The WWE title match for WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans has been set after Shinsuke Nakamura won the Royal Rumble match and then he chose which title he wants to go after: the WWE title held by AJ Styles.
Nakamura eliminated Roman Reigns to win the match with the crowd firmly behind the Japanese Superstar. Finn Balor and John Cena were the other two who made up the final four.
“A match many thought they’d never seen on this continent… in this ring… for this title will be the MAIN EVENT of @WrestleMania. #StylesVsNakamura #YeahOh … this is going to be #Phenomenal,” tweeted AJ Styles following the Rumble match.
Nakamura and Styles wrestled a 25-minute match at Wrestle Kingdom 10 in January 2016, a match which Nakamura won to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. It was Styles’ last match for New Japan and he debuted in the Royal Rumble 20 days later. Nakamura also moved to WWE a month later and wrestled his last NJPW match at the end of January.
The first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match will go on last on the card tonight.
This will be the first time that a women’s match will close out the Rumble and the first time also that a women’s match will main event a joint-brand pay-per-view.
The women’s match will be filled with surprises as there are 13 open spots available after Alicia Fox was pulled from the match earlier tonight. Pretty much the whole available main roster – minus the champions – are in the match so that means the rest must come from either NXT, former Legends, or indie talent.
The big news for the women’s Rumble is Ronda Rousey’s involvement. She has been rumored to be part of the match but this weekend she flew to Colombia to film Mile 22.
Here are the ongoing live results from the Royal Rumble, taking place from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Kickoff show:
Lince Dorado, Kalisto, and Gran Metalik defeated TJP, Jack Gallagher, and Drew Gulak; The Revival defeated Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson; Bobby Roode defeated Mojo Rawley to retain the WWE United States title.
Main show:
AJ Styles defeated Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a handicap match to retain the WWE title; The Usos defeated Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin in a 2-out-of-3 falls match to retain the Smackdown Tag Team titles; Shinsuke Nakamura won the men’s Royal Rumble; Sheamus and Cesaro defeated Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan to become the new Raw Tag Team champions; Brock Lesnar defeated Kane and Braun Strowman in a triple threat match to retain the WWE Universal title; Asuka won the women’s Royal Rumble.
Men’s Royal Rumble order of entry:
1. Rusev; 2. Finn Balor; 3. Rhyno; 4. Baron Corbin; 5. Heath Slater; 6. Elias; 7. Andrade “Cien” Almas; 8. Bray Wyatt; 9. Big E; 10. Tye Dillinger (replaced by Sami Zayn); 11. Sheamus; 12. Xavier Woods; 13. Apollo Crews; 14. Shinsuke Nakamura; 15. Cesaro; 16. Kofi Kingston; 17. Jinder Mahal; 18. Seth Rollins; 19. Matt Hardy; 20. John Cena; 21. The Hurricane; 22. Aiden English; 23. Adam Cole BAY-BAY; 24. Randy Orton; 25. Titus O’Neil; 26. The Miz; 27. Rey Mysterio; 28. Roman Reigns; 29. Goldust. 30. Dolph Ziggler.
Alicia Fox has been pulled from the Royal Rumble match due to an undisclosed injury.
The news was announced through Kurt Angle’s Twitter account and it means now that there are 13 empty spots in the women’s Rumble match. Angle also added that she will not be participating in the Mixed Match Challenge and Goldust will be selecting a new tag team partner.
Kelly Kelly, The Bella Twins, and Michelle McCool are all in Philadelphia for the Rumble and possibly part of the women’s Rumble match.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer is reporting that Bobby Lashley is expected to join WWE soon, after his negotiations with New Japan Pro Wrestling fell through.
Meltzer says that the idea is to have Lashley work with Brock Lesnar in a program that will follow WrestleMania 34. The two wrestlers and mixed martial artists never crossed path and the company feels that it would be a big program.
Lesnar’s contract with WWE expires right after WrestleMania so the fact that they’re already thinking of what’s next for Lesnar post-WrestleMania means that they’re confident that the current Universal champion will be re-signing with WWE.
Dana White stated a couple of weeks ago that he expects Lesnar to return to the UFC at some point because Lesnar loves to fight.
Lashley left Impact Wrestling earlier this month along with EC3 after the recent television tapings held at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. His last appearance in a WWE ring was in 2008.
Betting for the Royal Rumble matches seem to have not changed since yesterday and the popular belief is that both Shinsuke Nakamura and Asuka will be walking out of Philadelphia as winners.
Nakamura is the favorite to win the men’s Rumble, with slightly different odds from different betting companies. Roman Reigns is close second, with John Cena, Daniel Bryan, and interestingly enough Dolph Ziggler also in the mix.
For the women’s Rumble, Asuka is also the favorite…just barely though as Ronda Rousey is close behind her even though Rousey jetted to Colombia in the weekend to continue filming her movie. Becky Lynch and Stephanie McMahon are also being touted as possible winners. McMahon will be doing commentary for the match but it wouldn’t be the first time that someone from the commentary table entered the Rumble.
In the two main title matches, Brock Lesnar looks to be retaining with odds 2/9, followed by a Strowman win at 4/1 and a Kane long shot at 10/1. AJ Styles is also favorite to retain the WWE title at 2/5 while Owens and Zayn are 7/4 for the win.
Sheamus and Cesaro are currently favorites to win the Raw Tag Team titles at 4/6 and Rollins and Jordan have odds of 11/10 to retain the straps. The odds are also in favor of the challengers in the Smackdown Tag Team title match with Gable and Benjamin at 8/11 favorites while The Usos are evens.
Betting lines will most likely change as the event gets closer to bell time.
Live from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, WWE presents the first pay-per-view of the year, the Royal Rumble, also airing on the WWE Network. The full card is as follows:
30-man over-the-top rope Royal Rumble match with the winner getting a title shot at WrestleMania 34; 30-woman over-the-top rope Royal Rumble match with the winner getting a title shot at WrestleMania 34; Brock Lesnar vs Braun Strowman vs Kane in a triple threat match for the WWE Universal title; AJ Styles vs Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a handicap match for the WWE title; Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan vs Cesaro and Sheamus for the Raw Tag Team titles; The Usos vs Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin in a 2-out-of-3 falls match for the Smackdown Tag Team titles.
Plus there will be three matches in the Kickoff show. Kalisto, Lince Dorado, and Gran Metalik vs Jack Gallagher, Drew Gulak, and TJP; Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson vs The Revival; and Bobby Roode defends the United States title in an open challenge.
Announced so far the men’s Rumble match are: Aiden English, Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin, Big E, Bray Wyatt, Elias, Finn Balor, John Cena, Kofi Kingston, Matt Hardy, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, Rusev, Shinsuke Nakamura, Titus O’Neil, The Miz, Tye Dillinger, and Xavier Woods.
Announced for the women’s Rumble match are: Asuka, Alicia Fox, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Carmella, Dana Brooke, Lana, Liv Morgan, Mandy Rose, Mickie James, Naomi, Natalya, Nia Jax, Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan, Sasha Banks, Sonya Deville, and Tamina.
The Royal Rumble is free for first-time subscribers to the WWE Network. To subscribe, simply go to http://w-o.it/wwentwrk.
Hey everybody! It’s @TheMagnumDA with your 2018 WWE Royal Rumble pick’em report. Joining me on this wild and crazy journey will be Tricky Tom (a relative of Tricky Don, I’m told), and of course our fearless Editor-in-Chief of Wrestling Online, Mr. Colin Vassallo. I can’t wait to talk about this PPV, so let’s dive right in!
Real quick, though…both Colin and Tom were asked to pick a Rumble winner, while picking their Final Four was optional. For any of the correct picks on tonight’s show, we’ll tally one point. At the end of the year, the points will be counted and the winner will be treated to an amazing Brazilian Steakhouse dinner. Or something like that. Maybe we’ll even do a Table for 3? What do ya think? 😛 ON WITH THE SHOW!
WWE Tag Team Championship (Smackdown) – 2 out of 3 Falls
The Usos (Jey and Jimmy Uso) (c) vs. Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin
Tricky Tom: Hard to believe that Chad and Shelton met for the first time last summer at the Waterloo National Wrestling Hall of Fame Tragos/Thesz Hall of Fame Weekend. These two teams have had great matches on Smackdown. The Usos will someday be the ‘Ric Flair’ of WWE tag team champions. But with Jey’s DUI and arrest, I see WWE planning some time off or losses for the Usos and that starts with them dropping the gold to the world’s greatest tag team of Gable and Benjamin.
Colin: Hm, will this one be Gable’s and Benjamin’s day? I think it will be. I like Usos as champs and I wouldn’t mind if they retain but I smell a swap.
@TheMagnumDA: Gable and Benjamin won the first chapter of this feud, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they write the final chapter of the Usos’ title reign. I’ll drink to that (but I won’t drive!) If they really wanted to make a statement, they’d give it to Chad and Shelton in two straight. Either way, this match belongs to the new WGTT, the NEW WWE Tag Team Champions.
WWE Tag Team Championship (Raw)
Jason Jordan & Seth Rollins (c) vs. The Bar – Sheamus & Cesaro
Tricky Tom: There have been cracks between Rollins and Jordan on Raw. The two are not on the same page. With the Shield thing not happening, this unlikely duo will be in the fast lane towards a WrestleMania match as Cesaro and Sheamus become tag champs again.
Colin: It’s incredible how *not interested* I am in Jason Jordan. He’s a good wrestler but he’s kinda being shoved down our throat. New champions (The Bar) on this one, methinks.
@TheMagnumDA: I feel bad that Jason Jordan is becoming a victim of that Roman Reigns-type heat. Eventually, when he turns, he’s going to become a force. Tonight could be the night. I’ll take The Bar to win back the tag titles for Raw.
WWE Championship – Handicap Match
AJ Styles (c) vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
Tricky Tom: This will be a fun match with three top performers in the ring. It will be fun seeing Owens and Zayn double team Styles. Then, like a classic old school match, the two heels will start fighting each other on who gets to pin AJ. As the match goes on, AJ will basically become involved in a three-way match. Owens will hit Zayn with pop up power bomb, and then AJ Styles will fly in with the phenomenal forearm to get the win and keep his championship.
Colin: The co-champion thing doesn’t excite me at all. Plus, I see AJ as a “true” WWE champion if you know what I mean. He’s got the looks, the ability, and fans love him. AJ Styles gets the W.
@TheMagnumDA: I think that the “Yep” movement has grown a little tepid, but that Philly crowd will keep the match hot. I like that AJ has the deck stacked against him…and while I don’t see Owens and Zayn breaking up, I do see a miscommunication spot that leads to an opening for Styles. AJ Styles retains and moves on to WrestleMania.
WWE Universal Championship – Triple Threat Match
Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Kane vs. Braun Strowman
Tricky Tom: This a Vince McMahon dream match of three big sweaty men. I don’t see this as an exciting, fast-paced match. While I have seen Braun knock over a semi, I don’t think he is ready for a championship. Kane is part time, so no gold for him. It will be eat, sleep, F5, repeat. Braun will roll out of the ring after the F5, and Kane will take the pin. After the match, when Brock Lesnar and Heyman are celebrating, the lights will go out. Where Kane laid will now be The Undertaker. He will attack Lesnar, and after knocking the beast out of the ring, The Undertaker will point to the WrestleMania logo.
Colin: The man who will defeat Brock Lesnar will be Roman Reigns. At WrestleMania. I can bet my ass on that. Kane will be the sacrificial lamb in this one, taking the pin, keeping Strowman strong. Brock Lesnar retains.
@TheMagnumDA: I’m sorry, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the Trickster’s prediction. Undertaker vs. Lesnar at WrestleMania?! As George Harrison said on The Simpsons, “Eh…it’s been done.” I think that Taker will definitely move on to something else, presumably John Cena. As for this match, I agree with Colin’s assessment spot-on. Kane takes the fall, and Brock Lesnar keeps the gold. This match is going to be “bowling shoe” ugly, as JR would say.
Women’s Royal Rumble Match – Winner faces their brand’s Women’s Champion at WrestleMania XXXIV
Tricky Tom: First women’s Royal Rumble. We will see Lita, Alundra Blayze, Beth Phoenix, and Jacqueline make an appearance. Due to the backlash of the first women’s Money in the Bank match, we will not be treated to seeing Santina Marella or Harvina comebacks. Stephanie will give herself number 30. The final four will be Stephanie, Nia Jax, Tamina, and Asuka. Jax and Tamina will be doing the dirty work for Stephanie. Rhonda Rousey will come out and distract the trio from tossing out Asuka. Asuka will fight them off, eliminating Tamina and then Nia Jax. For revenge, Stephanie will get kicked around by Asuka to the approval of Rousey. Asuka wins the first women’s Royal Rumble and go to WrestleMania still undefeated.
Colin: Asuka. They will continue building her as the undefeated one, as she rolls into Mania and wins the title. I see no other winner to be honest.
@TheMagnumDA: While I can’t predict what surprises are going to take place, I would agree with Tom that there’s going to be a few old faces pop up for this “Once in a Lifetime” moment. Unfortunately, I also think that Tom is right about Stephanie McMahon. She was the one who made this announcement originally…so it only makes sense that she controls the power here. I’ll take Sasha Banks, Nia Jax, Asuka, and Stephanie as my final four. Unfortunately, I don’t believe Miss Rousey will be available until WrestleMania. In a stunning twist, Stephanie McMahon ends the undefeated streak of Asuka to win the Royal Rumble. Way to elevate that talent, Vince.
Men’s Royal Rumble Match – Winner faces WWE or Universal Champion at WrestleMania XXXIV
Tricky Tom: Time for the Rumble. The early surprise will come at spot number 3 with Ethan Carter III. Tye Dillinger will be number 11 to tease the fans as they chant for him at 10. There will be the NXT call up (and it should be Drew McIntyre if healthy). You will see the Pete Dunne represent the UK Championship. We are in Philadelphia, so we will see Rhyno early…but later in the match, we’ll see Tommy Dreamer for a huge ECW pop. The last big surprise entrance will make the arena explode, when “Flight of the Valkyries” plays and Daniel Bryan enters as number 30. The final four will be Finn Balor, Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe, and Bryan. Roman will hit Superman punches, eliminating Joe and Balor. The crowd will boo as it looks like Roman will win again, but after a running knee (and a ‘Yes!’ chant), Daniel Bryan wins to go on to WrestleMania for the dream match against AJ Styles.
Colin: Unless John Cena is taking on the Undertaker at WrestleMania, I can certainly see Cena winning this one. A Smackdown Superstar won this one last year so I imagine a Raw individual will get the win this year if Cena (free agent?) doesn’t win. I just hope it won’t be Roman Reigns or else fans will just shit all over him. Again.
@TheMagnumDA: Well, if you’re reading up on the bookies, you’ll know that there are some crazy names at the top of the betting list. Guys like Shinsuke Nakamura and Daniel Bryan are two of the favorites listed. Now, I am aware of rumors regarding Daniel Bryan returning to in-ring competition, which is great news. However…you cannot let this rumor linger without following through. The fans in Philly were dicked with three years ago, and everyone remembers the reaction when Bray Wyatt eliminated Bryan. If this ends with Nakamura eliminating Bryan, the fans could shit all over it. If Bryan actually goes through with entering this match, there’s no other booking alternative for him. He HAS to win it, if he enters. That’s a huge “if”, though. This is all so strange to think about, considering that he’s playing a fringe heel on Smackdown.
I’ll just say this: If Bryan is involved, I’ll go with Roman Reigns, Shinsuke Nakamura, The Drifter and Daniel Bryan as my final four. If Bryan is not involved, I’ll take the same final four, but I’ll sub RVD (!!) for Bryan and pick Nakamura to win it. Which scenario is more likely? I’m not sure, but my mind is leaning towards the REAL dream match that the world wants to see one more time…AJ Styles defending the WWE Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura. Sorry Bryan. Not this time. 🙁
Alright everybody, we hope you have a great 2018 and we’ll see you for the ELIMINATION CHAMBER right here at W-O. Until then, this is @TheMagnumDA signing off!
It has been several months since we have seen Tommaso Ciampa, but the former NXT Tag Team title holder made his return last night at NXT Takeover, attacking his former partner to end the broadcast.
It was back in May of last year at Takeover: Chicago that Ciampa turned on Gargano following their ladder match loss against The Authors of Pain. Ciampa assaulted Gargano as the broadcast was fading to black, however the angle had to be put on the shelf as Ciampa required surgery.
A few days before their Takeover: Chicago match, Ciampa tore an ACL in his knee. He still wrestled the match but required surgery to repair the problem, putting him out of action for the rest of 2017.
Last night at Takeover, similar to what happened in Chicago, Ciampa attacked Gargano as he was at the top of the stage with his wife Candice LaRae. Ciampa was still sporting a knee brace and attacked Gargano with a crutch, leaving his mark – literally – on his former partner to end the show.
It’s not yet known if the man also referred to as the Psycho Killer is cleared to compete but the situation will be more clear when NXT resumes television tapings next week.
At every NXT Takeover, there’s usually one or two individuals sitting at ringside which WWE cameras pick up for a big pop from the crowd. At last night’s Takeover event, there were more than one or two, but only one was a surprise.
During the broadcast, War Machine, Ricochet, and Maria Menounos were shown on camera sitting in front row. But before the main event started, there was one star who has made his return: EC3.
The former TNA/Impact champion was acknowledged by his Impact name of EC3 and got quite the reaction from the Philly crowd. Ethan Carter III left Impact earlier this month after the week-long television tapings as his contract was expiring before the next set of tapings. He was written out of Impact television in an episode that will air in a few weeks time.
EC3, who used the name of Derrick Bateman while in WWE/NXT in the past, seems like will be keeping his Impact name going forward. This is possible after Anthem’s chief Ed Nordholm made the change that anyone who leaves can continue using their name, even if it was created by the company.
In an exclusive interview with WWE.COM, EC3 said that it’s been 1,714 days days since he’s been affiliated with WWE and now he’s once again part of NXT. Unlike those days, now he knows who he is and is looking forward to the future.
Here are the results from last night’s NXT Takeover: Philadelphia WWE Network special which took place from the Wells Fargo Center.
The Undisputed Era defeated The Authors of Pain to retain the NXT Tag Team titles; Velveteen Dream defeated Kassius Ohno; Ember Moon defeated Shayna Baszler to retain the NXT Women’s title; Aleister Black defeated Adam Cole in an extreme rules match; Andrade “Cien” Almas defeated Johnny Gargano to retain the NXT title.
Every year when the Royal Rumble comes around, several rumors surround the event. Some happen, like AJ Styles making his WWE debut, and some don’t, like Daniel Bryan returning. The fact that WWE does not list everyone who will be part of the Rumble match adds to that confusion. Who will be the mystery Superstar? Will it be a new one, or a WWE Legend returning? It happened in the past before, but there have been times when there are no surprises at all.
Here are some of the rumors for this weekend’s events.
Ronda Rousey
So many rumors surrounding the woman. Will she debut? Will she win the Rumble? A lot of people think that she will be one of the 30 female Superstars who will be part of the Rumble. The only problem is that with all this hype, if she is not, many will be disappointed and possibly complain about it too. WWE never said Rousey will be in the Rumble. Ronda never said she will be in the Rumble. But granted, how things have been moving over the past few weeks could suggest that she will. Ronda posted a photo on set from Colombia yesterday where she is filming Mile 22, putting some cold water on the rumors. But really, The Rock hosted Saturday Night Live from New York the night before WrestleMania and a few hours later he was in the ring, with Ronda Rousey, in California. So yes, it could happen. But it could be just only that. A rumor.
Ethan Carter III
It’s no secret that the former TNA/Impact champion is on WWE’s radar again. In WWE, he has unfinished business. He left as a nobody, went to Impact, and became one of the biggest stars of the company. EC3 was supposed to be part of an indie wrestling event tomorrow and was pulled from it. Coincidence? Maybe, but maybe not. He could be on tonight’s NXT, or even in the Rumble itself. A couple of weeks ago, his former Impact colleague Rockstar Spud tweeted a photo of the two together saying there’s a whole universe to conquer. You don’t need to wonder which universe he’s referring to.
Rockstar Spud
Speaking of Rockstar Spud, he’s already been backstage at Smackdown and WWE is said to be keen on signing him to be part of the 205 Live roster. Just today, the British star posted a photo of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge from a moving car on his Twitter writing, “I appreciate this bridge.” NXT and the Royal Rumble are in Philadelphia. The Benjamin Franklin Bridge is in Philadelphia.
Michelle McCool
The first ever WWE Divas champion has been rumored of being offered a spot in the women’s Royal Rumble match. She last wrestled at Extreme Rules in 2011 where she lost in a loser leaves WWE match against her former partner Layla. Today, she posted a photo of one of her kids from what looks like to be an airport. PWInsider.com adds that both McCool and her husband The Undertaker have been spotted in Philly. WWE needs 12 more women to be part of the Rumble and the whole roster is already part of the match. So there’s a good chance she will be. Hell, maybe even The Undertaker will be in the men’s Royal Rumble.
Daniel Bryan
Every year it happens. Will Daniel Bryan be in the Royal Rumble? He’s not medically cleared to wrestle but that doesn’t change the fans’ opinions or hope that his theme song will kick in. If it happens, the arena’s roof will explode. No doubt about that. For the past few years, fans have been hating on the #30 entrant when they realize it’s not going to be Daniel Bryan. Ask Rey Mysterio. Ask Roman Reigns.
Whatever happens, the Rumble is often one of the must fun pay-per-views of the year. This time we are lucky to get two Royal Rumble matches and will witness history with a woman getting a title shot at WrestleMania.
One thing is for sure which is not a rumor…there will be a lot of Superstars pointing to that WrestleMania sign hanging from the rafters!
Live from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, WWE presents NXT Takeover: Philadelphia exclusively on the WWE Network. The full card is as follows:
Andrade “Cien” Almas vs Johnny Gargano for the NXT title; Ember Moon vs Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women’s title; The Undisputed Era vs The Authors of Pain for the NXT Tag Team titles; Aleister Black vs Adam Cole in an Extreme Rules match; Kassius Ohno vs Velveteen Dream.
NXT Takeover: Philadelphia is free for first-time subscribers to the WWE Network. Subscribe now at http://w-o.it/wwentwrk.
WWE still has 24 spots to fill for the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble match tomorrow as 18 official entries in each match have been announced.
Just because there are 12 spots in the men’s Rumble, it does not mean that all 12 will be surprise entrants. WWE usually never announces all the individuals in the Rumble and leaves one or two spots for surprise entries.
Those announced in alphabetical order are Aiden English, Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin, Big E, Bray Wyatt, Elias, Finn Balor, John Cena, Kofi Kingston, Matt Hardy, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, Rusev, Shinsuke Nakamura, Titus O’Neil, The Miz, Tye Dillinger, and Xavier Woods.
The case is different when it comes to the women’s Rumble match. All the available roster – minus the champions – are part of the match, so to fill the other 12 spots, they have to get a combination of NXT women, former Superstars, or independent talent brought over for one night only.
The entrants in the women’s Rumble are Asuka, Alicia Fox, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Carmella, Dana Brooke, Lana, Liv Morgan, Mandy Rose, Mickie James, Naomi, Natalya, Nia Jax, Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan, Sasha Banks, Sonya Deville, and Tamina.
Long-time WWE fan and radio/television personality Maria Menounos will be the special ring announcer for the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble match tomorrow night in Philadelphia.
Menounos enjoys a very good relationship with the company and every year she hosts the Hall of Fame red carpet event. She has three WWE matches under her belt, one of which was at WrestleMania XXVIII teaming up with Kelly Kelly to take on Beth Phoenix and Eve Torres. And in 2013, she inducted her friend Bob Backlund into the WWE Hall of Fame in Madison Square Garden. Menounos has done several backstage interview segments at different WrestleManias and other pay-per-views over the past years.
The Daytime Emmy award winner underwent surgery for a brain tumor in June of last year.
Bookmakers are in full force trying to predict who will be winning the 2018 men’s Royal Rumble and they all seem to be in agreement: Former NXT champion Shinsuke Nakamura.
Several betting companies all have Nakamura in the top spot although odds slightly vary between them. Other favorites in the match are Roman Reigns, John Cena, and Daniel Bryan, despite not being officially cleared to compete.
Different odds result in different payouts if you eventually pick the winner although we suggest you bet with caution considering this is real money we’re talking about. You can also try your luck with Mr Bet online casino if you’re not comfortable doing bets.
For the women’s Royal Rumble, the story is again similar with Asuka the favorite to win the first-ever women’s Rumble match. Everyone seems to be in agreement for the second favorite, Ronda Rousey, although Rousey said she’s in Colombia to film a movie.
HBO has released the full trailer up the upcoming Andre The Giant documentary which is produced by HBO Sports, WWE, and the Bill Simmons Media Group.
The documentary will chronicle the myth that was Andre The Giant, his rise in professional wrestling, being the leader in the locker room, and the pain he suffered throughout the years until his eventual death.
In the trailer, Hulk Hogan, Jerry “The King” Lawler, Ric Flair, Bill Simmons, Vince McMahon, and Mean Gene Okerlund are all shown giving sit-down interviews.
This project was announced two years ago by Bill Simmons and WWE then jumped on board for the production.
The Superstar signing schedule for WrestleMania Axxess has been published. Only VIP and Premium VIP Superstars are announced as WWE does not reveal who will be greeting fans for general admission tickets.
On Thursday, April 5, Sasha Banks will be the VIP guest at 6PM while Goldberg will be the Premium VIP one at 8PM. On Friday, April 7, Andrade “Cien” Almas with Zelina Vega and Ember Moon will greet VIP ticket holders at 7PM while Shinsuke Nakamura will be there for Premium VIP ticket holders at 5PM.
There will be multiple sessions on Saturday. For VIP tickets, there will be Alexa Bliss at 1PM, Finn Balor at 3PM, Randy Orton at 3PM, The Hardy Boyz at 6PM, and Charlotte Flair at 8PM. Fans with Premium VIP tickets will have AJ Styles and Asuka at 8AM, Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman at 10AM, and Roman Reigns at 1PM.
On WrestleMania Sunday, Dean Ambrose is the VIP Superstar starting at 10AM and Daniel Bryan will be greeting Premium VIP guests starting at 8AM.
Ticketmaster.com will start selling tickets for these autograph signings starting on February 3 at 11AM EST.
