Eyes On Royal Rumble: 2018 Royal Rumble Preview

By @Phranchize19

With the Royal Rumble kicking off the Road to Wrestlemania, its only right the fine people at Eyes On The Ring give you predictions for the beginning of the year big event in WWE. Who will be victorious at the Rumble? Let's take a look.

Kalisto, Lince Dorado, Gran Metalik vs TJP, Jack Gallagher and Drew Gulak
Kickoff Show

-The Cruiserweight division was thrown for a loop upon the firing of its most charismatic star Enzo Amore. With the brand in even more of a struggle finding its footing than it already was, this match isn’t exactly a step in the right direction. No Cedric Alexander, no Hideo Itami or anything. This spot should’ve been used to either start a tournament or a match with Cedric (the rightful number 1 contender) and someone else (could’ve been a fatal four way to decide this) to decide who will be the champion. The point is, expect the heels to go over here especially with Gulak being the most popular guy in this match.

*The Revival vs Balor Club
Kickoff Show 

-This one is a bit sketchy seeing as Gallows and Anderson have revived Bullet Club lite with Finn Balor and The Revival are desperately needing signature wins after what happened on Raw. I expect Revival to pick up the win here but this will not be the last time they fight. This could go either way though.

*US Title Open Challenge
Kickoff Show

-Bobby Roode being US Champ is the right choice. However with Rusev as over as he is, he would be a great option here to answer the challenge. I expect Tye Dillinger or Aiden English to answer the call however and Roode retains the title. Perhaps we see Ziggler appear with the belt and they start a feud once again.

*The Usos vs Gable and Benjamin
2 Out Of 3 Falls
Smackdown Live Tag Team Championship 

-This rivalry should come to a head after this and even with the recent arrest of an USO, I expect them to retain here. They’re one of the best if not the best team in wrestling and it potentially sets up the red hot Rusev Day to get a title shot, but I do expect this to possibly steal the show and be a match of the night candidate.

*Jason Jordan and Seth Rollins vs The Bar
-RAW Tag Team Championship

Part of me wants to pick The Bar, but I don’t think WWE is ready to pull the trigger on the Jordan heel turn. I believe The Revival will take the belts from these two so I expect Jordan and Rollins to retain here in a great match. Honestly, it's time to move on from a Seth Rollins led tag team against The Bar. They've faced each other consistently since July. It's almost February of a new year. Put that feud to rest.

*AJ Styles vs Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens
Handicap Match
WWE Championship

-There’s no way WWE is pulling the trigger on a Co-WWE Champion especially considering how poorly the Co-Intercontinental Championship reign went. I do not see Zayn or Owens winning here since AJ hasn’t stood tall against these two as of yet. AJ retains the title and starts his Road to Wrestlemania.

*Brock Lesnar vs Braun Strowman vs Kane
WWE Universal Championship Match

-Some people think Brock is the biggest draw and that he will headline Wrestlemania. In reality, Braun is the most over and deserves to win this match so we can avoid the inevitable Brock vs Roman at Mania. However, WWE won't do that, so Brock retains by pinning Kane, who is only in the match to take the fall. Nothing to see here.

*Women’s Royal Rumble Match

-History will be made as the first ever Women’s Rumble match will take place. I honestly feel it would be a shame to waste this on a Ronda Rousey victory, as it would be an insult to all the other women who worked hard to have a Women's Revolution in the first place. If Rousey is to face Charlotte at Mania, that bout doesn’t need a Rumble victory to get to it, especially since Rousey isn’t experienced as of yet. I’m going with Asuka here.

*Men’s Royal Rumble Match

-I see this playing out only two ways. Roman Reigns or Shinsuke Nakamura. One would hope that since Reigns has already won in Philly and it backfired, that they would try and avoid that here. So, let's hope Nakamura wins this. 

-Phranchize

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Eyes on the Ring 12:04 PM  No comment

Eyes On WWE: Who Should Win The 2018 Royal Rumble

By @TrueGodImmortal

The Royal Rumble is coming soon. In about a month or so, the WWE will host the Royal Rumble yet again, and apparently there will be two Royal Rumble matches for the first time ever. While the men's Royal Rumble is making another appearance, the first time ever Women's Royal Rumble will take place this year. While both Rumbles have the potential to be interesting, the scariest thing about the WWE now is their decision making. It's been that way for quite some time. With that being said, one has to wonder what their plan will be going forward with these two matches. Will we see surprise entrants for both? Who wins? Who will be the final four? Well that leads us to this discussion. Who should win the 2018 Royal Rumbles? Let's take a look at each Rumble and give a list of who should.

The Women's Royal Rumble
While we could say that this is a bad idea, and I don't doubt that it could be a bad match, what impresses me about this is that this is the first time in WWE history where they've had enough women on the roster to pull it off. The number of women around in the WWE is special and the fact remains, there are a number of surprises in store for this first ever Rumble. I think we'll see a legend or two return for this match perhaps like a Trish Stratus or even Lita. I think we could see the debut of Ronda Rousey as well, as it is the perfect time to do so. Who should win the Women's Royal Rumble? Let's take a look. I have four picks. I'll eliminate a few choices just like I'll do for the men's Royal Rumble. I don't think any NXT woman should win, nor should Natalya, Naomi, Bayley, or Mickie James. Here are my choices to win (and also my final four). 

*Sasha Banks
-I think Sasha definitely should be able to walk away with a victory here as she is overdue for another title reign that isn't actually 2 or 3 weeks. However, I don't expect Sasha to get a win, but I do hope they allow her to be one of the final four women and get eliminated last or second to last. Alexa Bliss will soon drop the Women's Title, but the question is, who will be the challenger come Wrestlemania. If Asuka is the champion come Mania, then I would love Sasha to win this and be the challenger for the RAW title. Chances of that happening however? Unlikely.

*Becky Lynch
-There is only one choice over on the Smackdown side to win the Rumble and it is simply Becky Lynch. Ruby Riott isn't ready and I don't think that she has the tools to carry the division and defeat Charlotte. I think the best possible match for Smackdown at Mania is Charlotte vs Becky, but the truth is, we really don't know what to expect. Ronda Rousey vs Charlotte could end up being the match they go with for whatever reason, but truthfully, Charlotte vs Becky is the way to go. If they want to surprise the world and have a sleeper pick win, Becky is the one who should take it.

*Paige
-I think this is a likely choice, though I see her winning the title before Mania. I think the plan is to go with Asuka vs Paige, but getting to that point is the part that really is tough to figure out. Will Paige be champion? Will Asuka be champion? I think it is likely for Paige to dominate this Rumble with the rest of her squad, until they are left to pick the bones of what is left of Asuka. Either Paige gets rid of Asuka (Paige's partners will have been eliminated prior but come back to help out), or Asuka overcomes the odds. Regardless, if I had to pick the final two of this match, I would go with Asuka and Paige.

*Asuka
-The clear cut choice. There doesn't need to be much of an explanation in terms of that, but the truth of the matter is, if anyone should win easily, it is without a doubt Asuka. Her momentum needs the biggest boost possible, and she remains undefeated. The plan should be to protect her at all costs and to make sure she doesn't lose any time soon. If anyone should enter the Rumble at no. 1 or 2 and finish as the winner, she is the choice. While these other ladies listed are good choices, simply put, the winner has to be and should be Asuka.

The Men's Royal Rumble
This one is a little different. There are two choices to me and those choices more than likely won't be the one who wins. The WWE might force us to see another unnecessary win from John Cena or Roman Reigns... or even Randy Orton.... AGAIN. While I hope that's not the case, let me give my choices for the final four and who they should be.

*Sami Zayn 

-It is simple: AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura vs Sami Zayn for the WWE Title. This would only be achieved by Sami winning the Rumble and Nakamura winning the title at Fastlane while AJ cashes in his rematch at Mania. I don't see this happening honestly, so with that being said, I think Sami won't win, but I can see him eliminating Owens or not being able to save Owens then getting tossed out by one of the other final four. Still, Sami winning would be really interesting and I wouldn't be mad at that at all.

*Samoa Joe 

-Unlikely, but a 20 minute Brock vs Samoa Joe title match would be better than that piece of shit 6 minute PPV match they gave us in the summer. I don't want to see another Brock vs Reigns match and I'm not alone in that so perhaps it is time to switch things up. Joe vs Brock 2 could be bigger than Reigns vs Brock 2 if done right. Joe is over, he's a strong heel, and a Rumble win gives him the momentum that he truly needs. Can WWE finally do something right? I doubt it.

*Finn Balor  

-This man is one of the most over stars in the entire company and truth be told, there's no denying that he deserves a title shot since he's never got his Universal Title shot, but for some reason, WWE just doesn't want to give him the green light. Or could they be leading us on to think they don't want to give him the shot only to change course and give Balor a huge surprise win at the Rumble. Unlikely, but once again, this is who SHOULD win, not the most likely. Balor deserves a win for being consistent, and the story behind Balor vs Brock would be great to see unfold. Will WWE pull the trigger on this? I doubt it, but the truth of the matter is, he should be the last man eliminated if not the last man standing.

*Shinsuke Nakamura  

-Last but certainly not least. This is the most likely choice. It's the only choice outside of Balor. Nakamura is the man. There is only one choice for the Wrestlemania main event and it is AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura. I would love to see Nakamura enter at no. 2 or 3 and last through the entire match. The final image we should see at the end of the Rumble is simple: Nakamura punching his ticket to Wrestlemania by outlasting 29 other men. Simply put, NXT alumni should stand tall for both Rumbles, with Asuka and Nakamura, two former NXT champions, raising their hands in victory.

-True 

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Eyes on the Ring 1:18 AM  1 comment