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For many WWE’s Royal Rumble is one of the highlights of the wrestling calendar, with the two events that give it its name often making for some of the best literal and metaphorical high spots of the year – as well as setting the agenda heading towards Wrestlemania.
This is even more the case this year, with Wrestlemania 39 heading to California, sparking rumours that former wrestlers turned Hollywood stars like John Cena and The Rock might return to the squared circle.
Wrestlers will take to the mat on Saturday night, with UK fans able to watch the Royal Rumble action live on UK TV from 1am on Sunday morning (January 29) our time.
With hotly tipped Cody Rhodes’ return from a torn pectoral muscle injury confirmed and 14 other big names on the current roster definitely getting their number to join the iconic battle royal including Seth Rollins, Austin Theory, Rey Mysterio, Gunther, Drew McIntyre and Sheamus, there’s still plenty of room for some surprises.
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Royal Rumble this year is taking place in San Antonio, Texas so home-grown talent like Shawn Michaels, Undertaker, JBL and Steve Austin may appear – with the latter reportedly in discussions with WWE about a Wrestlemania appearance to top last year’s barnstormer against Kevin Owens.
But the two biggest names suggested for major ‘Mania moments that might kickstart their storylines tonight are The Rock and John Cena.
While Dwayne Johnson versus Roman Reigns as head of The Bloodline has been discussed for several years, The Rock is set to launch XFL next month which may prove too much to juggle alongside his acting career to have a few months’ run at WWE at the same time.
Arguably the more likely of the two is Cena who, it was announced this week, is the cover star for WWE Games’ WWE2K23 which is available for pre-order now. He appeared alongside Kevin Owens at the last Smackdown of 2022 fighting Sami Zayn and Roman Reigns in a tag match, but it’s fair to assume with such a prominent place on WWE’s flagship gaming title he’ll be popping up in 2023 too – could it be tonight? With rumours swirling that he’ll take on Austin Theory at Wrestlemania it’s a definite possibility.
So far there are fewer names announced for the women’s Rumble, but many will hope for a good showing from older female wrestlers overlooked in this week’s RAWXXX celebration, perhaps like Molly Holly, Trish Stratus, Lita or the Bella Twins.
Confirmed as taking part so far include Judgment Day’s Rhea Ripley – hotly tipped as a potential winner – as well as last year’s winner Liv Morgan, Candice LeRae, Raquel Rodriguez, Shayna Baszler, Zelina Vega and Emma.
How to watch WWE Royal Rumble 2023 on UK TV: UK start time and channel
BT Sport is the home of all WWE programming in the UK and is showing Royal Rumble live and on demand for £19.95 on BT Sports Box Office 2. It’s also available on Sky and Virgin.
You can view the event without being an existing BT Sport subscriber. But if you want to see BT Sport’s wider WWE coverage you can get a no contract monthly pass here for £25. This covers WWE Smackdown, Raw and NXT as well as BT Sport’s other coverage including Premier League games, rugby, UFC, MotoGP and cricket.
BT Sport is available on the BT Sport app on iOS and Android, or via bt.com/sport once coverage starts. The event will also be available to watch on demand so don’t worry if you miss the 1am start time.
Royal Rumble is also live on the WWE Network.
WWE Royal Rumble 2023 final card
As ever, live event cards are subject to change but for now fans can expect to see:
- Men’s Royal Rumble Match
- Women’s Royal Rumble Match
- Bray Wyatt vs LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match
- Bianca Belair vs Alexa Bliss for the WWE Raw Women’s Championship
- Charlotte Flair vs Sonya Deville for the WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship
- Roman Reigns vs Kevin Owens for the WWE Undisputed Universal titles
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