WWE Royal Rumble 2023 is one month from now, and the WWE has not made any matches official for this “premium live event” yet. Nonetheless, WWE will evidently stick to tradition by hosting the Royal Rumble matches this year. Since there were seven matches on last year’s Royal Rumble card, there will likely be seven matches added to this PPV in the upcoming weeks. The following will provide some very early match card predictions for what should be one of the most exciting PPVs of the year: WWE Royal Rumble 2023.
WWE Royal Rumble 2023 is scheduled to take place on January 28, 2023, live on Peacock. Here are some very early match card predictions.
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Kevin Owens [Undisputed WWE Universal Title: Special Guest Referee Sami Zayn]
Roman Reigns will retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Title against Kevin Owens with Sami Zayn as the special guest referee because Reigns will want to see where Zayn’s loyalty lies and somehow manipulate Zayn into ruining Owens’ chances of winning the title match here. Reigns will only lose that prestigious title at WrestleMania, not here. Kevin Owens has not only lost too many times to Reigns to regain any credibility as the one to dethrone him but he is also already rumored to eventually reunite with Sami Zayn to dethrone the Usos at WrestleMania 39.
Prediction: Roman Reigns
Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley [Rubber Match]
Brock Lesnar will defeat Bobby Lashley in what seems to be the end of a trilogy because he did not defeat Lashley cleanly at WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia and he needs redemption from last year’s Royal Rumble, where he lost the WWE Championship to Lashley due to nefarious interference from Roman Reigns. Lesnar also needs this victory to continue his momentum toward his rumored match with Gunther at Mania. It seems that Lashley is having trouble with Adam Pearce at the moment, so that may play a factor here and lead to a Hurt Business reunion.
Prediction: Brock Lesnar
Gunther (c) vs. Braun Strowman (w/Ricochet) [Intercontinental Title]
Gunther will retain the IC Title against Braun Strowman after already running through World Cup Winner Ricochet because Gunther needs to continue his dominance as the champ on the road to Mania and Strowman ruined any chances of becoming champion anytime soon after his recent unprofessional rant on Twitter regarding indie wrestlers. Gunther is rumored to battle Lesnar at Mania, so he will likely lose his title to McIntyre before then because McIntyre desperately needs a consolation prize from losing to Reigns and finish his feud with Kross for the belt at Mania.
Prediction: Gunther
Bray Wyatt vs. LA Knight [Lights Out Match]
Bray Wyatt will defeat LA Knight in this rumored Lights Out Match because it his first PPV match since returning to the WWE and he needs the momentum to solidify his new gimmick. Uncle Howdy may be fully introduced in this match. It has been rumored to be Bo Dallas, which would make a lot of sense since he is Wyatt’s real-life brother. LA Knight was clearly put in this spot as a utility guy who can put over the storyline with his mic abilities, but this feud has still been underwhelming as a whole. Hopefully, the storyline picks up on the road to WrestleMania.
Prediction: Bray Wyatt
Edge vs. Demon Finn Balor [Hell in a Cell Match]
Demon Finn Balor will defeat Edge in this rumored Hell in a Cell Match because he is unleashing the demon and the demon should not lose anymore, especially after that fiasco at Extreme Rules 2021 against Roman Reigns. It is understandable that Edge should get a win back from losing to Balor in their “I Quit Match” at Extreme Rules 2022 and avenge Judgment Day for what they did to Beth Phoenix. However, if the rumors about Balor’s big push is true, he needs to end this feud inside the cell with a definitive win over the Hall of Famer. There’s no question about it.
Prediction: Demon Finn Balor
Men’s Royal Rumble [Battle Royal]
The Rock will win the Royal Rumble because WrestleMania 39 is in Hollywood of all places this year and he already planted the seeds for his inevitable WrestleMania feud against Roman Reigns by helping him win the Royal Rumble eight years ago at Royal Rumble 2015. It was at that moment when The Bloodline was established, but the tribal chief hood is still up for grabs. In order for Reigns to complete his storyline as the “tribal chief,’ he must defeat The Rock at Mania 39 to solidify his character. Once he has officially done that, he can lose the title at Mania 40 next year.
Prediction: The Rock
Women’s Royal Rumble [Battle Royal]
Rhea Ripley will win the Royal Rumble because she is the only top heel on Raw who never got her earned title shot from WWE MITB 2022, and she already planted the seeds for her inevitable WrestleMania feud against Bianca Belair when she and Belair were the final two in the Women’s Rumble in 2021. The recent stare-down between Ripley and Lynch indicated that they will be the final two in the Rumble and Ripley will eliminate a former Rumble winner to win the Rumble. As for the stare-down between Ripley and Belair, that indicated the WrestleMania title match.
Prediction: Rhea Ripley
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