Royal Rumble Fallout: Roman Reigns, Liv Morgan Set the WrestleMania Table

The Royal Rumble is in the books, which means we’re officially on the ‘Road to WrestleMania’. Liv Morgan and Roman Reigns are the winners of their respective matches and have a guaranteed title shot at the grandest stage of them all. During the RR post-show, fans showed their appreciation for Morgan as she was introduced by the panel. One person who did get backlash was Triple H, as the fans chanted ‘Y2J’, ‘We Want Vince’, and ‘You ****ed up’ as he sat with the panel. The WWE Universe was expecting Chris Jericho to be a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble, but he is still under contract with AEW.

With the RR in the rearview mirror, let’s look at the fallout. Many fans disliked seeing Roman Reigns win because he had been in the spotlight before. Reigns has main-evented WM 10 times, and looks to be on his way to 11. Dating back to WM 31, Reigns is synonymous with WM.

On Monday Night Raw, Roman had a decision to make: Undisputed WWE Champion Drew McIntyre or World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk. Fans didn’t have to wait long, as the Big Dog came to the ring to tell the WWE Universe his choice. Before he could, he was interrupted by CM Punk, and the two traded barbs.

This led to the Royal Rumble winner saying that “I made my choice… I’m picking you because I hate you. I’ve always hated you, and WM is going to be the best of my life because in the main event, you will acknowledge me.”

A dream match is underway with ten weeks to go, and these two have quite the history. Roman Reigns was a part of the SHIELD that originally used to protect CM Punk. Both are former ‘Paul Heyman guys’, and both have become WWE Champions in their careers.

On the women’s side of things, Liv Morgan also has a decision to make. Will she take on WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill or Stephanie Vaquer? She said she was weighing her options, but gave Vaquer an Oblivion and picked up the title signifying her choice. However, Morgan appeared on SmackDown and delivered a warning to Jade Cargill that she was coming for her title. This led to a match between Raquel/Liv and Jordynn/Cargill, where Grace picked up the win. It’s still unclear where WWE is going with Morgan’s opponent for WM.

Speaking of WM, one superstar bound to miss the show is AJ Styles. Styles retired in Saudi Arabia at the Royal Rumble, but did say ‘Never Say Never’ during an appearance on Stephanie McMahon’s podcast. Gunther appeared on Monday Night Raw to troll the audience when he used the Phenomenal One’s theme music. The crowd was at first ecstatic and then letdown when it was revealed to be Gunther. One plan for him is to face Randy Orton at WM, where the Career Killer takes on the Legend Killer. Would be one heck of a thrill ride.

Also on SmackDown, WWE Champion Drew McIntyre was attacked twice. First, by Cody Rhodes (sigh) and then by Jacob Fatu. It sure is looking like a triple threat is in the cards in Vegas. I just hope Drew retains because he’s been on fire from an in-ring perspective and promo work.

One more thing to mention is that two superstars won qualifying matches for the Elimination Chamber. First, it was Tiffy Time as Tiffany Stratton gained the victory to have a chance to take on the champion. The Viper struck in the main event to punch his ticket as well. With ten weeks to go until the card is out in Vegas, WWE needs to gamble if it wants its fans to keep tuning in. Here’s hoping Triple H and co. can play the game right, and maybe hit the jackpot at WrestleMania.