Check out our Elimination Chamber winners list, with details on every WWE wrestler to enter and win Elimination Chamber matches since 2002.
The Elimination Chamber is the answer to a question many wrestling fans probably never thought they’d ask: What’s more formidable than a match inside a steel cage?
WWE came up with it anyway in 2002. Said to be the brainchild of Triple H and Eric Bischoff, the Elimination Chamber combines the brutality of a steel cage match with the chaos and “who’s next” suspense of the Royal Rumble. And the structure itself is a key component, with its roofed cage and four pods — which have become central to some of the match’s most creative spots over the years.
Like the Royal Rumble, the Elimination Chamber has gone on to become the star of its own series of premium live events, with men’s and women’s versions of its namesake match. Not bad for a gimmick match that was originally a brand-only affair.
After the 2023 Elimination Chamber event in Montreal, WWE will be past 30 total Elimination Chamber matches, with no end in sight. Let’s take a look back at every winner since the first one was held in 1992.
With his WrestleMania main event dreams on hold, CM Punk is going to make sure he’s as healthy as possible instead of rushing back from his latest injury setback.
Punk made his dramatic return to WWE after nearly a decade away last fall at Survivor Series. He took his time getting back in the ring, but misfortune struck anyway, as he tore a triceps while finishing runner-up in the 2024 Men’s Royal Rumble.
Punk’s injury forced a reshuffling of WWE’s WrestleMania 40 plans, which pretty clearly involved him winning at Elimination Chamber — Punk was announced for the show in Perth in mid-January — to face Seth Rollins in Philadelphia.
With that no longer an option, Punk told Caroline Pearce of TNT Sports at UFC 298 that he’s got a timetable for a return that targets the second half of 2024 (h/t Fightful for the transcription).
I’m like an old cobbler car. I’m like a ’72 Nova, you know what I mean? We have to change some parts every now and again. So once we fix up all the parts, the engine’s still strong, we’ll still be good to go. We’re thinking maybe six to eight months, but I’m not really in a rush to get back to compete. I’m in a rush to get healthy. I’m in a rush to get better. The sooner I do that, the better I’ll be when I come back.
What stinks about that timeframe for Punk’s fans is that it likely rules out SummerSlam as well. Barring any setbacks, it would put him back in the mix for Survivor Series this fall, and there would be some nice symbolism if his next match were to take place at the show where he made his 2023 comeback.
Until then, expect WWE to find other ways to make use of Punk while he’s recuperating, as was the case when he co-hosted the WrestleMania XL Kickoff event in Las Vegas earlier this month.
There are two reasons Austin can’t say for sure that he’s done for good. One is that he already defied Father Time once, taking on Kevin Owens in a No Holds Barred match at WrestleMania 38 — 19 years after his previous WWE match.
Was it peak Stone Cold? Not quite. But it was better than just about anyone could have imagined, despite Austin’s age (he was 57 at the time), long layoff and extensive injury history.
The other reason is that Austin is a pro’s pro who understands the wrestling business as well as anyone. So that means he knows that completely closing the door on any idea is silly.
A Punk vs. Austin showdown is one of those dream matches that fans have filed away in the “probably not, but can you imagine?” folder for years. Austin was asked about the possibility by ESPN’s Marc Raimondi and didn’t seem to think it was impossible, just unlikely.
I like Punk, and I think Punk likes me — so, as long as he can take a [Stone Cold] Stunner. I consider him a great friend, a great guy and a great wrestler who’s had a great career. We’ll see.
WrestleMania would be the most likely place for it to happen, but it’s definitely not in the cards this year. Barring a late surprise, Punk is expected to miss this year’s show in Philadelphia while recovering from a torn triceps.
What about WrestleMania 41, the location of which has yet to be announced? Austin will be 60 by then, but he’s surely seen the way Sting has stayed active in spurts in AEW past that age. He certainly sounds like someone who could be tempted to get back in there one more time.
I love the sports entertainment business more than anything I’ve ever done in my life. And you get a dose of it, and you want more. And so here I am talking to you a couple years later about doing it again. And that’s how addicting it is to me, just to talk about it. And I get excited, and I’ll start talking too fast.
But it’s not gonna happen. But it could.
Maybe the stars can align again after all. Listen for the sound of breaking glass, we suppose.
His misfortune only go worse Monday night on Raw, where Punk was just finishing an emotional admission that perhaps he’d never accomplish his goal of making the main event at WrestleMania when he was confronted by Drew McIntyre. The Scottish Warrior ruthlessly told Punk how much he delighted in seeing him suffer, then added to his misery by stomping on his arm after a brief scuffle.
But it didn’t stop there. McIntyre showed he has a truly strong troll game by taking to social media today and using a very famous meme format of actor Grant Gustin to put Punk’s dream six feet under.
McIntyre is in the midst of arguably his strongest character work ever, becoming a monster heel just when WWE needs it most. There doesn’t seem to be room in the WrestleMania main event picture for him this year, but you also can’t count him out given the way things like injuries to Punk and Seth Rollins and questions about The Rock have made things cloudier.
At the very least, WWE can position McIntyre as a huge threat to whoever comes out of WrestleMania as the world champs (provided he’s signed a new contract by then), and at this point, it wouldn’t be wise to bet against the company giving him the ball and watching him run with it.
The Royal Rumble is in the rear view mirror, so it’s mash the gas on the Road to WrestleMania, right? Well, yes, but also there are some potholes on that road, which tonight’s WWE Raw from Tampa will try to pave over.
Some things we expected to happen at the Rumble did indeed take place. Bayley won the Women’s Rumble match, seemingly hammering in another plank in her plan for Damage CTRL to win all the gold. That would require her to challenge Rhea Ripley, though … and is that actually what the Role Model is going to do when she appears tonight?
No such mystery hangs over Cody Rhodes, who certainly has his eyes and heart set on a rematch with Roman Reigns. The questions instead are floating around the man who finished runner-up to Rhodes on Saturday night: CM Punk, who reportedly suffered an injury that would likely cause him to miss out on WrestleMania 40. WWE hasn’t advertised it, but Punk is expected to address his status tonight.
Plus we’ve got championship matches on the card. Gunther will attempt to put another impressive defense on his Intercontinental Championship resume when he faces Kofi Kingston. And the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship is also on the like when Damian Priest and Finn Balor contend with #DIY.
Oh, and to top it all off, Raw is going to be commercial-free for the first 60 minutes, which is fantastic for viewers but not as much for those of us who type along with the show. Finger breaks are important, y’all.
Anyway, we’re looking forward to this show and ready to capture everything that goes down.
WWE Raw results from Tampa:
(please scroll down for full details on any match or segment in bold)
A Royal Rumble highlight package kicks off the show
Pat McAfee is on hand to join Michael Cole on commentary
CM Punk already has his right arm in a sling, telling the WWE Universe he’ll be back, but Drew McIntyre revels in his misfortune
The Judgment Day appears to be unified ahead of the tag team title match … but so do #DIY
The Judgment Day (Damian Priest and Finn Balor) def. #DIY by pinfall to retain the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship
Damian Priest calls for R-Truth to join The Judgment Day in the ring, which is just the impetus for an attack by JD McDonagh; The Miz attempts to make a save but ends up laid out along with Truth
Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark def. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven by pinfall
Cody Rhodes addresses his Royal Rumble win, but Seth Rollins gives him something to think about with regard to his WrestleMania decision
Jey Uso def. Bronson Reed by pinfall
A video narrated by Cole and McAfee puts over the return of Andrade, who is then shown signing with Adam Pearce and Raw; Nick Aldis arrives as well, a little ticked but happier once he gets a call from Bron Breakker
Gunther says Kofi Kingston will remember this match fir the rest of his life, while he will forget about Kofi and continue his record-breaking Intercontinental Championship reign
Jackie Redmond talks to Becky Lynch about what her Plan B is after losing the Royal Rumble, and The Man says it involves her not stopping until she’s back at the top
Gunther def. Kofi Kingston by pinfall to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
After the match, Xavier Woods comes out to check on Kingston and gets attacked by the other members of Imperium, and that ends badly for Woods
Sami Zayn talks about his repeated run-ins with McIntyre and says he’s tired of Drew blaming others for his misfortune and promises to give him a reality check
A quick hype video shows Jade Cargill making her in-ring debut in the Women’s Royal Rumble match
Kabuki Warriors def. Natalya and Tegan Nox by pinfall
Katana Chance and Kayden Carter tell Jackie Redmond their rematch for the tag team titles is coming next week on Raw
Bayley does some gloating, but Nia Jax destroys Rhea Ripley and gives Bayley a warning
McIntyre does a quick interview with Redmond, reminding everyone that Zayn has never beaten him in a match
Drew McIntyre def. Sami Zayn by pinfall
Image credit: WWE.com
CM Punk addresses his injury, but Drew McIntyre is happy about it
As the fans chant his name, Punk looks forlornly at the WrestleMania 40 sign. “I came real close Saturday night, and I felt like I had it in the palm of my hand,” he says, explaining that he’s not mad at Cody Rhodes, congratulating him and saying Cody earned it.
Though he says he never believed in luck, he can’t help but feel a little unlucky. Punk confirms that he tore his right triceps during the Royal Rumble match and it’s not in the cards to work through it. Still, he doesn’t want anyone to feel sorry for him, it’s just a flesh wound and nothing compared to people who have real fights — like a cancer patient he calls a friend.
Punk says he loses more often than he wins, mentioning his unsuccessful foray into UFC. That scared him, as did coming back to WWE, not his injury. He promises he’ll keep entertaining people until the wheels come off, and he’ll continue to take inspiration from people of all walks of life who wake up and keep going.
“There’s always next year,” Punk says, before he’s suddenly interrupted by the arrival of Drew McIntyre. The Scottish Warrior admits he’s said some terrible things about Punk and he meant them, but he relates to what Punk is saying now.
McIntyre says he’s never been a spiritual person, “but I prayed for this and it happened.” Drew says he was angry when Punk eliminated him, but he slept like a baby once he heard about the injury news. He vows to put himself into the spot Punk thinks he was going to get.
Punk walks right up to McIntyre and says he’ll rehab and eventually get to that WrestleMania main event, but before that, he’ll go right after Drew. They have a quick fight, which Punk loses and gets his already injured arm stomped. Sami Zayn comes to the rescue, driving McIntyre off.
Image credit: WWE.com
The Judgment Day (Damian Priest and Finn Balor) fends off a serious title challenge from #DIY
Balor and Tommaso Ciampa start the match against each other, but the challengers quickly get to work doing double team offense. Both Ciampa and Johnny Gargano dive to the floor at once and take a second to pat themselves on the back.
The champs are able to get their feet under them just in time to tag in Priest, who bounces Ciampa’s face off the apron. Balor tags back in and hits a scissor kick for a near fall.
Balor does his best to stop Ciampa from getting to his side for a tag and is able to get another two count. Michael Cole says he’s not sure who the referee is for this match, which is funny. Ciampa gets his own two count, then hits a reverse DDT and tags in Gargano for a rally ending with a slingshot spear and another two.
Balor’s response is dropping an arm across Gargano’s neck for his own hear fall, and the possible falls are coming fast and furious now. Priest kicks out of another double team move, but he’s able to power out of a Fairytale Ending attempt.
The Judgment Day does the double team thing in their own right, forcing Ciampa to kick out of a big legdrop. A powerslam has Ciampa in trouble too, but Gargano comes to make the save.
DIY hits a pair of high impact moves, including Ciampa’s White Noise off the turnbuckles, though it’s still not enough to keep Balor down for three. Finn eats the Meet in the Middle as well, yet his partner is able to drag his foot to the ropes for a break.
Ciampa and Gargano fly out to the floor to hit Priest in quick succession, but Balor is feeling it now back in the ring. Gargano evades the Coup de Grace, though, and has Finn in the Gargano Escape. Ciampa has Priest in the Sicilian Stretch too, but Priest picks him up and drops him on his partner to break the other hold.
Both Gargano and Balor could use tags, and they eventually both make them. A series of moves from all four men leaves Priest the last man standing, and he treats Gargano to a Flatliner onto the announce table. Ciampa rolls up Priest coming back into the ring, but it’s still only a two count.
With Gargano out of the picture, Ciampa takes the Razor’s Edge and the Coup de Grace, and that’s a wrap for the champs.
Image credit: WWE.com
Cody Rhodes gets an interesting proposal for his WrestleMania decision from Seth Rollins
“You deserve it” chants greet the American Nightmare before he even gets a chance to start talking. Pretty sure we know what everyone wants to talk about, though he asks Samantha Irvin to repeat her announcement of him as the 2023 and 2024 Men’s Royal Rumble matches, and she obliges.
Rhodes says the fans will never know how much he needed all of them on Saturday night, but just as he suggests they make WrestleMania 40 official, he’s cut short by the entrance theme of Seth Rollins. The World Heavyweight Champion gets a lengthy singalong as he makes his way to the ring.
Rollins agrees that Rhodes does deserve it and thinks they’ve developed a mutual respect for each other. But he wants to be real with Cody: If he chooses to fight Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, he’s making a mistake. Rollins says Rhodes should fight him instead.
Let’s hear him out. Rollins says Rhodes called himself The Guy at the Royal Rumble press conference, but neither he nor Reigns fits that description. Rollins suggests he’s The Guy and that his World Heavyweight Championship is The Title in WWE.
When Cody won the 2023 Royal Rumble, it made sense to go after Reigns, but that was when there was only one champion. As Seth reasons, Cody has been on the same ride with him since the World Heavyweight Championship was created. And it was that title that was defended all along the way.
This is a good plea, at any rate. Will Rhodes go for it? Rollins even calls his championship “the Dusty Rhodes title” as he makes his closing argument.
Rollins says he doesn’t need an answer right now, encouraging Rhodes to think about it before telling Seth what’s in his heart. “What kind of man do you want to be?”
Cody says he has an “insane” amount of respect for Seth and can’t believe they’re talking about this. He does say he’ll think about it.
Image credit: WWE.com
Kofi Kingston shows his heart again, but it’s not enough to dethrone Gunther
“That man is a machine,” Michael Cole says, as the announcers ponder what Kingston needs to do to give himself a chance of winning. Kofi ends up in an Boston Crab right out the gate, which isn’t optimal, as we get some side-by-side commercials.
Pretty much nothing has changed on the other side of that half-break, as it’s all one-way offense, as Wade Barrett would say. A backbreaker leads to another Boston Crab, which appears to be the official move to set up commercials. Well played, that.
Kingston finally looks like he’s found a foothold coming back off this half-break, and he manages to hurl Gunther to the floor with his legs as a powerbomb counter. He launches a tope suicida but gets caught and driven in the apron.
Kofi sends Gunther into the ringpost and heads back inside. This time Kingston does hit the tope suicida, not once but twice. There’s a jumping kick as well, but the Ring General has the wherewithal to roll to the outside.
Kingston keeps his edge, though, and hits a huge leaping shot to Gunther on the steps, then a Boom Drop off the top rope back inside the ring for a near fall. He wants Trouble in Paradise but gets countered, and his rollup for two is immediately answered by a clothesline.
We’re still going back and forth, with Kofi hitting the SOS for another two. Kingston walks into another nasty clothesline, plus a dropkick. Gunther powerbombs Kingston and stacks him up to secure the dub.
Image credit: WWE.com
Bayley doesn’t make her WrestleMania challenge, but Nia Jax gives her more to think about
The other members of Damage CTRL is waiting in the ring for Bayley, presumably to help celebrate her Royal Rumble win. She points to the sign as the fans chant for her.
She says she’ll give the WWE Universe a rare chance to take a picture of them, because there’s never been a group that had the WWE Women’s Champion, the Women’s Tag Team Champions and the Royal Rumble winner … and it’s all because of Bayley.
While she’s had her share of doubters, Bayley says she never listens to their opinions, and even though the roster is as stacked as it’s ever been, she came out on top. She gloats about breaking Rhea Ripley’s time in the ring too.
That brings Ripley out, who says Bayley will remain the one member of the group without gold … but then gets attacked from behind by Nia Jax. Nia beats Rhea all the way into the ring and drops a leg on her twice as Damage CTRL watches from the corner. There’s a third legdrop for good measure.
After an Annihilator, Jax tells Bayley that she can pick any other champ, because Rhea isn’t making it to WrestleMania. Bayley responds that she’ll make her decision on SmackDown, which leaves IYO SKY looking less than pleased on the outside.
Image credit: WWE.com
Drew McIntyre shows no remorse in dispatching Sami Zayn
Zayn gets an early taste of McIntyre’s power that sends him over the announce table. Drew hurls him back into the ring and takes exception of Pat McAfee talking about him, giving Sami a chance to return the favor to his foe.
After some ads, McIntyre continues to turn Zayn’s chest red with chops. They both end up on the top rope, where Zayn pulls off a sunset flip powerbomb that hints at a momentum swing.
Zayn counters the Future Shock by walking the ropes and hitting a tornado DDT for a two count. McIntyre gets a pair of pinfall attempts, including one with a sitout powerbomb, but Zayn kicks out of both of them.
The fans try to urge Sami on, but Drew just shoves him around as he tries to get back to his feet. He does lure McIntyre into flying into the post, but he has trouble getting his foe up for a Blue Thunder Bomb and eats a Glasgow Kiss.
Drew heads up top again and gets crotched for his trouble. Sami launches into a thunderous superplex, but both men are down and there’s no immediate cover.
Both men evade each other’s finishers, and Zayn gets most of a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall. A “this is awesome” chant gets going, albeit briefly.
A belly-to-belly overhead throw has McIntyre feeling good as he kips up. He hits White Noise off the middle turnbuckle only to see Zayn kick out again.
McIntyre can be heard verbally berating Zayn, which only seems to fire him up until a Glasgow Kiss halts his attack. Sami goes for a Helluva Kick but Drew covers up and nails Zayn low. McIntyre follows with a Claymore to secure a victory.
Here’s what to watch for tonight on WWE Raw from Tampa, including a commercial-free first hour.
We’ve past a week of incredible highs and unthinkable lows for WWE, which now is set to embark on the Road to WrestleMania in earnest. But at least one person expected to be a big part of the Showcase of Immortals might be out of commission, as we’ll likely learn tonight on WWE Raw in Tampa.
What will CM Punk say about his injury status?
It’s being widely reported that CM Punktore his triceps during the Men’s Royal Rumble match, an incredible stroke of bad luck for him if true considering it was his first televised match since his WWE return. Surgery will almost certainly mean he’s out through WrestleMania, which is now just over two months away.
Considering that Punk’s whole mission is to get into a WrestleMania main event and that one night looked very open for him to do that against Seth Rollins, this is suboptimal. Of course, Rollins is injured too, so maybe they just go in there and do what they can. More likely, Punk is going to admit to the WWE Universe tonight that he is out of the running for Philly, which dovetails nicely into the big match advertised for Raw tonight …
Will Punk’s misfortune turn into Gunther’s big break?
The story will certainly be that Gunther can’t look past tonight in Tampa, as he’ll be defending his Intercontinental Championship against Kofi Kingston. You’d expect the Ring General to emerge victorious, regardless of what’s next for him.
But WWE already hinted at something between Rollins and Gunther. It’s quite possible that those seeds can now be watered sooner and turn into a WrestleMania showdown. Watch carefully tonight to see if there are signs, as Punk and Gunther now appear to be linked more directly than ever before.
What will Cody Rhodes and Bayley say after winning their Royal Rumble matches?
Adam Pearce says Raw will go commercial-free for the first hour, and that Cody Rhodes and Bayley will both be on the show.
Obviously, we’ll want to see what they say about who they’re challenging for WrestleMania. For Rhodes, it’s obviously Roman Reigns. Could Bayley surprise and pick her own teammate, IYO SKY, instead of Rhea Ripley?
Also slated for tonight’s Raw in Tampa:
Damian Priest and Finn Balor defend their tag team titles against DIY
We’ll be raring to go for Raw coverage tonight at 8 p.m. ET on Wrestling Junkie.
CM Punk is expected to address his injury status tonight on WWE Raw.
CM Punk famously has done just about everything there is to do in pro wrestling except appear in a main event at WrestleMania. It appears he’ll have to wait for at least one more year to cross that huge item off his bucket list.
According to reports from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer (subscription required) and Mike Johnson of PW Insider, Punk suffered a triceps injury while competing in the Royal Rumble past Saturday in St. Petersburg. The injury is believed to be a torn triceps and occurred during the Men’s Royal Rumble match, where Punk finished runner-up to Cody Rhodes.
Meltzer said that during the match, a referee checked on Punk “and he told the ref ‘My triceps.'” Both Meltzer and Johnson expect the injury to be addressed on tonight’s episode of WWE Raw, with Johnson adding that Punk would be “heading towards surgery” after the show.
Triceps injuries are unfortunately no stranger to Punk, who tore one while competing at All Out in 2022 while he was in AEW. That injury prevented him from wrestling for the rest of the calendar year, though he was also suspended for much of it due to his well-publicized post-event rant and the ensuing fight it caused with The Elite.
Still, this is an especially cruel twist of fate for Punk, who looked set to face Seth Rollins at WrestleMania only to see himself get hurt in his first televised match since his WWE return. The prospects of both his explanation to fans and a new direction for Rollins will make tonight’s episode of Raw even more intriguing.
Just hours away from the Royal Rumble in St. Petersburg, the betting odds have finally settled in and established favorites for both the Men’s and Women’s Royal Rumble matches — though not necessarily heavy favorites.
CM Punk had been the favorite for some time at BetOnline, until that changed and Gunther became the co-favorite for the men’s Rumble match. The last 36 hours have seen a reversal, with Punk now alone as the favorite, Gunther slightly behind him and Cody Rhodes not too far back in third.
Why the shifts? There was some noise about WWE deviating from Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns, which would then leave him in a potential match with Punk. And Punk’s expected opponent was Seth Rollins, though WWE had been teasing a program with Gunther instead. All of that speculation seems to have subsided a bit now, though the close odds for the top three men indicates no one is fully confident on what will play out in St. Petersburg.
On the women’s side, Bayley is now the unquestioned favorite, putting some distance between herself, Becky Lynch and Jade Cargill (even though she has yet to make her in-ring WWE debut). Those three have separated themselves pretty nicely form the rest of the pack.
Here’s the spot where we caution you that we don’t really recommend wagering on pro wrestling matches even where it’s legal to do so since someone knows the pre-determined outcomes in many cases and you can never be sure if others might have that information. But the lines are fun as a gauge for the popular consensus on many wrestling events, especially those as unpredictable as the Rumble matches.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the current odds to win both the men’s and women’s battle royals, expressed in U.S.-style odds.
Last update: Jan. 27, 1:10 p.m. ET.
WWE Royal Rumble 2024 betting odds:
Men’s Royal Rumble match
CM Punk: +120
Gunther: +185
Cody Rhodes: +250
The Rock: +750
Drew McIntyre: +1200
Jey Uso: +1600
Sami Zayn: +2500
Other notables: MJF: +4000, Brock Lesnar: +5000, Big E: +8000, Logan Paul: +8000, John Cena: +10000, Stone Cold Steve Austin: +25000
Keep tabs on who has been announced as entrants for the 2024 Men’s and Women’s Royal Rumble matches.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. And yes, we mean the holiday season, but for wrestling fans, it’s also the run up to the 2024 Royal Rumble, which in turn kicks off the Road to WrestleMania you’ll be hearing about nonstop for the first quarter of next year.
Along with its status as the premier gimmick match in the industry, the Royal Rumble match still serves an important purpose as the winner gets to pick his or her champion of choice to challenge at WrestleMania. It’s critical to WWE for getting its top stories in place for the Showcase of the Immortals, on both the men’s and women’s side.
What makes the anticipation even more delicious this year is the return of CM Punk. One common fan theory is that Punk will win the Men’s Royal Rumble to ensure himself a championship match that is dripping with real life hostility against World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. In fact, Punk is now the betting favorite to win the Men’s Rumble at some places that allow wagering on such things.
But WWE has a habit of making it difficult to predict the winner of a Rumble in some years, and even when the last person standing is the consensus pick, scripts the match to create some serious doubt. There’s no reason to think that won’t be the case once again come January in St. Petersburg.
Before we get there, though, it’s fun to check out just who is in the field for the Royal Rumble matches. With that in mind, we’re keeping a running list going for when a wrestler declares they’re in and/or WWE just randomly announces some of the entrants, and we’ll update it as needed all the way through Jan. 27, 2024.
Last update: Jan. 27, 5:55 p.m. ET
2024 Men’s Royal Rumble matches confirmed competitors:
Cody Rhodes – Announced on the Nov. 27 episode of Raw
CM Punk – Announced on the Dec. 11 episode of Raw
Shinsuke Nakamura – Announced on the WWE 2024 Preview Special
Bobby Lashley – Announced on the Jan. 5 episode of SmackDown
Drew McIntyre – Announced on the Jan. 8 episode of Raw
Gunther – Announced on the Jan. 15 episode of Raw
Chad Gable – Announced on YouTube on Jan. 20
Otis – Announced on YouTube on Jan. 20
Akira Tozawa – Announced on YouTube on Jan. 20
Damian Priest – Announced on the Jan. 22 episode of Raw
Kofi Kingston – Announced on the Jan. 22 episode of Raw
R-Truth – Announced on the Jan. 26 episode of SmackDown
Santos Escobar – Announced on the Jan. 26 episode of SmackDown
Jimmy Uso – Announced on the Jan. 26 episode of SmackDown
Austin Theory – Announced on YouTube on Jan. 26
Carlito – Announced on YouTube on Jan. 26
Grayson Waller – Announced on YouTube on Jan. 26
2024 Women’s Royal Rumble matches confirmed competitors:
Bayley – Announced on the Dec. 15 episode of SmackDown
Nia Jax – Announced on the Dec. 18 episode of Raw
Becky Lynch – Announced on the WWE 2024 Preview Special
Bianca Belair – Announced on the Jan. 5 episode of SmackDown
Maxxine Dupri – Announced on YouTube on Jan. 20
Ivy Nile – Announced on the Jan. 22 episode of Raw
It is fitting that the Royal Rumble landed on the same weekend as the NFL’s conference championship games, as I have personally always viewed the near 40-year-old event as WWE’s version of AFC and NFC title games.
The NFL boasts two of the most intriguing title game matchups in recent memory, and the same could be said for the Royal Rumble, which features a pair of Rumble matches that feel like they carry more weight than usual.
Add in the fact that WrestleMania is two nights and features two main events, and it opens up the possibilities of what the road to WrestleMania could entail.
But there is Royal Rumble business to tend to first …
