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WWE Royal Rumble 2023 – Match card, predictions, rumours and start time

We're on the Road to the first ever WrestleMania without Vince McMahon at the helm.

By Mayer Nissim

28 Jan 2023

wwe drew mcintyre brock lesnar royal rumble

WWE

It's the most wonderful time of the year! The WWE's Road to WrestleMania kicks off with Royal Rumble 2023.

It's not just any old Royal Rumble or any old WrestleMania either.

With Vince McMahon out of the picture (for a while), we saw his son-in-law Triple H take the reins and have fans and critics alike chugging the Kool-Aid with his impressive changes.

That was just as true of Survivor Series WarGames, which was not only a tremendous amount of fun, but set things up very nicely for a year of wrestling ahead.

The Bloodline is not only ascendant, but unified. Ronda Rousey and Bianca Belair are shrugging off challengers but Damage CTRL have the tag gold.

Meanwhile Austin Theory and Gunther are holding the secondary titles in very different styles.

Of course much has been thrown up in the air by the apparent return of Mr McMahon, though the extent of any control he'll have on day-to-day running of the company is yet to be seen.

Still, everything is nicely poised for Royal Rumble 2023, which takes place at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday, January 28, 2023, with a start time of 8pm ET/5pm PT (1am on Sunday, January 29 27 in the UK).

A one-hour kick-off show starts at 7pm ET/4pm PT (Midnight in the UK).

What's the full match card and predictions for WWE Royal Rumble 2023?

Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs Kevin Owens

wwe royal rumble 2023 roman reigns vs kevin owens

WWE

There have been tense moments here and there for the Head of the Table over the last couple of years, certainly, but deep down we've never felt like he's going to lose his hard-won title.

That doesn't mean there hasn't been plenty of fun to be had seeing who is scrambling to have the next go (and how they got there).

Who's Next? It's Kevin Owens, who has gone toe-to-toe with Reigns several times in recent years, adding layer upon layer to their story - and that's before you consider that his Fight Forever Best Frenemy Sami Zayn is now firmly part of the Bloodline.

Speaking of Zayn, it was when KO and a returning John Cena put down a tag team of Reigns and SZ that Roman agreed to put his title on the line at the first PPV of the year.

Will he live to regret it? We think that Reigns is going to come out on top, and Zayn will play a key part in making that happen.

PREDICTION: Roman Reigns

WWE Raw Women's Championship: Bianca Belair (c) vs Alexa Bliss

wwe royal rumble 2023 bianca belair vs alexa bliss

WWE

Even as a straight one-on-one this would be one hell of a match-up. The EST of the WWE against the always-dangerous Alexa Bliss, who is very much on a roll at the moment.

This is more than just a match with the top title on the line, though.

Alexa Bliss has been haunted/protected/stalked by Uncle Howdy, with Bray Wyatt also lurking in the shadows, propelling her to her current unhinged state.

Bianca Belair will try to ignore all of those shenanigans and be confident that she can brush off the distractions to let her strength and skill count.

But we think that the combination of Alexa's own enviable pedigree and the supernatural forces coming to her aid will give her a dark edge, and allow her to take the crown.

PREDICTION: Alexa Bliss

Bray Wyatt vs LA Knight [Pitch Black Match]

wwe royal rumble 2023 bray wyatt vs la knight

WWE

Bray Wyatt has very much been talking the talk since his fiery return to the WWE, but he's yet to actually lay down a marker in the squared circle.

He's been putting away Jinder Mahal during untelevised live events, but this is the real deal.

A Pitch Black match (no, us neither) between Bray and LA Knight.

These two men have plenty on offer to make this an intriguing match-up, but the real question is who is Uncle Howdy and how will he make his presence felt... and in whose corner.

You can never quite trust Bray Wyatt, but we're thinking that he's telling the truth at the moment, or at least that he thinks he is, and that Uncle Howdy will cost him the win here.

PREDICTION: LA Knight

Women's Royal Rumble Match

Confirmed Entrants:

Liv Morgan
Candice LeRae
Rhea Ripley
Raquel Rodriguez
Shayna Baszler
Zelina Vega
Emma
Bayley
Dakota Kai
Iyo Sky
Lacey Evans
Xia LI

Rumoured Entrants

Asuka
Becky Lynch
Dana Brooke
Nikki Bella
Brie Bella
Doudrop
Mia Yim
Nikki Cross
Tamina
Charlotte Flair
Naomi
Sonya Deville
Tegan Nox
Zelina Vega

Picking a winner in Royal Rumble is often a mug's game, but that's what we're here to do! Looking at the confirmed names (still only 12 out of 30 by the morning of the Rumble - significantly fewer than half), the obvious pick seems to be Rhea Ripley.

She's got the strength, skills and experience to overcome anyone in that match, but we're going to go for a curveball. Bayley to win and soon complete her journey to the top of the tree once more

PREDICTION: Bayley

Men's Royal Rumble Match

Confirmed Entrants:

Kofi Kingston
Santos Escobar
Ricochet
Austin Theory
Seth 'Freakin' Rollins
Bobby Lashley
Baron Corbin
Rey Mysterio
Gunther
Cody Rhodes
Omos
Drew McIntyre
Sheamus
Braun Strowman
Karrion Kross
Dominik Mysterio
Xavier Woods
The Miz
Brock Lesnar

Rumoured Entrants:

AJ Styles
Chad Cable
Damian Priest
Dolph Ziggler
Rey Mysterio
Edge
Finn Balor
Johnny Gargano
Karl Anderson
Bad Bunny
Matt Riddle
Otis
Shinsuke Nakamura

We've got nearly two thirds of the men's names confirmed, with 19/20 declaring. We hope there'll be plenty of thrills and spills and a more successful Kofi save than last year's attempt.

As for the winner, for months it seemed as though Cody Rhodes, should he return, had enough passion and ability to make this match - and a WrestleMania main event - his.

But since then we've had the late entry of Brock Lesnar who you can NEVER count out, plus the rise and rise (and fall) and rise of Sami Zayn.

We're betting that no matter what shenanigans go on during and possibly even after the match, Sami Zayn will shock the world and make this one his.

PREDICTION: Sami Zayn

What date and start time is WWE Royal Rumble 2023 the UK?

WWE Royal Rumble 2023 takes place in the UK at 1am on Sunday, January 29.

A one-hour kick-off show starts at Midnight.

What date and start time is WWE Royal Rumble 2023 in the US?

WWE Royal Rumble 2023 has a start time of 8pm ET/5pm PT on Saturday, January 28.

A one-hour kick-off show starts at 7pm ET/4pm PT.

How do I watch WWE Royal Rumble 2023?

The venue for WWE Royal Rumble 2023 is the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas
and tickets are available now.

If you're not making the trip, you can watch on the WWE Network (direct in the UK, or via Peacock in the US) which we highly recommend, or if you don't have a fast and reliable internet connection, the more traditional – and expensive – pay-per-view.

How do I live stream WWE Royal Rumble 2023 on the WWE Network?

To watch the premium tier for live PPVs, which includes WWE Royal Rumble 2023, the WWE Network is priced at £9.99 per month in the UK – first-time subscribers get a month free.

You can access it via the following platforms and devices – click for info on how to access with each app:

In the US, to access the WWE Network you need to subscribe to Peacock after the WWE signed a deal in 2021 to give the NBC service exclusive access. It'll only set you back $4.99, and you get oodles of other content too.

You can sign up for Peacock here.

How do I watch WWE Royal Rumble 2023 on WWE pay-per-view in the UK?

You can buy WWE PPVs in the UK via BT Sport Box Office, after a deal was struck in 2019 that saw UK broadcast rights for WWE move from Sky to BT Sport starting January 2020.