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The Royal Rumble is personally my favorite pay per view on the calendar, but it is an exciting time for everyone in the WWE Universe as this night is filled with twists, turns, and surprises. One of the twists was announced last month when Stephanie McMahon revealed that the women will get a Rumble match for the first time.
This year the Royal Rumble takes place on January 28th from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Philly is the perfect town to hold the Rumble because they will be a lively crowd throughout the entire evening.
This article is going to attempt to predict the impossible. The 30 WWE Superstars who will fill the men's Royal Rumble Match. We would need a world-renowned mathematician to figure out the odds of getting every one of these rights, and I may not get a single one correct, but it's always fun to try to predict.
This article is going to take a look at the first 20 entrants into the 2018 Royal Rumble match, with the following article breaking down numbers 21-30. Continue below to see who the first entrant in the 2018 Royal Rumble Match will be...
#1 Kevin Owens
The feud between Shane McMahon and Kevin Owens has existed for months, and the Royal Rumble is another way for Shane to throw his weight around and screw KO at the same time by putting him in at #1.
I fully expect AJ Styles to retain the WWE Championship when he faces Owens and Sami Zayn in a handicap match earlier in the evening. Putting Owens in at #1 just punishes him some more, a move that Daniel Bryan will probably not like.
#2 Finn Balor
To give us a spectacular pairing to begin the Royal Rumble Match, I'm going to have Kevin Owens go one-on-one with Finn Balor as the first two entrants. These two have been involved in feuds going back to NXT when Balor defeated Owens to become NXT Champion for the first time. Balor was also rumoured to feud with Kevin Owens after becoming Universal Champion. The feud, however, was cancelled due to Balor's injury
One of the major stats that come out of the Royal Rumble is the "ironman" of the match or the person who lasted the longest. Last year, it was Chris Jericho becoming the sixth man to ever last an hour with 60:13. I have a feeling that Balor will be the Ironman this year and he'll make it to the final four.
#3 EC3
The first surprise of the Royal Rumble comes from the former Impact World Heavyweight Champion, Ethan Carter III. EC3 recently left Impact Wrestling and also recently cancelled an indie date that just so happens to be on the same night as the Royal Rumble.
With Ed Nordholm enabling past Impact Wrestling stars to retain their gimmicks, I think the WWE will go with the EC3 name at least, and putting him in the Royal Rumble at number three makes complete sense.
It would make the second time in three years a big debut happened in the #3 spot of the Royal Rumble (AJ Styles, 2016).
#4 Titus O'Neil
Titus Worldwide has picked up steam lately on Monday Night Raw with two wins against the three-time WWE Raw Tag Team Champions in The Bar. That momentum probably landed Titus O'Neil and Apollo Crews spots in the Royal Rumble, and they'll look to build on the winning streak on January 28th.
Unfortunately for Titus, I think this trip into the Royal Rumble match could be a short one. I don't foresee Titus lasting much more than two minutes in the match, and it could be the first ever Royal Rumble elimination for EC3!
#5 Kofi Kingston
The Royal Rumble highlight reel himself, Kofi Kingston of The New Day, is my next entrant in the 2018 Royal Rumble Match. From using JBL's chair as a pogo stick to landing on the Rosebuds, to landing on his hands on the outside and walking on those hands to get back in the ring, Kofi has had a lot of memorable moments over the past few years.
This year isn't the time, but I would like to think that one year someone in The New Day gets a major push for the WWE Championship or even the WWE United States Championship. That breakthrough moment could come from Kofi in a Royal Rumble in the future.
#6 Sami Zayn
The "guardian angel" of Kevin Owens will reprise his role in the 2018 Royal Rumble by coming out at #6 to save his best friend from certain elimination from the hands of Finn Balor and EC3.
Sami Zayn shocked the world by turning heel last fall at Hell In A Cell, and it's paid dividends for him as he'll team up with Kevin Owens face AJ Styles in a handicap match at the Royal Rumble, but I fully expect AJ Styles to retain; which puts Owens and Zayn in the Rumble match.
#7 Bobby Roode
It's time for the Royal Rumble to get GLORIOUS as Bobby Roode enters in at #7 for the first Royal Rumble of his illustrious career. It took Roode 18 years to get to the WWE, and he has captivated the WWE Universe with his amazing entrance and in-ring work.
At this point, I still expect EC3 to be in the match, and adding Roode makes for an interesting dynamic. They are no strangers to each other as both come from Impact Wrestling, but they have been a tag team for multiple occasions as well.
It's been a long journey to get here, but the Royal Rumble will be a landmark moment in Bobby Roode's career.
#8 Eric Young
While we're at it, why don't we throw in another wrestler who was a member of Impact Wrestling's roster for many years in SAnitY's Eric Young. For 12 years, Young was a part of the Impact Wrestling Roster and is a former Impact World Heavyweight Champion.
I believe that the WWE will call SAnitY up to the main roster after WrestleMania. Much like Tye Dillinger last year, Young's first taste on the main roster will be at the Rumble.
This could be a good spot for Young, EC3, and Roode to team up and dispatch Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn from the match before trying to win it themselves.
#9 Jinder Mahal
Normally when Jinder Mahal entered the Royal Rumble, it was just the usual spot for a jobber to come in and get eliminated within a couple of minutes or less; however, after the breakthrough year Mahal had in 2017, he cannot be looked at as an afterthought any longer.
After losing in the finals of the WWE United States Championship tournament to Bobby Roode, Jinder sets his sights on becoming a two-time WWE Champion. I don't expect Jinder to be one of the last ones standing, but I do expect a decent run out of him in this match.
#10 Tye Dillinger
One of the great moments of the 2017 Royal Rumble Match was the "Perfect 10" Tye Dillinger making his main roster debut at #10, so I say why not do it again. The crowd in Philadelphia is going to be chanting 10 from the moment the #9 entrant comes out, so it makes complete sense to put Dillinger in the spot once more.
After being in the WWE United States Championship chase shortly after his full-time debut on SmackDown Live, we haven't seen much from Dillinger. This Rumble appearance could be what he needs to put a spark back into his career.
#11 Harper
Harper has been part of an unstoppable duo with Rowan since they returned as The Bludgeon Brothers. It is a duo that is destined for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships sometime in 2018.
I have a good feeling these two dominant men are going to be in the Royal Rumble Match since many of those dominant men are in the WWE Universal Championship match earlier in the evening. Expect Harper and Rowan to do some damage.
#12 Aiden English
Aiden English came to the main roster as part of the Vaudevillains after capturing the NXT Tag Team Championships. That tag team never got off the ground on the main roster, but since Simon Gotch's release from the WWE, English has made a name for himself on SmackDown Live.
The pairing with Rusev has now gotten English "over" with the WWE Universe as everyone loves that every day is Rusev Day. Unfortunately for English, he's not going to like what' is next at unlucky #13...
#13 Rowan
This particular Rusev Day is not going to be good for Aiden English as the other half of The Bludgeon Brothers, Rowan makes his way to the ring at the unlucky #13 position. Having Harper and Rowan so close to each other in the Royal Rumble match is going to be dangerous for everyone involved.
With English being a part of the tag team division on SmackDown Live, he could be an easy target to lay to waste at this point in the Royal Rumble. Thankfully for English, he has some backup at #14...
#14 Rusev
Aiden English's closest ally, Rusev, will save the day on Rusev Day (or at least attempt with The Bludgeon Brothers). I expect the Bulgarian Brute to give Harper and Rowan a run of their money as he saves English from certain elimination.
In the end, The Bludgeon Brothers will come out on top and eliminate both Rusev and English; which would potentially set up a match on the SmackDown Live after the Royal Rumble.
#15 Shinsuke Nakamura
Another one of this generation's greatest of professional wrestling will make his Royal Rumble debut this year in Shinsuke Nakamura. In his first year on the main roster, Nakamura has come close to the WWE Championship but was unable to take it from Jinder Mahal.
The betting odds like Nakamura to win. For months now, I've had a feeling that Nakamura or AJ Styles was going to win the Rumble with the other being WWE Champion and the two would face off at WrestleMania. I am not wavering from that prediction.
#16 Roman Reigns
The question that will be posed at this point in the Royal Rumble Match is, "who is going to be able to eliminate The Bludgeon Brothers?" The answer will be The Big Dog as he comes in at #16.
I feel like Reigns is going to lose the WWE Intercontinental Championship to The Miz at Raw 25, and Roman is going to be looking for blood in the Royal Rumble where he holds the record for most eliminations in a single match.
With the help of Shinsuke Nakamura and Finn Balor, Reigns will eliminate The Bludgeon Brothers from the match and then focus on trying to become the eighth person in WWE history to win more than one Royal Rumble Match.
#17 Bray Wyatt
The "Eater Of Worlds" Bray Wyatt comes into the 2018 Royal Rumble Match at #17. Last year was Wyatt's best performance in the Royal Rumble as he made the final three with then ally Randy Orton and Roman Reigns. Reigns would toss Wyatt out before eventually losing to Orton.
This year, the road may be tougher because there is one person that has completely zeroed in on Wyatt, and that man is WOKEN Matt Hardy. With that said, last year was the biggest year of Wyatt's career, and he's going to look for more this year, even if he has to go through Matt to get it.
#18 Jason Jordan
To say that Jason Jordan has been cocky lately is somewhat of an understatement. He has stuck his nose in The Shield and The Bars' business lately and has started to create a lot of enemies, even though he's one-half of the WWE Raw Tag Team Champions with Seth Rollins.
I think The Bar regains those tag titles at the Royal Rumble, leaving Jason Jordan and Seth Rollins to try to pick up the pieces immediately within the Royal Rumble match itself. Don't be surprised to see Jordan pickup a surprise elimination or two.
#19 WOKEN Matt Hardy
When Bray Wyatt brutalized Matt Hardy, something "awoken" within the multi-time tag team champion. Many of us were already familiar with this "condition," but the WWE Universe would receive their first taste of WOKEN Matt Hardy last month.
The transformation is complete and now The Great War is upon us. The first battle of this war will be the Royal Rumble Match as Hardy will come face to face with his nemesis, Bray Wyatt.
It will be interesting to see how Hardy fairs in his first Royal Rumble in a long time, especially in this WOKEN state.
#20 Montel Vontavious Porter
I have a feeling that several women who are returning to the WWE for the Raw 25 special will be in the women's Royal Rumble Match, and one man, in particular, will compete in the men's version, Montel Vontavious Porter, or MVP.
It's been eight years since MVP was last in the WWE, but he continued to make his mark in New Japan Pro Wrestling and Impact Wrestling. At the age of 44, MVP can still go in the ring, and hopefully, the Raw 25 appearance isn't one-and-done.
Putting him after Matt Hardy at #20 is a pretty slick move as the pair once held the WWE Tag Team Championship for 77 days in 2007.
Keep your eyes peeled for my predictions on entrants 21-30 very soon, as well as my final thoughts on who will be standing in the end.
