Royal Rumble (2018)

Royal Rumble (2018)
Promotional poster featuring various WWE wrestlers
Promotion WWE
Brand(s) Raw
SmackDown
Date January 28, 2018
City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Venue Wells Fargo Center
Attendance 17,629[1]
Theme
song(s)		 "King Is Born" by Aloe Blacc[2]
"Power" by Little Mix ft. Stormzy[3]
Sponsor(s) KFC
Rocket League
WWE Network event chronology
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NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia		 Next →
Elimination Chamber (2018)
Royal Rumble chronology
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Royal Rumble (2017)		 Next →
Royal Rumble (2019)

Royal Rumble (2018) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event and WWE Network event produced by WWE featuring wrestlers primarily from the Raw and SmackDown brands, as well as surprise appearances from competitors on the NXT brand. It took place on January 28, 2018, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[4] It was the thirty-first event under the Royal Rumble chronology, the first to include a women's Royal Rumble match, and consequently, two Royal Rumble matches.[5]

Nine matches were contested at the event, including three on the pre-show. In the main event, Asuka won the first-ever women's Royal Rumble match, which was also the second women's match to main event a WWE pay-per-view, and the first to main event one of WWE's "Big Four" pay-per-views. The men's Royal Rumble match was won by Shinsuke Nakamura. Other prominent matches included Brock Lesnar retaining the Universal Championship in a triple threat match against Braun Strowman and Kane, and AJ Styles retained the WWE Championship against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a handicap match. The event was also notable for the surprise debut of former UFC star Ronda Rousey following the women's match, officially confirming that she had signed full-time with WWE.[6]

Production

Background

As is tradition, the winner of the 30-man Royal Rumble match earned a world championship match at WrestleMania 34 for his choice of either Raw's Universal Championship or SmackDown's WWE Championship. The event also hosted the first-ever 30-woman Royal Rumble, in which the winner earned a women's championship match at WrestleMania 34 for her choice of either Raw's Women's Championship or SmackDown's Women's Championship.

Storylines

The card consisted of nine matches, including three on the pre-show, that resulted from scripted storylines and had results predetermined by WWE on both the Raw and SmackDown brands.[7][8] Storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Monday Night Raw, SmackDown Live, and 205 Live, the latter of which is cruiserweight-exclusive.[9][10] For the first time, the card was highlighted by two Royal Rumble matches.

On the October 16, 2017 episode of Raw, Kane returned from a ten-month hiatus and helped Braun Strowman to defeat Roman Reigns in a steel cage match. Kane was then added to Strowman's team at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in the 5-on-3 handicap Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match.[11] During the match, Kane accidentally hit Strowman with a chair, which caused tension between the two. Later on in the match, Kane turned on Strowman and crushed him in the back of a garbage truck; their team ultimately lost.[12] The two then feuded over the next several weeks, leading to a match on the December 11 episode to determine the number one contender against Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble, but the match ended in a double countout.[13] Raw General Manager Kurt Angle then decided that Lesnar would defend the title against both Kane and Strowman in a triple threat match at the event.[14] On the January 8 episode, Kane attacked Lesnar from behind, followed by an attack from Strowman. After laying Kane and Lesnar out backstage, Strowman knocked over a lighting rig and crushed both. Lesnar was taken to a medical facility while Kane refused medical attention.[2] Due to his actions, Strowman was removed from the triple threat match and fired by Angle. Strowman went on a rampage backstage, including destroying Angle's office and flipping over a tractor. Before he could do anymore damage, Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon rehired Strowman, putting him back into the Universal Championship match at the Royal Rumble.[15]

After Survivor Series, several women from NXT were promoted to the main rosters of both Raw and SmackDown. On the November 20, 2017 episode of Raw, Paige, who had been out with an injury since June 2016, returned along with the debuts of NXT's Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, forming the heel group Absolution,[16] while similarly on the November 21 episode of SmackDown, NXT's Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, and Sarah Logan debuted and formed the heel group The Riott Squad.[17] On the December 18, 2017 episode of Raw, with a larger roster of women on the main rosters, Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon scheduled the first-ever women's Royal Rumble match for the 2018 Royal Rumble, with the winner receiving a match at WrestleMania 34 for the top championship of their choice: Raw's Women's Championship or SmackDown's Women's Championship.[14] Both brands' respective commissioners and general managers agreed that the women's match would have all of the same rules as the men's match, including having 30 participants.[18] Stephanie was announced to join the commentary team for the women's match,[19] and television host Maria Menounos was announced to be the special guest ring announcer.[20][21]

At Clash of Champions, SmackDown's Commissioner Shane McMahon and General Manager Daniel Bryan both refereed a tag team match pitting Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn against Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura, where Owens and Zayn would have been fired from WWE had they lost. During the match, there was controversy between Shane and Bryan, which resulted in Bryan giving a fast count for Owens and Zayn to win.[22] Tensions between Shane and Bryan continued over the next couple of weeks, culminating on the final SmackDown of 2017, when Bryan scheduled Owens to face WWE Champion AJ Styles in a non-title match in the main event, much to the disapproval of Shane, who felt that Owens should not be in the main event, or facing the WWE Champion. That match ended when Zayn interfered, allowing Owens to win.[23] The next week, Zayn would also defeat Styles in a non-title match after interference from Owens. Enraged at back-to-back losses, Styles stated they might as well schedule him in a handicap match against Owens and Zayn, which Bryan took literally and scheduled for the Royal Rumble where Styles would also defend the WWE Championship against both men.[24] On the January 9 episode of SmackDown, Styles said that although it was unfair, he was confident that he would win; Owens and Zayn interrupted and claimed that they would become the first-ever co-WWE Champions.[25] On the final SmackDown before the Royal Rumble, Styles faced Owens and Zayn in back-to-back matches where Shane threatened that if one were to interfere in the other's match, that person would be fired. Styles managed to defeat Owens in the first match by submission, however, he would lose to Zayn in the second match.[26]

On the December 18, 2017 episode of Raw, Seth Rollins' tag team partner Dean Ambrose was injured by Samoa Joe.[14] The following week, despite both wanting to take on Joe to avenge Ambrose, Raw General Manager Kurt Angle instead had his (storyline) son, Jason Jordan, and Rollins team up to face Cesaro and Sheamus for the Raw Tag Team Championship; Jordan and Rollins defeated Cesaro and Sheamus to win the championship.[27] After the former champions confronted Angle about their contractual rematch, Angle scheduled it for the Royal Rumble.[2] On the January 15 episode, Jordan caused a distraction, allowing Titus Worldwide (Apollo Crews and Titus O'Neil) to again defeat Cesaro and Sheamus in a rematch from the previous week, which Rollins disapproved of as he did not like Jordan acting on his own. Cesaro and Sheamus would try and return the favor during Rollins' match against Finn Bálor, but it backfired, resulting in Rollins winning, and Cesaro and Sheamus brawling with Bálor Club members, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, at ringside.[15] On Raw 25 the next week, Jordan and Rollins were the guests on Christian's The Peep Show, which Cesaro and Sheamus interrupted and the two teams brawled where Rollins accidentally hit Jordan with a knee attack that was intended for Cesaro.[28]

At Clash of Champions, The Usos (Jey and Jimmy Uso) retained the SmackDown Tag Team Championship in a fatal-four-way match against Rusev and Aiden English, The New Day's Big E and Xavier Woods, and Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin.[22] On the following episode of SmackDown, Gable and Benjamin defeated The Usos in a non-title match,[29] and they were awarded with a championship match on the first SmackDown of 2018, where they defeated The Usos to initially win the titles after pinning Jimmy Uso; however, Jimmy was not the legal man, and thus the match was restarted and The Usos retained their championship.[24] The following week, Gable and Benjamin confronted SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan over the incident. After questioning if they should have to defeat The Usos twice in the same night, Bryan decided that at the Royal Rumble, The Usos would defend the SmackDown Tag Team Championship against Gable and Benjamin in a two-out-of-three-falls match.[25]

On January 26, three matches were announced for the Royal Rumble pre-show. For SmackDown, it was announced that United States Champion Bobby Roode would have an open challenge for the title. Two tag team matches were scheduled for Raw: a rematch between Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson and The Revival (Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson) from Raw 25, and a six-man tag team match for the cruiserweight division with Kalisto, Gran Metalik, and Lince Dorado against Drew Gulak, TJP, and Gentleman Jack Gallagher.[20]

Cancellations

Two other matches had been promoted for the event, but were later removed.

The first was the tournament final for SmackDown's then-vacant United States Championship. Originally scheduled for the PPV, the finals were instead contested on the January 16 episode of SmackDown, where Bobby Roode defeated Jinder Mahal to win the title.[30]

The second was a championship match for the Raw brand where WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore was scheduled to defend the title against Cedric Alexander.[15] However, after Amore was suspended from WWE on January 22 due to allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault, the match was cancelled. Amore was released the next day and the title was vacated.[31][32]

Event

Other on-screen personnel
Role: Name:
English commentators Michael Cole (Raw/both Royal Rumble matches)
Corey Graves (all matches)
Booker T (Raw)
Tom Phillips (SmackDown)
Byron Saxton
(SmackDown/Men's Royal Rumble match/Six-man tag team match)
Vic Joseph (Six-man tag team match)
Jerry Lawler (Men's Royal Rumble match)
Stephanie McMahon (Women's Royal Rumble match)
Spanish commentators Carlos Cabrera
Marcelo Rodríguez
German commentators Carsten Schaefer
Tim Haber
Calvin Knie
Ring announcers Greg Hamilton (SmackDown/Men's Royal Rumble match)
JoJo (Raw)
Maria Menounos (Women's Royal Rumble match)
Referees Jason Ayers
Shawn Bennett
Mike Chioda
John Cone
Dan Engler
Chad Patton
Charles Robinson
Rod Zapata
Interviewer Renee Young
Pre-show panel Renee Young
Peter Rosenberg
David Otunga
Jerry Lawler
John "Bradshaw" Layfield
Alundra Blayze
Ric Flair

Pre-show

Three matches were contested during the pre-show:

In the first match - featuring Raw's cruiserweight division - Kalisto, Gran Metalik, and Lince Dorado faced TJP, Gentleman Jack Gallagher, and Drew Gulak in a six man tag team match. Kalisto performed a Salida Del Sol on TJP to score the win.[33]

Next, also from Raw, The Revival (Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson) faced Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. Dawson performed a Chop Block on Anderson to score the win.[33]

Finally, SmackDown's United States Champion Bobby Roode issued an open challenge, which was answered by fellow SmackDown wrestler Mojo Rawley. Roode performed a Glorious DDT on Rawley to score the pinfall and retain the title.[33]

Preliminary matches

The actual pay-per-view opened with AJ Styles defending the WWE Championship against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a handicap match. In the end, Styles threw Zayn out of the ring and immediately Owens performed a Superkick on Styles. Owens - who was not the legal man - attempted a Pop Up Powerbomb on Styles, who countered into a roll up to retain the title. In a backstage segment, Owens and Zayn confronted SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon about the incident, however, after questioning if he saw what had happened, Shane smiled, replied "Yep", and walked off.[34]

Next, The Usos (Jey and Jimmy Uso) defended the SmackDown Tag Team Championship against Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin in a 2-out-of-3-falls match. Jimmy and Jey performed a Double Superkick on Gable, who was kneeling, to score the first fall. Jey then pinned Benjamin with a small package to score the second fall to retain the title.[34]

After that, the 30-man Royal Rumble match for a world championship match at WrestleMania 34 was contested. Rusev and Finn Bálor began the match as the first and second entrants, respectively. Baron Corbin (#4) eliminated Rhyno (#3), but was eliminated by Bálor. Corbin attacked Bálor, Rusev, and Heath Slater (#5), who just made his entrance. NXT Champion Andrade "Cien" Almas was a surprise entrant at #7. Tye Dillinger was scheduled to be #10, but was attacked backstage by Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, resulting in Zayn taking Dillinger's spot. Shinsuke Nakamura entered at #14 and eliminated Zayn. John Cena entered at #20 and eliminated Elias (#6) and The Hurricane (a surprise entrant at #21). NXT's Adam Cole, another surprise entrant, entered at #23. Randy Orton (#24) performed an RKO on Almas and eliminated him after a near 30 minute run. Rey Mysterio, another surprise entrant, entered at #27 and eliminated Cole. Roman Reigns entered at #28 and eliminated Titus O'Neil (#25). Reigns and Seth Rollins (#18) teamed up and performed a Powerbomb on The Miz (#26) over the top rope to eliminate him, after which, Reigns immediately eliminated Rollins. Dolph Ziggler, making his return after vacating the United States Championship, entered at #30 and eliminated Goldust (#29), but was eliminated by Bálor. Reigns performed a Superman Punch on Orton and eliminated Orton. Mysterio performed a 619 on Cena and Reigns, but was eliminated by Bálor. Bálor, Nakamura, Cena, and Reigns were the final four. Cena eliminated Bálor (who lasted nearly an hour) and immediately afterwards fought with Nakamura, who performed a Kinshasa on Cena to eliminate him. Nakamura attacked Reigns and attempted a Kinshasa, however, Reigns countered into a Spear. As Reigns attempted to eliminate Nakamura, Nakamura countered, performed a Kinshasa on Reigns and then eliminated Reigns to win the match. Afterward, Renee Young interviewed Nakamura and asked which world championship he wanted to challenge for at WrestleMania 34. He called out WWE Champion AJ Styles, thus choosing the WWE Championship and staying on SmackDown.[34]

Next, Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan defended the Raw Tag Team Championship against Cesaro and Sheamus. During the match, Jordan sustained a head injury (after being thrown into the ring post by Cesaro), rendering him unable to compete. In the end, Sheamus and Cesaro performed a White Noise/Diving Neckbreaker combination on Rollins to win the title for a record-setting fourth time as a team, and a record-setting fifth time for Cesaro individually.[34]

In the fifth match, Brock Lesnar defended the Universal Championship against Braun Strowman and Kane in a triple threat match. Kane performed a Chokeslam on Lesnar and Strowman attacked Kane. Lesnar struck Kane with a chair, only for Strowman to attack Lesnar with a running dropkick. After Strowman performed a Chokeslam on Kane, Lesnar performed three German Suplexes on Strowman. Strowman performed a Running Powerslam on Lesnar through a table, only for Kane to break up the pinfall at a two count. Kane then threw Strowman through a table positioned in the corner, and performed a Chokeslam on Strowman, with Lesnar breaking up the pinfall at a two count. Lesnar then performed an F-5 on Strowman through an announce table and overturned another announce table on top of Strowman. Lesnar then performed an F-5 on Kane through another announce table. Strowman performed two Running Powerslams on Lesnar, but Kane returned and struck Strowman with a chair. Lesnar knocked Strowman out of the ring and performed an F-5 on Kane to retain the title. After the match, an enraged Strowman yelled at Lesnar that he did not beat him.[34]

Ronda Rousey was rumored to be a surprise entrant in the women's match, and although she denied that she would be at the event,[35] she appeared after the match's conclusion, confirming she had signed full-time with WWE.

Main event

The main event was the first-ever 30-woman Royal Rumble match for a women's championship match at WrestleMania 34. Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch were the first and second entrants, respectively. There were numerous surprise entrants throughout the match - including Hall of Famers Lita, Jacqueline, Beth Phoenix, and Trish Stratus; NXT wrestlers Kairi Sane and NXT Women's Champion Ember Moon; and past stars Torrie Wilson, Molly Holly, Michelle McCool (who scored the most eliminations at 5), Vickie Guerrero, and Kelly Kelly. SmackDown's Nikki Bella, who had been on hiatus since WrestleMania 33, and her free agent twin sister Brie Bella were also unannounced entrants. Banks, Asuka (#25), Nikki, and Brie were the final four. Banks, Nikki, and Brie attacked Asuka, after which, Nikki and Brie eliminated Banks (who lasted the longest at nearly 55 minutes). Asuka attacked Nikki and Brie, but Nikki performed a Rack Attack 2.0 on Asuka and then eliminated Brie. After a back-and-forth exchange, Asuka eliminated Nikki to win the match and earn a women's championship match at WrestleMania 34. After the match, Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss and SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair entered the ring. Before Asuka could make her decision for which title she wanted to challenge for, they were interrupted by the surprise appearance of former UFC star Ronda Rousey, officially confirming she had signed full-time with WWE. Rousey pointed to the WrestleMania sign and offered a handshake to Asuka, who refused. Rousey then shook hands with Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon as the event ended. The jacket which Rousey wore during this appearance belonged to lifelong idol Roddy Piper, whose son let her borrow it.[36][34]

Aftermath

Shinsuke Nakamura and Asuka were the winners of the men's and women's Royal Rumble. Nakamura immediately challenged AJ Styles for the WWE Championship, while Asuka still had the chance to challenge either Alexa Bliss or Charlotte Flair for their respective titles.

Raw

On Raw the following night, Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon convinced Asuka to wait until after Elimination Chamber to make her decision, as Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss was scheduled to defend her title in the first-ever women's Elimination Chamber match, and the result may affect Asuka's decision. Asuka was then confronted by Sasha Banks, who spent the longest time in the Royal Rumble match, and Banks challenged Asuka to a match that Asuka won.[37] Banks, along with Bayley, Mandy Rose, Mickie James, and Sonya Deville were announced as the other competitors in the Elimination Chamber match. Nia Jax was also scheduled to face Asuka at Elimination Chamber where if she were to win, she would be added to the Asuka's championship match at WrestleMania.[38] On the February 12 episode of Raw, it was announced that Ronda Rousey would sign her Raw contract at Elimination Chamber.[39] At SmackDown's Fastlane pay-per-view, Asuka appeared and decided to challenge Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania.[40]

Since Shinsuke Nakamura decided to stay on SmackDown to challenge for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 34, Raw General Manager Kurt Angle scheduled a number one contender's Elimination Chamber match at the namesake event to determine who would face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania. Six qualification matches were scheduled over the next couple of weeks. Braun Strowman and Kane battled in a last man standing match, which Strowman won to qualify. After the match, Kane was taken to a local hospital.[37] Elias, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Intercontinental Champion The Miz, Finn Bálor, and Seth Rollins also qualified, marking the first seven-man Elimination Chamber match.[37][38][39]

New Raw Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Sheamus defended their titles against Titus Worldwide (Apollo Crews and Titus O'Neil), as they had beaten Cesaro and Sheamus two weeks in a row prior to the Royal Rumble; Cesaro and Sheamus retained.[37] The following week, Jason Jordan and Seth Rollins were scheduled to have their contractual rematch, but after Jordan was deemed unable to compete, he was replaced by Roman Reigns. Jordan, however, accidentally caused them to be disqualified.[38]

On 205 Live, Drake Maverick (formerly known as Rockstar Spud in Impact Wrestling) was appointed as the 205 Live General Manager. Maverick announced that there would be a 16-man single elimination tournament to crown a new WWE Cruiserweight Champion, with the finals to occur at WrestleMania 34.[41]

SmackDown

On the following episode of SmackDown, Shinsuke Nakamura celebrated his win at the Royal Rumble, and said he would become the new WWE Champion at WrestleMania 34. He was interrupted by Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, who said that they should be the co-WWE Champions, but the referee failed at his job at the Royal Rumble. WWE Champion AJ Styles came out and said that Owens and Zayn could complain all they want, but there would be a dream match at WrestleMania between him and Nakamura. Styles then suggested to have a dream team that night with him and Nakamura facing Owens and Zayn, which SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan made official for later that night in which Styles and Nakamura won. During the match, there were tensions between Owens and Zayn as Bryan had also scheduled them to face each other the following week to determine the number one contender for the WWE Championship at Fastlane.[42][43] The championship match at Fastlane then became a fatal five-way also involving Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler[44] and finally a six-pack challenge when free agent John Cena qualified by defeating Styles in a non-title match.

In the mid-card, a fatal four-way match between Kofi Kingston of The New Day, Jinder Mahal, Zack Ryder, and Rusev occurred to determine the number one contender against Bobby Roode for the United States Championship, which was won by Rusev,[42] who was unsuccessful in winning the title.[43] Also following the Royal Rumble, SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan revealed the first-ever "SmackDown Top Ten List" as voted on by the SmackDown roster to see who the wrestlers thought should get a title opportunity.[42][43] This played into a storyline between Roode, who ranked 5th, Randy Orton, who ranked 9th, and Jinder Mahal, who did not rank, resulting in SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon scheduling Roode to defend the U.S. Championship against Orton at Fastlane.[45]

In the women's division, SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair praised the first-ever women's Royal Rumble match, but wished that she could have competed in it. She addressed Ronda Rousey's debut and questioned who her WrestleMania 34 opponent would be. The Riott Squad interrupted and Ruby Riott said Flair would not make it to WrestleMania and they attacked Flair. Carmella came out to try and cash-in her Money in the Bank briefcase on Flair, but was not able to as she accidentally knocked out the referee before the bell could ring.[42] After feuding with The Riott Squad over the next few weeks, Flair was scheduled to defend her title against Riott at Fastlane.[45]

Results

No. Results Stipulations Times[46][33][34]
1P Kalisto, Gran Metalik, and Lince Dorado defeated TJP, Gentleman Jack Gallagher, and Drew Gulak Six-man tag team match[47] 13:20
2P The Revival (Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson) defeated Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson Tag team match[48] 9:10
3P Bobby Roode (c) defeated Mojo Rawley Singles match for the WWE United States Championship[49] 7:45
4 AJ Styles (c) defeated Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn Handicap match for the WWE Championship[50] 15:55
5 The Usos (Jey and Jimmy Uso) (c) defeated Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin 2–0 2-out-of-3-falls match for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship[51] 13:55
6 Shinsuke Nakamura won by last eliminating Roman Reigns 30-man Royal Rumble match for a world championship match at WrestleMania 34[52] 1:05:27
7 Cesaro and Sheamus defeated Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan (c) Tag team match for the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship[53] 12:49
8 Brock Lesnar (c) (with Paul Heyman) defeated Kane and Braun Strowman Triple threat match for the WWE Universal Championship[54] 10:55
9 Asuka won by last eliminating Nikki Bella 30-woman Royal Rumble match for a women's championship match at WrestleMania 34[55] 58:57[56]
  • (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
  • P – indicates the match took place on the pre-show

Men's Royal Rumble match entrances and eliminations

Brand

     – Raw
     – SmackDown
     – NXT
     – Free agent
     – Winner
Draw Entrant Brand/Status Order Eliminated by Time[57] Elimination(s)
1RusevSmackDown12Bray Wyatt & Matt Hardy30:280
2Finn BálorRaw27John Cena57:384
3RhynoRaw1Baron Corbin02:060
4Baron CorbinSmackDown2Finn Bálor01:061
5Heath SlaterRaw4Bray Wyatt00:33**1
6EliasRaw15John Cena26:000
7Andrade "Cien" AlmasNXT18Randy Orton29:241
8Bray WyattRaw13Matt Hardy20:383
9Big ESmackDown8Jinder Mahal14:140
10Sami Zayn*SmackDown5Shinsuke Nakamura06:570
11SheamusRaw3Heath Slater00:02***0
12Xavier WoodsSmackDown7Jinder Mahal08:240
13Apollo CrewsRaw6Cesaro05:160
14Shinsuke NakamuraSmackDown—Winner44:383
15CesaroRaw9Seth Rollins05:081
16Kofi KingstonSmackDown11Andrade "Cien" Almas05:411
17Jinder MahalSmackDown10Kofi Kingston03:482
18Seth RollinsRaw22Roman Reigns19:012
19Matt HardyRaw14Himself01:173
20John CenaFree agent28Shinsuke Nakamura29:143
21The HurricaneFree agent16John Cena00:450
22Aiden EnglishSmackDown17Finn Bálor02:160
23Adam ColeNXT19Rey Mysterio06:520
24Randy OrtonSmackDown25Roman Reigns13:551
25Titus O'NeilRaw20Roman Reigns06:070
26The MizRaw21Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins05:200
27Rey MysterioFree agent26Finn Bálor09:391
28Roman ReignsRaw29Shinsuke Nakamura21:524
29GoldustRaw23Dolph Ziggler02:430
30Dolph ZigglerSmackDown24Finn Bálor02:011

(*) - Tye Dillinger was announced as the #10 entrant, but was attacked backstage by Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, resulting in Zayn taking his spot.
(**) - Heath Slater spent significant time outside of the ring before officially entering the Rumble, due to being attacked by Baron Corbin and other wrestlers.
(***) - WWE.com's official website lists Sheamus' time to be 20 seconds,[58] but they have otherwise stated 2 seconds.[59][60][61][62]

Women's Royal Rumble match entrances and eliminations

Brand

     – Raw
     – SmackDown
     – NXT
     – Free agent
     – Winner
Draw Entrant Brand/Status Order Eliminated by Time[56] Elimination(s)
1Sasha BanksRaw27Brie Bella & Nikki Bella54:463
2Becky LynchSmackDown14Ruby Riott30:542
3Sarah LoganSmackDown7Molly Holly16:300
4Mandy RoseRaw1Lita03:520
5LitaFree agent3Becky Lynch05:512
6Kairi Sane*NXT4Dana Brooke04:490
7TaminaSmackDown2Lita01:340
8Dana BrookeRaw5Torrie Wilson02:591
9Torrie WilsonFree agent6Sonya Deville03:041
10Sonya DevilleRaw8Michelle McCool06:411
11Liv MorganSmackDown9Michelle McCool05:120
12Molly HollyFree agent10Michelle McCool04:041
13LanaSmackDown11Michelle McCool02:540
14Michelle McCoolFree agent13Natalya08:385
15Ruby RiottSmackDown17Nia Jax11:322
16Vickie GuerreroFree agent12Becky Lynch, Michelle McCool, Ruby Riott, & Sasha Banks00:570
17CarmellaSmackDown21Nikki Bella18:450
18NatalyaSmackDown25Trish Stratus25:343
19Kelly KellyFree agent16Nia Jax05:020
20NaomiSmackDown18Nia Jax06:490
21JacquelineFree agent15Nia Jax01:520
22Nia JaxRaw23Asuka, Bayley, Brie Bella, Natalya, Nikki Bella, & Trish Stratus17:564
23Ember MoonNXT20Asuka06:140
24Beth PhoenixFree agent19Natalya02:220
25AsukaRaw—Winner19:413
26Mickie JamesRaw22Trish Stratus08:240
27Nikki BellaSmackDown29Asuka16:304
28Brie BellaFree agent28Nikki Bella11:582
29BayleyRaw24Sasha Banks05:041
30Trish StratusFree agent26Sasha Banks05:363

(*) - Kairi Sane was a last minute replacement for Alicia Fox, who was originally scheduled to participate in the match, but got injured just prior to the event.[63]

References

  1. ↑ Konuwa, Alfred (January 28, 2018). "WWE Royal Rumble 2018 Results: News And Notes After Shinsuke Nakamura, Asuka Win". Forbes. New York City: Forbes Media, LLC.and Integrated Media. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 Keller, Wade. "KELLER'S WWE RAW REPORT 1/8: Reigns IC Title reign continues, Enzo vs. Cedric, the return of Miz, Lesnar responds and get crushed". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  3. ↑ Cutts, Daniel. "WWE news: Little Mix hit 'Power' to be official theme song for first ever women's Royal Rumble". The Sun Newspaper (UK). Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Royal Rumble tickets available now". WWE. July 29, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  5. ↑ WWE.com Staff (December 18, 2017). "The first-ever 30-Woman Over-The-Top Royal Rumble Match". WWE.com. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  6. ↑ Fiorvanti, Timothy (January 29, 2018). "Ronda Rousey joining WWE to perform as full-time pro wrestler". ESPN. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  7. ↑ Grabianowski, Ed. "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 18, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Live & Televised Entertainment". WWE. Archived from the original on November 18, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  9. ↑ Steinberg, Brian (2016-05-25). "WWE's 'Smackdown' Will Move To Live Broadcast On USA (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
  10. ↑ Csonka, Larry. "Triple H Conference Call Report: Discusses 205 Live, NXT Takeover: Toronto, Says HBK Working at the Performance Center and More". 411mania.com. 411mania.com. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  11. ↑ Powell, Jason (October 16, 2017). "10/16 Powell's WWE Raw Live TV Review: Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns in a cage match, the final push for WWE TLC". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  12. ↑ Powell, Jason. "Powell's WWE TLC 2017 live review: Kurt Angle, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins vs. Braun Strowman, Kane, The Miz, Sheamus, and Cesaro in a TLC match, AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor, Asuka debuts, Alexa Bliss vs. Mickie James for the Raw Women's Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  13. ↑ Powell, Jason (December 11, 2017). "12/11 Powell's WWE Raw Live TV Review: Braun Strowman vs. Kane for a WWE Universal Championship match at the Royal Rumble, Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro for the IC Championship, Samoa Joe vs. Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins vs. Sheamus". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  14. 1 2 3 Powell, Jason. "12/18 Powell's WWE Raw Live TV Review: Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman return, Cedric Alexander vs. Drew Gulak for a WWE Cruiserweight Title shot, the build to the Royal Rumble". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  15. 1 2 3 Keller, Wade. "KELLER'S WWE RAW REPORT 1/15: Angle addresses Strowman after last week's big angle with Lesnar and Kane, more Rumble hype, Jax vs. Asuka". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  16. ↑ Keller, Wade (November 20, 2017). "KELLER'S WWE RAW REPORT 11/20: Survivor Series fallout, Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor, Reigns in Miz TV, a big name returns". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  17. ↑ Keller, Wade (November 21, 2017). "KELLER'S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 11/21: Survivor Series fallout including Shane McMahon responding to KO and Sami attacking him". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Men's and Women's Royal Rumble Match rules revealed". WWE. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  19. ↑ WWE.com Staff (January 24, 2018). "Stephanie McMahon to join commentary for Women's Royal Rumble Match this Sunday". WWE.com. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  20. 1 2 Currier, Joseph (January 26, 2018). "WWE Royal Rumble Notes: Pre-show Matches, Maria Menounos". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  21. ↑ Benigno, Anthony. "Maria Menounos to serve as guest ring announcer for the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble Match". WWE. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  22. 1 2 Powell, Jason. "Powell's WWE Clash of Champions 2017 live review: AJ Styles vs. Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn put their WWE careers on the line vs. Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura with Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan as referees". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  23. ↑ Barnett, Jake. "12/26 Barnett's WWE Smackdown Live TV Review: WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens, the final edition of 2017". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  24. 1 2 Barnett, Jake (January 2, 2018). "01/02 Barnett's WWE Smackdown Live TV Review: WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn in a non-title match, The Usos vs. Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable for the Smackdown Tag Titles, U.S. Title tournament continues on the first Smackdown of 2018". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  25. 1 2 Barnett, Jake. "01/09 Barnett's WWE Smackdown Live TV Review: AJ Styles addressed handicap match title defense at the Royal Rumble, U.S. Title tournament continues, Bludgeon Brothers vs. The Ascension, Ruby Riott vs. Becky Lynch". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  26. ↑ Barnett, Jake. "1/23 Barnett's WWE Smackdown Live TV Review: Final push for the Royal Rumble, Bobby Roode and New Day vs. Jinder Mahal, Rusev, and Aiden English, Liv Morgan vs. Naomi, Jey Uso vs. Chad Gable". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  27. ↑ Powell, Jason. "12/25 Powell's WWE Raw Live TV Review: John Cena returns on the Christmas edition, Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe for the Intercontinental Title, Sheamus and Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan for the Raw Tag Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  28. ↑ Keller, Wade (January 22, 2018). "KELLER'S WWE RAW REPORT 1/22: 25th Anniversary of Monday Night Raw including Vince McMahon, Two Locations, Parade of Superstars". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  29. ↑ Barnett, Jake. "12/19 Barnett's WWE Smackdown Live TV Review: AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakaura, and Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn, The Usos vs. Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin in a non-title match, Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan fallout from Clash of Champions". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  30. ↑ Keller, Wade. "KELLER'S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 1/16: U.S. Title Tournament semi-finals with Xavier vs. Jinder, Roode vs. Mojo, Shane-Bryan drama continues". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  31. ↑ WWE.com Staff. "Enzo Amore suspended". WWE. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Enzo Amore released". WWE. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  33. 1 2 3 4 Powell, Jason. "WWE Royal Rumble Kickoff Show live review: Bobby Roode's open challenge match for the U.S. Championship, The Revival vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, Kalisto, Lince Dorado, Gran Metalik vs. TJP, Jack Gallagher, and Drew Gulak". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  34. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Powell, Jason. "WWE Royal Rumble 2018 live review: Men's and Women's Royal Rumble matches, Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman vs. Kane for the WWE Universal Championship, AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a handicap match for the WWE Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  35. ↑ Campbell, Brian (January 25, 2018). "Ronda Rousey shoots down Royal Rumble rumors, plans to be out of the country". CBS Sports. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  36. ↑ "Why has Ronda Rousey made tribute to Roddy Piper in WWE, and who sings her theme?". The Sun. 2018-01-29. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  37. 1 2 3 4 Powell, Jason. "WWE Raw Live TV Review: Three Elimination Chamber qualifying matches, The Miz vs. Roman Reigns for the Intercontinental Title, the night after the Royal Rumble". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  38. 1 2 3 Keller, Wade (February 5, 2018). "KELLER'S WWE RAW REPORT 2/5: Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt in Elimination Chamber qualifying match, more Elimination Chamber developments". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  39. 1 2 Powell, Jason. "WWE Raw Live TV Review: Finn Balor vs. Matt Hardy vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Apollo Crews in a four-way Elimination Chamber qualifying match, Sasha Banks vs. Bayley". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  40. ↑ Powell, Jason. "WWE Fastlane 2018 live review: AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. John Cena in a six-way for the WWE Championship, The Usos vs. New Day for the Smackdown Tag Titles, Charlotte Flair vs. Ruby Riott for the Smackdown Women's Championship". Pro Wreslting Dot Net. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  41. ↑ Heydorn, Zack (January 30, 2018). "1/30 WWE 205 Live Report: Rockstar Spud debuts as new G.M. with a new name, 16-man tournament announced for vacated Cruiserweight Title". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  42. 1 2 3 4 Keller, Wade (January 30, 2018). "KELLER'S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 1/30: Nakamura celebrates winning the Rumble, Owens & Sami controversial Styles finish". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  43. 1 2 3 Keller, Wade. "KELLER'S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 2/6: Sami vs. KO for a right to face Styles, Shane takes issue with Bryan's decision-making". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  44. ↑ Powell, Jason. "2/13 Powell's WWE Smackdown Live TV Review: Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler for a spot in the four-way WWE Championship match at WWE Fastlane, Bobby Roode's U.S. Title open challenge, Charlotte vs. Sarah Logan, New Day vs. Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  45. 1 2 Barnett, Jake. "2/20 Barnett's WWE SmackDown Live TV Review: New Day vs. Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin for a Smackdown Tag Title shot at WWE Fastlane, Charlotte, Naomi, and Becky Lynch vs. Riott Squad, WWE Champion AJ Styles appears". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  46. ↑ "WWE Royal Rumble '18 Times". Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  47. ↑ Pappolla, Ryan. "Kalisto, Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado def. TJP, Drew Gulak & Jack Gallagher". WWE. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  48. ↑ Benigno, Anthony. "The Revival def. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson". WWE. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  49. ↑ Melok, Bobby. "United States Champion Bobby Roode def. Mojo Rawley (United States Championship Kickoff Match)". WWE. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  50. ↑ Melok, Bobby. "WWE Champion AJ Styles def. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn". WWE. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  51. ↑ Melok, Bobby. "SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos def. Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin (2-out-of-3 Falls Match)". WWE. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  52. ↑ Benigno, Anthony. "Shinsuke Nakamura won the 2018 Men's Royal Rumble Match". WWE. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  53. ↑ Wortman, James. "Sheamus & Cesaro def. Raw Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins & Jason Jordan". WWE. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  54. ↑ Wortman, James. "Universal Champion Brock Lesnar def. Braun Strowman and Kane". WWE. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  55. ↑ Benigno, Anthony. "Asuka won the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble Match; Ronda Rousey arrived". WWE. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  56. 1 2 "Full first-ever Women's Royal Rumble Match statistics: entrants, eliminations, times and more". WWE. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  57. ↑ "Full 2018 30-Man Royal Rumble Match statistics: entrants, eliminations, times and more". WWE. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  58. ↑ "Full 2018 30-Man Royal Rumble Match statistics: entrants, eliminations, times and more". WWE.com. 2018-01-28. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  59. ↑ Fightful.com, Sean Ross Sapp of (2018-01-28). "Sheamus lasted 2.25 seconds". @SeanRossSapp. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  60. ↑ "WWE Raw results, Jan. 29, 2018: John Cena and Finn Bálor clash one-on-one in "Too Sweet" Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match". WWE. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  61. ↑ Sheamus (2 February 2018). "We need an official call on this... stop-clock anyone?". @WWESheamus. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  62. ↑ "The Royal Rumble Just Ruined Sheamus' Birthday". WWE. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  63. ↑ Thompson, Andrew (February 3, 2018). "Alicia Fox Jokes About Her Broken Tailbone Injury". Fightful.com. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
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