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The road to WrestleMania 39 has officially begun. The 2023 Royal Rumble is now in the books, and what an event it was. It wasn't perfect. It received a lot of criticism, but you will see the overall criticism die down, given the epic ending of the show.
A strong start and a strong ending are normally all you need, and that is exactly what happened at the Rumble. So what did WWE subtly tell us as the road to WrestleMania began? Keep reading to find out:
#5. The Bloodline Civil War and the long-term story
Where do we start with this? The Royal Rumble was headlined by the Undisputed Universal Championship between Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens. It was an incredible match in itself, with Reigns brutalizing Owens to (predictably) retain the Universal Title.
But it was what happened after the match that caught everyone by surprise. Before Jey Uso could give the garland to Sami Zayn to put around Reigns, The Tribal Chief stopped him and continued to brutalize Owens. When KO couldn't stand, he handcuffed him, leading The Usos to further hit him with superkicks.
When it was Sami Zayn's position to "prove" his loyalty, he urged Reigns that it was enough, and when given the steel chair in his hand, he hesitated and did the unthinkable - he smashed Reigns in the back, similar to how Seth Rollins did in 2014. Jey Uso walked away nearly in tears while Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa took Zayn out along with a recovered Roman Reigns.
It was poetic, it was incredible, and we are witnessing an all-time great storyline. This is a once-in-a-generation story, so embrace it while you can. Recap aside, it teased a few things - a Bloodline Civil War as Jey Uso walked away, refusing to hurt Sami Zayn.
It may have even teased Sami Zayn vs. Roman Reigns as the main event of WrestleMania 40 since Cody Rhodes will likely get the Roman Reigns match at 'Mania 39. Does this mean Reigns could retain against Rhodes? It's highly possible.
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs. The Usos seems to be a lock for WrestleMania 39.
#4. Four major WrestleMania matches teased in the Men's Royal Rumble match
The Men's Royal Rumble match wasn't booked well, but Gunther was undoubtedly the MVP. Entering at #1, he lasted for a record 1 hour, 11 minutes, and 42 seconds to be the runner-up to Cody Rhodes.
Gunther smashed Rey Mysterio's Rumble record by nine minutes, and a feud against Brock Lesnar was momentarily teased. The second feud for The beast Incarnate was against Bobby Lashley - who shockingly eliminated him in seconds. It looks like Lesnar vs. Lashley III is the direction for WrestleMania.
The third tease was Edge vs. The Judgment Day, possibly Finn Balor at WrestleMania. Given that he was taken out of the Royal Rumble in minutes before Beth Phoenix interjected and attacked Rhea Ripley, we're likely to get a mixed tag team match next month at Elimination Chamber.
The fourth feud was a rather unexpected tease as Logan Paul eliminated Seth Rollins. Given that there are no rumors of Rollins' match at WrestleMania 39, we wouldn't be surprised to see him have a banger against Logan Paul.
#3. The RAW Women's Championship match was more about Alexa Bliss than Bianca Belair
The RAW Women's Championship match at the Royal Rumble was a disappointment for one main reason - Bianca Belair was a side character in her own story.
The story was all about Alexa Bliss, who was handily defeated. After the match, Belair just disappeared, and Bliss was asked if she thought she was in charge.
It was more of a tease of what lies ahead for Alexa Bliss and the inevitable crossover with Bray Wyatt.
#2. What is Uncle Howdy's role in Bray Wyatt's story?
Bray Wyatt's Pitch Black match wasn't as bad as we anticipated. It was entertaining, although the neon lights were admittedly a bit off-putting. Either way, Wyatt debuted a stunning new look at the Royal Rumble.
After the match, Wyatt put on a new mask and put LA Knight on a platform, and Uncle Howdy appeared, completely missing the target in a bad botch. Botch aside, it was an indication that Howdy will serve as an indirect help for Bray Wyatt, possibly during or after his matches.
#1. What did WWE subtly tell us in the Women's Royal Rumble match?
The Women's Royal Rumble match was arguably better than the men's. While there was a lot of silence in between, the finish of the match was absolutely incredible. Nia Jax is back, and she was taken out by everybody else in the ring - with a feud against the strong Raquel Rodriguez being teased.
Asuka returned with an incredible new look - resembling her days as Kana in Japan. The inaugural Women's Rumble winner was third last, and the tense finish saw her spit mist on Liv Morgan instead of Rhea Ripley.
This allowed Ripley to take out Asuka and then brilliantly eliminate Liv Morgan. In the process, Ripley has not only become the sixth Women's Rumble winner, but she and Liv Morgan created a new record for the longest appearance in a single Women's Royal Rumble match.
Morgan was redeemed as the returning Chelsea Green took her record of the shortest time spent in the Royal Rumble match. Morgan held the previous record at eight seconds, with Chelsea now taking the record at four or five seconds.
Ripley vs. Belair may not be the direction for WrestleMania. Don't be surprised to see her challenge the woman who potentially dethrones the RAW Women's Champion at Elimination Chamber.
A WWE Hall of Famer called out AEW fans HERE
