The 2020 Royal Rumble was a
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...
(PPV) and
livestreaming
Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming of video or audio in real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature of livestreaming differentiates it from other non- liv ...
event
Event may refer to:
Gatherings of people
* Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion
* Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest
* Event management, the organization of eve ...
produced by
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
. It was the 33rd annual
Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
and took place on January 26, 2020, at
Minute Maid Park
Daikin Park (originally Enron Field and formerly Astros Field and Minute Maid Park) is a retractable roof stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. It opened in 2000 and is the home ballpark of the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). ...
in
Houston
Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
,
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, featuring wrestlers from the promotion's
Raw and
SmackDown
''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...
brand divisions.
Traditionally, the
Royal Rumble match
The Royal Rumble match is a professional wrestling match based on the classic battle royal match in which a number of wrestlers (traditionally 30) aim at eliminating their competitors by tossing them over the top rope, with both feet touching the ...
winner receives a world championship match at that year's
WrestleMania. For the 2020 event, the winners of both the men's and women's matches received a choice of which championship to challenge for at
WrestleMania 36
WrestleMania 36 was a 2020 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was the 36th annual WrestleMania and was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown, and NXT brand divisions, the ...
in
Orlando, Florida
Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...
. The men could choose to challenge for either Raw's
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown bran ...
or SmackDown's
Universal Championship, while the women had the choice between the
Raw Women's Championship
The WWE Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two women's world titles for WWE's main roster, a ...
and the
SmackDown Women's Championship
The Women's World Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two women's world titles for WWE's main roster, along ...
. Additionally and for the first time,
NXT's championships were eligible choices, which added the
NXT Championship
The NXT Championship is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defended as the top men's championship of NXT (WWE brand), NXT, the promotion's Farm team, de ...
and the
NXT Women's Championship
The NXT Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on NXT, the promotion's developmental brand. The current champion is Jacy Jayne, who is in her fi ...
, thus being the first Royal Rumble since
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
in which there were three eligible championships for the Rumble winner to challenge for.
Eight matches were contested at the event, including two on the Kickoff pre-show. In the main event, Raw's
Drew McIntyre
Andrew McLean Galloway IV (born 6 June, 1985) is a Scottish Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand under the ring name Drew McIntyre.
Galloway began ...
won the men's Royal Rumble match by last eliminating SmackDown's
Roman Reigns
Leati Joseph Anoaʻi ( ; born May 25, 1985), better known by his ring name Roman Reigns, is an American professional wrestler and former gridiron football, football player. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he performs on the Sm ...
, while Raw's
Charlotte Flair
Ashley Elizabeth Fliehr (born April 5, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Charlotte Flair.
Flair is a second-generation professional wrestler, being t ...
won the women's Royal Rumble match by last eliminating NXT's
Shayna Baszler
Shayna Andrea Baszler ( ; born August 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and a former kickboxer and mixed martial artist. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she became a former List of NXT Women's Champions, two-time and lon ...
. Other prominent matches saw
"The Fiend" Bray Wyatt
Windham Lawrence Rotunda (May 23, 1987 – August 24, 2023), better known by his ring name Bray Wyatt, was an American professional wrestler, best known for his tenure in WWE from 2009 until his death in 2023.
Rotunda was a third-generation ...
retain the Universal Championship against
Daniel Bryan
Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs on a part time basis. He is also known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under t ...
in a
strap match
A strap, sometimes also called strop, is an elongated flap or ribbon, usually of leather or other flexible materials.
Thin straps are used as part of clothing or baggage, or bedding such as a sleeping bag. See for example spaghetti strap, should ...
, Roman Reigns defeated
King Corbin in a
Falls Count Anywhere match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
, and
Becky Lynch
Rebecca Quin (born 30 January 1987), better known by the ring name Becky Lynch, is an Irish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand and is the current WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion in her ...
defeated
Asuka by submission to retain the Raw Women's Championship. The event also featured the in-ring return of
Edge
Edge or EDGE may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Edge computing, a network load-balancing system
* Edge device, an entry point to a computer network
* Adobe Edge, a graphical development application
* Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
, who last wrestled in
April 2011 before retiring from a neck injury, as well as
MVP
MVP most commonly refers to:
* Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition
* Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering
MVP may also refer to:
...
, who last wrestled for WWE in December 2010.
Production
Background
The
Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
is an annual
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...
event
Event may refer to:
Gatherings of people
* Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion
* Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest
* Event management, the organization of eve ...
produced every January by
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
since 1988. It is one of the promotion's original four
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...
s (PPV), along with
WrestleMania,
SummerSlam
SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
, and
Survivor Series
Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
, dubbed the "Big Four". The
concept
A concept is an abstract idea that serves as a foundation for more concrete principles, thoughts, and beliefs.
Concepts play an important role in all aspects of cognition. As such, concepts are studied within such disciplines as linguistics, ...
of the event comes from the
Royal Rumble match
The Royal Rumble match is a professional wrestling match based on the classic battle royal match in which a number of wrestlers (traditionally 30) aim at eliminating their competitors by tossing them over the top rope, with both feet touching the ...
, a modified
battle royal
Battle royal (, also battle royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules, where the winner is the one who registers the most wins. In recent times, the term has been ...
in which the participants enter at timed intervals instead of all beginning in the ring at the same time. Announced on February 15, 2019, the 2020 event was the 33rd Royal Rumble and was scheduled to be held on January 26, 2020, at
Minute Maid Park
Daikin Park (originally Enron Field and formerly Astros Field and Minute Maid Park) is a retractable roof stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. It opened in 2000 and is the home ballpark of the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). ...
in
Houston
Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
,
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
. It featured wrestlers from the
Raw and
SmackDown
''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...
brand divisions, with some
NXT wrestlers and WWE veterans appearing in both the men's and women's Royal Rumble matches. In addition to airing on traditional PPV, the event was available to
livestream
Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming media, streaming of video or Digital audio, audio in real-time communication, real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature ...
on the
WWE Network
WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television network owned by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, a division of TKO Group Holdings.
The service relied on technology develo ...
. Travel packages became available on September 12 while individual tickets went on sale on September 20.
The Royal Rumble match generally features 30 wrestlers and the winner traditionally earns a
world championship
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...
match at that year's WrestleMania. For the past two years, the men and women had the choice to challenge for the top championships of the Raw and SmackDown brands at WrestleMania. In September 2019, NXT was recognized as WWE's third main brand, evidenced by its inclusion in the brand competition at the
2019 Survivor Series. Although the 2020 Royal Rumble was not promoted as an NXT event, for the first time, its titles became eligible for the Royal Rumble winners to challenge for, also marking the first time since
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
in which the men had three championship choices. For the 2020 event, the men could choose between Raw's
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown bran ...
, SmackDown's
Universal Championship, and the
NXT Championship
The NXT Championship is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defended as the top men's championship of NXT (WWE brand), NXT, the promotion's Farm team, de ...
to challenge for at
WrestleMania 36
WrestleMania 36 was a 2020 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was the 36th annual WrestleMania and was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown, and NXT brand divisions, the ...
, while the women had the choice between the
Raw Women's Championship
The WWE Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two women's world titles for WWE's main roster, a ...
,
SmackDown Women's Championship
The Women's World Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two women's world titles for WWE's main roster, along ...
, and
NXT Women's Championship
The NXT Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on NXT, the promotion's developmental brand. The current champion is Jacy Jayne, who is in her fi ...
. This also made the 2020 event the first time women had three options.
Storylines
The event comprised eight matches, including two on the Kickoff pre-show, that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, ''
Monday Night Raw
''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Netflix. The show features character ...
'' and ''
Friday Night SmackDown
''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...
''.
Raw
While the WWE Championship is generally defended at every year's Royal Rumble pay-per-view, on the January 6 episode of ''Raw'', it was revealed that there would not be a WWE Championship defense at 2020's event. Instead, as he felt that there was no one on any brand who deserved an opportunity, WWE Champion
Brock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler and professional American football player. As a ...
decided to enter himself into the Royal Rumble match as entrant number one. There were no changes to the rules of the match, despite Lesnar holding one of the world championships that the winner could challenge for at WrestleMania 36.
On the January 20 episode, Lesnar's advocate
Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman (born September 11, 1965) is an American professional wrestling manager, former executive, promoter, and commentator. He is signed to WWE as the on-screen manager of Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, and Bronson Reed, and is widely regard ...
reminded the fans of the prize of the Royal Rumble match, but said that there was no one worthy enough to face Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania, implying that if Lesnar won, he would abstain his prize.
At
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, The Kabuki Warriors (
Asuka and
Kairi Sane
is a Japanese professional wrestler and actress. she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name .
From 2012 to 2017, she wrestled for the Japanese promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom under the ring name . E ...
) defeated the team of Raw Women's Champion
Becky Lynch
Rebecca Quin (born 30 January 1987), better known by the ring name Becky Lynch, is an Irish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand and is the current WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion in her ...
and
Charlotte Flair
Ashley Elizabeth Fliehr (born April 5, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Charlotte Flair.
Flair is a second-generation professional wrestler, being t ...
in a
Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match
A tables, ladders, and chairs match, often abbreviated as TLC, is a type of professional wrestling match that originated within the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE).
The TLC match is a variation of a ladder match, which is modified to c ...
to retain the
WWE Women's Tag Team Championship
The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling Women's Tag Team Championship, women's tag team Professional wrestling, championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE. It is th ...
.
In a backstage interview on the following ''Raw'', Lynch stated that she had not been herself the past few months and felt that management had been putting her into tag team matches to protect her from facing Asuka alone and losing. She also stated that she had never defeated Asuka and needed to change that.
The following week, Lynch challenged Asuka to a match with her Raw Women's Championship on the line which Asuka accepted.
The match was scheduled for the Royal Rumble as essentially a rematch from
last year's event.
On the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs Kickoff pre-show,
Humberto Carrillo
Humberto Garza Carrillo (born October 20, 1995) is a Mexican professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Berto (shortened from his previous ring names Humberto Carrillo and Humber ...
defeated
Andrade
Andrade (/ɐ̃ˈdɾa.d͡ʒi/ (Brazil), �̃ˈdɾa.ðɨ(Portugal), or �n̪ˈd̪ɾa.ð̞e(Spanish)) is a surname of Kingdom of Galicia, Galician origin, which emerged in the 12th century as the family name of the knights and lords of the sma ...
.
On the following episode of ''Raw'', both were scheduled to participate in a
gauntlet match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
to determine the number one contender against
Rey Mysterio
Óscar Gutiérrez Rubio (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Widely regarded as both one of the greatest '' luch ...
for the
United States Championship. Carrillo advanced to the final to face Andrade, who did not appear during his entrance. Andrade instead attacked Carrillo from behind and then performed a Hammerlock DDT on Carillo onto the exposed concrete floor. Due to this, the gauntlet match ended in a no-contest.
Andrade then won the US title from Mysterio at a
WWE Live
A house show (also commonly called a live event) is a professional wrestling event produced by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their ...
event in
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
on December 26. After Andrade retained the title against Mysterio in a
ladder match
A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself become ...
on the January 20 episode of ''Raw'', Andrade attempted to perform the Hammerlock DDT on Mysterio on the exposed concrete floor, only for Carrillo to appear to aid Mysterio and fought off Andrade, who retreated along with
Zelina Vega
Thea Megan Trinidad Büdgen (born December 27, 1990) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Zelina Vega and is the current Women's United States Champion in he ...
.
Backstage, Carrillo issued a challenge to Andrade for the United States Championship at the Royal Rumble, which was made official for the Kickoff pre-show.
SmackDown
At Survivor Series,
"The Fiend" Bray Wyatt
Windham Lawrence Rotunda (May 23, 1987 – August 24, 2023), better known by his ring name Bray Wyatt, was an American professional wrestler, best known for his tenure in WWE from 2009 until his death in 2023.
Rotunda was a third-generation ...
defeated
Daniel Bryan
Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs on a part time basis. He is also known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under t ...
to retain the Universal Championship.
On the following ''SmackDown'', after Bryan accepted another rematch for the title at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, The Fiend appeared and attacked Bryan, ripping out his hair.
The Miz
Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name The Miz.
Mizanin first gained fame a ...
, who had been intertwined in the feud, appeared the following week and said that Bryan had not been seen since The Fiend's attack and in turn became Wyatt's opponent in a non-title match at TLC,
where Wyatt (as his Firefly Fun House character and not The Fiend) defeated Miz. Following the match, a hooded figure attacked Wyatt and then revealed himself as a returning Bryan, now with a buzz cut and shorter beard.
On the following ''SmackDown'', both Bryan and Miz stated their desire to take the Universal Championship from Wyatt due to their respective personal issues with him. They were then interrupted by
King Corbin, who felt that he deserved an opportunity for the title due to his victory over
Roman Reigns
Leati Joseph Anoaʻi ( ; born May 25, 1985), better known by his ring name Roman Reigns, is an American professional wrestler and former gridiron football, football player. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he performs on the Sm ...
at TLC.
On the December 27 episode, Bryan defeated Miz and Corbin in a
triple threat match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
to earn another Universal Championship match against The Fiend at the Royal Rumble.
On the January 17 episode, Bryan delivered a running knee to The Fiend and attacked him, only for The Fiend to retreat. Frustrated, Bryan changed the stipulation of their match to a
strap match
A strap, sometimes also called strop, is an elongated flap or ribbon, usually of leather or other flexible materials.
Thin straps are used as part of clothing or baggage, or bedding such as a sleeping bag. See for example spaghetti strap, should ...
so that The Fiend could not run away.
During the triple threat match to determine the number one contender for the Universal Championship, Roman Reigns attacked King Corbin, costing him the title opportunity.
The following week, Reigns announced his participation in the Royal Rumble match. Later that night, Reigns teamed with Daniel Bryan to face Corbin and
Dolph Ziggler
Nicholas Theodore Nemeth (born July 27, 1980) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he performs under his real name, stylized as Nic Nemeth, where he is one-half of the TNA World Tag ...
which ended in a no-contest. Following the match, Corbin and Ziggler attacked Reigns only for
The Usos
The Usos were a Samoan-American professional wrestling tag team which consisted of twin brothers Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. They are signed to WWE, where Jey performs on the WWE Raw, Raw brand while Jimmy performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), Sma ...
(
Jey Uso
Joshua Samuel Fatu (born August 22, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Jey Uso. He is a member of the Anoa'i family of professional wrestlers.
Trained since ...
and
Jimmy Uso
Jonathan Solofa Fatu (born August 22, 1985), better known by his ring name Jimmy Uso, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand. He is a member ...
) to return and aid Reigns by attacking both Corbin and Ziggler.
On the January 10 episode, Corbin announced his participation in the Royal Rumble match and stated that Reigns was scared to face him again, hence why Reigns was also competing in the match. In response, Reigns challenged Corbin to a rematch at the event which Corbin accepted.
The following week, Reigns defeated the returning
Robert Roode
Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is a Producer (professional wrestling), producer and was formerly an in-ring performer.
Roode is known ...
in a
tables match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
, allowing him to choose the stipulation for his match with Corbin, and he chose a
Falls Count Anywhere match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
.
On the ''SmackDown'' following Survivor Series, SmackDown Women's Champion
Bayley and Team SmackDown women's captain
Sasha Banks
Sacha, Sasha, or Sascha may refer to:
People
* Sasha (name), includes list of people with the name and the variants Sascha or Sacha
Musicians
* Sacha (singer), born Sacha Visagie, Canadian singer and songwriter
* Sasha (DJ) (born 1969), born Alex ...
criticized their brand's women's division for letting them down at the event, as both Bayley and Team SmackDown lost their respective matches. Team member
Lacey Evans
Macey Estrella-Kadlec ( Evans; born March 24, 1990) is an American professional wrestler and former U.S. Marine. She is best known for her tenure in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Lacey Evans.
Originally introduced to wrestling wh ...
interrupted and performed a Women's Right on Banks, with Evans turning face.
Evans questioned the leadership of both Bayley and Banks, having several confrontations with them over the following weeks.
On the January 10 episode, Evans was scheduled to face Banks, who no-showed and Bayley appeared on the TitanTron, taunting Evans. In response, Evans went backstage where the two brawled.
The following week, Evans was once again scheduled to face Banks, however, Banks was unable to compete due to her injured ankle. Bayley took her place in the match, but lost to Evans. Due to Evans' win, she earned herself a title match at the Royal Rumble.
After a seven-month hiatus,
Sheamus
Stephen Farrelly (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand under the ring name Sheamus.
Prior to joining WWE, he wrestled on th ...
appeared in a vignette on the November 29 episode of ''SmackDown'', announcing that he would be returning to in-ring action.
Over the next several weeks, more vignettes aired, with Sheamus claiming that SmackDown had become soft in his absence. On the January 3 episode, as
Shorty G was being attacked by
The Revival
Revival most often refers to:
*Resuscitation of a person
*Language revival of an extinct language
* Revival (sports team) of a defunct team
*Revival (television) of a former television series
*Revival (theatre), a new production of a previously pr ...
(
Scott Dawson and
Dash Wilder
Daniel Marshall Wheeler (born May 17, 1987) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Cash Wheeler, where he is a former two-time AEW World Tag Team Champions with Dax Harwood together ...
), Sheamus returned, seemingly to aid Shorty G. However, after The Revival cleared the ring, Sheamus delivered a Brogue Kick to Shorty G.
Sheamus claimed that Shorty G embodied everything wrong with SmackDown and continued to target him over the next few weeks, and a match between the two was scheduled for the Royal Rumble Kickoff pre-show.
Event
Pre-show
Two matches were contested on the Royal Rumble Kickoff pre-show. In the first match, Sheamus faced Shorty G. In the end, Sheamus performed a Brogue Kick on Shorty G to win the match.
The second match saw Andrade defend the United States Championship against Humberto Carrillo. The end saw Carrillo attempt a hurricanrana on Andrade, who countered into a roll-up to retain the title.
Preliminary matches
The actual pay-per-view opened with Roman Reigns facing King Corbin in a Falls Count Anywhere match. Mid-way through the match, Reigns fought with Corbin in the crowd where Reigns performed a Samoan Drop on Corbin through two separate tables. As Reigns was about to attack Corbin near some production equipment, Reigns was attacked by Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode. The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) then came out and attacked Ziggler and Roode with Jimmy performing a Samoan Drop on Jey, Roode, and Ziggler. Reigns then shoved Corbin into a portable toilet, tipped it over, and continued to attack Corbin throughout the crowd. In the end, Reigns performed a Superman Punch and Spear on Corbin atop a dugout to win the match.
Backstage,
Kevin Owens
Kevin Yanick Steen (born May 7, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Kevin Owens. As of April 2025, he is on hiatus due to a neck injury.
Steen began his ...
told
Samoa Joe
Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), better known by the ring name Samoa Joe, is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Opps, and is one-third of the AEW Worl ...
that he could not wait to eliminate
Seth Rollins
Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986), better known by the ring name Seth Rollins, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand and ...
from the Royal Rumble match—as they had been feuding for weeks on ''Raw''—and that he would go on to win. Joe stated that he also could not wait to do the same, but if Owens got in his way, he would eliminate him.
Next was the women's Royal Rumble match, which began with SmackDown's
Alexa Bliss
Alexis Cabrera ( Kaufman; born August 9, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Alexa Bliss.
In 2013, Bliss signed a contract with WWE and was assigne ...
as the first entrant and NXT's
Bianca Belair
Bianca Nicole Crawford (née Blair; born April 9, 1989) is an American professional wrestler and fitness and figure competitor. she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under t ...
as the second. During the match, Raw's
Lana
Lana may refer to:
*Lana (given name)
*Francesco Lana de Terzi (1631–1687), Italian Jesuit priest and scientist
*Lana Del Rey, American singer-songwriter
*Lana Turner, American actress
*Lana Rhoades, American former adult film actress
* CJ Perr ...
(the fifth entrant) and
Liv Morgan
Gionna Jene Daddio (born June 8, 1994) is an American professional wrestler and actress. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Liv Morgan. She is one-half of the current WWE Women's Tag Team Champions wi ...
(the seventh entrant) eliminated each other due to their ongoing rivalry. As SmackDown's
Mandy Rose
Amanda Rose Saccomanno (born July 18, 1990) is an American professional wrestler, television personality, and fitness and figure competitor. She is best known for her career in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Mandy Rose, and was ...
(the eighth entrant) was seemingly eliminated, she landed on top of
Otis, who was on the floor. Belair attempted to eliminate Rose again, only for Otis to catch Rose. As Belair eliminated Rose's tag team partner
Sonya Deville (the tenth entrant), Deville fell onto Rose and Otis, knocking Otis down and unintentionally eliminating Rose along with herself. Belair would go on to break
Michelle McCool
Michelle Leigh Calaway ( McCool; born January 25, 1980) is an American retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in WWE, where she is a two-time WWE Women's Champion, as well as the first WWE Divas Champion. She is a WW ...
and Charlotte Flair's tied record of five eliminations in a single women's Royal Rumble match (McCool set the record in 2018 and Flair tied it in 2019), only to be eliminated by Raw's Charlotte Flair (#17).
Mighty Molly,
Naomi
Naomi or Naomie may refer to:
People and biblical figures
* Naomi (given name), a given name and a list of people with the name
* Naomi (biblical figure), Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament Book of Ruth
* Naomi (Romanian singer) (born 1977 ...
,
Beth Phoenix
Elizabeth Copeland ( Kociański; born November 24, 1980), better known as Beth Phoenix, is an American retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in WWE, where she is a former WWE Divas Champion and a three-time WWE Women's ...
,
Kelly Kelly
Barbara Jean Blank Coba (née Blank; January 15, 1987), known professionally as Barbie Blank and by her ring name Kelly Kelly, is an American model and former professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE under a legends contract.
Blank has a ...
, and
Santina Marella (entrants 3, 18, 19, 21, and 29, respectively) were all surprise entrants. NXT's
Shayna Baszler
Shayna Andrea Baszler ( ; born August 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and a former kickboxer and mixed martial artist. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she became a former List of NXT Women's Champions, two-time and lon ...
entered last and ended up tying Belair's record of eight eliminations. In the climax, after Baszler eliminated Phoenix, Baszler attempted to eliminate Flair, but Flair prevented herself from being eliminated and eliminated Baszler to win the match and earn herself a women's championship match of her choosing at WrestleMania 36.
After that, Bayley defended the SmackDown Women's Championship against Lacey Evans. In the end, as Evans attempted a moonsault, Bayley avoided it and pinned Evans whilst holding the tights to retain the title.
Next, "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt defended the Universal Championship against Daniel Bryan in a strap match. The Fiend dominated the first half of the match, whipping Bryan with the strap. Bryan eventually gained the offense, and applied the LeBell Lock, using the strap to crank back on The Fiend's head. As Bryan attempted a running knee, The Fiend caught Bryan and performed a Sister Abigail for a near fall. Bryan then performed a running knee on The Fiend for a nearfall. In the end, The Fiend applied The Mandible Claw, and as Bryan tried to escape, The Fiend picked him up and performed a chokeslam while still applying the Mandible Claw to win the match and retain the title. Following the match, medical personnel tended to Bryan.
In the penultimate match, Becky Lynch defended the Raw Women's Championship against Asuka (accompanied by Kairi Sane). In the climax, as Asuka attempted to spit green mist in Lynch's face, Lynch kicked Asuka, causing her to spit the mist in the air and into her own face. Lynch then applied the Dis-arm-her on Asuka, forcing her to submit and retain the title.
Main event

The main event was the men's Royal Rumble match, which saw Raw's WWE Champion Brock Lesnar (accompanied by Paul Heyman) enter at number one. SmackDown's
Elias
Elias ( ; ) is the hellenized version for the name of Elijah (; ; , or ), a prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 9th century BC, mentioned in several holy books. Due to Elias' role in the scriptures and to many later associated tradit ...
entered second and sang a song during his entrance and taunted Lesnar until Lesnar ran out and chased Elias to the ring, where Lesnar bashed a guitar over Elias' back and quickly eliminated him. Lesnar would make quick work of the next few entrants (
Erick Rowan
Joseph Ruud (born November 28, 1981) is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Erick Rowan. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand and is a member of The Wyatt Sicks.
Having previously wrestled ...
,
Robert Roode
Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is a Producer (professional wrestling), producer and was formerly an in-ring performer.
Roode is known ...
, and
John Morrison John (or Jack) Morrison or Morison may refer to:
In politics
* John Morison (Banffshire MP) (c. 1757–1835), British MP for Banffshire
* John Morrison (blacksmith) (1726–1816), farmer, blacksmith and politician in Nova Scotia
* John Morison ( ...
), eliminating them almost as soon as they entered the match. SmackDown's
Kofi Kingston
Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Kofi ...
, whom Lesnar defeated for the WWE Championship back in
October
October is the tenth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. The eighth month in the old calendar of Romulus , October retained its name (from Latin and Greek ''ôctō'' meaning "eight") after Januar ...
, entered sixth followed by
Rey Mysterio
Óscar Gutiérrez Rubio (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Widely regarded as both one of the greatest '' luch ...
, who Lesnar recently feuded with, and then Kingston's
New Day and
SmackDown Tag Team Champion partner
Big E Big E may refer to:
* Capital letter "E"
People
* Big E (wrestler) (born 1986), American professional wrestler, born Ettore Ewen, formerly known as "Big E Langston"
* Elvin Hayes (born 1945; nicknamed "Big E"), American basketball player and rad ...
. Kingston performed Trouble in Paradise on Lesnar, followed by a Big Ending by Big E and a 619 from Mysterio, but as Mysterio leapt at Lesnar, Lesnar caught him and eliminated him. After Lesnar leapt off of Big E's back to lay out Kingston with a clothesline, Lesnar eliminated Big E. Lesnar then performed an F5 on Kingston to eliminate him. Cesaro came in next, but didn't last long either, falling as yet another score for the Beast Incarnate. After Lesnar had a brief reunion with his old training partner
Shelton Benjamin
Shelton James Benjamin (born July 9, 1975) is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Hurt Syndicate and is one-half of the AEW World Tag Team Champ ...
(the tenth entrant) and embracing him, Lesnar eliminated Benjamin after tricking him into thinking they would team up for the rest of the match. Shinsuke Nakamura (the eleventh entrant) suffered the same fate as all before him. The twelfth entrant saw the surprise return of
Montel Vontavious Porter
Hassan Hamid Assad (born Alvin Antonio Burke Jr.; October 28, 1973), better known by his ring name Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP), is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, Manager (professional wrestling), manager, and sub ...
(who last wrestled in WWE in 2010), who was quickly eliminated by Lesnar. NXT's
Keith Lee (the thirteenth entrant) and SmackDown's
Braun Strowman
Adam Joseph Scherr (born September 6, 1983) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and Strongman (strength athlete), strongman. As a wrestler, he is best known for his tenure in WWE from 2013 to 2025, where he performed un ...
(the fourteenth entrant) managed to subdue Lesnar and momentarily take him down. As Lee and Strowman attempted to eliminate each other, Lesnar managed to eliminate both at the same time, bringing Lesnar's total eliminations to 13, tying him with Strowman for the most eliminations in a single men's Royal Rumble match (a record Strowman set at 2018's
Greatest Royal Rumble
WWE Greatest Royal Rumble was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by the American company WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown, and 205 Live brand divisions. The event too ...
event).
Ricochet
A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...
, who had a brief interaction with Lesnar on the previous episode of ''Raw'', entered as the fifteenth entrant, followed by
Drew McIntyre
Andrew McLean Galloway IV (born 6 June, 1985) is a Scottish Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand under the ring name Drew McIntyre.
Galloway began ...
as the sixteenth entrant. With Lesnar's attention on McIntyre, Ricochet attacked Lesnar with a low blow from behind and McIntyre performed a Claymore on Lesnar to eliminate him. Following Lesnar's elimination, McIntyre stared him down. McIntyre then eliminated Ricochet and then continued to stare down Lesnar, who was still laid out at ringside, even after eliminating
The Miz
Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name The Miz.
Mizanin first gained fame a ...
, until Lesnar left the ring.
WWE Hall of Fame
The WWE Hall of Fame is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when An ...
r
Edge
Edge or EDGE may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Edge computing, a network load-balancing system
* Edge device, an entry point to a computer network
* Adobe Edge, a graphical development application
* Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
, who was forced to retire from wrestling in 2011 due to a neck injury, made a surprise return as the twenty-first entrant. Kevin Owens (the twenty-seventh entrant),
Aleister Black
Tom Büdgen (born 19 May 1985) is a Dutch professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Aleister Black.
Before signing with WWE, Büdgen was known for his extensive work on the indep ...
(the twenty-eighth entrant), and Samoa Joe (the twenty-ninth entrant) formed a small alliance against the other wrestlers, after which, they fought each other until Seth Rollins (accompanied by
Buddy Murphy
Matthew Adams (born 26 September 1988) is an Australian professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Buddy Matthews and is a member of the stable Hounds of Hell. He is a former one-time AEW World Trios C ...
,
Akam, and
Rezar
}
Gzim Selmani (born 16 June 1994) is a Dutch professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Rezar.
After signing with WWE in 2015, Rezar has since teamed with ...
) entered last. Joe and Owens left the ring and brawled with the four. Rollins would eliminate Black, Joe, and Owens thanks to interference from Murphy, Akam, and Rezar, who then brawled with Joe, Black, and Owens, which spilled out of the ring. Roman Reigns (the twenty-sixth entrant) then performed a Superman Punch on Rollins, followed by a powerslam by
Randy Orton
Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He has been signed to WWE since 2000, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. Orton is widely regarded as one of t ...
(the twenty-fifth entrant) and a Claymore by McIntyre, who then eliminated Rollins. After a brief reunion of
Rated-RKO
Rated-RKO was a villainous professional wrestling tag team in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) consisting of Edge and Randy Orton, with Lita as their manager for a short while. The team's name was created by combining Edge's nickname, "The R ...
between Edge and Orton, and after Orton teased an RKO on Edge, Edge quickly eliminated Orton. In the climax, after Edge was eliminated by Reigns, Reigns performed a Superman Punch on McIntyre and tried to eliminate him, but McIntyre countered and performed a Claymore on Reigns before eliminating him to win the match and earn himself a world championship match of his choosing at WrestleMania 36.
Aftermath
Raw
The following night on ''Raw'', Drew McIntyre announced that he would challenge Brock Lesnar, whom McIntyre eliminated during the men's Royal Rumble match, for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 36.
The following week, Ricochet, who aided in Lesnar's elimination, defeated Seth Rollins and
Bobby Lashley
Franklin Roberto Lashley (born July 16, 1976) is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Hurt Syndicate and is one-half of the AEW World Tag Team C ...
in a triple threat match to also earn a WWE Championship match against Lesnar, taking place prior to WrestleMania at February's
Super ShowDown event.
At the event, Lesnar defeated Ricochet in ninety seconds, keeping him as the defending champion heading into his match against McIntyre at WrestleMania.
Also on the following ''Raw'', women's Royal Rumble winner Charlotte Flair teased that she would reveal which champion she would challenge at WrestleMania, however, she stated that she was still deciding.
The following week, Flair stated she had held both the Raw and SmackDown Women's Championships multiple times and had defeated their current holders, Becky Lynch and Bayley, respectively. She was then interrupted by NXT Women's Champion
Rhea Ripley
Demi Bennett (born 11 October 1996) is an Australian professional wrestler. As of July 2017, she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Rhea Ripley. She is a List of Women ...
, who stated that Flair should challenge her as Flair had never beat her, but she had beaten Flair.
Flair held off on making her decision until after Ripley had defended the title at
NXT TakeOver: Portland on February 16.
At the event, Ripley retained her title against Bianca Belair, after which, Flair attacked Ripley and Belair and accepted Ripley's WrestleMania challenge, marking the first time that the Royal Rumble winner chose an NXT title, which were previously ineligible.
Edge made his return to ''Raw'' the following night, stating that he had questioned what if he could wrestle again, and explained that after a second neck surgery and hard work, he was able to make his return at the Royal Rumble and would be able to retire on his own terms. Randy Orton then came out to welcome Edge back and suggested reforming their tag team, Rated-RKO, only to turn on Edge and perform an RKO on him, thus turning heel in the process. Orton then attacked Edge's neck with a steel chair and smashed his head between two steel chairs in a manoeuvre known as the "Conchairto", which Edge made famous in the past.
A
Last Man Standing match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
between the two was eventually scheduled for Night 2 of WrestleMania 36,
which was won by Edge.
Orton later challenged Edge to a normal singles match at
Backlash
Backlash may refer to:
Literature
* '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi
* ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston
* Backlash (Marc Slayton), a comic book character from ...
,
which Orton won. During the match, Edge legitimately tore his triceps.
After recovering from his triceps tear, Edge returned at the
2021 Royal Rumble, where he and Orton entered at number one and two, respectively. The two brawled at ringside, and Edge injured Orton's leg, taking Orton out for the majority of the match. Orton returned in the closing moments of the match where he attempted to eliminate Edge, however, Edge countered and eliminated Orton to win the men's Royal Rumble match.
Unsatisfied, Orton challenged Edge to a rubber match on the following night's ''Raw'', where thanks to a distraction by Alexa Bliss (as part of a storyline between Orton, Bliss, and "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt), Edge defeated Orton, putting an end to their rivalry.
A United States Championship rematch between Humberto Carrillo and champion Andrade was scheduled for the next night on ''Raw'', where Carrillo won by disqualification due to Zelina Vega's interference. Following the match, Carrillo performed a Hammerlock DDT on Andrade onto the exposed concrete, just as Andrade once did to Carrillo in the past.
Andrade was then suspended for 30 days due to violating WWE's wellness policy, though was not stripped of the title. On the March 2 episode of ''Raw'', Carrillo earned another shot at Andrade's U.S. title by pinning him in a tag team match.
The match took place at
Elimination Chamber
The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was created by Triple H, and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure which ...
, where Andrade retained.
Following the animosity between Lana and Liv Morgan, which caused Lana to eliminate Morgan after she herself was eliminated by Morgan, a match between the two was scheduled the next night on ''Raw'', with Bobby Lashley and
Rusev Rusev ( ), female version Ruseva ( ) is a Bulgarian language surname derived from the first name Rusi and it may refer to:
*Rusev (wrestler) (formerly known as Miro), ring name of Bulgarian professional wrestler Miroslav Barnyashev.
*Angel Rusev (f ...
banned from ringside. Morgan would defeat Lana.
After defeating Lana in a rematch the next week, Morgan was confronted by former Riott Squad stablemate
Ruby Riott
Dori Elizabeth Prange ( ; born January 9, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she performs under the ring name Ruby Soho, and is a former member of The Outcasts stable. She is also known ...
, making her return from injury. Riott went to embrace Morgan, after which she then attacked Morgan.
After making a surprise return at the Royal Rumble, Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) faced Rey Mysterio on ''Raw'' in a losing effort.
Afterwards, MVP announced that although he still had a few matches left on the
independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...
, his match on ''Raw'' was his final in WWE. This proved to be false, however, as after hosting a segment of the "VIP Lounge" in which he insulted men's Royal Rumble winner Drew McIntyre,
MVP faced McIntyre in a match on the February 17 episode that McIntyre won.
MVP would then become a mainstay on Raw, forming
The Hurt Business faction, comprising Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and Cedric Alexander.
Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy defended the Raw Tag Team Championship against Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens. Joe was legitimately injured during the match and was taken backstage, leaving Owens to fend for himself, however, Rollins and Murphy retained the titles after Murphy pinned Owens with a roll-up.
On February 7, Buddy Murphy's ring name was shortened to Murphy.
Joe's injury proved to be minor, as he returned on the February 10 episode of ''Raw'' to aid Owens and
The Viking Raiders
The War Raiders are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Erik and Ivar. They are signed to WWE on the Raw brand, where they are former two-time World Tag Team Champions.
Rowe and Smith were earlier known as War Machine as ...
(
Erik
The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, Eirik, or Eiríkur is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization).
The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Nor ...
and
Ivar
Ivar (Old Norse ''Ívarr'') is a Scandinavian masculine given name. Another variant of the name is Iver, which is more common in Norway.
The Old Norse name has several possible etymologies. In North Germanic phonology, several of the elements c ...
) against Rollins' stable.
On the February 3 episode of ''Raw'', Asuka challenged Raw Women's Champion Becky Lynch to a rematch, and Lynch accepted for the following week.
After Lynch retained the title, she was attacked by NXT's Shayna Baszler.
Baszler then went on to win the women's
Elimination Chamber
The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was created by Triple H, and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure which ...
match at Elimination Chamber to become the new number one contender for the title at WrestleMania 36.
SmackDown
A six-man tag team rematch from the previous week between the team of Roman Reigns and The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) and the team of King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, and Robert Roode was scheduled for the following ''SmackDown'' in which the losers ate dog food. Reigns and The Usos won, and they dumped dog food over Corbin.
The following week, Corbin challenged Reigns to one more match, and Reigns accepted as a
Steel Cage match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
at Super ShowDown.
At the event, Reigns defeated Corbin to end the feud.
Sheamus faced Shorty G in a rematch on the following ''SmackDown'', where Sheamus was again victorious.
Mandy Rose thanked Otis for helping her in the women's Royal Rumble match. With encouragement from his Heavy Machinery tag team partner
Tucker
Tucker may refer to:
Places United States
* Tucker, Arkansas
* Tucker, Georgia
* Tucker, Mississippi
* Tucker, Missouri
* Tucker, Utah, ghost town
* Tucker County, West Virginia
Outer space
* Tucker (crater), a small lunar impact crater in ...
, Otis asked Rose out on a date and Rose accepted for
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyrs, martyr named Saint Valentine, Valentine, and ...
.
On the following ''SmackDown'', Bayley addressed her victory over Lacey Evans, as well as Charlotte Flair's Royal Rumble win. She was interrupted by
Naomi
Naomi or Naomie may refer to:
People and biblical figures
* Naomi (given name), a given name and a list of people with the name
* Naomi (biblical figure), Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament Book of Ruth
* Naomi (Romanian singer) (born 1977 ...
, who took exception to Bayley's claim that she had beaten everyone as she had never beaten Naomi. Bayley then attacked Naomi, who retaliated and got the upper hand. This marked Naomi's return to the SmackDown brand as prior to her six-month hiatus, she had been drafted to Raw in April 2019's
Superstar Shake-up, but went undrafted during the
WWE Draft in October.
The following week, Naomi participated in a
fatal four-way match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
to determine Bayley's next challenger, but it was won by
Carmella.
On the February 14 episode, Bayley pinned Carmella while using the ropes for leverage to retain the title. After the match, both Carmella and Naomi attacked Bayley.
On the February 21 episode, Naomi defeated Carmella to become the number one contender for Bayley's SmackDown Women's Championship. The match was scheduled for Super ShowDown.
Results
Women's Royal Rumble match entrances and eliminations
: –
Raw
: –
SmackDown
''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...
: –
NXT
: –
NXT UK
''NXT UK'' was a professional wrestling television programme that was produced exclusively in the United Kingdom by the American promotion WWE. It aired on BT Sport and 5Action (previously known as Paramount Network). In the United States, the ...
: –
Hall of Famer (HOF)
: – Unbranded
: – Winner
Men's Royal Rumble match entrances and eliminations
: –
Raw
: –
SmackDown
''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...
: –
NXT
: –
Hall of Famer (HOF)
: – Unbranded
: – Winner
:Brock Lesnar tied Braun Strowman's record for the most eliminations in the Royal Rumble match, eliminating 13 men. This record was previously held by Roman Reigns, who eliminated 12 men at the
2014 Royal Rumble.
:Akam and Rezar were not official participants in the match.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Rumble (2020)
2020
The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
2020 WWE Network events
2020 WWE pay-per-view events
Professional wrestling shows in Houston
January 2020 sports events in the United States
2020 in Houston