The annual Royal Rumble PLE took place yesterday evening and it kicked off with the 30-woman Rumble match. We didn't have long to wait for a surprise entrant as Naomi made her long-awaited return to WWE after leaving the company in 2022 (she's since made an impact - no pun intended - in TNA).
Talking of that company, the woman who beat Naomi to become TNA Knockouts Champion, Jordynne Grace, also made a surprise WWE appearance for what proved to be a dominating performance.
The best was saved for last, though, as Roxanne Perez, Jade Cargill, Tiffany Stratton, and Liv Morgan all shocked fans by entering the match during its final stages. Ultimately, it came down to Morgan, Cargill, and Bayley (who entered at #3 and set a record for the most time a woman has spent in a Rumble), with the latter eliminating her opponents at the same time to pick up the win.
Will she challenge Rhea Ripley? Something tells us that tensions within Damage CTRL will worsen, leading Bayley vs. Iyo Sky at WrestleMania!
As expected, Roman Reigns retained the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship (thanks to a helping hand from Solo Sikoa) and Kevin Owens failed to capture the United States title after being caught using Logan Paul's brass knuckles on the heel.
The men's Rumble match was a little lighter on surprise, but did feature the return of Andrade! NXT's Bron Breakker put on a dominant showing - rumour has it he took Brock Lesnar's place - and it eventually came down to Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Gunther and Drew McIntyre in the final four.
Soon, it was just the American Nightmare and Best in the World, but Rhodes emerged victorious and made it clear he'll challenge Reigns at the Show of Shows. Will Punk get to finish his story by main eventing WrestleMania? If so, he'll now have to find a different way to get there!
Check out some highlights from the Royal Rumble PLE below: