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WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN TONIGHT: THE WWE ROYAL RUMBLE 2024 TIP SHEET

WWE will present the 2024 Royal Rumble in St. Petersburg, FL this Saturday at Tropicana Field.  Here are our takes on what will happen.

Men's Royal Rumble Match.

Dave: As I have said a few times now, HHH and his team have done such a good job of booking that there are so many people who you look at and think, yep, they could win the Rumble.  That doesn't mean they have a great chance or should, it means that in the right situation they could do it.  That's such a welcome change from the years when the old guy was in charge and there was minimal drama both leading up to and during the match.  I expect the exact opposite this year.  I expect WrestleMania programs to be set up during the match.  For instance, if they choose not to have Cody finish the story (which I think is a huge mistake), then, for instance, they could have he and Punk get into and cause each other’s elimination and then build to a match at Mania that will feel like a main event.  As you can guess, if it was me doing the booking, Cody goes over here and takes on Roman Reigns at Mania, where he beats him to finish the story.  Sometimes the right thing to do is what everyone wants to see, with some bumps and swerves along the way.  I don’t want Rock vs. Roman at Mania.  I want Rock to be the guest ref and call the match down the middle at Mania, with Cody winning, or something along those lines.  Then, I build to Rock vs. Roman at SummerSlam where, if the metrics back it up, I do my first two night SummerSlam show.  If HHH, or someone else, decides Rock will take on Reigns at Mania, he has to win the Rumble to get to that match.  Otherwise he will be cutting the line and that could open up risks for Rock from the fans when they don’t get what they want.  

Mike: Unless there's a big surprise, the climax of the Rumble should be when Cody Rhodes and CM Punk face off with each other.  One would think one or the other will win.  We've got a bounty of interesting talents involved, including GUNTHER and Drew McIntyre, but it's got to come down to Cody and Punk.  In a perfect world, they do 1994 Lex Luger/Bret Hart finish where they both go over and we don't know for sure who won, but to me, it should be Cody's to win with Punk not needing the win to go into a program with Seth Rollins.  Cody, however, needs that win to go after Roman, who's on the other brand.

Rich:  As Dave and Mike talked about on Wednesday, there are a lot of people who you can justify winning this match and being a credible opponent for Roman or Seth at Wrestlemania.  As interesting as the potential winner of the match, I am more intrigued by what happens as a result of this match.  Will partners turn on each other?  What will happen between Gunther and the New Day?  What will happen with THE Judgment Day?  What will happen with the Kross/Lashley groups?  Will Jimmy and Jey have any physical interaction during the match and potentially set up a match at Wrestlemania?  What happens with Drew and Priest?  Will Cody and Punk do something that takes either or both out of a title match in Philadelphia?   I do hope that we don't have someone starting off run the table and be among the final two in the match.  Will we see anyone from NXT make an appearance and tease the idea of a callup to the main roster?  Whoever prevents Kofi from doing the "Kofi Spot" (or whatever understudy gets the chance) will be my favorite person in the match.  I can see Cody winning again to set up his rematch to refinish the story at Wrestlemania.  However, you could also add CM Punk, Damian Priest, Jey Uso, Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley, Gunther, Sheamus, Jimmy Uso, or the five men who are in the other two matches if they decide to pull double duty.

Women's Royal Rumble Match.

Dave: I have zero idea what will happen here, and I love it.  There are so many possibilities and I love it.  I could definitely see Becky getting revenge on Nia Jax.  Maybe then she gets eliminated and Rhea starts a slow babyface turn by picking her to be her opponent at Mania, even when she doesn’t win.  I honestly have no idea and that’s awesome.

Mike: Based on WWE TV, Becky Lynch vs. Rhea Ripley and Bayley and Damage CNTRL splitting are the major teases going into Wrestlemania, so one has to assume that unless there's a major surprise return that throws everything out of whack, Lynch and Bayley should be the favorites.  If they wanted to really shock everyone, they could go with a Zelina Vega or Bianca Belair but my feeling is that in this case, the most logical ideas are the best ideas.

Rich:  There are also a number of interesting stories going into the women's Rumble.  I don't think there are as many potential winners as the men, but there are a few favorites.  You have Nia Jax, Becky Lynch, and Bianca Belair as the top three options, but there is one name to look out for . . . Bayley.  While she has not had a lot of wins recently, the idea is that she will win to challenge Rhea for the title.  But what if Bayley wins and it leads to her challenging Iyo Sky for the title and finish the story of the end of Damage CTRL as it is currently comprised.  There are a number of wild cards in the match, but this is another match where the goal is to get the women ready to take the step to the next level over in the match and make you care more about them going into Mania season.  Do we see a potential Elimination Chamber match develop out of this match?  Then there is the big question about this match.  Do we see Jade Cargill in this match and if so, what does she do and how long does she last?  While I don't want to go with one of the chalk picks in this match as well, I think Bianca wins and challenges Iyo so we can have Becky and Nia at Mania.

WWE Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton vs. LA Knight.

Dave: There is no way I have Roman’s title reign end in a four way, before Mania.  None.  To me, the biggest question is whether any of the three challengers also work the Rumble.  I hope that the men’s Rumble main events so that we will have to wait to find out.

Mike: My feeling is that the babyfaces will end up working against each other, allowing Solo or someone to interfere and Roman scoring the pin.  No way Roman doesn't want into Wrestlemania strong.  This match should be a lot of fun.

Rich:  This Saturday, we find out if Roman Reigns can continue his historic title reign in a match where the odds are against him, but just like Han Solo, you never tell Roman the odds.  The only negative about this being a four way match is that it potentially took three men out of the Rumble.  I think each challenger will have a moment when you say 'this guy could win this match', but we know it is a mirage.  We will have a ref bump, a cameo from Solo and Jimmy, and somehow Roman fights the odds to retain the title. 

WWE United States Champion Logan Paul vs. Kevin Owens.

Dave: KO doesn’t need to get the win here and the destruction of his hand last week on Smackdown gives him the perfect excuse to lose.  No matter how you feel about Logan Paul, him carrying the Title is good for the company outside of the actual realm of pro wrestling.  Paul retains.  Maybe they rematch at Mania.

Mike: I expect this to be excellent.  I suspect Logan retains.

Rich:  With all of the complaining by Logan Paul about Kevin Owens having an advantage with the cast when he 'cheated' to 'win' the title against Rey Mysterio.  I would love to see Kevin Owens win the title, but does he really need it?  I can see Austin Theory or Grayson Waller getting involved to help Logan get the victory.  Let Logan hold the title into Wrestlemania.  At least it won't be the Bloodline that interferes in a Kevin Owens match in this building.

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