By Steve Ward
WWE presented the 39th incarnation of the Royal Rumble from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia this evening in front of a crowd of 25,000. Not only was the event held in a crowd substantially smaller than what would’ve been commanded in the United States, it also was within a stadium that was built in a parking lot over the past month. The show, which marks the beginning of the Road to WrestleMania, featured four matches and was headlined by the Men’s Royal Rumble Match.
Women’s Royal Rumble Match
Winner: Liv Morgan
The show kicked off with the Women’s Royal Rumble Match where the competitors were all required to wear Saudi-approved attire and more importantly, where the winner would earn a shot at the championship of her choice at WrestleMania.
Order of Entry:
Charlotte Flair
Alexa Bliss
Kiana James
Nia Jax
Ivy Nile
Lola Vice
Candice LeRae
Jordynne Grace
Becky Lynch
Sol Ruca
Roxanne Perez
Maxxine Dupri
Nattie
Liv Morgan
Lash Legend
Zelina
Raquel Rodriguez
Chelsea Green
Giulia
Iyo Sky
Asuka
Rhea Ripley
Bayley
Jacy Jayne
Nikki Bella
Lyra Valkyria
Kelani Jordan
Kairi Sane
Brie Bella
Tiffany Stratton
Final Four: Raquel Rodriguez , Liv Morgan, Sol Ruca, and Tiffany Stratton.
The first of the final eliminations occurred as Liv dumped her Judgement Day stablemate Raquel over the top rope as she celebrated her elimination of Rhea Ripley. Moments later, the final three women found themselves battling on the ring apron. First, Ruca went for the Sol Snatcher but missed and was eliminated by Stratton. This opened the door for Liv Morgan to knock Stratton off the ring apron with the Oblivion to punch her ticket to WrestleMania.
AJ Styles vs. Gunther
Winner: Gunther via submission
This bout came to the forefront after AJ Styles squared off with Gunther on Monday Night RAW earlier this month. Styles seemingly clinched victory with a Calf Crusher submission that prompted The Ring General to tap out, however, the referee didn’t see it and Gunther eventually prevailed after a low blow gave him the edge. This outcome lead Styles to seek a rematch but Gunther would only accept the challenge once Styles put his career on the line. AJ Styles emptied the tank in this contest but in the end, Gunther cinched in a vicious sleeper hold that saw The Phenomenal One unable to answer the call of referee Dan Engler (formerly TNA lead official Rudy Charles) as his career came to an end.
Undisputed WWE Championship
Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Sami Zayn
Winner: Drew McIntyre via pinfall
This match came to fruition after McIntyre stunned the WWE Universe by defeating Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship three weeks ago on Friday Night Smackdown and after Zayn won the number one contender’s fatal four way at last week’s Saturday Night’s Main Event. The final minutes of this match saw Sami Zayn square up McIntyre for a Heluva Kick, however, he was intercepted by Drew with a Claymore. Rather than go for a pinfall, Drew elected to deliver more punishment with a second Claymore as he silenced the challenge of Sami Zayn to retain his title.
Men’s Royal Rumble Match
Winner: Roman Reigns
In the main event of the evening, 30 WWE Superstars competed for a main event spot on The Grandest Stage of Them All, WrestleMania, in a 30-man over the top rope battle royal.
Order of entry:
Oba Femi
Bron Breakker
Solo Sikoa
Rey Mysterio
Rusev
Matt Cardona
Damian Priest
Je’Von Evans
Mr. Iguana
Trick Williams
Cody Rhodes
El Grande Americano
El Grande Americano (Chad Gable)
Royce Keys (fka Powerhouse Hobbs)
Austin Theory
Bronson Reed
Ilia Dragunov
La Parka
Dragon Lee
Logan Paul
LA Knight
Brock Lesnar
The Miz
Rey Fénix
Jey Uso
Roman Reigns
Jacob Fatu
Penta
Randy Orton
Gunther
Final Four: Gunther, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, and Logan Paul
One major development that occurred at the onset of the match occurred during Bron Breakker’s entrance. Before he could enter the ring, a masked assailant emerged from the crowd and issued a severe beatdown that was capped off by one of Seth Rollins’ signature moves, The Stomp, which lead many to speculate it was him.
Fast forward to the closing moments of the match where Roman Reigns eliminated Logan Paul after Paul was intercepted with a Superman Punch as a counter to a springboard maneuver he attempted. After Reigns tossed Paul, he received an RKO out of nowhere from The Viper who was promptly tossed by Gunther. Gunther seemed poised to win the match as he had Roman trapped in a sleeper until he was carried towards the corner and had his head propelled towards the ring post. This opened the window for Reigns to spear Gunther before tossing him from the ring to claim his spot in the main event of WrestleMania.