WWE Royal Rumble 2018 is weeks away. With the event drawing nearer, here are five eliminations that must happen during the duration of the event,
WWE Royal Rumble 2018 is less than two weeks away.
That means it’s an incredibly exciting time in the WWE, as fans are already speculating who should win the 30-man match.
Over the years we’ve seen numerous memorable eliminations. It’s what truly makes the Rumble such a special match. There’s enough time for pretty much every competitor to get at least some offense in.
Near-eliminations and big spots are staples of the match. However, while the in-ring quality of the Royal Rumble always provides positives, the WWE also has a chance to further storylines during the match.
This year is no different, and there are a plethora of smart booking decisions that can be made from eliminations.
Here are five eliminations that need to happen during the Royal Rumble match.
Record Breaker
It’s time somebody breaks the record for fastest elimination. The dubious stat was set back in 2009, when Santino Marella was quickly — VERY quickly — tossed over the top ropes by Kane.
It’s tough to specify exactly who would be the best candidate to break the not-so-glamorous record. Conventional wisdom would suggest a cruiserweight would be best suited to break the record.
The only issue is “earning” the record for quickest elimination could damage someone’s credibility. Because of that, the candidate can’t be overly serious or up-and-coming like Cedric Alexander.
The best possible person may be Drew Gulak. He’s already over with the fans, and he’s continuing to develop his comedic chops. Taking a loss like that wouldn’t do too much to damage the leader of the Zo Train.
If not Gulak, perhaps either Tyler Breeze or Fandango could take the fall. Aiden English is another candidate, especially considering how the company seems to not be fully behind Rusev Day.
Elias Eliminates a Returning Superstar
At the Rumble, Elias looks to walk to WrestleMania.
The Drifter has been given a lot of screen time recently, and for good reason. He’s great on the mic, and can more than deliver inside the ring too.
It makes a lot of sense to see him continue his momentum at the Royal Rumble.
It’s the perfect opportunity for him to build his heat, especially with the return/debut of superstars imminent. The Rumble always features two things: superstars returning from a hiatus, or new superstars making a main-roster debut.
Elias should make his mark on the 30-man match by being the guy who eliminates the fan-favorite. It’s the easiest way to build generate boos, and Elias has the personality for it.
A budding heel disposing of a returning or debuting superstar has worked in the past. This worked well when Kevin Owens tossed AJ Styles out. The same can be said about Cody Rhodes and CM Punk eliminating Booker T.
The only true question would be which superstar would be thrown out by Elias. That’s a bit besides the point, though. As long as the person is well-liked, it can be anybody.
It makes sense, and would help further Elias’ development. If the company wants to continue to generate heat for Elias, having him be the one to get rid of an ultra fan-favorite makes almost too much sense.
What would be really cool would be Elias entering first, eliminating the second entrant and then serenading the crowd with a live, in-match song.
Jason Jordan Eliminates Seth Rollins
This is almost too much of a certainty.
Recently, Jordan’s overzealous personality has gotten his teammates into trouble. Against The Balor Club, it was Jordan’s mental mistakes that cost the faux-Shield a win. The storyline of Jordan being overconfident is a very intriguing one. It appears like Jordan is getting closer and closer to becoming a full-fledged heel, which is good.
That storyline should be furthered at the Royal Rumble.
It would be done in two manners. The more obvious approach would be to have Jordan accidentally eliminate Rollins. Rollins can he on the apron, and Jordan could go to dropkick an opposing superstar. That superstar could duck, and Jordan’s attack could errantly hit Rollins, causing The Architect to be eliminated.
An additional version of this sees Jordan deliberately eliminate his tag-team partner. He could give the age-old “everyman for himself” and “you would’ve done the same thing” justification. Obviously, both routes would feature different paths to Jordan becoming a full heel.
It would fall within Jordan’s character, and would help rise tensions further with Rollins. Rollins could go from begrudgingly cordial, to genuinely pissed off. Rollins could complain to Kurt Angle about Jordan, which would likely elevate the storyline as a whole.
Either way it’s executed, there’s no denying that it would add a wrinkle to the storyline, and would help plant the seeds toward WrestleMania.
John Cena eliminates Samoa Joe … who then Eliminates Cena
Hopefully Samoa Joe will be ready for the Royal Rumble. If he is, WWE’s resident Superman should keep his head on a swivel.
After making relatively quick work of Rhyno, Samoa Joe called out John Cena, claiming he would eliminate him from the Rumble.
It doesn’t take an expert to connect the dots and smell a potential WrestleMania clash between Cena and Joe. That’s great news for anybody who enjoys wrestling, as Joe versus Cena has the potential to be an unforgettable feud. And while the eventual showdown between the two is something to wet the pallet, the feud needs to start somewhere.
Look no further than the Royal Rumble.
The best way to book something like this would be to have Cena eliminate Joe. It could feature Joe being too eager to eliminate Cena, ending up making a critical mistake in the process.
However, Joe should re-enter the match, furious with being tossed over, and subsequently throw Cena over the rope in revenge. It would make sense for Joe to be so enraged with being eliminated that he costs Cens the match too.
It could quickly become an all-out brawl between Joe and Cena.
It’s the same way the Shawn Michaels-Kurt Angle feud began prior to WrestleMania 21. Sure, it’s not the most original beginning to a feud, but it’s worked in the past and it’ll work again. It’s simple, yet incredibly effective. After all, Joe and Cena don’t have a ton of history to work with, so an approach like this would be beneficial.
Shinsuke Nakamura Wins the Whole Thing
The artist known as Shinsuke Nakamura is over with the crowd. He’s been over since before he stepped foot in a WWE ring. Nakamura possesses a rock-star aura and has the ability to put together great matches too.
But the WWE needs to pull the trigger on Nakamura. If the seemingly apathetic approach to Nakamura persists any longer, the company runs the risk of Nakamura losing his heat.
He’s had a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship before, but he’s never been positioned as a true main-event talent. That can all change at the Royal Rumble, though.
Nakamura winning is a great alternative to some of the projected winners, too. Roman Reigns already won, as did John Cena. If the WWE is truly in the midst of a “new era,” then allowing a superstar like Nakamura to win would be a great move. While Nakamura may not be the biggest star in the company, he’s legitimate enough that him winning would make sense and would be a wise option.
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If the company really wants to get Nakamura over as a face, then having him eliminate a guy like Reigns would be the right decision. Since the WWE Universe remains relatively negative toward Reigns, Nakamura being the man to throw him out to win the match would likely generate a huge reaction.
Additionally, Philadelphia is the type of smart-mark crowd that would go absolutely berserk for Nakamura winning.
It would be the biggest win of his career, and would provide SmackDown with a budding star on the road to ‘Mania.