WWE Royal Rumble Review - February 1, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Charlotte Flair Won the 30-Woman Royal Rumble Match

I applaud Triple H's desire to use as many of the current women's roster as possible for the Royal Rumble, but I'd say about half of them simply aren't over. Listen to the tepid reactions to a lot of the early entrants. Thankfully, Chelsea Green was out there early to carry things from an entertainment standpoint. She was an MVP to say the least. The second half was significantly stronger and had several cool surprises. That includes the NXT entrants and Alexa Bliss, who was rumored to be at an impasse with WWE during recent contract negotiations. I wasn't a fan of the final four as it made it extremely obvious Flair was winning and, sure enough, that was exactly what happened. While I'm definitely looking forward to Flair challenging Tiffany Stratton at WrestleMania 41, I wish Triple H didn't take the most predictable path possible with the finish to this Rumble.

WWE Tag Team Champions #DIY def. The Motor City Machine Guns in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match

As is the case with most two-out-of-three matches, the first fall was way too short. The crowd barely reacted because they probably weren't expecting it to end so quickly. The second fall was also inconsequential, but they kicked it up a notch during the third fall and the crowd came alive for the action at that point. This needed more time to reach that next level, but it was fun while it lasted. I hated the interference finish, but I am excited for that inevitable Triple Threat tag match with these guys and The Street Profits, who cemented their roles as tweeners by attacking both teams.

Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes def. Kevin Owens in a Ladder Match

WWE has exhausted the Ladder match stipulation to death over the years, but I give Rhodes and Owens a lot of props for pulling off some sweet spots and keeping the crowd engaged throughout. Things got interesting once Sami Zayn came out, but he actually didn't factor into the finish at all. In fact, the finish felt slightly anticlimactic and I realize that's a strange thing to say about an Alabama Slam off the commentary table through a ladder. Rhodes retaining was never in doubt, but my hopes were a little higher. I'm aware I'm in the minority on that.

Jey Uso Won the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match

I enjoyed this men's Rumble more than any other installment since 2020. It started hot with some exceptional wrestling and I loved that Rey Mysterio and Penta were the first two entrants. Hopefully that's the not the last we'll see of them against each other. The energy died down a bit right before Joe Hendry came out (which was awesome) followed by Roman Reigns. Business picked up at that point and the pacing was perfect. There were plenty of intertwining stories and the final stretch in particular was fantastic. I genuinely didn't think Uso would win, so that was a wonderful moment. While I would have preferred CM Punk to win, I can't at all hate on them switching things up, especially given Uso's immense level of popularity.

Overall Show

Despite this being only a four-match card, the show still ended up going four-and-a-half hours. Hey, I have no complaints because, aside from the commercials and whatnot, they filled the time extremely well and the Rumbles breezed by. Both Rumbles delivered, and although I wasn't fond of Flair going over, it made sense. Meanwhile, Uso winning was a shocker and ended the night on a high note. Throw in two quality title matches in the middle and you have yourself an above-average event.

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