Tag: charlotte flair

Royal Rumble winners Charlotte Flair and Jey Uso announced for WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The 2025 Royal Rumble winners are set to appear on Friday’s WWE SmackDown, with women’s Rumble winner Charlotte Flair also announced for this week’s NXT.

Both Royal Rumble victors Flair, and Jey Uso appeared on Monday’s Raw to tease giving their decisions as to which champions they will face at WrestleMania 41.

Flair was confronted by Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley to hint at another WrestleMania bout between the two, who previously met at WrestleMania 36 for the NXT Women’s title, and at WrestleMania 39 for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Flair won the WrestleMania 36 bout, with Ripley coming out on top in the WrestleMania 39 matchup.

Flair did not commit to challenging Ripley, noting that she would be at NXT on Tuesday to confront current NXT Women’s Champion Giulia, and would also be at SmackDown this Friday to size up WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton.

Uso was confronted on Raw by World Heavyweight Champion Gunther, his likely opponent for WrestleMania 41. Gunther attempted to dissuade Uso from challenging him again after Uso failed to capture the title from Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event last month. Uso stated that he would be at SmackDown this week to discuss the possibility of challenging Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE title at WrestleMania.

WWE Raw live results: Royal Rumble fallout

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: February 3, 2025
Location: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, OH 

********** 

The Big Takeaway —

CM Punk will join John Cena in the men’s Elimination Chamber match in Toronto after beating Sami Zayn in a qualifying match. Kevin Owens laid out Zayn with a package piledriver after the match. 

The main event match and post-match were both really good but tainted by a significant amount of glitching of the Netflix feed (which hadn’t really happened before tonight). 

Jey Uso and Charlotte Flair both appeared, but neither announced which champion they would face at WrestleMania. Jey will be on Friday’s Smackdown to address Cody Rhodes, while Charlotte will be on NXT and Smackdown to address Giulia and Tiffany Stratton, respectively. 

Drew McIntyre was not on the show. 

**********

Show Recap — 

Sami Zayn, CM Punk, Judgment Day, Iyo Sky, and Charlotte Flair were shown arriving. There was a long video package highlighting the Royal Rumble. 

Michael Cole announced a crowd tonight of 13,432. 

Jey Uso segment 

Jey Uso entered to a huge reaction. He really kept the crowd going, and his entrance lasted a good five minutes. His music cut and fans chanted, “One more time.” So they played his music again, and he Yeeted along with them again. They followed with loud “You deserve it” chants. 

An emotional Jey Uso caught his breath and removed his shades to address the fans. He took an additional moment to gather himself as the fans chanted, “Yeet.” He thanked the fans. Jey said, “To be honest, I don’t even know what to say.” Everyone yelled, “Yeet,” and he responded, “Man, besides that!” 

He said he came into the game about 15 years ago. He and Jimmy tried to make a good living and carry on their family legacy. They did that. He went through the pandemic era and the Bloodline. They were cool chapters of his career. But, after that, he was scared because he didn’t have the confidence to be a singles star. But after coming out here tonight, he realized: “I got it now.” 

Jey said, “I worked really hard to get to this spot, man. I worked hard to get to this position.” He began tearing up as he thanked the fans. He even struggled to get the words out because he was so emotional. He thanked the fans because, thanks to them, he was the 2025 Royal Rumble winner, and he was going to the Mania main event. 

Gunther entered. He wanted to offer his congratulations, but really, he was disappointed. This possible matchup didn’t appeal to him. Jey couldn’t even lace his boots. Gunther learned box office and learned how to make the fans think he was barely holding onto the title. But the reality was he was always in control. 

Gunther refused to do this with Jey again. Beating him at Mania would add nothing to his legacy, unlike beating John Cena, Roman Reigns or CM Punk. Jey had everything to gain, while Gunther had everything to lose. Gunther said, “If you choose me, Jey, every week is going to be hell, with WrestleMania being the most horrible display of violence this business has ever seen. I’m going to hurt you, Jey. I’m going to put you down like a diseased dog.” Gunther said Jey had options, and he would be wise to consider them. 

Jey asked if Gunther wasn’t tired yet. Jey was tired. He was tired of everyone telling him what he can and cannot be. Jey said he would go to Smackdown and holler at Cody Rhodes. But no matter who he chose, he would go into Mania as the Rumble winner, and he would walk out of Mania as the champion.

(It’s always nice seeing guys show genuine emotion, and I thought Jey came across great here.) 

******** 

There will be an update on Roman Reigns tonight after getting stomped repeatedly by Seth Rollins on Saturday. 

They aired a clip of John Cena declaring for the Elimination Chamber in Toronto. (The reporters in the room clapped for him when he left.) 

********

Kaiser entered during a break and cut a quick promo on Penta. This was a first-time-ever match. 

Penta defeated Ludwig Kaiser (9:58) 

Kaiser hit a rolling DVD onto the apron, which led to a break two minutes into the match. Kaiser maintained control through the break, but Penta fired up with chops and a clunky backstabber for two. They exchanged chops before Penta wiped out Kaiser with a flip dive, followed by a flying crossbody for two. 

Penta hit consecutive superkicks, but Kaiser came back with a Finlay roll for two. Penta snapped the arm of Kaiser and hit Penta Driver for the pinfall win. This was fine. 

— Jackie Redmond went to interview Penta in the ring, but they were interrupted by Pete Dunne as he entered to his music. Kaiser took the opportunity and laid out Penta from behind. Dunne looked surprised but not upset. 

*********

They showed pictures but not video of JD McDonagh’s dive last week that resulted in broken ribs and a punctured lung. Cole said this is why you don’t try this at home. 

An annoyed Finn Bálor approached Judgment Day. He said he’s been gone for two weeks, and everything has fallen apart. Dominik stole his tag title match and got his partner injured. Bálor thought they might need a babysitter for Dom. 

Liv Morgan interjected to stick up for Dom. She informed Bálor that Adam Pearce would have given their tag title match to another team if Dom hadn’t stepped in. She blamed the War Raiders for McDonagh’s injury. 

Morgan had good news. She had a qualifying match for the Chamber, and Dom got her and Raquel Rodriguez a tag title shot. On top of that, Dom got Bálor a qualifying match in the Chamber. 

Bálor was surprised to learn it was Dom. Dom said they were family. An excited Carlito (with an apple) asked Dom what he got for him. Dom shrugged and said, “I got you that apple.” 

********

Charlotte Flair segment 

Charlotte entered to a mixed reaction. There were people booing as she began speaking, although it wasn’t that loud. She said that booing would have bothered her a year ago. But she missed them. She’s been gone over a year and missed the fans booing and cheering her. 

She said last year sucked. She thought she was unbreakable, but last year broke her mentally and physically. People booed. There was a point where she didn’t think her knee would get better. People booed. She said she would embrace the booing because she loved the fans. Their reaction didn’t change the fact that she was the greatest superstar in the history of this business. People booed. Last year broke her, but she fought because this ring was her passion. This was the thing she wanted to be the very best at. 

Rhea Ripley interrupted. The crowd chanted, “Mami.” Ripley said this was her show, and they had the opportunity to go to war again. Ripley respected Charlotte and hoped she picked her because the last time they fought at Mania, “I beat you.” Charlotte reminded Ripley that she won the first time they wrestled at Mania. Ripley said she was just a kid back then. 

Charlotte said she had plenty of time to make her decision. She planned to attend NXT tomorrow to see if Giulia inspired her and planned to attend Smackdown to see if Tiffany Stratton inspired her. Charlotte said Ripley jumped the gun by coming out here, which just showed her that Ripley was still just a kid. 

Ripley said Charlotte didn’t respect her and told Charlotte to pick her so she could beat the respect into her.

(This wasn’t good. Charlotte didn’t come across well in any fashion. She was booed but didn’t get a ton of heat, and she played it off poorly.) 

********

Redmond interviewed Sami Zayn backstage about facing CM Punk for the first time ever tonight. Zayn said it was tough losing the Rumble because he thought this was his year. He didn’t have time to think about that because he could have another shot at the Chamber, and Punk was all he had on his mind. 

Redmond asked about Kevin Owens but Zayn ended the interview upon seeing Jey Uso offscreen. Jey tried to tell him that he wasn’t trying to eliminate him from the Rumble. Zayn didn’t want to hear that. He hugged Jey and told him this moment was his. Zayn said, “You did this, you got here, now go all the way.” Jey wished him luck against Punk. 

Karrion Kross approached Zayn and asked what it was like to see everyone else live out his dream. Zayn was tired of seeing him and said they would have a problem soon if this didn’t stop. Kross issued a warning. 

********

New Day entered to new music. They cut a promo during a break. Kofi Kingston said a crime was committed when they were excluded from the Rumble. Kingston has given them more memorable Rumble moments than anyone. Xavier Woods said the fans were booing the truth, which made them liars. Kingston said they couldn’t wait to get out of Cleveland, just like Myles Garrett. 

******** 

Ripley bumped into Iyo Sky backstage. Sky said she might see her at Mania. After Ripley left, Morgan attacked Sky until Ripley ran back in to chase her away, but Rodriguez tackled Ripley over some equipment boxes. 

******** 

Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods defeated Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee (11:18) 

Logan Paul entered to his music about three and a half minutes into the match. He was booed in his hometown and later received loud “F*ck you, Logan” chants. They did their best to censor it. Cole said Paul has a Chamber qualifying match against Rey next week. 

Paul’s entrance distracted the good guys. Kingston used Dragon Lee’s mask to yank him off the top rope. Rey, who has been wrestling for 36 years, turned his back completely to the ring to watch Paul walk out, so Woods shoved him off the steps and into the barricade. 

Rey made a hot tag after a break, but Woods saved Kingston from a 619. Rey hit Kingston with a seated senton outside the ring. Paul got in Rey’s face, so Rey shoved Paul on his ass. He also posted Kingston, while Dragon Lee gave Woods a hurricanrana off the apron. 

As Kingston distracted the referee, Paul yanked Rey out of the ring onto the black mats. Kingston followed with Trouble in Paradise for the pinfall win. 

(Cole reminded us that Paul will face Rey in a qualifying match next week. Perhaps Kingston should be in that match now, too?)

******** 

Cole gave us a non-update on Reigns. He said they could only share what Reigns would allow them to share, and that was that he’ll be out “for the foreseeable future.” 

******** 

Cathy Kelley interviewed CM Punk. Punk said the silver lining from last night was that Rollins and Reigns did not win the Rumble. Punk apologized to the Zayn fans because Punk was going to the Chamber. He set a goal to go to Mania, and the pressure was on everyone else. 

******** 

During a break, there was a confrontation between Alpha Academy and A-Town Down. 

McAfee put over Cleveland but said their teams all stink. Cole reminded him that the Cavaliers are good this year. 

They aired a Rumble clip of IShowSpeed assisting in Otis’ elimination before getting killed by Bron Breakker. They claimed this clip had more than 300 million views in less than 24 hours on social media. 

There was a video package for Lyra Valkyria vs. Bayley next week. They were both shown in the audience. 

******** 

Elimination Chamber qualifying match: Liv Morgan (w/Raquel Rodriguez) defeated IYO SKY via disqualification (12:12) 

Morgan has a higher rating (91) than Sky (89) in WWE 2K25. 

They were having a really good match until the finish. 

Sky hit a suicide dive ahead of a break, but Morgan took control after knocking her off the top rope. Morgan hit three amigos after the break, but Sky came back with a knee strike. Sky hit a great-looking missile dropkick and double-foot stomp for two. Morgan hit a backstabber (Cole said she learned the move from Carlito, but she’s been doing it a long time.) 

Sky went to the top but a distraction by Rodriguez allowed Morgan to knock her off. Sky fought her off and hit a springboard moonsault. Sky tried something off the top but Morgan countered into a Codebreaker for a nearfall. Sky came back with a Frankensteiner and double knee strike in the corner. 

Sky went for a moonsault, but Rodriguez distracted her again, allowing Morgan to get her knees up on the moonsault. Morgan went for Oblivion, but Sky countered into a German suplex. 

Ripley ran out to take out Rodriguez. Morgan grabbed at Ripley’s hair, so Ripley turned around and punched her. The referee called for a DQ, and they announced Morgan as the winner. This was so stupid. 

Ripley tried reasoning with Sky, but Sky left. 

********

Kelley interviewed the War Raiders. They said JD McDonagh earned their respect. Chad Gable and American Made interrupted. Gable called them pathetic for injuring a stud like McDonagh and running away just barely clinging to their belts. He said they weren’t championship material, unlike his boys, the Creed Brothers. Ivar told them to be prepared to go to war if they wanted the titles. The War Raiders left. 

Gable told his team, “Guys, I have to leave you for a bit. I’m going on a quest on my own to conquer the dark arts of Lucha libre.” When he got back, he wanted to see Ivy Nile with the IC title and the Creeds with the tag titles. 

********

There was a video package for AJ Styles. Pearce said he made one more move before the transfer portal closed and announced that Styles was now a member of Raw. He’ll be on next week. 

Bron Breakker entered and advised Pearce to keep Styles away from him. Bron also wanted to know what was next for him and didn’t think Pearce was showing him much respect. They left to discuss it. 

*********

Seth Rollins/Sami Zayn segment 

Rollins entered wearing his newest ridiculous outfit. He said it stung that he didn’t win the Rumble, but he was happy and proud of Jey Uso. He loved seeing good people get what they deserve. He also loved that Punk lost. He loved seeing a scumbag and a piece of trash get dumped by that idiot Logan Paul. 

Rollins said Roman Reigns also lost and may not make it to Mania at all. Reigns was hurt, but Reigns and Paul Heyman wouldn’t admit it. WWE wouldn’t tell them the truth but Rollins knew that he hurt Reigns. Rollins wasn’t in the wrong because, for the past four years, Reigns has done nothing but hurt those closest to him. Reigns had a limited schedule, so if anything, Rollins did him a favour. 

Rollins said his path to Mania now went to the Chamber, and he had a qualifier in a couple of weeks against Finn Bálor. Rollins wanted to talk to Zayn and called him out. 

Zayn entered. Rollins led the crowd in a chant for Sami. Rollins admitted they haven’t seen eye-to-eye lately, but that was in the past. Their future could be the Chamber or Mania, but Zayn’s immediate future was Punk. Everyone knew Rollins hated Punk, but Rollins knew how much Zayn hated Punk, too. 

Rollins said Zayn put on a brave face at War Games, but tonight was not the night for that. Rollins reminded Zayn that Punk said he wasn’t on his level. Punk was delusional if he thought that. Zayn main-event Mania. Zayn was also a good person, something Punk has never been. Punk wasn’t on Zayn’s level because Zayn was levels above. 

Rollins wanted Zayn to keep Punk out of the Chamber. People like Zayn belonged in the match, not Punk. “Put his WrestleMania dream in the dirt for good, and come fight me in that Chamber.” 

As Rollins was leaving, Punk’s music hit, and they met in the aisle. They tried to exchange fists, but referees quickly got between them. Rollins continued to the back while Punk went to the ring. 

(Rollins gave the fans so many reasons to boo him here, but they never really did. He may not necessarily be turning, though.) 

******** 

Elimination Chamber qualifying match: CM Punk defeated Sami Zayn (14:57) 

(The Netflix feed glitched a few times earlier tonight, mostly in backstage segments, but it happened a lot during this match, particularly toward the end.) 

Zayn hit a superplex ahead of a break. He came off the top rope, but Punk caught him mid-air with a dropkick. There were duelling chants, which led to both men colliding with simultaneous crossbody attempts. After a break, Zayn hit a tornado DDT. Zayn wasn’t able to make a cover because of an injury to his elbow, which Punk worked on earlier. 

Punk avoided a Blue Thunder Bomb and hit a kick to the head, followed by a shoulder tackle and running knee. Zayn countered a bulldog into a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Zayn avoided another tackle, and Punk went shoulder-first into the post. Punk kicked out of a cradle and applied an Anaconda Vice, but Zayn got a rope break. 

Punk hit a knee strike and taunted Zayn, telling him to look at the Mania sign. Zayn tried to catch him off guard with a Helluva Kick, but Punk saw it coming and dodged it. Punk went for a GTS but Zayn countered into a small package for a nearfall. (This was one of those nearfalls where Punk may not have kicked out in time, but it wasn’t the planned finish.) 

Zayn avoided the GTS again and hit an exploder into the corner. Zayn set up for Helluva Kick, but Punk caught him with the GTS for the pinfall win. 

The screen glitched like crazy as Punk looked up at the Mania sign. The glitching was so bad post-match that I would’ve turned it off if I wasn’t writing this report. 

This match was really good, glitching aside. 

— Punk shook Zayn’s hand after the match. 

Kevin Owens showed up out of nowhere and attacked Zayn from behind. (Zayn bumped into Punk, who fell out of the ring.) Owens gave Zayn a package piledriver as the crowd booed. The show ended with a shot of Owens wearing a “Sami Zayn Forever” t-shirt.

Charlotte Flair filed for divorce from Andrade in June, finalized in October

Posted on by Ian Carey

Charlotte Flair and Andrade are officially divorced, TMZ reported on Monday.

Court records obtained by the outlet show Flair filed for divorce from Manuel Alfonso Andrade Oropeza (AKA Andrade) in June 2024, and a judge later signed off on it in October. The couple wed in May 2022 after becoming engaged in January 2020. A reason for their split has not been disclosed.

Her marriage to Andrade is Flair’s third to end in divorce. She was married to Riki Johnson from 2010 to 2013 and was also married to wrestler Thom Latimer from 2013 to 2015. It was Andrade’s first marriage.

The couple’s 2022 wedding was covered by PEOPLE Magazine and included over 160 guests. It was held at Hacienda Mi Ranchito in Torreón, Andrade’s hometown. She later told PEOPLE that Andrade “opened her eyes” to a life that was about more than wrestling.

“Before I met him, I did not know anything except my job,” Flair, whose real name is Ashley Fliehr, tells PEOPLE. “When I met him, he opened my eyes to travel and life and love and a different culture. And I was so strict with my job and did not know how to enjoy both life and work at the same time. And he opened me up to that.”

Flair is coming off winning the women’s Royal Rumble on Saturday. She is scheduled to be on tonight’s episode of WWE Raw.

WOL: WWE Royal Rumble fallout

Posted on by Andrew Zarian

I am back with another Sunday edition of Wrestling Observer Live, talking all the latest professional wrestling news.

With the WE Royal Rumble taking place Saturday, I spend most of the episode breaking down everything that happened and all the fallout. This includes surprise winners of the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches in Jey Uso and Charlotte Flair, respectively.

Also, I talk all the surprises and returns including Alexa Bliss, Nikki Bella, Jordynne Grace, AJ Styles and Joe Hendry. Plus, Cody Rhodes defended his WWE title in a brutal ladder match against Kevin Owens.

With the fallout from both matches, I look at what WrestleMania programs we might get coming from this show and what appears to be an upset Drew McIntyre after the match.

Additionally, notes from AEW Collision, WWE Evolve’s premiere, press conference notes, and more!

Click here to listen or watch on YouTube

WWE Royal Rumble review: YeetMania

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Didn’t see that coming, did you?

Jey Uso was the winner of this year’s men’s WWE Royal Rumble, last eliminating John Cena to win. I did not expect that going in and not many people did, honestly. The most exciting thing about this year’s match was that WWE has done such a good job of building contenders in the men’s division that a lot of people could have won like Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Cena, or even CM Punk.

That made the last few eliminations feel pretty special. A Royal Rumble match is good when there’s an air of unpredictability and this Rumble had that, leading to an entertaining match.

The men’s Rumble also presented the first look at some possible WrestleMania 41 matches. After he was eliminated, Rollins got into it with both Roman Reigns and Punk, setting up the possibility of a three-way match. Logan Paul eliminated AJ Styles, making me feel there will be more on that situation in the next few weeks. And with Uso’s win, it looks like he’ll be going after Gunther’s World Heavyweight title after losing to him one week ago on Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Going with Uso is a…choice. I like him as he’s fun and charismatic and it’s clear that the crowd sees him as a major star. And given that his last World title match was pretty good, I think he and Gunther can deliver a WrestleMania-caliber main event. But is he the guy to go with?

Meanwhile in the women’s Royal Rumble, everyone pretty much assumed that Charlotte Flair, who has been out of action for over a year with a knee injury, would win and, shock of shocks, challenge for another title. And sure enough she did, last eliminating NXT’s Roxanne Perez. This was a fine match and people reacted to big surprises like Alexa Bliss and Jordynne Grace, but Rumble matches are built on moments and there wasn’t anything significantly memorable here. My guess is Flair will challenge Tiffany Stratton who still probably has to go through Nia Jax first.

Cody Rhodes retained the undisputed WWE title and regained the “winged eagle” title by defeating Kevin Owens in a ladder match that had a bunch of sick spots. My own back hurt when Owens landed on the side of that ladder following a Rhodes back body drop. Yikes! The final spot of the match where Rhodes gave Owens an Alabama slam through one of the ladders was also a cool, yet kinda sick, visual. Sami Zayn came out and looked after Owens as Rhodes grabbed the title, so there’s still intrigue as to where the Zayn/Owens relationship goes from here. I wouldn’t say this was a super remarkable ladder match, but the last few minutes were excellent.

DIY retained the WWE Tag Team titles after defeating the Motor City Machine Guns. I was thinking this could be one of the better matches of the show, but surprisingly it was just a match. It was well worked, but no one in Indianapolis saw these two teams as stars and as a result, they simply sat on their hands. Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley lost after interference from the Street Profits who also took out DIY. That may be a three-way match for somewhere down the road.

Next month is the Elimination Chamber from Toronto. Will John Cena overcome the odds and go to WrestleMania? Well I hope so or he, one of the biggest wrestling stars of all time, won’t have a path to WrestleMania…again!

Charlotte Flair wins WWE women’s Royal Rumble

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Charlotte Flair is back — and she’s already secured a Women’s Championship shot at WrestleMania 41.

In her first match since December 2023, Charlotte won the women’s Royal Rumble on Saturday night. The final three left at the end of the match were Charlotte, NXT star Roxanne Perez, and Nia Jax. After Charlotte dumped Jax out of the ring, she followed up with a big boot on Perez to eliminate her and get the victory.

This was Charlotte’s first time competing since suffering a torn ACL, MCL, and meniscus 13 months ago. Her return was advertised in advance with Charlotte being announced as one of the participants for the Rumble. She entered at number 27 and wore a brace on her left knee for the match.

With her victory, Charlotte is now the first woman to win the Royal Rumble twice. Her previous win happened in 2020.

WWE has not yet confirmed which champion Charlotte will be challenging at WrestleMania. Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley of Raw and WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton of SmackDown are the current title holders.

Ahead of the Royal Rumble, Stratton told Sports Illustrated that she is hoping to face Charlotte at WrestleMania.

WrestleMania 41 takes place from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 19 and Sunday, April 20.

WWE Royal Rumble live results: The road to WrestleMania 41 begins

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: February 1, 2025
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN

**********

Show Recap — 

COUNTDOWN SHOW —

Michael Cole, Big E, Wade Barrett, and Pat McAfee hosted the first part of the 2-hour pre-show. Cole called Big E a movie star, referring to his upcoming role in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, a TV show.

Triple H was shown backstage, and they acknowledged his upcoming 2025 Hall of Fame induction. 

The first 32 minutes of the pre-show were spent showing clips of the panellists participating in past Rumbles, showing a numbers video, and opening collectible WWE cards. Ironically, the first card Big E pulled was of Ridge Holland.

Joe Tessitore joined the panel, and they really put over McAfee strong. They spoke about tonight’s tag title match, and Cole mentioned the success of Motor City Machine Guns in TNA. 

CM Punk sit-down interview with Jackie Redmond 

Punk admitted he thought about the 2014 Royal Rumble a lot. He spoke about getting injured in last year’s Rumble. He cried when the match was over and was consoled by AJ Lee over the phone. 

Redmond asked about the favour, but he wouldn’t give any clues. He couldn’t tell her when he would cash it in because even he didn’t know. 

Punk spoke very little to Paul Heyman during his time away from WWE but their relationship picked right back up when he returned. 

Punk has come up short in every Rumble he’s been in. It feels empty to lose. Redmond asked if he thought about the potential moment after winning the Rumble and pointing at the WrestleMania sign. Punk hadn’t thought about that yet, and the thought scared him more than losing. That was always his dream, and if he accomplished it, maybe what he had in his heart for this business would fade. Maybe the hunger was what made him great. But when his music hit, he would be ready. 

********

They aired a separate numbers video from the one that aired earlier. 

Redmond and Peter Rosenberg replaced Cole and McAfee on the panel. They spoke about the return of Charlotte Flair, and Big E flat-out mentioned the possibility of a Becky Lynch return.

Cathy Kelley interviewed Gunther. He wasn’t worried about the Rumble match because he knew the winner would want to face Rhodes because he was the easier opponent. He looked forward to watching it anyway. 

There was some bad news as Miz confirmed he will be in the Rumble. 

Bubba Dudley joined the panel and put over the tag teams. They also plugged the new LFG show on A&E. 

There was an actual video package about the WrestleMania sign.

Lanie Gardner sang the American national anthem. 

ROYAL RUMBLE 2025 —

Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens, Gunther, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Bayley, Bianca Belair & Naomi, and Roman Reigns & Paul Heyman were shown arriving. 

Stephanie McMahon entered. She announced this was the biggest Royal Rumble in history and fireworks went off. 

Michael Cole, Pat McAfee, and Wade Barrett are tonight’s announcers. 

(The ring mat is white with a few ads, but not as many as on Raw.) 

I’ll update the Rumble matches periodically throughout, so follow along. 

Charlotte Flair won the Women’s Royal Rumble Match (1:10:22) 

During each entrance, everyone’s chyron had the wrestler’s national flag. A graphic remained on the screen that provided updates on how many people were left and eliminated. 

Iyo Sky entered 1st. Liv Morgan entered 2nd. They went back and forth until Roxanne Perez entered 3rd. Perez hit them with a combo Russian leg sweep and DDT. Lyra Valkyria entered 4th, Chelsea Green entered 5th. Unlike Valkyria, Green took her time to enter. 

Green chucked everyone over the top, but nobody actually went out. She celebrated anyway, so everyone beat her up. B-Fab entered 6th, Ivy Nile entered 7th. Nile handed out German suplexes and hit a double German to Perez and Green. The crowd popped but followed with “You suck” chants. 

Zoey Stark entered 8th. Morgan almost eliminated Green and the crowd did not want that to happen. Lash Legend entered 9th. Legend ran wild until B-Fab and Legend knocked each other down with boots. Green had the first elimination by tossing out B-Fab, and she got a big pop. 

Bianca Belair entered 10th. There was a goofy spot that got over where she did the ten punches in the corner. Someone would try to interrupt, but she would flip over them and do it to them, too. This happened about six times. Shayna Baszler entered 11th. 

The first-ever Women’s Intercontinental Champion was the second to be eliminated—by Nile. This will certainly set up a title match. 

Bayley entered 12th. She had a faceoff with Sky, but they were cut off by PFC. Sonya Deville entered 13th, Maxxine Dupri entered 14th. Dupri was confronted by Nile, but Dupri got the better of her. PFC cut her off before she could try the caterpillar. The other wrestlers took out PFC, so Dupri hit the caterpillar. Dupri eliminated Nile, but PFC immediately eliminated Dupri. 

Naomi entered 15th. Naomi and Belair eliminated Stark, while Bayley and Sky eliminated Deville and Baszler. Jaida Parker entered 16th. Parker, Legend, Belair and Naomi teamed up on Green, and the crowd booed. Legend booted Parker by mistake, and Green eliminated Legend to a big pop. 

Piper Niven entered 17th. Niven eliminated Green by accident, and the crowd booed. Natalya entered 18th. 

Jordynne Grace entered 19th, and she got a good reaction. Her graphic labelled her as a former TNA Knockouts champion. She handed out clotheslines while Perez was on her back. Grace eliminated Parker. Grace got Niven easily on her shoulders and hit a Finlay roll. 

Grace hugged Naomi, but Belair took offence and tried to eliminate Grace but Grace held on. Michin entered 20th. 

Alexa Bliss entered 21st to a monster reaction. She came out with her doll. (Cole just had to remark, “The internet said she wasn’t coming back!”) She wore black and red and had pink highlights in her hair. She laid out Bayley with the crowd on their feet, and she posed for them.

Zelina Vega entered 22nd, and she gave Grace a Code Red off the ropes. Candice LeRae entered 23rd. Stephanie Vaquer entered 24th to a pretty good reaction.

Trish Stratus entered 25th to a big reaction. She beat up Natalya and gave a double bulldog to LeRae and Grace. Niven ran Stratus over with a tackle. (There are 15 people currently in the ring with just a few entrants left.) 

Raquel Rodriguez entered 26th. Morgan eliminated Natalya with a Codebreaker off the apron. Rodriguez knocked Bliss to the apron, and Morgan eliminated Bliss with a Codebreaker. The crowd booed heavily. 

Charlotte Flair entered 27th. She got fireworks. She wore a sparkly red outfit… and a sparkly silver knee brace. Charlotte ran wild and eliminated Michin. Vaquer and Grace tried to give her a delayed vertical suplex, but she countered into a double DDT. Charlotte eliminated Niven. 

Giulia entered 28th. She eliminated Grace with a headbutt and knee strike to knock her off the apron. The crowd lightly booed Grace going out. Giulia and Vaquer faced off, but they wound up teaming up. A brawl broke out as Nia Jax entered 29th.

Vega was on the apron, so Jax yanked her out for the elimination, before Jax even entered the match. Stratus eliminated LeRae. Jax tried to powerbomb Stratus, but Stratus hit a huricanrana. LeRae, already eliminated, assisted Jax in eliminating Stratus. The crowd booed. 

Nikki Bella entered 30th. She got an interesting reaction. She got a big reaction because she’s a star. I think everyone (me) was expecting Becky Lynch. Everyone chose this moment to gang up on Jax, but she knocked everyone down. 

There was a wild spot where a bunch of people wound up on the apron, and thanks mostly to Jax — Vaquer, Sky, Naomi, Belair, and Rodriguez all got eliminated. Jax eliminated Morgan soon after. Perez eliminated Giulia. 

Jax was trying to eliminate Bayley. Nikki went to attack but Jax moved, and Nikki eliminated Bayley. Jax then eliminated Nikki. 

Perez got the surprise elimination over Jax which got a big reaction. She had a quick battle with Charlotte, but Charlotte booted her out for the win. The crowd cheered for Charlotte, who was clearly emotional.

(The first part of this match was very ordinary, but it picked up in the latter half. I feel like they could’ve done more with some of the newer acts/women from NXT, but everything built to the ending.)

******** 

Godfather, Mickie James, and Kurt Angle (and his daughter) were shown ringside. Marcus Freeman and Stephen Amell were shown too.

Two out of three falls match: DIY defeated Motor City Machine Guns to retain the WWE Tag Team Championships (14:01) 

Tommaso Ciampa pinned Alex Shelley with a knee strike just three minutes into the match to pick up the first fall. Johnny Gargano tried a slingshot spear later on, but Shelley superkicked him mid-air. Chris Sabin tagged in and wiped out DIY with a dive. Sabin and Shelley hit Gargano with Skull and Bones to win the second fall. 

DIY hit Sabin with a combo superkick/Fairy Tale Ending, but Shelly broke up the cover. Ciampa hit Sabin with Project Ciampa for a nearfall. 

With Ciampa hanging upside down in the corner, Shelley suplexed Gargano into him, and Sabin followed with a dropkick. They hit a combo powerbomb/blockbuster, but Gargano broke up the cover. Gargano hit Ciampa by accident, which led to MCMG hitting a fury of double-team offence on Gargano. 

They went for their finisher again but Montez Ford (in a hoodie) distracted the referee while Angelo Dawkins attacked Sabin from behind with a crutch. DIY hit Meet in the Middle to retain the titles. 

— The Street Profits also attacked DIY after the match. 

The crowd didn’t seem to care about this.

*******

Among the things they did to waste time before the next match was show highlights from McAfee’s football career (he was a kicker). 

Ron Simmons, Rick Steiner, Rob Van Dam, Belal Muhammad, and John Mellencamp were shown ringside.

******** 

Owens and Rhodes each entered with their belts. Owens took his belt back on Smackdown. Not sure when Rhodes got his back. 

Ladder match: Cody Rhodes defeated Kevin Owens to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship (25:05) 

Early in the match, Owens slammed Rhodes through the metal hinges of the ladder. Rhodes fought back, and they fought through the crowd. Owens slammed Rhodes on a ladder and set up a ladder bridge (to be used later). Owens found a mini ladder and used it as a weapon, but Rhodes fought back and used it, too. 

Rhodes tried climbing the (regular) ladder, but Owens yanked him off and hit a powerbomb. Later on, Rhodes suplexed Owens onto a ladder. Rhodes yanked a rung of the ladder and used it as a weapon. Owens responded by doing the Dusty jabs. Instead of hitting an elbow, he used the ladder rung. 

Owens took a brutal bump up next. Rhodes countered a piledriver by giving Owens a back body drop until the absolute edge of the ladder. Owens got his receipt by powerbombing Rhodes onto a ladder that was draped over the bottom rope. 

Owens set up a low ladder bridge in the ring and put Rhodes through it with a fisherman’s buster off the ropes. Officials ran out to check on both guys. Sami Zayn did, too, to check on Owens. 

Owens set up for a stunner, but Rhodes countered into a Cross Rhodes. Owens rolled out of the ring, so Rhodes (instead of climbing the ladder) rammed Owens’ head repeatedly against the announce table. Owens came up bleeding. (Rhodes distracted the cameraperson while Owens was down. Although Owens did have a cut above his eye later.) 

Rhodes set up something on the announce table, but Owens gave him a low blow. Owens went for a package powerbomb on the previously set-up ladder bridge, but Rhodes countered and put Owens through it with an Alabama Slam. The ladder snapped in half. 

Zayn checked on Owens while Rhodes grabbed the title belts for the win. 

(They really beat the hell out of each other, so this was worth checking out. Owens was killed so much that he almost felt like a babyface by the end.) 

******** 

Tyrese Haliburton, O’Shea Jackson Jr., and Kai Cenat were shown in the crowd.

********

Jey Uso won the Men’s Royal Rumble Match (1:20:12) 

Rey Mysterio entered 1st. Penta entered 2nd. The crowd was into their face-off, and Rey offered a handshake. Penta shook his hand and pulled him in close to do his catchphrase. Rey brought the fight to Penta and may have eliminated him, but Penta just barely stayed in. (It’s possible both feet hit the floor, but they didn’t show a replay.) 

Chad Gable entered 3rd. Gable worked over both men until Rey dove off Penta’s shoulders to dive on Gable (unfortunately landing right on Gable’s knees). Carmelo Hayes entered 4th. He worked together with Gable to beat up Rey and Penta. Hayes tried to eliminate Gable, so Gable gave him a German suplex.

Santos Escobar entered 5th. He dropped Rey onto the middle rope and hit a 619, to which Cole said, “That’s Rey’s move!” Penta confronted Escobar, but Escobar gave him a Canadian Destroyer. Rey gave Escobar a 619 but was unable to eliminate him. 

Otis entered 6th and easily chokeslammed Escobar. He went for a caterpillar, but Gable caught him in an ankle lock. Otis slipped out, so Gable slapped him, and Otis slapped him back. Gable gave Otis a German suplex, but Otis popped right up and applied a torture rack.

Bron Breakker entered 7th and sprinted down the long aisleway. He killed Hayes with a spear and eliminated him. He gave Gable a Frankensteiner and suplexed Otis. Bron speared and eliminated Escobar. 

Akira Tozawa entered 8th, but he was immediately attacked from behind Hayes (as Hayes was leaving). This clothesline from behind was enough to kill Tozawa, so officials helped him to the back. 

IShowSpeed happened to be nearby, so future Hall of Famer Triple H told him to take Tozawa’s spot. Speed acted like he didn’t want to enter, but he sprinted down to the ring and helped Bron eliminate Otis. 

Bron absolutely killed Speed to death with a spear and press-slammed him out of the ring. (Speed’s head hit hard against the mat on the spear.) If that wasn’t enough, Speed was tossed into Otis, who gave him a fallaway slam onto the announce table. They killed this poor guy. 

Sheamus entered 9th. Sheamus laid out everyone. He was almost eliminated by Penta, but Sheamus hit a slingshot tackle. Jimmy Uso entered 10th. Jimmy shined until Sheamus cut him off. Andrade entered 11th and shined for a bit until Penta gave him a superplex. 

Jacob Fatu entered 12th. Fatu got Rey and Penta on his shoulders simultaneously and hit them both with a Samoan drop. That was awesome. Fatu eliminated Gable, Rey and Andrade. Bron went face-to-face with Fatu, but the confrontation was interrupted. 

Ludwig Kaiser entered 13th. He did a funny little run to the ring but then stopped short of entering because he knows better. His strategy didn’t work because as soon as he entered, he was eliminated by Penta. 

The Miz entered 14th. They kept teasing eliminations of Bron, but he remained in. Miz “shined” for a moment until Fatu flattened him with a Samoan drop. The crowd chanted for Fatu. 

Joe Hendry entered 15th. He got a very good reaction and entered with his TNA world title. Hendry beat up Miz until Fatu knocked him down with a tackle. 

Roman Reigns entered 16th. Reigns speared Miz and eliminated him. Reigns speared Sheamus and eliminated him. Hendry kicked Reigns low, but Reigns speared him and eliminated the TNA champion. 

Reigns and Bron faced off. Bron speared him to hell. The crowd barked. Bron went to eliminate Reigns, but Reigns countered and eliminated Bron instead. Bron looked back at Reigns before leaving. Jimmy helped Reigns to his feet but Fatu superkicked Jimmy and eliminated him. 

Fatu faced off with Reigns, and the crowd cheered. They went back and forth until Reigns hit a spear.

Drew McIntyre entered 17th. He and Reigns exchanged blows until Fatu jumped in and knocked down Reigns. McIntyre and Fatu double-teamed Reigns. Penta tried to get involved, but Fatu dealt with him. 

Finn Bálor entered 18th, Shinsuke Nakamura entered 19th. Penta leaped off Bálor’s back and gave Fatu a Canadian Destroyer. However, Bálor chucked Penta out of the ring for the elimination about 42 minutes in. 

Jey Uso entered 20th and eliminated Nakamura. AJ Styles entered 21st. Styles beat up a few guys, and the crowd was into him. Styles gave Fatu a Pelé kick but Fatu hit a back body drop. 

Braun Strowman entered 22nd and immediately eliminated Fatu. Fatu threw a Bret Hart-level tantrum and chucked chairs around ringside. 

John Cena entered 23rd. Cena eliminated Strowman. He was almost eliminated by Bálor, but he eliminated Bálor instead. (Strowman was supposed to catch Bálor, but they mistimed it, and Bálor landed straight against the mats.) 

Cena faced off with Reigns, but before anything could happen, CM Punk (wearing pink) entered 24th. Punk, Reigns and Cena stood tall for the crowd, who were on their feet. (The ref checked on Styles in the corner.) 

They did literally nothing until Seth Rollins entered 25th. Rollins tackled Punk while Reigns and Cena went at it. Styles was back on his feet, and he went after Jey. (I’m watching with friends, and one of them, who isn’t a fan, can’t get over how good Styles’ hair looks.) 

Dominik Mysterio entered 26th and gave Cena a frog splash. He went for a vertical suplex on Reigns, but Reigns gave him a Samoan drop. 

Sami Zayn entered 27th. He immediately hit McIntyre and Rollins with Helluva Kicks as the crowd sang his song. Zayn went after Punk next. Damian Priest entered 28th. He gave Dom a chokeslam and chucked him out.

LA Knight entered 29th. He exchanged blows with Jey, which, of course, led to chants of “Yeah” and “Yeet.” McIntyre placed Zayn on the apron, and Jey accidentally eliminated Zayn with a superkick. 

Logan Paul entered 30th. Paul hit Styles and Rollins with a double Buckshot lariat. Priest eliminated McIntyre. Knight shoved Paul off the apron, but Paul landed on the announce table to avoid the elimination. Knight eliminated Priest, and Styles eliminated Knight.

Paul leaped from the barricade to the steps and yanked Styles out for the elimination. Punk gave Paul a GTS, Rollins superkicked Punk, Rollins gave Jey a Pedigree, and Reigns Superman punched Cena. Rollins stomped Cena and Punk.  

Rollins and Reigns had a big face-off. They had an exchange which led to Rollins hitting consecutive superkicks. Reigns almost eliminated Rollins, but Punk wound up eliminating them both. Punk admired his work so Paul eliminated Punk. 

As Punk and Reigns stared at each other outside the ring, Rollins stomped Reigns. Punk and Rollins brawled, and officials got between them. Rollins flipped off Heyman and stomped Reigns onto the steel steps. Punk stepped over Reigns and said something to Heyman before leaving.

The final three were Cena, Paul and Jey Uso. Paul and Jey exchanged strikes. Cena got them both on their shoulders, but before he could hit a double AA, Jey slipped out and superkicked Cena. Cena managed to eliminate Paul. 

The final two were Cena and Jey Uso. They soaked in the crowd for a while before going at it. Cena got the better of it and did his usual comeback, hitting the five-knuckle shuffle. Cena set up for AA, but Jey slipped out and hit a superkick. Cena avoided elimination, but Jey hit another superkick. Cena avoided elimination again, but Jey hit a spear. 

After more elimination attempts, they both wound up on the apron. They exchanged strikes until Cena set up for an AA. Jey slipped off his shoulders and shoved Cena out for the elimination. Jey won.

The crowd reaction was a mix of shock and excitement. Fireworks went off, and the crowd all Yeeted along with Jey.

WWE Royal Rumble preview & predictions: Will John Cena win his last Rumble?

Posted on by Ian Carey

Image: WWE

The following is an opinion-based preview that reflects the view of the author and not the website.

The 2025 edition of the WWE Royal Rumble takes place this Saturday from Indianapolis and should be a fun show. 

Most years, the Rumble matches themselves are not difficult to predict. However, that’s not the case this year as there are numerous routes WWE could go with the men’s and women’s matches. 

There are just two non-Rumble matches on the card this year. Kevin Owens vs. Cody Rhodes for the undisputed WWE title will be a great match, albeit one where the winner is not in doubt. Then, there will be a best two out of three falls match between #DIY and the Motor City Machine Guns, a dream match I’m sure Triple H wished had happened on an NXT TakeOver show at some point. 

Below are predictions, betting odds, and previews for each match for Saturday’s Royal Rumble (6 PM Eastern start time on Peacock domestically/Netflix internationally):

Men’s Royal Rumble match

According to Las Vegas, John Cena is a -110 favorite to win the match. This is likely due to rumors that WWE wants Cena vs. Rhodes at WrestleMania this year with the story that Cena would have the chance to win his 17th World title. In storyline, he’d break Ric Flair’s record. (In reality, who knows how many times Flair won and lost the World title?) Regardless, that’s the story. WWE doesn’t need Cena to win the Rumble to get that match, though. There’s always the Elimination Chamber in Toronto as well. 

According to the betting odds, the next favorite is Seth Rollins at +175. Rollins and Gunther had a promo segment together on Monday, so perhaps Rollins vs. Gunther is the plan for Mania. If so, Rollins winning is possible, but I don’t see it happening. 

The third favorite at +210 is CM Punk. I don’t know about that as Punk’s already got his “path to WrestleMania.” We know Paul Heyman owes him a favor which could also have something to do with Mania. Punk winning the Rumble to get what he wants at this stage feels unnecessary. 

Roman Reigns is a +300 favorite. I’m a little surprised Roman isn’t a bigger favorite, but perhaps the thinking is that Reigns vs. Punk is the plan for Mania and the story doesn’t need the Rumble to get there. 

There’s a significant drop off in the odds from all of those guys to the fifth favorite: The Rock. His odds are listed as +1200. He doesn’t need a Rumble win to have a big match at Mania, and I’m not even sure he’ll be in the match to begin with.

Jey Uso is listed as a +2500 favorite. Under no circumstances do I think betting on wrestling is a good idea, but if I did, I might consider putting a little money on Uso here. All that’s left to make him a perennial main eventer and World champion is simply putting him in that role. The guy seems pretty freakin’ popular as he is someone the fans have watched put in the work, grind, and develop into one of the most popular wrestlers in the world today. 

Similar to Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre, there is a story with Uso and Gunther where Uso can’t seem to get a win over the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. Albeit, that is also the case with Gunther and most other opponents. With their last match at Saturday Night’s Main Event, Gunther is 3-0 against Uso right now. I can see Uso winning the Rumble, challenging Gunther, and then finding that fighting spirit deep within himself to overcome an obstacle that had previously bested him. And it would undoubtedly make Rikishi happy. 

As for my prediction, the smart money says John Cena, but my gut says Jey Uso. 

Prediction: Jey Uso

Women’s Royal Rumble match

Charlotte Flair is the betting favorite to win at -200 odds. I believe she will do just that and start a dominant heel run as WWE Women’s Champion on SmackDown.

I’m surprised that Triple H has yet to book a Four Horsemen-style heel group led by Flair in the women’s division, and I wonder if this is the start of him doing that. One thing I know about his booking is that he loves a good heel stable protecting a World champion. Look at the Undisputed Era in NXT, Imperium in NXT UK, The Bloodline, Judgment Day, Damage CTRL, not to mention his own role in Evolution. It’s his grilled cheese sandwich of creative comfort. His biggest influence in wrestling is the heyday of the Horsemen, and now he’s got Ric Flair’s daughter to play with. There are other daughters of the Four Horsemen out there WWE could bring in for this, but despite being a tremendous wrestler, Tessa Blanchard comes with a lot of baggage.

The next highest favorite is Bianca Belair at +180. The plan is likely for Belair vs. Jade Cargill at WrestleMania, so I don’t know how her winning the Rumble would lead to that. 

IYO SKY is listed at +325, but I don’t see what Mania match that would build to. Triple H always books her strong, though. 

Becky Lynch is listed at +500 and I’m a little surprised her odds aren’t better. But with two babyface champions right now, there might not be a story for Becky with either of them. I expect her to return in the Rumble, but I don’t know if she will win. 

Alexa Bliss is listed as a +1000 favorite. Oddly enough, all the reports about WWE and Bliss being in a contract dispute lead me to believe she’s returning Saturday. Leaking red herring reports seem to be a tactic of this WWE regime unless you believe the deal for CM Punk’s 2023 return at Survivor Series did all come together at the last minute. 

Other possible returns include Asuka, Jordynne Grace, Nikki Bella, Lynch (as mentioned above), and possibly Trish Stratus or Lita. 

Prediction: Charlotte Flair

WWE Tag Team Champions #DIY defend against the Motor City Machine Guns

I’m surprised we are getting this match on the PLE rather than a SmackDown, but I’ll take it. #DIY are listed as -500 favorites which is high to me. I think the idea is that with MCMG having just lost the titles to #DIY, it seems early to regain them. Triple H might want this rivalry to go on longer, perhaps forever, so I don’t see it as out of the question that MCMG get the titles back and they keep trading them back and forth.

No matter who wins, this should be a fun match. #DIY retaining seems more likely, though.

Prediction: #DIY retains

Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against Kevin Owens in a ladder match

Rhodes is listed as a -4000 favorite and barring an injury or accidental belt grabbing, that is what will happen. 

I think Rhodes, Owens, and WWE’s creative team deserve a lot of credit for just how entertaining this story has been even though no one believes Owens has a realistic chance of winning the title. Owens’ heel turn throughout this angle has been brilliant and similar to Drew McIntyre, his path to the dark side began with people forgiving Roman Reigns. How the storylines have all connected to that in recent years has been fun to watch play out. 

Rhodes will win. We all know that, but it’ll still be fun to watch.

Prediction: Cody Rhodes retains

Tiffany Stratton: I got into wrestling because of Charlotte Flair

Posted on by Ian Carey

Tiffany Stratton says she wouldn’t be a wrestler if it wasn’t for Charlotte Flair and believes the two of them could have “a banger” at WrestleMania.

Flair has officially declared for the women’s Royal Rumble tonight in Indianapolis. It will be her first match since December 2023 after undergoing knee surgery. Flair has been out of action for Stratton’s entire main roster run, which began at last year’s Royal Rumble. However, Stratton told SI.com that she hopes their paths will cross soon, possibly at WrestleMania.

“Honestly, I think we could have a banger match. I feel like that’s a given,” Stratton said. “If it were me and Charlotte, I feel like we would probably have one of the best matches on the entire WrestleMania card. So, hopefully that happens. And if it does, I’m ready.”

“It would be a generational match,” Stratton continued. “I got into wrestling because of her. I saw her on an episode of SmackDown one day, and she kind of inspired me to get into wrestling. It would just mean so much to my younger self if she would be my WrestleMania opponent.”

According to a recent report by the social media account WrestleVotes, Stratton could get her dream match against Flair at WrestleMania this year. Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp also wrote that he’s heard Stratton vs. Flair is the plan for WrestleMania.

However, Stratton may still have to finish her ongoing program with former champion Nia Jax before getting to Flair. On WWE SmackDown last night, Stratton was confronted by Jax’s run-in buddy Candice LeRae, leading to an attack by Jax, who stood tall over the champion as the segment ended. 

Daily Update: Triple H, Charlotte Flair, Mustafa Ali

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest Free YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the topics covered:

  • What are the issues with AEW and what can be done to fix some of them easily
  • A look at Wednesday’s show and the different issues regarding the big picture
  • Why WWE doesn’t get hurt when it does the same things listed as mistakes when AEW does them
  • Where AEW actually stands in television
  • Preview of Saturday Night’s Main Event, Royal Rumble and business notes
  • UFC 311 coverage of the show changed at the last minute
  • A look at TNA’s Genesis PPV, its relationship with WWE and its first live TV shoot
  • Game Changer Wrestling returns to the Hammerstein
  • What happened with PCO and why
  • 2024 Awards ballot
  • The most detailed look at the ratings over the past week including Raw on Netflix
  • New CMLL marketing gimmick
  • Stardom comes up with new booking concept and debuts it this past week
  • Dragon Gate comes to the U.S.
  • Japanese promotions try to present united front
  • Notes on first live TNA TV show in eight years
  • Britt Baker update
  • Ricky Starks update
  • Grand Slam Australia update
  • Notes on new AEW dates
  • Major issue long-term for AEW younger talents
  • Advanced ticket sales for upcoming WWE & AEW shows
  • International TV ratings and streaming numbers
  • More on Dana White and boxing
  • Chris Weidman retires
  • Craig Piligian announced for UFC Hall of Fame
  • One of the most popular fighters from 15 year ago cut by UFC
  • Lots more on WrestleMania
  • Corey Graves update

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Thursday Update

WWE

Other Wrestling

  • With 90 days having passed since she was released from her WWE contract, Nixon Newell (the former Tegan Nox) posted that she is now officially a free agent. She is taking bookings at [email protected]. Indi Hartwell is also now entering free agency after being released on the same day as Newell. Hartwell’s first post-WWE appearance will be at WrestleCon’s convention in Indianapolis this Saturday.
  • Mustafa Ali, who has signed with TNA Wrestling, told The Takedown he fully believes that he could be the face of a company:
    • I fully believe that Mustafa Ali could be the face of a company, could be the World Champion of a company. You could sit me down with any sponsor, with any publication, with any TV show. And I dress like a star. I’m in the best shape of my life. I’m mentally, physically healthy. You’re not going to hear anything bad about me in the news. I’m not getting arrested. I’m not failing a drug test. I’m the epitome of a professional.
  • Penelope Ford was the guest on AEW Unrestricted this week.
  • Ricky Starks is facing Aaron Solo for Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling in Buford, Georgia on Saturday, February 15.
  • ESPN published a feature story on The Wrestling Club, which is led by English teacher Victor Taylor Perry at KIPP AMP Middle School in Brooklyn.
  • Ring The Belle has an interview with Gisele Shaw.

Charlotte Flair, four other wrestlers declare for WWE Royal Rumble

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Multiple names have declared for the Royal Rumble.

In a video shown during Friday’s SmackDown, Charlotte Flair announced that she would be entering the Royal Rumble match. Return vignettes for the multiple-time Women’s champion started to air on last week’s show.

Following the video, a segment aired inolving Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley meeting face-to-face with Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton. This brought out Nia Jax, who officially declared for the Rumble. Naomi, Bianca Belair, and Liv Morgan all came out and did the same. After Morgan said Raquel Rodriguez would ensure her win, a brawl ensued. That led to a match where Jax, Candice LeRae, and Liv Morgan defeat Belair, Naomi, and Ripley.

Towards the end of the show, United States Champion and previous Royal Rumble winner Shinsuke Nakamrua also declared for the Rumble:

WWE Royal Rumble, Saturday, February 1 —

  • Men’s Royal Rumble match: John Cena, Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Rey Mysterio, LA Knight, Sami Zayn, Shinsuke Nakamura
  • Women’s Royal Rumble match: Nia Jax, Bayley, Charlotte Flair, Naomi, Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan
  • Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against Kevin Owens in a ladder match
  • Two out of three falls match for WWE Tag Team titles: DIY defend against The Motor City Machine Guns

Charlotte Flair return vignette airs on WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Charlotte Flair is on her way back to WWE, with a new vignette for her return from injury airing on Friday’s SmackDown.

Flair is making her comeback after missing more than a year of ring time due to a catastrophic knee injury and subsequent reconstructive surgery and rehab. On the December 8, 2023 SmackDown, Flair suffered a torn ACL, MCL, and meniscus in a match against Asuka. She underwent surgery in late December 2023, or early January 2024, posting about it on social media on January 4, 2024.

Friday’s return vignette included shots of Flair boarding a private jet, driving a Rolls Royce, lounging on a yacht, and wearing fur coats interspersed with highlights from her wrestling career.

A return date for Flair has yet to be announced. The upcoming Royal Rumble match on February 1 would be a logical conclusion, although to this point, no participants have been revealed for the women’s Rumble bout.

The return vignette is embedded below.

Daily Update: Tribal Chief Championship, Charlotte Flair, Tony Khan

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest Free YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • The notes of just how much of the young audience AEW has lost
  • All In at Globe Life Field both realities and perception
  • History of famous promotional wars and how they turned out and why
  • Why the few incumbents that lost did
  • The rise and fall of WCW
  • The finances of AEW
  • The issue with all non-Raw and Smackdown shows in the U.S. market right now not involving AEW
  • History of Saturday Night’s Main Event
  • High water marks for the show in the 80s
  • The Hogan vs. Andre match
  • Why SNME went away and its return and why that didn’t work as well
  • Preview of tomorrow’s show and betting odds
  • AEW Worlds End notes and WWE’s head-to-head show in Orlando
  • Full coverage of NXT Deadline
  • Full coverage of UFC 310
  • Tokyo Sports Awards, including unique things Zack Sabre Jr. has done and the history of all 51 MVP winners since 1974
  • More on the new Global Fight League, which features tons of post-40 UFC champions and major stars, to be debuting soon
  • For those outside the U.S. where the WWE Network moves to Netflix, what non-live shows will Netflix be airing and how little it is as compared to the WWE Network
  • Preview of both Tokyo Dome shows in January
  • The death of Karloff Lagarde Jr.
  • The most detailed look at the ratings of all the U.S. TV shows, comparisons to one year ago, segment-by-segment and rankings for the night and week.
  • What CMLL star trained with the Olympic team only a few years ago
  • Pentagon Jr. update
  • Tag team tournament finals in Japan
  • Top star in Japanese group gets suspended
  • Another top star cutting down his schedule
  • International TV ratings
  • Ticket sales for upcoming WWE & AEW shows
  • Tag team getting a non-wrestling national television show
  • Wrestling legend getting a non-wrestling TV show
  • Notes on the new season of Dark Side of the Ring
  • Willie Mack situation in GCW
  • What wrestler was GCW hoping to get for the Hammerstein Ballroom
  • Tessa Blanchard update
  • Lots of notes about the AEW on sale in Texas
  • Update on Rey Fenix situation
  • Most viewed streaming segments of AEW & WWE this past month
  • Steroids in BJJ
  • MMA Awards
  • Mark Shapiro talks future in WWE, UFC and even boxing ideas*WWE injury updates
  • Lots of notes about WWE shows on A&E in 2025
  • Son of sports legend makes quiet WWE debut
  • Janel Grant case updates
  • Dwayne Johnson movie updates

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Thursday Update

WWE

  • WrestleVotes reports that WWE has discussed introducing a Tribal Chief Championship belt for the storyline between Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa. The two are facing off in a Tribal Combat match on Raw’s Netflix premiere on January 6. WrestleVotes tweeted:
    • Sources indicate WWE has discussed introducing a Tribal Chief Championship into the storyline between Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa, similar to the People’s Championship presented to The Rock at WrestleMania earlier this year.
  • As she prepares to return from injury, Charlotte Flair thanked NXT wrestler Lainey Reid for training with her: “Thank you @lainey_wwe for the last few weeks. KEEP AN EYE on this ONE.”
  • While speaking with People, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson discussed how he got in ring shape for his return at WrestleMania 40 this past April:
    • It’s incredibly hard. The training becomes really extensive, and the training camp becomes extensive. So, I went [to] training camp for WrestleMania, which was about an eight- to nine-week training camp. It’s really fast, and fortunately, I was able to get through it all.
  • The Orlando Sentinel interviewed Bayley, who reflected on her experience wrestling in NXT early in her career:
    • It’s the intimacy we had with the crowd there. You couldn’t fake it, couldn’t just cruise by and hope this will look good on TV, whether it was your match or your ring entrance. When you’re making eye-to-eye contact with fans and can hear any conversation, it keeps you honest. It really taught me that if I show what I’m really feeling, you can’t fool anybody. I carry that with me — it really helps me connect with myself through the art of WWE.
  • Dave Bautista and his production company Dogbone Entertainment have signed with talent agency WME.
  • The Sports Media Podcast spoke with WWE executive Chris Legentil for a brief interview.
  • Dominik Mysterio was the guest on this week’s episode of the No Contest Wrestling Podcast.
  • WWE has a Playlist video documenting every title change of 2024.
  • WWE uploaded a Superstar Autographs feature with Cody Rhodes, Rey Mysterio, Sami Zayn, Bayley, and more talking about how they developed their autographs, the strangest things they’ve signed, and autographs in their own collections.

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • Tony Khan told The Five Star Podcast that – after licensing “November Rain” for AEW’s Full Gear hype video – he’s had talks about collaborating with Guns N’ Roses on doing more licensing in the future:
    • I’ve had talks – this is the first time I’ve ever said it out loud, so exclusive stuff here – about maybe doing even more collaborating with Guns N’ Roses in AEW on licensing.
  • AEW shared behind-the-scenes footage of Toni Storm’s “Portrait of a Rockstar” interview from last night’s Dynamite.
  • Chris Jericho was a guest on Busted Open Radio today, promoting his ROH World Championship match against Matt Cardona ahead of Final Battle.
  • Moose has secured the trademark for his wrestling name: “MOOSE HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN Trademarked thanks to @gimmickattorney”
  • USC men’s basketball coach Eric Musselman thanked TNA stars Nic Nemeth and Frankie Kazarian for coming to the team’s game on Wednesday night. TNA is holding its Rebellion pay-per-view at the Galen Center (where USC plays) in Los Angeles in April 2025.
  • Paul Walter Hauser will team with Paul London against The Andersons (Brock Anderson & CW Anderson) in a Texas tornado match on the TV taping portion of MLW’s Kings of Colosseum event. The show is being held in North Richland Hills, Texas on Saturday, January 11.
  • Matt Cardona expressed how proud he is of his wife Chelsea Green for becoming the first-ever WWE Women’s United States Champion.

Wrestling Observer Radio: WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event preview, more AEW analysis

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

Dave Meltzer and I are back with our Friday episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, talking about all the big news from today’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Here were some of the things we covered:

  • Jesse “The Body” Ventura’s appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast
  • The history of WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event notes, memorable moments, and a preview for Saturday’s return show
  • AEW analysis from Dave’s lead WON story
  • First WWE Raw on Netflix news
  • CM Punk’s possible WrestleMania match
  • Charlotte Flair
  • Tessa Blanchard back in TNA

Click here to listen (sub needed) or watch on YouTube (video sub needed)

Daily Update: Charlotte Flair, Adam Copeland, AJ Francis

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest Free YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the topics covered:

  • Full coverage of Survivor Series, the show, the business (one record and one surprise) and the future direction.
  • Why the ring boys lawsuit has been put on hold, why it probably had to be that way and the key question that will decide it.
  • A look at Ryan Nemeth’s complaints about AEW and what was going on at the time.
  • A look at NXT Deadline, ROH Final Battle and AEW Worlds End with matches, directions and business numbers.
  • The most detailed look at the ratings for all the TV shows this past week, with a series of scary bad numbers that people don’t know about and others that they do, and what it stays about television
  • Mistico vs. Hechicero, a unique Arena Mexico main event that worked, what it was and why
  • More on AEW stars going to Arena Mexico.
  • Updates on Konnan and El Hijo del Vikingo.
  • Stardom tag team tournament coverage
  • King of Gate tournament coverage
  • All Japan tag team tournament coverage
  • NOAH sets up its 1/1 show
  • New Japan tag team tournament update
  • Best U.S. amateur wrestlers that have gone into pro wrestling
  • Notes on Jim Londos ahead of his biography release
  • TNA looking big when it comes to shows next year
  • Turning Point coverage
  • AEW upcoming show notes
  • Next major rights negotiations going on in 2025
  • Conor McGregor liable for more money in latest case, plus more backlash against him
  • January UFC card announced
  • Two of PFL/Bellator’s champions ask for their release
  • 2024 PFL tournament of champions
  • More on the MMA death in Alberta
  • Giant numbers for boxing match upcoming
  • Major changes for Raw & SmackDown in 2025
  • Dwayne Johnson has huge success outside of wrestling
  • What percentage of UFC, AEW and WWE revenue comes from television
  • International TV ratings

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Thursday Update

WWE

  • WrestleVotes reports that Charlotte Flair’s return is imminent and could happen as soon as this weekend at Saturday Night’s Main Event:
    • Sources indicate that Charlotte Flair’s return is imminent, with the possibility of it happening as soon as this weekend on NBC. We are told creative was tasked earlier this week with structuring the presentation of her return.
  • The Daily Mail asked Kevin Owens if his teenage son Owen’s interest in becoming a wrestler has grown since the last update:
    • No, there is still interest but I am not pushing him to do anything he shouldn’t be doing before it is too soon. I started training when I was 14, had my first match at 16, and while I feel pretty great for my age – I am 40 now and have been doing this for 25 years – I probably could have benefited from waiting a few years and starting my career a little later. 
    • Obviously the circumstances are not the same for him as they were for me, I had no idea where to start and felt like time was against me at any point of my career because you are not getting any younger. You have got to get your name out there. 
    • Now the way things have changed, I know some people that might be able to help him. He is focusing on his school and other stuff, when he really is ready to dive in head first, he has all the tools at his disposal, so I am not rushing him and he is not in a rush either. He is still growing from what I can tell I think, that’s not going away.
  • For a WWE Playback video, Rey Mysterio & Kurt Angle rewatched their handicap match from the March 18, 2006 episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event where they teamed with Randy Orton against Triple H & John Cena.
  • Paul “Triple H” Levesque appeared on the Roommates Show podcast with New York Knicks stars Jalen Brunson & Josh Hart.
  • Levesque tweeted the following: “Three weeks till #WWERaw on @netflix. Are you ready? First time ever. Our stars. Our fans. Open the doors to @WWE HQ. Next Wednesday. More to come…”
  • Diamond Dallas Page was the guest on today’s episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet.
  • Ring The Belle interviewed Trish Stratus & Lita.
  • Here’s the lineup for NXT Level Up on Peacock this Friday:
    • Oro Mensah vs. Niko Vance
    • Dani Palmer vs. Wendy Choo

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • AEW uploaded a post-Dynamite promo from Mariah May, along with promos from Claudio Castagnoli and Brody King.
  • A new vignette aired on Dynamite last night building up the return of Bandido.
  • In the 2024 Children’s & Family Emmy Awards, Adam Copeland received a nomination for his role as Ares in Disney+’s “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” Copeland is among the nominees for Supporting Performer in a Preschool, Children’s or Young Teen Program.
  • Hangman Page made a post on Bluesky seemingly referencing Logan Paul: “i hope the next person they give half my moveset to is at least kinda cool”
  • Shelton Benjamin was interviewed on AEW Unrestricted.
  • Great-O-Khan and Taichi revealed the stipulation options for their KOPW 2024 title match. It’s taking place at NJPW’s Road to Tokyo Dome show on Sunday, December 22 and will determine the official KOPW Champion for this year. Taichi said that, win or lose, this will be the last time he ever competes for the KOPW title.
  • AJ Francis (former WWE wrestler Top Dolla) spoke with NFL.com ahead of challenging Nic Nemeth for the TNA World Championship at Final Resolution this Friday:
    • Friday’s honestly the biggest moment of my career. It’s my first world title match. Some people wrestle for 20-30 years and never get a world title match on the caliber of TNA. As far as world titles in wrestling, there’s not many as prominent, as historic, as important as the TNA world title. So, to be given the opportunity to even be in a match for it, is an honor and a privilege.
  • Francis said he believes this will be the best match of his career:
    • It’s gonna be a crazy environment. And it’s gonna be, I’m calling it now, I think the best match of my career and I’m very much looking forward to proving to everyone who a year ago thought I was an afterthought, that I’m the first thought that you should have every time.
  • While Francis felt like a backup lineman in WWE, he tells NFL.com that he now feels like a star quarterback in TNA:
    • In WWE, I felt like I was like a backup O-lineman. They would use me when they needed me, but they didn’t really have a need for me. In TNA, I’m a quarterback. A Pro Bowl quarterback. A Super Bowl-contending quarterback.
  • Atlantis & Atlantis Jr. vs. Blue Panther & Dark Panther will take place at MLW Kings of Colosseum in North Richland Hills, Texas on Saturday, January 11.
  • ECW legend Sabu turns 60 years old today.
  • AEW wished happy birthday to The Butcher and Hologram.