The 2018 Royal Rumble event has come and gone. As a fan, I got what I wanted. Not to sound ungrateful, but the last time I was this happy about a Royal Rumble winner, was 2010 when Edge won the Rumble. Not only that, I was happy about the winner of two Rumbles, as there was the very first Women's Rumble match last night as well. To be honest, I didn't care too much about a few matches on the card. There were some fun surprises in the Rumbles and we got the debut of a certain someone.
KICK-OFF MATCHES
Kalisto, Gran Metalik, & Lince Dorado vs. Jack Gallagher, Drew Gulak, & TJ Perkins
Starting the kick-off was a six man tag team match featuring Cruiserweights from 205 Live. The entire Cruiserweight Division is going through some changes. After Enzo Amore's suspension and release a day later, the Cruiserweight Title is now vacant. A new Champion will be decided soon by a new General Manager for 205 Live to be announced. As for this match, Kalisto had been feuding with The Brian Kendrick and Jack Gallagher, with Gran Metalik joining in until Kendrick was injured. Gulak was in the "Zo Train" and TJP just returned. It was a fun match with the masked Luchadores picking up the victory. With a new Champion being decided, I'm sure all the Cruiserweights involved wanted to perform to the best of their abilities for a chance.
Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. The Revival
After their loss to the Good Brothers and humiliation by Degeneration X and others, The Revival had something to prove. Gallows and Anderson finally joined up with Finn Balor and the former Bullet Club members became the Balor Club. I chose Gallows and Anderson for the victory but the "Top Guys" came out on...top! Now that the teams have one win each, I expect a rubber match between them. I hope they can hold off until the Elimination Chamber PPV next month.
US Title Open Challenge - Bobby Roode vs. Mojo Rawley
A few weeks ago, a tournament started to crown a new US Champion after Dolph Ziggler's win and subsequent relinquishment of the Title. Originally, the tournament was to conclude at the Royal Rumble. However, after Roode's victory in the Semi-Finals, the other finalist Jinder Mahal attacked Roode, leading to the Title being decided later that night. Roode won the Title and then decided to issue an open challenge at the Rumble. The man that chose to answer the challenge was Mojo Rawley, the man Roode defeated to get to the tournament finals. Just about anyone could have answered the challenge but Mojo was an underwhelming choice. Roode won and it was...Glorious!
MAIN SHOW
WWE Title Handi-Cap Match - AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
Due to there being two Rumbles this year, I expected one of them to open the show, which is why I thought it was strange that this match opened instead. As entertaining as the Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn pairing is, AJ just ended the awful reign of Jinder Mahal and I feel he needs to walk into WrestleMania as WWE Champion. Surprisingly, there was no interference by Smackdown's management, Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan. Though AJ had to face two men, he stood his ground. The match ended in somewhat controversial fashion when AJ pinned Kevin Owens. Since Zayn didn't actually tag Owens in, Zayn was the legal man. Owens and Zayn's bitter rival Shane McMahon seemed amused. As long as AJ walks into Mania as Champion, I'm happy.
Smackdown Tag Team Titles - The Usos vs. Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin
If you want to talk about tag team of the year, look no further than The Usos! In the last year or so, their change of attitude has taken them to new levels and their in-ring game has risen even higher. With the legal man not being pinned in their recent match, Gable and Benjamin had another shot. This time, the match was two out of three falls. Two teams of this calibre did not disappoint. I thought for sure The Usos would drop the belts, especially after Jey Uso's recent DUI. To the shock of many, the Usos won two straight falls, which almost never happens in these type of matches. In the end, Gable and Benjamin couldn't escape the Uso Penitentiary. I should also note it was nice to see Gable's interaction with former partner Jason Jordan backstage.
Men's Royal Rumble Match
The first two spots in this Rumble made the fans come alive. Singing number one's arrival was Aiden English, as Rusev made his way to the ring, complete with a Hulkamania inspired shirt ripping. Rusev is over like Rover and it was a very Happy Rusev Day for the fans. The number two spot went to Finn Balor. Soon after was Rhino, to raucous ECW chants, and the Lone Wolf himself, Baron Corbin. Heath Slater had the distinction of drawing number five and Slater was a part of one of the funniest bits in Rumble history. Slater had trouble entering the ring because every time he tried to, someone else would attack him. However, when Big E was nice enough to insert Slater into the Rumble after feeding him some pancakes, Slater did the unthinkable and eliminated Sheamus, on the Celtic Warrior's Birthday, no less!
Elias came to the ring and after kicking Slater in the head, put on a performance and asked if everyone wanted to "Walk With Elias." Elias said the next man would not come out until he was finished singing his song. Unfortunately, his concert was cut short when the buzzer rang for number seven. It was the night's first surprise entrant as NXT Champion Andrade "Cien" Almas appeared. Flanked by Zelina Vega, Almas entered the ring just one night after retaining his Title in a great match with Johnny Gargano. Almas had a good showing, lasting nearly 30 minutes. He "Almas" made it! The next big moment happened upon the countdown for entrant number ten. Last year, it was "The Perfect 10" Tye Dillinger. Not surprisingly, he drew number ten this year too. However, fans knew something was wrong when his music played and he didn't come out. Cameras cut to backstage where Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were taking their frustrations out on Dillinger. Sami Zayn then said "I got this" and walked to the ring, taking the place of Dillinger.
Other superstars soon joined in, including Bray Wyatt, New Day member Xavier Woods, Apollo Crews, and the popular Shinsuke Nakamura as the 14th man to enter the Rumble. Two spots later, Kofi Kingston came out and now all three members of The New Day were in the ring. After Xavier and Big E were eliminated, it looked like Kofi was next to go. You may be asking; "how did Kofi escape elimination this year?" Kofi was thrown over the top rope but only one foot hit the floor. The other foot was on Xavier's back. Xavier stayed in place while Big E took their plate of pancakes and put it under Kofi's other foot. Kofi climbed into the hands of Big E and Xavier and they spring boarded Kofi back into the ring. It's always an entertaining spot and this is the first time someone was saved by pancakes.
The ring started to fill up again. Joining next were wrestlers such as Cesaro, Jinder Mahal, Seth Rollins, and Matt Hardy. The countdown began for number 21, who turned out to be none other than John Cena. Cena ran immediately to the ring and started cleaning house. He tossed a few guys out and performed an AA or two. The next surprise of the Rumble took place for number 22. "Stand back, there's a Hurricane coming through!" To everyone's shock, The Hurricane came out and went face to face with John Cena. His efforts to choke slam Cena failed, as he was then tossed out of the ring shortly after. Though Rusev had been eliminated by this point, his partner Aiden English made his way to the ring to compete. The "Rusev Day" chants continued as Rusev would have to win vicariously through English. Another surprise came when the buzzer rang for number 23. Fans rose to their feet again when they saw it was...Adam Cole Bay-Bay! I've got to give this man credit after what he went through in his match with Aleister Black the night before at Takeover: Philadelphia. How this man was even walking was incredible after performing in a brutal Extreme Rules match.
Randy Orton was out next and business was about to pick up. Orton was giving out RKO's like a UPS driver would deliver packages. Following him were Titus O'Neal and The Miz. The countdown was on for number 27, the number that produced four Royal Rumble winners. Fans were delighted when the legendary Luchadore himself, Rey Misterio, appeared and entered the Royal Rumble. Rey didn't lose a step and can still entertain the fans with fantastic maneuvers. People were happy to see him, which differed from the last time, when Rey entered the 2014 Rumble and was booed for not being Daniel Bryan. Rey delivered a sweet double 619 to two of WWE's most polarizing figures, John Cena and Roman Reigns.
After Reigns entered to an ovation only the Philadelphia crowd could provide, Goldust came out next, followed by the man who drew number 30, Dolph Ziggler. The last time we saw Ziggler was on Smackdown two days after Clash of Champions, when he won the US Title and then relinquished it, telling fans they didn't deserve him. With Ziggler's inclusion, I thought he might have a shot. The final six in the ring were John Cena, Randy Orton, Rey Misterio, Shinsuke Nakamura, Finn Balor, and Roman Reigns. There was a showdown of generations as Cena, Orton, and Misterio stood toe to toe against Nakamura, Balor, and Reigns. Soon after, Orton and Misterio were eliminated, leaving a Final Four of Cena, Reigns, Nakamura, and Balor. Now Cena and Reigns stood side by side against two of WWE's most popular superstars. Balor was eliminated, leaving three. Namamura eliminated John Cena and then Reigns to win the 2018 Royal Rumble match. Shinsuke was my pick and I'm elated that he won. After the match, he was asked who he wanted to face for the Title: (side note - the Universal Title match hadn't taken place yet). Nakamura said he wanted AJ Styles and now the match that WWE fans have been waiting for will take place at the grandest stage of them all, WrestleMania! Truth be told, I made it sound like it was amazing but I found the Men's Royal Rumble to be a little boring. Also, it felt like the entrance intervals were really quick this year.
Raw Tag Team Titles - Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan vs. The Bar
This was a match I really didn't care about if I'm being honest. It was kind of just there for me. I understood the story of Kurt Angle putting his "son" with Rollins and them somehow winning the Tag Team Titles. That storyline is just awful and I want it over already, frankly! I would have just had them together for a while winning matches and eventually gaining a shot at the Titles against The Bar at the Rumble, only for it to fall apart here, which it dd. Jordan suffered an "injury" during the match, causing Rollins to basically go it alone and end up losing the Titles in the process.
Universal Title Triple Threat Match - Brock Lesnar vs. Kane vs. Braun Strowman
Women's Royal Rumble Match
When the Men's Rumble happened earlier in the night, I was hoping that the show would end with the Women's Rumble. I'm so glad that is the result because I hate when Rumbles end with a different match and I was afraid the Universal Title match would end the show. There were some complainers out there for sure but I have to say that the Women's Rumble was so much better than the Men's Rumble. I don't understand how people hated it! Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss and the Smackdown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair came out to watch the match and Stephanie McMahon was out to do commentary. I was a little concerned because she seems to have this problem of making everything about herself and overshadowing the women that made all of this possible.
Within the first few minutes, I already loved the Women's Rumble. Sasha Banks made her way to the ring as the very first entrant in the first Women's Royal Rumble Match. The Boss awaited who was the woman that drew number two. That turned out to be Becky Lynch and I was already excited! After a great opening sequence, the ladies were joined by Riot Squad member Sarah Logan, followed by Absolution member Mandy Rose. The countdown began for number five and when the buzzer rang, the fans jumped to their feet when Hall of Famer Lita came out to the ring. I was going crazy myself at home. Lita still had it, as the fans told her, and she dealt out a couple of Twists of Fate, followed by a moonsault off the top rope. Unfortunately, she was eliminated fairly early and I'll get to why a little later. So far, off to a great start!
Out next was the winner of the Mae Young Classic, NXT wrestler Kairi Sane. The lovable pirate princess made her way to the ring and took on all comers. Her flying elbow is really something special and she busted that out. Soon, the ladies were joined by Tamina and Dana Brooke. The next surprise was Torrie Wilson, who we haven't seen in years. She looked fantastic and while she was never great in the ring, it was a blast from the past. Absolution's Sonya Deville and the Riot Squad's Liv Morgan were out next. It was time for the twelfth entrant to come out and I couldn't believe it when it turned out to be Molly Holly. I just met her in person a few months ago and she's a real sweetheart. She was one of my favorites and one of the women in the era right before the "Divas" took over. Molly looked great and she hasn't lost a step at all! Some people called this Rumble a nostalgia act but I say, so what? I enjoyed it immensely! Lana was out next and the fans started with more Rusev Day chants. The next entrant was another surprise, Michelle McCool. I felt it was unnecessary for fans to chant for her husband the Undertaker when this should be all about the women.
Ruby Riot came along at number 15 but by the time she got in, her Riot Squad partners were gone. I would like to have seen all three members of the Riot Squad causing havoc in the Rumble. The buzzer rang for the next entrant and all of a sudden, everyone heard the two words that made fans' ears bleed a few years ago..."Excuse Me!" It was none other than Vickie Guerrero! She kept repeating those words and started yelling at the women in the ring. Then she tried to make peace because she used to be friendly with Michelle McCool. All of the women ganged up on Vickie and eliminated her from the Rumble. There were so many fun moments here! Just as Vickie was leaving ringside, Carmella came down to the ring. Vickie grabbed Carmella's "Money In the Bank" briefcase and hit her with it before leaving. Carmella didn't get into the ring and I was wondering if she was going to be this Rumble's Heath Slater. Initially, she was, as Natalya came down to the ring next and dumped her accessories onto Carmella. Before entering the ring herself, she was kncoked off the apron by Carmella. Kelly Kelly then made a surprise appearance in the Rumble. It was glow time next when Naomi came out at number 20. Somehow, through attempted eliminations, Naomi ended up on the guardrail but hadn't been eliminated yet. She borrowed a chair from guest announcer Maria Menounos and proceeded to wheelbarrow herself back to the ring with her hands. She became the Women's Rumble version of Kofi Kingston.
The legendary Jacqueline came out next to a great ovation. Jackie was one tough woman and she didn't lose any of that, going toe to toe with anyone and everyone. The woman that's not like most girls, Nia Jax, was next to arrive. She dominated the Rumble going forward and tossed a few women out. The next superstar to enter the Rumble was NXT Women's Champion Ember Moon. Her left arm was in a cast due to her match with Shayna Baszler the night before at Takeover: Philadelphia. Even with one arm, Ember wasn't phased. She even hit a one-armed Eclipse and impressed everyone around. Nia Jax was still doing damage in the ring but little did she know, she was about to meet her match. The fans went nuts when number 24 was revealed to be Beth Phoenix. If anyone could match Nia's power, it was "The Glamazon." Watching these two women stand face to face was an amazing moment. Just when we thought things couldn't get anymore exciting, Asuka entered the Rumble. The Empress of Tomorrow took no prisoners when she got into the ring. Her face off with Ember Moon was amazing, as they had quite the feud going in NXT last year. They went at it and the fans were eating it up.
Mickie James came out next, followed by the returning Nikki Bella. Out next was Brie Bella and now the Bella Twins were ready to work some twin magic. The sisters worked together for a while but you know the rules of the Rumble and in this case, it's every woman for herself. The lovable Bayley came out at number 29. The number 30 spot went to Trish Stratus and naturally, everyone was extremely happy. Things got intense when she came face to face with former nemesis Mickie James. Their match for the Women's Title at WrestleMania XXII was a classic and here we are 12 years later and they're going at it one more time. This is why I wish Lita hadn't been eliminated so early. It would have been nice to see Trish and Lita go at it, as well as teaming up.
In something that shocked everyone, Sasha Banks double crossed best friend Bayley and eliminated her from the Rumble. The look on Charlotte's face when this happened was priceless! The final four were Sasha, Asuka, and the Bella Twins. The Bella Twins teamed up to eliminate Sasha and set their sights on Asuka. However, Nikki then eliminated her own sister from the Rumble. The fans were able to go home happy when Asuka eliminated Nikki and won the first every Women's Royal Rumble match. The night was not over yet, however!
The Women's Champions made their ways into the ring and it was time for Asuka to choose which Title she would go for at WrestleMania. Before Asuka was able to choose between Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair, "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett played on the speakers and out walked former UFC competitor, the incomparable Ronda Rousey. It had been rumored for months and she finally signed with WWE. She stared at all three women and pointed to the WrestleMania sign. She attempted to shake Asuka's hand but Asuka wasn't into it. Rousey then left the ring, greeted fans, and walked right up to Stephanie McMahon. The two women shook hands and Rousey walked to the back without Asuka making a decision yet and leaving everyone wondering what was happening.
Overall, I enjoyed myself last night and it was a pretty good Pay-Per-View. There were a few duds but the positives outweighed the negatives. In my opinion, the Women's Rumble absolutely smoked the Men's Rumble. There were a lot of great surprises, staredowns, and fights all around. Also, two of my favorite superstars and my picks to win, won their respective Rumble matches and I haven't been this happy about a Rumble winner in a long time. Not only that, but we witnessed the debut of Ronda Rousey. The Road To WrestleMania has begun and I can't wait to see where it takes us!
Within the first few minutes, I already loved the Women's Rumble. Sasha Banks made her way to the ring as the very first entrant in the first Women's Royal Rumble Match. The Boss awaited who was the woman that drew number two. That turned out to be Becky Lynch and I was already excited! After a great opening sequence, the ladies were joined by Riot Squad member Sarah Logan, followed by Absolution member Mandy Rose. The countdown began for number five and when the buzzer rang, the fans jumped to their feet when Hall of Famer Lita came out to the ring. I was going crazy myself at home. Lita still had it, as the fans told her, and she dealt out a couple of Twists of Fate, followed by a moonsault off the top rope. Unfortunately, she was eliminated fairly early and I'll get to why a little later. So far, off to a great start!
Out next was the winner of the Mae Young Classic, NXT wrestler Kairi Sane. The lovable pirate princess made her way to the ring and took on all comers. Her flying elbow is really something special and she busted that out. Soon, the ladies were joined by Tamina and Dana Brooke. The next surprise was Torrie Wilson, who we haven't seen in years. She looked fantastic and while she was never great in the ring, it was a blast from the past. Absolution's Sonya Deville and the Riot Squad's Liv Morgan were out next. It was time for the twelfth entrant to come out and I couldn't believe it when it turned out to be Molly Holly. I just met her in person a few months ago and she's a real sweetheart. She was one of my favorites and one of the women in the era right before the "Divas" took over. Molly looked great and she hasn't lost a step at all! Some people called this Rumble a nostalgia act but I say, so what? I enjoyed it immensely! Lana was out next and the fans started with more Rusev Day chants. The next entrant was another surprise, Michelle McCool. I felt it was unnecessary for fans to chant for her husband the Undertaker when this should be all about the women.
The legendary Jacqueline came out next to a great ovation. Jackie was one tough woman and she didn't lose any of that, going toe to toe with anyone and everyone. The woman that's not like most girls, Nia Jax, was next to arrive. She dominated the Rumble going forward and tossed a few women out. The next superstar to enter the Rumble was NXT Women's Champion Ember Moon. Her left arm was in a cast due to her match with Shayna Baszler the night before at Takeover: Philadelphia. Even with one arm, Ember wasn't phased. She even hit a one-armed Eclipse and impressed everyone around. Nia Jax was still doing damage in the ring but little did she know, she was about to meet her match. The fans went nuts when number 24 was revealed to be Beth Phoenix. If anyone could match Nia's power, it was "The Glamazon." Watching these two women stand face to face was an amazing moment. Just when we thought things couldn't get anymore exciting, Asuka entered the Rumble. The Empress of Tomorrow took no prisoners when she got into the ring. Her face off with Ember Moon was amazing, as they had quite the feud going in NXT last year. They went at it and the fans were eating it up.
Overall, I enjoyed myself last night and it was a pretty good Pay-Per-View. There were a few duds but the positives outweighed the negatives. In my opinion, the Women's Rumble absolutely smoked the Men's Rumble. There were a lot of great surprises, staredowns, and fights all around. Also, two of my favorite superstars and my picks to win, won their respective Rumble matches and I haven't been this happy about a Rumble winner in a long time. Not only that, but we witnessed the debut of Ronda Rousey. The Road To WrestleMania has begun and I can't wait to see where it takes us!
If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments. Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans. Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport. For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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