Who won the Royal Rumble?

The 2023 Royal Rumble took place on Saturday, Jan. 28. Let’s take a look at who won the Royal Rumble matches and earned title matches at WrestleMania 39.

WrestleMania season officially began on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 at the Royal Rumble event. The 36th edition of the event took place at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Of course, the headlining matches were the 30-man and 30-woman Royal Rumble matches.

The goal of the match is for a competitor to eliminate their opponents by throwing them over the top rope and ensuring that both feet hit the floor. The last competitor standing in the ring when all other competitors are eliminated, they will be crowned the winner of the match, and earn a world championship match at WrestleMania 39 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.

So, who were the winners of the men’s and women’s matches and will compete at WrestleMania on Saturday, Apr. 1 and Sunday, Apr. 2?

Who won the 2023 Men’s Royal Rumble match?

The winner of the men’s Royal Rumble match was Cody Rhodes.

Rhodes entered at the No. 30 spot in the match, his first appearance since recovering from a torn pectoral muscle back in June. Rhodes eliminated the likes of Dominik Mysterio, Braun Strowman, Austin Theory, and Logan Paul to make it to the final two. The individual who was standing in his way was Intercontinental champion Gunther, who was the No. 1 entrant in the match.

After a back-and-forth battle which saw Gunther target Rhodes’ recently recovered torn pectoral muscle, it was “the American Nightmare” who was victorious by sending his competitor over the top rope and ensuring both of his feet hit the floor. Gunther’s run in the match lasted well over an hour, setting the record for most time spent in the traditional Royal Rumble match.

Rhodes will now challenge for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39.

Who won the 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble match?

The winner of the Women’s Royal Rumble match was Rhea Ripley, who entered the match first.

Ripley went the distance alongside Liv Morgan, who was the second entrant in the match. When down to the final three of Ripley, Morgan, and Asuka, all competitors found themselves on the ring apron. Asuka went to hit Ripley with “poison mist,” but instead hit Morgan. Ripley eliminated Asuka, and was nearly sent tumbling to the floor by Morgan. However, since Morgan couldn’t see due to the “poison mist,” she couldn’t capitalize. Ripley then sent Morgan to the ringside floor to win the women’s Royal Rumble match.

Now, Ripley will fight for either the Raw or SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 39.

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