WWE Royal Rumble 2018: Preview and predictions

30-Man Over-The-Top Royal Rumble Match

With the chance to go on to WrestleMania 34 and challenge for either the WWE Universal Championship or the WWE Championship, 30 men will battle in the Royal Rumble 30 years after its debut in 1988. And the boys need a good one. There have been some fun moments over the past few years, including the debut of AJ Styles in 2016, but for the most part, these haven’t gone over well with the WWE Universe for a while.

In 2014, Batista won to a chorus of boos that only got louder the following year when Roman Reigns won. In 2016, the WWE Championship was on the line as Reigns had to do the “1 vs. All” thing, and while people were plenty happy to see him thrown out, a lot of people didn’t like part-timer Triple H walking out with the strap, much like people really didn’t want to see Randy Orton win a year ago. So where does that leave us?

Well, as I mentioned, we all pretty much think that Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar is happening at WrestleMania. But I don’t think Reigns wins this Rumble so I’m not starting the prediction yet. I think they have Reigns get the spot in a number one contender’s match at Elimination Chamber. His Rumble win in 2015 was also in the very same arena that they’ll be in on Sunday. Philadelphia would go nuts if Reigns wins again so I’m taking him out. So who do we have then?

Next: More Royal Rumble 2018: Why Roman Reigns should be eliminated early

Prediction: In my eyes, with the current group we have anyway, there are only a few options and with Reigns being a RAW guy, it almost has to be a superstar from SmackDown Live. Or a free agent, which leads us right to John Cena. This might almost go as bad as if Reigns won. Personally, I’d have zero problem with this, assuming AJ retains anyway. Cena and Styles have put on classics in the past, and with Cena going for world title number 17, that just sells itself. But I still think they’re going to go with Cena vs. The Undertaker, which I want no part of. But that’s for another day.

That leaves Randy Orton, and I think that on a big stage, he might actually want to work and he and Styles could do good things. But with him winning last year, that seems like a long shot. My call here, and one I would love to see, is Shinsuke Nakamura. We know that he and Styles could bring the house down, and this is a match the WWE Universe has been waiting on ever since Nakamura was called up. Make it happen, Vince.

Which match are you most looking forward to at the 2018 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view? Feel free to join the conversation in the comments section below.