Jan 27, 2024; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; CM Punk eliminates Dominik Mysterio during the Men’s Royal Rumble match at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
PeacockWWEBy Ben Axelrod on

Pro wrestling — and especially WWE — is as popular as it’s ever been.

Keeping up with it, however, can be hard to do.

Between WWE putting out seven hours of content (and sometimes more) each week, competing promotions like AEW and the busyness of football season, the holidays, the rest of the sports calendar and life in general, it’s understandable if you’re not up to date on the latest happenings inside the squared circle.

But if ever there was a time to refresh your wrestling knowledge, it’s right now, with the WWE Royal Rumble on Saturday marking the official kickoff to the Road to Wrestlemania™. Whether you’re a casual fan who’s fallen out of touch with the product in recent months, a lapsed fan who hasn’t watched pro wrestling since your childhood or merely curious about what all the fuss is about, don’t worry, we have you covered with everything you need to know about the 2025 Royal Rumble, even if you don’t follow WWE.

What is the Royal Rumble?

If you’ve made it this far in the article, you likely already know. But just in case you don’t, a quick refresher.

First launched in 1988, the Royal Rumble is an annual event named after the show’s signature match. The Royal Rumble match starts with two competitors in the ring with additional entrants being added every 90 seconds-to-two minutes and eliminations occurring when wrestlers are thrown over the top rope (both feet must touch the floor). The match traditionally consists of 30 entrants in total, with the last remaining wrestler receiving a championship match of his/her choosing at WWE’s biggest show of the year, WrestleMania.

While the Royal Rumble was originally a men’s-only event (with occasional female entrants), WWE added a women’s Royal Rumble match in 2018. Ultimately, the match signals the direction that WWE is heading with at least two of its biggest matches on its signature show of the year, although as last year’s build to Wrestlemania showed, plans can certainly change.

The Card

This year’s Royal Rumble, which will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and air in the United States on Peacock, will consist of four matches, including the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches. Here’s what you need to know about each of them:

Men’s Royal Rumble Match

Who’s in it?

A total of 30 competitors, including but not limited to: John Cena, Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Logan Paul, Sami Zayn and Jey Uso.

What’s the storyline?

Like every Royal Rumble match, this year’s includes the overarching storyline of the wrestlers vying for a championship match in the main event at WrestleMania, with several smaller subplots within.

John Cena is kicking off his retirement tour and vying for what would be a record-breaking 17th world championship, while Roman Reigns is looking to recapture the title he lost in last year’s WrestleMania main event. After missing last year’s WrestleMania due to injury, CM Punk is trying to main event WWE’s biggest show of the year for what would be the first time in his career, with rivals Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre trying to stop him (and each other).

While the build to the Royal Rumble can often be clunky, WWE has done a masterful job weaving together this year’s storylines in a way that fits the larger context of the match. In many years, the winner of the match can be predictable, but that’s not the case this year, as you could make a convincing case for any one of Cena, Reigns, Punk, McIntyre or Rollins to win it.

Prediction

It’s hard to imagine what’s being touted as the final WrestleMania of John Cena’s career not including him in a championship match. And while the existence of two world titles means there are other avenues for him to achieve that, I’ll go with the most obvious route of him winning the Royal Rumble match for what would be the third time in his career.

Women’s Royal Rumble match

Who’s in it?

Like the men’s match, the women’s Royal Rumble will consist of 30 competitors. Those who have already been announced for the match include Charlotte Flair, Bayley, IYO SKY, Liv Morgan, Bianca Belair, Nia Jax and Naomi.

What’s the storyline?

The storylines for the women’s Royal Rumble haven’t been as woven together as well as they have been in the men’s match, but some subplots do exist.

The most notable comes in the form of the return of Charlotte Flair, who has been out of action due to injury since December 2023. The daughter of the legendary Ric Flair, Charlotte has been a force in the women’s division since being called up to the main roster in 2015 and based on the vignettes teasing her return, that won’t be changing anytime soon.

Meanwhile, Bayley has been eyeing a return to the championship scene after winning the WWE title at last year’s WrestleMania before losing it at SummerSlam, and has already teased a showdown with her friend-turned-foe, IYO SKY. Bianca Belair and Naomi are the current women’s tag champions after Naomi took the place of an injured Jade Cargill, who could very well make her return in this match. How will Jade feel about Naomi replacing her and is it possible that Naomi was the mystery attacker who injured her? We may find out on Saturday.

Two other storylines worth monitoring: Nia Jax and Liv Morgan both recently lost their championships and are seeking revenge. In Jax’s case, it would be against her former protégé (and rising star) Tiffany Stratton, while Morgan had been engaged in a lengthy feud/love triangle with current world champion Rhea Ripley.

Also, keep an eye out for the potential return of arguably the biggest women’s star in WWE history, Becky Lynch, who hasn’t been an active member of WWE’s roster since last May.

Prediction

As is the case with the men’s division, multiple world championships means there are multiple routes WWE could take here. All signs, however, point to Charlotte kicking her return off with a bang and becoming the first-ever two-time women’s Royal Rumble winner.

WWE Championship ladder match: Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens

Who’s in it?

If WWE were the NFL, then think of Cody Rhodes as Patrick Mahomes. He’s pro wrestling’s main character. Explaining his entire backstory would likely require another 1,000 words, but for now, all you need to really know is that he’s the face of the company and has been since winning the WWE championship in the main event of last year’s WrestleMania.

As for Owens, the former independent wrestling darling has become an unlikely staple of WWE’s main event scene for the better part of the past decade. In many ways, he’s a throwback to Rhodes’ father, the legendary “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes; he doesn’t possess the traditional pro wrestler’s physique, but what he lacks in muscle he makes up for on the mic. And when it comes to his in-ring work, he’s one of the more exciting and believable wrestlers going today.

What’s the storyline?

While Rhodes and Owens spent most of last year as allies, their relationship fractured after Rhodes aided Roman Reigns in his battle against the “new Bloodline.” After years of being tormented by Reigns and the original Bloodline, Owens couldn’t believe that Rhodes would help their former rival.

Owens’ issues with Rhodes boiled over after the Bad Blood event in October, where Rhodes teamed with Reigns in a modern version of the Mega Powers (Hulk Hogan and “Macho Man” Randy Savage) tag team. Following the show — like literally, after the broadcast had ended — Owens attacked Rhodes in the parking lot in a scene that instantly went viral on social media.

In the time since, Rhodes and Owens have engaged in a blood feud, which featured a championship match at NBC’s Saturday Night’s Main Event show in December. Honoring the broadcast’s throwback theme, Rhodes didn’t dawn his traditional WWE championship, but rather the popular “winged eagle” title, which was originally used from the late-1980s to the mid-1990s.

Rhodes won the match in controversial fashion, leading to a post-match attack in which Owens laid him and left with the winged eagle title, proclaiming himself the rightful champion. Rather than leaving their rematch in the hands of the officials, both title belts will be raised above the ring, with the winner being whoever climbs the ladder and secures them first.

Prediction

At this point, it would be stunning if Rhodes didn’t enter WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas as the WWE champion. Still, this should be a helluva battle, especially considering Owens’ history in ladder matches.

WWE Tag Team Championship match, two-out-of-three falls: #DIY vs. Motor City Machine Guns

Who’s in it?

The reigning tag team champions, #DIY is comprised of Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano, two smaller and more athletic wrestlers who worked their way through WWE’s developmental system (and in Gargano’s case, a brief hiatus from the company) to becoming main roster mainstays and ultimately tag team champions. After starting as a tag team in WWE’s quasi-developmental brand, NXT, the two engaged in a legendary feud with each other and it appears that the seeds are already being planted for them to run it back on WWE’s biggest stage.

Likewise, the Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) are former staples of professional wrestling’s independent scene, who made their WWE debut last fall. While the duo hasn’t done much in the way of character development, they’ve already managed to win over fans with their stellar in-ring work.

What’s the storyline?

This one’s pretty simple: Motor City Machine Guns won the tag team championships in shocking fashion shortly after debuting, only to lose the titles a couple of months later to #DIY, who turned heel (bad guy) in the process.

After winning a No. 1 contender’s tournament, MCMG will now get its rematch in a two-out-of-three falls match, which could very well be the best technically wrestled match on the entire show.

Prediction

This one could realistically go either way.  I’ll take the signs of cracks in #DIY’s partnership to continue heading toward a potential WrestleMania match, with MCMG recapturing their titles for a lengthier run than their first one.

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.

View all posts by Ben Axelrod