The Road to Wrestlemania 42 in Las Vegas has begun for Liv Morgan and Roman Reigns, who outlasted 30 other superstars to win the women’s and men’s Royal Rumble. Gunther put an end to another legendary career before Drew McIntyre retained the Undisputed Championship.
These were the results from the first WWE premium live event (PLE) of the year, Royal Rumble, which took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday. Here are four takeaways from Royal Rumble.
Liv Morgan did the unthinkable
She has been one of the top superstars on the women’s roster for the past five years. The 31-year-old is a former two-time Women’s World Champion and four-time Women’s Tag Team Champion. But a Royal Rumble win was missing from her list of accomplishments until Saturday.
Morgan, who returned from injury in November, was the No. 14 entry in the 30-women Royal Rumble, which was the first match on the card. She got her first elimination by tossing tag team partner Raquel Rodriguez.
Morgan then fought tooth and nail with Sol Ruca and former champion Tiffany Stratton to win the match for the first time in her career. She will have the opportunity to challenge a champion of her choice at Wrestlemania 42. Her options are either Women’s Champion Jade Cargill or Women’s World Heavyweight Champion Stephanie Vaquer.
If Morgan challenges Vaquer, she can stay on “Monday Night Raw” or crossover to “SmackDown” to face Cargill. Either way, the WWE universe is in for another intriguing women’s championship match.
Roman Reigns hasn’t lost a step
When Cody Rhodes put an end to Roman Reigns’ historic 1,316-day title reign, some thought Reigns would take a step back from WWE. But the “Original Tribal Chief” proved he has no plans to step aside anytime soon.
Reigns was the No. 26 entry in the 30-man men’s Royal Rumble, which headlined the event. He got straight to business, eliminating Jey Uso and Jacob Fatu. After Rhodes was eliminated from the match due to McIntyre’s interference, Reigns was left in the final four. His remaining opponents were Logan Paul, Randy Orton, and Gunther.
Reigns eliminated Paul, the YouTube sensation turned WWE superstar, as Gunther eliminated Orton. That made Reigns and Gunther the final two contestants, with Reigns leaving victorious. This is his second Royal Rumble win, following his 2015 victory.
Reigns will have the option to challenge World Champion CM Punk, whom he faced in the main event of Wrestlemania 41 night one in a triple threat match alongside Seth Rollins. His second option is taking on McIntyre, who holds the Undisputed Championship. Either way, Reigns is looking to add another title to his resume.
Gunther ended another legendary career
Over a month ago, Gunther put an end to John Cena’s historic wrestling career. Immediately after, Gunther got himself into a feud with AJ Styles, a former two-time World Champion.
The stage was set for a showdown between these two superstars. Styles raised the stakes when he announced that this would be the final match of his 28-year career, which includes stints with multiple companies before he made it to WWE.
In a much-anticipated match, Styles used every move in his arsenal to pick up the win. However, that wasn’t enough to stop Gunther, who locked in a sleeper hold to submit Styles. As another career came to a close, Gunther further segmented his status as an unstoppable force.
Drew McIntyre is still the Undisputed Champion
When Drew McIntyre defeated Cody Rhodes to become Undisputed Champion, he put a target on his back. Randy Orton, Matt Cardona, Jacob Fatu, and Sami Zayn all wanted a shot at the champion. Zayn, ultimately, became the No. 1 contender by taking down the other three superstars.
In a back-and-forth affair, McIntyre did everything in his power to weaken his opponent, which took a toll on Zayn’s lower back. With his opponent injured, McIntyre hit Zayn with a Claymore kick and retained the championship.
McIntyre’s night didn’t end there as he eliminated Rhodes, a longtime rival, from the Royal Rumble. This can lead to another championship match between them during the lead-up to WrestleMania 42.
