Rhodes and Ripley are heading to WrestleMania, Zayn turns on Bloodline

The Royal Rumble began with the men’s Royal Rumble and a big return and ended in one of the most dramatic moments we’ve seen in professional wrestling history.

Cody Rhodes was the first to punch his ticket to WrestleMania in the opening match. Rhodes, the son of WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, returned to the ring for the first time since June to win the 30-man Royal Rumble. Rhodes eliminated Intercontinental Champion Gunther, who set a Royal Rumble record for time spent in the match after entering in 1st place after a thrilling back-and-forth battle between the two that spanned 10 minutes .

After a victory by Bray Wyatt in the Mountain Dew Pitch Black Match and a successful title defense for Bianca Belair over Alexa Bliss, it was Rhea Ripley’s turn to continue her rise in WWE. Ripley won the Women’s Royal Rumble, outliving 29 other contestants after being the first to step into the ring. Ripley became the fourth person in the Rumble’s 35-year history to win everything as the No. 1 entrant. Now from Judgment Day, Ripley has her choice of the Raw Women’s Championship, held by Bianca Belair, or the SmackDown Championship around the waist of Charlotte Flair.

But then all focus went to The Bloodline.

Roman Reigns exited the Royal Rumble as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, but he could lose two members of his formidable faction. After outlasting Kevin Owens in a barnburner and extending a title reign of 881 days, Reigns further knocked out the challenger after handcuffing him to the ropes.

The Usos took turns delivering superkicks – unleashing at least a dozen – before Reigns pulled out a chair. That’s when Sami Zayn stepped in and begged Reigns for mercy. Instead, Reigns insisted that Zayn shoot the delivery chair.

Instead, Zayn hit Reigns with the chair, ending his incredible run with The Bloodline when Solo Sikoa, Jimmy Uso and Reigns thrashed him. But not Jey Uso. He came to Zayn’s rescue before the tribunal on Monday and refused to join the brawl. He turned his back on Reigns and left the ring, perhaps preparing him to join Zayn in his newfound rivalry with WWE’s star.

Here’s everything that happened on an exciting night in San Antonio.