In the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, the January 27 edition of WWE Raw on Netflix set its final stage for the 2025 Royal Rumble.

Many top names made a promise to win the men's Rumble match on Saturday, from a returning Logan Paul to a confident CM Punk.

With both Cody Rhodes and Gunther in attendance, the champions had a front-row seat to hear the various challenges of potential Rumble winners.

Lyra Valkyria and Iyo Sky continued to round out the field in the women's Rumble match, though the biggest statement of the night was made by Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez, who defeated Bianca Belair and Naomi.

This show promised a special night to come when the top stars in WWE step into the men's and women's Royal Rumble matches at the weekend.

CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes Instantly Becomes Must-Book WrestleMania 41 Match

Last week, CM Punk made a definitive statement on why he needs to be the one who wins the men's Royal Rumble.

This week, he established the most exciting option for him to fight at WrestleMania 41: Cody Rhodes.

Rhodes vs. Punk is a complicated match to book since both are fan favorites, but both made compelling arguments for why they can tell that story all the way to The Show of Shows on April 19-20.

The Best in the World continues to hold on to that label, even without a championship to back it up. He is desperately seeking validation.

The American Nightmare has reached the mountaintop and wants to keep showing he is not a one-and-done champion. He can do that by fighting and beating the best.

These two men want to be the best, and they can only get there by going through each other. This is the kind of story that works best at 'Mania where the spotlight is brightest.

In many ways, it is a similar feud to what Rhodes could tell with Roman Reigns or John Cena, but Rhodes vs. Reigns has been done to death at 'Mania while Punk is a much better worker than Cena in 2025.

WWE needs to deliver the absolute best effort possible for WrestleMania, and this is the biggest match it can deliver right now based on that Raw promo.

Logan Paul Can Help WWE Turn Gunther Face

Gunther has struggled to stay relevant as Raw's top world champion while being surrounded by big personalities.

CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre and Sami Zayn all have strong arguments for being the strongest character on the red brand.

The Ring General cannot keep up at present despite his incredible in-ring work. He needs a character adjustment that can allow him to step back up to the pedestal.

The best option could be a face turn, but he would need to feud with a man more hated than he is. And the easiest answer confronted Gunther on Monday's Raw: Logan Paul.

The Maverick may have lost some of his luster as the impressive rookie, but he still has not often missed in big spots.

The WWE audience dislikes him, giving him natural heat that may eclipse any other heel in the business.

A story of Gunther vs. Paul is the perfect opportunity for the Austrian to sell why wrestling matters and elevate himself as a fighting champion unafraid to call out grifters like the YouTuber.

Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez are Latest Attempt to Save Women's Tag Division

The women's tag team division may be the most forgotten aspect of WWE despite talented names always competing for the gold.

Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill were an exciting championship duo until the latter was taken out ahead of Survivor Series in November.

Since then, Belair has defended the titles once with the help of Naomi filling in. But The Glow's role remains nebulous as Cargill could return any day.

Throughout all the uncertainty, though, no teams are stepping up. The only tandem that stands out is Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez, who already got a shot at Belair and Cargill in November.

The Judgment Day is struggling to stay relevant, and Morgan and Rodriguez are the most interesting figures in the group at present.

They should and likely will win the gold soon, and hopefully that will revitalize the division on the road to WrestleMania.

It should at least set up a fresh dynamic in an understaffed women's tag team division.

Women's Royal Rumble is a Complete Afterthought

The men's Rumble match feels as big as it ever has for 2025. The number of worthy winners is high, leaving plenty of intriguing questions ahead of WrestleMania 41.

The women's Rumble should feel just as big, but WWE has not told strong, consistent stories on the road to Saturday's event.

This has been an ongoing issue over the past couple years despite the overall excitement around the Rumble rising in this modern era.

The women will certainly bring their all to the match, hoping to earn major spotlights on the road to WrestleMania.

However, this does not excuse a lack of stories to rival the personal quests of CM Punk, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, Drew McIntyre and more.

Charlotte Flair's return is a big story, but other top challengers such as Bayley and Nia Jax have all earned recent title opportunities.

Bianca Belair, Naomi and Lyra Valkyria are all interesting names more focused on their current titles than winning the women's Rumble.

WWE needs to reevaluate its approach to hyping the Royal Rumble matches when it comes to the women's division in 2026.

Before then, this year's women's Rumble match should be an opportunity to build multiple big stories that the division is lacking following the end of Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan.