The Official Match Card for WWE Royal Rumble 2025
WWE's Royal Rumble 2025 is almost here and it may be the best match lineup ever.
Wrestling fans, rejoice: it’s officially Royal Rumble season!
The Road to WrestleMania is upon us, and it’s impossible not to get excited about Royal Rumble 2025. The annual Royal Rumble event has a history of consistently delivering. Don’t believe us? Check out the highlights from Royal Rumble 2024 — from shocking Rumble entrants to instantly iconic moments, there’s nothing quite like this spectacular Premium Live Event:
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: the Royal Rumble is the best way to dive head-first into the world of WWE, even if you’re a non-fan!
We’ll be honest: last year’s event was incredible, but we have even higher hopes for the 2025 edition! The match lineup is tippy-top-tier, highlighted by one match that could go down in history as one of the greatest ever.
(Hint: it involves Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens, the Undisputed WWE Title, a ladder, and a lot of hatred!)
These are the official matches announced for the Royal Rumble 2025!
This article will be updated as WWE announces more matches.
Undisputed WWE Championship Ladder Match: Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens
We can’t believe WWE officials scheduled this match for the Royal Rumble because this kind of bout could headline WrestleMania!
On February 1, months of animosity between Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens will finally end. Although Owens was defeated in a title match during December’s Saturday Night’s Main Event, he’s been carrying around a throwback version of the WWE Championship and declaring himself the “real” champion. So in a nod to the past — when Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon were both claimed to be the true Intercontinental Champion — WWE has decided that a ladder match is the only way to settle things once and for all.
Cody’s been the champion since last year’s WrestleMania, and after grueling title defense after grueling title defense, this could be the very match that proves every reign has to end sometime… right?
While we’re sure Cody would love nothing more than to walk into this year’s WrestleMania as the Undisputed WWE Champion, KO’s only goal these days is to capture that title — and we’re afraid he’ll do whatever it takes to accomplish that! At any rate, this match is guaranteed to be an all-timer, and we’re sure the fans in Indianapolis will be on their feet throughout the entire match!
Believe it or not, while ladder matches are somewhat commonplace in modern WWE, the company’s top championship is rarely defended in a ladder match involving only two Superstars! The last time the WWE Universe witnessed a one-on-one ladder match for WWE’s top title was nearly a decade ago! In 2015, Seth Rollins defended his WWE Championship against Dean Ambrose:
It was a thrilling match, but we fully expect Rhodes and Owens to blow away expectations and deliver a match that will be talked about for generations to come. This ladder match will be brutal, jaw-dropping, and unforgettable — guaranteed.
Men’s Royal Rumble Match
What’s left to say about the iconic Royal Rumble matches themselves that hasn’t been said a million times over? The biggest Superstars in WWE are set to compete in a 30-person match where the only way to win is to be the last one left. Superstars can only be eliminated from the match by being thrown out of the ring, over the top rope, and to the floor — with both feet touching the ground.
In a wrestling world where specific match rules and formats make things arguably more confusing, the Royal Rumble match is delightfully straightforward.
Of course, the prize for winning the Royal Rumble match is a date with destiny in the form of a main event championship match of your choosing — it’s how some of the greatest legends in wrestling history etched their names in the record book. From Shawn Michaels to Cody Rhodes, the Road to WrestleMania — and immortality — starts by winning the Royal Rumble!
In 2025, everybody is throwing their hat into the ring. Roman Reigns, John Cena, CM Punk, and Drew McIntyre have already declared for the men’s bout, meaning that this year’s match will be jam-packed with some of the biggest stars in wrestling.
Women’s Royal Rumble Match
Like the men’s Royal Rumble match, the women’s version is a perennial crowd-pleaser. Incorporating the same format as their male counterparts, 30 women will compete for the right to challenge the champion of their choosing at WrestleMania! In other words, the stakes will never be as high for the WWE women’s locker room as they’ll be on January 25 in Indianapolis.
Last year’s match featured unforgettable moments like the surprise appearance of TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace, the long-awaited debut of Jade Cargill, and a wild ending sequence that saw Bayley win her first-ever Royal Rumble match.
The WWE Universe should expect the same kind of drama and entertainment from the women’s match again this year!
WWE Tag Team Championship 2-out-of-3 Falls Match: #DIY vs. Motor City Machine Guns
Who thought fans would ever see this match in 2025? A match that would've headlined any independent wrestling promotion in the mid-2010s will now be prominently featured on one of WWE's biggest events of the year. What a glorious time to be a wrestling fan!
After Tomasso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano embraced their more... underhanded sides and successfully stole the tag titles away from Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin, the Motor City Machine Guns have slowly worked their way back up the ranks in an attempt to regain their titles. At Royal Rumble, these two teams will meet in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match designed to settle their issues once and for all. This kind of match puts wrestling acumen on full display for the world to see, and it will be wild to find out which team can figure out how exactly to win two falls!
#DIY clashing with Motor City Machine Guns in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match easily could be called a "dream match." There are arguably no four more capable in-ring technicians than these Superstars, and the result will be a match to undeniably crown WWE's dominant tag team of 2025. This explosive rivalry ends on February 1!
You can tune in to Peacock to watch Royal Rumble 2025 on Saturday, February 1. In the meantime, catch up on all things WWE Universe on Peacock.
