Royal Rumble 2024

The build

The 35th Annual Royal Rumble comes live from Tampa.  It is the 148th PPV in WWF history.

(Dark: Rey Mysterio d. Dragon Lee

           Gargano/Ciampa d. Alexander/Tozawa (Tozawa injures ankle, Alexander helps him from ring)

           Dark Ride Title: Ilja Dragunov d. Nathan Frazer)

The announcers (the color commentators rotate) Cole (7th PPV) Graves (9th) Barrett (9th) Regal (28th)

The show starts with a long clip package of Royal Rumble History

'89...the very first match, Demolition going over the Powers of Pain....Hogan slamming Andre....the Brainbusters keeping over the Rockers....Hennig taking the IC from Bret....Savage dropping the elbow on DiBiase...

'90...the Rougeau Brothers brawling...HBK turning his back on Marty costing the Rockers their tag belts...Bret taking the IC from Ted....Savage brutally attacking Hennig to close the show...

'91..Undertaker tombstoning Dusty...Shawn superkicks Marty...the Road Warriors going nose to nose on the ramp with Demolition...Savage sticking Hennig with the WWF Fork, over and over again...

'92...long chain sequence with Shawn and Owen....Savage drops the elbow on a bloody Piper....Flair submits Davey Boy....

'93...Razor's Edge on Savage...Perfect Plex on Flair....Shawn superkicking Owen...

'94....Owen driving the WWF Fork in Savage's head...Waltman turning on Razor, allowing the Michaels win...Undertaker chokeslamming Bret through the Spanish announce table....

'95....Backlund submitting Neidhart to win the tag belts...Owen DDTs Razor on the concrete outside...Michaels hits Diesel with a TV monitor

'96...Austin with the Stunner on Razor to win the tag belts...Vaderbomb onto Michaels....Bret rolls through an Owen pinfall attempt to pin his brother...

'97...Austin brawling with Vader...Funk hitting Cactus with a moonsault wrapped in barbed wire...Pillman cracking both Bret and Shawn over the heads with the WWF Title...

'98..Michaels hitting Taker with multiple superkicks...Funk and Cactus, covered in blood, holding the tag belts...Mike Tyson walking down the ramp...Vader submitting to Shamrock...Owen has Austin in the sharpshooter, blood coming down his face...

'99...Edge/Christian/Matt/Jeff celebrating together...Rock Bottom on Waltman...a violent headbutt spot with Owen and Cactus...

'00...Angle submits the Bulldog...Angle submits Waltman....the Dudleys set a table on fire...RJericho submits HHH...Cactus and Taz brawl...

'01...Raven/Taz/the Dudleys and Justin Credible all standing over the Hardys...Angle Slam on the Rock...Hunter Pedigrees Waltman on the ramp...Regal holding the ropes as he pins Austin...Benoit submits Jericho...

'02...Edge and Christian wiping out HHH...Stunner on DDP...RVD frogsplash on Taz...Angle submits Flair...

'03..Crazy TLC spots with Hardys/Dudleys/Edge and Christian...Brock with 3 F5s on Jericho...Shelton pins Benoit....Rey with the pinfall on RVD...Angle submits Michaels....Brock destroying Angle....

'04...Christian gets the fall on Matt...Cactus hitting Brock with the barbed wire bat...Angle rolling Eddy up...

'05..Christian gets Flair in the Figure Four...Edge gets the fall on Jericho...Benoit submits Michaels..

'06...Matt and Edge, bleeding in the empty arena match...CM Punk, in his first WWF appearance, comes out of the front row to hit London with the Pepsi Plunge...Michaels superkicks Angle...Fit pins Benoit...Ricky Steamboat fighting off Hunter's heel stable...

'07...Crazy glass table spots with RVD/Sabu v. Sandman/Dreamer...Edge spears Matt dead on the ramp...

'08...Pepsi Plunge on Jeff Hardy...Edge turning on Jericho....Shelton pinning Rey to win the WWF Title...

'09..Orton RKO's Van Dam...Christian takes off the Blood Dragon mask, revealing he and Edge are the tag team champs...The Messiah Shawn Michaels superkicks Jericho

'10...Bret Hart Appreciation Night...the future Presidents of the United States, Linda and Vince, sitting in the front row next to Bret...Bret preventing Nitro from interfering in the IC match...Nitro superkicking him on the ramp...Christian fighting Punk in the cage..Edge spears Maria while Punk is handcuffed to the cage

'11...Regal lowblows Punk...Mysterio pins Danielson...Edge and Punk go nose to nose...

'12...WWE 100...scores of veterans from PPV past shown streaming into the building...Cena pins Punk...Rock Bottom on Barrett on the ramp...Cattle Mutilation on Nemeth gives Danielson the WWF Title...Punk and Danielson shaking hands...

'13...Nemeth pinning Claudio...El Generico jumping from the video wall...Jericho pins Punk...Lesnar F5ing Danielson...

'14...the Shield keeping the tag belts over the Wyatts...Punk submitting to Danielson and leaving town, his first Rumble in a decade is tonight...

'15...Steve Austin coming to the ring...Paige pins Natty to win the Womens Title...The Shield in a garbage match against Bubbay Ray Dudley and DDP...Kenta attacks Claudio...save by Danielson...

'16...Roman wiping out Hunter...Charlotte pins Becky...the unmasking of Pac...Generico buckle bomb on Jericho...AJ Styles walking down the ramp, a shocking debut...the big Bullet Club formation, Anderson/Gallows/Nakamura/Devitt/Styles taking over the WWF to close the show

'17...Becky joins the Bullet Club, laying out Charlotte and Sasha...the Shield explodes, Ambrose/Black/Langston firing blows at each other...Brock F5s Rusev...big tag spot, Steen/Generico battling Claudio and Pac....

'18...Andrade, under the mask, and Adam Cole falling off a ladder...FTR, as the Revival, beating American Alpha...Generico getting the fall on Rey...Usos and FTR going noses to noses...Nakamura pinning Tyler Black to become WWF Champion...

'19...Rousey laying in stiff shots on Lynch...Iyo and Sane in a fast paced spot...Kurt Angle getting a fall on Kingston...Devitt pinning Pete Dunne...Danielson swinging chairshots at Samoa Joe...Styles with the flying forearm to beat Lesnar...Black standing above Ambrose, Dean leaving the territory...Nakamura and Kenta in the middle of the ring...

'20...Iyo and Sane again battling...Andrade, under the mask, pinning Claudio....McIntyre brawling with Roman...Lesnar F5ing Riddle...Banks/Bayley/Charlotte/Lynch in a wild brawl around the arena...Aleister Black holding the IC belt over Ricochet...Danielson and Steen laying out Styles....Tyler Black pinning Joe and Nakamura...

'21...Roman kills Jeff Hardy...Edge over Christian in a No DQ match...Banks getting the fall on Bayley...Claudio taking the IC title over Styles...Riddle/Rey/Steen/Zayn in a four way....Danielson submits Ricochet...

'22...Edge facing off with Rey...Styles Clash on Ricochet...Roman pins Langston to take the tag belts and force the New Day to disband...Ripley pins Belair to keep the belt...Nakamura/Black/Devitt/Styles brawling up the ramp...the Holy Roman Empire laying out both Steen and Zayn...

'23...Logan Paul sends Edge out of the promotion...Asuka/Iyo in a street fight...Cody pins Gable..Walter and Lesnar holding the tag belts aloft....Roman pinfall on Black....

There's a shot of Andrade and Reed, in separate rooms, guards out front of their doors, ensuring they do not get out (ensuring Andrade doesn't kill Reed for attacking Charlotte)

1. IC #1 CONTENDER: ELIMINATION CHAMBER: JIMMY USO d. LA KNIGHT/SANTOS ESCOBAR/BRON STEINER/DOMINIC MYSTERIO/JD MCDONAGH

-Lot of space between dark matches and this one to get the chamber in place

-Biggest singles win of Uso's career - he will go to Wrestlemania 40 to challenge for the IC.

-Uso is one of the first two wrestlers in the ring, lets say with McDonagh.

-Steiner is 5th, he comes in and runs wild, kills everyone, the spot ends with his spearing Dom through a chamber, it knocks out both of them.  Dom's underneath, so the fall is counted on him, Knight is the 6th man in, he comes in, pulls Steiner away, Steiner totally dead, Knight does the Peoples Elbow on him, gets the fall.  

-Last 3 are Uso/Escobar/Knight - Jimmy goes over both of them to win the match.

2. FALLS COUNT ANYWHERE: RANDY ORTON d. DAMIEN PRIEST (w/Ripley)

-This match never gets to the ring, allowing for the chamber to get torn down, they fight everywhere else, Ripley is the only member of Defiance who can aid Priest (Dom's dead, Reeds locked up) she does - until the return of Becky Lynch - Lynch takes Ripley out allowing for Orton to get a fall, maybe an RKO through a merch table.

3. LOGAN PAUL (wMcAfee) d. PRINCE DEVITT

-Devitt is left wondering what is future is here - he loses his feud to Rhodes, he can never fight for the WWF Title again, Paul comes right at him - and then beats him clean here.  Has Devitt reaches the end of his run?

4. KAIRI SANE d. LIV MORGAN (Special Guest Referee: Iyo Sky)

-Sky won her long feud with Asuka, Asuka then took the title from Rousey after training from Sane - Sane was special guest referee in Asuka keeping the belt over Sky and tension related to those things has caused a break in their friendship - Sky teases she's going to screw Sane over here, but eventually counts the fall.  Sky and Sane get into a shoving match postmatch.

5. CARMELO HAYES (w/Williams) d. RICOCHET (w/Alexander)

-This is the write off for Ricochet - Hayes gets him clean - Hayes and Williams with a postmatch beatdown (Alexander took some sort of bump during the match so it takes him a moment to save...)  But Alexander doesn't save - he turns on Ricochet, he joins the Culture, Tozawa got injured in the dark match so he can't help - its the farewell for Ricochet.

6. WOMENS TAG TITLES: BELAIR/BAYLEY d. HORSEWOMEN (Stratton/Baszler)

-Belair and Bayley keep the belts here, Baszler going under.

7. UNSANCTIONED: ANDRADE d. BRONSON REED

-There's a light change, this is officially where intermission begins - a non WWF referee is brought in - this is not a wrestling match, it's a fight, it should not look like they are cooperating with each other more than they have to so spots can get in, double juice - eventually there's a ref stoppage when Reed can no longer continue.  

Taped package featuring Wrestlemanias 10, 20, 30...the theme for all 3 being Brother v Brother...they then show shots of Philadelphia, with the chyron that it is the City of Brotherly Love...Love is then scratched out...it's Wrestlemania 40, coming in April from Philadelphia.

8. WOMENS TITLE: ASUKA d. JORDYNN GRACE

-Asuka clean.  

9. #1 CONTENDER: WALTER (w/Heyman) d. ROMAN REIGNS

-A match long in the making, really sense Reigns' first title defense when Walter saved Lesnar postmatch.  Main event style, long, nearfalls - and Walter gets him.  Walter will go to Wrestlemania to challenge the winner of Cody/Punk.

10. IC: JEY USO d. DREW McINTYRE 

-The 85th Intercontinental Champion is Jey Uso.  There's some booking here, there's a ref bump, then Roman runs in and lays Drew out with the punch.  Jey is shocked - Roman's forming his heel group, not selecting the Usos blew up their whole family - but Roman's desire for revenge against McIntyre, Roman's losing his shot at the WWF Title in the prior match - he takes out that frustration here - McIntyre kicks out here, the ref recovers, it's a long count - but Drew kicks out - but a couple of minutes later, Jey gets the fall and the win.  Roman gets the IC belt from the timekeepers table, comes to the ring, hands it to Jey and raises his hand - Jey Usos is IC Champ...and then on the ramp emerges Jimmy and we see that it has become clear - at Wrestlemania 40, we will see Jey v. Jimmy for the IC Title.

11. TAG TITLES: SAMI ZAYN/KEVIN STEEN (w/ Gargano/Ciampa) d. TRIPLE CROWN (Styles/Nakamura w/ Mysterio) 

-Its the big workrate match for the night, long, nearfalls, Steen pins Nakamura - postmatch, its handshakes - including between Steen and Rey, burying their old feud - Zayn/Steen/Gargano/Ciampa hit the buckles postmatch - the following night, RAW builds to the GDI reformation - but when Gargano and Ciampa are handed the t-shirts, they turn on Zayn and Steen, destroying both guys.

12. WWF TITLE: CODY RHODES d. CM PUNK

-Your big main event - Punk's first WWF match in a decade.  

-Cody goes over clean, postmatch he takes the bag in which we all know the AEW Title is located, although we do not see it - Cody opens the bag, holds the title belt, again, we do not see it, we just see the big sack in which it is held - and Cody throws down the sack, with, presumably, the AEW Title - Cody holds the WWF Title aloft - its the inverse of the Punk spot from Survivor Series '06 and the primacy of WWF has been declared at Royal Rumble 2024!

Post show is that 10-20-30 Mania package from earlier, it ends however with the title card:

Wrestlemania 40

Philadelphia.  

Brother vs. Brother

Sister vs. Sister.

There's a really meta thing happening with the finish of the main event.

As you know, I'm wrapping up - not unlike the way a wrestler (Ricochet in this show) wraps up.  And in the way (Ricochet, in this show) might wrap up, on his back, putting the promotion over, this is my doing that.  

If I'm watching this show at home - I'm rooting for Punk and the idea that the AEW Title gets thrown away by Cody Rhodes is super aggravating for me. Booo.  Booooooooooooo.   

But - for WWF, for this story - with Roman setting up the lens through which to view Punk's throwing the WWF belt down in '06 as an existential harm to WWF, the ability to square that circle was irresistible.  So - as the promotion heads to the big anniversary shows and then its new future - putting this period on that story from the past is whats best for business, even though, it's not what's best for me. I go out on my back, as is the time honored tradition. 

Back next month to start the built to 40.  

Road to Royal Rumble 2024

Survivor Series

19 years ago this month, I started publishing the Counterfactual; each December I write an anniversary comment as part of the build to the Rumble.  This is that.  

As you likely know, I'm wrapping up the Counterfactual...for the most part.

Here's the most part - last month was the last Survivor Series, this preview is for the last Rumble, Wrestlemania 40 is the final Wrestlemania, Summer Slam 2024, the 150th WWF PPV, is the final show; there will be wrap up posts in September/October/November (I will not have a post for Survivor Series 2024, which will feel weird) and then a year from now, the 20th Anniversary, I will stop.  

That's the most part.

Here's the other part - in addition to the narrative posts, I have some additional posts that I update after each event (each show has a post dedicated to the history of the event, also, off line, I keep running tallies for best matches of all time and top big match wrestlers of all time and there are some posts I update occasionally to reflect that  

I may continue to do that.  After doing this for 19 years, I've found that I use thinking about the upcoming booking as a....coping mechanism/mental reset, whatever you might call it.  It seems unlikely that need stops cold next September.  

So - currently, while I won't do any more new posts, no more narrative posts, I am likely to, for the time being, continue to book those shows and update that stuff.  I do have a penciled in book for Survivor Series 2024, for ex.  

How I'd suggest one thinks about that is that it's not part of the story - the story ends at Summer Slam next year; its the difference between David Chase making more episodes of Sopranos and David Chase giving some graduation speech where he talks about what happened to Tony after the blackout.  It's dicta. 

An unintended consequence is a bit of a multi-verse; my years long thought was to bend the story back around such that it was plausible that after my last event, the promotion could return to its real life status for its next event - it's one of the reasons behind the Counterfactual Bloodline, for example. This change changes that for me - but for you, you can decide whatever makes sense for you, as my part in the story ends at Summer Slam next year.

For the most part.

Here's the one caveat - if circumstances eventuate that ten years from now I've maintained booking these cards on my own - and if this space still exists - and if there is, in fact, a Wrestlemania 50 - I'll come back and do that event.  Good Lord willing and the Creek Don't Rise.  

Here's the card.

WWF Title v. "The Bag": Cody Rhodes v. CM Punk

IC: Drew McIntyre v. Jey Uso

Tags: Triple Crown (Styles/Nakamura w/Mysterio) v. Kevin Steen/Sami Zayn (w/Gargano/Ciampa)

Womens Title: Asuka v. Jordynn Grace

Womens Tags: Bianca Belair/Bayley v. Horsewomen (Baszler/Stratton)

Number One Contender: Roman Reigns v. Walter (w/Heyman)

IC Number One Contender: Elimination Chamber: Bron Steiner v Jimmy Uso v JD McDonaugh v Santos Escobar v Dom Mysterio v LA Knight

Prince Devitt v. Logan Paul (w/McAfee)

Ricochet (w/ BWI) v. Carmelo Hayes (w/Williams)

Falls Count Anywhere: Randy Orton v. Damien Priest

Kairi Sane v. Liv Morgan (Special Guest Referee: Iyo Sky)

Unsanctioned: Bronson Reed v. Andrade

Rhodes v. Punk

Reigns v. Walter

-At Survivor Series, Walter won the tournament to give him the title shot - but, you know, plans change.  Pretty quickly, Reigns makes a compelling case (1) he held the title for a year and never got a rematch (2) he and Walter were the final two in the battle royal that was to determine the top contender until Walter's partner tore down the ring and (3) Reigns wasn't in the tournament.  Heyman makes a deal, yes, Roman/Walter will wrestle at the Rumble - and the winner there will, no questions asked, go to Wrestlemania 40 to challenge for the WWF Title.

-The build to the Rumble largely focuses on Punk, not just in his match but throughout the programming, everyone in the promotion has to weigh in on CM Punk's dramatic, never expected, return to the WWF.

-Punk makes clear he's back because WWF is the place to be in 2024, Wrestlemania 40, WWF 150, and because of another number -  the number 4.  4 men have had the greatest prize in wrestling, the WWF Championship, 3 times.

Bret Hart

Owen Hart

Bryan Danielson

CM Punk

Punk says he's here for one reason - one reason -  to become the only man ever to win it 4 times.  

Punk says having been away from professional wrestling for so many years, he had a chance to gather his priorities - and after some time in another promotion getting his legs back, he decided now was the time to step into immortality.  

-Cody has to agree to the shot - why he does so is what's in Punk's bag.  Punk never actually reveals whats in the bag, its his AEW title belt, but AEW watchers know whats in the bag, and Punk makes it clear without using the words thats whats in the bag.  The build to Cody/Devitt focused on the AEW stip where Cody gave up the right to ever challenge for the AEW belt, that was framed as a primary reason he left a promotion he helped start - so WWF fans have just spent several weeks with that element of Cody's motivation front of mind.  So now, when CM Punk returns, bag in tow, essentially offering Cody a Title v. Title match, he can't turn it down.

-Cody is just focused on Punk and the bag in the build - Punk on the other hand has multiple segments to do (no physicality, Punk's first bump is coming at the Rumble).  He and Cody get personal (I'm more CM Punk than you was an IRL line that stung); Punk does a Heyman Hustle to both build a possible Mania match with Walter and to re-establish the Heyman/Punk feud (Heyman came back to WWF with Lesnar specifically to go after Punk, feeling Punk was using the ECW Title as a prop, Punk felt it was a tribute, and the two never got on the same page, remaining adversaries) They needle each other pretty good (Heyman can say something like "what - Jason Priestly doesn't have any adult children you could slap around" - Punk might say something like "I'm the only ECW Champ you don't still owe money to" - this should be a heavily promoted segment, there's an element of the fanbase which will want someone to really go after Punk, and Heyman's in position to do that.  The segment ends with a Walter/Punk nose to nose.  

-Also much looked forward to would be the Reigns/Punk promo - Reigns has been talking about Punk for years now, Punk thanks him for being unable to keep his name out of his mouth, it got him off his couch and a few million dollars from the other promotion.  Reigns is able to say to Punk's face what he's been saying as the cornerstone of his rebooted character, Punk's throwing down the WWF title is the original sin that created every terrible thing that has happened in wrestling since, Reigns worked to unwind what Punk has laid down - he took out all of the Punk wanna-bes, but now, at Mania, if he gets the chance to wipe Punk off the face of the earth, it will be the highlight of his life.  There's also a Punk/Steen backstage spot - Punk stops Steen, says he knows he got into some heat with Steen's friends at the other place, wants to know if he and Steen are cool.  Steen says "nope" and leaves.

-Reigns and Walter have now been in their program for well over a year, Reigns is why Walter and Lesnar got together in the first place, Walter/Lesnar is why the Reigns group eventually fell apart, Reigns is why Rousey retired, and now here they finally meet 1 on 1, winner to go to Mania to face the winner of Cody/Punk.  

McIntyre v. Jey Uso

Styles/Nakamura v. Steen/Zayn

-McIntyre and Uso are both heels, they largely stay away from each other in the build (until the McIntyre group wipes Jey out in the go home) McIntyre is cock of the walk, everything has been proven correct - he left Hooligans to join Roman and won the tag belts, he left Roman to form his own thing and now he has the IC belt and Roman has nothing.  He clowns Roman - and by proxy the whole family (Hooligans and Usos feuded on and off forever, then Roman's group feuded with Usos) Drew retcons the decision not to include the Usos in Roman's group, saying he was a voice against them - he said they didn't have it on the inside and Roman eventually agreed (Roman's not including the Usos in his group is what split Jimmy and Jey up, Jimmy is a babyface, Jey a heel).  Jey just keeps beating people, he's not turning, maybe within the context of this program fans are more likely sympathetic to him as its Drew who now has months of promo time to build this character, but he's not turning.

-The tag title match might be the first tag title match in promotion history where all 4 men were former WWF Champs (and 3 of them have triple crowns). Its an all babyface match - but the tension gets ratcheted up given the history among the 4 (Steen was WWF Champ when Styles/Nakamura invaded in the big Bullet Club angle, Styles was a babyface teaming with Zayn in their program against Danielson/Steen) - Styles goes to Rey, who is really in an emeritus position now, and asks him to join Triple Crown (because he's got one too) and Rey is the one person in the locker room who most has reason to dislike Steen (Steen and Rey were a team, Steen turned on him - Rey had gotten Steen fired, so there were reasons) Rey joins for a 6 man with either Gargano or Ciampa having to take the fall for the other side.  Meanwhile, Steen/Zayn have Gargano/Ciampa ready to commit to a reformation of GDI, but they all decide to table it until the night after the Rumble.  

Asuka v. Grace

Sane v. Morgan

Belair/Bayley v. Baszler/Stratton

-Asuka essentially steps out of her storyline for this build, she's a heel, however, Grace is leading the invading TNA force (force is a little excessive, this is the Joe Hendry, et al, stuff they do a IRL a few months later, we're shifting it in time to combine with this program) so within this build, Asuka's the babyface on WWF TV and a heel when she appears on Impact. That main womens program (Asuka/Sky/Sane) continues with the other two participants, Sky and Sane are heated with each other coming off Survivor Series, that tension continues during this build - and when Sky is named special guest referee for the Sane/Morgan match, that becomes the focus.  The Horsewomen heat up, they get singles wins and they challenge the babyface womens tag champs.

Elimination Chamber 

Orton v. Priest

Andrade v. Reed

-It's a very special year, as Linda McMahon opened the RAW after Mania by previewing - and part of that is an Elimination Chamber match plopped in the middle of the Rumble.  Winner gets the IC shot at Mania, the conceit is none of the 6 wrestlers has ever been IC Champ (or WWF Champ, as a matter of fact) it's a real proving ground match, these are guys positioned as important for the future.

3 Babyfaces:  Jimmy Uso, Bron Steiner, JD McDonaugh.

3 Heels: LA Knight, Santos Escobar, Dom Mysterio

Jimmy has to get promo time and he has to show fire - Jimmy got mopey when Roman didn't pick the Usos, whereas Jey got pissed and mopey isn't an appealing character trait, but Romans squad blew up, Jey is now wrestling for the IC Title - and here Jimmy is, with the biggest chance of his career, in the most dangerous match in the sport.

Steiner was just Dark Ride champ and is here to be a wrecking ball.

McDonaugh is aligned separately with Devitt and Sheamus, he's the workrate white meat babyface.  

Lets talk about LA Knight.

In the back half of 2023, the Clique blows up.  After Summer Slam, when Knight stole the pin from Riddle, Michaels asks to talk to him in the back (there's an office set up, with a nod to Michaels role with developmental).  Michaels admonishes Knight - but also says Knight's....doing what kind of looks like cosplay, Michaels understands tributes to past wrestlers, but Knight is making it a lot of his personality.

Knight says its cool - but its not cool, and he doubles and triples down, becoming a full cover band, eventually Riddle gets fed up and the Clique breaks up - Michaels again brings Knight into the office, again trying to straighten him out, Knight says its cool - its cool - and then superkicks Shawn and throws him through a plate glass window. 

Michaels disappears - Knight beats Riddle multiple times (poor, dumb, coked up Matt) until he leaves the promotion.  Knight's cosplay act rolls on.

Escobar leads his heel stable

Dom is part of his heel stable - Defiance added Ripley at Survivor Series and the group - Priest/Dom/Reed/Ripley stomped Orton out.  Orton returns, gets promo time - he'll fight all 4 of them if he has to and a Falls Count Anywhere stip is added to the rematch with Priest.

Reed hit his move on Flair at the PPV, Charlotte got stretchered out and she is gone, gone, gone, her career in jeopardy, Reed cuts a couple of promos about how much he enjoyed doing it, about how feeling the crunch of her bones was thrilling and he thinks, on some level, she liked it too.  

About a month in, Reed is wrestling a match against an enhancement talent and a fan comes out of the crowd and attacks him - the match instantly stops, the opponent and official both attempting to help Reed, as they would if it were a shoot attack - but everyone then realizes who it is - Andrade, who wrestled at AEW weeks before, and who was always under a mask in a different persona when he was in WWF, is here - he is Charlotte's husband, and that's never been acknowledged on either promotions show before - he lays in shoot punches to Reed, ideally busting him open - it's a wild scene - agents come out from the back, random babyfaces and heels come to the ring out of their gear, the announcers treat it like its a shoot.  

Cole flies out to Andrade's home, they do a shoot style interview, Andrade says Charlotte will eventually be fine but he does not want her to wrestle again, he says Reed is a coward, a man who hurts a woman is not a man - he had to quit AEW to show up on RAW - WWF will not let him back in the building - he can't sleep - Andrade starts screaming at the camera - "on sight, Reed - on sight, you bitch" Andrade grabbing the camera.  Reed will cut another antagonistic promo, talking about Charlotte's bones underneath him - that its too bad she won't return to the ring, maybe Reed will have to go find her.  Andrade posts a video via social media that they put on TV, he signs a hold harmless waiver - WWF won't let him in the building, they won't sanction a match since he doesn't work there - Andrade says he waives liability - he wants Reed at the Rumble in an unsanctioned match.  Reed accepts.

Devitt v. Paul

Ricochet v. Hayes

Finally, two never before seen workrate matches; Logan Paul comes in hard after Devitt - Devitt looks washed to him, Paul has experience with retiring some of these old washed wrestlers, they set up that match; and Ricochet's stable (BWI) feuds with The Culture, leading to this singles match.

It's a good card - CM Punk is back, it's Rumble 2024.