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The 37th annual Royal Rumble is in the books, and what a way for WWE to kick off the Road to WrestleMania 40!
The first Premium Live Event of 2024 was a fun watch, with every single match offering something great. WWE booked the perfect winners for both Rumbles, but how good were the matches?
So, without further ado, let's look at all four bouts from Royal Rumble 2024 and rate them out of five.
#1. 30-woman Royal Rumble Match
The women's Royal Rumble match opened the show, with the surprises coming early. Naomi made her WWE return to start the Rumble, and lasted over an hour. She was joined by TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace, who had an impressive showing before getting eliminated by Bianca Belair.
The middle portion was pretty quiet, with a few highlights. Chelsea Green got squashed by Piper Niven and Nia Jax at every opportunity, while R-Truth mistakenly entered the 30-woman match.
Jax eliminated a record-equalling eight superstars before meeting a storm. Jade Cargill finally made her in-ring debut in WWE at number 28 and took her out. She looked terrific en route to a third-place finish.
However, this Royal Rumble belonged to only one person: Bayley. She entered at number three and lasted 63 minutes, scoring a bunch of eliminations herself. Asuka and Kairi Sane were gone early, leaving the "leader" of Damage CTRL by herself for most of the bout.
She last eliminated Liv Morgan, who returned at number 30. While there were a few mini-lulls, this was a strong Rumble overall. A lot more to like than in most previous years.
Bayley was the perfect winner, especially at the home of the WWE ThunderDome, where she delivered great performances every week during the COVID-19 pandemic. Poetic is an understatement. Congratulations, Role Model. A fantastic Royal Rumble winner.
Rating: ****1/2
#2. Roman Reigns vs. LA Knight vs. AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton - Undisputed WWE Universal Championship
Taking place second after a cathartic women's Royal Rumble Match, Roman Reigns' Fatal Four-Way title defense took some time to get going. But once it did, the match delivered. The action between Randy Orton, LA Knight, AJ Styles, and The Tribal Chief got better over time.
All three challengers hit their finishers on Reigns, with Solo Sikoa pulling the referee out of the ring after Orton hit an RKO. That was the one downer of the match, as it could've done without any Bloodline interference. Meanwhile, Styles went mental with a chair towards the end.
However, in the end, there could only be one winner at the Royal Rumble. Roman Reigns pinned The Phenomenal One after Knight inadvertently caused him to trip on the top rope.
This was a fun match that did its best to offer as much intrigue as possible, even if The Big Uce was never going to lose his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble.
Rating: ***1/2
#3. Logan Paul vs. Kevin Owens - WWE United States Championship
Kevin Owens and Logan Paul were put in a tough spot at the Royal Rumble, but they did the best job possible. The United States Champion put on an athletic showcase while KO showed immense grit. Like the world title match earlier, this match improved over time.
Paul's Buckshot Lariat will never be impressive. The same goes for Owens' moveset. However, the finish was far removed from that. KO stopped Logan from using brass knuckles and used them for himself, only to get caught and for the referee to disqualify him.
This was a creative way to ensure Kevin Owens didn't get pinned while potentially keeping things going after he powerbombed Logan Paul through the announce table. Good action, an interesting finish, solid all around.
Rating: ****
#4. 30-man Royal Rumble Match
If it wasn't for the final four and that final two, who knows how this Royal Rumble would have been perceived? Thankfully, we don't need to worry about that. Cody Rhodes and CM Punk delivered one of the most intense finales to a Rumble, saving a meddling match from mediocrity.
It's not that the rest was bad. It just felt a tad underwhelming, with there being too few surprises. WWE may as well have announced 25 entrants before the show. That being said, we did get some bright spots throughout.
Jimmy and Jey Uso kicked off the Royal Rumble, setting the wheels in motion for their big WrestleMania match. Meanwhile, Andrade is back in WWE, and Bron Breakker made a significant impact upon entering at number 20. The former NXT Champion even eliminated Omos before Dominik Mysterio dumped him out.
However, not all surprises were great. Pat McAfee's self-elimination was a waste of a Rumble spot that could've gone to someone like Chad Gable. The comedy involving R-Truth and The Judgment Day was hit-and-miss, too. Sami Zayn was a solid choice for the final entrant in the men's Royal Rumble match.
He was eliminated by Drew McIntyre, who was part of the final four alongside Gunther, Punk, and Rhodes. And finally, that ending!
Either man could've won, and it would have been great. That was until The Straight Edge Superstar started working heel. The WWE fans began booing him, leading to a dramatic conclusion.
The American Nightmare won a titanic tussle to earn his second WrestleMania main event in a row, having entered at number 15. It's finally time to finish the story. It has to be. Hey Roman Reigns, what inning are we in anyway?
Rating: ****1/2
A WWE Hall of Famer called out AEW fans HERE
