Royal Rumble Will Be Best in Decades, Jinder Mahal Proves His Value, More Raw Takes

The January 15 edition of WWE Raw continued to set the stage for what could be the biggest Royal Rumble the company has ever put together.

Drew McIntyre continued to challenge anyone who would get in his way of winning the men's Rumble match, calling out Cody Rhodes for putting on a façade.

Seth Rollins successfully defended his World Heavyweight Championship against Jinder Mahal, but the two delivered on dramatic near-falls that teased an upset that never came.

Becky Lynch promised to challenge Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 40, but Mami was hardly scared of The Man.

Xavier Woods made Ludwig Kaiser pay for his brutal attack of Kofi Kingston last week, getting disqualified to beat down his Imperium rival with a steel chair.

Raw was solid once again, though the Road to WrestleMania is still not quite in gear.

Men's Royal Rumble Has Potential to Be All-Time Great Match

WWE has carefully set the stage on Raw for the key players in the men's Rumble match. CM Punk has made winning his one true goal, and Cody Rhodes has promised a repeat win to set up a date with his destiny.

Next week, those two men will meet on the go-home Raw for Royal Rumble 2024, likely announcing them as the two biggest favorites in the men's contest.

Drew McIntyre has had the most pronounced build in recent weeks, calling out both Punk and Rhodes as obstacles to his ascension.

Gunther returned to clearly establish that he will be unstoppable in the men's Rumble, completing the journey he began last year as a final-two competitor. Jey Uso is also entering his first Rumble alone, hoping to win his first singles gold.

Everyone on Raw is building up this men's match as an all-time great with stories that will define the entire hour-long contest.

This build and talent involved set the stage for best Rumble WWE has produced. It will have a tough road to outmatch last year's men's contest, but everyone is certain to deliver.

Imperium and New Day Feud Has Been Smashing Success

Imperium and The New Day began a feud on a whim, and it seemed like an opportunity to just get two talented teams on television.

However, with the encouragement of Gunther and an unfortunate injury to Giovanni Vinci, this battle has grown personal.

Ludwig Kaiser has grown more dangerous, and Xavier Woods has matched him. Kofi Kingston was already delivering great matches and is certain to get more physical upon his return.

If there is any chance for Big E to return to action soon, this feud would be the perfect chance to reintroduce him. If he can't, Jey Uso would be a worthy third member to help battle Imperium.

Gunther vs. Uso could well be the WrestleMania 40 match for the Intercontinental Championship, which is an exciting possibility that can build off the great work of Kingston, Woods, Kaiser and Vinci.

Becky Lynch Remains Only WrestleMania Option for Rhea Ripley

Becky Lynch lost her first match in 2024, but she looks to rebound with her second by winning the women's Royal Rumble match.

While it is more likely The Man will fall short, she should still be the woman to ultimately challenge Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 40. She is the best option for all involved.

Over the past year, Mami has faced few true greats. With Charlotte Flair, Asuka, Bayley, Iyo Sky and Bianca Belair on SmackDown, she has outmatched all of her competition on Raw.

Lynch is, arguably, still the best women's wrestler in the world. The only one who can contest her work is the Australian. Together, they could have the best women's match in 'Mania history.

Ripley needs this as the top star in the women's division. Even if Lynch is unlikely to dethrone her, she will get closer than anyone else on the Raw roster.

Jinder Mahal Shows Why WWE Should Use Him More

Jinder Mahal is a reliable veteran who has always delivered on what WWE asks of him, except for his WWE Championship reign.

While it was cool to see The Modern Day Maharaja pull off the shock upset and get the Superstar treatment for a while, he isn't the kind of performer in the ring who can sustain a main event run.

He can deliver with the right opponents as he did against Seth Rollins on Monday. Of course, The Visionary has had better title defenses recently, but fans were buzzing for this one more than expected.

Some of that comes down to AEW owner Tony Khan's recent comments on X made at the expense of Mahal's world title challenge:

However, The Maharaja has also always been a strong promo. He is the kind of star who can elevate himself, even working off Superstars such as The Rock and Rollins in recent weeks.

The biggest conversation around Mahal has been his challenge for the world title after doing nothing for the past year. That should change as his value as a midcard star and manager for Indus Sher is important to the future of Raw's undercard.