| Royal Rumble | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuring various WWE wrestlers | |||
| Promotion | WWE | ||
| Brand(s) | Raw SmackDown | ||
| Date | January 28, 2018 | ||
| City | Philadelphia,Pennsylvania | ||
| Venue | Wells Fargo Center | ||
| Attendance | 17,629[1] | ||
| WWE Network event chronology | |||
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| Royal Rumble chronology | |||
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The 2018Royal Rumble was aprofessional wrestlingevent produced byWWE. It was the 31st annualRoyal Rumble and took place on January 28, 2018, at theWells Fargo Center inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania, marking the third Royal Rumble held at this venue after the2004 and2015 events. The event aired viapay-per-view (PPV) andlivestreaming and featured wrestlers from the promotion'sRaw andSmackDownbrand divisions. The event was the first to include a women'sRoyal Rumble match, and consequently, two Royal Rumble matches, which is now standard for the event.
Traditionally, the Royal Rumble match winner receives a world championship match at that year'sWrestleMania. With the introduction of a women's Royal Rumble match, two Royal Rumble matches were contested on the card with the winners of each receiving a choice of which championship to challenge for atWrestleMania 34. The men could choose to challenge for either Raw'sUniversal Championship or SmackDown'sWWE Championship, while the women had the choice between theRaw Women's Championship and theSmackDown Women's Championship.
In total, nine matches were contested at the event, including three on the Kickoff pre-show. In the main event, Raw'sAsuka won the first-ever women's Royal Rumble match by last eliminating SmackDown'sNikki Bella. This was also the second women's match to main event a WWE pay-per-view, and the first to main event one of WWE's "Big Four" pay-per-views. The men's Royal Rumble match was won by SmackDown'sShinsuke Nakamura, who last eliminated Raw'sRoman Reigns. Other prominent matches includedBrock Lesnar retaining Raw's Universal Championship in atriple threat match againstBraun Strowman andKane, andAJ Styles retained SmackDown's WWE Championship againstKevin Owens and Sami Zayn in ahandicap match. The event was also notable for the surprise debut of formerUFC mixed martial artistRonda Rousey following the women's Rumble match, officially confirming that she had signed full-time with WWE.
TheRoyal Rumble is an annualprofessional wrestlingevent produced every January byWWE since 1988. It is one of the promotion's original fourpay-per-views (PPV), along withWrestleMania,SummerSlam, andSurvivor Series, dubbed the "Big Four".[2] Theconcept of the event is based on theRoyal Rumble match, a modifiedbattle royal in which the participants enter at timed intervals instead of all beginning in the ring at the same time. Announced on January 26, 2017, the 2018 event was the 31st Royal Rumble and was scheduled to be held on January 28, 2018, at theWells Fargo Center inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania, and was the third Royal Rumble held at this venue after the2004 and2015 events. It featured wrestlers from theRaw andSmackDownbrand divisions with someNXT wrestlers and WWE veterans appearing in the Royal Rumble matches. In addition to airing on traditional pay-per-view worldwide, the event was available tolivestream on theWWE Network.[3] Tickets went on sale on July 29.[4]
The Royal Rumble match generally features 30 wrestlers and the winner traditionally earns aworld championship match at that year's WrestleMania.[5][6] It was originally only contested by male wrestlers. However, for 2018, Raw CommissionerStephanie McMahon scheduled the first-ever women's Royal Rumble match to be held at the 2018 Royal Rumble, which consequently made the 2018 event the first to include two Rumble matches, which is now standard. As a result, the winners of each match received a choice of which championship to challenge for atWrestleMania 34. The men could choose to challenge for either Raw'sUniversal Championship or SmackDown'sWWE Championship, while the women had the choice between theRaw Women's Championship and theSmackDown Women's Championship.[7]
The event comprised nine matches, including three on the Kickoff pre-show, that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands,[8][9] while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows,Monday Night Raw,SmackDown Live,[10] and thecruiserweight-exclusive205 Live.[11]
On the October 16, 2017, episode ofRaw,Kane returned from a ten-month hiatus and helpedBraun Strowman to defeatRoman Reigns in aSteel Cage match. Kane was then added to Strowman's team atTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in the5-on-3 handicapTables, Ladders, and Chairs match.[12] During the match, Kane accidentally hit Strowman with a chair, which caused tension between the two. Later on in the match, Kane turned on Strowman and crushed him in the back of a garbage truck; their team ultimately lost.[13] The two then feuded over the next several weeks, leading to a match on the December 11 episode to determine the number one contender againstBrock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble, but the match ended in a double countout.[14] Raw General ManagerKurt Angle then decided that Lesnar would defend the title against both Kane and Strowman in atriple threat match at the event.[15] On the January 8 episode, Kane attacked Lesnar from behind, followed by an attack from Strowman. After laying Kane and Lesnar out backstage, Strowman knocked over a lighting rig and crushed both. Lesnar was taken to a medical facility while Kane refused medical attention.[16] Due to his actions, Strowman was removed from the triple threat match and fired by Angle. Strowman went on a rampage backstage, including destroying Angle's office and flipping over a tractor. Before he could do any more damage, Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon rehired Strowman, putting him back into the Universal Championship match at the Royal Rumble.[17]
AfterSurvivor Series, several women from NXT were promoted to the main rosters of both Raw and SmackDown. On the November 20, 2017, episode ofRaw,Paige, who had been out with an injury since June 2016, returned along with the debuts of NXT'sMandy Rose andSonya Deville, forming the heel groupAbsolution,[18] while similarly on the November 21 episode ofSmackDown, NXT'sRuby Riott,Liv Morgan, andSarah Logan debuted and formed the heel groupThe Riott Squad.[19] On the December 18, 2017, episode ofRaw, with a larger roster of women on the main rosters, Raw CommissionerStephanie McMahon scheduled the first-ever women's Royal Rumble match for the 2018 Royal Rumble, with the winner receiving a match at WrestleMania 34 for the top championship of their choice: Raw's Women's Championship or SmackDown's Women's Championship.[15] Both brands' respective commissioners and general managers agreed that the women's match would have all of the same rules as the men's match, including having 30 participants.[20] Stephanie was announced to join the commentary team for the women's match,[21] and television hostMaria Menounos was announced to be the special guest ring announcer.[22][23]
AtClash of Champions, SmackDown's CommissionerShane McMahon and General ManagerDaniel Bryan both refereed a tag team match pittingKevin Owens and Sami Zayn againstRandy Orton andShinsuke Nakamura, where Owens and Zayn would have been fired from WWE had they lost. During the match, there was controversy between Shane and Bryan, which resulted in Bryan giving a fast count forOwens andZayn to win.[24] Tensions between Shane and Bryan continued over the next couple of weeks, culminating on the finalSmackDown of 2017, when Bryan scheduled Owens to face WWE ChampionAJ Styles in a non-title match in the main event, much to the disapproval of Shane, who felt that Owens should not be in the main event, or facing the WWE Champion. That match ended when Zayn interfered, allowing Owens to win.[25] The next week, Zayn would also defeat Styles in a non-title match after interference from Owens. Enraged at back-to-back losses, Styles stated they might as well schedule him in ahandicap match against Owens and Zayn, which Bryan took literally and scheduled for the Royal Rumble where Styles would also defend the WWE Championship against both men.[26] On the January 9 episode ofSmackDown, Styles said that although it was unfair, he was confident that he would win; Owens and Zayn interrupted and claimed that they would become the first-ever co-WWE Champions.[27] On the finalSmackDown before the Royal Rumble, Styles faced Owens and Zayn in back-to-back matches where Shane threatened that if one were to interfere in the other's match, that person would be fired. Styles managed to defeat Owens in the first match by submission, however, he would lose to Zayn in the second match.[28]
On the December 18, 2017, episode ofRaw,Seth Rollins' tag team partnerDean Ambrose was injured bySamoa Joe.[15] The following week, despite both wanting to take on Joe to avenge Ambrose, Raw General Manager Kurt Angle instead had his (storyline) son,Jason Jordan, and Rollins team up to faceCesaro and Sheamus for theRaw Tag Team Championship; Jordan and Rollins defeatedCesaro andSheamus to win the championship.[29] After the former champions confronted Angle about their contractual rematch, Angle scheduled it for the Royal Rumble.[16] On the January 15 episode, Jordan caused a distraction, allowing Titus Worldwide (Apollo Crews andTitus O'Neil) to again defeat Cesaro and Sheamus in a rematch from the previous week, which Rollins disapproved of as he did not like Jordan acting on his own. Cesaro and Sheamus would try and return the favor during Rollins' match againstFinn Bálor, but it backfired, resulting in Rollins winning, and Cesaro and Sheamus brawling with Bálor Club members,Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, at ringside.[17] OnRaw 25 the next week, Jordan and Rollins were the guests onChristian'sThe Peep Show, which Cesaro and Sheamus interrupted and the two teams brawled where Rollins accidentally hit Jordan with a knee attack that was intended for Cesaro.[30]
At Clash of Champions,The Usos (Jey Uso andJimmy Uso) retained theSmackDown Tag Team Championship in afatal four-way match againstRusev andAiden English,The New Day'sBig E andXavier Woods, andChad Gable andShelton Benjamin.[24] On the following episode ofSmackDown, Gable and Benjamin defeated The Usos in a non-title match,[31] and they were awarded with a championship match on the firstSmackDown of 2018, where they defeated The Usos to initially win the titles after pinning Jimmy Uso; however, Jimmy was not the legal man, and thus the match was restarted and The Usos retained their championship.[26] The following week, Gable and Benjamin confronted SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan over the incident. After questioning if they should have to defeat The Usos twice in the same night, Bryan decided that at the Royal Rumble, The Usos would defend the SmackDown Tag Team Championship against Gable and Benjamin in atwo out of three falls match.[27]
On January 26, three matches were announced for the Royal Rumble Kickoff pre-show. For SmackDown, it was announced thatUnited States ChampionBobby Roode would have an open challenge for the title. Two tag team matches were scheduled for Raw: a rematch betweenLuke Gallows andKarl Anderson andThe Revival (Dash Wilder andScott Dawson) fromRaw 25, and a six-man tag team match for the cruiserweight division withKalisto,Gran Metalik, andLince Dorado againstDrew Gulak,TJP, andGentleman Jack Gallagher.[22]
Two other matches had been promoted for the event, but were later removed.
The first wasthe tournament final for SmackDown's then-vacant United States Championship. Originally scheduled for the PPV, the finals were instead contested on the January 16 episode ofSmackDown, where Bobby Roode defeatedJinder Mahal to win the title.[32]
The second was a championship match for the Raw brand whereWWE Cruiserweight ChampionEnzo Amore was scheduled to defend the title againstCedric Alexander.[17] However, after Amore was suspended from WWE on January 22 due to allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault, the match was canceled. Amore was released the next day and the title was vacated.[33][34]
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Englishcommentators | Michael Cole(Raw/both Royal Rumble matches) |
| Corey Graves(all matches) | |
| Booker T(Raw) | |
| Tom Phillips(SmackDown) | |
| Byron Saxton (SmackDown/Men's Royal Rumble match/Six-man tag team match) | |
| Vic Joseph(Six-man tag team match) | |
| Jerry Lawler(Men's Royal Rumble match) | |
| Stephanie McMahon(Women's Royal Rumble match) | |
| Spanish commentators | Carlos Cabrera |
| Marcelo Rodríguez | |
| German commentators | Carsten Schaefer |
| Tim Haber | |
| Calvin Knie | |
| Ring announcers | Greg Hamilton(SmackDown/Men's Royal Rumble match) |
| JoJo(Raw) | |
| Maria Menounos(Women's Royal Rumble match) | |
| Referees | Jason Ayers |
| Shawn Bennett | |
| Mike Chioda | |
| John Cone | |
| Dan Engler | |
| Chad Patton | |
| Charles Robinson | |
| Rod Zapata | |
| Interviewer | Renee Young |
| Pre-show panel | Renee Young |
| Peter Rosenberg | |
| David Otunga | |
| Jerry Lawler | |
| John "Bradshaw" Layfield | |
| Alundra Blayze | |
| Ric Flair |
Three matches were contested during the Royal Rumble Kickoff pre-show. In the first match - featuring the cruiserweight division - Kalisto, Gran Metalik, and Lince Dorado faced TJP, Gentleman Jack Gallagher, and Drew Gulak in a six-man tag team match. Kalisto performed a"Salida Del Sol" on TJP to score the win.[35]
Next, also from Raw, The Revival (Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson) faced Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. Dawson performed achop block on Anderson to score the win.[35]
Finally, SmackDown's United States Champion Bobby Roode issued an open challenge, which was answered by fellow SmackDown wrestlerMojo Rawley. Roode performed a"Glorious DDT" on Rawley to score the pinfall and retain the title.[35]
The actual pay-per-view opened with AJ Styles defending the WWE Championship against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a handicap match. In the end, Styles threw Zayn out of the ring and immediately Owens performed asuperkick on Styles. Owens - who was not the legal man - attempted a pop up powerbomb on Styles, who countered into aroll up to retain the title. In a backstage segment, Owens and Zayn confronted SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon about the incident; however, after questioning if he saw what had happened, Shane smiled, replied "Yep", and walked off.[36]
Next, The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) defended the SmackDown Tag Team Championship against Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin in a two out of three falls match. Jimmy and Jey performed adouble superkick on Gable, who was kneeling, to score the first fall. Jey then pinned Benjamin with asmall package to score the second fall to retain the titles.[36]
After that, the 30-man Royal Rumble match for a world championship match at WrestleMania 34 was contested. Rusev and Finn Bálor began the match as the first and second entrants, respectively.Baron Corbin (#4) eliminatedRhyno (#3), but was eliminated by Bálor. Corbin attacked Bálor, Rusev, andHeath Slater (#5), who just made his entrance.NXT ChampionAndrade "Cien" Almas was a surprise entrant at #7.Tye Dillinger was scheduled to be #10, but was attacked backstage by Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, resulting in Zayn taking Dillinger's spot. Afterwards, Sheamus (#11) tossed Slater back in the ring, where Slater eliminated Sheamus in two seconds, but was eliminated byBray Wyatt (#8) afterwards. Shinsuke Nakamura entered at #14 and eliminated Zayn. Jinder Mahal (#18) eliminated New Day members Big E (#9) and Xavier Woods (#12), but as he tried to eliminateKofi Kingston, Kingston landed on Woods, and placed his foot on a plate of pancakes. When Mahal prevented Kingston from re-entering the ring, Big E and Woods sent Kingston back in the ring, after which, Kingston performed Trouble in Paradise on Mahal before eliminating him. Afterwards, Almas performed a Hammerlock DDT on Kingston before eliminating him. Afterwards,Matt Hardy (#19) teamed with Wyatt, and after they fought each other, they simultaneously eliminated each other.John Cena entered at #20 and eliminatedElias (#6) andThe Hurricane (a surprise entrant at #21). NXT'sAdam Cole, another surprise entrant, entered at #23. Randy Orton (#24) performed an"RKO" on Almas and eliminated him after a near 30-minute run.Rey Mysterio, another surprise entrant, entered at #27 and eliminated Cole. Roman Reigns entered at #28 and eliminated Titus O'Neil (#25). Reigns and Seth Rollins (#18) teamed up and performed apowerbomb onThe Miz (#26) over the top rope to eliminate him, after which, Reigns immediately eliminated Rollins.Dolph Ziggler, making his return after vacating the United States Championship, entered at #30 and eliminatedGoldust (#29), but was eliminated by Bálor. Reigns performed asuperman punch on Orton and eliminated Orton. Mysterio performed a"619" on Cena and Reigns, but was eliminated by Bálor. Bálor, Nakamura, Cena, and Reigns were the final four. Cena eliminated Bálor (who lasted nearly an hour) and immediately afterwards fought with Nakamura, who performed a"Kinshasa" on Cena to eliminate him. Nakamura attacked Reigns and attempted a "Kinshasa", however, Reigns countered into aspear. As Reigns attempted to eliminate Nakamura, Nakamura countered, performed a "Kinshasa" on Reigns and then eliminated Reigns to win the match. Afterward,Renee Young interviewed Nakamura and asked which world championship he wanted to challenge for at WrestleMania 34. He called out WWE Champion AJ Styles, thus choosing the WWE Championship and staying on SmackDown.[36]
Next, Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan defended the Raw Tag Team Championship against Cesaro and Sheamus. During the match, Jordan sustained a head injury (after being thrown into the ring post by Cesaro), rendering him unable to compete. In the end, Sheamus and Cesaro performed a"White Noise"/diving neckbreaker combination on Rollins to win the titles for a record-setting fourth time as a team, and a record-setting fifth time for Cesaro individually.[36]
In the fifth match, Brock Lesnar (accompanied byPaul Heyman) defended the Universal Championship against Braun Strowman and Kane in a triple threat match. Lesnar drove Kane into a corner, but Strowman caught Lesnar and drove him into the opposite corner. Strowman attacked Lesnar with arunning dropkick and performed a clothesline on Kane. As Lesnar attempted an"F-5" on Strowman, Kane performed achokeslam on Lesnar. Before he could cover him, Strowman attacked Kane, drove him back into his corner, and performed 2 headbutts on him. As Kane attempted a chokeslam on Strowman, Lesnar struck Kane with a chair, only for Strowman to punch the chair out of Lesnar's hand, perform a clothesline on him, and throw him and Kane outside the ring. At ringside, Strowman drove Lesnar into the barricade and struck Kane with the steel steps. Strowman retrieved two tables under the ring and brought Kane back in the ring. Strowman positioned both tables at two opposite corners, with one standing up and the other next to the turnbuckles. As Kane attempted a chokeslam on Strowman, the latter countered into his own chokeslam on Kane. However, Lesnar broke up the pinfall at a two count and performed threeGerman suplexes on Strowman. Strowman performed arunning powerslam on Lesnar through the standing table, only for Kane to break up the pinfall at a two count. As Strowman attempted another powerslam on Kane through the other table, the latter then drove Strowman through it instead, and performed a chokeslam on him, with Lesnar breaking up the pinfall at a two count. Lesnar performed an "F-5" on Kane, but before he could cover him, Strowman performed a German suplex on Lesnar, who rolled outside the ring. Once again at ringside, Strowman drove Lesnar into the barricade. Lesnar then performed an "F-5" on Strowman through an announce table and overturned another announce table on top of Strowman (in a reversal of what happened last year atSummerslam, though where Lesnar had to be stretchered out and then returned, Strowman stood back up in defiance). As Kane attempted a chokeslam on Lesnar, the latter countered and then performed another "F-5" on Kane through the third announce table. Strowman recovered and performed a kick to Lesnar, who fell head-first into the steel steps. Back in the ring, Strowman performed two running powerslams on Lesnar, but Kane returned and struck Strowman with a chair, driving him outside the ring. As Kane attempted a Tombstone piledriver on Lesnar, the latter shoved Kane into Strowman (who was about to return to the ring), knocking him off the ring apron. Lesnar performed an "F-5" on Kane onto the chair and pinned him to retain the title. After the match, an enraged Strowman returned to the ring and yelled at Lesnar that he did not beat and pin him.[36]
The main event was the first-ever 30-woman Royal Rumble match for a women's championship match at WrestleMania 34.Sasha Banks andBecky Lynch were the first and second entrants, respectively. Sarah Logan entered at #3, followed by Mandy Rose at #4 andWWE Hall of FamerLita at #5. After Lita eliminated Rose,Kairi Sane entered at #6. Sane managed to take down Lynch and Banks beforeTamina entered at #7. Lita performed a Moonsault on Lynch and Banks, and eliminated Tamina, but was eliminated by Lynch.Dana Brooke (#8) eliminated Sane before being eliminated byTorrie Wilson (#9), who was in turn eliminated by Sonya Deville (#10). Liv Morgan (#11) teamed up with Logan to take down Banks beforeMolly Holly (#12) eliminated Logan. Morgan and Deville double-teamedLana (#13).Michelle McCool (#14) ended up eliminating Deville, Morgan, Holly, and Lana. After Ruby Riott entered at #15,Vickie Guerrero entered at #16, after which, all the women eliminated her from the match. Guerrero then struckCarmella (#17) with theMoney in the Bank briefcase before leaving.Natalya (#18) tried to eliminateKelly Kelly (#19), who performed a headscissors on McCool, who was then eliminated by Natalya. AfterNaomi entered at #20, Riott eliminated Lynch.Jacqueline (#21) and Natalya were unable to eliminate Kelly, after which,Nia Jax (#22) eliminated Jacqueline and Kelly. Jax then eliminated Riott, and sent Naomi out of the ring and into the other women, but Naomi was not eliminated. AfterNXT Women's ChampionEmber Moon entered at #23, Naomi saved herself from elimination by using a commentator chair to make it back to the ring. However, moments later, Naomi was eliminated by Jax.Beth Phoenix entered at #24 and tried to power up Jax, but was unable to. Phoenix and Natalya knocked Jax out of the ring, after which, Natalya turned on Phoenix and eliminated her.Asuka entered at #25 and battled with Moon. Moon was able to perform the Eclipse on Asuka, however, Asuka was able to eliminate Moon.Mickie James entered at #26 followed byNikki Bella at #27. After Carmella mocked John Cena's "You Can't See Me" gesture at Nikki, Nikki eliminated Carmella. Nikki'stag team partner,Brie Bella, entered at #28 followed byBayley at #29. The final entrant,Trish Stratus, performed a double bulldog on The Bella Twins. After taking out Bayley, Stratus and James had a showdown, with Stratus eliminating James. Afterwards, all the other women eliminated Jax from the match before Banks turned on Bayley and eliminated her. Stratus then eliminated Natalya, but after mocking Banks, Banks eliminated her from the match. The final four were Banks, Asuka, Nikki, and Brie. Banks, Nikki, and Brie attacked Asuka, but as Banks went for her double knee press on Asuka, Nikki and Brie eliminated Banks (who lasted the longest at nearly 55 minutes). Asuka attacked Nikki and Brie, but Nikki performed aRack Attack 2.0 on Asuka and then eliminated Brie. Nikki sent Asuka over the top rope, but Asuka held on. Asuka then headscissored Nikki over the top rope and onto the apron. A short time later, Asuka kicked Nikki's legs out to win the match and earn a women's championship match at WrestleMania 34. After the match, Raw Women's ChampionAlexa Bliss and SmackDown Women's ChampionCharlotte Flair entered the ring. Before Asuka could make her decision for which title she wanted to challenge for, they were interrupted by the surprise appearance of formerUFC starRonda Rousey, officially confirming she had signed full-time with WWE. Rousey pointed to the WrestleMania sign and offered a handshake to Asuka, who refused. Rousey then shook hands with Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon as the event ended. The jacket which Rousey wore during this appearance belonged to lifelong idolRoddy Piper, whose son let her borrow it.[36][38]
OnRaw the following night, Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon convinced Asuka to wait until afterElimination Chamber to make her decision, as Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss was scheduled to defend her title in the first-ever women'sElimination Chamber match, and the result may affect Asuka's decision. Asuka was then confronted by Sasha Banks, who spent the longest time in the Royal Rumble match, and Banks challenged Asuka to a match that Asuka won.[39] Banks, along with Bayley, Mandy Rose, Mickie James, and Sonya Deville were announced as the other competitors in the Elimination Chamber match. Nia Jax was also scheduled to face Asuka at Elimination Chamber where if she were to win, she would be added to the Asuka's championship match at WrestleMania.[40] On the February 12 episode ofRaw, it was announced that Ronda Rousey would sign her Raw contract at Elimination Chamber.[41] At SmackDown'sFastlane pay-per-view, Asuka appeared and decided to challenge Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania.[42]
Since Shinsuke Nakamura decided to stay on SmackDown to challenge for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 34, Raw General Manager Kurt Angle scheduled a number one contender's Elimination Chamber match at the namesake event to determine who would face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania. Six qualification matches were scheduled over the next couple of weeks. Braun Strowman and Kane battled in aLast Man Standing match, which Strowman won to qualify. After the match, Kane was taken to a local hospital.[39] Elias, John Cena, Roman Reigns,Intercontinental Champion The Miz, Finn Bálor, and Seth Rollins also qualified, marking the first seven-man Elimination Chamber match.[39][40][41]
New Raw Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Sheamus defended their titles against Titus Worldwide (Apollo Crews and Titus O'Neil), as they had beaten Cesaro and Sheamus two weeks in a row prior to the Royal Rumble; Cesaro and Sheamus retained.[39] The following week, Jason Jordan and Seth Rollins were scheduled to have their contractual rematch, but after Jordan was deemed unable to compete, he was replaced by Roman Reigns. Jordan, however, accidentally caused them to be disqualified.[40]
On the following episode ofSmackDown, Shinsuke Nakamura celebrated his win at the Royal Rumble, and said he would become the new WWE Champion at WrestleMania 34. He was interrupted by Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, who said that they should be the co-WWE Champions, but the referee failed at his job at the Royal Rumble. WWE Champion AJ Styles came out and said that Owens and Zayn could complain all they want, but there would be a dream match at WrestleMania between him and Nakamura. Styles then suggested to have a dream team that night with him and Nakamura facing Owens and Zayn, which SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan made official for later that night in which Styles and Nakamura won. During the match, there were tensions between Owens and Zayn as Bryan had also scheduled them to face each other the following week to determine the number one contender for the WWE Championship at Fastlane.[43][44] The championship match at Fastlane then became afatal five-way match also involving Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler,[45] and finally asix-pack challenge when John Cena qualified by defeating Styles in a non-title match.[46]
In the mid-card, a fatal four-way match between Kofi Kingston of The New Day, Jinder Mahal,Zack Ryder, and Rusev occurred to determine the number one contender against Bobby Roode for the United States Championship, which was won by Rusev,[43] who was unsuccessful in winning the title.[44] Also following the Royal Rumble, SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan revealed the first-ever "SmackDown Top Ten List" as voted on by the SmackDown roster to see who the wrestlers thought should get a title opportunity.[43][44] This played into a storyline between Roode, who ranked fifth, Randy Orton, who ranked ninth, and Jinder Mahal, who did not rank, resulting in SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon scheduling Roode to defend the U.S. Championship against Orton at Fastlane.[47]
In the women's division, SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair praised the first-ever women's Royal Rumble match, but wished that she could have competed in it. She addressed Ronda Rousey's debut and questioned who her WrestleMania 34 opponent would be. The Riott Squad interrupted and Ruby Riott said Flair would not make it to WrestleMania and they attacked Flair. Carmella came out to try and cash-in herMoney in the Bank briefcase on Flair, but was not able to as she accidentally knocked out the referee before the bell could ring.[43] After feuding with The Riott Squad over the next few weeks, Flair was scheduled to defend her title against Riott at Fastlane.[47]
On205 Live,Drake Maverick (formerly known as Rockstar Spud inImpact Wrestling) was appointed as the 205 Live General Manager. Maverick announced that there would be a16-man single elimination tournament to crown a new WWE Cruiserweight Champion, with the finals to occur at WrestleMania 34.[48]
Brand
| Draw | Entrant | Brand/Status | Order | Eliminated by | Time[i] | Eliminations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rusev | SmackDown | 12 | Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy | 30:28 | 0 |
| 2 | Finn Bálor | Raw | 27 | John Cena | 57:38 | 4 |
| 3 | Rhyno | Raw | 1 | Baron Corbin | 02:06 | 0 |
| 4 | Baron Corbin | SmackDown | 2 | Finn Bálor | 01:06 | 1 |
| 5 | Heath Slater | Raw | 4 | Bray Wyatt | 00:33** | 1 |
| 6 | Elias | Raw | 15 | John Cena | 26:00 | 0 |
| 7 | Andrade "Cien" Almas | NXT | 18 | Randy Orton | 29:24 | 1 |
| 8 | Bray Wyatt | Raw | 13 | Matt Hardy | 20:38 | 2 |
| 9 | Big E | SmackDown | 8 | Jinder Mahal | 14:14 | 0 |
| 10 | Sami Zayn* | SmackDown | 5 | Shinsuke Nakamura | 06:57 | 0 |
| 11 | Sheamus | Raw | 3 | Heath Slater | 00:02*** | 0 |
| 12 | Xavier Woods | SmackDown | 7 | Jinder Mahal | 08:24 | 0 |
| 13 | Apollo Crews | Raw | 6 | Cesaro | 05:16 | 0 |
| 14 | Shinsuke Nakamura | SmackDown | — | Winner | 44:38 | 3 |
| 15 | Cesaro | Raw | 9 | Seth Rollins | 05:08 | 1 |
| 16 | Kofi Kingston | SmackDown | 11 | Andrade "Cien" Almas | 05:41 | 1 |
| 17 | Jinder Mahal | SmackDown | 10 | Kofi Kingston | 03:48 | 2 |
| 18 | Seth Rollins | Raw | 22 | Roman Reigns | 19:01 | 2 |
| 19 | Matt Hardy | Raw | 14 | Himself**** | 01:17 | 2 |
| 20 | John Cena | Unbranded | 28 | Shinsuke Nakamura | 29:14 | 3 |
| 21 | The Hurricane | Unbranded | 16 | John Cena | 00:45 | 0 |
| 22 | Aiden English | SmackDown | 17 | Finn Bálor | 02:16 | 0 |
| 23 | Adam Cole | NXT | 19 | Rey Mysterio | 06:52 | 0 |
| 24 | Randy Orton | SmackDown | 25 | Roman Reigns | 13:55 | 1 |
| 25 | Titus O'Neil | Raw | 20 | Roman Reigns | 06:07 | 0 |
| 26 | The Miz | Raw | 21 | Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins | 05:20 | 0 |
| 27 | Rey Mysterio | Unbranded | 26 | Finn Bálor | 09:40 | 1 |
| 28 | Roman Reigns | Raw | 29 | Shinsuke Nakamura | 21:52 | 4 |
| 29 | Goldust | Raw | 23 | Dolph Ziggler | 02:43 | 0 |
| 30 | Dolph Ziggler | SmackDown | 24 | Finn Bálor | 02:01 | 1 |
(*) -Tye Dillinger was announced as the #10 entrant, but he was destroyed backstage byKevin Owens andSami Zayn, resulting in Zayn taking his spot.
(**) -Heath Slater spent significant time outside of the ring before officially entering the Rumble, due to being attacked on the ramp by Baron Corbin, Elias, Andrade, Bray Wyatt, Big E, Sami Zayn, and Sheamus.
(***) - WWE.com's official website lists Sheamus' time to be 20 seconds,[58] but they have otherwise stated 2 seconds.[59][60][61]
(****) - Matt Hardy eliminated himself at the same time he eliminated Bray Wyatt.
Brand
| Draw | Entrant | Brand/ Status | Order | Eliminated by | Time[ii] | Eliminations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sasha Banks | Raw | 27 | Brie Bella & Nikki Bella | 54:46 | 3 |
| 2 | Becky Lynch | SmackDown | 14 | Ruby Riott | 30:54 | 2 |
| 3 | Sarah Logan | SmackDown | 7 | Molly Holly | 16:30 | 0 |
| 4 | Mandy Rose | Raw | 1 | Lita | 03:52 | 0 |
| 5 | Lita | HOF | 3 | Becky Lynch | 05:51 | 2 |
| 6 | Kairi Sane* | NXT | 4 | Dana Brooke | 04:49 | 0 |
| 7 | Tamina | SmackDown | 2 | Lita | 01:34 | 0 |
| 8 | Dana Brooke | Raw | 5 | Torrie Wilson | 02:59 | 1 |
| 9 | Torrie Wilson | Unbranded | 6 | Sonya Deville | 03:04 | 1 |
| 10 | Sonya Deville | Raw | 8 | Michelle McCool | 06:41 | 1 |
| 11 | Liv Morgan | SmackDown | 9 | Michelle McCool | 05:12 | 0 |
| 12 | Molly Holly | Unbranded | 10 | Michelle McCool | 04:04 | 1 |
| 13 | Lana | SmackDown | 11 | Michelle McCool | 02:54 | 0 |
| 14 | Michelle McCool | Unbranded | 13 | Natalya | 08:38 | 5 |
| 15 | Ruby Riott | SmackDown | 17 | Nia Jax | 11:32 | 4 |
| 16 | Vickie Guerrero | Unbranded | 12 | Becky Lynch, Michelle McCool, Ruby Riott, & Sasha Banks | 00:57 | 0 |
| 17 | Carmella | SmackDown | 21 | Nikki Bella | 18:45 | 0 |
| 18 | Natalya | SmackDown | 25 | Trish Stratus | 25:34 | 3 |
| 19 | Kelly Kelly | Unbranded | 16 | Nia Jax | 05:02 | 0 |
| 20 | Naomi | SmackDown | 18 | Nia Jax | 06:49 | 0 |
| 21 | Jacqueline | HOF | 15 | Nia Jax | 01:52 | 0 |
| 22 | Nia Jax | Raw | 23 | Asuka, Bayley, Brie Bella, Natalya, Nikki Bella, & Trish Stratus | 17:56 | 4 |
| 23 | Ember Moon | NXT | 20 | Asuka | 06:14 | 0 |
| 24 | Beth Phoenix | HOF | 19 | Natalya | 02:22 | 0 |
| 25 | Asuka | Raw | — | Winner | 19:41 | 3 |
| 26 | Mickie James | Raw | 22 | Trish Stratus | 08:24 | 0 |
| 27 | Nikki Bella | Unbranded | 29 | Asuka | 16:30 | 4 |
| 28 | Brie Bella | Unbranded | 28 | Nikki Bella | 11:58 | 2 |
| 29 | Bayley | Raw | 24 | Sasha Banks | 05:04 | 1 |
| 30 | Trish Stratus | HOF | 26 | Sasha Banks | 05:36 | 3 |
(*) -Kairi Sane was a last minute replacement forAlicia Fox, who was originally scheduled to participate in the match, but got injured just prior to the event.[63]