2023 WWE Royal Rumble results: Live updates, recap, grades, matches, card, start time, highlights - CBS Sports

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The winner of the men's Royal Rumble and women's Royal Rumble matches will challenge for world titles at WrestleMania 39

Jan 28, 2023 at 9:59 pm ET • 1 min read

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WWE kicks off its 2023 special event calendar with a tried and true fan favorite: the Royal Rumble. 30 superstars will compete in the men's and women's Royal Rumble matches with the respective winners earning world title shots at WrestleMania 39.

The Royal Rumble takes place at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday night. The marquee matches feature 30 superstars entering in timed intervals. Eliminations occur only when superstars go over the top rope and both feet touch the floor. The sole survivor earns the right to challenge for a world title at WrestleMania. The event serves as an opportunity for new stars to emerge or big stars to re-enter the title picture. The Rumble often spotlights returning superstars, cameos by legends and celebrity guests.

Two title defenses are also scheduled for the event. Reigns defends his two world titles against Kevin Owens. Bianca Belair puts her Raw women's championship at stake against ally-turned-enemy Alexa Bliss.

WWE Royal Rumble will be presented live on Saturday from the Alamodome. It is set to begin at 8 p.m. ET with a kickoff show starting one hour earlier at 7 p.m. on Peacock. CBS Sports will be with you the whole way through the event, providing updates and highlights as the action goes down in the live blog below.

2023 WWE Royal Rumble match card

Men's Royal Rumble matchWomen's Royal Rumble matchUndisputed WWE universal championship -- Roman Reigns (c) vs. Kevin OwensRaw Women's championship -- Bianca Belair (c) vs. Alexa Bliss
Bray Wyatt vs. LA Knight (Pitch Black match)

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Bianca Belair vs. Alexa Bliss for the Raw women's championship is now underway.

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Bray Wyatt vs. LA Knight (Pitch Black match): Wyatt arrived for his first televised match in more than two years sporting a new look: black eye make-up and horror-movie eye contacts. The lights in the arena cut out, revealing a glow-in-the-dark theme to the match. Wyatt's spider-web face paint and red contacts were revealed under the arena's blue lights.

The action quickly spilled to the outside as Wyatt pursued and punished Knight. Wyatt attempted to suplex Knight over the barricade onto steel steps, but Knight escaped and drove Wyatt through the announcer's table with an elbow drop. It did not take Wyatt long to stand back up courtesy of his zombie-like recovery. Wyatt dusted himself off and pursued Knight inside the ring. Knight swung with a glow-in-the-dark kendo stick, but ran directly into Sister Abigail. One-two-three and Wyatt is your winner.

Wyatt, now sporting a mask, chased Knight around the arena post-match. Knight repeatedly clobbered Wyatt with kendo stick shots that registered no effect. Knight's attempts to flee were futile. Wyatt finally snatched him and choked him out with a mandible claw by the stage. The mysterious Uncle Howdy emerged on an elevated platform and launched himself down onto Knight. Fire erupted and the unusual segment ended with Wyatt's cast of characters watching on.

It was an odd, third-party-sponsored match that felt more comical than fearsome. It was nice to see Knight get offense in for as long as the match lasted. Seeing Uncle Howdy do something physical should progress this storyline. Wyatt def. Knight via pinfall - Grade: C

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The Pitch Black match between Bray Wyatt and LA Knight is up next.

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Men's Royal Rumble: The match came down to Rhodes and GUNTHER, the latter of whom set the record for the longest time in a traditional Royal Rumble match – a 62-minute record set by Rey Mysterio in 2006. The two fought back and forth for an extended period of time with Rhodes finally hitting a Cross Rhodes and eliminating GUNTHER. Rhodes will now fight for the undisputed WWE universal championship at WrestleMania 39.

It was a middle of road Rumble. The right man won and it was a refreshing change to see the final two superstars afforded so much time. GUNTHER shined in setting a new record in his first-ever Rumble. The surprises were lacking and there was a general lack of big spots, excluding Paul and Ricochet's duelling springboard clotheslines. The build to WrestleMania 39 should be fun and it's great to see Rhodes again. Cody Rhodes wins the Royal Rumble - Grade: B-

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Rhodes and Rollins faced off in the final four of the Rumble. The two feuded exclusively from Rhodes' return at WrestleMania last year until he suffered the pectoral injury. Paul, who had been sidelined ringside, snuck back in and eliminated Paul. The social media star gave the ole' WrestleMania sign-point before eating a Cross Rhodes and getting tossed from the match.

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A unique moment saw Paul and Ricochet springboard from opposite sides of the ring and hit each other mid-air with clotheslines. The impressive feat enticed the crowd to chant, "This is awesome."

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GUNTHER, the No. 1 entrant in the match, eliminated Sheamus (No. 2) and McIntyre simultaneously.

Logan Paul entered at No. 29, squashing rumors of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson or Sami Zayn appearing in the match. Paul received a loud boo from the Texas crowd. Their woes were soon remedied as a quartet of WWE superstars stomped on Paul in the center of the ring. Paul hit Ricochet with an athletically impressive Buckshot Lariat before eating a powerslam from Braun Strowman and a standing shooting star press by Ricochet.

The long-awaited return of Cody Rhodes came to fruition as the son of Dusty Rhodes drew No. 30. It marked Rhodes' first appearance in eight months after wrestling Rollins in a Hell in a Cell match with a terribly torn pectoral muscle. Rhodes laid out his fellow superstars and tossed Dominick Mysterio from the ring.

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Damian Priest (No. 22) joined the mix, giving Judgement Day dominance over their opponents. All three members of Judgement Day – Dominick Mysterio, Balor and Priest – systematically laid out the remaining superstars: GUNTHER, McIntyre, Sheamus and Rollins. Montez Ford hit the ring next and briefly took the fight to Judgement Day before being choke-slammed over the top rope by Priest. Amusingly, Ford landed on his feet directly next to a man wearing an "EST hat," memorabilia belonging to Ford's wife, Bianca Belair.

Edge's arrival at No. 24 sparked a huge reaction from the audience. Edge had not been seen since Judgement Day laid him out at Extreme Rules in September. He immediately went toe-to-toe with Judgement Day, the faction he led before being usurped by Balor. Edge nailed a spear and tossed both Balor and Priest from the match. Edge briefly faced off with Rollins before attempting to eliminate Dominick Mysterio. Balor and Priest saved their Judgement Day teammate before dragging Edge over the ropes in what was a short appearance. A brawl broke out between Edge, Balor and Priest on the rampway. Edge was getting the better of the exchanges before Rhea Ripley blindsided him. Beth Phoenix, a former champion and Edge's wife, came to Edge's rescue.

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The evening's first surprise entrant was revealed at No. 21. Former world heavyweight and WCW champion Booker T arrived to a big cheer from the crowd. Booker dropped Finn Balor with a Bookend before hitting his trademark Spinaroonie. He was promptly tossed out of the rin by GUNTHER afterwards.

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Rey Mysterio music hit at No. 17 but he never appeared on stage. The cause of his absence was eluded to when his estranged son, Dominick Mysterio, entered at No. 18 wearing his father's mask.

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Prior to Lesnar's entrance, GUNTHER knocked Kingston over the ropes to set up what appeared to be set up another classic Royal Rumble spot. It's become a tradition for Kingston to narrowly avoid elimination in creative ways. Unfortunately, Kingston appeared to hit a commentator's chair too hard and hit the floor. This marks the second consecutive year that his planned spot went wrong.

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Seth Rollins, another potential candidate to win the match, entered at the halfway mark. Rollins immediately eliminated Corbin, who had only just recovered from Lesnar's rampage. Rollins faced potential elimination by Lashley but managed to reserve the encounter and dump Lashley over the top rope.

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Two-time Rumble winner Brock Lesnar made his entrance at No. 12 and started cleaning house. He exceeded 30 career eliminations by tossing out Santos Escobar, Angelo Dawkins and Chad Gable. Lesnar came face-to-face with GUNTHER, eliciting a loud cheer from the crowd. A brawl ensued with Lesnar getting the better of it until rival Bobby Lashley (No. 13) entered the fray. Lashley floored Lesnar with a spear before laying out McIntyre, Sheamus and company. Lesnar tried to lift Lashley up with an F-5, but Lashley wiggled free and clotheslined Lesnar out of the Rumble.

An outraged Lesnar tossed the top layer of the announcer's table into the ring and smashed steel steps onto the table, forcing the commentators to flee. Lesnar gave the table a break and took his remaining frustrations out on Baron Corbin, delivering an F-5 to the JBL protege ringside. The former UFC champion tossed a referee over ringside before finally exiting the area.

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Xavier Woods entered at No. 6, giving the New Day a serious edge against the field. The reigning NXT tag team champions laid out the competition before teasing a one-on-one fight. Instead, they tapped on each other's rear-ends like bongos. Odd but on-brand. Drew McIntyre, a potential final-four participant, hit the ring at No. 9 like a wrecking ball. He eliminated Karrion Kross with a Claymore Kick and laid out GUNTHER with a Future Shock DDT before helping teammate Sheamus to his feet.

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The Miz entered the match third and loitered outside of the ring. Sheamus gave chase to The Miz who scampered into the ring. An amusing spot followed with GUNTHER and Shemaus inadvertently chopping and clubbing The Miz, the latter of whom was caught in the crossfire of their brawl. The ring started to fill up with Kofi Kingston (No. 4) and Johnny Gargano (No. 5) joining the fray without any eliminations. Gargano tried to employ Sheamus' Ten Beats of the Bodhran on The Miz, but the Irishman wasn't having any of it. Gargano respectfully stepped aside and allowed Sheamus to club away. The pair kicked subsequently eliminated The Miz from the match – the evening's first elimination.