The Royal Rumble 2022 pay-per-view is in the books, and it’s time for WWE to now focus on its buildup for WrestleMania 38 weekend.
After a hiatus that spanned almost three years, Ronda Rousey made a thrilling return during the 30-woman Royal Rumble match. The former Raw Women’s Champion went on to win, thus guaranteeing herself a title match at WrestleMania 38.
In the show’s main event, Brock Lesnar — who lost his WWE Championship earlier on in the evening to Bobby Lashley — emerged victorious as the men’s Royal Rumble winner.
Simply put, it’s another instance of WWE relying on a part-time performer like Lesnar to lead the WrestleMania main event scene.
His victory at the Royal Rumble shouldn’t come as a surprise. Lesnar entered the pay-per-view with the highest betting odds of winning the men’s Royal Rumble match at +350, after all. FanDuel New York Sportsbook is officially live, and they’re offering customers up to $1,000 in risk-free bets.
Lashley dethroned Lesnar as the WWE Champion thanks to interference from Roman Reigns. The latter delivered a spear to Lesnar during the match — while the referee was down and out. Paul Heyman then betrayed Lesnar by handing Reigns the WWE Championship, and The Tribal Chief hit his rival in the face with it.
A second referee came out to the ring and counted Lashley’s three-second pinfall to help him claim the title.
WWE is clearly set on running Lesnar vs. Reigns once again at WrestleMania 38. They simply wouldn’t have ended the Lesnar-Lashley match like that, then have Lesnar win the Royal Rumble without eyeing revenge on Reigns.
Rousey will either challenge for the SmackDown Women’s Championship (held by Charlotte Flair) or the Raw Women’s Championship (held by Becky Lynch) at WrestleMania 38.
On F4WOnline.com, Dave Meltzer reported that the plan is for Rousey and Flair to face off at WrestleMania 38 weekend.
Rousey, Flair and Lynch headlined WrestleMania 35 three years ago, with Lynch pinning Rousey to become the new holder of the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championships.
Lesnar and Rousey were both absent from the WrestleMania 37 card a year ago. This time, the two marquee stars are guaranteed spots and championship opportunities at WrestleMania 38 in Arlington, Texas.
That much we know so far.
Elimination Chamber Will Be A Major Factor In The WrestleMania Buildup
This year’s event will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Feb. 19. On Monday, WWE announced that Lashley will be defending the WWE Championship in an Elimination Chamber bout.
WWE typically stacks up the card for their events in Saudi Arabia. Part-timers like Edge and Goldberg are usually showcased on the card.
For what it’s worth, WWE recently advertised Lashley, Lesnar, Lynch, Flair, Reigns and Seth Rollins for the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. That’s obviously a strong sign that WWE will bring in a large portion of its top main event stars for the event.
Dave Meltzer also reported that Shane McMahon, who made his return to WWE programming at the Royal Rumble, has been booked for both Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania 38.
Last year, McMahon briefly returned to television and entered a feud with Braun Strowman. The two faced off in a Steel Cage match at WrestleMania 37, which The Monster Among Men went on to win.
McMahon usually comes in to help put a younger star over. From Strowman to AJ Styles to Kevin Owens, Shane O’Mac promises to once again play a valuable role in the mid-card scene and buildup for WrestleMania.
We know that Lashley will defend his title at the Elimination Chamber. Rollins, Owens and Styles certainly feel like strong candidates on Raw to challenge The Almighty for his title. Reigns will most likely defend his title against somebody other than Lesnar. Big E, Kofi Kingston and Drew McIntyre are potential options over on SmackDown.
Needless to say, the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view will serve as a vital building block for the road to WrestleMania 38. By the time the show concludes, we’ll have a very good idea as to what the final card will look like for “The Show of Shows.”