John Cena Returning And 5 Smart Booking Decisions

WWE takes its first step on the path to WrestleMania 39 at the 2023 Royal Rumble, a blockbuster event highlighted by two 30-person battle royals and Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens in a highly anticipated bout for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

Even before the pay-per-view’s card began to take shape, Royal Rumble set a box office record with the biggest live gate in the event’s history. Now, the show is expected to sell out, which should come as no surprise given that the star-studded show is, as it typically is, set to feature numerous major storyline developments and blockbuster returns.

Royal Rumble remains one of WWE’s most exciting pay-per-views, and with some huge surprises potentially set to take place inside the Alamadome, this could be a show for the ages. Of course, that depends largely upon Triple H and WWE’s creative team booking a show that sets the stage for WrestleMania 39.

So, how should the event be booked? Let’s take a look at five crucial decisions WWE must make at Royal Rumble.

MORE FROM FORBESJohn Cena Vs. Austin Theory Reportedly Planned For WWE WrestleMania 39By Blake Oestriecher

Roman Reigns Outlasts Kevin Owens

Barring a minor miracle, Roman Reigns will headline either night one or night two at WrestleMania as he approaches the 1,000-day mark as world champion. Many of Reigns’ successful title defenses featured plenty of help from The Bloodline, and “The Tribal Chief” could be in line for another tainted victory.

The obvious X-factor here is Sami Zayn, who appears to be on the outs with WWE and has a long history of fighting with—and alongside—Reigns’ Royal Rumble opponent, Kevin Owens. With Owens likely having other plans for WrestleMania 39, however, it’s fine for him to take the loss here. Reigns needs to be booked stronger than he ever has during his historic title reign, and that means that Owens, despite his obvious popularity, must take the “L” in route to what is sure to be a massive title defense for Reigns at WrestleMania 39.

With the cracks beginning to show in The Bloodline, it’s highly likely that Zayn and/or Jey Uso will play a significant role in the finish of the match, but in the end, it must be Reigns who emerges victorious.

John Cena And Steve Austin Return

WWE reportedly announced Cody Rhodes’ return—which should have been a surprise—in advance because there are other major surprises planned for the show.

So, that begs the question: What return would qualify as one that is actually bigger than the return of Rhodes? Two names immediately come to mind. Those would be John Cena and Steve Austin. Cena is reportedly slated to take on Austin Theory at WrestleMania 39 while WWE has offered “Stone Cold” a huge payday to return to the ring at WWE’s flagship event, with Reigns and Brock Lesnar both considered as potential opponents for the Hall of Famer.

Just take a second and imagine a Royal Rumble match in which Austin and Cena, arguably the two biggest stars in WWE history, both make their surprise returns within the Royal Rumble match. That’s epic, right? Consider that WWE’s legend-focused 30th anniversary celebration of Raw was a huge viewership hit—resulting in Raw’s biggest audience in nearly three years—and the drawing effect that Cena’s return had on SmackDown, and that will tell you all you need to know about why WWE could and perhaps should bring back both Cena and Austin as surprise Royal Rumble entrants.

Bianca Belair Retains

Bianca Belair has rapidly risen up the ranks over the past two years to cement herself as one of the biggest stars in all of WWE, and she’s on the verge of having a major title match at WrestleMania for the third straight year.

Perhaps the lone obstacle in Belair’s way is Alexa Bliss, but Bliss hasn’t really been positioned as a legitimate threat to “The EST of WWE,” with the creative team instead setting the stage for Bliss to ultimately reunite with Bray Wyatt. Some top WWE stars reportedly don’t want to feud with Wyatt because of the creative difficulties that come along with working with a nearly unbeatable paranormal character, and those hurdles would also apply to Bliss as champion.

While Bliss is a great overall performer, a supernatural gimmick doesn’t really suit a world champion during this era. So, Belair should retain at Royal Rumble in route to another marquee WrestleMania match while Bliss transitions to a storyline with Wyatt.

Rhea Ripley Wins The Women’s Royal Rumble

The women’s Royal Rumble seems to only have a few realistic potential winners. Though Becky Lynch is the biggest star of that bunch, the hottest act in the women’s division is undoubtedly Rhea Ripley, who has been doing some fantastic character work alongside Dominik Mysterio.

In many ways, Ripley has carried The Judgment Day for much of its existence, and as a rising star still in her mid-20s, she’s easily the freshest face who has a legitimate chance of winning the Royal Rumble. Ripley—the runaway betting favorite—would make a viable opponent for either Belair or Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania, and maybe more importantly, she would be a welcome change from the typical world title feuds involving the likes of Lynch and Ronda Rousey.

Lynch doesn’t need a Royal Rumble victory to get a marquee WrestleMania match, and virtually no other woman outside of Raquel Rodriguez appears to have even a puncher’s chance of winning this match. Rodriguez would actually be a solid choice, but she’s not as polished—or as over—as Ripley.

Cody Rhodes or Sami Zayn Wins The Men’s Royal Rumble

Sometimes the most obvious choice is also the best choice. This is one of those times.

While Seth Rollins would be a solid choice to win the Royal Rumble, there are two routes WWE can take here, and either outcome would be a great decision. Though Zayn is reportedly scheduled for blockbuster tag title match at WrestleMania, he is easily the most over star in WWE right now, which could force WWE’s hand.

Think back to Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 30 or Kofi Kingston at WrestleMania 35 as underdog babyfaces who gave WWE no choice but to give them a world title match—matches that both stars won—at WrestleMania, and Zayn could follow a similar path. And if not Zayn? That leaves WWE with Cody Rhodes as another great option—and for a variety of reasons.

One, the story of Rhodes finally winning the big one is an easy story to tell. Two, doing so by ending Reigns’ historic reign is an even better one. Three, Rhodes has been presented as a huge star who can actually rival Reigns. Finally, he’s been massively over since returning to WWE. Truth be told, this list could go on and on.

With The Rock vs. Reigns reportedly now off the table, there is arguably no bigger Universal title match at WrestleMania than Rhodes vs. Reigns, a generational clash between two of the biggest stars in the industry. In terms of storytelling, however, there might not be a more compelling narrative than Zayn vs. Reigns.

That leaves WWE with two fantastic options for its Royal Rumble in Zayn and Rhodes. And the best part? It can’t go wrong with either star.