History Making Weekend

With the Royal Rumble in the books, we're officially on the Road to Wrestlemania and WWE did their best to start the road properly, by adding different scenarios and such that we can expect. First up, NXT.

NXT Takeover San Antonio was top to bottom a great show. There was never a lagging match. My only complaint is that the women's title match should have been longer than it was. One of the stand out moments of the night was when Seth Rollins charged the ring and called out Triple H. This was historic as they never have had a WWE on going storyline featured on NXT. And this was involving Triple H no less, the Father of NXT. It was great, unexpected, smart and a great way to continue the ongoing feud of Rollins/HHH. The big winners for the night were the Authors of Pain and Bobby Roode. AOP defeated DIY in a great tag match. AOP have dominated since exploding on the scene back in June. The tag division is currently very light right now so expect plenty of rematches with DIY in the future. I mean, that's the only face team around, unless The Revival is going to turn. Bobby Roode shocked the NXT Universe when he captured the NXT Title from Nakamura. Nakamura had just won the title back in December so the quick title change was unexpected. They did an injury angle with Nakamura, so I expect that to play into the rematches to come. As we go to the next show of Takeover Orlando in 9 weeks, I think it's finally time for the big time women's title match of Asuka and Ember Moon. It's the only thing left, unless they want to give Nikki Cross a one on one shot. I'm not mad at that either. NXT has a lot of guys just waiting for the NXT Title. Roderick Strong, Eric Young, Nakamura will want a rematch, Kassius Ohno just came back. Roode is going to have a lot of challengers gunning for him. Great show from the NXT crew and they continue to raise the bar for the weekend.

The Royal Rumble show crowed three new champions; Gallows and Anderson won the Raw Tag Team Titles, Neville won the Cruiserweight Title and John Cena finally won his 16th World Title by winning the WWE Championship. Can I first say how glad I am Gallows and Anderson FINALLY won tag team gold in WWE? It took them 9 moths but it was worth the wait. For a few hours, Styles, Gallows and Anderson were all champions in WWE. I only hope they took a photo together before Styles dropped the belt to Cena. Neville winning the Cruiserweight Title was much deserved. I love his new submission and he will definitely be a hard champion to dethrone. Well, Internet Wrestling Community, it has finally happened. John Cena has become WWE Champion again. This is Cena's 13th time with just the WWE Championship but he's a 16 time overall World Champion in WWE. This ties him with the recognized record with Flair. I'm glad it happened. Cena is legit one of the best stars WWE has ever produced. It makes sense for him to tie and hopefully, break the record. Cena will probably do it later this year. I only say this because he's definitely losing the title very soon. More on that later.

The Royal Rumble match itself was fun and, I'm sure to many expecting a lot of surprises, disappointing. The first two were Big Cass and Chris Jericho. Jericho had a very impressive outing, lasting over an hour and making it to the Final Four. It was all fun and games until Braun Strowman came out at #7 and he just starting throwing people over. Strowman would get 7 eliminations before be eliminated himself by Baron Corbin. Strowman only lasted 13 minutes and didn't interact with any of the major part timers. That was shocking. The lone surprise (and by surprise, I mean NXT or legend entrant because there were technically 8 surprises entrants since only 22 were announced previously) was Tye Dillinger at #10. First off, this might of been the best thing they did all weekend. I was skeptic that were would introduce Tye at the number, especially after Sasha Banks said it during one of those WWE.com features but it happened! Tye lasted only 5 minutes or so but at least he debuted. The part timers that the match was built around didn't start to come out until late. Lesnar came out at #26. He was met by Goldberg at #28, who with one Spear, eliminated the Beast, getting a measure of revenge from 2004. #29 was The Undertaker and after a brief staredown with Goldberg, Taker was able to eliminate him in one of the best moments of the entire weekend. Lesnar lasted 4 and a half minutes. Goldberg? Only 3 minutes and 21 seconds. Tsk tsk WWE. Ok, then #30 was coming down. The countdown was on. We still didn't get any major surprises, like soon to be Hall of Famer Kurt Angle, soon to be called up from NXT Samoa Joe and soon to make a return from injury Finn Balor. The buzzer blasted through the arena. The camera panned on the entrance way. There was a brief pause. WHO IS IT?!?!?!.......Roman Reigns....

What? Really? Samoa Joe was busy? Balor was out doing his entrance two weeks ago and he's not ready? Come on!! That was my original thought until I saw what they did with Reigns. Roman Reigns ELIMINATED The Undertaker from the 2017 Royal Rumble and had a brief staredown with him afterwards, claiming it was his yard now. OK, it made sense WWE. I'm sorry. So, it looks like Roman Reigns will be getting The Undertaker at Wrestlemania. Or, maybe not? Braun Strowman cost Reigns his Universal Title match earlier in the night. Which behemoth will get Taker? Maybe they'll go the HBK route? You know, have Reigns and Strowman fight for the opportunity to face Taker at Wrestlemania? They could do the match at Fast Lane.

Anyway, the Final Four came down to Chris Jericho (#2), Bray Wyatt (#21), Randy Orton (#23) and Roman Reigns (#30). Only Wyatt's #21 has never had a winner. Reigns tossed Jericho over the top but Jericho would hang on, go to the top rope and get Superman Punched right out the match. Jericho brought his total time in all Royal Rumbles he's competed in to 4 hours, 56 minutes and 59 seconds and his time of 1 hour and 13 seconds is the 5 longest time spent in a Rumble match, 3rd longest and didn't win it. Wyatt and Orton jumped Reigns but of course, he powered out and got Wyatt out. We're down to two former winners of the Rumble so for the 4th time in 5 years, someone was going to win their 2nd Rumble. And from a number that has won before no less. Reigns charged up for the Spear but as he came at Orton, he ate a nasty RKO. This would allow Orton to clothesline Reigns over the top rope for the win. Randy Orton lasted 20 minutes and 52 seconds from the #23 spot. Now only Lex Luger and Randy Orton have won from #23. If Wrestlemania were tomorrow, Randy Orton would face John Cena for the WWE Championship. Yuck.

I'm all for Randy Orton winning the Rumble. It was unexpected. He was definitely not on anyone's list to win at the start of the month. I guess I'm all for it because of the plans in place. Orton winning basically sets up Wyatt/Orton at Mania. The Elimination Chamber is two weeks away and there will be the set up for the WWE Title match. It won't be official until then but come on guys, there's no way WWE is doing Cena/Orton 29 at Mania 33. It just won't happen. So expect Cena to have a short run with the title.

After last night, the Road to Mania is much more clear. Lesnar VS Goldberg is still the most likely main event. It could even be for the Universal Title. I could see Owens VS Goldberg being the top match at Fast Lane and Goldberg would go over to give him the title. Or they could just have Lesnar come out to screw him over but why would he do that when he could become champion? Lesnar would have to drop it quick because we don't need another hostage situation with the Universal Title. Roman Reigns VS The Undertaker is a perfect Wrestlemania clash. Kevin Owens VS Chris Jericho for the US Title still makes a lot of sense. Charlotte defending against Sasha, Nia and Bayley looks likely as well. Over on Smackdown, Bray Wyatt VS Randy Orton for the WWE Title looks to be top billing. John Cena will most likely get Baron Corbin or Samoa Joe, if he ever debuts and Styles has been rumored to face Shane McMahon, which the seeds have already been planted. Here's the card:

Brock Lensar VS Goldberg - WWE Universal Title
Randy Orton VS Bray Wyatt - WWE Title
Seth Rollins VS Triple H
Kevin Owens VS Chris Jericho - US Title
The Undertaker VS Roman Reigns
AJ Styles VS Shane McMahon
The Big Show VS Shaquille O'Neal
John Cena VS Baron Corbin or Samoa Joe
Charlotte VS Bayley VS Nia Jax VS Sasha Banks - Raw Women's Title
Ladder match for IC Title

That's 10 matches already...and there's still no Tag Titles, Smackdown Women's Title  or Cruiserweight Title bouts on the card, which will probably mean 3-4 pre show matches. I think both tag titles and a multi man Cruiserweight Title match will be on the pre show. there will be an Andre the Giant Battle Royal. That's 15 matches to Wrestlemania 32's 12. There has to be a lot of this on the pre show.

Overall, it  was a great weekend. The picture is much more clear. Now, it's time to see how Samoa Joe makes his debut and if Balor will make his return. If so, will he be in a big match at Mania? Looks like all the big dance partners are out.

Trust in the process all...

Takeover San Antonio and Royal Rumble Predictions

Welcome to 2017! A WWE Hall of Famer is in the White House! Rejoice! Well, maybe not...Anyway, it's the first big PPV of the year which means it's time for a Takeover/Big Four weekend! Yay! WWE will be in San Antonio for the weekend. NXT will Takeover the Freeman Colliseum on Saturday while the main roster will be in the Alamodome for the first time in 20 years. This is going to be a great weekend. As always, let's discuss NXT first.

Takeover San Antonio is probably one of the weakest NXT Takeovers to date. I'm not saying that it won't be good but it's not as packed as Brooklyn II or Toronto. Five matches on the show, three title matches, two matches kind of thrown together just because and NO Samoa Joe...Hmm...Anyway, let's break it down!

The Perfect 10 Tye Dillinger will face the leader of Sanity, Eric Young in what could potentially be Dillinger's last match. It's obvious that they'll never put the title on Dillinger and he's uber popular. Why keep him down in developmental any longer? This will be a good match as Dillinger keeps getting better and better with every appearance. His match with Roode was definitely a huge shocker, the quality of it I mean. Definitely much better than expected. This will be more of the same. It could go either way. Will Dillinger finally get a win on Takeover before moving on or will he be like every other NXT star and lose in their final match? Or maybe it's not his last appearance at all? 8 spots are currently open in the Rumble. Let's give Dillinger one. I'm going with Eric Young getting the victory.

The best match on Takeover San Antonio will be the clash between Roderick Strong and Andrade Cien Almas. Hands down. The match just makes my mouth water. Two hard hitting stars, looking to make a strong impact into the NXT Title picture. It will be a war. I expect this to be a high speed affair that will surprise everyone. Roderick Strong is a tough guy and I think a match with Nakamura would be fantastic for the entire NXT brand. To start that journey, he'll need big wins over top NXT stars. It starts Saturday. Roderick Strong wins with the Sick Kick.

#DIY will have their first big challenge as NXT Tag Team Champions as they will defend the titles against The Authors of Pain, the winners of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in 2016. AOP are undefeated. They are big. They are freaking monsters. #DIY are tiny indie guys. If this was a promotion strictly run by Vince McMahon, we know how this would end. Seeing how it's NXT, #DIY have a slight chance here. The tag division took a major hit with TM-61's Shane Thorne suffering an injury. Without them, there isn't that much depth in the division. It's literally just The Revival left. I'm sure they could make some make shift teams if they wanted but this is still bad. #DIY will make the AOP look good and I think they will give the team their first loss. I'm going with #DIY with a surprising victory.

Asuka will defend her NXT's Women's Championship against three women this time, Nikki Cross, Peyon Royce and Billie Kay. Asuka, in her record breaking longest reign as NXT Women's Champion, she has defeated Bayley twice in big matches, chopped down the redwood that is Nia Jax and defeated Mickie James in her return match. Asuka has done a lot of good for NXT's women's division in the loss of the Four Horsewomen. Let's be honest; we all know the money match for this division is Asuka VS Ember Moon and WWE is clearly waiting for Wrestlemania weekend to finnaly do it. This is filler. While it will make Asuka look more dominant by beating these three women, it's all about the end game, which is Asuka/Moon. Asuka wins, probably pins all three at once, because, you know, Asuka.

The main event is the battle of the entrances; Shinsuke Nakamura will defend the NXT Title against Bobby Roode. The best part of this match may just be the dueling entrances. Which guy will have the crowd more into it; Roode or Nakamura? This should be a good contest between the two most over guys in NXT. Nakamura is currently filling the role Finn Balor had in NXT, as the franchise player. As much as I would kill for a Nakamura surprise entrant in the Rumble, his place is needed in NXT for the time being, especially after Chris Hero or sorry, Kassius Ohno, basically told Nakamura he was coming for the NXT Title. He didn't say that but the motion was clear! This is obviously the next big feud for the brand, one that will be a hardcore slugfest between two vicious strikers and one I want to see ASAP. Roode will definitely continue to float around the main event and I do see a NXT Title run for him but it won't start on Saturday. Nakamura retains.

Could we maybe see British Strong Style this weekend? Apparently, the first ever United Kingdom Champion Tyler Bate, Pete Dunne and Trent Seven all pulled out of their bookings for events this weekend due to 'WWE commitments'. Hmmmm...what could that mean? I'd love to see an invasion style angle, have them completely destroy Nakamura and Roode after the match or even cause the match to be thrown out entirely. A Royal Rumble appearance would be nice but how many people watched the UK Tournament? I did but who many hardcore WWE fans will be at the Rumble? Actually, scratch that, I think it might be best to debut them there but we'll see.

For the first time ever, the Royal Rumble is 4 hours this year. 8 matches on the show, three being on the pre show, two Raw matches and one Smackdown match. Gallows and Anderson will face Sheamus and Cesaro for the Raw Tag Team Titles while Sasha Banks will battle Nia Jax. Over on Smackdown, we have Smackdown's Women's Champion Alexa Bliss teaming with Natayla and the returning Mickie James taking on Becky Lynch, Naomi and Nikki Bella. I don't think it's quite time for Sheamus and Cesaro to lose the titles as they just won them, but I would certainly love to see it. I'm going with the champs to retain. As for the women's match, I think you have to keep Nia looking like a monster and she marches towards Wrestlemania. She needs a good victory over a well known and popular star of the division. Sasha is the perfect scapegoat as she bids her time. It may be the unpopular vote, or maybe not, but I'm going with heel Sasha on the Raw following Mania. If they can't get Bayley/Sasha at Wrestlemania, then a full blown feud following is just as good. Not really but it's a consolation prize. As for the 6 women tag, I'm going with the heels. Mickie just came back so I don't think her team will lose.

The Cruiserweight Championship will be on the line when Rich Swann defends against a new heel Neville. Neville turning heel was the thing I didn't know I wanted but I'm glad he has. He has looked like a true beast. Neville's heel actions are justified though, citing frustration over not being included in the Cruiserweight Classic in the summer and even the UK Tournament. After big victories over former champ TJ Perkins and the actual champion himself, Neville was granted his shot to back up his claim of being the King of The Cruiserweights. Neville is always great in the ring. I love his small man but strong man style, mixed with his high flying abilities. And his new submission is vicious. Does all this equal out to a Neville victory? Not yet. I think Neville will win the strap down the line, but not here. Swann retains in a hard fought victory, most likely by roll up.

Bayley will get her first shot at the Raw Women's Title when she faces Charlotte. The awesome first ever main roster meeting between Sasha Banks and Bayley at Wrestlemania dream is over. The plans moving forward point toward a Fatal Four Way for the title, which isn't a bad thing. It's just not the match I wanted. Bayley needs to have her moment there, not at the Royal Rumble. While I'll take it as it's on a big stage, the face needs to go over on the biggest show of the year and that's Wrestlemania. Charlotte will retain using some type of heel tactics but Bayley will definitely win at Mania, followed by winning a rematch on Raw and then having Sasha turn on her.

Roman Reigns is looking to become the first man to have held the WWE Championship and the Universal Championship when he faces Kevin Owens. Owens survived at Roadblock thanks to a DQ finish from Jericho but Jericho will be suspended high above the ring in a shark cage and the match will be contested under No Disqualifications. With it being Mania season, things don't look good for Kevin Owens. Raw is filled with part timers right now, like Goldberg, Lesnar, Taker, etc and Vince is so desperate, he'll put his part timers first and his work horses second. And Jericho is holding onto the United States Championship so if Jericho and Owens are to feud, it would be over that while Vince's part timers take all the main event shots. I'm afraid this might be the season finale for the Kevin Owens Show for now. Or maybe it's not. Maybe Owens will retain.....I just don't see it though. Owens/Jericho won't be for the Universal Title. Ugh, Roman Reigns will win his first Universal Championship.... NEXT!

Easily the biggest match on the card besides the actual Rumble itself is the WWE Championship match. AJ Styles will defend the title against John Cena in their third one on one match. That should be enough to sell the PPV by itself. AJ has been a great champion but he suffers from the same problem as Kevin Owens; he's not a part timer. With all the rumors of John Cena facing The Undertaker and that Styles will be facing Shane McMahon, it looks likely that Styles will be dropping the title before Mania. While I'm 100% AGAINST Styles/McMahon, Cena/Taker is one of those matches that just sells Wrestlemania. It's a marquee match that is needed. Rumors have begun to circulate that even THAT match won't happen and it will instead be Reigns/Taker. Regardless, Cena going into Mania as champion is more of what Vince would want. And Cena hasn't beaten Styles yet. There's just a lot of things against Styles in this match but guess what, I'm picking Styles. If they are going with the god awful idea of Styles/McMahon, Styles will lose at the Elimination Chamber, get mad at Shane for making him defend his title in the match and boom, there you go. But I think Styles will have help....I don't know who, but someone will interfere on Styles behalf, setting up Cena's WM opponent. Corbin, Samoa Joe, someone. Styles will retain.

The main event is the Royal Rumble match. 30 superstars, all competing for the chance for a World Title match at Wrestlemania. Of the 30 spots, 22 are confirmed and it's a huge Rumble this year, Part timers The Undertaker, Goldberg and Brock Lesnar will be competing. Braun Strowman, Dean Ambrose, Randy Orton and many others are in the field as well. Let's break it down.

Surprise Entrants

8 spots remaining means two things. One, a couple spots will go to random stars on the roster who aren't in, like someone from American Alpha, James Ellsworth, etc. The other spots are for surprise entrants. I got five picks this year as surprise entrants. Not all five will compete but they should, if available. I think the biggest one is Finn Balor. Balor was injured back in August and as soon as they announced his return window, I instantly thought Royal Rumble winner. If Balor doesn't compete, I'll be shocked. Next two are from NXT, Samoa Joe and Tye Dillinger. Joe is nowhere to be found on the Takeover card. Isn't that strange for Joe, who's the first ever two time NXT Champion? Come on, a debut here would be amazing. Dillinger needs to come out at #10. If he doesn't, you will definitely hear about it. He's pretty much done everything on NXT, except win any titles but that doesn't look likely. Debut him on Smackdown and have him apart of the IC Title scene. Next up, Kurt Angle. His Hall of Fame announcement was definitely so they could start selling tickets but how about a Rumble appearance? Throw some Angle Slams on the new talent. It would definitely go over big. The last is the most unlikely and that's Kenny Omega. Omega is coming off the amazing main event match he had with Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 11 and he absolutely had the Internet going crazy when he said he was stepping away from Japan. In the latest interview, he said he wasn't going to be in the Rumble and he was planning to resign with NJPW. Obviously, that's still a red flag for us fans. Omega being apart of the match is unlikely but just because of all the rumors, I put him in this part.

Number Game

Usually, the first two entrants are either big, feuding or completely random. 2016 had Reigns and Rusev as #1 and #2, both guys feuding with each other. It doesn't always happen that clean though. 2015 had The Miz and R-Truth as #1 and #2, two guys, who at that point, were completely far from each other. What if #1 was Lesnar and #2 Goldberg? Then #3 The Undertaker? Hahaha, yeah right. I do think all three of them will see each other in the match. I think a new number will finally win this year. Last new number that won was #19 by John Cena in 2013. Reigns won his Rumble from the same number. A lower number, like #7. 4, 6, 7  and 9 are the only single digits number to have never won. #3 will be a surprise entrant. 2015 it was Bubba Dudley. 2016 it was AJ Styles. 2017? Kurt Angle. Maybe...

Likely Winners

The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar and Goldberg all being in it makes them favorites. While Goldberg VS Lesnar looks to be set for Mania, it could definitely be for the Universal Title unfortunately if WWE wants. I've already talked about Cena/Taker so Taker's chances are very high. Rumors have been going on recently that Randy Orton will win, while Wyatt will win the title at Elimination Chamber, setting up for their Wrestlemania clash. Braun Strowman has been an absolute powerhouse and it's been a long time since a monster heel has won the Rumble. If Balor returns, he's an instant favorite, simply because he had to relinquish the title. Here's my top five picks in order.

1. Finn Balor
2. The Undertaker
3. Braun Strowman
4. Goldberg
5. Randy Orton (simply because it would lead to either Styles/Orton or Wyatt FINALLY winning the WWE Title)

Are you ready? The Road to Wrestlemania will be much more clear after Sunday! There's a lot of history on the line here this weekend. WIll Reigns be the first man to hold both World Titles in WWE? Will Cena win World Title #16? Will a new star emerge from the Rumble match or will another veteran main event Wrestlemania?

Be on the lookout this Sunday!

Top 5 Favorite Royal Rumble Matches

It's no secret that the Royal Rumble is my favorite match type and PPV in WWE. The build, the mystique of it and the long lasting effects make for a wondrous event. Just think of how many amazing moments have come from this event. Shawn Michaels lasting from the #1 position until the end and faced near elimination by having only one of his feet touch the floor. Rey Mysterio lasting from #2 and setting a Royal Rumble record of lasting over an hour in the match. ALL the massive and unexpected returns from injury, like John Cena and Edge. How about the debut of AJ Styles last year? This event has great moments. They go hand in hand. Now, there are a lot of dark moments for the event as well, especially the 2014 and 2015 editions, which the crowd overwhelmingly booed the face winners. This post isn't about moments, it's about the entire matches themselves. This is my top 5 favorite Royal Rumble matches, not matches on the PPV, just the 30 (or 20 or 40) man Royal Rumble match itself is going to be included. Let's get started!

5. Royal Rumble 2008 - Length: 51:26 - Winner: John Cena from the #30 entry (1st time winner)

Heading into the Royal Rumble, in my eyes, Triple H was the person most likely to win. Randy Orton was WWE Champion and it would give Wrestlemania a familiar student VS teacher type of match. This Rumble was a good one. It started off with the last two from the previous year's match, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. They renewed their rivalry as it was a precursor to what was to come in the next couple Wrestlemanias. They would both end up lasting over 30 minutes. Cody Rhodes, Batista and Umaga all had good showings in the match as well, with Batista lasting the longest of anyone in the match at 37 minutes and 40 seconds as he was entrant #8. One of the best moments from the show was definitely seeing Jimmy Snuka entering at #18 to mix it up with some of the stars, only to see Roddy Piper enter at #19. This match was held inside Madison Square Garden so to see these two legends in the great arena again was awesome. It was a spectacle to see as they literally made the whole match stop as these two legends did battle. My favorite, Triple H, finally made his appearance at #29, quickly eliminating 4 guys before #30 made his way out. To everyone's surprise, it was John Cena. Cena had just gone down with a torn pectoral muscle in October and was expected to be out for a year. He made his return in 3 months. That is crazy. The final four came down to Batista (#8), Kane (#20), Triple H (#29) and John Cena (#30). Triple H and Batista took Kane out the match before it came down to the final three. Triple H and Batista had won the match before, Cena came close in 2005. Triple H took care of Batista and it came down to The Game and Cena, two Raw superstars. They had a great battle but Cena would not be denied, giving HHH the FU over the top rope to give Cena his first Royal Rumble win. This would be the 2nd time back to back numbers won the Royal Rumble match (1993 and 1994) and the 2nd time #30 won.

Cena's win was shocking and it took away everything The Game worked for during the match. At the time, I hated the move but it's simply one of the most shocking moments in Royal Rumble history. If you say you called that, I will call you a liar. Great match filled with fun moments and a great victory for the franchise player.

4. Royal Rumble 2003 - Length: 53:21 - Winner: Brock Lesnar from the #29 entry (1st time winner)

This Rumble was filled with giants, big strong stars that I'm sure Vince loved. It started off with Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels. Jericho used Christian to do his entrance and got a cheap low blow on HBK to start the match off. Thanks to the blind side attack, Jericho was able to quickly eliminate HBK, not before busting him open with a steel chair though. Jericho would be the MVP for this Rumble, eliminating the most stars (6) and lasting the longest at 38 minutes and 54 seconds. Not many surprise entrants this year but BIG superstars like I said. This Rumble had Brock Lesnar, Batista, A-Train, Rikishi, Kane and The Undertaker. It was really a who's who of big guys. Though Jericho lasted the longest, he didn't win as HBK came back out to get some revenge and continue their feud. One of the best moments was between Maven and The Undertaker. Maven tried to dropkick and eliminate The Undertaker from behind like he did in 2002. That didn't work so well this time. The final four came down to Kane (#22), Batista (#28, which is the same number he won both his Rumbles from in the later years), Brock Lesnar (#29), and The Undertaker (#30). The big men from the present VS the big guys of the future. Two guys from Raw, two from Smackdown. Batista was eliminated first and just when it looked like Taker and Kane were going to team up, Taker eliminated his brother. This allowed Lesnar to scoop Taker over the top rope and secure the victory in his first Royal Rumble, only lasting just under 9 minutes in the match. It was good to see the present vs the future and even better that the obvious winner won to set up his Wrestlemania main event. Great match.

3. Royal Rumble 2010 - Length: 49:24 - Winner: Edge from the #29 entry (1st time winner)

The 2010 Royal Rumble had a lot of interesting storylines. With the main event speculated as being Shawn Michaels VS The Undertaker II, HBK was a heavy favorite to win the match as Taker was the current World Heavyweight Champion. HBK has previously asked the Deadman for another shot but Undertaker laughed him off so Michaels had only one way to get what he wanted; by winning the Royal Rumble match and pick The Undertaker to face. This Rumble also featured John Cena who of course, is a favorite in any match he's apart of. Triple H and Chris Jericho were included as favorites too. The first two entrants were Dolph Ziggler and Evan Bourne, two relatively fresh faces to the WWE Universe. #3 was CM Punk, who began to preach and dominate for the next 10 minutes, throwing out all who entered. This stopped once #8 Triple H came out and ended Punk's night. Punk had the 2nd most eliminations that night with 5. The next big entrant was 10 spots later, #18, Triple H's best friend Shawn Michaels. The two eliminated the rest of the entrants and had a brief staredown while awaiting #19, who turned out to be John Cena. All three had a confrontation before HBK gave Triple H a Sweet Chin Music, which sent HHH over the top rope and out of the match. #28 was Chris Jericho, another favorite. As he was catching his breath, the clock ticked down to welcome the #29 entrant. After a brief pause, Edge came out, wild eyed and ready to compete. Edge went down with a torn Achilles heel injury back in July and was said to be out for a year. As with Cena, that wasn't the case. He started spearing all in the ring and quickly eliminated Chris Jericho, getting some revenge after he called Edge the weak link of their team. It was now time for #30, Batista, who was working as a heel for the past two months. As Batista entered, history was made as this was the first time when #30 entrant came out, he was automatically apart of the Final Four, which were Shawn Michaels (#18), John Cena (#19), Edge (#29) and Batista (#30). All numbers except 19, which would have two later winners, have had previous winners. After battling for a few minutes, HBK got in a precarious situation and ended up getting eliminated by Batista. The dream was over. No rematch. HBK was obsessed with this and ended up attacking a ref on his way out. John Cena next eliminated Batista, a foreshadowing to their feud coming up. Edge laid in wait, trying to attack Cena. Cena countered with a kick and prepared to throw Cena over the top, but Edge reversed the counter and threw Cena out for the shocking return victory, winning the match while only lasting 7 minutes and 19 seconds, the shortest amount time any winner needed. Awesome stuff from all involved but HBK's desire to win was on full display here. WWE did a great job and it truly felt like it was anyone's match to win, that is, until Edge made his entry. Great moment for him, adding to his already legendary pedigree.

2. Royal Rumble 2007 - Length: 56:18 - Winner: The Undertaker from the #30 entry (1st time winner)

The 2007 edition of the Royal Rumble match will always be remembered, at least for me, for the epic confrontation between the final two participants that has not been matched by any final two yet. Not Cena/HHH in 2008, not Jericho/Sheamus in 2012 (though great), not Cena/Ryback 2013. This is the ultimate test of will between the final two in a Royal Rumble match. This year didn't feature any surprise entrants, just stars who've been in the company. They called it the most star studded Rumble in history. It started with two experience guys, Ric Flair and Finlay. Edge entered at #5 and ended up lasting the longest of any star in the match. Edge clocked in at 44 minutes. Edge also had the 2nd most eliminations in the match. It was all fun and games until #28 came out. The entire field gasped as The Great Khali came down to the ring and completely destroyed everyone in the ring, throwing out anyone within his giant grasp. He ended up eliminating 7 guys before The Undertaker came out at #30. The Undertaker was Phenom enough to get Khali out. The Final Four this time came out to Edge (#5), Randy Orton (#16), Shawn Michaels (#23) and The Undertaker (#30). Orton and HBK were in the match for awhile as well, both lasting over the 20 minute mark. This was during the time of Rated RKO. They had just injured Triple H during their tag team war at New Year's Revolution and HBK wanted to get into the main event in honor of his friend. Though they brought in a chair, which busted open The Undertaker, HBK was able to eliminate both Orton and Edge, leaving the final two to be HBK and The Undertaker, two home state heroes as their were battling in Texas. These two went at it, with so many near eliminations. This was a edge of your seat type of affair. HBK would not be given his 2nd Rumble win as The Undertaker caught HBK and dumped him right over the top for the victory. This would be the first time in the 20 year history of the Royal Rumble that the best number to draw, 30, would win the match. Cena and Triple H would both win at the same number in the years 2008 and 2016 respectively. This was a war from two bonafide Hall of Famers and a tease at what was to come in the next few years. The match itself was good but the final two coming down to The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels is some legendary stuff that can't be topped.

1. Royal Rumble 2005 - Length: 51:27 - Winner: Batista from the #28 entry (1st time winner)

There is not a better Rumble than 2005. Everything about it was fantastic, a top to bottom joyride from beginning to end. The first two were Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit, two guys who had their biggest moment at Wrestlemania XX the year before. This Rumble's promo was all about West Side Story and with the Raw and Smackdown rivalry going, it fit perfectly. One of the best parts of the match is when the eight men in the ring all started to group up based on what show they were on. Edge, Jericho, Benoit and Shelton Benjamin from Raw VS Guerrero, Booker T, Rey Mysterio and Luther Reigns from Smackdown. The crowd went nuts for it. Right after, controversial star Muhammad Hassan came out and stopped the Rumble in its tracks. All 8 men stopped what they were doing to eliminate him. The youth in this match man....There were only three guys in the match (Benoit, Michaels and Ric Flair) who had previously won this match so there was a good chance someone new was going to win. The overwhelming favorites were two upstarts, Batista from Raw and John Cena from Smackdown, both on the fast track at getting pushed. Cena was a huge fan favorite over on Smackdown, holding the US Title multiple times. Batista was still in Evolution but tensions were rising with Batista in the Rumble. Would he win and then challenge mentor Triple H at Wrestlemania?  Both favorites entered at high numbers, Cena at #25 and Batista at #28. The Final Four this time were Edge (#7), Rey Mysterio (#8), John Cena (#25) and Batista (#28). Two guys from Raw, two from Smackdown, representing the youth of the company, None of these guys were WWE or World Champion at the time but all would eventually win both titles down the line. Edge would take out Mysterio and Cena and Batista would take out Edge. Edge and Mysterio lasted the longest this year, Edge at a little over 40 minutes and Mysterio at 38 minutes and 25 seconds. It came down to the two favorites, Cena and Batista, in a dream final two. The two battled and as Batista lifted Cena over his head for a powerbomb, Cena's momentum caused both guys to go right over the top rope. There was plenty of confusion. Who's feet touched first? Raw refs declared Batista the winner while Smackdown refs gave it to Cena. Vince McMahon came out, PISSED OFF. As he entered the ring, he tore both of his quads. BOTH. How even....Anyway, Vince said the match had to be restarted. Cena put up a great effort but Batista planted Cena with a spinebuster and sent him straight over the top rope, giving Evolution's Animal the victory and ticket to the Wrestlemania main event. Obviously, Cena rebounded quickly and both Cena and Batista won World Titles on the same night at Wrestlemania 21.

This was the Royal Rumble that brought about a new year. It gave rise to two of the biggest post Attitude Era stars. It also highlighted other stars as well, like Mysterio and Edge. Oh, and how could I forget, it set up the fantastic first ever meeting between Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 21. Best Rumble EVER!

There you go! Just a little something to prep you for the Rumble come Sunday.

The Road to Wrestlemania 33

Holy crap. This road to Wrestlemania 33 is crazy and with reports that the only locked in matches for the event are Seth Rollins VS Triple H, Shaquille O'Neal VS The Big Show (which I'm strangely looking forward to), and Brock Lesnar VS Goldberg III (which can rot in hell for all I care) it leaves the question; just what the hell are many of the top stars going to do? You know, guys like Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho, Roman Reigns, AJ Styles, John Cena, The Undertaker, Braun Strowman, etc. A lot will become clear come January 29th, when the Royal Rumble happens. Many of the stars I mentioned are on the card and it will definitely make the path to the show much clearer. Let's talk possible scenarios.

Before I take major matches, let's get the some undercard matches out of the way. The IC Title will be defended in a multi man ladder match. It's a tradition now a good way to get a lot of guys on the show who wouldn't be. Guys like Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin, The Miz, Kalisto, Dolph Ziggler, maybe Shelton Benjamin if he's healthy and defending champion Dean Ambrose. I like like the tag champions will defend in multi man matches as well or inter promotional matches. Could you imagine American Alpha VS The New Day or Sheamus/Cesaro VS The Wyatt Family? Becky Lynch VS Mickie James would be the best bet for Smackdown as a top match. Charlotte defending against Sasha, Nia Jax and Bayley is pretty money after seeing how the division is going. This would give Bayley her big moment and allow Sasha to turn heel the Raw following.

We're going forward thinking that the other three matches (Rollins/HHH, Shaq/Show, Lesnar/Goldberg) are official. Now, the obvious ending of the Royal Rumble would be this; Roman Reigns and John Cena both win their respective title matches and The Undertaker wins his 2nd Royal Rumble. This would give The Undertaker his choice of golden boy to challenge for Wrestlemania. If he picks Cena, Styles could be added as well if he's to win his rematch for the title. If he picks Reigns, well, he picks Reigns. This would still allow Owens/Jericho to feud but for the US Title. I think Taker/Cena is the main event that should happen. It's the only match worthy of closing such a huge PPV. I would then put Balor, who would return at the Rumble, face Reigns. Strowman would be placed in a match with the debuting Samoa Joe or Joe could go to Smackdown and face old rival AJ Styles.

What if Finn Balor won? I prefer Balor/Owens at the show of shows. The champion who had to relinquish his title VS the champion who took advantage of the situation. It would make so much sense but leave out the obvious feud of Owens/Jericho. What if Strowman won? His push to the main event is coming and would definitely warrant a major match with Roman Reigns. What if Goldberg, unfortunately, won? He's signed onto a match for Fast Lane. What if he cashed in there, won the title and went on to defend the title against Lesnar at Mania? How horrible would that be? With Taker not winning the Rumble, would be still face Cena? Or would be face Strowman? No one on commentary said anything when The Undertaker was talking and they showed Strowman backstage just focusing on the monitor. Strowman would be the ultimate big man if he could defeat Taker at Wrestlemania.

There is a lot of different possible ways this whole thing could go. Personally, I don't want to see Goldberg/Lesnar and I definitely don't want to see it for any championship. The Undertaker VS John Cena is too big of a match to let pass but AJ Styles has worked way too hard not to be in a title match at the biggest show of the year. A Triple Threat would please all parties, just saying. Finn Balor is my pick for the Royal Rumble so I want him to reclaim his title. Strowman will get a big math but I don't know what that means. Is that Roman Reigns big or Undertaker big? So many options....

The Royal Rumble is two weeks away. I cannot wait!