The Usos (C) vs. Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin – Smackdown Tag Team Championship (2 out of 3 Falls)
The Usos left their mark in 2017 as the class of the tag team division of Smackdown. Their next challenge came in the form of the team of Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin, otherwise known as American Alpha/Team Angle 2.0. The Usos continued their reign of dominance until one night, they lost the tag team titles to Gable and Benjamin. BUT WAIT! We were taken to the woodshed as it proved to be a Dusty Finish, as genetics proved to save The Usos from losing their titles. Gable had pinned the wrong Uso, and as a result, the match was restarted, and this time, The Usos got away with their titles to fight another day. Now, if Gable and Benjamin want to get the titles they once had in their hands, they have to beat The Usos twice.
What I love about this feud is that they subtly did a double turn with The Usos being the good guys and Gable/Benjamin being the bad guys, and I loved that The Usos have maintained their aggressiveness and gritty attitude despite the nature of their character being changed. In addition, the new look for Gable and Benjamin was a welcome change as they weren’t doing anything before. Since The Usos beat Gable and Benjamin at Clash of Champions and a couple of weeks ago, the law of reverse momentum dictates that American Alpha 2.0 gets the rub here. I can’t see The Usos beating them two more times after already defeating them twice. The Usos holding the titles is something I am more than okay with, but they really don’t have anyone prominent on the Smackdown LIVE roster left to beat, and with someone else holding the tag titles, it paves the way for new teams to get exposure. Let’s only hope that Gable and Benjamin can carry the momentum with the belts The Usos had.
Winners: Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin
Seth Rollins (C) and Jason Jordan (C) vs. Cesaro and Sheamus – RAW Tag Team Titles
I really thought WWE was going to make this a triple threat match, considering Cesaro and Sheamus have lost twice to Titus Worldwide. Nevertheless, this is what we got. The tag team of Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan was really only intended to get more heat onto Jason Jordan for the heel turn that’s coming for him, while Seth Rollins is pretty much going to be Marty Jannetty here. Meanwhile, Cesaro and Sheamus have been the thorns in their side, always insisting on making sure they have a mental edge. I personally haven’t been invested in this feud because it feels like Seth has been fighting Cesaro and Sheamus for 5 years now and Jordan is kind of just there. Maybe after Rollins inadvertently hit Jordan, reverse momentum gives this to Rollins and Jordan, but in order to continue the storyline that will lead to the breakup of Jordan and Rollins, Cesaro and Sheamus winning the titles back make a little more sense to me. I’ll go with The Bar here.
Winners: Cesaro and Sheamus
AJ Styles (C) vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn – WWE Championship (1 on 2 Handicap Match)
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have been enjoying a very entertaining run as a tag team and AJ Styles is the WWE Champion and they’re all fighting at the Royal Rumble. So why am I not excited for it as I should be? First of all, the bigger focus is on one semi-active performer that shouldn’t be performing and another, for all intents and purposes as of this moment, a non-performer with the Smackdown leadership. Shane McMahon has been making it a point of emphasis to ensure that he gets back at Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens for the turmoil that they put Shane through in 2017, while Daniel Bryan sees them as assets to the Smackdown roster and has been seemingly doing everything in his power to stack the odds against AJ and directly/indirectly support Owens and Zayn, which leads everyone to believe that Daniel is turning heel.
According to previous reports, WWE is supposedly doing this intentionally to make fans view Daniel in a negative light so, in the scenario that he leaves, he’ll leave a sour taste in the fans’ mouth. Yeah, that plan will totally not backfire at all. No way. In addition, I just don’t like handicap matches because it’s almost always a lose-lose situation. If the individual wins, he looks overpowered and the team look like chumps. If the team wins, then they don’t gain anything from it. Seeing as how we have three of the best of their craft, I’m sure they’ll find a way to make it work, and I’m sure AJ Styles will find a way to retain, just as I’m sure Bryan or McMahon will make their presence felt here. AJ isn’t losing here, it’s just a matter of how he will retain. Bigger things may be in store for him on the horizon.
Winner: AJ Styles
Brock Lesnar (C) vs. Braun Strowman vs. Kane – Universal Championship Match
Is it bad that I forgot this match was taking place? Seriously, I really don’t know what I’m supposed to be getting out of all of this. Am I supposed to be heavy in doubt that Brock Lesnar can retain? WWE hasn’t ceased to remind us that he’s facing the “Monster Among Men” and the “Red Machine” and that he can lose the title without being involved in the decision as if the fans have yet to understand how multi-man matches work. The problem with how WWE is hyping this up (and I’ll go more in depth on this later) is that we are supposed to believe Brock’s chances of retaining are extremely slim, despite the fact that he’s not only beaten Braun Strowman but has beaten him, Samoa Joe and one of the favorites for this Sunday’s Royal Rumble match, Roman Reigns all at the same time while doing a stretcher job. And now we’re supposed to believe a guy who hasn’t proven he can win when the spotlight gets big in Braun Strowman, and a past-his-prime Kane poses any serious threat?
The whole Braun Strowman trying to kill Kane and Lesnar thing is adorable, but seriously, you couldn’t get more contrived than that. Bottom line here is that Lesnar winning is the only thing that makes sense here. While I can’t shake in the back of my mind the slightest of possibilities that Kane upsets and gets the biggest win of his career due to how weak and non-threatening he’s looked in this entire ordeal, Roman vs. Lesnar at WrestleMania is about as clear as Triple H’s nose.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
First Ever 30-Woman Royal Rumble Match
Did you know that the women will have their own Royal Rumble match for the first time ever? Just making sure you were paying attention. Now, the announcement from Stephanie was a monumental one, as the women’s revolution comes full circle. From the first ever Hell In A Cell Match between women to the first ever women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match, the women getting their own first pit stop on the Road to WrestleMania shows what a long way the women’s division has come from where it was half a decade ago. I certainly couldn’t have foreseen all of this change taking place. The only question now is how the women will take this moment and how they can tell a story. I can’t help but notice that when the women have had the task of getting their own matches the men have had for the first time, they sort of had a struggle in trying to tell a story or with the execution. I’m fearful that we will have at least five botches or failed elimination attempts that would make for awkward moments, but I believe there’s enough talent in there to make it work. I hope, anyway.
As for the women on the roster, Asuka is the only active competitor that really has a chance at winning the Rumble. No one else even comes close. Be it Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Mickie James, Naomi, Natalya or any one of the former women’s champions from both brands, Asuka’s dominance has become a storyline in of itself, and that is why she has to be considered the heavy favorite. However, according to many betting sites, the favorite of the women’s Royal Rumble match has only stepped in a WWE venue once at WrestleMania 31. That is the ass-kicking UFC standout in Ronda Rousey. She is the only women WWE could possibly bring in that could believably take Asuka to task. In addition, the rumors of the Horsewomen of UFC and WWE colliding haven’t died as of yet, so bringing her in and winning her debut match could be an intriguing way to go. I like shielding myself from disappointment, so because I’m going to temper my expectations of Ronda debuting at the Rumble, I’ll play it safe and say Asuka wins the entire thing.
Winner: Asuka
30-Man Royal Rumble Men’s Match
It feels as though this year’s Royal Rumble match for the men has had little hype surrounding it. According to the odds, Nakamura, Cena, Reigns and shockingly enough, Smackdown GM Daniel Bryan has been consistently at the top as the favorites to who will win the match. I typically am good at predicting who will win the Rumble matches, but to be fair, up until last year, the Rumble matches have been very predictable. I think we all knew who the winners of the Rumble matches from 2013 to 2016 were gonna be just off of storyline and persona alone. Last year, I was way off as I predicted Samoa Joe was gonna make his WWE debut and challenge for the WWE Championship. This year, to me, it seems clear that the winner, unless Daniel Bryan plans on getting cleared this weekend, will be either Nakamura of Smackdown or Reigns of RAW. That’s the only way I see it. I have yet to receive any indication of any legit dark horses that could feasibly face Brock Lesnar or AJ Styles at WrestleMania this year. There’s always some sort of controversy surrounding Roman Reigns and Royal Rumble matches year after year, so you have to wonder how WWE plans on booking him in this match.
Meanwhile, Nakamura hasn’t exactly set the world on fire since his main roster debut, and while the hardcore fans recognize the clear history between him and Styles from NJPW, the casual fanbase may not be as privy to that rivalry. To me, it would come down to who the Rumble win could probably better serve. It’s pretty clear Roman will be facing Lesnar at WrestleMania, but I don’t think he necessarily needs to win the Rumble to get that match. Meanwhile, Nakamura has been advertised as a part of a Fatal Five Way WWE Championship match at Smackdown’s Fastlane PPV in March, the last PPV before WrestleMania. Put it this way. My mind is telling me Nakamura, but my heart’s telling me Roman. Now, I gotta see my cardiologist.
Winner: Roman Reigns
So, who do you have winning the big matches? Let me know!
