Hello everyone it’s me TWB, Sunday the “Road To Wrestlemania” begins, with the Royal Rumble PPV, we have 6 matches to predict, so let’s not waste any more time and get going with our first bout which is for the Women’s Tag Team Championship.
Charlotte Flair and Asuka (C) Vs Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler
Women’s Tag Team Championship
In a rematch from last month’s TLC, the duo of Charlotte Flair and Asuka take on former champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler. In my opinion, the Women’s Tag division has been treated badly over the course of the last few months, take the current champions of Asuka and Charlotte, for example, Flair has been more involved in a feud with Lacey Evans since the turn of the New Year and with Asuka holding the Raw Women’s Championship, the tag belts have felt like an afterthought. Also in the past 6 months, the team of Billie Kay and Peyton Royce, the one pairing that felt like a true tag team were split up.
I can’t see the point of Nia and Shayna winning, personally, I’d like to see Charlotte and Asuka retain, but then drop the tag belts to either the Riott Squad or to Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez from NXT, who I assume will win the Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
Winners (and still Women’s Tag Team Champions): Charlotte Flair and Asuka
Sasha Banks (C) Vs Carmella
Smackdown Women’s Championship
I feel this is by far the easiest match to predict on the whole card, Sasha Banks has had a great few months as Smackdown Women’s Champion and it doesn’t really feel that she’s hit her stride yet.
Carmella is one of the most underrated female wrestlers in the last 5 years, any character that she’s had to play has worked, and whilst I can’t see her winning on Sunday, she should still have a pretty important role on the Smackdown brand, let’s assume both her and Bayley come out of the Rumble without much of a plan, I’d say reunite Baymella and they could feud with the Riott Squad, and at some point throw in whoever the Women’s Tag Team Champions are.
Banks will remain champion for now as I anticipate she will head into a Mania match with Belair.
Winner (and still Smackdown Women’s Champion): Sasha Banks
Roman Reigns (C) Vs Kevin Owens: Last Man Standing
Universal Championship
How great is Roman Reigns right now, everything he has done since his return last August, has been fantastic, any segment he’s in feels must-see, but also not only has his stock risen, anyone, he’s associated with also gets a rub.
Kevin Owens has been one of my favorite wrestlers to watch since he joined WWE over six years ago, and whether he’s playing a heel or face he always excels in the role, but this current program with Roman in my opinion has revitalized his character, for the last few years he’s been out of the main event picture where he belongs, I highly doubt he wins on Sunday, but again him simply being in a feud with Reigns has really elevated his status on Smackdown in becoming a top face for the brand.
Roman will win, he should hold the title for many more months to come, even possibly up until next year’s Wrestlemania, the “Tribal Chief” will remain the “Head of the Table” of Smackdown.
Winner (and still Universal Champion): Roman Reigns
Drew McIntyre (C) Vs Goldberg
WWE Championship Match
I hate having to make predictions whenever Goldberg is involved. I’ll be brutally honest, I don’t mind Goldberg, I just wish he wasn’t in title matches. However, we shouldn’t be blaming him, the fact that a 54-year-old man is being brought in around the same time of the year to face your World Champion is an indictment on the booking of a lot of the top stars on Raw. Look at Smackdown we have a title match that makes sense, and whilst the result seems very predictable, both Reigns and Owens will put on a show stealer, whereas McIntyre and Goldberg doesn’t make sense and I’ll be watching it with my eyes shut, with the fear that Drew will lose, and unfortunately, I think that’s going to happen.
In 2017, Goldberg beat Kevin Owens for the Universal Championship, last year he beat The Fiend, also for the Universal Championship, this time around I think he’s going to get the hat-trick and beat McIntyre for the WWE Championship. For some sad reason, I just can’t picture Drew standing tall on Sunday night, it would do a great deal for him to be the victor but it’s just not happening.
The other possibility is Miz cashes in, but right now I see no positive in him becoming champion, which leads me to the conclusion that Goldberg wins. (I’m wrong a lot of the time on predictions, I really hope I’m wrong again)
Winner (and new WWE Champion): Goldberg
Women’s Royal Rumble Match
Finally, we’ve made it to the Royal Rumble Matches, first up it’s the Women’s, I’ll be honest I think there are only 4 names that make sense, they are Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, or Rhea Ripley.
Let’s just run down those four women…
Bianca Belair has been on an absolute tear since moving to Smackdown in October of last year, and she is the bookie’s favorite to win the Rumble, and quite honestly her Vs Sasha Banks at Wrestlemania would be absolutely incredible.
Alexa Bliss is also another candidate and plausible winner, but I honestly don’t think her Vs Asuka at Wrestlemania makes a whole heap of sense, we’ve seen that match take place twice recently and on both occasions, it didn’t particularly live up to expectations.
I wouldn’t be shocked if Charlotte won for the second year in a row, I know it would anger a lot of people, but realistically the most likely challenger for Asuka at Wrestlemania is Charlotte.
Could an NXT superstar like Rhea Ripley not only enter but win the Rumble, we know for certain that based on previous years, there’s an influx of the women’s roster of NXT that compete in the match, and it certainly feels that Rhea’s time on the Black and Gold brand has come to an end. And that’s why I think Rhea will emerge victoriously, I think she will be the surprise number 30 entrant last eliminating Charlotte gaining a measure of revenge, and going onto Wrestlemania to face Asuka.
Women’s Royal Rumble Winner – Rhea Ripley
Men’s Royal Rumble Match
This is the toughest Men’s Rumble to predict, it genuinely feels that there’s up to eight names that could win it, will it be Daniel Bryan, will Edge find himself in a Wrestlemania Main Event once again, could it be a first-time winner in Keith Lee or Big E, could a revitalized Cesaro or Nakamura pick up a shock win, or will there be a returning star.
Knowing that Wrestlemania will take place on two nights in front of an audience makes me feel that both World Title matches will be made to feel big and worthy of taking place on the big stage of Wrestlemania, and whilst a win for Lee, Big E, Nakamura or Cesaro would elevate their role in WWE it just doesn’t feel like the right time for them to be in the position of main eventing Wrestlemania.
I would adore an Edge win, in my heart I want an Edge victory the most, but I just have a feeling that there’s a really good chance that he is eliminated by AJ Styles which sets up marquee singles match between the two at Wrestlemania.
There’s been a lot of talks that Daniel Bryan will be retiring from working full time soon, and as he’s pointed out the Royal Rumble is the one match he’s never won, and if he goes onto face Roman Reigns at the”Showcase Of The Immortals” it’ll be the perfect place for his career to come to a close.
However I have a feeling on Sunday we’ll see the return of the Messiah, and Seth Rollins wins his second Rumble in 3 years and turns face. The last we saw of Rollins was at Survivor Series getting eliminated in pretty quick fashion, a feud where the tables have been turned between Reigns and Rollins in my opinion would be incredible, there’s so much history between the two, and whilst they’ve had numerous matches against one another, a Wrestlemania Main Event in Tampa, Florida where both of there WWE careers began is definitely something I would like to see.
Men’s Royal Rumble Match Winner – Seth Rollins
So, there are my predictions, feel free to follow me @callumowen98 and @SLTDWrestling on Twitter. Check out the first episodes of the SLTD Wrestling Roundtable Podcast, in Episode 1 we give our Royal Rumble Predictions, but until next time have a fun and enjoyable Sunday as the “Road To Wrestlemania” begins.
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