WWE Royal Rumble 2025 Results, Highlights And Takeaways

WWE Royal Rumble 2025 ended with one of the biggest upsets in recent WWE history: Jey Uso eliminating John Cena to win the most star-studded Royal Rumble of all-time.

Uso’s unexpected victory in a match with the likes of Cena, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins closed out a newsworthy show in front of more than 70,000 fans in Lucas Oil Stadium. But the former Intercontinental Champion wasn’t the only star who earned a world title match at WrestleMania 41.

Charlotte Flair did too. Flair, the No. 27 entrant, returned to a raucous ovation from the crowd and was able to eliminate Nia Jax, who had already eliminated eight women from the bout. “The Queen” then knocked NXT’s Roxanne Perez, the surprising runner-up, off the apron to win her second Royal Rumble and secure a WrestleMania world title shot.

In addition, Cody Rhodes retained his WWE Championship in a brutal ladder match against Kevin Owens, taking one step closer toward a third straight WrestleMania main event. Below are the full quick results for the 2025 WWE Royal Rumble:

• Charlotte Flair won the women’s Royal Rumble, last eliminating Perez.
• DIY retained the WWE Tag Team Championship over the Motor City Machine Guns in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match after interference from The Street Profits.
• Cody Rhodes retained his WWE Championship by defeating Kevin Owens in a Ladder Match.
• Jey Uso won the men’s Royal Rumble by eliminating John Cena.

And here is a look at the 2025 WWE Royal Rumble, with a focus on the key outcomes, highlights and takeaways from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

ForbesWWE Royal Rumble 2025 Results: Cody Rhodes Defeats Kevin OwensBy Blake Oestriecher

Alexa Bliss, Nikka Bella Returns Highlight WWE Women’s Royal Rumble

Charlotte Flair, the No. 27 entrant, won the women’s Royal Rumble, and just about everyone saw that coming.

Given the expectations that Flair will face Tiffany Stratton at WWE WrestleMania 41, “The Queen” entered the Royal Rumble as the odds-on favorite. Her expected victory felt like a no-brainer, and the crowd reacted surprisingly favorable to the typically-heel star. But Flair’s return, combined with Nia Jax’s eight eliminations, reminded WWE fans that only a handful of stars are consistently pushed to that main event level in the WWE women’s division.

That division got even more crowded, too, with the returns of Alexa Bliss and Nikki Bella. There were lots of questions about Bliss’s WWE status, but her return seemed to confirm that she’s back for the long haul. Eliminated from the match by Liv Morgan to an overwhelmingly negative crowd reaction, Bliss appears to be on track for an immediate feud with the former Women’s World Champion.

In addition, Bella, who has reportedly been discussing a WWE contract, appears to be back in the mix as well. Of course, that gives WWE a ton of star power heading into WrestleMania 41, but it could also make it much more difficult for other stars lower on the card to break out from the pack.

NXT’s Roxanne Perez, the last woman eliminated, set a new record for the longest time spent in a women’s Royal Rumble, breaking a record set just minutes prior by Morgan. In the ideal scenario, that could propel those stars to more success, but Flair’s win, Jax’s domination and the returns of the beloved Bella and Bliss will make things difficult.

Standout stars like Bianca Belair and Jordynne Grace got relatively little shine in the match either, demonstrating that WWE should have focused less on Jax and Flair and more on the next generation of stars.

The Street Profits’ WWE Royal Rumble Return Must Lead To WrestleMania 41 Win

WWE’s up-and-down booking of The Street Profits has been quite the sight to behold. A duo as popular and as talented as Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford shouldn’t be without a significant storyline as often as they are.

Maybe, however, their return at the 2025 WWE Royal Rumble could be the catalyst to something bigger and better. As questions remain about Ford’s potential frustrations and contract status, they showed up in Indianapolis to attack the Motor City Machine Guns and cost them their WWE Tag Team Championship match against DIY.

Afterward, Ford and Dawkins attacked DIY as well, showing that they could perhaps be performing in a tweener role moving forward. After the DIY vs. MCMG underwhelmed thanks to a somewhat quiet crowd, they came alive a bit for The Street Profits’ return, which is a good sign for the duo of Dawkins and Ford.

With WrestleMania 41 right around the corner, The Street Profits should get a substantial push heading into the show. They’re, quite simply, too talented and too popular not to.

Cody Rhodes And Kevin Owens Must Finally Move On After WWE Royal Rumble Match

Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens delivered a good, hard-hitting, ladder match at WWE Royal Rumble, one that ended in anticlimactic fashion with an Alabama Slam.

With the victory, Owens’ presence in the WWE Championship picture has likely come to an end. Rhodes, meanwhile, virtually ensured that he will hold the WWE Championship at least until WrestleMania 41, where a potential dream match with Cena awaits.

Royal Rumble was essentially the last chance for Owens to become WWE Champion. Now, his best bet at a significant WrestleMania match is a singles bout with a returning Randy Orton. Rhodes, of course, is all but guaranteed to main event his third straight WrestleMania.

Owens and Rhodes have had one of the best feuds in all of WWE over the past few years, but with Owens losing his third title match to Rhodes, there is nowhere for them to go but their separate ways.

WWE Royal Rumble Winner Jey Uso Was A Good Choice, Roman Reigns And Seth Rollins Clash

There are two major talking points coming out of the men’s Royal Rumble: Jey Uso’s massive upset and what transpired between Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins after they were eliminated.

The biggest story, of course, was Uso shockingly eliminating Cena to win the men’s WWE Royal Rumble. Despite Uso’s growing star power, he wasn’t a popular pick to win perhaps the most loaded Royal Rumble ever, but a quick succession of eliminations of stars like Rollins, Reigns, CM Punk and Logan Paul allowed Uso to pull off the upset of a lifetime.

And you know what? That was a rare unexpected twist that worked.

Sometimes, you have to go with the hand, and there is no one in WWE hotter than Jey Uso. He’s now positioned for a potential third match with Gunther or even a title match with Rhodes, and as one of WWE’s best and most popular babyfaces, he deserves it. Part of the reason why Uso’s win feels like the right call is because of the other matches set up by the men’s Royal Rumble.

Yes, there are lots of questions still, but WWE laid the groundwork for feuds like Paul vs. Punk, Reigns vs. Rollins and perhaps even Reigns vs. Rollins vs. Punk. Meanwhile, Cena and all of the other stars who fell short still have the Elimination Chamber to potentially get to a WrestleMania 41 world title match.

All in all, that’s a successfully booked Royal Rumble that set the stage for WrestleMania 41, which is the ultimate goal. Uso is ready to step up to the main event for the long haul while all of WWE’s biggest stars are in the main event mix.

Just as they should be.