It was a strange old night at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on Sunday. The 2017 edition of WWE’s Royal Rumble came to town, and while we got some truly amazing moments, there was also an overwhelming sense of “what could have been” at the end of the night.
In the main event, it was Randy Orton who emerged the winner of the 30-man Royal Rumble match, which also featured the likes of Brock Lesnar, Goldberg and the Undertaker. The Apex Predator eliminated Roman Reigns to be the last man standing, the second time he’s won the Rumble (with the last one coming back in 2009). Orton will headline Wrestlemania for the first time since 2014, and it will be very interesting to see who he faces.
Orton’s old rival John Cena made history on the night, beating AJ Style to become a World Champion for the 16th time, equalling Ric Flair’s record. Big-match John came up with the goods when it mattered most against an incredibly resilient Styles, who came out of this match looking as strong as ever before.
Kevin Owens beat Roman Reigns to retain his WWE Universal Title in a No Disqualification Match. Reigns looked set for a victory, but interference from Braun Strowman saw the former Shield member take a Chokeslam to the announce table and a powerslam through a wooden table.
Charlotte successfully defended her Raw Women’s Title against Bayley, to take her record on pay-per-views to 16-0. We have new Raw Tag Team Champions, after “The Club”- Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, beat Sheamus and Cesaro on the pre-show.
The event had an audience of 52,020.
Here, we take a look at the future direction of the company following this event, and the possible match-ups for Wrestlemania:
Who will Orton face?
It is almost surely going to be a disaster of a main event if the WWE decide to go with another edition of Orton vs Cena. The duo have faced each other a few times too many already on pay-per-view in the last decade. Fans will not want this match for the biggest prize on Smackdown, and are almost sure to boo it to the ground.
Orton, of course, is currently part of the Wyatt Family. But the tension in the camp has been building, and Luke Harper has all but officially jumped ship. Ever since Orton joined the family, there is a sense that a fallout is in the offing. There are good odds offered online for Wyatt winning the WWE Championship at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view in two weeks. Orton will then turn on The Eater of Worlds, and challenge for the belt at the show of shows in April.
A variety of options for Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns was screwed out of the Universal Title match by Strowman, which clearly showed that he was a babyface. Later on in the night though, after entering the Rumble at Number 30, he eliminated The Undertaker. The crowd absolutely booed the house down, and quietened only when Orton threw Reigns over the top rope. Eliminating the Deadman was something that should been reserved for a heel. Instead, it was the WWE’s poster-child who got all the heat. It didn’t make much sense.
On Monday Night Raw, Reigns interrupted the Universal Title match between Strowman and Kevin Owens, and left both men lying on the floor. It does look like he will get a title shot at some point between now and Wrestlemania.
It is also very likely that he will face either of Strowman or The Undertaker in Orlando. It will be very interesting to see which direction the WWE takes though, because the booking will have to be vastly different in both cases. If they want to continue with pushing him as Superman, it will probably be in a herculean victory against Strowman.
The absolute certainty
The only match that looks like a 100% certainty at the moment is Brock Lesnar vs Goldberg. The Beast Incarnate was left embarrassed once again by the latter at the Royal Rumble. He lasted only 20 seconds after the former WCW Champion made his entry at number 28. Lesnar looked ready to take the fight to Goldberg, but one Spear later, he was gone.
Paul Heyman and his client made their way out to the ring on the Monday Night Raw the following night to challenge Goldberg for one final match at Wrestlemania. Mr. Bill will be in the house next week to answer this challenge, which will surely culminate in a monumental collision at ‘Mania.
Goldberg is set to main event the Raw-exclusive Fastlane pay-per-view in March, but it remains to be seen who against. Is there a chance he gets a title shot, only to be screwed out of it by Lesnar?
What about these guys?
Seth Rollins vs Triple H looked to be pencilled in for Wrestlemania, when The Architect showed up at NXT Takeover: San Antonio to call out The Game. In return, he was banned from the Alamodome on Sunday. On Monday Night Raw, the confrontation looked like it was finally going to happen, before Samoa Joe attacked Rollins out of nowhere. Many expected Joe to be in the Rumble match last night, but the former NXT Champion didn’t show. This development has left the Rollins-HHH match in question. An encounter with Joe will surely be the better wrestling match, but the issue with Triple H is personal, and fans will surely want to see Rollins go up against his former mentor.
However, just as the drama between Triple H, Seth Rollins and the debuting Samoa Joe heated up over Royal Rumble weekend, Seth Rollins suffered an injury on Raw this week and his WrestleMania status is unknown at this time. Rollins is currently being evaluated by doctors in Birmingham, Alabama, and WWE officials are hurrying to come up with a backup plan for WrestleMania if Rollins in unable to compete at the big event.
Another top star without a sure-shot opponent for ‘Mania is AJ Styles. The Smackdown superstar is arguably the best wrestler in the company at the moment, and it will be a pity to see him not utilized to the fullest. There were rumors of a possible encounter with Shane McMahon, but honestly, Styles could do much much better. What about a clash against current NXT superstar Shinsuke Nakamura? The two have had absolutely stellar battles in the past in other parts of the world, and seeing them clash off in a WWE ring at Wrestlemania will be every pure wrestling fan’s wet dream. Also, it would steal the show at the biggest event of the year. Suits everyone just fine, right?
Last but not the least, we come to The Undertaker. There were talks of a historic clash with John Cena, but those plans have reportedly been cancelled. There is no clear indication of a rivalry in the offing at the moment, but the death-stare that Taker gave Reigns after being eliminated from the Rumble could mean something. We’ll just have to wait and watch, although with Undertaker still struggling with his hip issue, it may not be the great sendoff we’ve been hoping for.
The Raw Women’s title could be defended in a Fatal Four Way between Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Bayley and Nia Jax, while Naomi has emerged as the most likely contender for the Smackdown Women’s title against Alexa Bliss.
Will Conor McGregor make an appearance?
UFC superstar Conor McGregor is one of the most outspoken and controversial figures in the world of combat sports. The Irishman will be a huge draw is he makes an appearance at Wrestlemania, and reports suggest that the WWE have been in talks with him for the same. He was quoted by MMA Junkie as saying:
Never say never. I know there have been conversations. I know (WWE Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative) Triple H was at (my last fight, at UFC 205). I’d love to go into that WWE and have a real knock. Let them have a real knock, and we’ll see what’s what. We’ll see. The conversations are ongoing.
McGregor made history at UFC 205 when he beat Eddie Alvarez to add the UFC Lightweight Championship to his UFC Featherweight Championship. He became the first man in the history of the UFC to be the top man in two weight categories.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
