Notable Moments, Match Recaps From Must-Watch WWE Royal Rumble 2023

WWE entered 2023 with a ton of fanfare surrounding the always-anticipated Royal Rumble pay-per-view, and it is safe to say that the 36th edition of the event gave fans something to talk about in the next weeks.

Below are the full grades from all five matches plus some noteworthy moments that happened in this year's Royal Rumble event.

30-Man Royal Rumble Match

WWE kicked things off with arguably the best Men's Royal Rumble match in history that, while light on surprises, made up for with interweaving storylines.

Intercontinental Champion Gunther and Sheamus did a quick rehash of their September meeting as the first two entrants while Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley renewed hostilities after reigniting the feud on WWE Raw's 30th-anniversary special.

Logan Paul also made his Royal Rumble debut which was accompanied by another highlight reel-worthy moment with Ricochet as seen below and potentially set up a WrestleMania match with Seth Rollins after eliminating him in the final four.

Eventual winner Cody Rhodes entered 30th and was part of the final four with Paul, Rollins and Gunther.

Rhodes secured the victory after an all-out offensive showing from him and "The Ring General" in what could be a mini-feud prior to WrestleMania after Gunther's teased program with Lesnar.

Gunther put on a star-making performance after smashing Rey Mysterio's record for the longest time in a Rumble match at 1 hour, 11 minutes.

"From dashing, to Stardust, to the main event at WrestleMania," said Michael Cole after Rhodes' win–referencing his two gimmicks early in his career.

Grade: B+ Predictable finish, but predictable is good in the industry as long as the execution is excellent.

Bray Wyatt vs. LA Knight

The second match of the night featured Bray Wyatt's first-ever match in WWE since making his return to the company against LA Knight in the Mountain Dew Pitch Black match.

In what would turn out to be a glorified no-disqualification match contested under a glow-in-the-dark setting, Wyatt and Knight produced a hard-hitting affair that showcased the weirdness and absurdity that fans have always loved about Wyatt's character.

Wyatt won via pinfall and began to chase a bewildered and terrified Knight through the crowd as he sported a new mask. Uncle Howdy made an appearance at the end of the segment and jumped off a platform onto Knight as pyro shot up around them.

Grade: C. Sports entertainment at its peak and did a solid job to further Wyatt's supernatural gimmick.

Bianca Belair vs. Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women's Championship

In another short match that did its job for both women, Raw Women's Champion Bianca Belair successfully retained her title against Alexa Bliss in the third match of the event.

Despite being almost always the smaller competitor in her matches, Bliss was able to put on a convincing performance against the powerhouse in Belair as she used her agility and cunning to create openings for her own offense.

Barely anyone thought of Belair losing her title after such a strong run with it thus far, but this match did a lot more for Bliss' ongoings with Uncle Howdy as a creepy video package played on the big screen after their bout which points to Bliss soldiering on in her fight against her inner demons.

Grade: C. Another predictable outcome that had strong points in between and served as a device to Bliss' own story.

30-Woman Royal Rumble Match

WWE creative chief Triple H has been blasted by fans for seemingly dropping the ball on the women's division since taking over the company, but he has since regained their trust after a stellar Women's Royal Rumble match.

This one had more surprises than the men's because fewer entrants were announced, but the quality of the whole thing was comparable, or even better, than the men's Rumble match.

Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan did battle as the first two entrants with Dana Brooke, Emma, and Shayna Baszler joining them soon after.

It is worth noting that Brooke has been in every edition of the Women's Rumble match since its inception.

Surprise appearances featured NXT stars like Women's Champion Roxanne Perez, Zoey Stark, and Indi Hartwell, while WWE legend Michelle McCool was also a participant in the match as the 25th entrant.

Also in the match was Piper Niven (formerly known as Doudrop), Tamina, and Nia Jax.

The field whittled down to the final four competitors in Ripley, Morgan, Nikki Cross, and a revamped Asuka (more on her new gimmick below).

The lone female member of The Judgment Day came out on top of this one and much like the men's Rumble match, it was a predictable outcome but was the right call by WWE brass.

Grade: B+. Ripley's star has only continued to grow since her days in NXT and has earned her way to the title after her stellar work in the ring and on the mic.

Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens

The match was everything that fans could expect from a Roman Reigns match at this point and expecting him to drop the titles here would be moot since WWE is booking him like his stature as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion suggests.

Reigns overcame the challenge presented to him by Kevin Owens after an extremely physical affair that featured a spear through the barricade and Reigns throwing Owens' head onto the steel steps twice.

The "Tribal Chief" would pick up the win with a third spear which kickstarted the show-ending segment which lasted for nine minutes – nine minutes that the pro wrestling world will continue to buzz about.

With Owens being a thorn in their sides for quite a long time, The Bloodline sought to make an example out of him, but a conflicted Sami Zayn stood in front of Reigns to prevent Owens from getting hit with a steel chair.

Reigns then ordered Zayn to do it instead and the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas erupted for the loudest pop of the night after Zayn opted to nail Reigns in the back with the chair instead–evoking memories of the 2014 implosion of The Shield.

A stunned Jey Uso was shocked by Zayn's betrayal of the family and an incensed Jimmy Uso leveled him with a superkick, while Solo Sikoa put him out of commission for good with a Samoan spike.

Jimmy and Sikoa would continue their beatdown of Zayn while Jey stood on the sidelines, wondering what played out in front of him.

Seeing how his cousin (Reigns) and real-life siblings (Jimmy and Sikoa) were quick to move on Zayn, he made a choice.

Much to everyone's surprise, Jey Uso decided to leave the ring as what remained of the fragmented Bloodline officially kicked out Zayn.

"We're at war, Solo. We take no prisoners now," Reigns said to Sikoa as the broadcast faded to black.

Grade: B (Match), S-tier (Post-match). Pro wrestling is at its peak when the characters involved in the story can make fans feel something and this moment was everything fans could hope for.

Notable Moments:

Asuka Brings Japan Gimmick Stateside

Entrant no. 17 saw the return of Asuka to the Women's Royal Rumble match for the first time since 2018 and weeks of teasing fans on social media about her returning to her Japanese roots.

Asuka made her way to the ring wearing a mask and upon the reveal of the now-iconic clown makeup hiding underneath it, fans in the Alamodome popped heavily as the WWE debut of her alter-ego gimmick, known to her most ardent fans as Kana.

Made famous during her time in Japan, the "murder clown" became a popular figure in women's pro wrestling for putting on an exceptionally hard-hitting style.

How WWE handles this iteration of Asuka is going to be a pivotal point in her career and as fan reaction dictated, fans will always have her back regardless of her status as a face or heel.

Logan Paul and Ricochet's Airborne Clash

The 30-Man Royal Rumble match lacked its usual fanservice of bringing in legends to the match outside of Booker T, though Logan Paul and Ricochet had a big moment in the match.

As both men trash-talked one another from opposite ends of the ring, the conversation ended with them performing a springboard crossbody that sent the fans into a frenzy at what they just saw.

While Paul's buckshot lariat hit on Ricochet is also noteworthy simply because of how clean he executes the move, their midair car crash was more memorable–especially the sound that it made.

Exceptional Commentary

Last but certainly not the least, the commentary trio of Michael Cole, Corey Graves, and a returning Pat McAfee gave the entire broadcast a lot of color across the bouts and storylines that played out.

Graves and McAfee were bouncing off each other perfectly in their mid-match quips that had fans tuning in for Easter eggs while Cole did a perfect job as a mediator that threw in the occasional side comment here and there.

As The Bloodline's storyline played out, WWE made a good call in having them step aside from the in-ring drama that was playing out which allowed fans at home to hear what was happening inside the ring.

The trio struck gold in this pay-per-view and it would not be a surprise for them to come together in their next major event of Elimination Chamber on February 18.

Overall Show Grade: B+