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WWE Royal Rumble: Jey Uso, Charlotte Flair are going to WrestleMania

Feb. 2 (UPI) -- WWE presented the 38th annual Royal Rumble in front of over 70,000 fans at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday.

The Men's and Women's Royal Rumble matches featured 30 superstars from Raw, SmackDown and NXT in competition. In the event, participants are eliminated if they are thrown over the top rope and both feet touch the floor. The last one standing earns a world championship match at WrestleMania.

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The Men's Royal Rumble match was the main event of the night and began with Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio entering at No. 1 and fellow luchador Penta at No. 2. The first elimination took place when Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker entered at No. 7 and tossed out Carmelo Hayes.

Hayes, upset at what happened, attacked No. 7 entrant Akira Tozawa as he made his way into the ring. This lead to WWE head Triple H allowing popular streamer iShowSpeed to enter the match. Breakker made short work of iShowSpeed with a Spear before he was thrown out of the ring. TNA World Champion Joe Hendry would later make a surprise appearance at No. 15.

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John Cena competed in the last Royal Rumble match of his career, as the veteran wrestler-turned-actor began his farewell tour in WWE by entering at No. 23. Cena was followed by heavy hitters such as CM Punk at No. 24 and Seth Rollins at No. 25. Roman Reigns entered at No. 16, with Jey Uso coming in at No. 20.

Social media star and part-time grappler Logan Paul received the coveted No. 30 spot and entered the Royal Rumble last. Punk, during a pivotal moment, was able to eliminate both Rollins and Reigns before he was quickly thrown out by Paul. Rollins was shocked at what happened and started brawling with Punk and Reigns outside the ring. Rollins performed his signature stomp attack twice on Reigns, with the last one sending The Tribal Chief into the steel steps.

The final three competitors were Uso, Cena and Paul. Cena sent Paul over the top rope, leaving just him and Uso. The closing moments featured Uso and Cena battling it out on the ring apron. Cena went for the Attitude Adjustment but Uso was able to shove Cena to the floor to win his first Royal Rumble match.

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The show kicked off with the Women's Royal Rumble match, with Iyo Sky at No. 1 and former Women's World Champion Liv Morgan at No. 2. Roxanne Perez from NXT arrived at No. 3.

The bout featured a number of surprise appearances and returns from some of WWE's biggest stars. Jordynne Grace made her WWE debut at No. 19 and was followed by a returning Alexa Bliss at No. 21, a returning Charlotte Flair at No. 27, Hall of Famer Trish Stratus at No. 25 and Hall of Famer Nikki Bella taking the coveted No. 30 spot.

Nia Jax, who arrived at No. 29, cleared the ring by eliminating several opponents at the same time. Jax set new Women's Royal Rumble records by reaching 29 total eliminations in her career and reaching nine eliminations in a single match.

The final three came down to Flair, Jax and Perez after Jax eliminated Bella. Flair and Perez joined forces briefly to handle Jax before Flair kicked Perez to the floor to win. Flair has now become the first-ever woman to win two Royal Rumbles.

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Flair can now challenge either Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley or WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton to a main event match at WrestleMania 41 in April. Uso can challenge either Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes or World Heavyweight Champion Gunther.

Rhodes was also in action as he defended his title against Kevin Owens in a ladder match. The contest was emotional and violent as Rhodes was pushed to the limit by his former friend.

Rhodes earned the victory after he performed an Alabama Slam on Owens that sent him through a ladder outside the ring. The move left Owens a bloody mess, with WWE officials and Sami Zayn coming to his aid. Owens was knocked out, allowing Rhodes to climb the ladder and retrieve his championship.

Other moments from the Royal Rumble included WWE Tag Team Champions #DIY defeating The Motor City Machine Guns in a 2-out-3 Falls match after getting help from The Street Profits. The Street Profits then attacked #DIY afterwards.

The 2025 Royal Rumble also featured a new information bar at the bottom of the screen. The bar informed fans of who was entering the Royal Rumble and other stats related to the wrestlers, such as how many eliminations they had earned and how long they had been able to stay in the match.

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WWE superstars past and present

John Cena arrives for interviews after a news conference for "WrestleMania" at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on March 16, 2018. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

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