10 Early Reasons To Be Worried About WWE Royal Rumble 2023

You need only scan the list of previous Royal Rumble winners to see why it matters so much to fans to have a desirable Rumble victor.

The last ten years, in particular, exemplify this greatly. 2012, 2013, and 2014 all had the most obvious winner - Chris Jericho, Ryback, and Roman Reigns, respectively - ultimately go down as the final man ousted from the ring. 2014 didn’t even have Daniel Bryan enter the fracas, despite his immense popularity at the time. He still made it to the WrestleMania XXX headliner, but the disappointment caused by his 2014 Rumble absence was like nothing else.

2022’s Royal Rumble winners remain the only time, however, that both the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble winners were met with a foul response. Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey, the latter of whom actually returned to WWE in the match, were both always going to make it to headline spots at WrestleMania 38, thus rendering their respective Rumble wins irrelevant.

For 2023, the likes of Cody Rhodes, The Rock, Rhea Ripley, and Becky Lynch currently stand as the fan favourites to emerge victorious, barring any major surprises. Each of them would not only provide a unique story heading into WrestleMania, but would service fans who just want to enjoy the Royal Rumble again.

Seriously, 2022 was utter garbage. Lesnar vs. Reigns again instead of something fresh! It’s mind-boggling.