It’s WrestleMania season and the road to The Showcase of the Immortals begins tonight with the Royal Rumble. This year’s rumble will once again be headlined by the men’s & women’s Rumble matches but there are also four championship matches tonight.
Here’s a preview of tonight’s festivities….
Singles Match: Sheamus vs. Chad Gable
This match had zero build up and seems thrown together to give both men something to do. Sheamus has been out with an injury for nearly a year while Gable nearly dropped out of existence after his feud with Baron Corbin for King of The Ring. This looks to be another David vs. Goliath story that has zero heat. It really is a waste of time for both of these men.
Who wins: Sheamus. The returning Celtic Warrior seems to be in line for a decent push so expect him to come out on top.
United States Championship: Andrade(w/ Zelina Vega)(c) vs. Humberto Carillo
Andrade got his first taste of championship gold when he defeated Rey Mysterio Jr. at Madison Square Garden last month and then defeated Rey in a classic ladder match. Andrade looked to end Mysterio’s career when Humberto made the save. Humberto has a score to settle since it was Andrade who tried to end his career with a Hammerlock DDT on the concrete floor a while back. This should be a fun, fast paced fight.
Who wins: Andrade. No need to take the title off of Andrade yet. He needs a significant title run before eventually making his way into the main event scene.
Falls Count Anywhere Match: Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin
While some feel that this rivalry has gone on too long & bordered on the ridiculous at times(I mean really… who pours dog food on someone), it has been entertaining for the most part. Both men have played their parts well. Roman Reigns has played the babyface role well & continues to garner big pops. Corbin may be the best heel in WWE right now. He’s loud, arrogant, insufferable and will go to any lengths to win. The addition of The Usos, Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler has kept the story chugging along but it needs to end tonight. Expect plenty of shenanigans and outside interference in this match.
Who wins: Roman Reigns. Tonight will be the culmination of this story and the babyface should be the one to come out on top.
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Bayley(c) vs. Lacey Evans
In typical WWE fashion they chose to turn Lacey Evans face with no rhyme or reason. The gamble has somewhat paid off as Evans is getting cheers from the crowd. She is bringing her real life as a mother & Marine veteran into her character. Bayley has also played her delusional role model heel character well. The fact WWE tapped Evans to play Bayley’s foil speaks to the lack of depth in the women’s division right now on the main roster. Tonight’s match probably won’t spell the end of this feud.
Who wins: Bayley. I just don’t think it’s time yet for Evans. There’s a bigger match waiting for Bayley at WrestleMania.
Universal Championship Strap Match: “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt(c) vs. Daniel Bryan
Bray Wyatt’s Fiend character has been one of the bright spots for WWE over the last year. Wyatt’s commitment to playing dual characters has made him compelling & a fan favorite. Dealing with Wyatt causes one to change(Finn Balor, Seth Rollins & The Miz all turned heel after fighting Wyatt) and that was the case with Bryan – except Bryan reverted from environmentalist back to the Leader of the Yes Movement. Bryan is now hell bent on changing Wyatt.
Who wins: Daniel Bryan. If conventional wisdom holds then Wyatt should win but I see the curveball being thrown here and it’s Bryan who goes to WrestleMania with the Universal title.
Raw Women’s Championship: “The Man” Becky Lynch(c). vs. Asuka
It was a year ago at last year’s Royal Rumble where the already over Becky Lynch went nuclear hot with a stellar night winning the Women’s Royal Rumble. That night didn’t start out well though as Lynch lost the SmackDown Women’s title to none other than…. Asuka. Throughout The Man’s year long reign as the face of WWE there has been one woman who she has not been able to overcome & that woman is the Empress of Tomorrow. Asuka knocked off Lynch to win the SmackDown title at TLC 2018 & then retained at Royal Rumble 2019. Even a tepid tag team partnership with Charlotte Flair wasn’t enough to wrestle the Women’s Tag Team titles away from The Kabuki Warriors(Asuka & Kairi Sane) late last year. Asuka has Becky’s number… and Becky knows it. Lynch is staking not only the Raw Women’s title but her reputation tonight.
Who wins: Becky Lynch. Becky will finally get her signature win and cement her legacy.
Women’s Royal Rumble Match
Featured Participants: Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss, Nikki Cross, Carmella
The fact that so few women have officially declared themselves in this match leads me to believe that there will be quite a few surprises & returns in store. One such rumored return is Paige. She has not been publicly cleared but all that means is WWE could be keeping this under wraps as not to spoil a potential surprise return. I also expect several women from NXT to find themselves in the Rumble headlined by Shayna Baszler. The NXT roster is so deep & talented I wouldn’t be surprised if most of the roster is in the Rumble. The biggest rumor is centered on Ronda Rousey returning to WWE. She’s been on radio silence recently so that’s one rumor that could turn out to be true. This year looks to be unpredictable.
Who wins: Shayna Baszler. Since dropping the NXT Championship Baszler hasn’t been seen as much. What better way to make her resurgence by winning the Rumble & challenging The Man at WrestleMania.
Men’s Royal Rumble Match
Featured Participants: WWE Champion Brock Lesnar, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre, AJ Styles, Randy Orton, King Corbin, Shinsuke Nakamura, Braun Strowman
The men’s match will have underlying storylines going on and none is bigger than the WWE Champion Brock Lesnar declaring himself to be the #1 entrant in the match. Lesnar’s advocate Paul Heyman is sold on the fact The Beast Incarnate will outlast 29 other competitors from the #1 spot. Whatever happens between Reigns & Corbin in their match will certainly spill over into this match. Braun Strowman still has eyes on the Intercontinental Title & its titleholder Shinsuke Nakamura. AJ Styles & Randy Orton seem to be on a collision course to WrestleMania.
Who, if anyone, will eliminate Lesnar? Whoever does will more than likely have a shot at The Conqueror at WrestleMania. Who comes up from NXT? Could we see another face off between The Limitless One Keith Lee & Reigns? Rumored returns are also a storyline here and two of the biggest rumors are the long-awaited returns of Edge & CM Punk. Both men have vehemently denied an in-ring return. Edge claims he hasn’t been medically cleared though he speared Dolph Ziggler at last year’s Summer Slam. CM Punk, now an analyst for WWE Backstage, said he has no desire to get back in the ring but Seth Rollins using Punk’s old Straight Edge Society savior angle can’t be a coincidence can it? Hmmm…
Who wins: Roman Reigns. The Universal champion is going to need an opponent & now might be the time for Reigns to be the guy to challenge for the title he never lost.
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