We see a trailer for the latest WWE 24, which airs tonight after the Royal Rumble, and it will focus on WrestleMania Orlando, including interviews with The Undertaker!
Well, it’s time for our first Rumble match and guess what, it’s the men! Before the match begins, we get a lengthy video explaining the rules and showing us some impressive stats from over the years.
Jerry Lawler is introduced as a guest commentator for the Rumble, and he’s wearing his classic King garb. The first entrant into the 2018 Royal Rumble is Rusev. Aiden English came out first and the fans lost their minds as he asked them what day it was. The Bulgarian Brute then came out and he is a huge favourite in Philly. The number two entrant is Finn Balor!
Men’s Royal Rumble Match
The bell rings and the match gets underway as Rusev and Finn lock-up. Rusev immediately lifts Finn and tries to throw him over but Finn elbows him. Regardless Rusev gets Finn onto the apron but he fights his way back into the ring. Rusev gives Finn a nice hip-toss, then an elbow drop. Finn pushes Rusev to the ropes and tries to get him over but he’s too heavy it seems. Rusev hits Finn against the ropes, then runs but Finn catches him with a dropkick and the countdown clock is on.
The third entrant is Philly favourite, Rhyno! Rusev and Rhyno go at it right away and punch each other into the corner. Rhyno hits a shoulder tackle in the corner, then a belly-to-belly to Rusev, then one to Finn for good measure. Rhyno clotheslines Balor, then tries to toss him over but Rusev attacks him. Rhyno gets Rusev on his shoulders but Rusev fights out, then hits a spinning heel kick and again the clock is on.
The fourth entrant is Baron Corbin, who receives huge boos as he runs to the ring. Corbin wastes no times as he attacks Rhyno, then throws Finn across the ring. Corbin gets hit by Rusev and he slides out of the ring, then back in and clotheslines Rusev from behind. Rhyno hits Corbin, then looks for a Gore but eats Deep Six from Corbin, then Rhyno is tossed out! Rhyno Eliminated. Almost as soon as Corbin throws Rhyno out, Finn Balor throws out the Lone Wolf! Baron Corbin Eliminated. Corbin can’t believe it and he pulls Finn under the bottom rope and throws him into the barricade. Corbin then attacks Rusev on the outside with the End of Days. He isn’t finished yet as he catches Finn with a backbreaker before being escorted to the back by officials.
Entrant number five, Heath Slater is out next but Corbin clotheslines him on the ramp. Everyone in the match is down outside of the ring, and the fans are chanting “he’s got kids” in regards to Slater. The next entrant is Elias, who comes to the ring with his guitar and sings a song for the fans in Philly, in which he says he will spit in the face of the Rocky statue. Eventually the clock re-appears and Elias stops as the NXT Champion, Andrade Almas comes to the ring!
Almas hit Heath Slater as he made his way to the ring. He and Elias brawl as they stand in the ring. Elias throws him towards the ropes and he catches himself like a spider. Almas hits Elias with a spinning elbow, then hits the runnng knee’s in the corner. Almas looks for the Hammerlock DDT but Elias fights out and eats a huge clothesline. Both men are down and the clock is ticking down. The next entrant is Bray Wyatt, who makes his way to the ring, where Slater is crawling towards the ring. Wyatt grabs Slater and tosses him into the barricade – Slater still hasn’t officially entered the match.
Wyatt immediately attacks Elias and looks for Sister Abigail but Balor returns and attacks. Wyatt throws him off and kicks Almas in the corner. Rusev comes back and climbs the apron but Wyatt knocks him down. This happens a couple of times as the fans cheer for Rusev. It’s time for the next entrant and number 9 is Big E of The New Day. Big E comes to ringside and picks Slater up and tries to feed him pancakes, it doesn’t seem to rejuvenate Slater who slides back down to the floor. Big E runs into the ring and hits Wyatt with a belly-to-belly. Elias attacks Big E, then goes to work on Finn in the corner. Rusev returns and tries to eliminate Almas, while Wyatt singles Big E in the corner. All men are busy as the clock comes back and the tenth entrant is Tye Dillinger!
We wait for Dillinger but he doesn’t appear, then we cut backstage to see Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens beating on Dillinger backstage. Zayn turns to Owens and says he has this, so Zayn is taking the number 10 slot and, of course, he attacks Slater as he comes to the ring. Sami attacks Finn Balor in the corner and again all seven men are occupied. Entrant number eleven is Sheamus of The Bar!
Sheamus comes down and picks up Heath Slater, then throws him into the ring. Sheamus slides inside and Slater immediately clotheslines him back out! Sheamus Eliminated. The crowd went wild for that! Sheamus cannot believe it and Slater is very proud of himself but it isn’t long until Bray Wyatt hits Sister Abigail, then throws Heath out. Heath Slater Eliminated. The fans booed for that.
Xavier Woods is entrant number twelve and this is his second Royal Rumble. Woods attacks Bray Wyatt, then Sami Zayn and he teams with Big E to unleash some tag team offense. From there it’s just everyone trying to eliminate each other for a few minutes. Eventually it’s time again and out comes Apollo Crews for unlucky number 13. Crews doesn’t get any noteworthy spots and it’s back to random action from every man in the ring. Wyatt looks for Sister Abigail on Balor but the Irishman escapes and hits a double foot stomp. The clock ticks down again and out comes a favourite to win the Rumble, Shinsuke Nakamura!
Nakamura ducks a clothesline from Sami, then hits him with a leaping kick. Nakamura unleashes some blows on Rusev, then an axe kick to Wyatt as the fans sing Nakamura’s music. The Prince continues the attack on Elias, Apollo and others. The ring is filling up now,I believe there is 10. Well, Nakamura places Zayn on the top rope and hits a running knee and Zayn is gone! Sami Zayn eliminated. Cesaro, the Swiss Cyborg, is out next and he starts uppercutting various people before trying to throw Balor over but he gets attacked by Almas. Jerry Lawler says when he was in the Rumble, he never tried to stop any eliminations.
Rusev and Cesaro fight in the centre of the ring as the crowd boo and cheer. The clock is back and this time it’s Kofi Kingston. All three members of New Day are in the ring but as soon as Kofi enters he is clobbered by an uppercut from Cesaro. Apollo Crews lifts Cesaro and tries to toss him over but Cesaro holds on and throws Apollo over and onto the apron. Crews fights him off for a minute but eventually Sheamus connects with an uppercut and Crews is gone. Apollo Crews eliminated.
The next entrant is the former WWE Champion, Jinder Mahal. Amazingly, this is Mahal’s first every Rumble match. Jinder brawls with a few guys before eliminating Xavier Woods. Xavier Woods eliminated. Big E then attacks Jinder but he gets booted off of the apron and he too is eliminated by the Modern Day Maharaja. Big E eliminated. Seth Rollins is entrant number 18 and he’s wearing fiery tights. Rollins runs to the ring and hits a massive springboard clothesline to Bray Wyatt, then catches Balor with a slingblade. Cesaro then attacks Rollins from behind, bad blood there, and Cesaro tries to throw him over. Rollins tricks Cesaro and kicks him with both feet over the top rope like a circus act! Cesaro eliminated. Amazingly, Jinder tries to throw Kofi over but the master of escape strikes again as one of his feet landed on his teammate Xavier Woods body. Kofi is still in the match and Big E give him a plate of pancakes to set his feet on. Kofi can’t get back in the ring as Jinder blocks his path. Woods and Big E create a spring for Kofi and he bounces off of them, over the top rope and over Jinder!
Jinder attacks Kofi but gets hit with Trouble in Paradise and he is gone! Jinder Mahal eliminated. Big E and Woods bury Jinder in pancakes at ringside. Andrade Almas then grabs Kofi and hits the Hammerlock DDT. He attempts to toss him out but changes him mind as Big E and Woods are below, so Almas throws Kofi over the opposite side of the ring. Kofi Kingston Elimianted. Almas is attacked by Rusev and sent to the corner. The clock ticks down and WOKEN Matt Hardy is the next entrant. Hardy is very popular in Philly.
Hardy goes to work on Elias, slamming his head onto the turnbuckle repeatedly. Bray Wyatt and Hardy square-up and the fans chant DELETE. Rusev interrupts their staring contest and gets punched by both men then clotheslined over to the dismay of the fans. Rusev eliminated. Wyatt and Hardy work together for a hot minute, attacking various competitors before fighting each other again. Eventually they cltihesline each other over the ropes! Matt Hardy elimianted. Bray Wyatt eliminated.
John Cena is out next and he is definitely not a favourite in Philly. Cena tuns to the ring and the remaining men in the match attack him at the same time and the fans pop. Eventually Elias and Cena go at it and Cena gets Elias up for an AA and tosses him over! Elias eliminated. Cena is the only man standing and he’s ready for the next entrant…
Hurricane comes to the ring and poses with Super-Cena, this is the WWE version of Justice League. Cena grabs Hurricane on his shoulders and throws him out, short-lived return for Helms. Hurricane eliminated. Aiden English is out next and he goes to work on Almas, then some others. It’s everyone fighting each other again. The next entrant Adam Cole from NXT! Cole gets a huge reaction and then comes to the ring and joins the multi-man brawl. English is on the top rope and he poses but gets kicked by Balor and is eliminated. Aiden English elimianted.
Entrant number 24 is the Viper, Randy Orton! Orton comes down to the ring slowly and starts hitting Adam Cole with clotheslines. Orton looks to hit Cena with an RKO but gets pushed off and Almas kicks him in the face. Almas then springboards towards and gets caught with an RKO! Needless to say, that is the end of Almas’ journey in this match. Andrade Almas elimianted. The brawl continues on with every man and Titus O’Neil joints the fray. The brawl carries on with nothing of note happening.
The Miz is number 26, alongside The Miztourage. He runs into the ring and catches Seth Rollins with a neckbreaker. Miz then attacks both Rollins and Cena with the It Kicks until Cena catches him with an AA but Miz fights out and lands a Skull Crushing Finale. The clocks winds down again and the next entrant is Rey Mysterio!! Mysterio comes to the ring to a huge pop from Philly – which must make up for his number 30 entrant a few years back. Miz is caught by a hurricanrana from Mysterio.
Mysterio continues the attack on Miz, then hurricanrana’s Aadam Cole into the turnuckle before getting him over the rop rope! Adam Cole eliminated. Mysterio hits Miz with a 619 and things slow down again. Roman Reigns is the next entrant and he receives thunderous boo’s from Philly. Roman hits everyone with uppercuts and then it’s him and The Miz, who he hits with several clotheslines. Roman tosses Titus O’Neil from the rng, then tries to throw Miz over but The Miztourage stop it from happening. Titus O’Neil eliminated. Roman hits Dallas and Axel with a Superman punch, then Rollins hits Miz with a Curb Stomp. Rollins lifts Miz up and Roman dumps over over the top rope with a powerbomb onto Axel and Dallas. The Miz eliminated. Just as he and Rollins were admiring their handiwork, Roman grabs his Shield brethren and throws him out!!
Roman and Seth smile at each other, Rollins seemingly understands. The next entrant is GOldyst, who is now tied in second for most Rumble appearances. Goldust attacks Randy Orton, then catches Cena with a atomc drop. The clock appears again and the final entrant is none other, than Dolph Ziggler!
Dolph makes his way to the ring and attacks John Cena. Ziggler superkicks Cena and tries to throw him over but Cena holds on. Orton looks to RKO Ziggler but he too gets superkicked. Ziggler then throws gGoldust out. Goldust eliminated. Ziggler fights with Nakamura for a minute and The Prince tries to throw him over the rope backwards but Ziggler holds on, only for Finn Balor to hit him off guard and hes gone! Dolph Ziggler eliminated. We’re down to six men, Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura, John Cena, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns and Rey Mysterio.
We have a clash of generations as the old guys and the new cats stand off. Cool moment. The two generations go to work and brawl each other and their finishers, an RKO, Attitude Adjustment and a 619. Randy then tries to RKO Cena but gets tossed off and Roman Reigns Superman punches him, then throws him out! Randy Orton eliminated. Rey Mysterio then hits both Cena and Reigns with a 619, the crowd loved that. Too bad for Rey though as Finn Balor tosses him over! Rey Mysterio eliminated.
We’re down to four, Shinsuke Nakamura, John Cena, Roman Reigns, and Finn Balor. All four men come into the centre of the ring and share staredown. The fans are chanting for Nakamura. Cena attacks Nakamura and Balor hits Roman. We’re left with Roman and Cena standing, and Cena points to the WrestleMania sign. The fans chant “you both suck”. Balor and Nakamura reappear and attack Roman and Cena. Now we’re left with these two standing and the fans chant “too sweet”. Nakamura tries to eliminate Balor the way he did with Zayn but Finn holds on. They brawl and Finn hits a slingblade and both men are down. They get to their feet but Reigns and Cena return and attack them again. They start throwing hands and Reigns lands a Samoan Drop. Reigns takes to the corner, then runs at Cena for a Superman punch but he’s caught with a back drop. Cena looks for the Five Knuckle Shuffle but Finn catches him with a slingblade. Balor dropkicks Cena in to the corner, then hits Roman with the slingblade and dropki, then does the same to Nakamura. Shinsuke catches Finn with a kick, then looks for Kinshasha but Finn hits a double foot stomp. Cena then grabs Finn and tosses him out to a chorus of boos. Finn Balor eliminated.
We’re down to John Cena, Roman Reigns and Shinsuke Nakamura. Weirdly, Reigns and Cena double team Cena and beat him down like heels. Then Roman attacks Cena but eats some shoulder tackles and a Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena lifts Roman up for an AA but Roman climbs down and hits John with a Superman punch. Reigns runs at Cena and gets caught with an AA, then Nakamura grabs Cena for a back drop but Cena elbows him. Cena looks to suplex Nakamura over but Shinsuke reverses and hits him with Kinshasha on the apron! John Cena eliminated.
Roman Reigns and Nakamura slowly get to their feet and stare at each other. Nakamura asks Roman to “Come On!!” The two trade blows in the centre of the ring and Nakamura gets the better of them, only to be caught with a Superman punch. Roman lifts Nakamura and runs him over the top rope, but Nakamura lands on the apron. Roman runs at him but Shinsuke grabs him and applies a triangle submission hanging over the ropes. Roman picks him up and powerbombs him in the centre of the ring. Both men are down. Reigns takes to the corner and prepares for a Spear, runs, and gets kicked in the face. Nakamura knee’s him in the face and sets up for Kinshasha but Roman Spears him with velocity! Again both men are down. Roman gets to his feet and picks Nakamura up, then takes him to the ropes but Shinsuke holds on. Nakamura fights off and hits a running Kinshsha then throws Roman over!!!
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura
Nakamura celebrates after the match as we see highlights. Renee Young comes into the ring and asks Nakamura if he has thoughts about who he wants to challenge at WrestleMania, and he answers emphatically: AJ STYLES! Yes!!
