WWE Royal Rumble is all set to take place tonight (Sat., Feb. 1, 2025) from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. It begins at 4:00 pm ET with the Kickoff show leading right on into the main course at 6 pm ET on Peacock in the U.S., WWE Network everywhere else, or your local cable pay-per-view provider.
Luckily for you Cagesiders, our staff of learned wrestling blowhards is here to help figure out just how the event is going to play out with predictions for each match on the card.
Let’s get to it.
WWE ROYAL RUMBLE PREDICTIONS
Men’s Royal Rumble
Geno Mrosko: The last time I checked the betting lines it was John Cena out in front. Then they gave all the television time to CM Punk, setting up stories for him seemingly everywhere. But Seth Rollins is also right there with a reason to win. Then I think about it and just want Jacob Fatu to get the rocket strapped to him, story be damned. I don’t know what the right thing is here, but they’ve got options. I guess I play it safe. Pick: CM Punk
Kyle Decker: Honestly, I think CM Punk is the favorite and John Cena is just slightly below that as the second favorite. But I’m going with a man who I think could legitimately win it and that’s (sigh) Logan Paul. There’s been rumblings that he could face Gunther at WrestleMania and we’re in a time WWE is trying to be as mainstream as they have in decades. Having someone with such as a large audience is another piece of that. Pick: Logan Paul
Claire Elizabeth: I gotta go with the path that gets my guy his long-awaited and most deserved main event— Punk wants it, he needs it, and he’s hungry and canny enough to dump 29 other guys out of the ring to do it. Pick: CM Punk
Cain A. Knight: Cena is being heavily promoted for Elimination Chamber, but why would he need to compete in a chamber match if he wins the Rumble? I think he’ll come up short here and get his ‘Mania title match against Cody by winning the chamber. CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns is the other obvious WrestleMania main event, so that leaves one of them to win the Royal Rumble and the other to beat GUNTHER for the world championship before then. Pick: CM Punk
Marcus Benjamin: Before the latest Raw, I felt this was a toss up. There were a few interesting picks but no one really set themselves apart. But then CM Punk and Cody started a story that I want to see ahem finished. There’s an interesting idea these two hit on and I know they’d do it justice. Pick: CM Punk
M. G0MEZ: In 2015, WWE fans harshly rejected Roman Reigns after he won the Royal Rumble in Philadelphia, despite an endorsement from The Rock. During his 2024 A&E Biography, Reigns said of that moment:
“You think of these moments, you dream about them. And the moment that it actually happens, it’s like they’re playing the worst soundtrack of all time over your moment, ruining your party. That’s how the Rumble in Philly felt.”
A decade later, the Tribal Chief’s career has come full circle. Fans passionately root for him and hope that he succeeds. This year, Reigns will be the last man standing as the people rejoice and confetti rains from the rafters in Indianapolis. Like in 2015, The Rock will again emerge and raise Roman’s hand. And then he’s going to toss his cousin over the ropes and reveal that he was the 31st entrant in the Royal Rumble match. I’m sorry, my Tribal Chief. Pick: The Rock
Women’s Royal Rumble
Geno Mrosko: There’s a very obvious choice here, and I’m wondering if there’s any way they go any other direction. There’s no real setup for either champion right now and this will certainly be a kicking off story. I guess I’ll play it safe here too. Pick: Charlotte Flair
Kyle Decker: This is a tough call. When Charlotte is in a match, it’s tough to bet against her. But I don’t have a feel for the winner outside this. So I’ll go with a personal favorite, one who has had some history with Rhea Ripley this last year and she’s one of the best wrestlers out there. Pick: Iyo Sky
Claire Elizabeth: There’s a certain baseline appeal to pushing Charlotte’s return as the silver spoon franchise excellence-is-her-destiny woman-who-cannot-be beat and then pulling the rug out from under her at the last minute but nah, I think we play it straight. Pick: Charlotte Flair
Cain A. Knight: Charlotte Flair vs. Tiffany Stratton seems like a no-brainer match for WrestleMania 41, whereas I’m not quite as sure if Rhea Ripley will be matched up with Becky Lynch or Bianca Belair. I’ll just go with the safe pick here, which is the winner who will probably piss off the most people. Pick: Charlotte Flair
Marcus Benjamin: WWE often shows their hand so I’m not going to waste many words here. Pick: Charlotte Flair
M. G0MEZ: Ooga-chaka, ooga-ooga: I can’t stop this feeling deep inside of me that says “The Queen” is coming to reclaim her throne. I can’t see WWE promoting Charlotte Flair’s comeback as they have, only for it to end in a popcorn fart. I expect to see a new side of Charlotte Flair that will surprise fans and, ultimately, build or strengthen a future star. To get there, it starts with winning the Royal Rumble. Pick: Charlotte Flair
WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Kevin Owens
Geno Mrosko: There’s just no world that exists where it makes sense to make a change here. Pick: Cody Rhodes
Kyle Decker: Sorry, Kevin, but I never believed you had a chance here. Pick: Cody Rhodes
Claire Elizabeth: Kevin Owens keeps tossing out off-hand WrestleMania main event ideas that are better than anything WWE is actually building to but alas, I don’t think defending the title at the big one is in his future this year. Pick: Cody Rhodes
Cain A. Knight: Kevin Owens is really, really good at losing championship matches at the Royal Rumble. Pick: Cody Rhodes
Marcus Benjamin: I’m less interested in who wins than I am with what this means for Sami Zayn. I predict he sides against KO, again, which puts their beef on the front burner. Pick: Cody Rhodes
M. G0MEZ: If Kevin Owens is relying on Sami Zayn to win the title, he’s more delusional than Liv Morgan counting on Raquel Rodriguez to help her win the women’s Royal Rumble. Zayn’s failure to help Owens will lead to a match between those two at WrestleMania. Pick: Cody Rhodes
WWE Tag Team Championship: DIY (c) vs. Motor City Machine Guns
Geno Mrosko: They’ve very clearly set up a couple other programs for DIY, though you could argue they wouldn’t require the tag team titles. I’ll say they do, though. Pick: DIY
Kyle Decker: May as well give the good guys a win after what’s bound to be a tough 2 out of 3 falls match. Pick: Motor City Machine Guns
Claire Elizabeth: With Pretty Deadly and Los Garza hovering around, the one thing I know about this match is it is going to be messy. But for all that, since we have heel champions I don’t think the loss of the champion’s advantage in this one is going to be a big deal, and I’m calling for a killer match that keeps us in the status quo. Pick: #DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa)
Cain A. Knight: Everything is going MCMGs way of late, while DIY is desperate and can feel the belts slipping away. That means the heels will find a way to retain the gold. Pick: DIY
Marcus Benjamin: This is a coin toss for me, which is fun because I feel like Two Face. Pick: DIY
M. G0MEZ: Given the lack of depth in WWE’s tag team division, it would be wise for WWE to extend this rivalry while building up one or more teams for the future. Meanwhile, DIY and the Motor City Machine Guns can wow fans and show them what good tag team wrestling looks like. But for that to happen, the good guys need to chase the gold, not win it, at least not at the Rumble. Pick: DIY
That’s how we see the card playing out.
You?
