Below are a couple of top Royal Rumble 2025 news stories of the day, featuring AJ Styles and Alexa Bliss.
• AJ Styles made his return to WWE programming during the 2025 Men’s Royal Rumble, entering at #21 after recovering from a Lisfranc injury he sustained in October.
Wasting no time, Styles targeted top names like Roman Reigns, John Cena, CM Punk, and Seth Rollins, showing no signs of rust. However, his WrestleMania 41 aspirations were cut short when Logan Paul eliminated him from the match.
In a backstage interview with Cathy Kelley, Styles didn’t hide his frustration about being ousted by Paul. “I don’t know if I’ll ever live that one down,” he admitted with a smirk.
When Kelley pointed out that Paul also eliminated CM Punk, Styles responded, “Well, at least I’m not the only one dealing with this humiliation.”
Paul, who entered at #30, made a significant impact by eliminating both Punk and Styles, positioning himself as a key figure heading into WrestleMania season.
Despite the setback, Styles remained optimistic: “I got in there with some of the best, I held my own, and I showed the world that AJ Styles is still phenomenal.”
• Fightful Select reports that Alexa Bliss’ return during the 2025 Women’s Royal Rumble match was a late decision. Despite on-air commentary suggesting otherwise, earlier reports from PWInsider and the Wrestling Observer about her status heading into the event were accurate.
As of Saturday morning, other participants in the Women’s Royal Rumble had no idea Bliss would be in the match, and she wasn’t present for Friday’s rehearsals.
Originally, Shotzi was slated for Bliss’ spot, which would have marked her first main roster appearance since last year’s Royal Rumble. Shotzi had been sidelined with an injury but recently returned to NXT to get back into ring shape before her planned main roster comeback.
While those familiar with the situation were happy to see Bliss return, some felt bad for Shotzi due to the sudden change.
Speaking of Bliss, her WWE TV future has now been revealed. PWInsider is reporting that Alexa is going to be a part of the RAW brand on Netflix.
