Ronda Rousey didn't win the 2018 WWE Royal Rumble, but she was there at the end of the night.
Sunday was a huge night for the women, who were slotted into the main event with the first women's Royal Rumble match. The undefeated Asuka outlasted 29 other women and eliminated Nikki Bella to win. Rumors were swirling heading into the show that Rousey would make her WWE debut during the match and score the win.
MORE: Royal Rumble 2018 breakdown and predictions
Instead, she surprised everyone by coming out after the match as Asuka was standing in the ring between "RAW" champion Alexa Bliss and "SmackDown" champion Charlotte Flair and about to choose who she would challenge at WrestleMania 34. After a brief staredown with the other women, Rousey pointed at the WrestleMania sign hanging overhead, symbolizing that she had plans for the big event. So it looks to be Asuka and Rousey challenging for the respective women's titles at the April 8 event, although we don't yet know who will face whom. Maybe it will be Rousey against Asuka at WWE's biggest show of the year.
Elsewhere in the show, Shinsuke Nakamura won an excellent men's Royal Rumble match and then stated he will face AJ Styles at WrestleMania for the WWE Championship; Brock Lesnar survived his Triple Threat match against Braun Strowman and Kane to retain the WWE Universal Champion; and Sheamus and Cesaro became three-time "RAW" tag team champions.
Sporting News had all the 2018 Royal Rumble coverage you needed with a live blog, which you can review below.
WWE Royal Rumble 2018 live updates
11:13 p.m.: Rousey gets in the ring and stares at Charlotte. She extends her hand to Asuka, who slaps it away. Then she points at the WrestleMania sign so she's getting a title match. The question is against who? She jumps out of the ring and the show ends.
11:11p.m.: Afterward, Asuka is standing in the ring between Charlotte and Alexa Bliss as she gets ready to choose who she will face at WrestleMania. Then music hits and it's Ronda Rousey. So much for her being in Columbia. It was a ruse!
Asuka wins the first Women's Royal Rumble match
11:09 p.m. FINISH: Nikki gets Asuka to the apron but Asuka counters by putting her leg around Nikki's neck and pulling her over the top rope to the apron. Nikki hits Asuka with a right arm but Asuka comes back with a kick to the ankle and Nikki falls off the apron the floor. Asuka is the winner! A solid match, and the crowd was into it from start to finish.
11:07 p.m.: Asuka is now taking turns kicking each of the Bella Twins. She tries to toss Brie out of the ring but Brie holds on and Nikki drops Asuka in the middle of the ring. But then Nikki eliminates her own sister! Down to Asuka and Nikki Bella.
11:05 p.m.: Sasha was ready to deliver double knees to Asuka in the corner but the Bellas catch her and eliminate her from the match.
11:02 p.m.: Sasha and Trish are squared off and Banks gets the best as she drops Trish over the top and she falls to the floor. We're down to the Bellas, Asuka, and Banks as the final four.
11 p.m.: All the women gang up on Nia Jax and she's gone. And it's every one for themselves as Sasha tosses her BFF Bayley over the top rope to the floor!
10:58 p.m.: Rivalry renewed as Mickey and Trish square off like the good ol' days. Doesn't last too long as Trish knocks Mickie off the top rope to the floor.
10:56 p.m.: It's not Ronda Rousey as Hall of Famer Trish Stratus comes out at No. 30.
10:55 p.m.: Bayley is No. 29, so one left; could it be Ronda Rousey?
10:53 p.m.: No. 28 is Brie Bella. Lots of people in the ring but no longer Carmella, who is eliminated.
10:52 p.m.: No. 26 is Mickie James and No. 27 is the returning Nikki Bella.
10:49 p.m.: A bunch of women who were outside the ring finally got back in with no Nia Jax. And at No. 25 is Asuka, the favorite to win the match. She makes a quick impact, knocking out Ember Moon.
10:44 p.m.: No. 23 is NXT champion Ember Moon, who is still selling an arm injury from her match the night before. She doesn't last long as Nia eliminates her. Beth Phoenix is No. 24 and The Glamizon is going one-on-one with Nia before Natalya finally get back in the ring. They knock Nia to the floor but through the ropes, so she's still in the match. Nattie and Beth are best friends and hug but Natalya slaps her because this is the Royal Rumble!
10:42 p.m.: The returns continue as Jacqueline comes in at No. 21, and then No. 22 is Nia Jax. And she's wreaking havoc, eliminating Kelly Kelly, Jacqueline, and Ruby Riott. Naomi gets knocked off the apron but lands on other women and is now propped up on the barricade so she's still in the match because her feet have not touched the floor.
Naomi finally makes her way to the ring in quite a creative way.
Unfortunately for her, once in the ring Nia makes quick work of her and she's gone.
10:40 p.m.: No. 20 goes to Naomi; time to feel the glow.
Ruby Riott sneaks up behind Lynch and knocks her over the top rope to the floor.
10:38 p.m.: Kelly Kelly is No. 19, so a lot of returns so far. McCool's night is over as she is eliminated by Natalya.
10:34 p.m.: Carmella is at No. 17 but Vickie grabbed the MITB briefcase from her and cracked her in the back. At No. 18 it's Natalya.
10:31 p.m.: Ruby Riott is in at No. 15 and at No. 16 is Vickie Guerrero. Yeah, I said Vickie Guerrero. Of course she's screaming "Excuse me!" on the microphone as she comes to the ring.
MY NIGHT HAS BEEN MADE. https://t.co/bzRIT41XLm — Wil Spillane 👀 (@2xUEss) January 29, 2018
That didn't last long as the other women grab her and send her packing to the floor.
10:28 p.m.: Lana is No. 13 and she prances to the ring. At No. 14 it's Michelle McCool. And she eliminates Sonya Deville, Liv Morgan, Molly Holly, and Lana! Only three women in the ring now.
10:26 p.m.: Liv Morgan is No. 11, and No. 12 is Molly Holly. And she's on fire and eliminates Sarah Logan.
10:24 p.m.: Sonya Deville is No. 10 as we have five women in the ring right now (Logan, Banks, Wilson, Lynch, and Deville). I spoke too quickly: Deville knocks out Wilson.
10:21 p.m.: No. 8 is Dana Brooks and she dispatches Kairi Sane. Then at No. 9 is Torrie Wilson, who looks fantastic. She eliminates Dana.
10:20 p.m.: Lita hands out a Twist of Fate to both Sasha and Becky and hits both with a moonsault. A moment later, Lynch tosses Lita over the top to the floor and she's gone.
10:18 p.m.: No. 6 is NXT star Kairi Sane and then at No. 7 is Tamina.
10:17 p.m.: Mandy Rose finds herself on the apron — a bad spot — and Lita eliminates her.
10:15 p.m.: Surprise! WWE Hall of Fame Lita is No. 5.
10:14 p.m.: No. 4 is Mandy Rose and the ring is slowly but surely filling up.
10:11 p.m.: And now it's Sarah Logan at No. 3.
10:10 p.m.: The No. 2 entrant is Becky Lynch, so a couple of big names to begin things.
10:09 p.m.: And the No. 1 entrant is ... Sasha Banks.
10:07 p.m.: WWE is playing this one up big with Stephanie McMahon joining in on commentary with both "RAW" Women's Champion Alexa Bliss and "SmackDown" Champion Charlotte Flair sitting ringside.
10:03 p.m.: Time for the first women's Royal Rumble match. Best of luck to the women going on last.
9:59 p.m.: Considering the reaction they continue to get together, you have to wonder why WWE doesn't do a Lesnar vs. Strowman match as the main event of WrestleMania. It just showed the trailer for the upcoming HBO "Andre the Giant" documentary, which looks awesome.
Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar defeats Braun Strowman, Kane
9:55 p.m. FINISH: Kane gets involved with a chair and Strowman is knocked out of the ring. He jumps back up on the apron but Lesnar pushes Kane into him as he goes flying backward. Lesnar scoops up Kane and delivers an F5 onto a chair for the win. Short and violent, exactly what it needed to be. In the ring, Strowman is screaming at Lesnar, who holds up his Universal Championship with a smile on his face.
9:53 p.m: Outside the ring, Strowman clears an announcer's table but Lesnar picks him and connects with an F5 that puts Strowman through the table. Then Lesnar tips over another table onto him! Lesnar then F5's Kane through the last ringside table. And Strowman is back up! Back in the ring and Strowman is manhandling Lesnar with power slams.
9:48 p.m.: Lesnar takes Strowman to Suplex City but Strowman simply picks up Lesnar and slams him through a table in the ring. Then Kane pushes Strowman through a table in the corner.
9:45 p.m.: BRAUN STROWMAN BROKE OUT A DROP KICK ON BROCK LESNAR! WHAT THE WHAT?!?! Strowman nailed Lesnar in the ear with a knee and Lesnar retaliated with a straight right hand to the side of his face. Oh, my.
9:41 p.m.: Time for the big boys. With it being a Triple Threat match, that means it's a no-DQ and no count-out match.
9:37 p.m.: Coming up next is the Universal Championship match, so that means the women are indeed going on last.
Tag Team: Sheamus, Cesaro defeat Seth Rollins, Jason Jordan
9:34 p.m. FINISH: After taking some double-team moves, Rollins finally gets to the corner and tags in a groggy Jordan. He gets in the ring but immediately tags out with Rollins yelling at him to get back in. Jordan just walks to the floor holding his head. Sheamus and Cesaro take advantage and defeat Rollins to win back the titles. The crowd was dead for the entire match despite everyone involved working hard and the story they told. That's really too bad and not fair.
9:30 p.m.: Rollins is doing his best as he knocks both Sheamus and Cesaro to the floor. Now it's Rollins and Cesaro in the ring and Seth connects with a Slingblade and Blockbuster off the top rope. He follows with a suplex and a Falcon Arrow, but Cesaro kicks out.
9:27 p.m.: This crowd is officially dead following the Rumble. Brutal. These guys are working hard with Rollins on his own against the former champs with Jordan lying outside on the floor.
9:24 p.m.: Jordan gets yanked off the apron and shoved face first into the post, so he's down and out.
9:20 p.m.: Tough spot following that great match, and the crowd is pretty dead early on. Jordan hasn't been wrestling lately because of a back injury, so who knows how much he'll be working in this one?
9:15 p.m.: Backstage, Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon are getting along as they celebrate their "SmackDown" guy winning the Rumble. Then comes a wacky KFC commercial with a Rumble match and the winner becoming the next Colonel . . . and it's Ric Flair?!
9:10 p.m.: Renee Young asks Nakamura who he will face at WrestleMania. He pauses and then says "A . . . J . . . Styles!!!!!" It is going to happen! An incredible Royal Rumble match and one of the better ones in a long time, right up there with the best.
Men's Royal Rumble: Shinsuke Nakamura wins, earns WrestleMania title match
9:08 p.m. FINISH: Reigns with a Superman Punch and now Nakamura is on the apron. He slaps on a triangle choke but is perilously close to being eliminated before getting on Reigns' shoulders, only to be power slammed in the middle of the ring. Nakamura goes for Kinshasa but Reigns nails him with a speak and they're both down. Reigns picks him up and is trying to throw him over the top but Nakamura drops down to the ring, comes off the ropes and connects with a huge Kinshasa. Reigns is in a daze and Nakamura throws him over the top rope to the floor to win the Royal Rumble!
9:03 p.m.: Cena on the apron and he blocks a Nakamura kick, but Shinsuke hits a big kick to the face and Cena is out! And then there were two: Reigns and Nakamura.
9:01 p.m.: Cena with shoulder blocks on Reigns and it's time for the Five Knuckle Shuffle and the crowd is dead. Reigns comes back with a Superman Punch and the crowd delivers a smattering of boos. This crowd is miffed.
8:59 p.m.: Balor is on a roll hitting everyone before Nakamura stops him in his tracks. He goes for his finisher but Balor comes with a Coup de Grace out of nowhere. Then Cena chucks Balor over the top to the floor and we're down to three!
8:57 p.m.: Former New Japan talents Nakamura and Balor with a nice exchange before Reigns interjects to another round of boos. Time for him and Cena again and the crowd is again telling them they both suck.
8:56 p.m.: Cena and Reigns face off and the Philly crowd chants, "You both suck!"
8:55 p.m.: Final four — Balor, Cena, Reigns and Nakamura.
8:53 p.m.: Down to the final six of Nakamura, Cena, Reigns, Mysterio, Orton and Balor. That's a pretty interesting mix. So long, Orton, who gets elimiated by Reigns. Double 619 by Mysterio on Cena and Reigns. But then Balor takes out Mysterio!
8:51 p.m.: Ziggler with a superkick on Cena and then another for Orton. Goldust gets knocked onto the apron and Ziggler eliminates him with a superkick. Ziggler and Nakamura get into it but then Balor hits Ziggler, who topples over the top rope and to the floor and is out of the match.
8:49 p.m.: Down to the end with Goldust at No. 29 and at No. 30 it's . . . Dolph Ziggler!
8:47 p.m.: Roman Reigns comes in at No. 28 to a huge chorus of boos. Reigns chucks O'Neil out of the ring. He then goes after The Miz but the Miztourage makes the save. Reigns hits them both off the apron with a Superman punch. It's a Shield reunion as Reigns and Rollins team up and powerbomb The Miz over the top rope onto the Miztourage. But it's every man for himself and Reigns then eliminates Rollins!
8:45 p.m.: Big suprise! Rey Mysterio enters at No. 27!
He quickly eliminates Adam Cole (BAY BAY!). Mysterio then hits 619 on The Miz but Miz is still in there.
8:43 p.m.: The Rumble just got AWWWWWEEEESSSSSOOMMMEEEEEEE! The Miz is pick No. 26!
8:41 p.m.: Titus O'Neill check in at No. 25. Hoo-rah, hoo-rah!
8:39 p.m.: Randy Orton is No. 24. He eliminates NXT Champion Andrade Almas before even taking his jacket off.
8:37 p.m.: Aiden English checks in at No. 22 and then NXT talent Adam Cole is No. 23! English only lasts a few minutes before Balor elimates him.
8:35 p.m.: The 21st entrant is The Hurricane! Surprise time! He goes after John Cena but only lasts a quick minute as Cena throws him over the top to the floor.
8:33 p.m.: It's John Cena at No. 20! He gets in the ring and everyone else immediately goes to town on him.
8:32 p.m.: Matt Hardy comes in at No. 19 and he and Wyatt team up to eliminate Rusev! The two of them begin fighting and go over the top to the floor and are both out.
8:30 p.m.: Awesome sequence as Kingston goes over the top rope to the floor but only one foot hits the floor and the other is on fellow New Day member Xavier Woods. Big E then slides a plate of pancakes under his foot and Corey Graves screams, "This is ridiculous!" Kofi then jumps up to Woods and Big E, who slingshot in the ring over Jinder Mahal. He then hits a roundhouse kick on Mahal and he's out. Then Almas takes advantage and throws Kingston out of the ring.
8:28 p.m.: Seth Rollins is No. 18 and he's wearing fire tights. He and Cesaro mix it up and Rollins tosses out the "Swiss Superman".
8:27 p.m.: Jinder Mahal is No. 17 and he eliminates Xavier Woods and Big E in quick fashion.
8:25 p.m.: Kofi Kingston is No. 16, so we'll see what kind of crazy, athletic thing he can do to stave off elimination. Meanwhile, Cesaro hits a big forearm and it's so long, Apollo Crews.
8:24 p.m.: No. 15 is Cesaro and he goes right after Balor. He has him up on his shoulder and is trying to throw him out. Balor holds on for dear life.
8:23 p.m.: My favorite to win it, Shinsuke Nakamura, is No. 14 and the crowd is going nuts. And he quickly elimiates Sami Zayn.
8:21 p.m.: Coming in fast with Apollo Crews at No. 13.
8:20 p.m.: On to No. 12, and it's Xavier Woods. There are now seven people in the match.
8:17 p.m.: They keep coming: the birthday boy Sheamus is No. 11. He throws Slater into the ring and jumps in, but Slater clotheslines him out of the ring and Sheamus is eliminated! And then Wyatt quickly eliminates Slater.
8:15 p.m.: And the "Perfect 10" is at No. 10 for the second year in a row. Cut to backstage, where Owens and Zayn are beating him up and Zayn is taking his place. Is this legal? Anything can happen in the WWE!
8:14 p.m.: Feel the power! It's Big E at No. 9.
8:12 p.m.: At No. 8 it's Bray Wyatt. BTW, Heath Slater is still lying outside the ring and has been getting kicked by everyone as they come to the ring. Well, Wyatt tosses him head first into the security barrier. And now Balor is back in the ring.
8:10 p.m.: . . . NXT Champion Andrade "Cien" Almas at No. 7! The first surprise of the night.
8:09 p.m.: Who wants to talk with Elias? He's No. 6 and walks to the ring with his guitar and says that the countdown clock will not move until he gives the performance of the week. He finally gets interrupted by the next entrant. . . .
8:08 p.m.: No. 5 is Heath Slater and before he can get off the stage, Corbin takes him out. Poor Heath.
8:07 p.m.: Baron Corbin eliminates Rhyno and then Finn Balor eliminates Baron Corbin. Corbin is so upset that he pulls Balor and Rusev out of the ring and lays them out before referees pull him off.
8:05 p.m.: Seems pretty quick but here comes No. 4 . . . it's Baron Corbin. These may be 90-second intervals but WWE can do whatever it wants.
8:03 p.m.: Balor connects with a beautiful drop kick and here comes No. 3 — Rhyno.
8:00 p.m.: The No. 2 entrant, in his first Royal Rumble match, is Finn Balor.
7:59 p.m.: And the No. 1 enttrant . . . it's Rusev Day!!!!!!
7:57 p.m.: Here we go. With the men's match taking place so early in the show, it means that none of the participants in the Universal Championship match or either tag team match will be included.
7:51 p.m.: Holy cow! The men's Royal Rumble match is not closing out the show and is next. That's a suprise. Either the women's Rumble or the Universal Championship match will close the show.
'SmackDown' tag titles: Usos defeat Chad Gable, Shelton Benjamin
7:50 p.m FINSH.: And just like that, it's over. Jey rolls up Benjamin for the surprise pin. Yes, a two-out-of-three falls match that only goes two falls. When was the last time that happened? It was a very good match but felt too short.
7:46 p.m FIRST FALL TO THE USOS: Benjamin gets knocked out the ring and the Usos turn it into a Superkick Party on Gable and get the first pinfall.
7:44 p.m.: Gable and Benjamin get a couple of near falls but they can't get the win. Gable then lands a huge moonsault off the top rope onto both Usos outside the ring. Awesome.
7:37 p.m.: Gable with a chop block on Jey Uso's left leg. You can bet that will be an ongoing issue throughout this match.
7:35 p.m.: Two very good teams going at it here. This could steal the show.
7:32 p.m.: Backstage, Zayn and Owens are complaining to "SmackDown" commissioner Shane McMahon making their case that Owens wasn't the legal man and they got screwed again by the ref. KO asked Shane if he saw that. He says, "Yep" and walks away smiling. Let's say Owens was a bit miffed.
WWE Championship: AJ Styles retains against Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn
7:29 p.m. FINISH: Awesome sequence as Zayn tries to make the tag and comes so close but it looks like he couldn't. Styles gets him out of the ring before getting hitting with an Owens superkick. KO goes for the pop-up powerbomb but Styles reverses into into a rollup and gets the victory. The question is: Was Owens the legal man?
7:24 p.m.: Some good teamwork as the referee is talking with Zayn, allowing Owens to connect with a superkick while on the apron, into Zayn hitting a Blue Thunder Bomb and almost getting the three count. Awesome near fall.
7:22 p.m.: Great interaction with Styles putting Owens in the calf crusher. KO was biting his own hand to stop from tapping out before Zayn finally made the save.
7:17 p.m.: It's Zayn vs. Styles for the opening minutes before Owens finally tags in. He has been dealing with a back injury lately and hasn't been wrestling much, so it will be interesting to see how much ring time he gets.
7:09 p.m.: Just two years ago, AJ Styles made his WWE debut in the Royal Rumble match. Now he's the WWE Champion.
7:05 p.m.: The main card kicks off with the handicap match for the WWE Championship. Philadelphia is pumped for the show.
7:00 p.m.: Here we go with the main card. Reminder to head over to Twitter and follow Sporting News' wrestling account, @SN_wrestling. You'll get breaking news and stories from myself and the entire wrestling staff.
6:52 p.m.: The "Nature Boy" has joined the broadcast and is talking about that great 1992 victory. He is such a happy guy now and is looking better and better following last year's health scare.
U.S. Championship: Bobby Roode retains against Mojo Rawley
6:45 p.m FINISH.: Roode again goes for the Glorious DDT but Rawley counters out. Shortly after, Roode finally hits his finisher to retain his title. Solid match.
6:43 p.m.: Back-and-forth match but Roode is in control as he hits a blockbuster. He goes for the Glorious DDT but Rawley counters out and almost get the three-count.
6:38 p.m.: And the person who is answering the call is ... Mojo Rawley? Yeah, it's Mojo Rawley.
6:35 p.m.: Time for the U.S. Championship open challenge. Who will step up to take on the "Glorious One"?
6:32 p.m.: If you did not watch Saturday night's NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia event, you missed out. The show again delivered, including an incredible, emotional main event between Andrade "Cien" Almas and Johnny Gargano.
6:18 p.m.: Not only is JBL on on broadcast, but so is Hall of Famer Alundra Blayze. She said a bad word that I can't repeat here. Here's a hint: it's a three-letter word that begins with "A." Bad girl.
The Revival defeat Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson
6:13 p.m. FINISH: Old-school finish as The Revival knock Gallows out of the ring and chop-block Anderson from behind for the rollup pin. They get their win back after losing in that less-than-memorable 75-seconds match on "RAW 25."
6:07 p.m.: I think Luke Gallows saw NXT referee Drake Wuertz and his crazy tan at the November NXT TakeOver event and said, "CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!!" (Trademark Barney Stinson.) Gallows is literally as orange as a pumpkin.
6:03 p.m.: Time for some good ol' tag team rasslin' on the kickoff show.
5:59 p.m.: Best segment of a kickoff show in years with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn snarkily answering fan questions.
5:54 p.m.: WWE is showing a bunch of fantastic classic Royal Rumble highlights, including arguable the greatest Rumble ever in 1992, when Ric Flair won to become the WWF Champion. Afterward, he got one of the most memorable promos ever. With a tear in my eye . . .
5:48 p.m.: And look who has join the broadcast table: "SmackDown" Women's Champion Charlotte.
Kalisto, Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik defeat TJP vs. Jack Gallagher and Drew Gulak
5:41 p.m. FINISH: Good back-and-forth action with Kalisto connecting with Salida del Sol on TJP and he scores the win. TJP, as always, is having a temper tantrum after the match.
5:37 p.m.: As I watch this match, I can't help but wonder how limiting and uncomforable it must be for Jack Gallagher wrestling in a suit and dress shoes.
5:29 p.m.: Time for some in-ring action!
5:18 p.m.: Before the main show, make sure you check out my deep-dive breakdown of the Royal Rumble and who I think is going to win.
5:14 p.m.: WWE finally confirmed that the winners of both the men's and women's Royal Rumble matches will get to face the champion of their choice at WrestleMania. Interesting . . .
The winners of tonight's #RoyalRumble matches will get to challenge the champion of their CHOICE at @WrestleMania this year!
But @AlexaBliss_WWE ain't sweatin' it... #RoyalRumble pic.twitter.com/hSB3gSjZbY — WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) January 28, 2018
5:11 p.m.: In case you missed it, three matches have been added to the kickoff show: Bobby Roode with an open challenge for his U.S. Championship; The Revival vs. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows; and Kalisto and Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik vs. TJP vs. Jack Gallagher and Drew Gulak.
5:08 p.m.: In case you need a refresher, thanks to Will Pruett for reminding us all of the unofficial Royal Rumble drinking rules. Mild drinks, everyone, or else you could be a real mess by the end of the night.
Added a couple rules to the #RoyalRumble drinking game... pic.twitter.com/cr2Gz4V5zg — Will Pruett (@wilpruett) January 28, 2018
5:00 p.m.: Welcome to the live blog! Time for the Royal Rumble, the unofficial yet official start of the road to WrestleMania.
WWE Royal Rumble 2018 card
Men's Royal Rumble: A 30-man match for a world championship match at WrestleMania 34
Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman vs. Kane triple threat match for the WWE Universal Championship
Women's Royal Rumble: A 30-woman match for a women's championship match at WrestleMania 34
AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn handicap match for the WWE Championship
Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan vs. Cesaro and Sheamus for the WWE "RAW" Tag Team Championship
The Usos (Jey and Jimmy Uso) vs. Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin two-out-of-three-falls match for the WWE "SmackDown" Tag Team Championship
Kickoff show: Bobby Roode defends his U.S. Championship vs. TBA in an open challenge
Kickoff show: Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson vs. The Revival
Kickoff show: Kalisto and Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik vs. TJP vs. Jack Gallagher and Drew Gulak
WWE Royal Rumble 2018 predictions
— Shinsuke Nakamura outlasts the field to win the men's Royal Rumble match.
— Brock Lesnar successful defends the Universal Championship.
— Nia Jax upends Asuka in the end to take the first women's Rumble match.
— AJ Styles survives against both Owens and Zayn to retain the WWE Championship.
— Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin finally win the "SmackDown" tag team titles.
— Sheamus and Cesaro take back the "RAW" tag team titles.
— Bobby Roode earns a DQ win against former champ Dolph Ziggler.
— The Revival get their win back against Gallows and Anderson.
— Kalisto, Dorado, and Metalik score a win during the kickoff show.
Brian Fritz can be reached at btrfritz@gmail.com . Follow him on Twitter @BrianFritz and listen to his Between The Ropes podcast on Blog Talk Radio .
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WWE'S eagerly anticipated Royal Rumble returned and again was one of the highlights of the wrestling calendar.
The winner guarantees a title shot at the Granddaddy of the All, WrestleMania on April 8.
Finn Balor was sent sprawling out of the ring by John Cena, to boos from the crowd
Who won the Royal Rumble 2018?
Smackdown Live's Shinsuke Nakamura, who entered at No 14, won the big prize. The Japanese striker eliminated Roman Reigns in the final two.
After the match, Nakamura revealed who he wants to face at WrestleMania 34: "AJ Styles!"
Order of entry
1 Rusev
2 Finn Balor
3 Rhyno
4 Baron Corbin
5 Heath Slater
6 Elias
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7 Andrade Almas
8 Bray Wyett
9 Big E
10 Tye Dillinger/Sami Zayne
11 Sheamus
12 Xavier Woods
13 Apollo Crews
14 Sinsuke Nakamura
15 Cesaro
16 Kofi Kingson
17 Jinder Mahal
18 - Seth Rollins
19 Matt Hardy
20 John Cena
21 Hurricane Helms
22 Aiden English
23 Adam Cole
24 Randy Orton
25 Titus O'Neil
26 The Miz
27 Rey Mysterio
28 Roman Reigns
29 Goldust
30 Dolph Ziggler
Who eliminated who?
Rhyno (by Corbin)
Corbin (Balor)
Sheamus (Slater)
Slater (Wyatt)
Zayn (Nakamura)
Crews (Cesaro)
Woods (Mahal)
Big E (Mahal)
Cesaro (Rollins)
Mahal (Kingston)
Kingston (Almas)
Rusev (Wyatt, Hardy)
Wyatt (Hardy)
Hardy (Wyatt)
Elias (Cena)
Hurricane (Cena)
English (Balor)
Almas (Orton)
Cole (Mysterio)
O'Neil (Reigns)
The Miz (Reigns)
Rollins (Reigns)
Goldust (Ziggler)
Ziggler (Balor)
Orton (Reigns)
Mysterio (Balor)
Balor (Cena)
Cena (Nakamura)
Reigns (Nakamura)
Which WWE legends returned?
The Hurricane, who was released by WWE on February 2010 made his surprise return. Hurricane, or Gregory Helms, lasted a grand total of 27 seconds before he was released by John Cena.
He was joined by Rey Mysterio, who left the company in 2015, made a huge return in noticeably bulkier shape too.
NXT stars Adam Cole and champ Andrade 'Cien' Almas also looked great in the battle royale.
WWE Network Hurricane Helms, a legend of the WWE, came back with a shock Royal Rumble appearance
WWE Network Rey Mysterio, clashing with Adam Cole, returned to the WWE at the Rumble
When was the Royal Rumble?
2018’s Royal Rumble takes place on January 29.
The Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia hosted the event.
A match many thought they'd never seen on this continent...in this ring...for this title will be the MAIN EVENT of... https://t.co/1YieUJb50D — AJStyles.Org (@AJStylesOrg) 1517192001000
That's all from us, guys. Hope you a cracker of a Royal Rumble because we surely did. Here's a quick recap of the results.SmackDown Live's Shinsuke Nakamura eliminated Roman Reigns to win the 2018 Royal Rumble, while RAW's Asuka made history by winning the inaugural Women's Royal Rumble match. In the other two main events, Brock Lesnar extended his domination by successfully defending his Universal Championship against Braun Strowman and Kane. AJ Styles is still your WWE Champion. He pinned Kevin Owens in a two-on-one handicap match that had Sami Zayn by his side.Hold on. One last surprise remains. Former UFC champion Ronda Rousey has made her way to the arena and points towards the Wrestlemania sign. What does it mean?The Empress of Tomorrow makes history. Asuka eliminates Nikki Bella and will be heading to Wrestlemania.- Shades of Summerslam 2015: Nikki Bella eliminates her sister Brie, leaving her and Asuka as the two final participants of the Women's Royal Rumble- The entire women's division work together to eliminate Nia Jax. Sasha Banks meanwhile, eliminates her best friend Bayley. Who'd have expected that?- The final participant is none other than... TRISH STRATUS. She engages in a showdown with Mickie James. Remember 2006? Who can forget their amazing rivalry.-The penultimate entrance in the Women's Royal Rumble - 'Hug Life', Bailey- At No. 27 enters Nikki Bella, the longest reigning Divas Champion. And at No. 28, it's her sister Brie. The Bella Twins have entered the Royal Rumble.- No. 25: The Empress of tomorrow, the unbeaten Asuka- It's The Glamazon! Beth Phoenix enters the Rumble at No. 24 and does the unthinkable, lifts up Nia Jax.- NXT Women's Champion Amber Moon heads out at No. 23. She and Nia Jax go at it. Naomi, meanwhile, does a Kofi Kingston outside the ring. After landing on the barricade, Naomi walks through the chair, climbs on the steel steps and enters back the ring only to be eliminated by Jax.- Nia Jax comes out at No. 21 and absolutely flattened all. Naomi meanwhile, does a Kofi Kingston.- After being in the Rumble for 31 minutes, Becky Lynch is eliminated- No. 19: A former Divas champion, Kelly Kelly is back! Meanwhile, Natalya eliminates Michelle McCool- Sasha and Becky started this match and are still going strong.- Entry No. 16: EXCUSE MEEEEE!!! It's Vickie Guerrero. Gets eliminated by all 4 members in the ring.- Entry No. 13: Michelle McCool. And the crowd explode into "Undertaker" chants. This is amazing. She eliminates Deville and Molly Holly.- WHATTT! Entry No. 12 is none other than Molly Holly. And she looks to be in amazing shape. This just keeps on getting better- And now Torrie gets eliminated, by Sonia Deville. Why can't these things last longer?- Another Blast from the Past: Entering the Rumble at No. 9 is Torrie Wilson! She eliminates Dana Brooke.- Heartbreak in Philly. Lita gets eliminated by Becky Lynch.- At No. 7 enters Tamina, who gets planted with the Twist of Fate. She follows it with two more TOF's to Sasha and Becky and lands the Moonsault from the top rope. This is incredible. Crowd starts chanting: "You've still got it", and it's hard to disagree with them.- WHOAAAA! It's Lita, the WWE Hall of Famer enter the Rumble at No. 5. And she straightaway eliminates Mandy Rose- Entry No.4 is Absolution's Mandy Rose, the female runner-up of the 2015 Tough Enough winner.- Entry No. 3 is SmackDown Live's Sarah Logan of the Riot Squad.- Entry No. 1 is the Boss, Sasha Banks. Joining her in the ring would be the second entrant Becky Lynch. Two pioneers of the Women's revolution. Sit back guys, the first ever Women's Royal Rumble kicks off.- It's time to create history, ladies and gentlemen. Up next is the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble match. Guest announcer Maria Menounos introduces Stephanie McMahon, who will be doing commentary for this Rumble match. Also to be ringside will be the Raw and SmackDown Women's Champions, Alexa Bliss and Charlotte- An F5 to Kane and Lesnar retains his Universal championship. Strowman laid outside the ring- Three running Powerslams to Lesnar before Kane interrupts with a steel chair- Lesnar picks up Strowman and Kane on his shoulders and delivers the F5 on the two announce tables. He then turns the table on top of the Monster. It's turning out to be a car crash, ladies and gentlemen. So much physicality.- Lesnar takes Strowman to Suplex City with three German Suplexes. But wait, it hardly has an effect on him. He drives Lesnar through a table.- Strowman is a wrecking machine. He takes out Kane and Lesnar, first with a steel chair and then the steel steps. If that wasn't enough, he brings a table into the ring.- Kane and Strowman muster early attack on Lesnar, the champion gets planted with a Chokeslam.- Will the Beast Incarnate successfully defend his Universal title against Strowman and Kane? The three participants are out in the ring as a nervous Michael Cole slides to the safe side. A reminder: Lesnar has been champion for 301 days now since winning the title from Goldberg at last year's Wrestlemania.- Brogue Kick from Sheamus! And The Bar follows it with a White Noise-Uppercut combination for the pin. Sheamus and Cesaro are now four-time tag-team champions.- WAIT! Jordan makes his way back to the ring. Tags himself in but doesn't look a 100 percent. Tags back Rollins, who is not impressed.- Sheamus and Cesaro work well to take out Jordan outside the ring. Inside, they wore out Rollins with a two-on-one advantage. Rollins counters with a Blockbuster off the top rope but needs assist soon. Sheamus goes for the White Noise off the top rope but Rollins counters with Frog Splash to both members of The Bar.- And the Rockstar has made up his mind. He will face AJ Styles for the WWE Champion at Wrestlemania 34.- Shinsuke Nakamura is the winner of the 2018 Royal Rumble. After connecting with his finisher, he throws Reigns over the top rope. He is headed to Wrestlemania.- Connects with the Kinshasa now- Nakamura was looking for the Kinshasa but Reigns ran in and connected with The Spear- Cena eliminated. We are down to two, Nakamura and Reigns. The crowd is behind Nakamura now. He has lasted 45 minutes in the Rumble.- Nooo! Cena eliminates Balor. He's lasted for 57 minutes. Monumental performance by Balor- Balor has lasted 52 minutes having entered the Rumble at No. 2 The last four remain, three of them being Nakamura, Reigns and Cena- Reigns eliminates Orton. Mysterio delivers a double 619 to Cena and Reigns before Balor throws him over the top rope.- We are into the final 6. Balor, Orton, Cena, Mysterio, Reigns and Nakamura- Ziggler eliminated by Balor. He seemingly went for Nakamura by the Rockstar ducked.- No.30: He's back. Dolph Ziggler has returned. The Showoff is the final entrant in the Rumble.- No. 29: Goldust, entering his 12th Royal Rumble- Reigns and Rollins work together to eliminate The Miz via a double Powerbomb outside the ring. But alliances don't last long in the Rumble do they? With his back turned, The Big Dog eliminated The Architect.- No. 28: Here comes the Big Dog, Roman Reigns- No. 27: Whaaattt. It's the winner of the 2006 Royal Rumble, Rey Mysterio- No. 24: Randy Orton, plants a flying RKO to the NXT Champion, who then gets eliminated.- No. 23 is Adam Cole, all taped up following his Extreme Rules match at NXT Takeover from last night- No. 21: WHATTTTT! Stand back, as The Hurricane is coming through. Gets eliminated by Cena.- No. 20: 16-time World Champion and two-time Royal Rumble winner, John Cena. He gets his payback on Elias by delivering an AA that lands him outside the ring.- No 19: 'Woken' Matt Hardy. Straightaway gets into a showdown with Bray Wyatt. Wyatt and Hardy work together to eliminate Rusev, who lasted over 30 minutes. They finally come to blows and eliminate each other.- Fans in India. We have some bad news. Jinder Mahal has just been eliminated by Kofi Kingston.- 18: Burrrnnnn it dowwnnnnnn! Seth Freakinnn Rollins- Entering No. 17 is the Modern Day Mahara Jinder Mahal. He eliminates two members of the New Day, Xavier Woods and Big E.- Another elimination: Cruise eliminated by Cesaro. Also, all three members of the New Day have entered the ring- No. 15 - Cesaro. We are halfway through the Rumble match, guys- Entering at No. 14 is WWE's Rockstar, Shinsuke Nakamura. Philadelphia serenading Nakamura with his music. Comes in and eliminates Zayn. Byron Saxton is finally relieved.- Zayn and Owens take out Tye Dillinger backstage to enter the Royal Rumble. And wait! Heath Slater just eliminated Sheamus after the Celtic Warrior inserted him in the ring. To make things worse, it is Sheamus' birthday today. Enters No. 12 Xavier Woods.- Entrants 3 and 4 are Andrade 'Cien' and Bray Wyatt. Heath Slates is yet to enter the Rumble. He gets taken out via every superstar outside the ring- Back-to-Back eliminations: Rhyno and Corbin eliminated. An irate Corbin then takes out Balor and Rusev outside the ring. Fourth entrant is Heath Slater and even he is taken out near the stage. The ring is empty. Not one wrestler is in the ring right now.- No. 4 - The 'Lone Wolf' Baron Corbin from SmackDown Live. He won the Andre the Giant Battle Royal in 2016 and would know what it takes to last.- Entering No. 3 is The Man Beast Rhyno in his second ever Royal Rumble match, a former tag-team champion. He's a very popular figure in Philly. Reason? He's an ECW product. And just as we type this, the ECW chants reverberate in the arena.- WWE Hall of Famer Jerry 'The King' Lawler is the Guest Commentator for the Royal Rumble match. Entering No. 1 is The Big Bulgarian Rusev, after a warm introduction by Aiden English, followed by entrant No. 2 is Finn Balor - his first ever Royal Rumble.- It's over. Back-to-back falls for The Usos. With Jay taken out, Gable and Benjamin took a little too much time to come up their double team move. Jimmy meanwhile, countered and rolled up Benjamin for the count.- First fall to The Usos: Double superkick to either side of Gable's head gives us the first fall of the match. Usos up one fall to none.- The two teams have worn each other out. They've have hit each other with their best shot but we still are yet to have an opening fall.- Whoa! What happened here? Styles carried Zayn on his shoulders to throw him out of the ring. However, Zayn had managed to tag in his partner without Styles' knowledge. As Owens landed the Superkick to Styles and went for the Pop-up Powerbomb, Styles countered it into a rollup and got the pinfall. Still your WWE Champion, The Phenomenal AJ Styles.Styles hits his best move but still can't put away Zayn. Owens emerges just in the nick of time to break the count. The Number's game proving too much for the WWE Champion.! Owens connects with the Super Kick from the apron and Styles follows it with the Blue Thunder Bomb but Styles has just about enough adrenaline left to kick out.- A reverse electric chair from KO has Styles falling face first on the mat. A close two count. Owens then goes for the Canon Ball but Styles manages to get out of the way. Tag made and Zayn comes in. Styles isolates Zayn with a Hurricanrana off the top rope. But as Zayn goes for the tag, Styles has no one for help but still manages the Pele kick. It's like watching a boxer taking a break between rounds. Styles continues to fight off both and locks in the Cab crusher. Can he put away Owens? No, just when it seemed KO would tap out, Zayn breaks it up.- Cat and mouse game might be over. Styles stuns Zayn with a drop kick but the number's game just be beginning to take effect here. Zayn and Owens keep Styles on the mat.- Styles walks out to a loud ovation as the match gets underway. Sly tactics from Owens and Zayn as they keep tagging each other in and out. Styles musters some offence to throw both his opponents off-guard.It's that time of the year folks. With the Wrestlemania sign looming large in the background, 30 men will try to outdo each other for a chance to main event the Grand Daddy of them all: Wrestlemania 34. The 30-men Royal Rumble is just a few moments away and we are here to bring you its live updates. The Road to Wrestlemania gets officially underway.In addition, for the first time, there will also be a 30-women Royal Rumble match, as announced by Stephanie McMahon earlier this month. Also headlining this year's Rumble will be a Triple Threat match for the WWE Universal Championship, where the Beast Incarnate Brock Lesnar will be defending his title against The Monster among Men Braun Strowman and The Big Red Machine Kane. And if that isn't enough, SmackDown Live's WWE Champion AJ Styles will defend his title in a handicap match against members of the 'Yep' movement, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.The tag-team championships will also be on the line. The Raw tag-team champions Jason Jordan and Seth Rollins take on "The Bar", Cesaro and Sheamus, while SmackDown Live's tag champs Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin will face The Usos in a two out of three falls match.1. Bobby Roode beats Mojo Rawley to retain the United States Championship2. The Revival defeat Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson3. Kalisto & Lince Dorado & Gran Metalik defeat TJP vs. Jack Gallagher & Drew Gulak
