After Survivor Series WarGames 2022, WWE is headed for its second-biggest PLE Royal Rumble 2023. The road to WrestleMania begins at the Royal Rumble and for the first time, WWE is organizing the event with Vince McMahon at the helm. We have already seen how successful WarGames was under Triple H’s regime, it remains to be seen how Royal Rumble turns out under the new management.
Royal Rumble is an event that is famous for surprises. This year’s edition of the PLE is guaranteed to surpass the success of any premium live event ever seen.
Before we unearth the expected matches on the card, let’s remember that the main event at this particular event will always remain the same which is a traditional 30-man Royal Rumble match where every man will be for himself.
Expected matches on the Royal Rumble 2023 card
According to Xero News, the following matches are expected to be on the card for the Royal Rumble 2023 PLE:
Brock Lesnar Vs. Bobby Lashley
Roman Reigns Vs. Kevin Owens
Ronda Rousey Vs. Raquel Rodriguez
LA Knight Vs. Bray Wyatt
Bianca Belair Vs. Rhea Ripley (in discussion)
Women’s Royal Rumble Match
Men’s Royal Rumble Match
Lashley Lesnar trilogy!
WWE is reportedly planning a match between Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar. The duo is set to reignite their rivalry after Brock Lesnar defeated Bobby Lashley at Crown Jewels in a grudge match.
Following Lesnar’s victory over Lashley, the latter wasted little time assaulting Lesnar and leaving him in the ring with an injured knee. Royal Rumble 2023 may be the stage for the duo to cap off their rivalry or even renew it.
Furthermore, the Tribal Chief Roman Reigns will face Kevin Owens to settle their feud. Their feud stems from an unplanned spot that Owens pulled during their face-off in the WarGames match.
The Undisputed WWE Universal Champion was also reportedly upset with Owens backstage for slapping him in the ring so hard that it ruptured his eardrum. Reigns is currently healing from his injury and will reportedly face Owens at the PLE.
Moving along, fans can expect Ronda Rousey to defend her SmackDown Women’s Championship in a match against Raquel Rodriguez. Before Survivor Series WarGames, Rousey and Baszler assaulted Rodriguez backstage and injured her arm on an edition of SmackDown.
Royal Rumble will also feature Bray Wyatt’s first match after almost a year against LA Knight. Wyatt has been playing mind games with Knight so far ever since his return. On the other hand, Knight humiliated Wyatt on an edition of SmackDown when he slapped him twice in the ring. Something’s got to give when the duo meets face-to-face at the Rumble.
Xero news also reported that a match between the Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley is under discussion and the event will also feature the traditional 30 men and women Royal Rumble Matches.
Roman Reigns is expected to return to SmackDown on December 30
The last edition of SmackDown to cap off the year will be special for many reasons. Not only will the fans see the highly anticipated return of John Cena but, also, Roman Reigns.
Reigns has been absent from WWE TV since the WarGames match after sustaining a ruptured eardrum at the hands of Kevin Owens.
It is still not known if the Tribal Chief will return for a segment or an in-ring competition. Nevertheless, we may see Roman Reigns address his differences with Kevin Owens.
Click here for more wrestling news.
