Kick-Off Show
Tonight’s Kick-Off show begins with the panel of Renee Young, Peter Rosenberg, David Otunga, and Jerry Lawler. The four analysts sit at the panel in an empty arena in Philadelphia.
Renee shows us Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens backstage talking as fans tweet their questions in for a live Q&A later. We go outside of the arena to Sam Roberts, who is with a bunch of excited fans. Fans chant “Royal Rumble” and “yes!” as Roberts plugs the show. Renee leads us to a video package for the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble match. We come back to the panel and RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss has replaced Otunga. She’s excited about tonight and says part of her wishes she was in the Rumble. Bliss picks best friend Nia Jax to win the Rumble but says at least she would have time to prepare for Asuka this time if she wins. Bliss talks more about the Rumble and WrestleMania 34 as Lawler gives her props. Bliss sends a warning and says it doesn’t matter who wins the Rumble because they will have the pleasure of losing to her at WrestleMania. The panel runs down tonight’s card after Bliss leaves.
We get a backstage Twitter video from The New Day before going backstage to RAW Tag Team Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan. Jordan says there’s no way they can lose tonight as they will break The Bar. Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin walk in and mock Jordan. Jordan gets serious with Gable but they stop and hug, laughing. Rollins leaves Jordan and Gable to catch up. Benjamin also chats with Jordan. Jordan says they were going to call he and Gable The World’s Greatest Tag Team and Benjamin says that sounds like a knockoff. Gable mocks Jordan’s singles career on RAW and Jordan rubs in his title, telling Gable and Benjamin good luck with The Usos. Jordan walks off. The panel discuss tonight’s Tag Team Title matches and give Sheamus props for looking as good as he does at 40.
Renee sends us to a video looking back at the very first Rumble match, with comments from WWE Hall of Famer Hacksaw Jim Duggan. We get a backstage Twitter video from Bayley next. The panel sends us to the ring for our first pre-show match. It’s 205 Live time with Kalisto, Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado out first!
Kalisto, Lince Dorado & Gran Metalik Vs. TJP, Jack Gallagher & Drew Gulak
Gulak takes control after a slow start with Kalisto as he’s not happy with the chants. Kalisto turns it around on the mat but in comes Gallagher. Kalisto tags in Metalik to go at it with Gallagher. They trade holds and Metalik rolls him up for a 2 count. Gallagher goes to the floor for a breather and some trash talking. Gallagher tags TJP in. TJP goes at it with Lince as he tags in. Lince takes control and tags Kalisto back in for more offense on TJP. Kalisto with a quick pin attempt. Kalisto and TJP run the ropes and go at it but Kalisto nails a dropkick. Lince comes off the top for a double team on TJP. Lince with chops now.
Lince unloads on TJP and hits a standing moonsault for a 2 count. TJP ends up on the apron but Lince dropkicks him to the floor. The masked cruiserweights hit a big triple team move from the top to their opponents on the floor. We go to a break.
Back from the break and TJP dropkicks Lince out of mid-air, allowing the heels to take control and take turns on Lince. Gallagher comes in and keeps focusing on the leg. Gulak tags in and knocks Metalik off the apron. Gulak takes over on Lince now and works him over in the corner. TJP comes in and double teams the leg with Gulak. Fans try to rally for Lince as TJP keeps him grounded for another 2 count, and two more while they’re on the mat. Lince comes back with a pin attempt of his own. TJP blocks a tag and sends Lince out to the floor. TJP brings it back in the ring for a 2 count.
Gallagher tags back in and keeps Lince down. Gallagher wastes time on the second rope and ends up falling on his face. Gulak tags in as does Metalik. They go at it. Metalik unloads and goes to the top. Metalik walks the rope and nails a big elbow drop for a 2 count as Gallagher breaks the pin. Kalisto tags in and nails Gulak and Gallagher with a kick. Lince nails a double springboard stunner on them next. Metalik runs the ropes and hits a big dive on Gulak and Gallagher. Kalisto covers Gulak for a close 2 count.
TJP tags in as Kalisto kicks Gulak out of the ring. Kalisto counters the Detonation Kick. They trade moves and roll-ups in a quick sequence, then Kalisto reverses TJP and hits Salida del Sol for the pin!
Winners: Lince Dorado, Gran Metalik & Kalisto
Good kick-off match. After the match, the winners celebrate as they walk up the ramp. Meanwhile, TJP argues with his partners in the ring as we go back to the panel.
SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair has joined the panel and says she wishes she was in the women’s Royal Rumble. Flair says she even considered entering the contest so she could face Alexa Bliss and win both brand’s women’s titles. She says she’s ‘the money match’, so whoever wins will want to pick her. She picks out Becky Lynch – her friend who knows her weaknesses – Nikki Bella, who she says has some animosity for her, as the last Divas Champion before her, plus Sasha Banks, The Boss who always brings out the best in her, as potential opponents she’d like to face…“Asuka – I want to break her streak.”
We’re backstage with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn now, who tonight challenge AJ Styles for the WWE Championship in a 2-on-1 handicap match. They’re in the social media lounge, but are being pretty anti-social with the questions and berating Renee Young, who is hosting the segment. They say they will become the first co-WWE Champions. Owens refuses to answer questions from Pete Rosenberg, but says he will from The King, and comments on how Jerry Lawler eliminated Max Moon from the 1993 rumble, which gets a laugh. They are mocking people who tweeted them with tweets full of spelling errors, which seems fair enough to me. Owens says Rosenberg is paying WWE to be on the panel and needs deleting, then they make the Matt Hardy motion. Kevin says the “road to KO mania kicks off tonight”. It is revealed their match will start the show. Owens says people in Canada are so excited for him and starts speaking in French.
We see highlights of the 1995 Royal Rumble, in which HBK Shawn Michaels entered first and won the whole show. We’ve seen that clip a million times but it never gets old and hearing HBK narrate over it makes it even better.
We’re back to ringside for more pre-show action. The Club’s Anderson and Gallows are out first, minus Finn Balor as he is preparing for the Rumble match.
Gallows & Anderson Vs. The Revival
Anderson starts off with Dash and they go right to the corner for a tag to Dawson. They go at it and Dawson looks to take control but Anderson dropkicks him. Anderson works on the arm and tags in Gallows for a double team backdrop. Dawson rolls to the floor to regroup with Wilder.
Gallows waits and in comes Wilder off a tag. Dash distracts the referee while Dawson comes in and rakes the eyes of Gallows. Dawson sends Gallows into the knee of Dash and tags him in. Dash unloads in the corner but Gallows rocks him and comes out of it. Gallows no-sells another shot and launches Dash into the corner for big body shots. Gallows looks for a Irish whip into a big boot but Dawson pulls Dash from the ring and The Revival regroup on the floor as we head to a break.
Back from the break and Dawson takes control of Anderson after Anderson doesn’t see a tag. Dawson keeps control until Dash comes in to keep the assault going. Anderson breaks out of a hold but Dawson tags back in and goes right to work on him, still focusing on the leg.
More back and forth between the two teams. Anderson finally nails a Spinebuster on Dash but he kicks out. Gallows ends up on the floor with Dawson. Gallows runs into the ring post after Dawson ducks. The Revival double teams Anderson and takes his knee out for the pin.
Winners: The Revival
After the match, Anderson sells the injury in the ring as Gallows stands with him while The Revival stands tall on the ramp. Their loss at the Raw 25th anniversary show has been avenged.
We return to the panel as they go over tonight’s entire card. We get more discussion for tonight’s show and a backstage Twitter video from Rusev and Aiden English. WWE Hall of Famer Alundra Blayze takes Otunga’s seat on the panel for a few minutes. Blayze mentions that she would like to be in the Rumble and because Asuka is undefeated, she’d like to beat her a… her butt, she caught herself. There’s some good back & forth between JBL and Blayze. Blayze takes forever to pick a women’s Rumble winner and never actually makes a pick but she does say she likes Nia Jax. Renee sends us outside to Sam Roberts again. Fans behind him are going wild. We get more hype for tonight’s show and a video package for the WWE Universal Title Triple Threat. Rosenberg predicts Braun Strowman to win but Otunga goes with Brock Lesnar to retain and JBL picks Kane. Renee sends us to a video on the 1998 Royal Rumble, won by WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin. Renee sends us back to the ring for the final Kickoff match.
We go to the ring and Tom Phillips welcomes us. He’s joined by Corey Graves and Byron Saxton. Out comes WWE United States Champion Bobby Roode for the first-ever Glorious US Open Challenge. Roode cuts a promo and kicks off the challenge, asking who’s going to jump on the golden opportunity…
WWE United States Title Match
(C) Bobby Roode
They lock up and Mojo sends Roode to the mat. Roode charges and Mojo knocks him down. Fans chant “Mojo sucks” now. Mojo works over Roode in the corner but Roode fights out. Mojo charges out of the corner but Rode hits an inverted atomic drop and a side Russian leg sweep for a 2 count. Mojo comes right back and nails Roode. Mojo dodges a Glorious DDT and sends Roode out to the floor on his feet. Roode tries to come back in but Mojo knocks him off into the barrier. Mojo charges and sends Roode back into the barrier. Mojo talks some trash and brings it back into the ring for a 2 count. We go to a break.
Back from the break and Mojo is still in it. Roode manages to get an elbow up as Mojo charges in the corner. Mojo catches a Blockbuster attempt but Roode slides out of a slam. Roode with a forearm and a clothesline now. Roode with a corner clothesline and a neckbreaker for a 2 count. Roode keeps control and hits the Blockbuster. He calls for the DDT but Mojo blocks it and drops him for a 2 count. Mojo plants Roode into the mat and covers for another 2 count.
Mojo mushes Roode around and talks some trash. Roode catches Mojo with a spinebuster for a close 2 count. Mojo blocks the DDT once again with a backdrop. Mojo launches Roode into the ring post. Mojo charges into the corner with the big punch but Roode blocks it. Roode with an awkward DDT out of the corner for the pin.
Winner: Bobby Roode
We go back to the panel for more hype for tonight’s show. WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair joins the panel now. Flair says being here means a lot and he’s glad to be anywhere with the company these days. Flair talks about the Rumble and his win years ago. Flair says it’s a special moment for the winners of tonight’s Rumble matches. Flair also comments on tonight’s big Triple Threat and says he wouldn’t wish Lesnar on anyone. He respects Braun and gives props to Kane for his career. Flair picks Lesnar to retain his title. The panel talks more about tonight’s show and Flair jokes about his history with Philly.
The panel run-down tonight’s card one more time as Flair gives more props to WWE and the City of Brotherly Love. Renee wraps the pre-show and it’s time for the 2018 Royal Rumble!
