WWE presented the Royal Rumble to Tropicana Field attendees, and the night was packed with noteworthy moments. Triple H’s influence on WWE’s creative direction is clearly apparent as the Road to WrestleMania begins to gain momentum.
WHAT A MOMENT FOR CODY RHODES#royalrumble pic.twitter.com/Ly6sWli8mi
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 28, 2024
The Royal Rumble match finish
The final competitors in the 2024 Royal Rumble match were Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Damian Priest, Drew McIntyre, GUNTHER, and Sami Zayn, with Zayn getting the #30 spot. They battled hard in Tropicana Field, none of them wanting to give an inch in the match.
We are down to the FINAL FOUR in the Men's #RoyalRumble Match! pic.twitter.com/bfti9nuSoG
— WWE (@WWE) January 28, 2024
Then Zayn eliminated Damian Priest, only to have Drew throw Zayn over the top right after that. Rhodes, Punk, McIntyre, and GUNTHER were the final four in the match. They then showed Seth Rollins watching the match from a skybox in Tropicana Field, while Roman Reigns sat backstage viewing on a monitor in the back.
Drew McIntyre punished Punk with chops as GUNTHER did the same to Cody. It was almost a competition of chops for a while as they punished their opponents.
WE ARE DOWN TO TWO!!!#RoyalRumble pic.twitter.com/sSLbFUcvgz
— WWE (@WWE) January 28, 2024
Then McIntyre nailed a Claymore Kick on GUNTHER and Cody before counting down from 3 and doing the same to Punk. Despite selling the finisher, Punk was able to get McIntyre on his shoulders and throw him out of the match.
Cody got GUNTHER over the top rope and caused him to smash to the floor. The final two in the match were CM Punk and Cody Rhodes. After the two fought for a bit, and teased finishers on each other, Rhodes hit a Bionic Elbow and Punk got out of another Crossroads attempt.
??????#RoyalRumble pic.twitter.com/2htpkgQmTb
— WWE (@WWE) January 28, 2024
Punk got the upper hand and pointed to the WrestleMania sign. Then The American Nightmare nailed a Crossroads, but he couldn’t get the energy to even try to throw Punk over the top rope. Punk hit a GTS on Cody next, but he also didn’t have enough left in the tank to try for an elimination.
THIS IS AWE-SOME!! ?? ???#RoyalRumble pic.twitter.com/aOslZvqfhs
— WWE (@WWE) January 28, 2024
CM Punk nailed a Pedigree next as Corey Graves said, “If you know, you know” on commentary. Punk then tried for another GTS, but Cody caught his knee, and he threw the Second City Savior over the top rope.
2?? YEARS IN A ROW!
RHODES TO WRESTLEMANIA!!! pic.twitter.com/YYwGa6MT11
— WWE (@WWE) January 28, 2024
What’s Next
Cody Rhodes will go on to WrestleMania. It absolutely looks like he will challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed Universal Title at this point, which would give him a chance to finish his story.
