This Royal Rumble has a different feel.
WWE is still going strong after being sold to Endeavor, just announced a $5 billion “Monday Night Raw” deal with Netflix, and has a roster chock-full of bona fide stars and WrestleMania main eventers. It's all there.
That's what makes the 2024 Royal Rumble Saturday night at Tropicana Field (8 p.m., Peacock) so compelling.
There are several directions WWE could go in with both winners, some more complicated than others, and there could be a lot of big surprises.
Will CM Punk win his first WrestleMania main event? Can Cody Rhodes end the story and get a second chance to become the first back-to-back champion since “Stone Cold” Steve Austin? Will The Rock return to steal their dreams?
On the women's side, will Bayley add a Royal Rumble win and a WrestleMania main event to her resume? Will Becky Lynch become the first woman to win the Royal Rumble twice, or will a surprise entrant like Jade Cargill, Naomi, or Sasha Banks (Mercedes Morne) pull off a spectacular victory?
Those questions and more will be answered Saturday, with the Post's Joseph Staszewski doing his best to predict what will happen in Tampa.
WWE Royal Rumble full match card
Logan Paul defeats Kevin Owens to retain United States Title
This will be Paul's first defense of the United States Title, which he won from Rey Mysterio at Crown Jewel in November, so it would be crazy to think that WWE won't be able to survive his run until at least WrestleMania.
Paul told Owens that he could not take advantage of the cast on his hand, which allowed the challenger to win the No. 1 Contender tournament and knock out his opponent with one punch. Owens did the same thing to Paul during a scrap a few weeks ago. This is because Paul's character took advantage of the fact that the metal screw in his hand enhances this KO ability. Paul took a huge beating on SmackDown last week, but Owens proved he can bounce back from it.
What's likely to happen here is that Austin Theory and Grayson Waller will eliminate Owens. He's been comically berating the duo for weeks, and the two are starting to bond a little with Paul. Paul, Waller, and Theory would form a nice uncomfortable stable against Owens, LA Knight, and Carmelo Hayes.
Roman defeats LA Knight, Randy Orton and AJ Styles to retain undisputed WWE Universal Championship
While it might be tempting to see Randy Orton defeat Roman Reigns with an RKO, the Tribal Chief will head into WrestleMania as champion with his historic 1,200-plus day reign intact. WWE has increased the stakes of Reigns' first title defense with a deadly four-way, and Bloodline is able to thwart him in any way possible.
WWE wants to save the possibility of Reigns vs. Orton for another day, so either Knight or Styles will likely get the pin. With this win, Reigns will once again be able to boast that he has beaten everyone and will be able to activate The Rock at the Rumble and Friday's SmackDown.
Becky Lynch wins Women's Royal Rumble
Betting favorites: Bayley 4/6, Becky Lynch 5/2, Jade Cargill 4/1, Sasha Banks 11/2 Bianca Belair 9/1 (Paddy Power)
This is a race between Bailey and Becky Lynch. Perhaps a wild card like Jade Cargill or the returning Naomi (Trinity) or Liv Morgan could be added to the mix and become a surprise winner. Nia Jax, who defeated Bayley and Lynch on Monday, will definitely play a big role.
But Lynch, who has won before, and Bayley, who has never won, are the only two with solid stories heading into this fight. Both men are essentially looking to take on WWE Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley.
It's a chance for Bayley to prove he can damage CTRL and add more gold to the faction amid strained relationships within the group and a precarious position as leader. After Asuka and Kairi Sane won the Women's Tag Team Championship on Friday, she became the only active member of Damage Control without a title. Lynch has proven his own self-doubt wrong and he wants to return to the mountaintop as world champion.
Ultimately, Bayley's babyface story needs more time to develop, as WWE Women's Champion and faction mate Iyo Sky has no other clear WrestleMania challengers. So WWE will give Lynch a big moment with the new star of the division while they wait for Bayley to pick up the win at Elimination Chamber.
CM Punk wins Men's Royal Rumble
Betting favorites: CM Punk 4/7, Gunther 7/4, Cody Rhodes 3/1, The Rock 15/2, Drew McIntyre 9/1, Sami Zayn 9/1 (Paddy Power)
WWE has set up a number of storylines within the Men's Royal Rumble, with the majority of them taking place on Raw. CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre, and Gunther all have clear motivations going into the match.
Brock Lesnar could be one of the big names who could return. If he does, he'll need to get rid of Gunter in order to establish him as someone the International Champion will perceive as the obstacle he needs to prove himself at WrestleMania. I'm also looking forward to Bron Breaker from NXT.
After teasing Hulk Hogan's return to the ring on Raw this week as WWE celebrates 40 years of Hulkamania, we might even see one more appearance from the Hulkster himself.
As for the rest, WWE needs to strike while the iron is hot and immediately report on the headlines that CM Punk will be in the main event or at WrestleMania. Rhodes needs to take further steps to survive the Elimination Chamber. There's also a scenario where Punk and McIntyre land at the same time and have a match at Elimination Chamber to determine who goes to WrestleMania.
The Rock, who was nominated by the TKO board this week, could compete in the Rumble and win, blocking Rose's path to Roman Reigns, or landing at the same time as him and setting up a triple threat with Roman Reigns. There is also gender. Tribal leader.
Unless The Rock joins, the final five should be Gunther, Lesnar, Rose, McIntyre, and Punk. Punk would make good on his promise to eliminate McIntyre one last time to set up a match at Elimination Chamber after McIntyre eliminated Rose.
