WWE Royal Rumble 2018: It’s All About The Moments

WWE Royal Rumble 2018 is approaching quickly, and now more than ever, the fans deserve to see some truly memorable moments out of one of the most magical pay per view events of the year.

Every year, the Royal Rumble is a big deal, but WWE Royal Rumble 2018 is an even bigger pay per view than usual. That’s because we will get to see the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble match, and this event has obviously been a long time coming. Some of the best wrestlers in the world will partake in this 30-woman battle royal, and it will also figure to include legends of the past and legends of the future (meaning NXT call-ups).

Despite all of the excitement surrounding the first ever Women’s Rumble, there is some trepidation within the WWE Universe. Many fans haven’t forgotten the fact that James Ellsworth grabbed the Money in the Bank briefcase during the first Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match last year. These same fans haven’t forgotten that WWE doesn’t seem to spend as much care crafting detailed storylines in the women’s division, and female wrestlers are both paid much less and featured much less on television.

All of these issues lead fans to fear the worst at the Women’s Rumble, but what outweighs these fears is hope. There’s hope that the WWE will understand the magnitude of this match and ensures it makes the statement that it should.

That said, the Men’s Rumble matches have long been prone to booking decisions that leave fans upset, such as when favorites like Daniel Bryan, Dean Ambrose, and Dolph Ziggler were eliminated early in the 2015 Royal Rumble match. Not every booking decision will be praised by fans, and that’s OK.

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What’s important in a Rumble match, though, are the moments. Remember when Chris Jericho and Sheamus were the last two men standing in the 2012 Rumble?

Or how about when Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker took out Rated RKO before having a memorable mini-match that would foreshadow Michaels’s retirement match three years later?

It’s even about smaller moments like Kofi Kingston’s tricks to avoid elimination, Curtis Axel never being eliminated, or The Miz hanging around outside the ring to make things easier for himself. These are all entertaining and add more to the characters of wrestlers like Miz and Kofi.

The Rumble is about friends turning on each other, rivals forming, and the best wrestlers in the business doing absolutely bad-ass things. When there are big moments that make the highlight reels or form fond memories, we aren’t as apt to nitpick booking decisions or leave the match unsatisfied just because our personal favorite didn’t win.

Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Asuka, and so many more women in WWE have helped bring women’s wrestling into the mainstream as a serious sport by putting on fantastic matches both in NXT and, yes, on the main roster.

Even if the WWE makes the ill-advised decision to have Ronda Rousey win the Rumble (and they won’t, I guarantee it), the fans won’t turn on it if it’s set up properly.

The fans might even accept it if Rousey comes across like a beast, getting pushed to the brink at the end before proving she can hang with seasoned wrestlers like Banks and Flair.

The Women’s Rumble feels wide open when it comes to predicting a winner, but the Men’s Rumble is even more difficult to predict. If John Cena wins, the WWE could go in any number of directions, including a match with the Undertaker. But we’ve seen Cena win twice before, and we’ve already seen victories in recent years from rumored winners Roman Reigns and Randy Orton.

So why not use the Rumble to elevate someone to superstar status? How about Shinsuke Nakamura, who has toiled without direction since defeating John Cena and Randy Orton on SmackDown Live? AJ Styles is the WWE Champion, so that Nakamura vs. Styles match remains in the cards.

But how about Finn Balor? He deserves a shot at the Universal Championship, and he is back with his buddies Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. And what about Seth Rollins? Wouldn’t it be something if the WWE 2K18 cover star used his Curb Stomp and superior wrestling ability to score a victory? Samoa Joe, Braun Strowman, and Dolph Ziggler are other names that come to mind as stars the WWE could get behind with a Rumble win, and their victories would indeed be memorable moments.

Even during the match, showdowns between Nakamura and Styles or Joe and Strowman could be worth watching. What if Triple H enters the match for revenge against Braun? Will Balor use the full power of the Balor Club to his advantage? Will Rusev Day or the New Day make a splash? What kind of comedy spots could the likes of Breezango, the Ascension, or even cruiserweight star Drew Gulak pull off? Could Tye Dillinger go postal if he doesn’t get to come out in the No. 10 spot? Would he even be willing to trade No. 30 for No. 10?

The WWE roster is stacked with talent both in the men’s and women’s divisions, and there are so many unique storylines and rivalries that could be formed, even if only for one night. Giving the WWE Universe a Rumble winner like Becky Lynch or Seth Rollins would be a huge way to make a lasting memory and build a new star, but even if that doesn’t happen, hopefully there are many smaller moments that can finally make us say, “Wow, that was a great Rumble match.”

Next: Royal Rumble 2018 Match Card Predictions

Because let’s be honest, when was the last time you left a Rumble feeling more excited than you did before the match? Making that happen should be a big goal for the WWE this year, as there is so much potential for both of these matches to be out of this world. It’s all in the details, and nobody turns details into lasting memories better than wrestling fans.