Royal Rumble Picks by Brandon Wilson
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It’s time for my second favorite PPV of the year, second only to WrestleMania, its time for the Royal Rumble. This year is going to be special as it is the first ever WOMEN’S Rumble match as well as the traditional Men’s Rumble match.
There’s going to be a lot of the Rumble to watch this Sunday considering the 4-hour Rumble PPV itself and the 2-hour pre-show on the WWE Network.
So here is the rundown along with my picks for the winners. Let’s start off with the just announced pre-show matches.
The Revival v. The Balor Club (Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows): The Revival seem to be snakebitten since coming up to the Raw roster with one injury after another, and with the seemingly revived interest in the Good Brothers since joining up with Finn Balor. I see the former IWGP Tag Champs winning this one. WINNERS: Gallows and Anderson
Lince Dorado, Kalisto, and Gran Metalik vs TJP, Jack Gallagher, and Drew Gulak: With the loss of Enzo Amore, (thankfully) the 205 Live division is in need of new top heel. This match has two great options and TJP. If WWE cares at all about this division they’ll push Gallagher AND Drew Gulak to the top as monster heels like Enzo and Neville were. WINNERS: TJP, Jack Gallagher, and Drew Gulak
Bobby Roode will also issue an open challenge for his US Title. Personally, I think Dolph Ziggler will be the one to answer the challenge since he never lost the title in the first place. This is going to be the first shot in what I think will be a great feud culminating at WrestleMania. WINNER: Bobby Roode.
Now it’s on to the actual Rumble PPV itself. Since there are now TWO Rumble matches on this PPV, I personally think they are going to bookend the PPV with the Rumble matches so there’s a good chance that the Women’s Rumble is going to kick off the main show.
First Ever 30 Woman Royal Rumble: This is the match I am most looking forward to seeing out of this entire card and I’m not even going to try to lie about that. I’m looking forward to seeing who the surprise entries are, who the legends are that are coming back and who is returning (The Bellas, c’mon, we know this is coming) but in the end, I think the Empress of Tomorrow keeps her streak intact. WINNER: Asuka
Smackdown Tag Team Titles: The Usos v Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin: With all the trouble that Jimmy Uso has recently gone through (DUI) I do think that the Usos will lose the titles here, but my only question about this 2 out of 3 falls match is will this match go all 3 falls? Will the Usos be punished by losing both falls? Also, keep Chad Gable off the mic. WINNERS: Gable and Benjamin
Raw Tag Team Titles: Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan v The Bar (Sheamus and Cesaro): I honestly don’t know who the crowds hate more. Roman or Jason Jordan. Having the titles on Jordan and Rollins just down look or feel right so not only do I think The Bar regain the titles but its result of Jordan costing the team and match and turning on Rollins. WINNERS: Sheamus and Cesaro
WWE World Heavyweight Title: AJ Styles v. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn: I’m still confused about what exactly is going to happen if Owens or Zayn makes the pinfall. Who is the champion then? Both of them? The one who makes the pinfall is the champ? What happens? Fortunately, these questions will never have to be answered because AJ is going to win. WINNER: AJ Styles
WWE Universal Title: Brock Lesnar v. Braun Strowman v. Kane: One thing I hate in wrestling is predictability. We sadly know that Mania is going to be Lesnar v. Roman. So this match is just to put Lesnar and Braun over. I REALLY want Braun to win this match but I know it’s not going to happen. WINNER: Brock Lesnar
30 Man Royal Rumble match: I’m looking forward to this match as I do every year but I’m not as excited for this one as I am for the women’s Rumble match. Like all Rumble matches, I want to see the surprises and the returns. I like to expect the unexpected in these matches, you never know who is coming out next. If WWE wants Lesnar v Roman at Mania then they better give us AJ v. Shinsuke Nakamura at Mania as well. Also, if Roman or Cena win this match Philly will burn to the ground. WINNER: Shinsuke Nakamura
Here’s hoping that this is one of the better Rumbles that we’ve seen in recent memory. It’s looking like its going to be 2-minute entries instead of the usual 90 seconds, which honestly I’m not a fan of but this I can’t wait for otherwise.
Enjoy the Rumble ladies and gents, you can catch it LIVE on the WWE Network!
