The WWE Royal Rumble 2022 is done and dusted. Brock Lensar and Ronda Rousey have won the respective men's and women's Rumble. Here's what lies ahead for WrestleMania 38.
The highly anticipated 2022 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV) was held on Saturday night at The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The event's highlight was the two namesake matches, held respectively for the men's and women's divisions. Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey have won the events to set the ball rolling for WrestleMania 38.
As for the women's Rumble, the match's highlight was SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair entering at number 17. She had already announced her entry before in a bid to choose her challenger at WrestleMania 38 if she won. However, Ronda surprised everyone with her shocking return just ten entrants later.
The Baddest Woman on the Planet is headed to !!! pic.twitter.com/9fWa9ZXDgC
— WWE (@WWE)ALSO READ: WWE - John Cena reveals what Vince McMahon told him about the idea of turning heel
It was the first time Ronda returned to WWE after losing her RAW Women's Championship at WrestleMania 35 to reigning champion Becky Lynch. The ending of the match was controversial, as Becky's pinfall over Ronda was not clean. Furthermore, Ronda's win at the Rumble is sure to set the pace for her to challenge Becky for the title and prove that the latter is not at the former's level.
However, it should not surprise if Charlotte decides to inject herself into the match at WrestleMania 38 to make it a triple threat. The WrestleMania 36 match was also the same, involving Charlotte, as Becky had walked away with the RAW and SmackDown Women's Championship after pinning Ronda. Thus, the next few weeks in the build-up to Mania will be interesting.
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punches his ticket to ! pic.twitter.com/mYX6h0pPyP
— WWE (@WWE)As for the men's side, Lesnar's entry into the Rumble was also a surprise one. However, not entirely a surprise after what transpired earlier at the event. As Lesnar defended his WWE Championship against Bobby Lashley, reigning Universal Champion Roman Reigns interfered and cost the former his title.
As a result, Lesnar made a shock entry at number 30 in the Rumble and went on to win it comfortably. Assuming what transpired earlier, it makes sense for Lesnar to challenge Reigns for the Universal Championship. Moreover, their previously scheduled clash for the same at Day 1 had to be cancelled as Reigns tested positive for COVID.
At the Rumble, Reigns managed to keep the title against Seth Rollins. Reigns got himself disqualified, as the champion's advantage helped him retain the title. It is unclear if Rollins will still pursue the Universal Championship. But if Lesnar challenges Reigns at WrestleMania 38, Rollins might come into the picture in some form. It could be by facing Reigns again at the Elimination Chamber PPV or making it a triple-threat at Mania.