section_path: Event/Preliminary matches
section_name: Preliminary matches
paragraph_text: Preliminary matches
  
  The pay-per-view opened with the Women's Royal Rumble match. Iyo Sky and Liv Morgan started the match at #1 and #2, respectively. Several entered the match from NXT: Roxanne Perez (#3), Lash Legend (#9), Jaida Parker (#16), Stephanie Vaquer (#24), and NXT Women's Champion Giulia (#28). Also in the match were the two main roster secondary champions: Raw's Women's Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria (#4) and SmackDown's Women's United States Champion Chelsea Green (#5). Former Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) wrestler Jordynne Grace, who had just signed a multi-year contract with WWE, entered the match at #19, marking her first official match as a WWE wrestler. There were also several returns: Alexa Bliss (#21), who had been out for two years on maternity leave, Charlotte Flair (#27), whose return was announced a couple weeks beforehand on SmackDown, and WWE Hall of Famers Trish Stratus (#25) and Nikki Bella (#30). Nia Jax (#29) set the record for the most eliminations in a single women's Royal Rumble match at nine, eliminating Sky, Morgan, WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair (#10) and Naomi (#15), Zelina Vega (#22), Vaquer, Stratus, Raquel Rodriguez (#26), and Bella. The final four were Flair, Bella, Perez, and Jax. In the closing moments, after Jax eliminated Bella, Flair eliminated Jax. Flair then eliminated Perez to win the match, earning a world title match at WrestleMania 41 and becoming the first woman to win two Royal Rumbles, previously winning in 2020. Perez also set the record for the longest time spent in a single Women's Rumble match at 1:07:47.
  
  Next, #DIY (Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano) defended the WWE Tag Team Championship against The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) in a two out of three falls match. #DIY got the first fall after Ciampa pinned Shelley after a running knee strike. The Motor Machine Guns tied up the falls after Shelley pinned Gargano after Skull and Bones. As The Motor Machine Guns set up for Skull and Bones again, two hooded figures appeared, which caused a distraction allowing #DIY to hit Meet in the Middle and Ciampa pinned Shelley to retain the titles. After the match, The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) revealed themselves as the hooded figures and laid out both teams.
  
  In the penultimate match, Cody Rhodes defended the Undisputed WWE Championship against Kevin Owens in a Ladder match, with both the Undisputed and Winged Eagle belts suspended above the ring. During the match, Owens attempted a Package Piledriver but Rhodes countered, back dropping Owens onto a ladder. Owens hit a Fisherman's Buster Suplex to Rhodes onto a ladder bridged inside the ring, laying both men completely out as officials, as well as Sami Zayn, came out to check on them. The two continued until Owens attempted another Package Piledriver on the announce table but Rhodes countered, driving Owens through a bridged ladder with an Alabama Slam. Cody then climbed the ladder and unhooked the both championship belts to retain.
  
  The pay-per-view opened with the Women's Royal Rumble match. Iyo Sky and Liv Morgan started the match at #1 and #2, respectively. Several entered the match from NXT: Roxanne Perez (#3), Lash Legend (#9), Jaida Parker (#16), Stephanie Vaquer (#24), and NXT Women's Champion Giulia (#28). Also in the match were the two main roster secondary champions: Raw's Women's Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria (#4) and SmackDown's Women's United States Champion Chelsea Green (#5). Former Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) wrestler Jordynne Grace, who had just signed a multi-year contract with WWE, entered the match at #19, marking her first official match as a WWE wrestler. There were also several returns: Alexa Bliss (#21), who had been out for two years on maternity leave, Charlotte Flair (#27), whose return was announced a couple weeks beforehand on SmackDown, and WWE Hall of Famers Trish Stratus (#25) and Nikki Bella (#30). Nia Jax (#29) set the record for the most eliminations in a single women's Royal Rumble match at nine, eliminating Sky, Morgan, WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair (#10) and Naomi (#15), Zelina Vega (#22), Vaquer, Stratus, Raquel Rodriguez (#26), and Bella. The final four were Flair, Bella, Perez, and Jax. In the closing moments, after Jax eliminated Bella, Flair eliminated Jax. Flair then eliminated Perez to win the match, earning a world title match at WrestleMania 41 and becoming the first woman to win two Royal Rumbles, previously winning in 2020. Perez also set the record for the longest time spent in a single Women's Rumble match at 1:07:47.
  
  Next, #DIY (Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano) defended the WWE Tag Team Championship against The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) in a two out of three falls match. #DIY got the first fall after Ciampa pinned Shelley after a running knee strike. The Motor Machine Guns tied up the falls after Shelley pinned Gargano after Skull and Bones. As The Motor Machine Guns set up for Skull and Bones again, two hooded figures appeared, which caused a distraction allowing #DIY to hit Meet in the Middle and Ciampa pinned Shelley to retain the titles. After the match, The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) revealed themselves as the hooded figures and laid out both teams.
  
  In the penultimate match, Cody Rhodes defended the Undisputed WWE Championship against Kevin Owens in a Ladder match, with both the Undisputed and Winged Eagle belts suspended above the ring. During the match, Owens attempted a Package Piledriver but Rhodes countered, back dropping Owens onto a ladder. Owens hit a Fisherman's Buster Suplex to Rhodes onto a ladder bridged inside the ring, laying both men completely out as officials, as well as Sami Zayn, came out to check on them. The two continued until Owens attempted another Package Piledriver on the announce table but Rhodes countered, driving Owens through a bridged ladder with an Alabama Slam. Cody then climbed the ladder and unhooked the both championship belts to retain.