One of the biggest events of the pro wrestling year is set to go down when the WWE Royal Rumble lands in St. Louis, Missouri, on Jan. 29. The event is the start to what WWE has dubbed "WrestleMania season" as the promotion ramps up toward the biggest wrestling event of them all.
Nearly every superstar on the roster will be involved in the PPV in one way or another given the 60 total entrants into both Rumble matches, but there's still more to be excited about on the undercard with three championship matches as well. WWE champion Brock Lesnar will look to retain his belt when he takes on former champ Bobby Lashley in a match nearly 15 years in the making. Plus, Universal champ Roman Reigns will face off with an old friend turned rival when he takes on Seth Rollins. And Raw women's titleholder Becky Lynch will look to make another defense against Doudrop.
As with all major WWE events, Royal Rumble will stream live on Peacock. The main card will begin at 8 p.m. ET following a kickoff show one hour prior.
Let's take a look at what we know -- and what we expect -- at WWE Royal Rumble.
WWE Royal Rumble matches
WWE Championship -- Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Bobby Lashley: Lesnar captured the WWE championship at Day 1, winning a fatal five-way match against Lashley, Big E, Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens. Lesnar only ended up in the match because Roman Reigns tested positive for COVID-19. The following Raw, Lashley won a shot against Lesnar in a four-way match. This sets up a long-awaited first-time meeting between Lesnar and Lashley, two of the premier powerhouse wrestlers of their generation.
Universal Championship -- Roman Reigns (c) vs. Seth Rollins: Reigns was in need of an opponent with Lesnar having won the WWE championship at the point where Reigns was out due to a positive COVID test. WWE official Adam Pearce was tasked with finding Reigns an opponent and the Jan. 7 edition of SmackDown came to a close with Rollins showing up in Reigns' locker room and laughing at the champion. It was then confirmed on the following Raw that Rollins would, in fact, be Reigns' opponent despite the two being on different brands.
Miz & Maryse vs. Edge & Beth Phoenix: Since Edge and Miz began mixing things up, it seemed the obvious endpoint was a mixed tag match involving their wives. Both Maryse and Phoenix are former champions who no longer compete in the ring but will get to work in a marquee match at the Rumble. Maryse tried to help Miz steal a win at Day 1 but was chased off by Phoenix, setting up the match.
Raw Women's Championship -- Becky Lynch (c) vs. Doudrop: Doudrop earned her shot at the title by defeating Liv Morgan and Bianca Belair in a triple threat match on Raw. Morgan and Belair have both had programs with Lynch recently so Doudrop was the freshest option of the trio for a Lynch opponent and now Lynch will look to retain against a very different type of opponent when she faces the powerhouse at the Rumble.
Men's Royal Rumble match: Interestingly, "Jackass" star Johnny Knoxville was the first man to announce that he would participate in the Royal Rumble, making the announcement via a video that aired during Day 1. A handful of participants are now known, but there are plenty more to come as well as surprises once the actual match begins. Participants: Johnny Knoxville, Montez Ford, Angelo Dawkins, Rey Mysterio, Dominik Mysterio, Austin Theory, Sheamus, Damian Priest, AJ Styles, Big E, Happy Corbin, Madcap Moss, Sami Zayn, Kofi Kingston, Kevin Owens, Omos, Randy Orton, Riddle, Chad Gable, Otis, Dolph Ziggler, Robert Roode, Shinsuke Nakamura, Rick Boogs, Ricochet
Women's Royal Rumble match: WWE announced many participants in a single shot, including spoiling a number of potential surprises in the process. Participants: Carmella, Dana Brooke, Nikki A.S.H., Queen Zelina, Rhea Ripley, Tamina, Aliyah, Charlotte Flair, Naomi, Natalya, Shayna Baszler, Shotzi, Brie Bella, Lita, Nikki Bella, Kelly Kelly, Michelle McCool, Mickie James, Summer Rae, Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Sasha Banks, Sonya Deville
