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It's no secret to those who know me, the Royal Rumble is my favorite pay per view on the entire WWE calendar. I love WrestleMania, Money In The Bank, and the Elimination Chamber, but the Rumble holds a special place in my heart.
Thinking about my favorite Royal Rumble moment of all time is a tough task, but if I were to narrow it down to one classic moment and one modern moment, I would go with Ric Flair coming to the WWF in 1992 and winning the Rumble from the #3 position to become the WWF Champion. I was a huge NWA / WCW fan growing up and loved guys like Sting, Legion of Doom, and the Four Horsemen.
My favorite modern moment is one that just happened two years ago. The debut of AJ Styles in the 2016 Royal Rumble Match. It was a moment that gave me goosebumps, and a moment that I watched over and over days later. It'll be a debut that will be remembered for years to come.
This article will take a look at the six scheduled matches on the 2018 Royal Rumble card, along with how I see these matches playing out. There are four titles up for grabs with both Raw and SmackDown's tag titles, the WWE Championship, and the WWE Universal Championship. For the first time, we'll have two Royal Rumble matches with the women's and men's matches.
Just announced were three matches that will take place on the two-hour Kickoff Show, and my predictions for those are below:
- Bobby Roode's US Open Challenge will be answered by Dolph Ziggler and end in a no contest or disqualification.
- The Revival will defeat Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson to get revenge from Raw 25.
- The luchador team of Kalisto, Lince Dorado, & Gran Metalik will defeat the bad guy team of TJP, Gentlemen Jack Gallagher, and Drew Gulak.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the Raw tag title match...
Jason Jordan & Seth Rollins v. The Bar for the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships
When Dean Ambrose was put on the shelf for potentially nine months, someone needed to step in with Seth Rollins to continue the chase for the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships. Rollins reluctantly tagged with Jason Jordan and on Christmas Night, they defeated The Bar to win the titles.
The Bar gets their rematch at the Royal Rumble, and the timing couldn't be any more perfect after Rollins accidentally planted his knee in Jordan's face on Raw 25 this week. There are a lot of cracks in the foundation of the current tag champs; while The Bar is as cohesive of a unit as there is in the tag division currently.
I think Jordan strikes Rollins "accidentally on purpose" at the end of the match to cost them the titles. Then, I believe that both Jordan and Rollins enter the Royal Rumble Match where Jordan will eliminate Rollins to set up a potential WrestleMania feud.
Prediction: The Bar d. Seth Rollins & Jason Jordan to win the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships
The Usos v. Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin - two out of three falls for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships
The Usos are perennially the best tag team in the WWE, so it is no surprise that they are currently in their fifth reign as tag champions within the company. They face a team in Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin who have been together for roughly six months now and have come very close to capturing the titles.
Sometimes on matches that are two out of three falls, the first two decisions are fairly rushed. I hope that isn't the case in this match and each decision is a lengthy contest. If that happens, this tag title match could steal the show.
At the Royal Rumble, I expect The Usos to retain because I think the Bludgeon Brothers are going to be next up for the brothers; which will more than likely signify the end of their fifth reign with the tag titles.
Prediction: The Usos d. Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin to retain the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships
AJ Styles v. Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens - handicap match for the WWE Championship
Ever since Kevin Owens was moved to SmackDown Live in the last Superstar Shakeup, he has been at odds with SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon. Over the past several months, Sami Zayn and Daniel Bryan have been intertwined into this feud.
The next person to be caught in the middle of this is the WWE Champion AJ Styles, and now he has to defend his WWE Championship in a handicap match against Owens and Zayn. Is it creative booking by Daniel Bryan or is he in the pocket of Zayn and Owens?
AJ Styles executed a perfect plan for this week's go-home edition of SmackDown Live when he injured Kevin Owens' leg and then continued to pummel him during his match with Zayn.
The injury Styles delivered to Owens will be enough to even the odds. Expect a lot of Sami Zayn and AJ Styles in this match, and that is a good thing. I hope they get around 30 minutes here, but there is no doubt The Phenomenal One is going to leave Philly the champ.
Prediction: AJ Styles d. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn to retain the WWE Championship
Brock Lesnar v. Kane v. Braun Strowman - triple threat match for the WWE Universal Championship
Ever since Kane made his return to the WWE, he has been in the face of "The Monster Among Men" Braun Strowman. Their feud escalated into a chance to face Brock Lesnar, but during their #1 contender's matches, a definitive winner couldn't be named, so Raw General Manager Kurt Angle just put them both in the WWE Universal Championship match at the Royal Rumble.
The condition of Lesnar and Kane is unknown going into the Royal Rumble after Strowman collapsed a massive metal truss on top of them both two weeks ago. Strowman clearly has the upper hand going into this match, but a triple threat match is always unpredictable.
There is going to be a lot of carnage in this contest, but I fully believe that Lesnar is on a collision course with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania.
Prediction: Brock Lesnar d. Braun Strowman & Kane to retain the WWE Universal Championship
Men's 2018 Royal Rumble Match
Unlike last year, the lineup for the men's Royal Rumble Match is not quite defined yet, and that's not a bad thing. Only 17 men have been announced, leaving room for some surprises, returns, and potentially debuts.
I would love to see either Eric Young or Adam Cole make an NXT cameo in the match. Additionally, I'd like to see someone from Raw 25 like MVP make his in-ring return for the WWE at the Rumble as well.
In my article that predicted the entrants of the match, I had The Miz, Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Finn Balor as the final four of the match. I was hoping Joe's injury was a ruse, that is not the case (at the time of this writing), so I'd replace Joe with Randy Orton to tease the first back-to-back winner since 1998 and only the second three-time winner with Stone Cold Steve Austin.
In the end, I believe we are going to get a dream match at WrestleMania that will have people talking.
Prediction: Shinsuke Nakamura wins the 2018 Men's Royal Rumble Match
Women's 2018 Royal Rumble Match
The next step in the Women's Revolution is a major one when 30 women will walk the aisle in the first ever Women's Royal Rumble Match. Only 18 women are officially announced for the match leaving a lot of room for surprises, NXT debuts, and legends.
As for NXT, I would expect Ember Moon to enter if she loses to Shayna Baszler the night before at Takeover. I hope both Trish Stratus and Lita are in the match, it was very curious that Lita was left out of the Raw 25 celebration. As for a surprise return, I would love to see Awesome Kong return to the WWE and have a stare down with Nia Jax.
As for who is going to win this match, I think it is going to be WIDE open. I think Asuka is too obvious, I don't think they pull the trigger on Nia Jax here, it's too soon for Absolution, and having someone like Sasha Banks or Becky Lynch winning makes sense, but the winner is going to be someone new...
Prediction: Ronda Rousey wins the Women's Royal Rumble Match
Sure, TMZ reported that Rousey isn't going to be at the Royal Rumble, but AJ Styles said the same thing in 2016. I think the Four Horsewomen of WWE v. Four Horsewomen of MMA is off the table, so Rousey debuts at the Rumble to face Charlotte at WrestleMania 34.
