WWE Royal Rumble 2023 Match Card Projections

The primary Royal Rumble occasion of the Triple H regime in WWE guarantees to be a monumental one primarily based on what’s been formally introduced to this point and what else is anticipated to be added.

In fact, the Rumble matches themselves are the primary promoting factors of the pay-per-view. They’ll see 30 males and 30 ladies do battle for the chance to headline WrestleMania 39 and problem for a high title.

In years previous, WWE has sometimes crammed out the remainder of the Royal Rumble card with championship clashes and grudge matches. The 2023 instalment will likely be no exception when Roman Reigns defends the Undisputed WWE Common Championship in opposition to Kevin Owens whereas Bray Wyatt and LA Knight meet within the first-ever Pitch Black match.

For sure, these are two high-profile bouts worthy of happening at one among WWE’s premier pay-per-views.

It is attainable WWE retains it to these 4 matches to make sure it is a brief present, however primarily based on what has transpired as of late on Uncooked and SmackDown, the next will doubtless wind up being what the cardboard consists of as soon as accomplished.

After precisely 35 years, the Royal Rumble matches stay as thrilling as ever.

The idea has hardly been altered since its inception as there isn’t any actual purpose to vary an idea that already works so properly. It is essentially the most anticipated time of the 12 months for WWE followers with the Rumble matches marking the start of the highway to WrestleMania.

This 12 months’s males’s and ladies’s Rumble matches are particularly attention-grabbing as a result of they would be the first ones to not be booked by Vince McMahon. For as many stinkers as there have been over time (most notably final 12 months’s males’s Rumble), there have additionally been a number of gems as properly.

Will Triple H be capable of seize that very same magic McMahon had with the Rumble prior to now? Can he ship on the lofty expectations the viewers at all times has for the shock entrants? What about delivering a satisfying consequence?

Oddly sufficient, Kofi Kingston, Ricochet and Santos Escobar are the one ones confirmed to this point for the boys’s match, whereas Liv Morgan is the only star introduced for the ladies’s contest. Each bouts want higher builds within the coming weeks.

A Pitch Black match had been rumored for the Royal Rumble for a number of weeks earlier than lastly being confirmed by WWE by a video that aired on its YouTube channel in late December.

On the ultimate SmackDown of 2022, Bray Wyatt challenged LA Knight to the stipulation on the Rumble with out explaining what precisely the principles would include.

Michael Cole teased on this week’s SmackDown that there principally would not be any guidelines and the one approach to win could be by incapacitating your opponent. Extra is perhaps unveiled forward of the PPV, however followers are fearful it is going to be a lazy promotion for the newest Mountain Dew taste and nothing extra.

Wyatt and Knight ought to be capable of make it work to the perfect of their skill. With it being Wyatt’s first televised match since returning to WWE, the strain is on for it to not underwhelm.

We also needs to get a greater thought on the Rumble of the true identification of Uncle Howdy as that storyline continues to play out main into WrestleMania 39.

Regardless of Kevin Owens consuming the pinfall loss for his staff in opposition to The Bloodline in Survivor Collection WarGames, all indicators pointed to him being Roman Reigns’ subsequent Undisputed WWE Common Championship challenger.

Amazingly, this would possibly not be the primary (or the second) time KO and The Tribal Chief have confronted off on the Royal Rumble.

Their first encounter got here on the 2017 instalment when Owens beat Reigns in a No Holds Barred match to retain the title. Reigns avenged the loss 4 years later when he retained his title in opposition to The Prizefighter in a Final Man Standing match.

Though Owens is hardly a contemporary opponent for the twin champ at this level, it is a match that is smart for this 12 months’s Rumble. He and Sami Zayn should finally reunite to rival The Usos, however that may’t occur till KO (once more) falls wanting dethroning Reigns to place that rivalry to relaxation as soon as and for all.

Count on Zayn to issue into the end in some kind or trend.

As many instances as we have seen this match over time (and as prepared as followers are to doubtless transfer on from this feud), it is secure to imagine Charlotte Aptitude and Ronda Rousey will do battle no less than another time on the Royal Rumble.

Aptitude blinded the then-titleholder (and your entire viewers) along with her return on the ultimate SmackDown of 2022. After not being seen on WWE TV since WrestleMania Backlash in Could, she wasted no time difficult Rousey to an impromptu SmackDown Girls’s Championship match and finally walked away with the title.

The previous UFC star was nowhere to be seen on SmackDown this week throughout Aptitude’s title celebration, nevertheless it’s secure to imagine The Queen’s actions won’t go unanswered for lengthy.

Another match between the 2 on the Rumble would enable them to settle their rating, with Aptitude definitively defeating Rousey this time round.

There is no want to increase this program by WrestleMania after they can blow it off this month so each ladies can concentrate on brisker faces. That is the one method the division will likely be elevated and never revolve across the identical two names.

That is hardly an exhilarating attraction for the Rumble, however it will give them the prospect to shut out their program correctly.

Charlotte Aptitude vs. Ronda Rousey is rapidly approaching its tail finish, whereas Bianca Belair vs. Alexa Bliss is simply starting to warmth up over on Uncooked.

The 2 have been pleasant all through 2022, however Bliss went down a darkish path when her previous got here again to chew her and Bray Wyatt’s emblem appeared throughout all of her segments.

Bliss seemingly cemented her heel flip when she challenged Belair for the Uncooked Girls’s Championship final Monday and acquired herself deliberately disqualified by assaulting an official. Her actions have been clearly uncontrolled, however The EST of WWE will likely be prepared for revenge.

A rematch between the 2, presumably with a stipulation, is completely logical for the Royal Rumble. That is merely a filler feud for Belair forward of no matter she’ll be concerned en path to WrestleMania, however WWE has performed a commendable job of preserving the storyline as attention-grabbing as attainable.

Evil Alexa seems to be on the horizon and one other loss to Belair might be what drives her over the sting. The Royal Rumble is the right place to host a midcard match of this magnitude.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham “GSM” Matthews, has specialised in sports activities and leisure writing since 2010. Go to his web site, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for extra wrestling-related content material.