WWE Royal Rumble 2025 Results & Reactions

It was a lucha party that launched this year’s Rumble with Rey Mysterio Jr. and Penta, which started at #1 and #2, respectively. The crowd was hot for the two masked men, and the first half of the entrants contained many Hispanic superstars. Takanawa was number 8, but Melo—eliminated moments before—attacked him on his way to the ring. That is when Triple H made the call to send out iShowSpeed

Jacob Fatu entered at 12 and commanded attention and momentum from the other competitors already in the match. He eliminated Otis, a very tall order, and squared off with Bron Breakker. He was kept quiet, all things considered, but he did catch The Miz with a counter ‘Samoan Drop’ after Miz attempted a springboard high-risk maneuver.

However, when Roman entered at 16, he immediately threw out The Miz while the Fatu showdown was held back. Roman also eliminated Joe Hendry, who entered at 15—just behind Roman. It was a quick work that the crowd definitely popped for, but nothing compared to the moment Roman and Fatu finally faced each other. They exchanged punches in the center of the ring after Fatu eliminated Jimmy Uso with ease.

After the first 20 entrants, it was Roman, Fatu, Penta, and McIntyre who existed as the odds-on favorites at that moment, but with Cena, Rollins, and Punk left to enter, it was still very much in the air. It was interesting seeing guys like Roman and Penta working together against familiar foes.

Penta was eventually eliminated by Finn Balor, and the crowd was audibly disappointed, but they came alive when Jey Uso, who entered at 20, battled it out with Jacob Fatu. But it was AJ Styles, who entered at 21, who brought the crowd to their feet when he faced off with Jacob Fatu. The showdown didn’t last long as a returning Strowman made his way to the ring to eliminate Fatu and continue their feud.

John Cena’s music hit at 23, and the crowd erupted as he showcased a towel that read, “The Last Time Is Now,” with the matching shirt repping Colts’ country. Cena made a huge splash, eliminating Finn before turning to face Cena. The moment felt huge, but before it could come to fruition, CM Punk’s music hit, and the stakes rose exponentially.

The three men stared at each other like the ‘Spiderman meme,’ but before anything could get physical, the music for Seth Rollins hit as he entered at 25. Seth’s aura raised the heat inside the ring and violence broke out. With all the big names in the ring, Dom Mysterio entered the ring and immediately landed a ‘frog splash’ on Roman before the ‘OTC’ made Dom pay. The position for Dom may indicate WWE’s willingness to experiment with him in the ring with big names to check the pulse.

The final entrants were LA Knight, Damian Priest, and Sami Zayn before number 30 entered. On the RAW ‘go-home’ episode, Logan Paul declared himself for the Rumble and spoiled his place at number 30 without any explanation. He, indeed, entered at 30 as Zayn was being eliminated, but the advantage of the late entry was made moot with the volume of experience and ability.

Logan was targeted by LA Knight after the pair feuded at the end of last year. He had Logan on the apron, but the amazing YouTube athlete was able to launch himself onto the commentator’s desk before acrobatically getting back to the ring in time to eliminate Styles after he eliminated Knight.

The camera angle that caught Roman in back of Seth and out of focus was brilliant as it lingered before focus was given to Roman as Seth’s awareness of the situation heightened. They exchanged stiff shots before Seth lined up Roman, but Roman reversed and nearly clotheslined Seth out of the ring. Seth managed to hang on as Roman struggled to eliminate him, which is when CM Punk eliminated both men.

The crowd was stunned, but it did not have time to react before Logan Paul took advantage of the situation and eliminated Punk. That is when all hell broke loose outside the ring as Seth and Punk sent at it before Seth took the opportunity to ‘curb stomp’ Roman onto the steel stairs.

With the way things were booked, we did not get the traditional ‘final four’ stare-down as Jey Uso, Logan, and Cena were left to ‘rumble.’ After a quick scramble, Cena was able to get both Jey and Logan up for the ‘Attitude Adjustment’ but was unable to hit it before Jey escaped. Logan was clotheslined over the rope by Cena and we were left with a face-filled final two.

Cena set up Jey for the ‘You Can’t See Me,’ acknowledging this was the ‘last time.’ He landed it, but then John lost the hold before Jey landed consecutive super kicks. The two ended up on the apron battling it out, and in the end, Jey Uso got the big win and notched his place at WrestleMania.

Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Kevin Owens—Ladder Match

The long-awaited showdown between Cody and K.O. came to a head tonight after a masterful build-up to this match. There were many layers to this feud, and the program delivered heights and circumstances that made the match gimmick organic and necessary.

With a couple of matches between each other as the foundation, the two fought the most personal and grueling title match of their feud. Ladders were destroyed and high-risk maneuvers were heightened as both the current world title and the ‘Attitude Era’s’ wing-eagled belt hung above the ring. Cody felt like he tapped into the violent version of his character that helped launch AEW in its early days when blood was a staple of every Cody match.

Rhodes was able to win even after Zayn came out in a role that was still unclear, as he did not help Owens win (nor did K.O. help out Zayn later in the Rumble). The final moments of the match showed Owens ready to put Cody through the table with a package piledriver. Instead, Cody reversed the situation and slammed Owens through the table, where his head was wedged between rungs. It was a devastating spot that left Owens bloody.

For now, Cody is set to defend his title at Mania—and they say that your greatness is only measured by your ability to defend at WrestleMania.

Women’s Royal Rumble

The women kicked off the PLE as Iyo Sky started as the first entrant and Liv Morgan as the second. Roxanne Perez (#3) played the iron horse roll this year as she set a new record at 01:07:47 survival time—making it all the way to the final two. There was no real powerhouse this year as most of the strongest women in the division were forced to watch the back of their faction’s leader.

Jayden Grace made her ‘surprise’ entrance into the Rumble after attempting to rug everyone after posting flight plans that made it seem like she would not be in the match. Instead, she came out repackaged, sporting a brand-new color scheme and very blonde hair. She made her impact, but no one feud was over more than the next as she sort of blended in eventually. She was ultimately eliminated by NXT Women’s Champ Giulia—likely setting up Grace’s first feud as she will be fast-tracked.

At number 27, Charlotte Flair took her time getting to the ring as she made her grand entrance before shedding her red Ric-like robe. Flair made an immediate impact, and she managed to singlehandedly eliminate Piper Niven after she’d survived for some time.

The Rumble felt predetermined the moment Charlotte entered, and other than a couple of close ring apron spots, she was destined to win, and she did. There was a huge moment from Nia Jax when she eliminated six competitors at once, continuing her ‘Monster’ moniker. Perez and Bayley continued their feud, which is currently going on in NXT, while Piper Niven eliminated U.S. Champ Chelsea Green in a spot that may set up a split-up feud.

A Flair win sets up a potential showdown with current world champion (blue brand) Tiffany Stratton in a major showdown fit for a WrestleMania card. She was asked during the post-presser about her ‘top girl’ attitude, and it seems like the clash could be coming at the perfect time. During that presser, she made it clear that she could appear on RAW, SmackDown, and NXT—“You never know,” Flair responded when asked about her desires to target the new mid-card titles that were added while she was out.

DIY (c) vs. Motor City Machine Guns—2 out of 3 Falls (WWE Tag Team Titles)

DIY secured the titles with the help of Street Profits, but this match was not what many fans hoped it would be. First, they did not get the proper time, which is hard to assign blame for, considering nothing outshines the Rumble. Both teams showed spots of greatness, but they were never let out of the cage to get to the kind of sequences we’re used to from these teams.

The Street Profits gave DIY a beatdown after the match, and it felt like the entire match was more like an extended segment meant to introduce a third team into this feud. It is exciting to imagine all three of these teams working against each other, but it will hopefully receive the time and freedom to produce the classic they’re capable of producing.

The first pinfall of the night by DIY was off the back of an amazing no-tag, throwback to classic tag team strategy, and they hit Shelly with the knee to pick up the first victory. While MCMG would of course tie it up, the finish of the match was less of a crescendo and more of a flat-Earther’s world diagram. DIY worked well as heels and they have found a groove in these characters. But they got over as great underdog baby faces, and it may take them time to gain as much confidence from their new roles.