Royal Rumble (2023)
Royal Rumble | |||
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Promotion WWE | | ||
Brand(s) | Raw SmackDown | ||
Date | January 28, 2023 | ||
City | San Antonio, Texas | ||
Venue | Alamodome | ||
Attendance | 51,338[1] | ||
WWE Network event chronology | |||
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Royal Rumble chronology | |||
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The 2023 Royal Rumble was the 36th annual
The event is based around the
Five matches were contested on the card. In the main event,
Production
Background
The
The Royal Rumble match generally features 30 wrestlers and the winner traditionally earns a
Storylines
The event included five matches that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed
On December 26, 2022, WWE's
At Survivor Series: WarGames, Kevin Owens, who had past issues with Roman Reigns, was one of the members of the opposing team in a WarGames match against Reigns' team, The Bloodline.[15] The two previously feuded over the Universal Championship only for Owens to constantly lose due to interference from members of The Bloodline, including their manager Paul Heyman—Owens and Reigns' last title match was at the 2021 Royal Rumble.[16] The Bloodline was victorious at Survivor Series thanks to Sami Zayn—Owens' former best friend—betraying Owens to show his loyalty to The Bloodline.[15] Despite the loss, Owens continued to target The Bloodline over the next few weeks and Owens teamed with a returning John Cena to defeat Reigns and Zayn on the December 30, 2022, episode of SmackDown, where Owens pinned Zayn.[13] The following week, Owens challenged Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble, which was made official.[17]
On the December 12, 2022, episode of Raw,
On the January 16, 2023, episode of Raw, after weeks of footage showing Cody Rhodes' journey to recovery from a torn pec he suffered before Hell in a Cell in June 2022,[20][22] Rhodes announced that he would be returning from his injury as an entrant in the men's Royal Rumble match.[21]
Event
Role: | Name: |
---|---|
English commentators | Michael Cole |
Corey Graves | |
Pat McAfee | |
Spanish commentators | Marcelo Rodriguez
|
Jerry Soto | |
Ring announcers | Mike Rome (Raw/Men's Royal Rumble match) |
Samantha Irvin (SmackDown/Women's Royal Rumble match)
| |
Referees | Danilo Anfibio |
Jason Ayers | |
Shawn Bennett | |
Dan Engler | |
Daphne Lashaunn | |
Eddie Orengo | |
Chad Patton | |
Charles Robinson | |
Ryan Tran | |
Rod Zapata | |
Pre-show panel | Kayla Braxton |
Kevin Patrick
| |
Peter Rosenberg | |
Booker T | |
Jerry Lawler |
Preliminary matches
The pay-per-view opened with the men's Royal Rumble match for a men's world championship match at WrestleMania 39: notably, this was the first time the eponymous match began the event.
Next, LA Knight faced Bray Wyatt in the Mountain Dew Pitch Black match. This was an anything goes match done under
After that, Bianca Belair defended the Raw Women's Championship against Alexa Bliss. In the end, as Bliss attempted Sister Abigail on Belair, Belair countered and performed a Kiss of Death on Bliss to retain the title. After the match, a video package aired with old clips of Bliss from when she was associated with Bray Wyatt, and Uncle Howdy then asked Bliss if she was truly in control of herself.[1]
The penultimate match was the women's Royal Rumble match for a women's championship match at WrestleMania 39. Rhea Ripley (#1) and
Following this, country music singer Hardy performed his song "Sold Out".[1]
Main event
In the main event, Roman Reigns (accompanied by Paul Heyman and Sami Zayn) defended the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Kevin Owens. During the match, Owens performed a Frog Splash on Reigns for a nearfall. Reigns performed a powerbomb on Owens for a nearfall. Reigns performed a Superman Punch on Owens for a nearfall. As Reigns attempted a spear on Owens, Owens sent Reigns into the ring post and Owens performed a Senton on Reigns for a nearfall. Reigns performed a Spear on Owens for a nearfall. As Reigns attempted another Spear, Owens countered with an attempted stunner, however, Reigns countered and shoved Owens into the referee, incapacitating him. Owens then performed a pop-up powerbomb on Reigns, however, the referee was unable to count the pin. Reigns then performed a low blow on Owens and then instructed Zayn to retrieve a chair. As Reigns was momentarily distracted by Zayn who hesitated in handing the chair to Reigns, Owens performed a Stunner on Reigns for a nearfall. As Owens went for another pop-up powerbomb, Reigns intercepted Owens with a Superman Punch and a second Spear for a nearfall. At ringside, Zayn distracted Owens imploring him to stay down. Reigns then took advantage and performed a Spear on Owens through the barricade. Reigns then slammed Owens' head against the steel steps twice. In the end, Owens slapped Reigns, who responded with a third Spear on Owens to retain the titles.[1]
After the match, the rest of The Bloodline (Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, and Solo Sikoa) came out. As Jey attempted to adorn Zayn with the tribal garland, Reigns intervened and the Bloodline then delivered a beatdown to Owens, with The Usos and Sikoa doing the damage while Zayn was watching. Heyman handed two pairs of handcuffs to Reigns and The Usos handcuffed both arms of Owens to the ropes. After The Usos viciously attacked Owens with superkicks, Reigns attempted to strike a fallen Owens with a chair, however, Zayn intervened and told Reigns that Owens had enough, and such a savage attack was beneath someone of Reigns' status. Reigns then handed the chair to Zayn, instructing him to strike Owens to prove his loyalty to The Bloodline. Zayn hesitated, and Reigns then began berating Zayn, pointing out how much Reigns and The Bloodline had done for Zayn in elevating his career. A conflicted Zayn then attacked Reigns with the chair, which prompted the entire Bloodline (except Jey, who had taken a liking to Zayn and was emotionally conflicted by what he just witnessed) to beat down Zayn. Jey left the ring and Zayn was removed from the Bloodline, turning Zayn face for the first time since 2017. Reigns, Jimmy, Sikoa, and Heyman headed up the entrance aisle while Owens and Zayn were laid out in the ring as the event came to an end.[1]
Reception
The 2023 Royal Rumble was a financial success for WWE. The company reported that it was the biggest gate in Royal Rumble history, garnering more than US$7.7 million, more than 50% than the previous record set by the 2017 event. It also had a 52% increase in viewership over the previous record set by the 2022 event. Additionally, the 2023 event broke all-time venue merchandise and sponsorship records, with merchandise sales up 135% over the record set in 2022, and sponsorship revenue was up nearly 200% over 2022. Sponsorships included Mountain Dew for the Pitch Black match and Applebee's for the countdown clock. The final segment featuring The Bloodline, particularly between Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn, generated over 20 million views across all of WWE's social media platforms.[24] Dave Meltzer reported the Mountain Dew sponsorship was for 1 million dollars.[25]
WWE reported an attendance of 51,338, though a report by Wrestlenomics said according to a public records request with the City of San Antonio (which operates the Alamodome), the company sold 44,569 tickets for the event, and that the number of tickets scanned and entered was 42,928.[26]
Dave Meltzer gave star ratings for each match of the night. The lowest rated match was Bray Wyatt vs. LA Knight, which received 0.75 stars, the Raw Women's Championship match received 1.5 stars, the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match and the women's Royal Rumble match both received 3.5 stars, and the men's Royal Rumble match received 4.25 stars, the highest rated match of the night.[27]
Brent Brookhouse of CBS Sports gave praise to the main event, giving it a grade of A+, stating that "there was so much to dig into in that match". He also stated that the best moment of the aftermath of the match was Jey Uso's walkout, which "established the pecking order of The Bloodline", and also called it "a full circle moment dating back to the group's origins and Jey Uso's feud with Reigns in 2020".[28] Wade Keller of Pro Wrestling Torch gave the match 4 stars out of 5, and that the angle was "phenomenal" with a "perfect crowd response".[29] Brandon LeClair, also from Pro Wrestling Torch, praised Sami Zayn's betrayal of The Bloodline. He said that it was "unbelievable" while also stating that it "certainly leads to that old cliche". LeClair said that "the crowd's reaction to Sami delivering the chair shot to Reigns provides any necessary proof that this has been wildly successful", and "the crowd was nearly as enthralled by an emotional Jey Uso walking out on his family, seemingly siding with Zayn".[30] Chris Mueller of Bleacher Report gave the match itself a grade of B, stating that the match "was a bit too predictable", but gave the post-match grade an A+, stating that this "was what everybody actually came to see".[31]
Aftermath
During the 2023 WWE Draft, the Raw Women's Championship and the SmackDown Women's Championship changed brands.[32] They were later renamed WWE Women's Championship and Women's World Championship, respectively.[33][34]
Raw
Men's Royal Rumble match winner Cody Rhodes opened the following episode of Raw, setting his sights on Roman Reigns and the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39. Afterwards, he was interrupted by The Judgment Day (Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio, and Finn Bálor). After they mocked Rhodes' Rumble win, Edge appeared and attacked The Judgment Day. A match between Bálor and Rhodes was later scheduled for that episode's main event. During the match, The Judgment Day tried to help Bálor win, but Edge evened the odds, only to be attacked by Rhea Ripley. However, Beth Phoenix took care of Ripley, allowing Rhodes to win the match.
Also, on Raw, women's Royal Rumble match winner Rhea Ripley announced that she would challenge
Bayley talked about eliminating Becky Lynch in the women's Royal Rumble match, only for Lynch to interrupt. After the two talked about their history, Lynch challenged Bayley to a
On the February 6 episode of Raw, Brock Lesnar appeared with a match contract and challenged Bobby Lashley to another match at Elimination Chamber. Lashley came out and said he would give him an answer later on after reviewing the contract. Lesnar then attacked Lashley with two
After the Royal Rumble, Seth "Freakin" Rollins began bad mouthing Logan Paul in interviews, stating that he did not want Paul to be in wrestling.[42] At Elimination Chamber during the titular match, Paul snuck into the chamber and attacked Rollins, costing him the United States Championship.[37] During the February 27 episode of Raw, Rollins called out Paul to meet him face-to-face on the following episode, and Paul accepted.[39] There, Rollins wanted to fight, but Paul said he would not fight for free and hinted that they could fight at WrestleMania 39. WrestleMania host The Miz said he could make the match official, and it was later confirmed.[40]
SmackDown
On the following episode of SmackDown, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns (with Paul Heyman) talked about Sami Zayn's contributions to The Bloodline, but thought he saw greed in Zayn. Reigns then stated that Zayn used his island of relevancy. Afterwards, Zayn attacked Reigns from behind, and performed his own Spear on Reigns, only for Reigns to retreat. Zayn then challenged Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, but was attacked by Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa (Jey Uso was absent for the episode). Reigns prevented Sikoa from doing further damage to Zayn, and accepted Zayn's challenge, stating that since Zayn hurt his family, he would hurt Zayn in front of his own family in
With women's Royal Rumble match winner Rhea Ripley choosing to challenge for the SmackDown Women's Championship, The Judgment Day (Ripley, Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio, and Finn Bálor) began appearing on SmackDown, thus Dominik began tormenting his dad, Rey, again. After weeks of Rey refusing to attack Dominik,[44][45][48][46] on the March 24 episode of SmackDown, Dominik disrespected his mother and sister, forcing Rey to intervene and hit Dominik. It was then confirmed that Rey and Dominik would face each other at WrestleMania 39.[49] During this time, Ripley and Liv Morgan had a match on the March 3 episode, where Ripley was victorious.[45]
After the Royal Rumble, Bray Wyatt was to begin a WrestleMania program with Bobby Lashley. However, these plans were dropped as he was taken off television in late February due to an undisclosed illness.
Results
No. | Results | Stipulations | Times Undisputed WWE Universal Championship[58] | 19:15 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Men's Royal Rumble match entrances and eliminations
- – Raw
- – SmackDown
- – NXT
- – Hall of Famer (HOF)
- – Unbranded
- – Winner
Draw | Entrant | Brand/Status | Order | Eliminated by | Time[54][a] | Elimination(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Gunther | SmackDown | 29 | Cody Rhodes | 1:11:40[b] | 5 |
2 | Sheamus | SmackDown | 21 | Gunther | 52:33 | 3 |
3 | The Miz | Raw | 1 | Sheamus | 04:23 | 0 |
4 | Kofi Kingston | SmackDown | 4 | Gunther | 14:51 | 0 |
5 | Johnny Gargano | Raw | 14 | Dominik Mysterio and Finn Bálor | 29:57 | 0 |
6 | Xavier Woods | SmackDown | 3 | Gunther | 10:29 | 0 |
7 | Karrion Kross | SmackDown | 2 | Drew McIntyre | 04:11 | 0 |
8 | Chad Gable | Raw | 7 | Brock Lesnar | 08:42 | 0 |
9 | Drew McIntyre | SmackDown | 22 | Gunther | 39:10 | 3 |
10 | Santos Escobar | SmackDown | 5 | Brock Lesnar | 04:56 | 0 |
11 | Angelo Dawkins |
Raw | 6 | Brock Lesnar | 02:28 | 0 |
12 | Brock Lesnar | Unbranded | 8 | Bobby Lashley | 02:28 | 3 |
13 | Bobby Lashley | Raw | 11 | Seth "Freakin" Rollins | 07:14 | 1 |
14 | Baron Corbin | Raw | 9 | Seth "Freakin" Rollins | 00:07 | 0 |
15 | Seth "Freakin" Rollins |
Raw | 27 | Logan Paul | 37:18 | 2 |
16 | Otis | Raw | 12 | Drew McIntyre and Sheamus | 03:08 | 0 |
17 | Rey Mysterio | SmackDown | 10 | Unable to compete[c] | 00:00 | 0 |
18 | Dominik Mysterio | Raw | 23 | Cody Rhodes | 25:44 | 1 |
19 | Elias | Raw | 13 | Drew McIntyre and Sheamus | 00:39 | 0 |
20 | Finn Bálor | Raw | 18 | Edge | 07:45 | 2 |
21 | Booker T | NXT (HOF) | 15 | Gunther | 00:42 | 0 |
22 | Damian Priest | Raw | 17 | Edge | 04:03 | 1 |
23 | Montez Ford |
Raw | 16 | Damian Priest | 00:44 | 0 |
24 | Edge | Raw (HOF) | 19 | Finn Bálor[d] | 01:04 | 2 |
25 | Austin Theory | Raw | 26 | Cody Rhodes | 15:39 | 1 |
26 | Omos | Raw | 20 | Braun Strowman | 02:26 | 0 |
27 | Braun Strowman | SmackDown | 24 | Cody Rhodes | 11:12 | 1 |
28 | Ricochet | SmackDown | 25 | Austin Theory | 09:14 | 0 |
29 | Logan Paul | Unbranded | 28 | Cody Rhodes | 10:57 | 1 |
30 | Cody Rhodes | Raw | — | Winner | 15:08 | 5 |
- ^ a b WWE lists the men's Royal Rumble match as lasting 1:11:40,[54] although Pro Wrestling Dot Net lists the match as being 1:11:42.[1]
- 2006 Royal Rumble (Daniel Bryan record for 1:16:05 does not count since it happened in the 50-man version of the Royal Rumble match at the Greatest Royal Rumble).[59]
- legitimately injured during a match on SmackDown a day earlier.[60] In storyline, Mysterio was implicitly attacked by either his son, Dominik, or The Judgment Dayas a group.
- ^ Finn Bálor was already eliminated when he eliminated Edge.
Women's Royal Rumble match entrances and eliminations
Draw | Entrant | Brand/Status | Order | Eliminated by | Time[i] | Elimination(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Rhea Ripley | Raw | — | Winner | 1:01:08 | 7 |
2 | Liv Morgan | SmackDown | 29 | Rhea Ripley | 1:01:08 | 3 |
3 | Dana Brooke | Raw | 2 | Damage CTRL[ii] | 11:43 | 0 |
4 | Emma | SmackDown | 3 | Dakota Kai | 10:12 | 0 |
5 | Shayna Baszler | SmackDown | 6 | Damage CTRL[ii] | 13:28 | 0 |
6 | Bayley | Raw | 13 | Liv Morgan | 27:09 | 5 |
7 | B-Fab | SmackDown | 1 | Rhea Ripley | 00:36 | 0 |
8 | Roxanne Perez | NXT | 4 | Damage CTRL[ii] | 04:34 | 0 |
9 | Dakota Kai | Raw | 10 | Becky Lynch | 22:20 | 5 |
10 | Iyo Sky | Raw | 11 | Becky Lynch | 20:49 | 5 |
11 | Natalya | SmackDown | 5 | Damage CTRL[ii] | 03:08 | 0 |
12 | Candice LeRae | Raw | 7 | Iyo Sky | 05:11 | 0 |
13 | Zoey Stark | NXT | 16 | Sonya Deville | 26:34 | 0 |
14 | Xia Li | SmackDown | 14 | Zelina Vega | 15:30 | 0 |
15 | Becky Lynch | Raw | 12 | Bayley | 10:45 | 2 |
16 | Tegan Nox | SmackDown | 8 | Asuka | 03:41 | 0 |
17 | Asuka | Raw | 28 | Rhea Ripley | 33:15 | 3 |
18 | Piper Niven | Raw | 25 | Raquel Rodriguez | 28:05 | 2 |
19 | Tamina |
Raw | 15 | Michelle McCool | 11:58 | 0 |
20 | Chelsea Green | Unbranded | 9 | Rhea Ripley | 00:05 | 0 |
21 | Zelina Vega | SmackDown | 17 | Lacey Evans | 11:30 | 1 |
22 | Raquel Rodriguez | SmackDown | 26 | Rhea Ripley | 20:40 | 3 |
23 | Mia Yim | Raw | 24 | Piper Niven | 17:44 | 2 |
24 | Lacey Evans | SmackDown | 20 | Raquel Rodriguez | 14:05 | 2 |
25 | Michelle McCool | Unbranded | 22 | Rhea Ripley | 13:53 | 2 |
26 | Indi Hartwell | NXT | 18 | Sonya Deville | 04:51 | 0 |
27 | Sonya Deville | SmackDown | 21 | Asuka | 10:17 | 3 |
28 | Shotzi |
SmackDown | 23 | Mia Yim | 08:39 | 1 |
29 | Nikki Cross | Raw | 27 | Liv Morgan | 09:16 | 1 |
30 | Nia Jax | Unbranded | 19 | 11 women[iii] | 01:57 | 0 |
- ^ a b WWE lists the women's Royal Rumble match as lasting 1:01:08,[57] although Pro Wrestling Dot Net lists the match as being 1:01:03.[1]
- ^ a b c d Bayley, Dakota Kai, and Iyo Sky comprise a group known as Damage CTRL, and the three collectively scored the elimination.
- ^ 11 women combined to eliminate Nia Jax - Asuka, Lacey Evans, Liv Morgan, Mia Yim, Michelle McCool, Nikki Cross, Piper Niven, Raquel Rodriguez, Rhea Ripley, Shotzi, and Sonya Deville.
References
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- ^ Hamilton, Ian. Wrestling's Sinking Ship: What Happens to an Industry Without Competition. p. 160.
- ^ News 3 Staff (August 22, 2021). "Las Vegas to host WWE's Money in the Bank in 2022". KSNV. Archived from the original on August 23, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
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