Winners And Losers From Post-Royal-Rumble Show

After one of the stronger Royal Rumbles, from a storytelling standpoint, WWE pitched a bit of a stinker on Monday night. As expected, Cody Rhodes opened the show after winning the 2023 Royal Rumble, but his opening spot didn’t hit as intended.

There were a couple of returns (Carmella; glad to see her healthy and Rick Boogs) that were mostly meh, mixed in with some awkward mic work.

Here is a look at the biggest winners when it comes to progressing their current character direction and over-ness with the WWE Universe.

WINNERS

Rhea Ripley

After a dominant and historic performance en route to winning the 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble, Ripley delivered a strong and solo promo to announce her intentions to challenge Charlotte for the SmackDown Women’s championship at WrestleMania.

It might have made sense for Ripley to challenge Bianca Belair considering she is already on Raw and the two women are the most exciting performers in the division. However, it doesn’t seem to be the right time for Ripley to clash with Belair. Perhaps that will come at Summerslam.

Ripley seems destined to win the gold in her next opportunity and it would appear WWE is more inclined to have Charlotte put her over. After all, Charlotte’s legacy is as indestructible as anyone in history.

Ripley is arguably the WWE Superstar on the most aggressive meteoric rise. Coming off the win at The Rumble, Ripley only further solidified herself on Raw. There is a lingering program with Beth Phoenix, but that could be handled at Elimination Chamber.

Having Ripley beat Phoenix clean in an entertaining match at Elimination Chamber would be the perfect lead into a WrestleMania coronation for the Eradicator against Charlotte.

Bronson Reed

We’ve seen a ton of monstrous wrecking balls like Bronson Reed, but there has always been something a little special about the former NXT North American champion.

Reed has top-notch facial expressions, an undeniable look and the kind of in-ring explosiveness that could make him a solid upper-midcard draw. He demolished Dolph Ziggler, one of the all-time great sellers, and punched a ticket into the Elimination Chamber with his win.

Reed needs a little something extra with his character or current story, but I’d love to see him walk away from the Chamber with the US title in an upset.

LOSERS

Rick Boogs

The powerhouse returned from a ruptured Achilles, but his gimmick is about as hokey as they come. At some point, Boogs needs to turn heel in the most vicious and shocking way imaginable. He also likely needs a manager. That’s a lot of need for a guy who was given a pretty healthy chunk of a highly anticipated episode of Raw after the Royal Rumble.

Boogs beat The Miz in an “impromptu” match and then was super awkward in a backstage scene with The Street Profits and Elias. Overall, his return didn’t leave anyone wanting more.

Cody Rhodes

Rhodes is probably going to dethrone Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, and that might not be the best idea.

Don’t have a tantrum; hear me out. Rhodes’ return from a torn pectoral at the Rumble was no surprise and his victory wasn’t much of shock. He’s leaning heavier on the strong babyface presence he seems to crave with all of his pro wrestling soul, and he looks like he’s trying too hard to be adored.

Rhodes’ opening promo came off a little contrived–even for professional wrestling–and unless there was something wrong with the audio in Tulsa, it didn’t sound as though he received the sort of pop one might expect for a guy who seems ticketed to end one of the most historic title reigns in WWE history.

Is it just me, or is anyone else wondering whether Cody really is a big enough presence to be the WWE’s main babyface?

Edge

I’m not sure what happened with the Judgment Day gimmick or what the long-term plans were for Edge, but these sporadic attacks on the faction he created are getting a little stale.

The I Quit Match with Finn Balor at Extreme Rules in September was awesome, but there doesn’t appear to be a compelling spot for the Hall-of-Famer yet in the new year.

Ripley is on to bigger and better things as she is easily the Lauryn Hill to the Judgment Day’s Fugees. Damian Priest isn’t a big enough star to feud with Edge, and the same can be said for Dominik Mysterio.

We’ve seen Edge vs. Balor, so it is tough to see where or how WWE will intrigue us with this feud. Edge’s appearance on Monday was underwhelming and that should never be the case for a performer with his resume.

Match Results

• Seth Rollins def. Chad Gable – Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match
• Iyo Sky def. Candice LeRae
• Johnny Gargano def. Baron Corbin – Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match
• Rick Boogs def. The Miz
• Bronson Reed def. Dolph Ziggler – Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match
• Cody Rhodes def. Finn Balor