A packed crowd of 70,437 fans filled Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, to witness the Royal Rumble event.
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The night saw two championship contenders crowned in the men’s and women’s WWE Royal Rumble matches: Jey Uso and Charlotte Flair.
Two major rivalries also reached their climax, as Cody Rhodes defeated Kevin Owens in a ladder match, while DIY managed to survive a 2-out-of-3 fall battle against Motor City Machine Guns.
It was a special night that gave several superstars a chance to shine, but not everyone emerged victorious.
Here are the real winners and losers from Royal Rumble 2025.
Winner: Chelsea Green
When Chelsea Green returned to WWE in the 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble match, she lasted only five seconds. In 2024, she survived for 17 minutes before being eliminated.
In 2025, while she still faced early elimination, she stood out by lasting longer than in her previous two Rumble appearances and even securing two eliminations.
Her comedic timing as the Women’s United States Champion helped set a solid foundation in the early stages of the match.
It may take her a few more years to reach the final stages of the Rumble, but her continued improvement and growing role in WWE have never been more evident.
Loser: Bianca Belair
WWE did little to promote anyone other than Charlotte Flair as a potential winner of the women’s Royal Rumble match. This left fans speculating about dark horse candidates.
Bianca Belair seemed like a strong contender due to a possible new feud with Rhea Ripley, but the match didn’t follow that narrative.
While she had opportunities to showcase her athleticism, her role in the match didn’t go beyond that. She was eliminated by Nia Jax in a crowded moment, preventing her from standing out even in the final minutes.
This also allowed Jax to break Belair’s elimination record from 2020.
It was a tough night for “The EST,” though she may still be in consideration for a WrestleMania 41 match against Ripley.
Winner: Roxanne Perez
Bayley’s iron woman record lasted just one year before being broken by her newest rival, Roxanne Perez.
With an official survival time of 1 hour, 7 minutes, and 47 seconds, “The Prodigy” made a lasting impact on the women’s Royal Rumble match as she continued her transition to the main roster.
Despite not winning, the former NXT Women’s Champion stole the spotlight more than anyone else. By the end of the match, the crowd was fully behind her, almost willing her to a shocking victory.
It’s unfortunate that WWE wasn’t bold enough to let Perez win, but this was still a career-defining moment that should have propelled the 23-year-old straight into the title scene on the main roster.
Loser: Becky Lynch
Becky Lynch will return to WWE, but the opportunities for a major comeback are running out.
Aside from Charlotte Flair, “The Man” was arguably the most likely woman to win the Rumble. However, surprise appearances from Alexa Bliss, Trish Stratus, and Nikki Bella took some of the spotlight.
Perhaps WWE didn’t want to overshadow Lynch’s return by having her lose the Rumble to The Queen.
However, if WWE plans to include Lynch in the WrestleMania 41 season, they need to do something significant in the coming weeks to make her return feel special.
Charlotte Flair has made history. She is now the first woman to win two Women’s Royal Rumble matches—and she did it after being out of action for over a year.
“The Queen” was expected to play a major role in the buildup to WrestleMania 40, but a severe injury in December 2023 saw her tear her ACL, MCL, and meniscus.
At 38, her road to recovery was tough, but she has returned in time to be a key figure in the women’s division ahead of WrestleMania 41.
The best bet now is that Flair will challenge Tiffany Stratton in a highly anticipated first-time clash—a guaranteed money match for “The Show of Shows.”
With the return of Flair and Alexa Bliss, plus Becky Lynch and Asuka waiting in the wings, the road to WrestleMania could bring massive changes to the division.
Losers: Motor City Machine Guns
Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley made their premium live event debut in front of the biggest audience Motor City Machine Guns have ever performed for.
For that reason, they’ll never forget this night—but it wasn’t a successful one for them.
The crowd wasn’t particularly engaged in their WWE Tag Team Championship match, which felt more like a kickoff match rather than one of the four key bouts on one of WWE’s biggest shows.
DIY pulled off an incredible victory, with an assist from The Street Profits, who are now shifting their focus to getting revenge on Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa.
Hopefully, WWE will do more to make the tag team title scene exciting on the road to WrestleMania, but Sabin and Shelley are struggling to stay relevant.
Loser: Kevin Owens
Losing three straight premium live event matches is tough—especially when it’s to Cody Rhodes. But over the past few months, “The American Nightmare” has completely dominated Kevin Owens.
In Saturday’s ladder match, Rhodes was the clear favourite, but there was still a glimmer of hope that “The Prizefighter” could pull off an upset.
Instead, Rhodes defeated him with confidence, standing over Owens as if he had decisively surpassed him.
It’s hard to see how Owens bounces back from this latest loss. Even with a potential alliance with Drew McIntyre and Sami Zayn, he may not be viewed as a true world title contender for a long time.
Loser: Ludwig Kaiser
Ludwig Kaiser continues to live in Gunther’s shadow, and after the men’s Rumble, he now has Santino Marella’s shadow looming over him as well.
Kaiser was eliminated in just two seconds by Penta, tying Marella’s infamous record for the fastest elimination in Rumble history.
It was an embarrassing moment for the Imperium member, who has been struggling to carve out his own identity beyond “The Ring General.”
This isn’t the end of the road for Kaiser—he will return and eventually find his place on the roster.
However, 2025 doesn’t seem like the year he’ll break out as a major winner.
Winner: Bron Breakker
Bron Breakker may not have lasted long in the men’s Rumble, but he made every second count. Only Roman Reigns was able to halt the Intercontinental Champion’s dominance.
With four eliminations, Breakker defined the early moments of the men’s Rumble—making a much bigger impact than most of the field.
This was a career-defining moment for the 27-year-old, setting the stage for what could be an even bigger showing in next year’s Rumble—perhaps even breaking elimination records.
For now, the hope is that this will put him in the spotlight for a major Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 41.
Setting the Stage for WrestleMania
The elimination of Roman Reigns, CM Punk, and Seth Rollins from the men’s Royal Rumble felt intentional—it kept them on the same level heading into WrestleMania.
All three were considered top favourites to win, and they effectively took each other out of contention.
Clearly, WWE is setting the stage for an explosive road to WrestleMania, with all three still in the mix for a world championship opportunity.
With the unpredictability surrounding Jey Uso’s Rumble victory, the coming weeks will be crucial in shaping the WrestleMania 41 main event scene.
Loser: John Cena’s Road to WWEMania
John Cena promised that his final year in WWE would be a wild ride, and he certainly proved that in the men’s Royal Rumble match.
The goat nearly won it all, coming close to tying “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s record of three Rumble victories, which would have put him on the path to a historic 17th world championship.
Instead, Jey Uso eliminated him, leaving Cena with serious questions about his road to WrestleMania—just like many of WWE’s other top stars.
This might actually be the best outcome for the 47-year-old. He now has the freedom to tell a compelling story outside of the main event picture.
Still, it doesn’t make this loss any easier to digest.
Cena’s fans will need to watch closely in the coming weeks as uncertainty around his future in WWE reaches an all-time high.
Winner: Jey Uso—The True “Main Event”
For years, Jey Uso has called himself “Main Event Jey Uso”—but now, he’s finally earned that title.
Jey is officially heading to the main event of WWEMania 41, and it’s a genuine shock. Just days after a heartbreaking loss to Gunther, his path forward seemed unclear.
Yet here he stands, the winner of the Royal Rumble, and now all eyes are on him as he prepares for the biggest match of his career.
With so much uncertainty about what’s next for Uso, WWE has set the stage for one of the most unpredictable WrestleMania seasons in years.
