The Tribal Chief retained the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship in an emotionally charged, beautifully crafted main event against Kevin Owens as the two heavyweights battled it out.
Sami and Paul Heyman were at ringside, with the Honorary Uce wearing his heart on his sleeve as he looked conflicted throughout, particularly when Roman started unleashing more violence on KO.
He even hesitated handing the Head of the Table a steel chair, which cost Roman a chance to get the advantage, but he still managed to win after a low blow and multiple spears throughout the bout.
The real drama was still to come though, with The Usos and Solo Sikoa coming down to join in the fun in an utterly destructive and at times uncomfortable attack on Owens.
He ended up handcuffed to the ropes taking plenty of superkicks but Sami stopped Roman from hitting him with a steel chair – which led to Roman telling Sami to do it to his own lifelong friend.
He looked poised but instead cracked Roman in the back, which put him on the receiving end of his own Bloodline beatdown – but Jey Uso refused to take part as things took a hellacious and thrilling twist.
The Men’s Royal Rumble match opened the show with Cody Rhodes winning from the number 30 spot despite the best efforts of GUNTHER, who was the first to enter and went the distance.
Despite a lack of genuine top level surprises – Booker T, Edge and Logan Paul all made shock appearances – this certainly delivered with some many twists in turns, including Beth Phoenix coming out to save her husband from Rhea Ripley.
In another highlight, Brock Lesnar lasted less than three minutes before he was taken out by Bobby Lashley, potentially setting the stage for a massive WrestleMania 39 bout.
The second match – the first non-Rumble clash of the night – saw Bray Wyatt defeat LA Knight in the unique and baffling Mountain Dew Pitch Black Match which saw the venue lit by neon lights.
It looked cheesy at times but Wyatt’s sinister new look was enhanced by the presentation here, and he and Knight still delivered an entertaining clash with Uncle Howdy putting the exclamation mark on it all with his dive on Knight from the top of a huge platform.
Up next, Bianca Belair beat Alexa Bliss to retain the Raw Women’s Championship in a competitive match that just lacked a bit of drama, with no fans really believing the Goddess could win the gold.
There was some drama afterwards, with Uncle Howdy appearing on the screen asking if Alexa feels ‘in control’, suggesting her connection to Wyatt isn’t over.
The Women’s Royal Rumble followed, with Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan coming in at number one and two respectively and lasting all the way to the end before Rhea got the huge win.
In terms of surprise entrants, this certainly delivered with Michelle McCool coming from the front row as well as Chelsea Green having a blink and you’ll miss it return, while Asuka appeared in her terrifying killer clown Kana makeup and Nia Jax came out at number 30.
Another key takeaway from this was seeing how strong Damage CTRL looked, with Bayley, Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai dominating for a long stretch in the bout.
WWE Royal Rumble 2023 results and grades
- Men’s Royal Rumble: Cody Rhodes won after eliminating GUNTHER (A)
- Pitch Black Match: Bray Wyatt pinned LA Knight (B)
- Raw Women’s Title: Bianca Belair (c) beat Alexa Bliss (C+)
- Women’s Royal Rumble: Rhea Ripley won after eliminating Liv Morgan (A)
- Undisputed WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns (c) defeated Kevin Owens (A+ for entire segment)
MORE : Logan Paul stuns WWE fans with mindboggling move during Royal Rumble return
MORE : Pat McAfee returns at WWE Royal Rumble four months after SmackDown exit
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