(PHOTO BY WRESTLING NEWS)
The 2024 version of the Royal Rumble took place at Tropicana Field at St. Petersburg, Florida. Yep, no mention of Tampa. Over 48,000 fans packed the Trop to see the WWE after Vince McMahon's abrupt resignation from the company.
Right off the bat, the production seems to head towards an actual sporting event. They were showing the talent arriving to the stadium before the show. It had that type of atmosphere which was way different than a Kevin Dunn-produced PLE.
Slim Jim had recently pulled their sponsorship with the company after the allegations with Vince surfaced. Before the Fatal Four Way match, a commercial from Slim Jim aired and they had the logo plastered on the ring apron and the ring barricade area. It's safe to say that they are back in a business partnership.
BAYLEY FINALLY WINS THE BIG ONE
It was a long time coming for Bayley, but she joins her Four Horsewomen compatriots, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch, in winning the Royal Rumble match. She also broke the record for the longest time in a women's Royal Rumble match set last year by Rhea Ripley. Entering #3, Bayley has had accomplished many achievements throughout her brief career in WWE. Adding a Royal Rumble win and competing for a Woman's title match at WrestleMania just added another notch on her belt.
CODY RHODES ENTERS RARIFIED AIR
The American Nightmare became the fourth superstar in history to win back-to-back Royal Rumble matches, joining Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin. Cody has a shot to "finish the story" as he pointed towards Roman Reigns in what could be a rematch with him at this year's WrestleMania in Philadelphia.
NAOMI AND ANDRADE RETURN TO WWE
In a classic case of the grass isn't always greener on the other side, Naomi and Andrade left WWE abruptly to find success in other promotions. Tonight, both returned home and the fans in St. Petersburg gave them a warm welcome back. Hopefully, both can find success for the company during this run.
THE TWO TITLE MATCHES WERE SOLID
The Universal and U.S. championship matches were more than fillers on this show. Roman being victorious was expected since the company has him versus Cody in the rematch for Mania. When it comes to ring prowess, Logan Paul has improved by leaps and bounds. Kevin Owens was the perfect opponent to elevate Paul and make Kev into a Ken Shamrock-type character, who snaps for no reason.
JADE CARGILL WAS IMPRESSIVE IN HER WWE DEBUT
At #28, Jade Cargill made her first WWE appearance and made her presence felt. She lifted Nia Jax on her shoulders and flexed her right arm while doing that. She threw Jax out which caused Becky Lynch to be shocked. She will have a great future and is a WrestleMania main-eventer in waiting.
JORDYNNE GRACE OPENS THE DOOR
At #5, the TNA Knockouts Champion entered the Royal Rumble to the surprise of everyone. Michael Cole even referenced that she was from TNA. Grace posted on social media that the WWE Universe hasn't heard the last of TNA Wrestling. If the rumors of a partnership between the two companies are true, then it will be huge.
Here are other points from the PLE last night:
-Here it is, CM Punk looked winded and out of shape. He was down at the corner for a significant amount of time and showed that he was going through the motions. Hopefully, it was just ring rust since he hasn't competed in a match since August.
There are reports that stated he suffered an injury during the match.
-WWE went full-Malika Andrews by continuing to mention how Punk walked out of the company ten years ago.
-Pat McAfee returned to the broadcasting booth....and hopefully away from controversy. He seemed to hint some heelish tendencies during the show. He was an entrant and eliminated himself when he saw Omos and Bron Brekker face each other, thus wasting an entry for someone else. The man who kicked out of Adam Cole's Panama Sunrise didn't want to wrestle. S.M.H.
-Speaking of Bron Brekker, I'm not sure why he is not on the main roster, because his showing at the Royal Rumble is a preview of him dominating and being a future WrestleMania main-eventer.
-R-Truth entered the women's Royal Rumble, thinking it was the men's and entered the men's match, thinking it was a tag match. His comedy is good for fans who want that in their wrestling.
-Also, he entered the Women's Royal Rumble and caused Valhalla to tie the record for shortest time in a Royal Rumble match, matching Chelsea Green last year.
-During the Kickoff Show, the cameras showed Cody Rhodes surveying the arena as they flashed Roxanne Perez's graphic on the video board behind him. There are still some things to work on when it comes to production.
-Jelly Roll appeared and joined the panel. He is a performer, I guess. He said that he flew down to see the event. I like his energy and dedication for being there, so he's cool.
And finally, WWE had a couple of days from hell after finding out about Vince McMahon and they need a positive person to lead them into the future. Cody Rhodes is that person. He seems to stay out of trouble, takes time to sign autographs for fans, puts his family first and seems to put his fellow competitors in a high regard. Listening to the press conference after the PLE, Triple H is confident that Cody is that guy who is the focal point of what is good for the company.
Now, if only you have him win the belt at WrestleMania.
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