The Road to WrestleMania 40 begins at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., as male and female Superstars compete in the legendary Royal Rumble Match. The card also includes Roman Reigns defending his Universal Championship against Randy Orton, AJ Styles, and LA Knight while Kevin Owens squares up against Logan Paul for the United States Championship.
You can watch all the action LIVE on DStv Channel 128 on Sunday 28 January from 02:00. (CAT)
UNDISPUTED WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPION ROMAN REIGNS vs. RANDY ORTON vs. AJ STYLES vs. LA KNIGHT (Fatal 4-Way Match)
At Royal Rumble, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns will put his title on the line against Randy Orton, AJ Styles, and LA Knight in a Fatal 4-Way Match.
Initially, Knight, Styles and Orton battled in a Triple Threat Match to earn the right battle Reigns one-on-one at Royal Rumble. When The Bloodline got involved in that matchup to dismantle the competition, SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis determined that a Fatal 4-Way Match was the only way to settle the matter.
All three of Reigns' challengers have a legitimate grudge to settle with the historic titleholder. The Bloodline injured The Viper with a savage attack that caused him to miss a year-and-a-half of action. They also put Styles out for nearly three months. And Knight came up just short in his bid to dethrone The Tribal Chief at WWE Crown Jewel thanks to interference from The Bloodline.
Can Reigns overcome the odds and walk out of the PLE to continue his historic reign on The Road to WrestleMania? Or will one of his challengers finally take the gold from the leader of The Bloodline?
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S ROYAL RUMBLE MATHCES
The Road to WrestleMania begins at Royal Rumble, and the stakes are higher than ever heading into this year's Men's and Women's Match.
Each match will begin with just two Superstars in the ring. Every 90 seconds, a new Superstar enters the fray. Elimination only occurs when a Superstar has gone over the top rope and both feet have touched the floor. This continues until there is just one man left standing as the winner of the Royal Rumble Match.
And their prize? A guaranteed World Championship match when WrestleMania comes to Philadelphia on April 6 and 7.
The following Superstars have declared for this year's 30-Man Royal Rumble Match:
Cody Rhodes
CM Punk
Shinsuke Nakamura
Bobby Lashley
Drew McIntyre
The following Superstars have declared for this year's 30-Woman Royal Rumble Match:
Becky Lynch
Nia Jax
Bayley
Bianca Belair
Which Superstars will join the free-for-all for a chance to earn a title matchup on The Grandest Stage of Them All?
UNITED STATES CHAMPION LOGAN PAUL vs. KEVIN OWENS
At Royal Rumble, United States Champion Logan Paul will defend his title for the first time against former U.S. Champion Kevin Owens. KO emerged victorious from the U.S. Title Tournament, defeating Austin Theory, Carmelo Hayes, and finally Santos Escobar to claim the tournament victory.
Soon after his fight against Escobar, Owens was confronted by The Social Media Megastar, and he responded by knocking out Paul with his cast.
Despite competing with a cast the past few weeks, KO has not been deterred, and he’s seeking to become United States Champion for the fourth time. Even with his championship pedigree, Owens has not held singles gold since 2017.
Paul has been flying high since defeating Rey Mysterio to become U.S. Champion at WWE Crown Jewel, gallivanting around with his title and drawing the ire of many.
Paul and Owens share some history, as The Social Media Megastar was in the corner of Sami Zayn, whom Owens defeated at WrestleMania 37. After that match, KO hit Paul with a Stunner. That encounter was three years ago, and much has changed since then, with Paul becoming a much more dangerous competitor.
Can KO use his momentum from the U.S. Title Tournament to capture singles gold once more?
Source: WWE