5 logical outcomes for WWE Royal Rumble 2023: Stage set for electrifying returns?

WWE officially kicks off the Road to WrestleMania and its 2023 PLE schedule with the 2023 Royal Rumble event.

The 2023 Royal Rumble will air live from The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The event will take place on Saturday, January 28th, 2023.

The Royal Rumble is arguably the most anticipated and exciting event on the WWE calendar. With the prospect of returns and debuts, it’s like Christmas for wrestling fans.

Aside from the 30 Men and 30 Women's Royal Rumble matches, this year's event will be highlighted by Bray Wyatt taking on LA Knight in the Mountain Dew Pitch Black Match. Roman Reigns will also defend the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Kevin Owens.

This article will discuss four logical outcomes for the 2023 Royal Rumble event.

#5 Bray Wyatt beats LA Knight in the Mountain Dew Pitch Black Match

What shenanigans will happen in the dark?

Bray Wyatt will make his in-ring return as he takes on LA Knight in the first-ever Mountain Dew Pitch Black Match.

The last time we saw Wyatt wrestle in a WWE ring was back at WrestleMania 37, where he lost to Randy Orton. He was released in the summer of 2021 and was relatively quiet until we saw the “White Rabbit” QR Codes.

The logical outcome for this match is for Bray Wyatt to defeat LA Knight. With the “Pitch Black” stipulation and Wyatt being involved, expect a lot of shenanigans in this match. It wouldn’t be surprising to see an appearance from Uncle Howdy and possibly even other characters such as the Fiend.

Since this is Wyatt’s first match since his return, there is no logical reason for him to lose. Knight can afford to take the loss, especially with the expected shenanigans during the match.

#4 Rhea Ripley wins the 2023 Women's Royal Rumble Match

Will Rhea Ripley's dominance continue?

The Women’s Royal Rumble match has been fairly difficult to predict a winner in during its short history. It seems like every year, there are women you could make a case for winning the match. This year seems different as two women stick out the most.

Before Ronda Rousey lost the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship to Charlotte Flair, it seemed like Becky Lynch would win the Royal Rumble and finally get her one-on-one match with Rousey.

The logical outcome now is for Rhea Ripley to win the 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble Match. Ripley has done the best job of her career since joining Judgment Day. She has been racking up wins left and right for herself and the faction, and even when she does “lose” matches, like the Women’s WarGames match. She isn’t getting pinned.

Ripley winning the Royal Rumble match would also make for two compelling stories heading into WrestleMania. Ripley vs. Bianca Belair would be a fresh new feud that would put a spotlight on just how far both women have come since their days in NXT.

If Ripley decides to challenge Charlotte instead, it’ll be an epic follow-up to their previous feud. Ripley would be the heel, and Charlotte would be the babyface. Ripley would finally be able to avenge her loss to Charlotte a couple of years ago at WrestleMania and “right a wrong."

#3 Bianca Belair beats Alexa Bliss to retain WWE RAW Women's Championship

What twists will happen next?

Bianca Belair is set to defend the WWE RAW Women’s Championship against Alexa Bliss at the Royal Rumble. This comes after the controversial finish to their match on RAW a few weeks ago.

Belair and Bliss have been in each other's orbit since the summer when the two and Asuka worked together to get rid of Damage CTRL. However, ever since Bray Wyatt returned, Bliss has not been herself. She’s been slowly reverting to her Fiendess character.

The logical outcome for this match is for Bianca Belair to retain the WWE RAW Women’s Championship at the Royal Rumble. Belair isn’t losing the championship until WrestleMania. The big question for this match is, will there be any shenanigans, and where will Bliss go after losing once again?

#2 Roman Reigns beats Kevin Owens to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship

The trilogy continues

For the third time in the past six years at the Royal Rumble, Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns will go head-to-head for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

While this isn’t Reigns and Owens’ first encounter at the annual Royal Rumble event, this will be the most intriguing one. And it is because of Sami Zayn as Zayn is the Honorary Uce of The Bloodline, but Zayn is slowly beginning to become conflicted by how The Tribal Chief still doubts his loyalty.

The logical outcome for this match is for Roman Reigns to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble. The major question is what impact, if any, Sami Zayn will have on the match, and will the Bloodline turn on him this Saturday?

#1 Cody Rhodes wins the 2023 Men's Royal Rumble Match

Cody Rhodes is back and ready to Rumble

When it comes to the Men's Royal Rumble match, typically, there is one clear favorite that has been built up over several months.

After his triumphant return to WWE last year at WrestleMania, it was clear that big plans were in store for Cody Rhodes. After three instant classics with Seth Rollins, which included a Hell in a Cell match where Rhodes competed, despite having a torn pectoral muscle. After his victory over the Visionary, he had to undergo surgery and has been out since late June. The injury derailed any major plans WWE had for Rhodes in 2022.

The logical outcome for this match is for Cody Rhodes to win the 2023 Men's Royal Rumble Match. Rhodes' return is shadowing that of Triple H's return in 2002. Rhodes has had video vignettes highlighting his WWE return last year and his path to recovery after his injury.

Rhodes' main reason for returning to WWE was to win the WWE Championship. There is no better place for him to do that than at the event he returned to a year ago.