How WWE Should Book Royal Rumble 2018

 

Hey everyone! I love to write and I love wrestling so ever since Night Of Champions 2015, through multiple accounts, I have been fantasy booking WWE PPV's in detail, and have been a wrestling fan since 2005. Without further ado, here is How WWE Should Book the 2018 Royal Rumble PPV. The road to Wrestlemania has begun once again. (I was previously u/ThePipeBomb11)

MY PREVIOUS ROYAL RUMBLE PPV POSTS:

• 2016: I swear I did 2016 and I linked it in last years post, but somehow i think it got removed. Oh well. I had Lesnar win the Rumble and the belt.
• 2017: https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/5qvchw/how_wwe_should_book_the_2017_royal_rumble_part_2/

PRE-SHOW:

• Our Kickoff Panel consists of Renee Yong, David Otunga, Sam Roberts & other legends the appear throughout. They hype up the matches and give their predictions throughout the hour, and we're also shown video packages. A Social Media Lounge segment with Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin is announced earlier in the day. Use #AskGable&Benjamin. About 30 minutes in, we get to our first kickoff match.

1ST KICKOFF MATCH: The Club vs. The Revival (Tag Team Match)

• The Revival are out first followed by Gallows and Anderson. The match goes 8 minutes. We all saw The Revival getting destroyed by all the legends on RAW 25 from miles away, so if they don’t get a win back here then they will have completely and utterly failed. Revival get the win after the ref is distracted by Dawson trying to take off a turnbuckle bad and Dash hits a Low Blow on Gallows. He tags Dash in and they hit the Shatter Machine. *WINNERS by PINFALL: The Revival**
• The panel blabber for a while and we get more hype videos. At the beginning of the second hour, we get another match.

2ND KICKOFF MATCH: Gran Metalik, Kalisto and Lince Dorado vs. Drew Gulak, Gentleman Jack Gallagher and TJP (6-Man Tag Team Match)

• The heels are out first followed by Team Lucha. It’s a quick match that goes 6 minutes. I actually really dig the Luchadores Team, they would be an awesome stable that might get more people to watch 205Live, especially if they got Rey Mysterio back. The faces win after Kalisto hits a Running Salida Del Sol on Gallagher.

WINNERS by PINFALL: Gran Metalik, Kalisto & Lince Dorado

• The panel talk more and Sam Roberts keeps being the worst person ever. We get the SML with Benjamin and Gable until we get to our final kickoff match.

3RD KICKOFF MATCH: Bobby Roode’s United States Championship Open Challenge

• Out comes Bobby Roode. JoJo is in the ring and asks Roode of there is anyone he's hoping answers the call. Roode says he doesn't care who it is, he'll retain the US Title and go on to win the Royal Rumble later in the night. OHHHHHHHH PHILIDEPLHPIA. The New Day all come out and Woods says that while he failed in his quest to win Roode's title, there's still 2 other members of New Day, and since Kofi Kingston recently celebrated a DECADE in the company, he will challenge Bobby in a first-time ever match tonight. The match begins and it lasts 11 minutes. Roode retains over Kofi after ducking a Trouble In Paradise and hits a Glorious DDT for the win.

WINNER by PINFALL and STILL United States Champion: Bobby Roode

• The panel gives their final predictions for both Rumbles and we get to the main show.

MAIN SHOW:

• We get the opening video package but no pyro just yet, as that’s all saved for the two special MANIA SIGN POINTERS of the night. We go to a wide shot of the Wells Fargo Center and the commentators welcome us to the show as Maria Menounos is in the ring as the Special Guest Ring Announcer for the first match...

1ST MATCH: 30-Woman Royal Rumble Match

• Stephanie McMahon comes out to commentate the match. Ugh. Maria announces the rules and Stephanie screams into our ears about how the women are making history.
• OUT FIRST IS ASUKA. Set up the illusion early that she’s gonna eliminate 295 women and absolutely dominate. And now it is time to find out the superstar that drew #2. IT’S SASHA BANKS. A Dream match for the women begins the first ever Women’s Rumble Match. The bell rings and we’re off. The two lock up and hit some impactful moves on each other early. Asuka tries to dump Sasha over the top as the countdown clock for #3 appears.
• 3 IS OUR FIRST SURPRISE OF THE MATCH, KAIRI SANE FROM NXT. She rushes the ring and all 3 women stare each other down from different corners of the ring. At first it appears Kairi and Asuka are about to twin up to take out Sasha, and Kairi is about to take out Sasha but then swings around and nails Asuka with a forearm. Sasha and Kairi team up momentarily to take out the biggest threat in the match as the clock appears for #4.
• 4 is MICKIE JAMES. She runs down and hits big clotheslines on Kairi and Sasha. Asuka is slowing getting up and Mickie rushes toward her but Asuka jumps and Mickie is rammed shoulder-first into the ring post. Mickie is laid across the middle rope and Asuka hits jumping knees to the back. The four work each other over as we get the clock for 5.
• 5 is the first member of Absolution in MANDY ROSE. Mandy immediately goes after Sasha Banks and tries to dump her over but she hangs on. She then goes for Mickie but she hangs on too as she goes over. Asuka and Sane both are slowly getting up holding the ropes on the stage-side and Mandy goes to dump both over but both girls nail vicious Enzuguris to the head, and Mandy crumples over in a heap. No eliminations yet. Everyone is down and we get the clock for #6.
• 6 is LIV MORGAN. She runs in and everyone brawls.
• 7 is Tamina. She runs in and Asuka goes wild on her and Asuka Locks her right away and then dumps her over the top.
• 8 is BAYLEY. She runs out and all the tube men appear behind her. Everyone tries to put each other over the top. She teams up with Sasha to take everyone out. Kairi takes out both with a Double DDT, and then goes up top to try the Insane Elbow. She leaps but Bayley rolls out of the way.
• 9 is Naomi. She does a short entrance and then runs in and goes right after Liv Morgan and hits her split kicks on her. 1 elimination so far as there are currently 8 women in the ring, and the clock appears for #10.
• SHE'S NOT LIKE MOST GIRLS. We're 1/3 of the way through now and Nia Jax is out at #10. She flattens Mickie James with a Legdrop and Gorilla Presses her over the top. Nia flattens a few girls in the corner until we get the clock.
• 11 IS SARAH LOGAN, the 2nd member of the Riott Squad. During this entrance Asuka looks out for her and Bayley capitalizes and tries to throw her over, but she hangs on. Logan enters the ring and teams with Liv to take everyone out. They maul Naomi with stomps and punches and throw carry her over the top as she crumbles to the ground. The clock appears for 12.
• 12 completes Absolution as it's SONYA DEVILLE with Paige. Deville & Rose stare down Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan and they start brawling. Kairi gets on the top rope and DOES AN INSANE ELBOW INTO ALL OF THEM, taking out all 4 women. Kairi hulks up only to be knocked over the top off a Missle Dropkick from Asuka, but she hangs on barely.
• 13 IS ANOTHER NXT SURPRISE, PEYTON ROYCE. She's out with Billie Kay. Peyton fires up and knocks off everyone except Sasha Banks and Bayley, where Peyton is nailed with a Backstabber from Sasha and rolls up onto her feet dazed into a Bayley to Belly. Bayley goes to throw out Peyton but then Sasha runs up and tries to throw both of them out. They hang on and Bayley and Banks argue as Billie gets in the ring and knocks them both down from behind. Billie helps up Peyton as we get the clock for #14.
• IT'S MICHELLE McCOOL. SHE'S OUT WITH LAYLA AND THEY HAVE A STAREDOWN WITH THE ICONIC DUO. They do a few moves and McCool tries the Faithbreaker but Asuka kicks her in the face and Peyton gets dropped on her neck. Asuka bangs their heads together and throws them both over. 3 eliminations for Asuka so far, 1 for Jax.
• 15 is out and it's Ruby Riott to complete the Riott Squad.They beat down Kairi Sane and then throw her out to eliminate her. They all are the only 3 standing and look toward the stage for the next entrant.
• 16 IS BECKY LYNCH. She runs and tackles Ruby Riott. Asuka ends up eliminating all of the Riott Squad and all of Absolution, bringing her total up to 8 eliminations. Currently in the ring still are Asuka, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Becky Lynch and Nia Jax.
• 17 is DANA BROOKE. She's out with Titus and Apollo and she runs in the ring and is immediately nailed with a kick from Asuka sending her over the top into Titus and Apollo's arms.
• 18 is Alicia Fox. She's thrown out right away by Sasha.
• 19 is Natalya. She doesn't go in the ring, instead she stands outside the ring to watch, but that's not her best idea because the clock appears and..
• 20 IS KHARMA. THE CROWD GOES WILD and Kharma is coming for Natalya's ass. Natalya knows shes fucked and is forced to run into the ring. She's cornered by everyone else and Kharma knocks EVERYONE DOWN. She does the ROAR spot and everyone goes flying. Kharma and Nia Jax throw everyone out of the ring either under the bottom rope or through the middle. The two BEHEMOTHS have a staredown and go off the ropes trying to knock each other down, and eventually both clothesline each other to the ground.
• 21 is Lana and SHE IS IMMEDIATELY KILLED by Kharma and thrown out. Kharma knocks Nia Jax out through the middle rope afterward and everyone else comes back in and dumps out Kharma.
• 22 IS THE RETURN OF NIKKI BELLA. At this point I'm running low on time so I won't go into really great detail until the final 5 as you can just look at the full table of entrants and eliminations below
• 23 is Ms. MITB Carmella.
• 24 is Kelly Kelly!
• 25 is SHAYNA BASZLER.
• 26 is Nikki Cross from NXT.
• 27 is RONDA ROUSEY. Her and Shayna team up and throw out most of the remaining girls.
• 28 is Bianca Belair who later gets a HUGE elimination on Lita.
• 29 is Lita.
• 30 is Trish Stratus. Ronda Rousey betrays Shayna Baszler and eliminates her.
• The final 5 are Asuka, Ronda Rousey, Bayley, Nia Jax, and Sasha Banks. Sasha and Bayley brawl but ultimately Banks eliminates her best friend. The final 4 are Asuka, Nia Jax, Ronda Rousey & Sasha Banks. Sasha knocks Nia down and goes up top for a Frogsplash but Asuka pushes her off the top rope to the floor. The final 3 are Asuka, Nia Jax & Ronda Rousey. They all stare each other down and Nia starts dominating both women. Nia hits a legdrop on Asuka and then goes to the apron for a big move but Ronda KO's her and Nia crumbles to the floor, eliminated. The final 2 in the first ever Woman's Royal Rumble are Asuka and Ronda Rousey. #1 and #27. The two brawl and it foreshadows the match they would have at Wrestlemania, as Asuka would win the RAW Women's Title inside Women's Elimination Chamber and retain against Rousey at Wrestlemania. Asuka and Rousey both counter submissions like Armbars and Chokeholds on each other, but it's ultimately Rousey who rolls Asuka on her stomache and makes her pass out for the first time. Ronda tosses Asuka's body over the top for the win. You can't deny that this is the smartest move business wise. Whether you think it's fair or not for Ronda Rousey to just debut and win, it would be one of the biggest PR stunts EVER for WWE and Asuka/Rousey is a money match. This could be a helping hand in making WM34 the most bought of all time. As always, I'll have my cards for both Fast Lane and Elimination Chamber at the end of this post with the Women's and MEn's Chamber matches.

WINNER OF THE 2018 WOMEN'S ROYAL RUMBLE: Ronda Rousey by last eliminating Asuka

Entry	Entrant	Order Eliminated	Eliminated By	Eliminations	Brand
1	Asuka	29	Ronda Rousey	10	RAW
2	Sasha Banks	27	Asuka	4	RAW
3	Kairi Sane	6	The Riott Squad	0	NXT
4	Mickie James	2	Nia Jax	0	RAW
5	Mandy Rose	7	Asuka	0	RAW
6	Liv Morgan	8	Asuka	1	SDLive
7	Tamina	1	Asuka	0	SDLive
8	Bayley	26	Sasha Banks	2	RAW
9	Naomi	3	Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan	0	SDLive
10	Nia Jax	28	Ronda Rousey	3	RAW
11	Sarah Logan	9	Asuka	1	SDLive
12	Sonya Deville	10	Asuka	0	RAW
13	Peyton Royce	5	Asuka	0	NXT
14	Michelle McCool	4	Asuka	0	Legend
15	Ruby Riott	11	Asuka	0	SDLive
16	Becky Lynch	24	Ronda Rousey	3	SDLive
17	Dana Brooke	12	Asuka	0	RAW
18	Alicia Fox	13	Sasha Banks	0	RAW
19	Natalya	16	Nikki Bella	1	SDLive
20	Kharma	15	Asuka, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Natalya and Sasha Banks	1	Legend
21	Lana	14	Kharma	0	SDLive
22	Nikki Bella	20	Becky Lynch	0	SDLive
23	Carmella	19	Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler	1	SDLive
24	Kelly Kelly	17	Carmella	0	Legend*
25	Shayna Baszler	25	Ronda Rousey	2	NXT
26	Nikki Cross	18	Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler	NXT
27	Ronda Rousey	WINNER	3	Unassigned
28	Bianca Belair	21	Nia Jax	1	NXT
29	Lita	22	Bianca Belair	0	Legend
30	Trish Stratus	23	Bayley & Sasha Banks	Legend

• We get a break now as we see a recap of Takeover Philidelphia.

I'm not going to be putting all that much detail as I usually do into these normal matches as I still have ANOTHER hour long 30 man Rumble to do later. PLUS I just did my LONGEST BOOKING POST EVER in RAW 25 just earlier this week. I am drained, man.

2ND MATCH: Jason Jordan & Seth Rollins (c) vs. The Bar (Cesaro & Sheamus) (Tag Team Match for the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships)

• The Bar are out first followed by Jordan and Seth. The match goes 12 minutes. Rollins and Jordan retain after Jordan hits a BELLY TO BELLY TO CESARO ON THE APRON, and Rollins nails a Blackout on Sheamus to retain. I don't think it's time just yet to take the belts off these two, but maybe before EC. The RAW Tag Titles switch waaaay too often, and these two are just getting started, plus it gets even more heat on Jordan because no one wants to see him as champ. Adds fuel to the fire for the heel turn.

WINNERS and STILL RAW Tag Team Champions by Pinfall: Jason Jordan and Seth Rollins

3RD MATCH: AJ Styles (c) vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn (Handicap Match for the WWE Championship)

• Owens and Zayn are out first followed by Styles. The match goes 16 minutes. You know the story, Owens and Zayn argue and break up each other's pins because they both want the WWE Title for their own. They eventually start shoving each other and the match ends after Styles hits a Phenomenal Forearm OUT OF NOWHERE and knocks down both guys. He lands on top of Kevin Owens who is legal and Zayn flies over the top rope. AJ retains the title.

WINNER and STILL WWE Champion by PINFALL: AJ Styles

4TH MATCH: The Usos (c) vs. Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin ( 2/3 Falls Tag Team Match for the SD Tag Team Championships)

• The Usos are out first followed by Benjagable. These guys need a damn team name already. Lets keep this short. Benjagable score the first fall after Gable pokes Jimmy Uso in the eyes as he tries to go for a Splash on Benjamin, and he flies into the ring. Benjamin pins for the first fall. Gable hits the Usos with Steel Chairs and the 2nd Fall goes to Usos off a DQ because Gable thinks its over after that. He's giving the Usos a fall voluntarily because he's using tactics that will get them closer to the titles. Usos end retaining after a Splash to Bejamin. I know WWE probably isn't super high on the Usos after the DUI incident, but The Usos have never made it on Wrestlemania's main show and damnit they are the best team on SD, and if you are the best at what you do why wouldn't you be a champion?

WINNERS and STILL SDLive Tag Team Champions by Pinfall: The Usos

5TH MATCH: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Braun Strowman vs. Kane (Triple Threat Match for the Universal Championship)

• Brock is out first followed by Braun and Kane. The match goes 11 minutes and it’s nonstop action. In one big spot, Braun knocks a Lesnar out of the ring with a Big Boot and then looks to the ramp and then the ropes and teases a dive. He runs the ropes but Kane grabs his feet and Strowman tumbles down. He pulls Braun out and chokeslams him through the announce table. Lesnar ends up retaining with an F5 to Kane. No surprise here.

WINNER and STILL Universal Champion by PINFALL: Brock Lesnar

6TH MATCH: 30-Man Royal Rumble Match

• So the show has just started and I still haven’t even done this match yet, as this has been a hectic week. I’ll just be very brief. 1 and 2 are Matt and Jeff Hardy respectively. #3 is Seth Rollins. Surprises are The Sandman as an ECW Legend In Philly, Jason Jordan, Kurt Angle, and maybe returns like Neville, Rey Mysterio, or John Morrison. Important moments are just before the clock for #10 appears, we see Dillinger laid out backstage but we dont see who did it until ELIAS COMES OUT AT 10 INSTEAD. ULTIMATE HEEL. ALEISTER BLACK ALSO DEBUTS AT 29. At 30 we get the spot we should’ve gotten last year, Daniel Bryan’s music hits but the Miz comes out instead for the ultimate troll.

FINAL FOUR ARE Roman Reigns (came out at 20), Shinsuke Nakamura (13), Aleister Black (29) and John Cena, (15) Shinsuke last eliminates Roman to win and he goes on to face AJ at WM. Everything connects and for the fourth year in a row Roman is a focal point in the ending of the rumble match.

WINNER: Shinsuke Nakamura by last eliminating Roman Reigns

Final Results:

No.	Results	Stipulations	Times
1PS	The Revival defeated The Club by Pinfall	Tag Team Match	8 Minutes
2PS	Gran Metalik, Kalisto & Lince Dorado defeated Drew Gulak, Jack Gallagher & TJP by Pinfall	6-Man Tag Team Match	6 Minutes
3PS	Bobby Roode (c) defeated Kofi Kingston (w/ Big E & Xavier Woods) by Pinfall	Open Challenge Singles Match for the United States Championship	11 Minutes
4	Ronda Rousey won by last eliminating Asuka	30-Woman Royal Rumble Match	57 Minutes
5	Jason Jordan & Seth Rollins (c) defeated The Bar (Cesaro & Sheamus) by Pinfall	Tag Team Match for the RAW Tag Team Championships	12 Minutes
6	AJ Styles (c) defeated Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn by Submission	Handicap Match for the WWE Championship	16 Minutes
7	The Usos (c) defeated Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin by Pinfall	2/3 Falls Tag Team Match for the SD Tag Team Championships	13 Minutes
8	Brock Lesnar (c) defeated Braun Strowman and Kane by Pinfall	Triple Threat Match for the Universal Championship	11 Minutes
9	Shinsuke Nakamura won by last eliminating Roman Reigns	30-Man Royal Rumble Match	61 Minutes

Hope you enjoyed. Tell me what you liked and disliked and what from this post you want to see on the show. Be sure to look out for my “How WWE Should Book Elimination Chamber 2017 (RAW)” post the day before that. ENJOY THE BEGINNING OF THE ROAD TO WRESTLEMANIA, EVERYONE.