On Saturday night, The Royal Rumble live from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida and streaming on Peacock, was one of the most highly-anticipated premium live events in WWE history.

Would Cody Rhodes win his second men’s Royal Rumble in a row to punch his ticket to WrestleMania 40 and an apparent rematch from last year’s ‘Mania” with Universal Champion, Roman Reigns, or would CM Punk, Gunther, Drew McIntyre or anyone else stand in his way?  That was just one of the plotlines going into the night.

However, the card started out with the 30 women Royal Rumble, and as it turned out, it wound up being the best match of the night.  Although the women’s rumble lasted well over an hour, it provided many highlights, a tease of stories to come and gave the victor her due. Here’s a rundown of the four matches on the card.

Photo: WWE

WOMEN’S ROYAL RUMBLE: When the contestants clocked in, the usual blasts from the pasts were not involved, which was a good sign that WWE had enough sense to keep it truly competitive. The women’s rumble included the ‘biggest pop of the night’ and that was for the returning Naomi! If you recall, she, along with Sasha Banks, walked out of the building and the company, and threw down their WWE tag team title belts, in May of 2022 and she hasn’t been back in a WWE ring since.

The women’s rumble also featured the long-awaited debut of Jade Cargill, who did not disappoint one bit. During the rumble, it was Cargill who power lifted one competitor over her shoulders, while Bianca Belair did the same, noting that a Bianca vs Jade showdown could come at WrestleMania 40. TNA champ, Jordlynne Grace also appeared in the rumble to the delight of the crowd and the fact that the door appears to be open for Grace to work in the WWE, as well, and future performers from that organization. The last entrant at #30 was returning favorite Liv Morgan, who has been sidelined with a shoulder injury.

Photo: WWE

At the end of the match is was down to three: Cargill, Bayley and Morgan. Next, Cargill went over the top rope and then Bayley gave a kick to Morgan and she went over the rope, leaving Bayley victorious. Now, who will Bayley pick to go up against at WrestleMania 40? Well, it has to be Damage CTRL team member and WWE women’s champ, Iyo Sky for the juiciest of storylines. Stay tuned as Bayley’s win will continue the dissolution of the most dominant female clique in sports entertainment, right now.  It was clear the crowd at Tropicana was all-in on a Bayley win.

FATAL FOUR-WAY – ROMAN REIGNS, LA KNIGHT, RANDY ORTON, AJ STYLES for the universal championship

Going second was the Fatal Four-Way No DQ match for Reigns’ Universal Championship. However, aside from coming out of the gate with some major moves by all four competitors, the end of this match was the same ole’ same ole’.

After ‘The Tribal Chief’ was down, he got back only to be targeted by the “Megastar” with a BFT, while “The Phenomenal One” landed a Styles Clash.  However, Orton delivered three RKOa in a row to each of his opponents.

Just as Orton had Reigns about to be pinned for the three-count, the referee got pulled out of the ring, when his leg was grabbed by a hooded man, who revealed himself to be the Bloodline’s enforcer Solo Sikoa. Next Sikoa comes in the ring to deliver a few Samoan Spikes. “The Viper” was furious while an enraged AJ Styles grabbed a steel chair. In the end, Reigns prevailed and hit a spear on Styles to retain the title.

If the Bloodline’s storyline isn’t reinvigorated asap, these wins by Reigns are getting stale, with the same interference over and over again. But, it’s always great to watch, or in the case of the attendees, be in the presence of the ‘Tribal Chief” nonetheless.

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KEVIN OWENS VS. LOGAN PAUL FOR THE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP

Fresh off signing a new deal full-time contract with the WWE, just what would be the fate of Logan Paul’s run as United States Champion?  The match with KO and “The Maverick” got off to a solid start, due to Paul’s ability to b a high-fly and so athletic and agile in the ring.

After some back and forth, there became a scene at ringside, when a member of Paul’s entourage (revealed to be his real-life manager Jeff Levin) was being told to leave by security. It was then that Austin Theory and Grayson Waller arrived to deliver brass knuckles to Paul.

However, Owens got a hold of the knucks but was caught by the official during a three-count for the victory. The ref quickly disqualified KO. At the end of the match Owens assaulted Paul with a powerbomb through the announce table.

Looks like “The Jerks” clique is becoming a ‘thing” by having Paul, Waller and Theory watching each others backs and cheating along the way.

Photo: WWE

MEN’S ROYAL RUMBLE

The start of the Men’s Royal Rumble was red hot with the #1 and #2 entrants were twin brothers, Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. It marked the first time the two shared a ring together since Jimmy’s betrayal of his brother at Summerslam. While we thought perhaps at some point the two would work together for their own gain, they were at odds, leading us to believe as many suspect it could be Uso vs. Uso at WrestleMania 40.

Another AEW defector made his WWE debut when Andrade shocked the crowd and returned at the #4 spot.  However, it was clear that the show was behind in time, as the competitors were now making their way to the ring in what felt like lightning speed.

When the smoke cleared, there were only four remaining Drew McIntyre, Gunther, CM Punk and Cody Rhodes.  Punk sent McIntyre flying over the ropes and Rhodes was able to outsmart the IC champion and Gunter went out next.  Leaving to  a heart-stopping conclusion. After several minutes of meeting each other move for move, and Punk clearly trash talking Rhodes, in particular when he said, “I didn’t wait ten years to lose to Dusty’s kid,” it became more apparent that a full heel turn is imminent for Punk.  Previously, Punk delivered a Pedigree on Cody as well.

However, Rhodes was not going to give in to Punk and rallied to throw the “Voice of the Voiceless” over the top win for the victory. Not since ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin in 1997-1998 has anyone gone back-to-back with Royal Rumble victories. “The American Nightmare” joins an elite group of Austin, Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels as the only fourth man to do so in WWE history.

Photo: WWE

At the end of the night, Rhodes celebratory in the ring, pointed to Reigns and special counsel Paul Heyman now seated in the sky box at Tropicana Field, meaning he is coming for him and he intends this time to “finish the story.”

With no shocking entrant such as “The Rock” showing up at #30, this was a predictable way to finish the show. But maybe everyone that was hoping for a plot twist was just blindsided by what’s in front of them. The WWE is telling us Cody will ‘finish the story’ and this April, it looks like Reigns lengthy time on top of the mountain might seriously come to its end.

So, what did you think of CM Punk and Bayley winning the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble? Share your thoughts via the comment section. But first check out the WWE Royal Rumble video highlights, followed by the Michael Fairman Channel’s “What’s Up? Wrestling” livestream immediately following last night’s ‘Rumble’ from St. Petersburg, Florida.