Tag: Royal Rumble 2025

Shotzi says Alexa Bliss ‘felt so bad’ about taking her WWE Royal Rumble spot

Posted on by Joseph Currier

In a new interview following her WWE departure, Shotzi confirmed that she was slated to appear in the 2025 women’s Royal Rumble match before being replaced by the returning Alexa Bliss.

Shotzi told Daria & Toni Unwrapped that, the day before the show, she got a last-minute call from WWE about being in the Rumble match. She flew out to Indianapolis and was all set to compete before being informed that she actually would not be participating. Shotzi was getting makeup done when she received the news.

“So I heard mixed messages. Like, a couple producers said that I was always in the Rumble. But then they just told me last minute. Yeah, I don’t know, I was very confused by it. But they didn’t relay anything to me until the day before,” Shotzi said. “It was like 3 p.m. the day before Rumble and they were like, ‘Hey, can you get on a flight in a couple hours?’ And then I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I’m not ready for this.’ Just like packed my bags, I don’t even know what I put in the bags. Got to the airport in like an hour, and then it led to nothing.”

Bliss returned as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble, wrestling for the first time since giving birth to her daughter Hendrix in 2023. But whether Bliss was going to take part in the Rumble was legitimately up in the air until the last minute. There was a contract situation where Bliss’ new five-year deal with WWE was not completed until shortly before the match.

Shotzi noted that Bliss was gracious about the situation and apologized to her over taking her spot.

“Honestly, if you’re going to take me out for anyone, at least make it be the biggest pop of the night,” Shotzi said. “And I have to say that Alexa had no idea that someone was getting replaced. She had no idea any of that was going on. She felt so bad and she came up to me afterwards. And she was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I didn’t even realize they were taking someone out of the Rumble to get me in there.'”

Last month, Shotzi announced that she is departing WWE with the company choosing not to renew her contract. She is taking indie bookings and has been teased for MLW’s Summer of the Beasts show that is being held in New York City on June 26.

The full episode of Daria & Toni Unwrapped is available to watch below. The podcast is hosted by former WWE wrestler Sonya Deville (Daria Berenato) and her wife Toni Cassano.

WWE touts record-breaking Royal Rumble gate and viewership

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE is touting that Saturday’s event was the most financially successful Royal Rumble in history.

In a press release issued today, WWE said Royal Rumble 2025 set a new record for the largest gate in Rumble history. The exact figure was not disclosed, but it’s estimated to be around $17 million. WWE said it only trailed WrestleMania 40 night one and WrestleMania 40 night two for the biggest single-night gate the company has ever done.

The attendance number announced by WWE is 70,342. The show was held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and featured Jey Uso and Charlotte Flair winning the respective Royal Rumble matches.

This was also the most-watched Rumble ever with Peacock viewership up nearly 14 percent from last year. WWE said international viewership was up even higher year-over-year due to WWE PLEs now being broadcast on Netflix outside of the United States.

“In partnership with Fanatics, merchandise sales were up more than 95 percent versus the previous Royal Rumble record set last year in 2024, making Royal Rumble 2025 the highest-grossing non-WrestleMania event of all-time,” WWE wrote.

“Sponsorship revenue was up 94 percent versus the previous record set in 2024. Royal Rumble featured 14 total partners, with 100 percent of the matches sponsored.”

WWE said this also set a new record for the most social media video views in Royal Rumble history. The most-watched clip was Bron Breakker spearing IShowSpeed, a popular streamer who has more than 35 million subscribers on YouTube and 29 million followers on Instagram.

Next up on the WWE PLE schedule is Elimination Chamber from Rogers Centre in Toronto on March 1. WrestleMania 41 will then be held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 19-20.

Jey Uso wins men’s WWE Royal Rumble

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The biggest win of Jey Uso’s career happened at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday night.

Uso will be in one of the top spots at WrestleMania 41 after winning the 2025 men’s Royal Rumble match. Jey entered the match at number 20 and last eliminated John Cena to get the victory. His win was pushed as being the biggest upset in Royal Rumble history by Michael Cole on commentary.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it is no longer just a nickname. It is no longer a moniker. Jey Uso is truly the Main Event at WrestleMania,” Cole said.

It came down to Uso and Cena at the end after Cena eliminated Logan Paul. As they were fighting on the apron, Cena went for an Attitude Adjustment but Uso was able to slip out. He pushed Cena to the floor to eliminate him.

Uso now heads to WrestleMania 41 in pursuit of his first-ever World Championship. Currently, World Heavyweight Champion Gunther and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes are the title holders. Gunther vs. Uso would be a rematch from the most recent edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event, where Gunther retained his belt.

WrestleMania 41 is being held in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 19 and Sunday, April 20.

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.

New entrants declare for WWE Royal Rumble matches

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The list of entrants for Saturday’s men’s and women’s WWE Royal Rumble matches grew following the events of Friday’s SmackDown.

Two new entrants declared for the men’s Rumble on Friday’s SmackDown, while four new entrants either declared for the women’s Rumble or were featured in the graphic advertising the bout that aired during a rundown of Saturday’s lineups.

Damian Priest and Santos Escobar both declared their intention to win the men’s Rumble on Friday’s SmackDown. Additionally, Candice LeRae, Chelsea Green, Piper Niven, and Zelina Vega were advertised for the women’s match.

14 competitors are official for the 30-person women’s Rumble, while 15 men have declared for the 30-person men’s match.

The list of entrants for both matches is below, as is the card for the Royal Rumble PLE. The show streams on Peacock on Saturday, February 1 beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern time.

Men’s Royal Rumble entrants —

  • John Cena
  • Roman Reigns
  • CM Punk
  • Seth Rollins
  • Jey Uso
  • Drew McIntyre
  • Sami Zayn
  • Rey Mysterio
  • Shinsuke Nakamura
  • Logan Paul
  • Chad Gable
  • Penta
  • Bron Breakker
  • Damian Priest
  • Santos Escobar

Women’s Royal Rumble entrants —

  • Bayley
  • Nia Jax
  • Charlotte Flair
  • Bianca Belair
  • Naomi
  • Liv Morgan
  • Raquel Rodriguez
  • IYO SKY
  • Ivy Nile
  • Lyra Valkyria
  • Candice LeRae
  • Zelina Vega
  • Chelsea Green
  • Piper Niven

WWE Royal Rumble, Saturday, February 1, 6 p.m. Eastern time —

  • Men’s Royal Rumble match
  • Women’s Royal Rumble match
  • Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against Kevin Owens in a ladder match
  • WWE Tag Team Champions DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) defend against Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) in a two-out-of-three-falls match

Updated WWE Royal Rumble entrant lists

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Below is a list of confirmed entrants for Saturday’s men’s and women’s WWE Royal Rumble matches.

Lists of this kind vary based on what one source may interpret as a declaration, but another may not.

I have chosen to go by the lists officially posted on WWE.com, as well as new declarations from the body of Monday’s WWE Raw.

New declarations from Monday’s Raw for the women’s Royal Rumble are IYO SKY, Ivy Nile, and Women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria.

On the men’s side, Logan Paul, Chad Gable, Penta, and Bron Breakker newly declared for the match.

Using WWE.com and tonight’s Raw as a guide, the women’s Royal Rumble entrant list:

  • Bayley
  • Nia Jax
  • Charlotte Flair
  • Bianca Belair
  • Naomi
  • Liv Morgan
  • IYO SKY
  • Ivy Nile
  • Lyra Valkyria

The men’s Royal Rumble entrant list:

  • John Cena
  • Roman Reigns
  • CM Punk
  • Seth Rollins
  • Jey Uso
  • Drew McIntyre
  • Sami Zayn
  • Rey Mysterio
  • Shinsuke Nakamura
  • Logan Paul
  • Chad Gable
  • Penta
  • Bron Breakker

The card for WWE Royal Rumble streaming live on Saturday, February 1 beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern time:

  • Men’s Royal Rumble match
  • Women’s Royal Rumble match
  • Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against Kevin Owens in a ladder match
  • WWE Tag Team Champions DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) defend against Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) in a two-out-of-three-falls match

Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins declare for WWE Royal Rumble

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Two new entrants have declared for the men’s WWE Royal Rumble match, plus CM Punk has been confirmed for the bout.

Drew McIntyre, Seth Rollins, and CM Punk officially declared for the 2025 Royal Rumble in a promo segment on Monday’s WWE Raw. Punk initially declared for the match in a post-show promo last week, but Monday’s segment confirmed his participation.

Rollins and McIntyre are both new declarations for the Saturday, February 1 event set for Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Five entrants have officially announced for the men’s Royal Rumble match, with no participants confirmed for the women’s Royal Rumble to this point. Nia Jax insinuated in a promo on Monday that she would enter the women’s Rumble, but WWE has not officially announced that.

The updated lineup for the Royal Rumble, including an updated list of entrants:

WWE Royal Rumble, Saturday, February 1 —

  • Men’s Royal Rumble match: John Cena, Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre
  • Women’s Royal Rumble match: TBA
  • Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against Kevin Owens in a ladder match

WWE announces start time for Royal Rumble 2025

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Royal Rumble 2025 will continue the trend of WWE PLEs having early start times.

In a press release issued on Friday, WWE confirmed that the Royal Rumble 2025 main card will stream live on Peacock starting at 6 p.m. Eastern. It’s the third straight U.S. PLE that has featured an earlier-than-usual start time. The regular time had been 7 p.m. Eastern before being changed for Bad Blood and Survivor Series.

Royal Rumble 2025 is taking place from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday, February 1 and will mark the official start of the road to WrestleMania 41. WWE announced today that the Royal Rumble go-home episode of SmackDown will be held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Friday, January 31.

In addition to hosting Royal Rumble 2025, Lucas Oil Stadium is also getting a WrestleMania and SummerSlam in the future as part of a deal between WWE and Indiana Sports Corp. When those events will be happening has not been decided yet.

WWE announces deal to bring WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, SummerSlam to Indianapolis

Posted on by Ian Carey

WWE has announced a groundbreaking deal to bring three major shows to Indianapolis.

WWE revealed on Monday that the 2025 Royal Rumble will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 1, 2025. The stadium in Indianapolis will also host a future two-night SummerSlam and a future two-night WrestleMania, confirming an earlier report by WrestleVotes.

“Indianapolis is a fantastic city for major events and we’re excited to invite the WWE Universe to Lucas Oil Stadium for Royal Rumble in 2025, and a future SummerSlam and WrestleMania,” said Chris Legentil, WWE EVP, Talent Relations & Head of Communications at WWE.

Tonight’s Raw will also take place in Indianapolis at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

In terms of when Indianapolis will host a future WrestleMania and SummerSlam, WrestleMania 41 in 2025 is already set for Las Vegas. SummerSlam 2026 has been announced for Minneapolis. However, the location for SummerSlam 2025 has not been confirmed as of yet.

“We are excited to bring this groundbreaking partnership to Indianapolis and our state,” said Patrick Talty, President of Indiana Sports Corp. “For over four decades, our city’s sports strategy has brought in millions of visitors and priceless hours of international brand-building media coverage. This partnership with WWE continues to push that strategy forward in new and exciting ways. We look forward to welcoming the WWE Universe to our community and state and showing them all that Indy has to offer.”