2023 WWE Royal Rumble Live Blog: Instant analysis and breakdown of every match

Roman reigns, Sami sizzles.

Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens had a solid match, but it felt like everyone was waiting for Sami Zayn. It's like if you went to go see blink-182 in concert and they hadn't played Damnit, yet, and you're just waiting for the encore. We all knew Zayn was going to do something. We were waiting for the crescendo. And what a crescendo it was...

Sami Zayn looks to be no longer part of The Bloodline, in what continues to be the best storyline told by WWE in at least six years (Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 30), if not longer. Zayn wouldn't hit Owens with a chair after the match, instead hitting Reigns, which led to a beatdown at the hands of Reigns, Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa. Notably, Jey Uso was devastated and refused to do anything to Zayn before walking out.

And now... what's next? Next month Elimination Chamber is in Montreal, Zayn's hometown. Earlier in the week a poster was leaked on Twitter featuring Zayn in an Elimination Chamber pod, suggesting Zayn will be part of the match. But it's not clear what the stakes of the match will be.

Will Zayn be in a position to challenge Reigns at WrestleMania? Will Zayn be in the Chamber to help Reigns retain his title? Will Zayn and Owens team up in the Chamber, leading to a tag title match at 'Mania against The Usos? Decisions, decisions...

The match itself was very good, but the best moment came after the match. The pop that Zayn got for hitting Reigns with a chair will not be forgotten for quite a long time.

Match Rating: 4/5 Stars

Maybe Cody didn't come in at number one and win because there was always a plan to have Rhea Ripley do the same thing. The story of Ripley going the distance to win makes all the sense in the world. Ripley is the first to win from the number one spot in the seven year history of the Women's Royal Rumble match.

The finish of the match was solid, with Ripley eliminating Asuka with a 6-1-9, and then tossing Liv Morgan from the side of apron. Overall, it will be said by most fans that the women's Rumble match was better booked and more entertaining than the men's.

This match was good, without a lot of flaws to it. But it was made seemingly worse, or at least a tad more deflating, thanks to the apathetic crowd in San Antonio. Whether the tame reaction to the majority of the match was justified is up for debate, but it was very apparent that the weak crowd reaction throughout hurt the match. Business picked up a tad (shoutout JR) with the arrival of Becky Lynch and Asuka, with the latter bringing the crowd to its feet for a brief period of time.

Congratulations to Chelsea Green who set a new Women's Royal Rumble record by being eliminated in 5 seconds. Green was one of the surprises, along with a handful of NXT wrestlers, Michelle McCool and, finally... Nia Jax, who came in as the final entrant. Jax was treated as a major star upon her arrival back in WWE, her first appearance in a WWE ring since being released late in 2021. I have never personally been a fan of Jax, but her return did add some gravitas to what had otherwise been a somewhat lackluster match, to that point. It's also funny that the clock Jax's return malfunctioned and her music hit as the clock started counting down at 10.

Raquel Rodriguez had a very strong showing, asserting herself as a big part of the future of the women's division in WWE. But the present and future of women's wrestling surrounds Rhea Ripley. She's already proven that she is a massive star, but now she's ready to prove that is the star of WWE.

Match Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

1. Rhea Ripley - WINNER
2. Liv Morgan (eliminated by Rhea Ripley)
3. Dana Brooke (eliminated by Bayley, Dakota Kai, Iyo Sky)
4. Emma (eliminated by Dakota Kai)
5. Shayna Baszler (eliminated by Bayley, Dakota Kai, Iyo Sky)
6. Bayley (eliminated by Liv Morgan)
7. B-Fab (eliminated by Rhea Ripley)
8. Roxanne Perez (eliminated by Bayley, Dakota Kai, Iyo Sky)
9. Dakota Kai (eliminated by Becky Lynch)
10. Iyo Sky (eliminated by Becky Lynch)
11. Natalya (eliminated by Bayley, Dakota Kai, Iyo Sky)
12. Candice LeRae (eliminated by Iyo Sky)
13. Zoey Stark (eliminated by Sonya Deville)
14. Xia Li (eliminated by Zelina Vega)
15. Becky Lynch (eliminated by Bayley)
16. Tegan Nox (eliminated by Asuka)
17. Asuka (eliminated by Rhea Ripley)
18. Piper Niven (eliminated by Raquel Rodriguez)
19. Tamina (eliminated by Michelle McCool)
20. Chelsea Green (eliminated by Rhea Ripley)
21. Zelina Vega (eliminated by Lacey Evans)
22. Raquel Rodriguez (eliminated by Rhea Ripley)
23. Mia Yim (eliminated by Piper Niven)
24. Lacey Evans (eliminated by Raquel Rodriguez)
25. Michelle McCool (eliminated by Rhea Ripley)
26. Indi Hartwell (eliminated by Sonya Deville)
27. Sonya Deville (eliminated by Asuka)
28. Shotzi (eliminated by Mia Yim)
29. Nikki Cross (eliminated by Liv Morgan)
30. Nia Jax (eliminated by 11 wrestlers)

1. Rhea Ripley
2. Liv Morgan
3. Dana Brooke (eliminated by Bayley, Dakota Kai, Iyo Sky)
4. Emma (eliminated by Dakota Kai)
5. Shayna Baszler (eliminated by Bayley, Dakota Kai, Iyo Sky)
6. Bayley
7. B-Fab (eliminated by Rhea Ripley)
8. Roxanne Perez (eliminated by Bayley, Dakota Kai, Iyo Sky)
9. Dakota Kai
10. Iyo Sky
11. Natalya (eliminated by Bayley, Dakota Kai, Iyo Sky)
12. Candice LeRae (eliminated by Iyo Sky)
13. Zoey Stark
14. Xia Li
15. Becky Lynch

Rhea Ripley, the odds on favourite to win the Women's Royal Rumble starts as number 1, while Liv Morgan is number 2.

Prediction: Shayna Baszler wins

"It wasn't easy, nobody expected it to be" - Corey Graves

"I kinda did!" - Pat McAfee

I'm with McAfee. Bianca winning should have never been question, and it didn't look to be. Belair is one of the top wrestlers in WWE, but this didn't feel like a spotlight match, instead it felt like a match to tell the story of Bliss and her extremely long, drawn-out relationship with Bray Wyatt and Uncle Howdy.

The crowd was dead for entire match, through no fault of either wrestler. They did the best with what they were given. What should be given to Belair, is a worthwhile opponent and program going into 'Mania.

Match Rating: 1.5/5 Stars

Bianca Belair is defending her championship against Alexa Bliss, in what should be a mismatch because Belair would absolutely dust Bliss in an actual fight. But Belair has gotta fight someone.

Uncle Howdy has been teased being involved in this match, despite just jumping off a stage and through LA Knight which caused an explosion. Perhaps he'll be okay!

Prediction: Bianca Belair wins

Have you ever been to a rave? No? Well... you sorta have, now.

The match was sponsored by Mountain Dew. Did you catch that? This was all extremely underwhelming. It was a couple of dudes wearing glow in the dark clothing and facepaint fighting each other in the dark.

I was originally wondering why Uncle Howdy didn't play a role in the outcome of the match, but I got the answer afterwards when Uncle Howdy jumped off a stage and through LA Knight which somehow created an explosion.

Match Rating: ZEROOOOOOO

It's the Pitch Black match. Oh wait, sorry...

MOUNTAIN DEW Pitch Black

Has anyone had Mountain Dew Pitch Black? I haven't, Blake Murphy hasn't... but Blake's dad may have.

There are no rules in this match. There are very little expectations in this match...

Prediction: LA Knight wins

This was absolutely incredible. Ricochet doing what he does best, while Logan Paul once again surprising hell out of fans.

No Sami... no problem?

One of the biggest storylines to come out of the Men's Royal Rumble surrounded the absence of Sami Zayn. Picked by many fans and media (including this author) to win the entire match, yet Sami was apparently never scheduled to even enter. Instead, it's the betting favourite Cody Rhodes who came out on top.

Rhodes made his first appearance in a WWE ring since June of 2022, after recovering from pectoral surgery, entering the Royal Rumble as the final entrant, number 30. While I think Rhodes coming in as an earlier entrant would have sold the story of him returning to win the Rumble better, I'm not sure what sort of shape Rhodes is in physically. Perhaps he's not completely recovered from his pec surgery, and wasn't able to wrestle for longer than the 16ish minutes he ended up bein in the ring for. Whatever the case may be, the story was extremely predictable, but still also appreciated. Cody worked his tail off in order to get to this point, and he's on a collision course with Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania... for now. Zayn will be part of the main event match later on in the night, it's just not clear what exactly he'll be involved with.

Some other highlights of the Rumble...

• An incredible performance by Guenther, a potential star-making performance. Guenther has been part of several five-star matches during the course of his WWE tenure, but those matches were never in front of a Rumble audience and the amount of eyeballs it brings with it. Guenther has future world champion written all over him.
• Logan Paul continues to demonstrate that he's got an aptitude for pro wrestling. His appearance was greeted with malaise by fans in attendance but just like he's done in the past, Paul turned much of the crowd into fans. His mid-air collision with Ricochet was absolutely incredible.
• Braun Strowman looked like a star, and his tag team with Ricochet looks to have promise
• Brock Lesnar's short appearance was entertaining, and his elimination at the hands of Bobby Lashley told a good story. Lesnar tearing apart the outside of the ring afterwards was also quite entertaining

The match was fun, for the most part, yet still felt like it left a lot to be desired, particularly when it came to how Rhodes went about winning the Rumble. While Guenther was set up to be a star via his performance, it feels like the biggest story of the year, Rhodes eventually toppling Reigns to win the WWE title, would have received more pomp and circumstance if Rhodes would have come out early in the match.

Match Rating: 2.5/5 Stars

Here are the entrants and eliminations of each wrestler in the 2023 Men's Royal Rumble.

1. Guenther (eliminated by Cody Rhodes)
2. Sheamus (eliminated by Guenther)
3. The Miz (eliminated by Sheamus)
4. Kofi Kingston (eliminated by Guenther... I think)
5. Johnny Gargano (eliminated by Finn Balor)
6. Xavier Woods (eliminated by Guenther)
7. Karrion Kross (eliminated by Drew McIntyre)
8. Chad Gable (eliminated by Brock Lesnar)
9. Drew McIntyre (eliminated by Guenther)
10. Santos Escobar (eliminated by Brock Lesnar)
11. Angelo Dawkins (eliminated by Brock Lesnar)
12. Brock Lesnar (eliminated by Bobby Lashley)
13. Bobby Lashley (eliminated by Seth Rollins)
14. Baron Corbin (eliminated by Seth Rollins)
15. Seth Rollins (eliminated by Logan Paul)
16. Otis (eliminated by Drew McIntyre & Sheamus)
17. Rey Mysterio (never entered)
18. Dominik Mysterio (eliminated by Cody Rhodes)
19. Elias (eliminated by Drew McIntyre & Sheamus)
20. Finn Balor (eliminated by Edge)
21. Booker T (eliminated by Guenther)
22. Damian Priest (eliminated by Edge)
23. Montez Ford (eliminated by Damian Priest)
24. Edge (eliminated Finn Balor - even though he was already eliminated)
25. Austin Theory (eliminated by Cody Rhodes)
26. Omos (eliminated by Braun Strowman)
27. Braun Strowman (eliminated by Cody Rhodes)
28. Ricochet (eliminated by Austin Theory)
29. Logan Paul (eliminated by Cody Rhodes)
30. Cody Rhodes - WINNER