Cody Rhodes and The Real Winners and Losers from WWE Royal Rumble 2024 Match Card

The 2024 Royal Rumble was fully focused on the same-titled men's and women's matches. While there were two title contests involving top names such as Roman Reigns and Logan Paul, they will be largely forgotten in the aftermath.

Bayley pulled off a victory in the women's Rumble that solidified her WWE career and set her up to challenge Iyo Sky. The match also featured the return of Naomi, the arrival of Jade Cargill and the appearance of TNA Knockouts champion Jordynne Grace.

Cody Rhodes pulled off the most important win of his WWE career with a successive men's Rumble victory. This is a feat not seen in over two decades.

CM Punk was not able to get his big win, but given the dramatic finish of the night, he is likely to be a world title contender by WrestleMania 40.

The rest of the men's Rumble match did not deliver as clearly, leaving many struggling to find a clear direction for The Show of Shows. None more so than Gunther, who is a step above his peers but struggling to break into the main event scene.

These are the real winners and loser for Royal Rumble 2024.

Winner: Naomi

Naomi returned to WWE in the women's Rumble after nearly two years away.

Her walkout with Sasha Banks in May 2022 was the talk of wrestling for months afterward, and it seemed like The Glow was ready to tell her own story separate from the company where she made her name.

She signed with Impact (now TNA) Wrestling on April 28, 2023, and quickly became Knockouts world champion.

She put on quality matches against Jordynne Grace, Deonna Purrazzo and Gisele Shaw. She kept the title until WWE came calling, dropping it on January 13.

Assumedly, she is back fully with WWE, especially after one of the best runs in the women's Rumble this year. She lasted an impressive one hour and two minutes.

Naomis future will be exciting to watch. She is a star who has always been ready for a better spotlight. Perhaps her time in Impact/TNA has opened some eyes.

Winner: Jordynne Grace

Many in the WWE Universe may not be familiar with Jordynne Grace, but the TNA Knockouts champion made an impact (pun intended) in her short run in the women's Rumble.

She is a powerhouse performer who likely turned heads with her work on Saturday night. It took a KOD on the apron from Bianca Belair to take her down.

This was a great showcase of the newly renamed TNA Wrestling, showing how good its top women's champion can be.

Grace has gained mainstream attention that should benefit her for the long term. For those looking to see more of her, she will be working Thursdays on TNA Impact TV.

Winner: Jade Cargill

It took several months beyond her initial arrival in WWE in September, but Jade Cargill is finally here. She showed out in her in-ring debut in the women's Rumble match.

The 31-year-old eliminated both Nia Jax and Naomi while helping to take out Becky Lynch. Her staredown with Bianca Belair inside the ring had everyone excited, and this would be a perfect match for her initial singles run.

Cargill looked like a star and worked like one. As long as WWE is ready to push her as big as she was showcased here, this is the beginning of a top run.

This women's Rumble built up multiple names, but no one gained more stock in a single night than Cargill.

Winner: Bayley

Bayley has done it all in WWE. She is a multiple-time women's and tag champion, and she has won Money in the Bank. She has now won the women's Royal Rumble match.

The future of WrestleMania for the women's division goes through The Role Model. She seems likely to pick Iyo Sky when it matters most, but there is plenty of time to tease it first.

The Royal Rumble event is a great time to solidify a star. While Bayley was already made, this felt like the final step in declaring her as one of the all-time great women's wrestlers.

The storytelling of Damage CTRL is the most important in the women's division. The Role Model has a chance to tell a phenomenal story that can go down as one of the best in WrestleMania history.

The future is very bright for Bayley.

Loser: AJ Styles

AJ Styles looked like the odd man out in the Fatal 4-Way match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship and that led to him taking the pinfall at the end.

While this can continue the story of The Phenomenal One becoming a spiteful heel, his immediate future is uncertain.

Randy Orton and LA Knight still look like top names and are immensely over, while Roman Reigns is the untouchable Superstar at the top of the business.

Styles could have kept his own momentum if he did more across the course of Saturday's match. Instead, he was the clear fall guy, which may indicate his 'Mania future is uncertain.

Loser: Logan Paul

The mystique of Logan Paul is beginning to wear off as he becomes more actively involved in WWE. He is no longer a talented rookie, and he needs to work at the level of his peers.

While the social media star was able to work a lengthy competitive match with Kevin Owens, he did not shine as he did Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns previously.

In particular, his varied offense was more sloppy, and the structure of the match fell flat with a disappointing disqualification finish.

This is an understandable evolution for The Maverick. He will face struggles and hope to find new heights to reach with top names.

However, this year's Royal Rumble will go down as a forgettable result for Paul that will leave him and KO scrambling to make the sequel better.

Loser: Gunther

Gunther has been a powerful and dominant champion over the last year, following his show-stealing performance in the 2023 men's Royal Rumble.

However, Cody Rhodes remains the one man in his way, and Gunther did not have a dominant Rumble run to make up for his loss this year.

He entered at No. 18 and only eliminated three men. He made the final three, but The American Nightmare and CM Punk went another five minutes after he was eliminated.

The future is still very bright for The Ring General. He is the longest-reigning intercontinental champion in history with no clear challenger to take him down.

Whatever the future may hold, Gunther has a new primary goal that will supersede defending his current title. He will want to break The American Nightmare.

Winner: Cody Rhodes

In the history of the men's Royal Rumble match, few Superstars can claim to do what Cody Rhodes has accomplished.

The American Nightmare has won two Rumble matches, and he has done so in back-to-back years.

He joins Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin as two-time victors, and he is the first man to do it back-to-back since 1998.

More importantly, at a time when many speculated CM Punk or even The Rock would come in to steal his thunder, The American Nightmare emerged victorious.

The line has become a bit of a running joke, but Rhodes now has a chance to truly finish his story.

That means something especially to a man who has put his entire family legacy on his back.

He will certainly challenge Roman Reigns, and this needs to be the time when he defeats The Tribal Chief. If Rhodes fails again at WrestleMania 40, it would be a huge disappointment.

Loser: CM Punk

All the talk going into the men's Royal Rumble was focused on CM Punk.

The Best in the World was not just going to return to the ring, but he was also going to win his first Rumble.

That didn't happen, but he made it to the final two and went long against Cody Rhodes. However, it was The American Nightmare who set his course for the WrestleMania 40 main event.

Punk will need to regroup and earn a title shot against Seth Rollins in the coming months if he still plans to main-event a night at The Show of Shows.

Even if he does earn his shot, Rollins is hurt, and it's possible Bayley vs. Iyo Sky or Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch takes that top slot instead come April 6-7.

Punk proved he is back for the long haul, and he will give everything to each performance. However, at 45 years old and coming off multiple injuries ahead of his WWE return, the question is: How long does he have left at the very top?

If The Second City Saint doesn't main-event this year's WrestleMania, will he ever get that moment?