WWE Royal Rumble 2025: everything you need to know about Netflix’s first Premium Live Event

• The Road to Wrestlemania is set to begin this weekend with the WWE’s Royal Rumble 2025.
• The prize for the last person remaining in the WWE ring is the chance of a title shot and headlining Wrestlemania 41 in Las Vegas.
• Here’s everything you need to know to prepare yourself for one of the WWE’s ‘big four’ shows and who might be surprise entrants during the match.

It’s the start of the Road to Wrestlemania this weekend as the WWE’s Royal Rumble PLE makes its debut since the company joined Netflix earlier this year.

Taking place at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Premium Live Event has been a long-standing fixture in WWE history and one of the most exciting to watch if you’re a first time fan or one that’s returning.

30 men and 30 women are set to battle it out until there is only one person left standing in the ring, with the prize being the coveted main event at this year’s Wrestlemania, set to take place in Las Vegas across the weekend of April 19 and 20 2025.

But for those who’ve just started tuning into the WWE since its arrival on the streaming platform, you might not be familiar with the rules of the match, nor what other matches have currently been announced for the show.

And for those of you who are wondering who could make a surprise appearance or who is the favourite to win this year’s men’s and women’s Royal Rumble match, we have you covered too.

What is the Royal Rumble match?

The WWE Royal Rumble match is one of the biggest events in wrestling, known for its high-stakes chaos and unpredictable surprises.

The rules are simple: 30 Superstars (sometimes more in special cases) enter at timed intervals, battling to throw each other over the top rope until only one remains. The prize? A main event spot at WrestleMania and a shot at a world championship. It’s a match that thrives on drama, from shock returns and surprise entrants to record-breaking performances and final-second eliminations.

Since its debut in 1988, the Royal Rumble has delivered some of WWE’s most memorable moments. Stone Cold Steve Austin holds the record for most wins (three), while legends like Shawn Michaels and John Cena have also cemented their place in Rumble history. In 2018, WWE introduced the Women’s Royal Rumble, won by Asuka, adding a new layer to the event.

Who has declared so far to compete in the Royal Rumble match?

While we still have an episode of WWE Smackdown this evening (January 31 2025), and no doubt more set to declare, the following participants have all declared as entering this year’s match:

Men’s entrants

• John Cena
• CM Punk
• Seth Rollins
• Roman Reigns
• Sami Zayn
• Drew McIntyre
• Logan Paul
• LA Knight
• Jey Uso
• Rey Mysterio
• Shinsuke Nakamura
• Penta
• Chad Gable
• Bron Brekker
• Carmelo Hayes

Women’s entrants

• Nia Jax
• Bayley
• Charlotte Flair
• Bianca Belair
• Liv Morgan
• Raquel Rodriguez
• Lyra Valkyrie
• Ivy Nile
• Iyo Sky

What other matches are taking place at Royal Rumble 2025?

Just two other matches alongside the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble have been announced, but they’re both incredibly important.

Cody Rhodes is set to defend his Undisputed WWE Championship against ‘the real World Champion’ Kevin Owens in a ladder match. Cody Rhodes during a title defense against Owens on Saturday Night’s Main Event came out with the ‘classic’ winged eagle.

Though Cody Rhodes won the match, Kevin Owens attacked him afterwards, taking the vaunted, historical title with him and proclaiming himself the true WWE champion; and knowing the pair’s exploits previously in ladder matches, this should be complete carnage.

Also #DIY are set to defend their WWE Tag Team Titles against Motor City Machine Guns in a two-out-of-three-falls match; the Guns lost the titles to the team of Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa through nefarious means, and have been chasing the change to reclaim the titles since.

WWE Royal Rumble 2025 - current match card

• WWE Men’s Royal Rumble match
• WWE Women’s Royal Rumble match
• WWE Championship - Ladder Match: Cody Rhodes (c) vs Kevin Owens
• WWE Tag Team Championship - Best two out of three falls: #DIY (c) vs Motor City Machine Guns

What time does WWE Royal Rumble start in the United Kingdom?

For the first time in history, U.K. viewers will be able to stream the 38th annual Royal Rumble on Netflix from 11pm GMT on February 1 2025.

Who’s the favourite to win the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble match?

We look to Gambling.com for their current betting odds regarding the Royal Rumble matches, and according to their research there are two clear favourites for both battle royals.

In the men’s Royal Rumble match, John Cena is the favourite with odds currently of 6/4, with CM Punk (who had a rather interesting chat with Cody Rhodes in the recent episode of RAW) the second favourite with odds currently of 7/4. Rounding out the top three is the Original Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, who has odds currently of 5/1.

In the women’s Royal Rumble match, Charlotte Flair is currently the bookies’ favourite, with odds of 8/11 that she’ll be the final woman standing and head to Wrestlemania, while Iyo Sky comes in second with odds of 10/3. But at third position is a name that might make a surprise appearance during this year’s women’s Royal Rumble.

Are there any rumoured secret participants who could enter the 2025 Royal Rumble?

Becky Lynch, according to Gambling.com, looks to be one of the clear favourites to make a surprise return to the WWE ring at the Royal Rumble. She’s the odds on favourite when it comes to surprise entrants in the women’s Royal Rumble.

Other names include Nikki Bella (evens), Jade Cargill (11/8), recent WWE signing and former TNA Knockout Jordynne Grace (13/8) with Michelle McCool, Roxanne Perez, AJ Lee, Alexis Bliss and Asuka rounding out the favourites.

On the men’s side of the Royal Rumble, bookmakers believe that social media personalities IShowSpeed and Kai Cenat are heavy favourites to appear in the match with 1/3 odds each. Then there are those who think that The Rock could make a surprise appearance in the match (8/11) and Rhea Ripley making her debut in the men’s event with odds currently of 6/4.

Other names being bartered around regarding entries into the men’s Rumble include Joe Hendry (clap clap - odds of 13/8), Randy Orton (15/8), former WCW champion Goldberg (2/1), former NXT champion Trick Williams (3/1), AJ Styles (4/1), Bubba Ray Dudley (6/1) JBL (8/1) and an outside chance of a returning Brock Lesnar (10/1.)

Who is your pick to win this year’s men’s and women’s Royal Rumble match, and do you think there could be more surprise entrants the bookmakers’ might not have covered? Let us know your predictions by leaving a comment down below.