Jey Uso eliminates John Cena to win men's Royal Rumble; Cody Rhodes retains world title

The match marked Cena's return to in-ring action for the first time since he competed in a six-man tag-team match in April 2024. He had a breathtaking moment at one point in the Royal Rumble as he stared down Roman Reigns and CM Punk before Seth Rollins entered the match.

Rollins, Reigns and Punk were each eliminated around the same time. Rollins then snapped and went after both Reigns and Punk before he went to the back. Each of the three men appeared to be unhappy with each other, signaling a bumpy road to WrestleMania.

Flair returned to a WWE ring nearly 14 months after tearing her ACL, MCL and meniscus in December 2023. She was one of the final entrants. She eliminated NXT star Roxanne Perez to win the match.

Where the men's Rumble was filled with big-time superstars who were expected to be in the competition, the women's Rumble featured a handful of surprising returns. Jordynne Grace made her first appearance in the Rumble as a WWE star - last year she was still with TNA Wrestling when she competed. Alexa Bliss likely received the biggest pop of the night as she returned for the first time since 2023. WWE legends Trish Stratus and Nikki Bella also came back for the match.

In the end, it was Flair who picked up the victory.

Rhodes was able to return his championship in a ladder match against Kevin Owens.

The match featured some wild moves as both competitors made their way through multiple ladders. In the end, Rhodes put Owens in an Alabama slam through a ladder that was perched between the ring apron and the announcers' table. He took a tough-looking fall before Rhodes climbed the ladder in the ring and obtained the two title belts that were hanging above.

The fourth match featured Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa retain their tag-team titles in a 2 of 3 falls match against Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley. The Street Profits, Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins, interfered in the match and allowed Gargano and Ciampa to retain the titles.

Ford and Dawkins left the ring scowling as it appeared they set their sights on the titles.

The road to WrestleMania is jumpstarted from here. The next premium live event is the Elimination Chamber on March 1 in Toronto.