Royal Rumble, WWE.com
Previewing Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
So here we are again. The beginning of a new year in professional wrestling and with it are the hopes of another year that doesn’t make the die-hard wrestling fan want to put his/her fist through a wall. To be honest, it’s not off to a great start. Three part-time wrestlers, Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, and The Undertaker, are not only slated to enter the Royal Rumble match, most people think they all have a legitimate chance to win and go on to Wrestlemania 33 for a world title match. Yuck.
If you read here, I’ve made it very clear that I think it’s time for the WWE to move on from making the part-timers the focal point of their major shows. Sure, they bring in ratings for those specific events but do they really help further the overall product? I argue no.
So now we head into the Rumble, the show that always sets the tone for the year and on paper it’s a very good card. With 5 title matches on the docket and of course the always fun 30-man Rumble match, Sunday should, on paper at least, be a great night. Let’s hope the WWE creative team doesn’t screw it up.
Ahead we preview Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay per view.
WWE.com
Pre-Show: WWE RAW Tag Team Championship: Cesaro & Sheamus (c) vs Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson
Although this has been a very short feud so far, it’s been really good. And that’s no surprise. In these 4 superstars, you have 4 of the most technical and agile big men in the entire company. It’s no shock that when any combination of these men gets together inside the ring quality wrestling always ensues.
That idea was never more apparent than on the January 18th RAW when it appeared that Gallows and Anderson had dethroned the champs after a spirited battle. Unfortunately for the former IWGP tag team champions, Sheamus had accidentally assaulted a referee thus disqualifying the champs and nullifying the title win. Sunday night Gallows and Anderson will get another shot to do it again.
What a win would mean to Gallows and Anderson: Already former 3-time IWGP Tag Team Champions, Gallows and Anderson made their biggest mark on the industry in Japan. Highly regarded as one of the best teams on the planet the duo could cement their legacy Sunday night by capturing WWE gold. In doing so they would join The Steiner Brothers, The Road Warriors, and The Dudley Boyz as the only team to ever win both championships. A truly elite class.
What a win would mean to Cesaro and Sheamus: After begrudgingly getting together as a team after spending parts of the summer and fall beating the tar out of each other, the duo captured the RAW tag team titles from the New Day at Roadblock in December. In defeating Gallows and Anderson Sunday it would give the team their first signature title defense over a world class caliber opponent. A win would undoubtedly make Cesaro and Sheamus the team to beat in the entire WWE.
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Pre-Show: Sasha Banks vs Nia Jax
Regardless of the outcome of the RAW Women’s Championship match which takes place later in the night, this is the number 1 contender match. Banks, now a 3-time former champ just recently fell from the title scene after her long, tumultuous feud with Charlotte. Jax, on the other hand, has seemed to find her stride since reaching the main roster. She went from being a 2-time runner-up for the NXT women’s title to a legitimate threat on RAW.
This match should come down to one legitimate x-factor: Banks’ knee. If she’s unable to use her legs to keep distance from the monstrous Jax, it could be a very short night for The Boss. But if her knee is actually 100% then Banks unquestionably has all the tools to walk out of San Antonio with a victory.
What a win would mean for Jax: One word: credibility. Jax has never had that major signature win. Surely in defeating a 3-time WWE and NXT champion would undoubtedly be that win. If this is the case, the winner of the title match, later on, should be very nervous.
What a win would mean for Banks: This isn’t necessarily a make or break match for Banks but a loss would show that she’s trending in the wrong direction. After managing only 74 days through her 3 title reigns she’s yet to solidify herself as a top level winner. At 24 years old she still has plenty of time left to make her mark but losing to Jax would be a sign that the company isn’t quite ready to put her back in the title picture just yet.
WWE.com
Six Woman Tag Match: Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, Natalya vs Becky Lynch, Naomi, Nikki Bella
It is a testament to just how good the writing and story lines have been on Smackdown to not only have this match make it to the pay per view portion of the Royal Rumble but for fans to actually care about it. It seems like over the years secondary women’s feuds are normally pushed to the side and although women’s championship programs are more heavily pushed, not much else is for the women’s divisions.
So to see the Natalya/Nikki Bella feud generate so much heat is a very nice surprise. Add the return of 5-time champ Mickie James, the rise of future star Alexa Bliss, and the fighting spirit of Becky Lynch, this match has a great chance to advance some the story lines and continue to build the Smackdown Women’s division.
What a win would mean to all involved: There’s 6 individual wrestlers here so I’m not going to break down each person. But just know that since everyone competing here is in the title picture, scoring the decisive pinfall or submission will have a serious effect on the winner’s future. Everyone could use the W here but the process to get there will arduous for them but should be very fun for us.
WWE.com
Cruiserweight Title Match: Rich Swann (c) vs Neville
Let’s be honest here. The new Cruiserweight division has not been what most people had hoped. Call it lack of exposure being highlighted on a show that begins at 10 PM only on the WWE Network right after 2 hours of Smackdown, call it the fans unfamiliarity with the combatants, call it strange booking, call it what you will. But the fact is that the 205 division has lacked any type of spark since the Cruiserweight Classic ended in July.
Enter Neville. The feisty Brit came back on the scene in a major, and violent way at Roadblock last month, assaulting former friend and current champ, Rich Swann. Look, Swann’s good. He’s really good but Neville might be exactly what the Cruiserweight division needs to kick start their fledgling beginnings. Either way, this one has jump-out-of-your-seat potential and could very well steal the show if the given sufficient time.
What a win would mean for Swann: To be honest, I think Swann needs this more than Neville. Since winning the belt in November from Brian Kendrick, Swann has had a solid, if not unimpressive brief run. Beating a proven and former NXT champ adds instant credibility to a guy who could use some at this point.
What a win would mean to Neville: Some may have been skeptical of Neville moving into the 205 division. He was pretty successful in the upper divisions so why move down in weight? Well, the fact of the matter is that Neville is one the best smaller guys in the world and thus deserves to either fight for that belt or wear it. And honestly, Neville may be exactly what the division needs to stabilize it and bring it some star power.
WWE.com
RAW Women’s Title Match: Charlotte (c) vs Bayley
Since Bayley’s official call-up to the main roster in August, it has seemed like just a matter of time before this match would go down. Charlotte and Bayley have a ton of history from their NXT days and as such should make a terrific title feud. They are the perfect yin and yang pairing with Charlotte as the arrogant, conniving heel and Bayley as the loveable, hard-charging baby face. It’s a bit of throwback to the olden style of wrestling and it’s quite refreshing.
These two girls are extremely evenly matched so it may come down to who just wants it more. Bayley has the hard working part on her side as she’s worked her way up through the indies and finds herself doing her dream job. Not to say Charlotte hasn’t worked hard. She’s been a tremendous fighting champion. But this girl has the wrestling traits in her genes and that has carried her a vary long way. These girls are familiar with each other, so this should be a solid tilt.
What a win would mean for Bayley: Simply put, this is Bayley’s life time dream. Becoming a WWE Women’s champion would be her crowning achievement and she’s going to put up everything she has. She has multiple world-title reigns written all over her future and to snatch one up at just 27 years old and with less than 6 months on the main roster, her career may just be beginning to peak.
What a win would mean for Charlotte: Title-wise it’s been an up and down couple of years with Charlotte. After winning the Diva’s title in September of 2015 and then subsequently capturing the brand new RAW Women’s title (a combined 309 day reign that broke Nikki Bella’s record but the WWE would much rather pretend that John Cena’s girlfriend holds the record) she dropped it and won it back numerous times to Sasha. Decisively defeating Bayley would even further the notion that she’s the greatest female wrestler in WWE history.
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WWE Universal Championship Match: Kevin Owens (c) vs Roman Reigns
The WWE just refuses to give up on Reigns. It’s admirable in a way. Really dumb in another. After constantly editing out the boos that Roman consistently receieves the WWE is still giving this failed experiment some legs by once again putting him in the world title picture. At least this time we’ll have some fun with Chris Jericho having over the ring in a cage. That should be some outstanding comedy.
So with Wrestlemania looming does the WWE dare put Roman in another main event? You know, because last year went so well. If the company wants to avoid another Wrestlemania ending in boos it might be the better option to see KO walk out of this thing with the belt. But hey, it doesn’t look like they’ve gotten the hint yet. One thing I will say is that Owens and Reigns do have fantastic in-ring chemistry so this should be another solid outing in this rivalry. So at least there’s that.
What a win would mean for Reigns: Truthfully I’m worried about what will happen to Reigns and his future if he wins the belt Sunday. Things are already really bad with him and the WWE Universe and winning the belt again could possibly put the final nail in his career coffin. This might be the only time in WWE history that winning the world title could hurt someone’s career. I wholeheartedly believe that’s the case with Reigns.
What a win would mean for Owens: Does retaining the title at the Royal Rumble automatically ensure that person a spot in a title match at Wrestlemania? No, of course not. But a win Sunday for Owens would be a great step in that direction. Say what you want about Owens and the RAW brand in general but he’s been a solid champion and he is very much deserving of a world title match on April 2nd. And if Finn Balor returns soon, what a great Universal title match that would make.
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WWE Championship: AJ Styles (c) vs John Cena
There’s been something just a tinge off about Cena since his latest return to the ring. He has a bit of an edge to him and his undying love of WWE fans seems to be waning just a tiny bit. Is this heel turn that’s about 8 years in the making about to become a reality? At this point, this may be the one thing that could reinvigorate Cena’s career. Could a loss to Styles at the Rumble be what sets those wheels in motion? Let’s hope.
One thing that is a definite for this paring Sunday night is that it will be a scintillating match. Their matches last year at Money In The Bank and SummerSlam were show-stealers, especially the SummerSlam one which ranked No. 7 on my 15 best WWE matches of 2016 which you can read here. These two compliment each other so well in the ring that their clashes are a thing of beauty. Look for a spirited battle Sunday night with the winner preparing for bigger business in Orlando.
What a win would mean for Cena: Well this is obvious. In defeating Styles Sunday Cena would become the 16-time world champion, matching that of legend Ric Flair. This is as big an honor as there is in the wrestling world and even if it rubs some people the wrong way, Cena is as deserving a person to win it as there is. I’ve had my reservations about Cena for a long time and I can’t say that I’m a massive fan but the fact of the matter is that he bleeds WWE and brings his big game stuff on a nightly basis. Like him or hate him, he’s a legend.
What a win would mean for Styles: If Styles walks out of San Antonio still WWE Champion he can officially put his feud with Cena to rest, if most likely only temporarily. AJ won both of the aforementioned matches on pay per view against “Big Game John” and with a title defense victory added to that, that would pretty much close the book on this program. Styles can then focus on a slew of different challenges that await him including the Elimination Chamber in February.
WWE.com
2017 Royal Rumble Match
Can you honestly think of a more stacked Rumble than this year’s match? Of the participants named so far there 10 former world champions with a stunning 37 WWE world championships between them. The match will also be featuring studs like Bray Wyatt, the 2016 Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner Baron Corbin, the massive Braun Strowman, Cesaro, Sami Zayn and Rusev. Talk about loaded.
There are so many different possible winners and future scenarios that it’s mind boggling. And that’s only part of the field. There’s still 8 spots unaccounted for? And with the Royal Rumble always being full of surprise entrances, who might we see return to partake in the match? Kurt Angle canceled his independent bookings for Saturday night. Could we see The Olympic Hero return? Imagine the crowd reaction to his music? And what about Finn Balor? If his injury time table serves him right he should be ready to go by Sunday. Will the former Universal champion return to attempt to reclaim the belt he never lost?
One way or the other the 2017 Rumble match has the potential of being one of the best of it’s kind in the company’s history. As long as it doesn’t get bogged down with silly booking and outrageous scenarios this thing has the chance to be huge. With the winner getting a guaranteed Wrestlemania title match you just know everyone is going to go big. Sunday night is not one to miss.
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