4 reasons why WWE Royal Rumble 2024 could shatter all records set in 2023

The 2024 Royal Rumble is mere hours away, and the WWE Universe is extremely excited to see what the company has up its sleeves for the iconic event. With a multitude of plausible winners for the two titular battle royals and two more title matches to boot, this year's edition promises to be one of the best.

It will be quite the task to beat last year's event, which was the most-watched and highest-grossing ever. The 2023 premium live event delivered incredible entertainment from start to finish, but it wasn't without its faults, especially in the buildup. In fact, the road to the upcoming edition has already upstaged last year's in some key areas, giving it a good chance of smashing the latter's records.

Here are four of the various ways in which this year's WWE Royal Rumble buildup has outdone 2023's, setting up a potentially more successful sequel.

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#4. Less entrants announced beforehand mean the 2024 WWE Royal Rumble is more unpredictable

One of the biggest excitement dampeners for WWE's recent Royal Rumble matches has been the lack of intrigue surrounding the entrants. It has become the norm in recent years to have the majority of entrants announced days or weeks ahead of the event, to the dismay of many fans. Last year was no different, with more than half the men's participants known beforehand.

This year, Triple H and his creative team have exercised more restraint in this respect, with only seven men and four women announced less than 72 hours before the show. Fans have taken note of this and expressed their gratitude for the refreshing intrigue surrounding who will take the ring on Saturday. Hopefully, the company won't announce a flurry of last-minute entrants on D-Day or SmackDown!

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#3. There is more unpredictability around the winner of the 2024 WWE Royal Rumble than there was in 2023

Speaking of the WWE Royal Rumble and unpredictability, this year's winners are anyone's guess. On the men's side, CM Punk is still many people's favorite, but the likes of Cody Rhodes, Gunther, and Drew McIntyre have very strong cases, too. That's without mentioning dark horses like Sami Zayn, LA Knight, and Jey Uso, or the looming threat of The Rock swooping in to upstage everyone.

When it comes to the women's Rumble, any of Becky Lynch, Bayley, a returning Liv Morgan, or debuting Jade Cargill could set up blockbuster 'Mania storylines with a win. Just like the men, they, too, have a huge potential wildcard if Mercedes Mone FKA Sasha Banks or Trinity FKA Naomi return to the company.

Compared to last year, when Rhodes was the overwhelming favorite in the men's Rumble and the buzz around the women's match was considerably lower, the company has outdone itself in creating intrigue around the winners this time.

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#2. The storylines building up to the 2024 WWE Royal Rumble have been much more intriguing

Going into the 2024 WWE Royal Rumble event, there are so many intriguing story threads running. Will Roman Reigns retain in the Fatal Four-Way Nick Aldis cornered him into? If he succeeds, will Cody Rhodes or The Rock be waiting on the other side? Will CM Punk survive Rhodes and Drew McIntyre to set up a date with Seth Rollins in the main event of WrestleMania 40? Will Gunther steal all their thunder?

Will the women's Rumble set up a dream 'Mania match between Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley? Will it seal Bayley's fate in DAMAGE CTRL? Elsewhere on the card, will Kevin Owens cut short Logan Paul's reign in the latter's first defence of his United States Championship, or will The Prizefighter take a loss to his much less experienced foe?

These feel considerably more compelling than last year's storylines. Arguably, only Sami Zayn's impending split from The Bloodline and Rhodes' imminent return garnered the same level of interest.

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#1. The 2024 Royal Rumble buildup involved more star power than 2023's

One of the biggest reasons for the increased buzz around the 2024 WWE Royal Rumble has been the star power involved, especially on the men's side. In January alone, The Rock, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, CM Punk, and Cody Rhodes, among others, more have appeared on WWE programming to beat the path to the show in various capacities.

Compare that to last year when Punk was in AEW, Rhodes only appeared in vignettes, Orton was out injured, and The Rock did not appear. There's definitely a bigger feeling to this year's edition, further solidified by the presence of another world champion and career-best work from the likes of Drew McIntyre.

With names like AJ Lee, Brock Lesnar, Jade Cargill, Sasha Banks, and Naomi floating around the rumor mill as potential surprises, the show itself could be even more box office!