2020 WWE Royal Rumble results, recap, grades, winners: Shocking return, A+ match lead epic show

Complete results, grades and winners from the headline-making WWE Royal Rumble

WWE kicked off 2020 with a bang on Sunday night by delivering a memorable Royal Rumble pay-per-view that sent shockwaves through the crowd at Minute Maid Park in Houston and likely WWE fans across the globe. In addition to offering one of the best men's Royal Rumble matches in history, WWE's triple main event was the strength of a show that started off good but far from great.

Brock Lesnar had one of his most memorable performances inside a WWE ring by entering at No. 1 in the show's main event, and the match itself wound up as a star-making moment for the eventual winner. The women's Royal Rumble match was also well-booked from top to bottom, though its winner was certainly less of a surprise. Though there were no title changes on the cart, the universal championship match was "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt's best effort since his return, thanks in large part to the talent of Daniel Bryan.

We are officially off and running on the Road to WrestleMania 36. CBS Sports was with you the entire way Sunday updating this story with live results and highlights along with detailed recaps of each match. Subscribe to our podcast -- State of Combat with Brian Campbell -- and check out our WWE Royal Rumble instant analysis show below.

WWE Royal Rumble results, grades

Sheamus def. Shorty G via pinfall (Kickoff Show): After getting in some offense early, Chad Gable was largely dominated by Sheamus' overwhelming size and strength. Gable worked on Sheamus' leg and hit a tornado DDT after Sheamus caught his moonsault attempt. He followed by nailing a moonsault and rolling German suplex, each for near falls. Gable then ducked a Brogue Kick, placing Sheamus in an ankle lock. However, after Sheamus kicked out of a crucifix pinning attempt, he caught Gable with his finisher for the 1-2-3. Relatively good match with Gable getting in more offense than expected, but the finish was always anticipated. Grade: C+

United States Championship -- Andrade (c) def. Humberto Carillo to retain the title (Kickoff Show): Just as Andrade looked to take control in the match, Carillo reversed the champion's attempt to complete Eddie Guerrero's signature Three Amigos. Andrade then pushed Carillo backward with the challenger's head ricocheting off the second turnbuckle and hit double knees in the corner before a 2.7 count. Carillo reversed the hammerlock DDT finisher into a near fall. Later meeting at the top rope, Carillo hit an avalanche huricanrana for a 2.8 count. The two then rolled one another up with Andrade winding up on top, hooking through one leg for the victory. Smartly booked finish to keep Carillo looking strong while giving Andrade a big win without interference from Zelina Vega. This absolutely should have been on the main show. Grade: B+

Roman Reigns def. Baron Corbin via pinfall (Falls Count Anywhere): Reigns attacked Corbin before the bell but ate an early Deep Six, kicking out of the near fall. The two quickly made their way outside the ring using the barricade and ring steps before entering the crowd itself and returning to ringside, where Corbin threw Reigns over the announce booth and nearly pinned him again. Corbin then caught a flying Reigns attempting a Superman punch with a chokeslam through the booth for a third close call. Venturing deep into the crowd, Reigns hit Corbin with a Samoan drop through one international announce table and then repeated the move for a pair of 2.5 counts. Once they climbed into the elevated WWE production, Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler attacked Reigns but were quickly intercepted by The Usos with all four men eventually taken out after a Jimmy Uso dive off the scaffolding. Reigns hit a couple Superman punches and threw Corbin into a portable toilet before tipping it over. (Corbin emerged clean.)

Atop the Astros' dugout, Reigns took a chair shot from Corbin. He quickly recovered, landing a Superman punch on Corbin followed by a long, running spear for the win. Reigns stood tall atop the dugout with a capacity crowd cheering him on in what was a great moment for the Reigns character and hopefully the official end to this long feud. It was far from the best match of its kind, but it was certainly entertaining with tremendous fan response and a hope that this is the final chapter in the rivalry. Grade: B

Charlotte Flair (27:19) wins the Women's Royal Rumble: Liv Morgan ran in and immediately eliminated Lana, who returned the favor despite being eliminated by pulling Morgan off the top rope to ringside. Mandy Rose was nearly eliminated but landed comfortably on Otis; she was able to stand on his belly and then reenter the ring. Rose was again thrown over the top rope, and Deville punched her; Otis caught Rose, but Deville was soon eliminated by Belair, knocking both Rose and Otis down. Charlotte Flair appeared to get eliminated after taking a Glam Slam from Beth Phoenix, but it turned out she went through the middle ropes. Naomi's entrance got a big response from the crowd; she was later thrown outside the ring and landed on the barricade with her hands on top and feet inches from the ground. She straddled and crawled across the barricade, stood on an announce table and eventually used the top of the table to build a bridge to the steel steps. Santino Marella appeared as Santina, faced off with Phoenix and eliminated himself with the Cobra. (During the match, Phoenix's head started bleeding after it bounced off the top of the ring post.)

Shayna Baszler entered at No. 30 and immediately eliminated seven women. Phoenix and Natalya combined for a Hart Attack on Baszler before Phoenix turned and eliminated Natalya. Baszler eliminated Phoenix and turned her sights on Flair, who was already on the ring apron. After some jockeying back and forth, Flair flipped upside down, wrapped her legs around Baszler's shoulders and pulled her outside for the victory. Flair cut a promo afterward reminding fans "this is my division" and sounded neither face nor heel. The match was good overall and allowed a handful of women showcase moments. The final two were ultimately the correct choices, and the crowd did pop for Flair, but it was a bit clunky late. (Sasha Banks never appeared.) Grade: B

	Order of entry	Order of elimination
1	Alexa Bliss (SD)	Lana (Morgan)
2	Bianca Belair (NXT)	Morgan (Lana)
3	Mighty Molly	Molly (Belair 1)
4	Nikki Cross (SD)	Martinez (Rose, Deville)
5	Lana (Raw)	Cross (Belair 2)
6	Mercedes Martinez (NXT)	Rose (Deville 2)
7	Liv Morgan (Raw)	Deville (Belair 3)
8	Mandy Rose (SD)	LeRae (Belair 4)
9	Candice LeRae (NXT)	Sane (Bliss)
10	Sonya Deville (NXT)	Tamina (Belair 5)
11	Kairi Sane (Raw)	Yim (Bliss 2)
12	Mia Yim (NXT)	Kai (Green)
13	Dana Brooke (SD)	Green (Bliss 3)
14	Tamina (SD)	Brooke (Belair 6)
15	Dakota Kai (NXT)	Bliss (Belair 7)
16	Chelsea Green (NXT)	Belair (Flair)
17	Charlotte Flair (Raw)	Logan (Flair 2)
18	Naomi (SD)	Kelly (Flair 3)
19	Beth Phoenix	Marella (Marella)
20	Toni Storm (NXT UK)	Li (Baszler)
21	Kelly Kelly	Nox (Baszler 2)
22	Sarah Logan (Raw)	Vega (Baszler 3)
23	Natalya (Raw)	Blackheart (Baszler 4)
24	Xia Li (NXT)	Carmella (Baszler 5)
25	Zelina Vega (Raw)	Storm (Baszler 6)
26	Shotzi Blackheart (NXT)	Naomi (Baszler 7)
27	Carmella (SD)	Natalya (Phoenix)
28	Tegan Nox (NXT)	Phoenix (Baszler 8)
29	Santina Marella	Baszler (Flair 4)
30	Shayna Baszler (NXT)	Winner: Flair (27:19)

SmackDown Women's Championship -- Bayley (c) def. Lacey Evans via pinfall to retain the title: Bayley baited Evans with a fake injury early in the match to grab the upper hand. Crowd energy was gone after the preceding Royal Rumble and lack of passion for either competitor. Evans also botched a springboard attempt. At ringside near her daughter, Evans was thrown into the barricade by Bayley, who taunted the little girl. Evans then blocked a Bayley to Belly before hitting a standing moonsault. She also tried a moonsault from the top rope, but Bayley blocked it with her feet and turned Evans over for a 1-2-3 with some assist from the challenger's tights. While this was not horrible, it was clearly the low point of the show and not helped by a slow, plodding start. Grade: D+

Universal Championship -- "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt (c) def. Daniel Bryan via pinfall to retain the title (Strap Match): No red light for this match (likely due to it being outdoors) and no four-corners rule for victory. Bryan ate a strong powerbomb early and got whipped with the strap for what seemed like forever as The Fiend manicaly laughed. After Bryan was slammed and had his neck "snapped," he tried fighting back by reversing Sister Abigail and drilling The Fiend with his running knee for a short two count. Bryan then threw The Fiend outside the ring and launched himself off the top rope over the ring post. However, Bryan used the strap to drive The Fiend into the post three times. When The Fiend began whipping Bryan with the strap again, this time atop an announce table, Bryan responded with multiple low blows and a DDT followed by some whips of his own. Bryan dragged The Fiend inside the ring, alternating Yes kicks and strap whips. The Fiend simply sat up and begged for more, so Bryan went after the champion's head before stomping on it repeatedly.

Just as Bryan was gearing up for one more running knee, The Fiend snatched him out of midair and hit a Sister Abigail that everyone expected to end the match until Bryan kicked out at 2.9. Bryan got caught with the Mandible Claw while on the top rope but wrapped his legs around The Fiend, trying to submit him while falling outside the ring. As The Fiend dragged Bryan into the squared circle, Bryan wrapped his leg around The Fiend's arm and put him in the Lebell Lock, using the strap as leverage. Bryan eventually hit a second running knee for a 2.5 count, but The Fiend quickly hopped to his feet with Bryan looking defeated. Repeated strap whips had no effect, and The Fiend hit Bryan with a Mandible Claw chokeslam for the pinfall. The camera stayed on Bryan as he struggled to stand and walk with WWE officials helping him to the back. This was by far the best in-ring appearance yet for The Fiend with Bryan working hard throughout the match to put on a classic despite the stipulation and unique opponent. The additional selling after the bell put it over the top. Grade: A

Raw Women's Championship -- Becky Lynch (c) def. Asuka via submission to retain the title: Though both women got great crowd reactions for their entrances, the responses to the early portion of their match were muted. Lynch locked Asuka in the Dis-Arm-Her over the top rope, but the challenger escaped and later hit a shining wizard for a near fall. The first big moment came as Lynch lifted Asuka off the ring apron for a front slam to the floor and followed with a top rope leg drop for a 2.8 count. Back on the ring apron, Askua drove Lynch into the post with a hip attack, but Lynch answered by hitting Asuka with an avalanche side slam. Asuka caught Lynch with double knees and an armbar, followed by a German suplex and knockout kick to the head. The referee was about to waive off the match due to concussion, but Lynch grabbed his leg to stop him. Asuka immediately jumped and alternated head and chest kicks on a screaming Lynch for a 2.9 count.

The women furiously countered one another with Lynch unable to lock in Dis-Arm-Her. When she accidentally ran into the official, Asuka tried to use her green mist, but Lynch kicked her in the stomach at just the right time, sending the mist flying upward. The champion took advantage by locking a stunned Asuka in Dis-Arm-Her to pick up the win. A tremendous bout between two of WWE's best women that was given the appropriate time to play out. The finish made complete sense, and the showdown was far more exciting than the crowd response it got for three quarters of the match. Grade: A

Drew McIntyre wins the Men's Royal Rumble: Elias was No. 2 and angered Brock Lesnar with his entrance song, so Lesnar charged out of the ring to attack him, destroy him with a guitar and eliminate him. Lesnar eliminated the first four entrants immediately, including two in less than 10 seconds each, before Kofi Kingston and Rey Mysterio entered in succession. Next in was Big E, who gathered Kingston and Mysterio to triple team Lesnar and hit Trouble in Paradise, a 619 and the Big Ending. The crowd was buying a potential elimination, but Lesnar threw Mysterio out, jumped off Big E to hit Kingston with a flying clothesline, took out Big E and eliminated Kingston with an F5 over the top rope. Next was Shelton Benjamin, which led to hugs from Paul Heyman and Lesnar. It looked like Benjamin convinced Lesnar to team up, but he was turned on quickly. MVP made a surprise appearance, and Lesnar danced to his entrance music with a laugh.

Keith Lee and Braun Strowman looked to have subdued Lesnar, but after respecting their size, he delivered a pair of German suplexes to each man and eliminated both when they turned on one another. Lesnar squared up with Drew McIntyre, giving Ricochet an opening to drill him with a low blow from behind. McIntyre took advantage with the Claymore to send Lesnar over the top rope to the crowd's delight. Lesnar ultimately eliminated the first 13 entrants, tying Strowman's record. McIntyre cleared the ring and continued to stare down Lesnar as he recovered at ringside and eventually left.

A shocking return by Edge at No. 21 nearly tore the house down. To a lesser extent, Matt Riddle got a great reaction, too, though his time was short. Corbin was eliminated before Roman Reigns joined at No. 26, and Reigns did not get the expected cheers he has been lately, perhaps because the match was so good to that point and fans were worried about him cleaning house. Kevin Owens hit stunners on Reigns and Randy Orton, and Aleister Black immediately hit Fade to Black on McIntyre. Seth Rollins entered at No. 30 with his faction, which dragged competitors out of the ring and dominated them at ringside as Rollins hit Stomps on McIntyre, Black and Reigns. Buddy Murphy aided in eliminations for Black and Samoa Joe. Owens stunned Rollins to throw him out, but AOP caught their leader and put him back in the ring. Those three faces and Rollins' stablemates cleared ringside battling, leaving just five men.

Rollins tried to get Reigns to team up, but he was hit with a Superman punch followed by an Orton powerslam and McIntyre Claymore for an elimination. Rated RKO teamed up to RKO and spear McIntyre before hitting a double RKO. Orton squared up Edge, who caught his former partner in the act, pretended to work together again and threw him out of the ring. Reigns and Edge stood toe-to-toe with Reigns getting booed as he hit a Superman punch; however, Edge countered with a spear and came within an inch of eliminating Reigns. Instead, Reigns brought the veteran alongside him on the ring apron and eventually forced him out. Reigns looked to end McIntyre with a spear, but McIntyre caught him with a picture-perfect Claymore to win and send the crowd into a frenzy. There have been great Royal Rumbles in the past, perhaps many as good as this one, but I dare you to find one that is top-to-bottom better from No. 1 to No. 30. Grade: A+

	Order of entry	Order of elimination
1	Brock Lesnar (Raw)	Elias (Lesnar)
2	Elias (SD)	Rowan (Lesnar 2)
3	Erick Rowan (Raw)	Roode (Lesnar 3)
4	Robert Roode (SD)	Morrison (Lesnar 4)
5	John Morrison (SD)	Mysterio (Lesnar 5)
6	Kofi Kingston (SD)	Big E (Lesnar 6)
7	Rey Mysterio (Raw)	Kingston (Lesnar 7)
8	Big E (SD)	Cesaro (Lesnar 8)
9	Cesaro (SD)	Benjamin (Lesnar 9)
10	Shelton Benjamin (Raw)	Nakamura (Lesnar 10)
11	Shinsuke Nakamura (SD)	MVP (Lesnar 11)
12	MVP	Strowman (Lesnar 12)
13	Keith Lee (NXT)	Lee (Lesnar 13)
14	Braun Strowman (SD)	Lesnar (McIntyre)
15	Ricochet (Raw)	Ricochet (McIntyre 2)
16	Drew McIntyre (Raw)	The Miz (McIntyre 3)
17	The Miz (SD)	Styles (Edge)
18	AJ Styles (Raw)	Riddle (Corbin)
19	Dolph Ziggler (SD)	Corbin (McIntyre 4)
20	Karl Anderson (Raw)	Gallows (Edge 2)
21	Edge (yes, really)	Anderson (Orton)
22	King Corbin (SD)	Ziggler (Reigns)
23	Matt Riddle (NXT)	Black (Rollins)
24	Luke Gallows (Raw)	Owens (Rollins 2)
25	Randy Orton (Raw)	Samoa Joe (Rollins 3)
26	Roman Reigns (SD)	Rollins (McIntyre 5)
27	Kevin Owens (Raw)	Orton (Edge 2)
28	Aleister Black (Raw)	Edge (Reigns 2)
29	Samoa Joe (Raw)	Reigns (McIntyre 6)
30	Seth Rollins (Raw)	Winner: McIntyre

[Jan 26, 2020 at 11:11 pm ET · Adam Silverstein]

Drew McIntyre wins the Men's Royal Rumble

Elias was No. 2 and angered Brock Lesnar with his entrance song, so Lesnar charged out of the ring to attack him, destroy him with a guitar and eliminate him. Lesnar eliminated the first four entrants immediately, including two in less than 10 seconds each, before Kofi Kingston and Rey Mysterio entered in succession. Next in was Big E, who gathered Kingston and Mysterio to triple team Lesnar and hit Trouble in Paradise, a 619 and the Big Ending. The crowd was buying a potential elimination, but Lesnar threw Mysterio out, jumped off Big E to hit Kingston with a flying clothesline, took out Big E and eliminated Kingston with an F5 over the top rope. Next was Shelton Benjamin, which led to hugs from Paul Heyman and Lesnar. It looked like Benjamin convinced Lesnar to team up, but he was turned on quickly. MVP made a surprise appearance, and Lesnar danced to his entrance music with a laugh.

Keith Lee and Braun Strowman looked to have subdued Lesnar, but after respecting their size, he delivered a pair of German suplexes to each man and eliminated both when they turned on one another. Lesnar squared up with Drew McIntyre, giving Ricochet an opening to drill him with a low blow from behind. McIntyre took advantage with the Claymore to send Lesnar over the top rope to the crowd's delight. Lesnar ultimately eliminated the first 13 entrants, tying Strowman's record. McIntyre cleared the ring and continued to stare down Lesnar as he recovered at ringside and eventually left.

A shocking return by Edge at No. 21 nearly tore the house down. To a lesser extent, Matt Riddle got a great reaction, too, though his time was short. Corbin was eliminated before Roman Reigns joined at No. 26, and Reigns did not get the expected cheers he has been lately, perhaps because the match was so good to that point and fans were worried about him cleaning house. Kevin Owens hit stunners on Reigns and Randy Orton, and Aleister Black immediately hit Fade to Black on McIntyre. Seth Rollins entered at No. 30 with his faction, which dragged competitors out of the ring and dominated them at ringside as Rollins hit Stomps on McIntyre, Black and Reigns. Buddy Murphy aided in eliminations for Black and Samoa Joe. Owens stunned Rollins to throw him out, but AOP caught their leader and put him back in the ring. Those three faces and Rollins' stablemates cleared ringside battling, leaving just five men.

Rollins tried to get Reigns to team up, but he was hit with a Superman punch followed by an Orton powerslam and McIntyre Claymore for an elimination. Rated RKO teamed up to RKO and spear McIntyre before hitting a double RKO. Orton squared up Edge, who caught his former partner in the act, pretended to work together again and threw him out of the ring. Reigns and Edge stood toe-to-toe with Reigns getting booed as he hit a Superman punch; however, Edge countered with a spear and came within an inch of eliminating Reigns. Instead, Reigns brought the veteran alongside him on the ring apron and eventually forced him out. Reigns looked to end McIntyre with a spear, but McIntyre caught him with a picture-perfect Claymore to win and send the crowd into a frenzy. There have been great Royal Rumbles in the past, perhaps many as good as this one, but I dare you to find one that is top-to-bottom better from No. 1 to No. 30. Grade: A+

[Jan 26, 2020 at 11:10 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

McIntyre eliminates Reigns and Drew McIntyre is the 2020 Royal Rumble winner!

[Jan 26, 2020 at 11:10 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Edge is eliminated by Reigns after drilling him with a spear but not being able to finish the elimination.

[Jan 26, 2020 at 11:07 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Unsurprisingly, Orton was ready to turn on Edge, but Edge caught on and was the one to strike first, tossing Orton and eliminating him from the match.

[Jan 26, 2020 at 11:06 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Orton hits an RKO on McIntyre and Edge is waiting to hit the spear and he drops McIntyre. Orton keeps egging Edge on to work together and the duo hit a double RKO on McIntyre.

[Jan 26, 2020 at 11:05 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Your final four are Edge, Orton, McIntyre and Reigns.

[Jan 26, 2020 at 11:05 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Rollins tries to team up with Reigns but is given a Superman Punch for his trouble. Then a powerslam from Orton, a Claymore Kick from McIntrye and is then tossed from the ring by McIntyre.

[Jan 26, 2020 at 11:04 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Samoa Joe locks the Coquina Clutch on Rollins and Buddy Murphy delivers a kick from outside the ring to save Rollins. Rollins then eliminates Joe before Joe, Owens and Black brawl to the back with AOP and Murphy. Rollins is now alone in the ring with McIntyre, Orton, Reigns and Edge.

[Jan 26, 2020 at 11:03 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Aleister Black is eliminated by Seth Rollins. Owens tries to toss Rollins, but AOP catch him and help him back into the ring. Owens attempts to attack AOP, but the distraction leads to Owens' elimination.

[Jan 26, 2020 at 10:59 pm ET · Jack Crosby]

Rollins is indeed out at No. 30 ... with his entire crew.

[Jan 26, 2020 at 10:58 pm ET · Jack Crosby]

Samoa Joe is No. 29, so yeah, that of course means Seth Rollins will be out next to complete the field.

[Jan 26, 2020 at 10:56 pm ET · Jack Crosby]

Aleister Black is out at No. 28. We're getting down to the nitty gritty here.

[Jan 26, 2020 at 10:55 pm ET · Jack Crosby]

No. 27 is KO!

[Jan 26, 2020 at 10:54 pm ET · Jack Crosby]

And at No. 26 we have THE BiG DOG.

[Jan 26, 2020 at 10:52 pm ET · Jack Crosby]

Randy Orton takes the No. 25 slot and RKOs EVERYWHERE!

[Jan 26, 2020 at 10:51 pm ET · Jack Crosby]

Drew McIntyre eliminates Corbin!

[Jan 26, 2020 at 10:50 pm ET · Jack Crosby]

No. 24 is Luke Gallows, out to offer Karl Anderson some assistance.

[Jan 26, 2020 at 10:50 pm ET · Jack Crosby]

And Corbin immediately eliminates Riddle.

[Jan 26, 2020 at 10:49 pm ET · Jack Crosby]

No. 23 is Matt Riddle! Sucks that he couldn't have a spot with Brock.

[Jan 26, 2020 at 10:48 pm ET · Jack Crosby]

King Corbin out next. But man, it's hard to concentrate on anything else other than the return of Edge right now.

[Jan 26, 2020 at 10:46 pm ET · Jack Crosby]

This is truly a surreal moment.

[Jan 26, 2020 at 10:46 pm ET · Jack Crosby]

Edge looks TREMENDOUS

[Jan 26, 2020 at 10:43 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Entrants: #18 A.J. Styles, #19 Dolph Ziggler, #20 Karl Anderson

McIntyre continued to stare down Lesnar, turning his attention briefly so he could quickly drop Miz with a Claymore Kick before The Miz was eliminated by Drew McIntyre. Styles started working over McIntyre's legs before taking a big shoulder tackle. Ziggler and Styles briefly worked together before Ziggler delivered a cheap shot and McIntyre tossed Dolph across the ring. Anderson ran n and saved Styles from elimination.

[Jan 26, 2020 at 10:38 pm ET · Brent Brookhouse]

Entrants: #15 Ricochet, #16 Drew McIntyre, #17 The Miz

Strowman ran wild on Lee and Lesnar, picking up Lesnar to eliminate him, but Lesnar countered into a German. He then delivered a suplex to Lee, another to Strowman and another to Lee. Strowman and Lee began to brawl with each other before Lesnar ran over and dumped both men from the ring as Keith Lee and Braun Strowman were eliminated by Brock Lesnar. Ricochet managed to avoid an immediate elimination before McIntyre hit the ring. Lesnar removed his gloves, ready to throw down with McIntyre when Ricochet hit him with a low blow. McIntyre took advantage to hit a Claymore Kick and Brock Lesnar was eliminated by Drew McIntyre. McIntyre then battled Ricochet before tossing him from the ring. Ricochet was eliminated by Drew McIntyre.