zayn put KO on the pathway to a title shot with Reigns.
The other longstanding champion in WWE, Bianca Belair, will defend her Raw Women's Championship against Alexa Bliss. Bliss won two matches in one night to earn this upcoming title shot. She then immediately turned on Belair, a woman she stood side-by-side with against Bayley and Damage CTRL, first threatening to hit the champion with Sister Abigail -- seemingly starting a turn to the dark side in the wake of Bray Wyatt's return -- and then hitting Belair with a vase during a sit-down interview. After getting herself disqualified in a match with Belair on Raw, Bliss said that she had already won by getting in Belair's head. Fed up with Bliss, Belair laid out a challenge for the two to battle at the Rumble.
Take a look below at the confirmed matches for the 2023 Royal Rumble. Check back for updates and predictions.
Royal Rumble 2023 fight card
Men's Royal Rumble: Winner earns a world championship match at WrestleMania 39
Women's Royal Rumble: Winner earns a world championship match at WrestleMania 39
Mountain Dew Pitch Black match: Bray Wyatt vs. LA Knight
Undisputed WWE Universal championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Kevin Owens
WWE Raw women's championship: Bianca Belair (c) vs. Alexa Bliss
Remembering The Rumbles
For the 35th time in WWE history, the Royal Rumble pay-per-view signaled the unofficial ramp-up towards WrestleMania season. The 2022 edition of one of WWE's signature events took place on Saturday, Jan. 29 at The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, MO. It was the second time the Royal Rumble emanated from St. Louis; the first time was in 2012, at what was then the Scottrade Center (now known as Enterprise Center).
After being held in a crowdless environment in 2021, fans returned in 2022.
For the fifth year running, there were two Royal Rumble matches -- one for men, one for women -- with the respective winners challenging for the world title of their choice at WrestleMania 38, which will take place on April 2 and 3 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, TX.
Here's everything you need to know about Royal Rumble 2022, as well as the history of one of WWE's longest running events.
Royal Rumble 2022 results | Reaction
Universal championship: Seth Rollins def. Roman Reigns (c) by DQ
Women's Royal Rumble: Ronda Rousey
Raw women's championship: Becky Lynch def. Doudrop
WWE championship: Bobby Lashley def. Brock Lesnar (c)
Men's Royal Rumble: Brock Lesnar
The 34th WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view was held on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021 inside of the "WWE Thunderdome" at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL -- the sixth time the event was held in Florida. As a result of measures put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19, there was no live audience inside of the Thunderdome, which WWE utilized from August 2020 through July 2021, at three different venues in the state -- Amway Arena in Orlando, Tropicana Field, and the Yuengling Center in Tampa, FL. The set utilized video LED boards that broadcasted the faces of fans as a facsimile crowd.
Royal Rumble 2021 results | Reaction
(c) - indicates defending champion
Women's tag team championships: Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler def. Asuka & Charlotte Flair
WWE championship: Drew McIntyre (c) def. Goldberg
SmackDown women's championship: Sasha Banks (c) def. Carmella
Women's Royal Rumble: Bianca Belair
Last man standing match for the Universal championship: Roman Reigns (c) def. Kevin Owens
Men's Royal Rumble: Edge
The 33rd edition of the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view took place on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX. This was the second time the Royal Rumble pay-per-view was held in Houston, and the first time in 31 years. The second ever Royal Rumble PPV, in 1989, was held at "The Summit", formerly the home of the Houston Rockets, which was eventually converted into a megachurch when the Rockets and Houston Comets moved to the Toyota Center in 2003. At that event, Big John Studd entered at No. 27 and won the 30-man Royal Rumble match, which was the main event.
This Royal Rumble marked the second consecutive year in which the Royal Rumble pay-per-view is being held inside of a baseball stadium, following the 2019 Royal Rumble at Phoenix's Chase Field. Previously, WWE held WrestleMania events at four stadiums that housed major league baseball teams -- WrestleMania VI (Toronto's Skydome), WrestleMania X-Seven (Houston Astrodome), WrestleMania XIX (Safeco Field in Seattle) and WrestleMania XXVIII (Sun Life Stadium, previously Joe Robbie Stadium and now Hard Rock Stadium in Miami).
For the third consecutive year, there was both a men's and women's Royal Rumble match. The winner of each match is guaranteed a world title shot at WrestleMania 36 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
Royal Rumble 2020 results | Recap | Rumble Winner Interviews
(c) - indicates defending champion
United States championship: Andrade (c) def. Humberto Carrillo
Falls count anywhere: Roman Reigns def. King Corbin
Women's Royal Rumble: Charlotte Flair
SmackDown women's championship: Bayley (c) def. Lacey Evans
Strap match for the Universal championship: "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt (c) def. Daniel Bryan
Raw women's championship: Becky Lynch (c) def. Asuka
Men's Royal Rumble: Drew McIntyre
2019 WWE Royal Rumble Recap
The 32nd edition of the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view took place on Sunday, Jan. 29 at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. This was the second time the Royal Rumble was held in Phoenix; the first time this event was held in this city, in 2013, The Rock defeated CM Punk to win the WWE championship -- setting up a WrestleMania main event between The Rock and Royal Rumble match winner John Cena.
2019 Royal Rumble results
Men's Royal Rumble: Seth Rollins
Universal championship: Brock Lesnar (c) def. Finn Balor
WWE championship: Daniel Bryan (c) def. AJ Styles
Women's Royal Rumble: Becky Lynch
Raw women's championship: Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Sasha Banks
SmackDown tag team championship: The Miz & Shane McMahon def. The Bar (c)
SmackDown women's championship: Asuka (c) def. Becky Lynch
Cruiserweight championship: Buddy Murphy (c) def. Akira Tozawa, Kalisto and Hideo Itami
United States championship: Shinsuke Nakamura def. Rusev (c)
Raw tag team championship: Bobby Roode & Chad Gable (Raw tag team champions) def. Rezar & Scott Dawson
2018 Royal Rumble results
(c) -- denotes defending champion
Men's Royal Rumble: Shinsuke Nakamura
Women's Royal Rumble: Asuka
Triple threat match for the Universal championship: Brock Lesnar (c) def. Kane and Braun Strowman
Handicap match for the WWE championship: AJ Styles (c) def. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
Raw tag team championships: The Bar def. Seth Rollins & Jason Jordan (c)
2-out-of-3 falls for the SmackDown tag team championships: The Usos (c) def. Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin (2-0)
U.S. Championship Open Challenge: Bobby Roode def. Mojo Rawley
Tag Team Match: The Revival def. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
Six-man Tag Match: Kalisto, Lince Dorado & Gran Metalik def. TJP, Jack Gallagher & Drew Gulak
Royal Rumble winners
2022 (St. Louis, Missouri): Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar
2021 (St. Petersburg, Florida): Bianca Belair and Edge
2020 (Houston, Texas): Charlotte Flair and Drew McIntyre
2019 (Phoenix, Arizona): Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins
2018 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania): Asuka and Shinsuke Nakamura
2017 (San Antonio, Texas): Randy Orton
2016 (Orlando, Florida): Triple H*
2015 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania): Roman Reigns
2014 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania): Batista
2013 (Phoenix, Arizona): John Cena
2012 (St. Louis, Missouri): Sheamus
2011 (Boston, Massachusetts): Alberto Del Rio
2010 (Atlanta, Georgia): Edge
2009 (Detroit, Michigan): Randy Orton
2008 (New York, NY): John Cena
2007 (San Antonio, Texas): The Undertaker
2006 (Miami, Florida): Rey Mysterio
2005 (Fresno, California): Batista
2004 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania): Chris Benoit
2003 (Boston, Massachusetts): Brock Lesnar
2002 (Atlanta, Georgia): Triple H
2001 (New Orleans, Louisiana): "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
2000 (New York, New York): The Rock
1999 (Anaheim, California): Vince McMahon
1998 (San Jose, California): Stone Cold Steve Austin
1997 (San Antonio, Texas): Stone Cold Steve Austin
1996 (Fresno, California): Shawn Michaels
1995 (Tampa, Florida): Shawn Michaels
1994 (Providence, Rhode Island): Lex Luger & Bret Hart^
1993 (Sacramento, California): Yokozuna
1992 (Albany, New York): Ric Flair*
1991 (Miami, Florida): Hulk Hogan
1990 (Orlando, Florida): Hulk Hogan
1989 (Houston, Texas): Big John Studd
1988 (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada): Hacksaw Jim Duggan
* - The WWE championship was on the line | ^ - Luger and Hart were eliminated simultaneously