Is there anyone who truly wants to walk with Elias?
Judging by the reaction of the fans in Brooklyn at the 25th Anniversary of RAW on Monday night, a mixture of applause with boos might indicate his stock is on the rise.
Will this translate to a win in the 2018 Royal Rumble for Elias? Can anyone stop The Miz? Who will win the first royal rumble match for women? And will fans in Philadelphia nearly revolt, like they did in 2015, if Roman Reigns wins the Rumble again?
All questions we'll get to. But first, Elias.
Watching "The Drifter" over the past six months or so -- especially last Monday -- reminded me of another wrestler and I got to thinking: Is Elias being groomed to be the next Rock?
Currently Elias shows up, sings a song, makes fun of the crowd/city, and then generally does something dastardly en route to receiving more boos from the crowd.
A few things changed on Monday night. Maybe it was just the Brooklyn crowd, but it seems like creative is setting him up for a something huge. Though he does not carry the charisma ol' Dwayne Johnson carries, Elias might be on his way to a face turn. (I know this is a pretty standard formula applied in pro wrestling and maybe it's just the guitar playing, singing aspect, but still...)
And now it appears Elias is going to get the John Cena treatment.
Cena, over the past few years, has been doing his best to put over up-and-coming wrestlers to raise their stock. He even took a hit against Elias as his back was on the receiving end of a guitar shot.
This feud might be short-lived, but will it be enough to elevate the status of Elias? He surely won't win the rumble but we should see some good Elias/Cena side action on Sunday evening.
Roman Reigns
If there's one man who has divided fans more than Cena as of late, it's Reigns.
When last in Philly for the Royal Rumble, Reigns exited a winner, driving him into a story with Brock Lesnar.
Here in 2018, rumors are flying once again that Reigns will win and enter into a story line with...Brock Lesnar.
Reigns recently had a short run as Intercontinental Champion, a belt he won from The Miz and relinquished to The Miz on Monday night.
Like him or hate him, Reigns has been tabbed as a face of the company. Personally, I think him winning the rumble is a tease and creative will (hopefully) find a way for him to enter the title picture naturally as we head towards Wrestlemania 34.
A rumble for women
2018 will mark the first time their will be a royal rumble for women. This is a match that will likely see a contingent of surprise wrestlers, including possibly a few popular names from yesteryear.
Women have come a long way in the wrestling entertainment business and to see them get their own rumble is pretty fantastic. Asuka has been the presumed favorite for awhile now, but certain betting lines have seen Stephanie McMahon rise into the top favorites.
Becky Lynch, Nia Jax, and Sasha Banks are other favorites to punch their ticket to Wrestlemania. One face who will be sorely missed is Paige, who re-injured herself a few weeks back. Let's hope she'll still be ringside and perhaps affect the finish in some regard.
The Miz
How can I write a WWE post and not mention "The A-list Superstar"? (And Rolling Stone's 'Superstar of the Year' to boot.)
Recapturing the IC title leaves his role for The Royal Rumble in the dark (though he is listed as an entrant to the rumble). There are rumors floating around he maybe headed to a feud with Braun Strowman. This could lead to some sort of interference in the title match, but we'll see.
Personally, I wish Chris Jericho was free because he was killing it before he left and The Miz has been fire as of late. Getting these two tangling would be ratings gold.
Matches and predictions
Kickoff Show
Kalisto, Lince Dorado & Gran Metalik vs TJP, Jack Gallagher & Drew Gulak: This one is a toss up and thrown together due to the allegations (and subsequent) release of Enzo. Look for a hard reset on the Cruiserweight Division.
Gallows & Anderson vs The Revival: Let's give the Balor Club more momentum with a win here.
Bobby Roode (c) vs TBA (United States Championship): Gonna say Roode retains no matter the opponent
Main Card
The Usos (c) vs Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin (Smackdown Tag Team Championship, 2 out of 3 falls match): Gable & Benjamin pick up the win, keeping this feud going through Wrestlemania 34.
Seth Rollins & Jason Jordan (c) vs The Bar (Raw Tag Team Championship): Tough one to call but I'm going with The Bar. But the thrown together tag team of Rollins & Jordan is building quite a story so I wouldn't be surprised if they retain.
AJ Styles (c) vs Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn (WWE Championship, handicap match): Boy, I would love to see Owens and Zayn win to see them share the title. Have a feeling Styles will retain in a match that will also see the continued feud of Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon.
Brock Lesnar (c) vs Kane vs Braun Strowman (Universal Championship): I see why they included Kane, but he isn't really needed. Lesnar likely retains -- setting up the Reigns angle -- leaving Strowman being dominant with no place to go. This is how mad that will make him:
Women's Royal Rumble: Currently 18/30 spots are spoken for so we'll definitely see some surprises. Following the buzzards with this one and going with Asuka.
Men's Royal Rumble: 18/30 spots spoken for on this one as well. The entrants already announced all have nice stories built in so it will interesting to see how they play out. Does The Miz eliminate Reigns? Do Cena and Elias walk together? Who will the surprise entrants be?
The way things are going, I see one of three options as winner: Reigns, Shinsuke Nakamura, or a surprise entrant. (Among who might be The Undertaker, EC3, Jeff Hardy, Dolph Ziggler, or, let's say, Goldust).
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