Mercedes Mone is thankful to have had some of her closest friends supporting her at AEW Big Business.
Mone arrived in AEW on Wednesday night’s Big Business edition of Dynamite. Among those in attendance at Boston’s TD Garden were WWE wrestlers Bayley, Naomi, and Tamina. They made a social media post on Wednesday joking that no one would know it was them if they wore disguises to the show.
Mone’s promo kicked off Dynamite last night. At the end of the episode, Mone saved Willow Nightingale from an attack by Julia Hart and Skye Blue.
Until last night, Mone had been out of action since May 2023 due to an ankle injury. She had suffered the injury during a match against Nightingale for NJPW.
Samuray Del Sol (former WWE wrestler Kalisto) was also at Big Business to support his friend Mone.
On the road to WrestleMania, Bayley is set to face off against Dakota Kai in a singles match.
WWE has announced that Bayley vs. Kai will take place on SmackDown next Friday (March 15). The match is happening two weeks after Kai betrayed Bayley and sided with Damage CTRL.
Kai initially pretended like she was going to help Bayley in her feud against Damage CTRL. They were tag team partners against Asuka & Kairi Sane on SmackDown last week. But Kai dropped off the apron when Bayley went to make a tag. She then slapped Bayley before IYO SKY laid Bayley out.
Bayley is facing SKY for the WWE Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 40. After winning the women’s Royal Rumble, Bayley left Damage CTRL and announced that she would be challenging SKY at WrestleMania.
A sit-down interview with Bayley aired on SmackDown tonight. Bayley promised to do everything in her soul to break Damage CTRL.
Later in the night, Damage CTRL responded to Bayley. Kai claimed that she was always the brains behind Damage CTRL, not Bayley. Kai challenged Bayley to face her on SmackDown next week.
This will be Kai’s first singles match in nearly a year. She was out of action for 10 months due to a torn ACL.
WWE has also announced that Rey Mysterio will appear on next week’s SmackDown. Last Friday, Mysterio returned to WWE programming for the first time since undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus last November.
Mysterio and the LWO are feuding with Santos Escobar and Legado del Fantasma. Dragon Lee defeated Angel on SmackDown tonight, but Legado del Fantasma beat down Lee after the match. It was said on commentary that the LWO weren’t in the building and couldn’t help Lee.
FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee is hosting next week’s SmackDown.
Dakota Kai will return to the ring for the first time since May 2023 on next week’s WWE SmackDown.
In a match set up with multiple angles on this week’s SmackDown show, Kai & Bayley will face Asuka & Kairi Sane of The Kabuki Warriors as Damage CTRL explodes on the Friday, March 1 episode.
Kai suffered a torn ACL in a match on May 12, 2023 and has been out of the ring since.
On this week’s show, Kai was laid out backstage and later told Bayley in the trainer’s room that Asuka & Sane had attacked her. The attack on Kai was never shown, leaving room for the possibility that Kai will swerve Bayley in the match and realign with Asuka, Sane, and IYO SKY in Damage CTRL.
Also announced for next week, Carlito will take on Santos Escobar in a street fight as the feud between Carlito’s LWO and Escobar’s Legado Del Fantasma will continue.
WWE revealed earlier on Friday that The Rock will make an appearance on next week’s SmackDown in Glendale, Arizona as well.
The announced lineup for the Friday, March 1 SmackDown:
IYO SKY vs. Bayley is the first match official for WWE WrestleMania 40.
After winning the women’s Royal Rumble match, Bayley made her WrestleMania decision on SmackDown tonight. Damage CTRL split apart with Bayley separating from the group and announcing that she’ll be challenging SKY for the WWE Women’s Championship at WrestleMania.
Bayley was in the ring with SKY, Kairi Sane, and Asuka when she revealed her decision. Bayley told them that she’s not oblivious. She knows that they’ve been talking about her behind her back.
“You guys talk about me constantly. Why? All I wanted was for Damage CTRL to be the best,” Bayley said. “All I wanted was to take this to the top to WrestleMania. And I wanted to do that together. But you guys see nothing in me, do you? Huh? IYO, what happened? When you, me, and Dakota [Kai] started this, we were like this. Ever since they came around, you turned your back on me. What happened?”
SKY, Sane, and Asuka then attacked Bayley, but she was able to grab a metal pipe and fight them off. Bayley officially declared that she’ll be challenging SKY at WrestleMania.
This will be Bayley’s first time competing in a one-on-one title match at WrestleMania. She won the women’s Royal Rumble last Saturday after entering the match at number three. She was in the match for 63 minutes and 3 seconds, which set a new women’s Rumble record.
WrestleMania 40 is being held at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7.
During WWE Raw, she was cornered after Nia Jax attacked Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley. Bayley told Jax that she would make her decision regarding who she will challenge at WrestleMania on Friday’s SmackDown.
Bayley was in the ring with the rest of Damage CTRL when Ripley came out. Before she could say much of anything, she was then attacked by Jax, who threw Ripley into the ring and gave her the annihilator, the new name for the banzai drop. Everyone except Bayley left the ring as Jax told her that she can choose IYO SKY or anyone else, but Ripley wouldn’t be making it to WrestleMania.
Last eliminating Liv Morgan at Saturday’s Royal Rumble to win the match, Bayley has indicated so far she is interested in challenging Ripley. Dissension has been teased between Bayley and the other members of Damage CTRL, however, since Asuka and Kairi Sane joined the group.
Here is the updated lineup for Friday’s SmackDown:
Date: January 29, 2024 Location: Amalie Arena in Tampa, FA
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Show Recap —
I don’t know if this happened to everyone, but they were having technical difficulties for the first few minutes. The feed was a still shot of Tampa as Michael Cole ran things down. The live crowd reacted to graphics and shots of various wrestlers but, on TV, you couldn’t see any of it. You could only hear it. They aired a video package for the Royal Rumble, but again, you could only hear it. The feed eventually started working again as the package played.
Cody Rhodes was shown entering earlier today and Cole said it was obvious who he was going after at WrestleMania.
The first hour of Raw is commercial-free.
Pat McAfee entered. Cole announced that he and McAfee would be the regular team on Raw.
CM Punk segment
CM Punk entered with his right arm in a sling. He initially had a serious look on his face but couldn’t help but smile upon seeing a young fan asking for an autograph. The crowd chanted Punk’s name.
Punk said he came really close to winning on Saturday. He wasn’t mad at anyone and he wasn’t mad at Cody Rhodes. In fact, he wanted to congratulate Rhodes. It’s not about what you deserve, it’s what you’ve earned, and Rhodes has earned it. Punk wanted to see him finish his story at Mania. Punk said winning the Rumble in back-to-back years was a great accomplishment, not unlike the Tampa Bay Lightning winning back-to-back Stanley Cups.
Punk didn’t believe in luck but he did feel a bit unlucky. He tore his right triceps in the Rumble. He thought maybe he could wrap it up and compete in Elimination Chamber but he couldn’t. He didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for him. He said his dream since he was a kid was to main event WrestleMania but maybe that just wasn’t going to happen.
Punk spoke about a friend named Chad Gilbert who had cancer. Chad had a wife and a daughter and he was never in a bad mood. That was real life. Punk’s injury was just a flesh wound. He wasn’t the best in the world because he always won. He lost more than he won. He pointed out his not-so-great record in UFC. He fought in UFC because it was his dream and it scared the crap out of him. The crowd chanted for Punk.
It scared him as much as coming back after ten years to a place he never wanted to leave. The dream of WrestleMania will continue to haunt him. But ‘best in the world’ was a moniker that belonged to those who fight cancer. Those who fight fires.
Punk promised to keep going until the wheels fell off. This was just adversity. He did not focus on those who were negative. None of the criticisms he heard mattered. The fans woke up every day and they kept going to put food on their tables and he planned on doing the same.
Punk said WrestleMania 40 wasn’t in the cards. But he was a Chicago Cubs fan and he repeated a familiar phrase: “There’s always next year.”
Drew McIntyre interrupted before Punk could finish. McIntyre said some terrible things about Punk but could identify with the words he spoke now. McIntyre has never been much of a spiritual person but: “I prayed for this and it happened.” (That was funny.) The crowd booed.
McIntyre assaulted him in the Rumble because he could not let him win. McIntyre couldn’t sleep knowing Punk eliminated him but he slept like a baby last night after hearing of Punk’s injury. McIntyre exercised the demon that was CM Punk. McIntyre would find a way to Mania and live Punk’s dream — again.
Punk said his heart hurt more than his tricep does. Punk said he would come back and main event WrestleMania but he would go through McIntyre first.
McIntyre went to take a cheap shot but Punk ducked and kicked him. Punk tried to use his injured arm but McIntyre headbutted him. McIntyre stomped at Punk’s injured arm until Sami Zayn made the. McIntyre bailed. The crowd chanted for Zayn.
Officials checked on Punk and Zayn helped him to his feet.
(Punk and McIntyre were both very good here.)
********
Rhea Ripley told the rest of Judgment Day they should send a message tonight, a message that they couldn’t send at the Rumble. Ripley asked if Damian Priest and Finn Bálor were ready. Priest was completely on board and Bálor said they would show everyone how viscous they were.
DIY cut a promo while walking through the back. Johnny Gargano said DIY was born two hours away from Tampa and Tommaso Ciampa said they would achieve their dreams tonight.
Finn Bálor & Damian Priest defeated Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano to retain the Tag Team Championships (12:53)
Bálor tagged himself in but Gargano took out Priest with a slingshot DDT and Ciampa hit Bálor with an air raid crash for a close nearfall. (The crowd really got into it from here.) DIY hit Bálor with Meet in the Middle but Priest put Bálor’s leg rope under the ropes for a rope break.
Bálor hit Gargano with a slingshot and dropkick but Gargano avoided the Coup de Grace and applied a Gargano Escape. Ciampa also put Priest in a Gargano Escape but Priest hoisted him up and dropped him on Gargano to break up the submission.
Everyone traded strikes until Priest dropped Ciampa with a thrust kick. Priest dropped Gargano onto the announce table with a flatliner before Ciampa caught Priest in a small package for two.
With Gargano out, Priest hit Ciampa with a Razor’s Edge and Bálor finished him off with Coup de Grace for the pinfall win. This was fun.
— Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh ran out to celebrate. Priest thought they owed R-Truth an apology and called him out. Priest promised Truth that he wouldn’t attack him. (You knew what that meant.)
Truth claimed he traded Priest’s money for cryptocurrency, did his taxes, and liquidated his assets, so he was taken care of. Priest said there was no way he knew what any of that meant. Truth said they were like a family — Priest was like his older brother, Bálor was like their creepy uncle, and JD was like the step-brother they didn’t want to acknowledge.
Priest said Judgment Day was a family, but Truth wasn’t in it. Priest liked Truth which is why he wouldn’t be the one to do this. Priest called for Dom but it was McDonagh who decked Truth. McDonagh hammered away on Truth until Miz ran out. Judgment Day cut off Miz and Dom laid him out with a frog splash. Judgment Day stood tall.
********
Adam Pearce met with Punk in the back.
Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre was announced for tonight.
Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark defeated Chelsea Green & Piper Niven (2:05)
Stark got the pin on Green after hitting Z-360.
********
There was a Royal Rumble recap video. Rhodes is up next.
The commercial-free first hour ended at 8:53 pm.
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[SECOND HOUR]
Cody Rhodes/Seth Rollins segment
Rhodes entered to a big reaction and “you deserve it” chants. On the way out, Rhodes heard something for the first time so he asked Samantha Irvin to say it one more time. She announced him as the winner of the 2023 and 2024 Men’s Royal Rumble match. Rhodes was pumped to hear it again.
Rhodes knew that the fans came to their shows to expect the best action and to escape any worries they may have. Sometimes, the wrestlers needed to escape too. The last 48 hours of his life have been quite challenging. He assured us that all was well. Rhodes teared up as he said the fans would never know how much he needed them on Saturday. He was grateful for that.
Rhodes wanted to make his announcement official for WrestleMania 40. Seth Rollins interrupted.
Rollins agreed with the fans that Rhodes deserved it. They didn’t always see eye-to-eye but they’ve developed a mutual respect. Rollins congratulated him on winning back-to-back Rumbles. They shook hands.
However, Rollins thought Rhodes was making a mistake if he fought Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. “I think you should fight me instead.” There was a mix of “yes” and “no” chants.
Rollins heard Rhodes call himself the guy at the press conference. “You’re not the guy. Roman Reigns is not even the guy anymore. I’m the guy.” Rollins said the World Heavyweight Championship was the title in WWE.
Rollins said it made sense to go after Reigns last year but the landscape has changed. Rollins knew that Rhodes has thought of nothing but Roman the last year. But Rhodes has been on the ride with him during this past year. He and Rollins both traveled the towns and worked all of the shows.
Rollins main-evented those shows as the world champion, while Reigns was at home. Rollins said his world title came to be because everyone was sick of Reigns. Rollins said they didn’t need to pretend that Reigns was an untouchable god. They didn’t need Reigns at all.
Rollins asked which title Rhodes wanted. Rollins referred to Reigns’ belt as the Hollywood title and the Hulk Hogan title. The title meant that for posers who used politics to get to the top. But Rollins held the Dusty Rhodes title. The one that represented the workhorse. Rollins wondered what kind of man Rhodes wanted to be.
Rhodes said he had an insane amount of respect for Rollins. Rhodes admitted that this was the last thing he figured he’d be thinking about, but he promised Rollins he’d think about it. Rhodes left as Rollins smiled.
(This all felt like a big stretch and an attempt to kill time before WrestleMania.)
********
Kofi Kingston (with Xavier Woods) cut a promo about his match against Gunther. He said winning championships is what they did and he would beat Gunther for the Intercontinental title tonight.
There was a video of Bron Breakker’s performance at the Rumble.
********
Jey Uso defeated Bronson Reed (9:22)
Jey fought back after a break and hit a flying crossbody but barely got a two count. Reed blocked an enziguri and hit a senton for two. Reed no-sold a superkick so Jey hit two more for a two count. Reed avoided an Uso splash and hit a Death Valley Driver for two.
Jey avoided Reed’s Tsunami attempt and hit a superkick, spear and Uso splash for the pinfall win.
********
Andrade signed a Raw contract with Adam Pearce in the back. Nick Aldis entered. Aldis said Smackdown had a great offer for Andrade so Pearce told him they should’ve been quicker. Andrade shook their hands and left. (Before he left, I believe Andrade told Pearce to say hi to Zelina Vega for him.)
Aldis seemed annoyed that Pearce was doing business this way, especially after he loaned Bayley to Raw tonight.
Their meeting ended after Aldis got a call from Bron Breakker. Aldis left to take the call. (The crowd buzzed when he said Breakker’s name.)
********
Gunther said Kingston was fighting for his legacy and was in for the fight of his life. But Gunther would forget about him after tonight. Nobody would be thinking about Kingston after tonight, while Gunther would continue on as the greatest IC champion of all time.
********
There was a video recapping the highlights from the Women’s Rumble match.
Becky Lynch interview
Jackie Redmond interviewed Becky Lynch. Lynch said she let a lot of people down including herself but it wasn’t in her nature to stay down. She would train a little harder, think a little smarter, and fight a little dirtier. She would stop at nothing until she was back at the top and main eventing with the title.
********
Gunther defeated Kofi Kingston to retain the Intercontinental Championship (15:44)
Gunther applied a Boston Crab and they abruptly went to break 47 seconds into the match. Gunther dominated for a while until Kingston fired back with a forearm but Gunther cut him off with a neckbreaker. Gunther applied the Boston Crab again and again they went to break with the move still applied.
Kingston went for a dive but Gunther caught him and shoved him hard into the side of the ring. Kingston managed to drive Gunther into the ring post and followed with consecutive suicide dives. Gunther popped back in the ring and Kingston caught him with Trouble in Paradise but Gunther rolled out of the ring before Kingston could make the cover.
With Gunther draped over the steel steps, Kingston hit an elbow drop off the barricade followed by a diving leg drop off the top for two. Gunther blocked a Trouble and Paradise and tried the Boston Crab but Kingston countered into a cradle for two. Gunther hit a clothesline but Kingston reversed another clothesline into an SOS for a nearfall.
A “this is awesome” chant was cut off by Gunther hitting a clothesline, dropkick and powerbomb for the pinfall win.
— Woods checked on Kingston post-match but they were attacked and laid out by Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci. Gunther was very pleased.
********
Redmond interviewed Zayn. Zayn said he couldn’t stay on the sidelines after McIntyre targetted not only himself but CM Punk and others. McIntyre pointed the finger at everyone and Zayn planned on giving him a reality check.
There was a recap video of Jade Cargill’s performance at the Rumble.
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Non-title match: Women’s Tag Team Champions Asuka & Kairi Sane defeated Natalya & Tegan Nox (9:49)
Asuka and Sane worked over Nox until Natalya made the tag and hit Asuka with a German suplex and discus clothesline. Sane saved Asuka from a Sharpshooter and took out Nox. Natalya used a baseball slide to take out Sane but Asuka knocked her down with a kick. Asuka set up Natalya and Sane dropped her with the Insane Elbow for the pinfall win.
The crowd was exceptionally quiet for this.
In the back, Redmond interviewed Kayden Carter and Katana Chance and they informed her that they were getting a tag title rematch next week.
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Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky joined Asuka and Sane in the ring ahead of Bayley’s entrance.
Bayley/Damage CTRL segment
Bayley advised the fans they should take a picture of them considering it was the first time you’ve seen the Women’s Tag Champs, WWE Women’s Champion and Rumble winner in the ring at the same time. They had her to thank for that.
Everyone claimed Bayley wasn’t as good as she used to be but she didn’t listen to anybody’s opinion. She wasn’t even on the Rumble poster but she was the 2024 winner. They have the most stacked women’s roster ever and she came out on top. She also beat Rhea Ripley’s record by lasting over 63 minutes.
Ripley interrupted but her promo was quickly cut off when Nia Jax attacked her from behind. Ripley tried to fight back but Jax cut her off and hit three consecutive leg drops in the ring. Jax hit the Annihilator as Damage CTRL looked on. They all cautiously left the ring leaving Bayley on her own.
Jax warned Bayley that Ripley wasn’t making it to WrestleMania. Bayley nervously said she would make her decision on Friday.
********
McIntyre told Redmond that all he has done was tell the truth. McIntyre has wrestled Zayn many times but Zayn has won zero times and that wasn’t changing tonight. McIntyre said, “Hit my music” as he walked through the curtain.
Drew McIntyre defeated Sami Zayn (12:57)
McIntyre chucked Zayn over the announce desk just 30 seconds into the match. McIntyre tossed him back in the ring before warning McAfee not to talk trash about him. Zayn used the distraction to hit a suicide dive ahead of a break.
McIntyre was in control but Zayn fought back and hit a sunset flip sit-out powerbomb for two, followed by a tornado DDT for two. McIntyre followed with a spinebuster for two and sit-out powerbomb for two. Zayn’s arm was hurt so he couldn’t get McIntyre up for a suplex and McIntyre responded with a headbutt.
McIntyre went to the top but Zayn brought him down with a superplex. Zayn went for Helluva Kick but McIntyre dropped him with a clothesline. McIntyre went for a Claymore Kick but Zayn countered into a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. McIntyre followed with a big overhead suplex and a White Noise off the middle rope for two.
McIntyre shoved Zayn while telling him that some people were just out of his league. Zayn fired back and went for Helluva Kick but McIntyre blocked it by getting his hands up. McIntyre just so happened to hit Zayn in the crotch as he blocked the move. It was ‘inadvertent’ so the ref allowed it to continue and McIntyre immediately hit a Claymore Kick for the pinfall win.
It’s the 2024 WWE ROYAL RUMBLE RECAP SHOW! Yes, that means, MARK will join us as we run down two Royal Rumbles, a four-way title match that actually went on second, a Youtuber having the best match on the show, and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Bayley is headed to WrestleMania with a decision to make.
On Saturday night, Bayley became a Royal Rumble winner for the first time in her career. Bayley entered the Rumble at number three and competed in the match for more than an hour before being crowned the winner. She last eliminated Liv Morgan to get the victory.
Bayley, the returning Morgan, and the debuting Jade Cargill were the final three wrestlers left at the end of the match. Morgan eliminated Cargill but was then quickly eliminated by Bayley.
WWE announced that Bayley was in the match for 1:03:03 — a new women’s Royal Rumble record.
She fought for a record-setting 63 minutes and 3 seconds… and now, Philadelphia is calling her.
Bayley will now challenge either Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley or WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY at WrestleMania 40. Bayley and SKY are stablemates in Damage CTRL. During the build to the Royal Rumble, Bayley said that she would challenge Ripley at WrestleMania instead of SKY. But WWE has been building to a split between Damage CTRL and Bayley.
Damage CTRL members Asuka and Kairi Sane were also entrants in the women’s Royal Rumble. Dakota Kai, who has been out of action since last May due to a torn ACL, did not make her return to the ring at the Rumble.
This will be Bayley’s first time wrestling in a one-on-one title match at WrestleMania.
WrestleMania 40 is taking place from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7.
One of the most anticipated events of the year takes place tonight in Tampa with the WWE Royal Rumble.
Stories don’t finish at the Rumble, but key chapters are written. It’s like WWE’s version of a conference championship game if those games also had Elimination Chambers the following month.
Several potential winners of the men’s Rumble match have been built up on WWE programming of late, some with more realistic chances than others.
Drew McIntyre, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, and now Gunther have all cut promos in recent weeks stating, more or less, that they need to win the Rumble to finish their story at WrestleMania. Not surprisingly, the betting world has those four listed as the top favorites.
Conversely, the field of possible Rumble winners in the women’s match appears smaller. Becky Lynch’s chances of winning increased after she and Rhea Ripley had an excellent promo segment recently on Raw, setting up a possible Mania match between the two. That segment did well in the ratings as you might expect considering the star power of both. It’s a fresh matchup as well with the only non-house show singles match between them having taken place in NXT in 2019.
Bayley is the top favorite to win from the SmackDown roster, promising to win on behalf of Damage CTRL with the tease being she could then challenge teammate IYO SKY and pay off all the dissension that has been building within the faction for months.
An in-ring WWE debut for Jade Cargill could easily take place tonight as well. How she factors into a title picture is unclear, however. It feels like Cargill vs. Charlotte Flair could have been the plan if not for Flair’s injury.
As for the rest of the card, the results aren’t really in doubt. Roman Reigns will retain his undisputed Universal title, likely getting the pin on AJ Styles in the four-way match while United States Champion Logan Paul is a pretty strong favorite to beat Kevin Owens.
With all that, let’s get into predictions, betting odds, and analysis for the WWE Royal Rumble (8 PM EST Peacock/WWE Network):
Men’s Royal Rumble match
As of this writing, here are the betting favorites to win:
CM Punk +125
Gunther +180
Cody Rhodes +250
Drew McIntyre +1000
The Rock +1000
Jey Uso +1400
Sami Zayn +1800
MJF +2500
I’m not sure Gunther would benefit much from winning the Rumble as he doesn’t need a Rumble win to solidify himself as a top contender for a World title. He’s already got his record-setting run with the Intercontinental Championship for that and will have a big match at WrestleMania regardless of what happens.
The Rock also does not need to win the Rumble to justify booking him in a World title match at WrestleMania. He’s The Rock. He can always be put in that position.
Lesnar’s odds of winning the Rumble this year sit at +5000. However, his possible presence at the event this year could be a distraction. It would remind fans of the disturbing allegations against Vince McMahon that included Lesnar, and that is likely not what anyone wants right now.
Punk winning the Rumble and facing Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania is a possible outcome. I just don’t think it’s the most likely. Punk doesn’t need a Rumble win to face Rollins as fans are going to want to see that match regardless. WWE can take another route to get there.
The most likely WWE wrestler to win the Rumble 2024, in my opinion, is Rhodes. If Rhodes is put in a World title match and given a chance to finish his story at WrestleMania, it will feel like he cut corners if he doesn’t win the Rumble en route to doing so.
It’s been very clear in his promos of late that finishing his story means winning the Rumble to earn a spot in the final chapter. Any other path to that match will feel tainted and unearned.
If Rhodes doesn’t win the Rumble, he won’t face Reigns at Mania this year. Perhaps he will wrestle Drew McIntyre or maybe he’ll move into the program with Punk and Rollins, but he won’t face Reigns.
Despite The Rock’s return, I still feel pretty confident that Rhodes is WWE’s top babyface and the plan must be/should be/probably is for him to eventually defeat Reigns and finish his story. That’s why I think he’s the favorite to win the Rumble.
Prediction: Cody Rhodes
Women’s Royal Rumble Match
As of this writing, here are the betting favorites to win:
Bayley +100
Becky Lynch +200
Jade Cargill +500
Nia Jax +800
Raquel Rodriguez +900
Bianca Belair +1000
Mercedes Mone/Sasha Banks +1200
Liv Morgan +1400
Asuka +1600
Shayna Baszler +2500
The women’s Rumble match feels harder to predict than the men’s. This uncertainty might be a result of the recent injury to Flair. One thing any WWE fan knows is that Flair is always factored into the Women’s World title plans, be it Mania season or not. Her being out of the mix has no doubt caused them to deviate from plans.
One match a lot of fans are speculating will happen at WrestleMania 40 is a newly babyface Bayley vs. IYO SKY, thus Bayley being considered the betting favorite. It’s a possible outcome, but I don’t know if it’s the most likely.
Belair being a +1000 underdog is interesting to me. If betting on wrestling were recommended (for obvious reasons, it is not), I would put a little money on her. She’s a face of the division and one of the biggest babyfaces in the company. I imagine Belair is factored into a major match at WrestleMania and her winning the Rumble is a good way to get there. Those are pretty long odds they have given her, though.
The most likely wrestler to win the Rumble is Lynch. I doubt that big rating for the aforementioned Lynch/Ripley segment went unnoticed. That match for WrestleMania seems like a foregone conclusion and her winning the Rumble to get there could be the perfect setup. While it’s not her only route, I still think she’s the favorite.
Prediction: Becky Lynch
WWE United States Champion Logan Paul (-2000 favorite) defends against Kevin Owens
There is very little chance that Owens will defeat Paul on Saturday. Paul is a huge star and brings eyeballs to the company while Owens is a star that can lose big matches and not be hurt in the least. The result is not really in question, but I imagine these two will want to take a fun route to the forgone conclusion.
Prediction: Logan Paul retains
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against LA Knight, Randy Orton and AJ Styles in a four-way
Roman Reigns is listed as a -3000 favorite to retain.
This feels like the least important Reigns match in years, but might be out of necessity more than anything. In contrast from WrestleMania 38 to 39, Reigns’ title run since beating Rhodes at Mania has felt untouchable as though fans realize he won’t be dropping the belt until at least WrestleMania 40. A year ago, McIntyre, Sami Zayn, and Rhodes all appeared to have legitimate chances to take the title off him.
Fans know he is going into the biggest weekend of the year as champion and WWE knows that fans know Reigns is going into that weekend as champion. A story will be told in this match, but the result is not really in doubt.
Though she has her own personal goals, Bayley knows there’s a greater purpose for her within WWE.
Bayley is currently the betting favorite to win Saturday’s women’s Royal Rumble match. In an interview with Uproxx ahead of the event, Bayley said that winning the Rumble and going on to headline WrestleMania is a dream of hers. But if it doesn’t end up happening, Bayley is ok with that. She believes her purpose is to give back and make the WWE women’s division bigger:
Whether it’s women in NXT right now or whether it’s someone backstage like an Indi Hartwell or Candice LeRae that isn’t getting that TV time, that can be main event superstars, I think that is one of my main purposes here. I’ve been a champion and as much as I want to main event WrestleMania and get that singles match, as much as I want to win the Rumble, if it’s not in the cards for me, it’s okay because I understand what my purpose is. That’s to make the division bigger than it is and just give back and share my equity.
Bayley has stated that, if she does win the Rumble, she’ll challenge Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 40 instead of WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY. Bayley and SKY are stablemates together in Damage CTRL, but WWE has been slowly building to a split within the group.
Bayley told Uproxx that 2024 is about cementing her legacy and her career:
To me, this year in particular is about cementing my legacy and my career. I’ve done a lot up until this point. With Damage CTRL, I feel like I’m on a different level than everybody else, even the women that I came up with, because it comes with a different responsibility.
Bringing up Dakota [Kai], bringing up girls and vouching for them, it’s a different type of responsibility than just having to worry about yourself. The fact that I’ve been able to do that successfully and add to it that IYO is the champion right now just puts me on a different level. I think this year is going to solidify who I am and what I’ve brought to the industry and to the company.”
Damage CTRL includes Asuka and Kairi Sane in addition to Bayley, SKY, and Kai. Asuka & Sane are challenging Kayden Carter & Katana Chance for the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles on SmackDown this Friday night.
Bayley, Becky Lynch, Nia Jax, and Bianca Belair are the only four participants who have been announced for Saturday’s women’s Royal Rumble match so far. There will be 30 entrants in total.
Bayley doesn’t believe that she’s had her final match against Mercedes Mone/Sasha Banks.
Mone’s future has been a hot subject lately with rumors that she could be on her way to AEW. Dave Meltzer wrote earlier this month that AEW expects Mone to start with them soon. But Meltzer added that, until it happens or a contract is signed, he wouldn’t consider anything 100 percent.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated that was published on Thursday, Bayley was asked about Mone. Bayley said she believes they’ll always be destined for one more match together.
We’ll always be destined for one more match. Our next match will never be our last. We’re ‘The Brooklyn Girls.’ We’re going to live on forever because of that match, and it’s something we can carry on forever.
I don’t have chemistry in the ring with anyone else like I do with her. No one teaches me like her. She’s my [Michael] Jordan.
Bayley and Mone attended last weekend’s TNA Wrestling Hard to Kill pay-per-view together. At the show, Trinity lost the Knockouts Championship to Jordynne Grace. Trinity (the former Naomi) is expected to be on her way back to WWE.
“Women supporting women is my favorite,” Grace posted on Monday. “I may have won the title, but don’t think @TheTrinity_Fatu can ever really lose with friends like these in her corner.”
Bayley will be an entrant in the 2024 women’s Royal Rumble match. Bayley has said that, if she wins the Rumble, she’ll challenge Rhea Ripley instead of her Damage CTRL stablemate IYO SKY. WWE has slowly been building a split between Bayley and Damage CTRL for months now.
It was also revealed this week that Dominik Mysterio, Rey Mysterio, and Charlotte Flair have signed new WWE contracts. Fightful reported that Charlotte’s new contract is for a “huge money increase” and is “one of the highest-paid deals to a woman in WWE history.” Dave Meltzer confirmed Charlotte’s deal and noted that it was signed months ago.
Bayley is the leader of Damage CTRL in WWE. The faction also includes WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY, Dakota Kai, and recent additions Kairi Sane and Asuka. WWE appears to be building to the group turning against Bayley at some point.
On SmackDown last Friday, Bayley became the first woman to declare for the 2024 women’s Royal Rumble match. Nia Jax has also been confirmed as a women’s Rumble entrant. The Royal Rumble is taking place on Saturday, January 27.
A Holiday Havoc eight-woman tag match with Damage CTRL (Bayley, SKY, Sane & Asuka) facing Bianca Belair, Zelina Vega, Michin & Shotzi will air on SmackDown this Friday (December 22).
The 2024 women’s Royal Rumble match has its first declared entrant.
On Friday night’s episode of SmackDown, Bayley announced that she’ll be an entrant in the women’s Royal Rumble match. Bayley stated that her being in the Rumble is part of Damage CTRL’s plan to hold all of the women’s gold in WWE. Bayley said she’s going to win the Rumble and then challenge Rhea Ripley for the Women’s World Championship at WrestleMania 40.
Damage CTRL’s IYO SKY is the WWE Women’s Champion. Bayley said The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane) are going after the Women’s Tag Team titles.
Bayley said:
Because now is the time for Damage CTRL to hold all the gold. And that starts with the most dangerous tag team in the division, The Kabuki Warriors, winning the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles. And me entering the 2024 Royal Rumble, winning, and taking Rhea Ripley’s championship. And finally my dream will become a reality.
Damage CTRL (Bayley, SKY, Asuka & Sane) are facing Bianca Belair, Zelina Vega, Michin & Shotzi in a Holiday Havoc eight-woman tag match on SmackDown next Friday.
While Bayley has declared for the women’s Royal Rumble, it appears that one of WWE’s other top stars won’t be able to compete in the match. It was announced on SmackDown last night that Charlotte Flair will be out of action for nine months due to a knee injury. Charlotte suffered the injury while facing Asuka on SmackDown last week.
Here’s the updated list of confirmed 2024 Royal Rumble entrants:
Michin & Zelina Vega vs. Asuka & Kairi Sane has also been confirmed for tonight’s SmackDown.
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Randy Orton’s war against The Bloodline is set to continue on SmackDown tonight.
WWE has announced that a singles match between Orton and Jimmy Uso will take place on tonight’s episode of SmackDown. The match comes one week after Orton and Jimmy faced off in tag team action. In last Friday’s main event, Orton & LA Knight defeated Jimmy & Solo Sikoa.
In storyline, Orton is out for revenge on The Bloodline for causing the back injury that kept him out of action for more than a year. Orton underwent double fusion back surgery in 2022. He returned to the ring at Survivor Series last month.
Two weeks ago, Orton joined the SmackDown roster. WWE looks to be building toward Orton challenging Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
Reigns is also set to appear on tonight’s SmackDown. He’s returning to the show for the first time since retaining his title against Knight at Crown Jewel.
Tonight’s SmackDown is being held at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Here’s everything that’s been announced:
Roman Reigns returns
Randy Orton vs. Jimmy Uso
Michin & Zelina Vega vs. Asuka & Kairi Sane
US title contender’s tournament match: Kevin Owens vs. Austin Theory
US title contender’s tournament match: Grayson Waller vs. Carmelo Hayes
The Undisputed Tag Team and Women’s Tag Team titles will be defended on next week’s WWE Raw episode.
It was revealed during Monday’s Raw that both sets of Tag Team Championships will be on the line next week, as The Judgment Day defend the Undisputed WWE Tag titles against The Creed Brothers, while Chelsea Green & Piper Niven will defend the WWE Women’s Tag titles against Katana Chance & Kayden Carter.
The Creed Brothers won a Tag Team Turmoil match on the November 27 Raw to earn the number one contendership to Damian Priest & Finn Balor’s Undisputed Tag titles, while Chance & Carter defeated former top contenders Natalya & Tegan Nox on the December 4 Raw to stake their claim as number one contenders to the Women’s Tag Team titles.
A future Intercontinental Championship match was also agreed to during Monday’s Raw, as Gunther accepted a challenge from The Miz with the stipulation that Miz will never again challenge Gunther for the title should he lose. No date has been announced for that title bout.
The announced lineup for the Monday, December 18 Raw:
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Damian Priest & Finn Balor defend against Julius Creed & Brutus Creed
Women’s Tag Team Champions Chelsea Green & Piper Niven defend against Katana Chance & Kayden Carter
