WWE Greatest Royal Rumble: Live stream, start time, match card and more
By Luke Norris
A look at the full match card, start time, live stream information and more for the inaugural WWE Greatest Royal Rumble pay-per-view event.
Less than three weeks after WrestleMania 34, WWE is set to host an event that in some ways may end up being even bigger. For the first time in history, Saudi Arabia will be the host for a major WWE pay-per-view event as the superstars (well, the male superstars anyway) of Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live (and likely a few from NXT as well) will join together at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah for the Greatest Royal Rumble.
While the name of the event leads the WWE Universe to believe that the first-ever 50-man Royal Rumble match is the highlight of the show, there are also seven championship matches on the card, including two world title rematches from WrestleMania 34. Here’s everything you need to know about the WWE Greatest Royal Rumble pay-per-view event.
Event info
Event: WWE Greatest Royal Rumble
Date: Friday, April 27, 2018
Venue: King Abdullah Sports City Stadium – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Start time: 12:00 p.m. ET/9:00 a.m. PT
Live stream: WWE Network
Full match card
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander vs. Kalisto
This was the last match added to the card as we had to wait for the winner of the Gauntlet Match from this week’s episode of 205 Live to see who would take on newly-crowned WWE Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander. Surprisingly, it was not Mustafa Ali, who had to leave with a leg injury during his second match. In the end, it was Kalisto who earned the shot and while I think he and Alexander will have a fun match, I think the champ retains.
WWE United States Champion Jeff Hardy vs. Jinder Mahal
Jinder Mahal was the very first WWE superstar to jump brands during the Superstar Shake-up, bringing the United States Championship to Monday Night RAW and immediately losing it to Jeff Hardy, who then took it back to SmackDown Live. I suppose the outcome here could matter on how the Intercontinental Championship Match goes down, but I think the title stays on Tuesday nights with Hardy, who’s all set up for a solid singles run with Matt doing his thing.
Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Bray Wyatt & “Woken” Matt Hardy for the vacant RAW Tag Team Championship
Since Matt Hardy’s name came up, we might as well stay with it and discuss the new team of he and Bray Wyatt. This odd pairing is really over with the crowd, and they earned their shot at the vacant RAW Tag Team Championship by surviving a mini-tournament. They’ll face former champs Sheamus and Cesaro, who lost the titles at WrestleMania 34 to Braun Strowman and Nicholas. Yeah, there’s a lot going on with this scenario. However, it’s a scenario that I think finally gets back to “normal” on Friday with Hardy and Wyatt getting the win. The “who wins?” factor kind of went away when Sheamus and Cesaro got moved to Tuesday nights.
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bludgeon Brothers vs. The Usos
As for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, the titles that I’m sure Sheamus and Cesaro will find themselves battling for over the summer, I wouldn’t expect them to change hands here. Harper and Rowan have been so dominant since returning with this gimmick, and while The Usos might give them a little more of a challenge here, I’m not expecting it to be much.
WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins vs. The Miz vs. Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe (Ladder Match)
There hasn’t been much promotion for this Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match, but this obviously has the chance to steal the show, especially given the competitors involved. They announced Samoa Joe for the match even before he showed back up on television but I don’t see him taking this, especially with a match with Roman Reigns on the horizon at Backlash … and the fact that he’s now a member of the SmackDown Live roster. The Miz was also just drafted back to SmackDown Live, and the only way he wins here is if Jinder Mahal brings the United States Championship to RAW. As for Finn Balor, I think he wins this championship at some point, but I don’t see it coming on this night. The only real threat to Seth Rollins is Bobby Lashley, who’s been rumored to join this match at some point. I think Rollins would be fantastic with a lengthy title run, but Lashley’s return is a pretty big deal and they want to put a belt on him to hype him up even more. I still like Rollins to retain.
John Cena vs. Triple H
There’s no story leading into this one. This match was announced very early to get people interested in the event and while it will be a bit of a throwback to see these two go at it, there’s likely not much here. The match will be fun enough but if they are going to keep a little bit of storyline going, Cena probably loses again. But Cena may not get booed as much as he does in the States so maybe he goes over. It really doesn’t matter either way on this one.
The Undertaker vs. Rusev (Casket Match)
Take note that it was still The Undertaker vs. Rusev at the time of this writing but with all the hoopla surrounding this match since it was announced, I don’t know what to expect. First it was Rusev and then it was Chris Jericho and now it’s Rusev again because Lana changed her mind and said it was okay. The Undertaker being on this show is a big deal for some, but much like his match at WrestleMania, I’m not expecting this to go too long. But hey, at least if they’re going to continue to bury Rusev, they’re going to do it with an actual casket.
50-Man Greatest Royal Rumble Match
What a spectacle this is going to be. I remember the 40-man Royal Rumble in 2011 not going that well, so it will be crazy to see how things play out with 50. Some of the potential matchups will be fun, and I’ve actually got no problem with some of these guys from the Saudi Arabia tryouts getting a spot or two. It’s showing how dedicated WWE is to this show and to the region and it’s not going to hurt anything. I still don’t see it as the main event, but I do expect a big-name winner here that could use the victory’s bragging rights for something on television moving forward. Braun Strowman is the easy choice here with how over he is, but Daniel Bryan and Bobby Lashley are good picks as well.
WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Are we taking odds on how many shots to the groin AJ Styles takes in this match? Since Shinsuke Nakamura’s excellent heel turn at WrestleMania, he’s been bombarding the WWE Champion with low blows and is getting another shot at the title. With Backlash taking place just nine days after this event, a title change isn’t out of the question here. I expect another great match from these two leading into a screwy finish that gives Shinsuke his first WWE Championship. The rubber match takes place at Backlash and we go from there.
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns (Steel Cage Match)
Nobody knew quite what to think when Brock Lesnar defeated Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. Everything for the past year had been building to Reigns winning the Universal Championship but that obviously didn’t happen like most thought it would. It was then announced that Lesnar had re-signed with WWE and would take on Reigns at the Greatest Royal Rumble in a Steel Cage Match, which just sounds brutal with what these two have done to each other over the years. It would be crazy to think that both world titles would change hands here but I do think that’s how it plays out. Reigns is likely to get way more cheers than we’re used to seeing and I think that’s what Vince is looking for with this moment.
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Which match are you most looking forward to at WWE Greatest Royal Rumble? Please feel free to join in the conversation in the comments section below.