WWE sill need a few more matches to fill the six-hour Royal Rumble. Photo: WWE.com
With four matches already scheduled for the big show, how will WWE fill out the rest of the WWE Royal Rumble 2018?
Like the other “Big Four” pay-per-views, the Royal Rumble projects to be a long show. With a presumably two-hour pre-show followed by a four-hour event, WWE has a lot of time to fill in order to keep the fans engaged. Aside from the men’s WWE Royal Rumble 2018 match, WWE has added two world title matches and the first ever women’s Royal Rumble to their inaugural supercard show of the new year.
Unlike the other big four-hour events WWE put on, the Royal Rumble usually does a nice job filling out the time. With two matches expected to take up an hour apiece, the company doesn’t need to worry about stretching matches too long (see: 2017 Survivor Series main event tag match).
That’s good news for Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman, and Kane-their match shouldn’t go longer than 10 minutes. That still leaves WWE with roughly two hours to keep an antsy Philadelphia crowd engaged.
With roughly three weeks remaining until the Rumble, WWE still needs a few matches to fill out the show without accounting for the pre-show. We probably won’t see another Usos vs. Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin match. I don’t think either Women’s title nor the Intercontinental title will be up for grabs either. Fortunately for WWE, they have some other options based on some of the ongoing storylines playing out on television.
The following card does not include the women’s and men’s Rumble matches, because it should be clear that these will be on the card.
Seth Rollins & Jason Jordan (c) vs. The Bar (Sheamus & Cesaro)- Raw Tag Team Championship Match
The way things have gone on Raw over the past couple of weeks, we should see another tag team title match between these four men. After all, Sheamus and Cesaro still have a contractually obligated rematch after losing their titles to the makeshift pairing of Jordan and Rollins on the Christmas edition of Raw.
WWE could always put that match on TV before the Rumble, but there is no need to rush. Of course, they could also do the rematch on Raw, book a cheap finish and still do the rematch at the Rumble.
They can continue to plant the seeds for Jordan’s full heel turn while also building the discontent between him and Rollins. All of that could possibly culminate at the Rumble in this match if it happens. If Rollins and Jordan also enter the Rumble, this story could carry over to that match as well.
With two World title matches and two Rumbles, I wouldn’t expect these four to get a ton of time to tell a lengthy story unless they get relegated to the pre-show. Even with possible time constraints, they should have enough time to put together a quality match while continuing to forward Jordan’s petulant “daddy’s boy” character.
“Woken” Matt Hardy vs. Bray Wyatt
Outside of one Hardy blindside attack, both men have only traded wacky pre-taped promos on RAW over the last couple of weeks. While Matt has brought the zaniness that made the “Broken” gimmick fun in TNA, Wyatt has continued to cut the same meandering, shallow promos that mean nothing because he doesn’t back up his words in the ring.
I think WWE can get away with possibly saving the first Hardy/Wyatt match for WrestleMania. A match at Royal Rumble isn’t out of the question, but it might get lost in the shuffle with all of the other big matches.
I could easily see them having an exchange in the Rumble match more than them having a straight singles match. That would give fans a nice taste of what could come later down the line. WWE could continue that trend at the Raw-exclusive Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.
But if WWE really needs to fill time on a long show, I could see them adding this match. At the very least, Wyatt and Hardy could burn some time jawing back and forth either live or in pre-tapes. Either way, both Hardy and Wyatt will have some sort of presence on the show.
United States Championship Tournament Finals
After SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan stripped Dolph Ziggler of the U.S. Title on the Dec. 26 SmackDown Live, he announced an eight-person tournament to decide a new champion. In the proceeding weeks, Bobby Roode, Xavier Woods and Jinder Mahal have all advanced to the semifinals (Mojo Rawley vs. Zack Ryder will close out the quarterfinals).
Theoretically, WWE could book the semifinals matches on one of the three Tuesday’s before the Rumble and use the rest of the time to build up the match. It makes perfect sense for WWE to stage the finals of the tournament at the Royal Rumble.
Like the possible tag team title match, this contest could fall victim to time constraints, meaning a televised final could lead to a better match. Ultimately, the match quality depends on who reaches the finals. If Mahal makes it to the end (and I think he will), the match may not set the world on fire in regards to workrate.
If Mahal bogs the match down with his usual combination of lethargic offense and interference, fans might forget about this match with so many other matches taking precedence on the show. On the other hand, that means it won’t overshadow the bigger matches on the show. This match should make the pre-show at the very least.
Enzo Amore (c) vs. Cedric Alexander- WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match
Like all Cruiserweight title bouts on “Big Four” PPV’s, this match will more than likely be on the pre-show. This match was originally scheduled for the New Years edition of RAW but was postponed due to Enzo having the flu (he wanted to work the show regardless, but WWE officials said no).
To fill the time, WWE booked Alexander in tag matches against “Zo-Train” members Drew Gulak and Ariya Daivari. The matches were about as exciting as they sound, but I don’t place the blame on the wrestlers. WWE and their creative team have done nothing to make the 205 Live roster feel special or important. Enzo’s heel schtick gave the show a bit of a jolt, but even that didn’t last long.
If WWE does book Amore vs. Alexander for the Rumble, it will probably follow the usual formula: Alexander will outclass Enzo for six minutes before the champion cheats to keep his title.
Next: Predicting All 30 Royal Rumble Entrants
Even if they put the title on Alexander, it just feels so unimportant, and that’s a shame considering the talent that resides in the cruiserweight division. Unless WWE uses this as a “buffer match”, I would be surprised if this match makes the main show. That’s if WWE goes through with the match at all.