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Credit: WWE.com
The Men’s and Women’s Royal Rumble matches may be all about setting the stage for WrestleMania and giving fans a taste of what they can expect at the biggest event of the year, but those extravaganzas are also home to the continuation of ongoing storylines and the ignition point for others.
From family drama to triumphant returns of all-time greats, this year’s features a number of subplots worth keeping an eye on Saturday night.
Including exactly what role Jackass Forever star Johnny Knoxville will play when he enters the historic match for the first time.
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Credit: WWE.com
The father is not yet ready to cede his throne to the son.
Rey Mysterio has proven as much to Dominik the last two weeks, tossing him to the arena floor on Raw in a potential sign of things to come Saturday at the Royal Rumble.
It is far from the first time there has been dissension hinted at between father and son. Dominik has appeared disinterested in listening to the advice of his father in the past and now, with his own aspirations threatened by his dad (and WWE 2K22 cover star), expect the family drama to rear its head in the Men’s Rumble match.
Whether it is Rey once again dumping Dominik, or the son turning the tables on his dad and ruining what might be the future Hall of Famer’s shot at one last run toward the world title, it should serve to plant the seeds for what might be an emotionally charged WrestleMania encounter.
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Credit: WWE.com
Lita’s return to WWE and insistence that she has one last run in her sparked intrigue surrounding the Royal Rumble and the possibility that she may win and challenge Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 38.
The lack of follow-up has certainly dampened those expectations, but that does not mean the Hall of Famer does not bear watching Saturday night.
Lita doesn’t have to win the Rumble to set herself up for a title opportunity. Competing for a lengthy period, sparring with Flair and perhaps being the one to eliminate The Queen in a nod to their previous encounter would be all that is needed for WWE to plant the seeds and spark the rivalry that will result in a blockbuster, generational WrestleMania encounter.
What the trailblazing performer does, who she interacts with and what the outcome of her Rumble appearance is will indicate just what, if any, plans exist for Lita’s one last run in an industry she helped revolutionize.
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Credit: WWE.com
Every so often, a Superstar comes along that demolishes the competition and establishes dominance in a Royal Rumble. In 1994, it was Diesel. In 2001, Kane. In 2020, Brock Lesnar dispatched half of the field before Drew McIntyre sent him packing.
This year, it will be Omos.
The big man has seen his role on WWE TV diminish slightly since the breakup of his tag team with AJ Styles, but he will be rejuvenated by what should be an awe-inspiring Rumble performance.
Will he win the thing? Absolutely not, but he will toss some of the filler and establish himself as the night’s most dominant as WWE looks to further enhance the aura around the big man.
He will eventually be eliminated, presumably by one of the favorites to win the whole thing, but not before etching his name in the history books amongst those with the most eliminations in a single Rumble match.
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Credit: WWE.com
For the first time in Women’s Royal Rumble history, a champion enters the fray with the opportunity to win the prestigious match and choose her own opponent for WrestleMania.
The Queen has spent her career rewriting history books and doing the things others before her could never dream of, let alone actually accomplish. With questions surrounding the plans for both the Raw and SmackDown women’s titles at this year’s Showcase of the Immortals, there is a very real possibility that WWE goes in a direction it never has before with the Flair win.
Does she win? How does WWE Creative capitalize on the fans’ reaction to a potential win and does the company utilize her as it has Roman Reigns over the last handful of years, building heat and anticipation for her opponents in hopes that they ruin any chance of the golden child winning?
Those are the questions that will weigh heavily on the minds of fans as they watch this year’s match, eager for anyone but the second-generation star to emerge with her arm raised in victory.
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Credit: WWE.com
It was clear very early on in the RK-Bro tag team that it was a star vehicle for Riddle and that, inevitably, Randy Orton would turn on his young teammate at some point. With the team relieved of the Raw Tag Team Championship by Alpha Academy recently, the seeds have already been planted.
At Royal Rumble, with a world title opportunity on the line for the winner, what better way for Riddle to spark the split than by eliminating his tag team partner and drawing his ire?
That is not to suggest that there will be a massive blowup immediately thereafter and WWE Creative will have to milk a feud all the way to April 2 or 3. It is, however, the start of said feud, with a full-blown heel turn by The Viper to come in the weeks that follow.
Make no mistake about it, though, the breakup is coming and Rumble is the perfect opportunity to begin instigating it.
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Credit: WWE.com
Rhea Ripley has very much begun building momentum for herself, with a few key wins leading into Royal Rumble that would suggest a win in the titular match is very much on the table. A certain former tag team partner, and the WWE Universe’s resident superhero, will prevent that.
Nikki A.S.H.’s recent heel turn and cowardly sneak attack on Ripley Monday night on Raw will set her up to be the foil for Ripley’s WrestleMania aspirations.
A feud between them will take precedence and with Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch appearing busy with other potential opponents, The Nightmare will find herself out of a WrestleMania opportunity and faced with an intense rivalry with the woman she once called her friend.
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Credit: WWE.com
“Their ass is chicken and I’m Colonel Sanders,” Johnny Knoxville told media Tuesday morning while addressing his upcoming appearance in Saturday’s Men’s Royal Rumble match.
Referencing both Sami Zayn and Austin Theory in the interview, it would suggest Knoxville will be directly involved with the two of them at some point in Saturday’s match.
But how much of a role will he actually play in the match?
Drew Carey had several appearances throughout the 2021 Royal Rumble event but never got physical. Last year, Bad Bunny’s physicality directly led to a WrestleMania match that many consider the best celebrity in-ring performance of all time.
Knoxville will likely fall somewhere in between in what is both an opportunity to both add to his resume of WWE appearances and to promote his Jackass Forever film.
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