Then
Now
Forever
WWE
The commentary team of Michael Cole & Corey Graves from Monday Night RAW along with Tom Phillips from Friday Night Smackdown welcomed the WWE Universe to the 31st annual WWE Royal Rumble pay per view.
AJ Styles(c) V John Cena V Randy Orton
The pay per view opened with a triple threat match for the WWE Championship with the “Phenomenal” AJ Styles defending against both John Cena and Randy Orton.
All three men were in control at different parts of the duration of the match but in the end, Cena hoisted Orton up onto his shoulders and launched him off of them in an attempted AA.
Only for Orton to reverse it into an RKO at the last possible moment but when Orton attempted to pin Cena, Styles launched himself into the ring with a Springboard 450 Splash to break it up.
From here Styles picked Orton up and hit a Styles Clash on him onto Cena and then pinned Cena.
Winner & Still WWE Champion: AJ Styles
WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship - 2 Out of 3 Falls
Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn(c) V The Uso’s
1st Fall
Next the duo of Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens(c) defended the WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships against the former champions the Usos in a two out of three falls match. The Uso’s were victorious in the first fall after they hit a Doomsday Samoan Spike on Owens with Jey pinning the “Prize Fighter ''.
2nd Fall
The second fall saw Owens get his win back by pinning Jey Uso after hitting a Pop-Up Powerbomb.
3rd & Final Fall
Zayn tagged in Owens and then hit a Helluva Kick on Jimmy Uso in one of the corners, and when the latter fell into a sitting position in the corner Owens followed it up with a Cannonball for the pin.
Winners & Still WWE SD Tag Team Champions: Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
WWE United States Championship
Dolph Ziggler(c) V Chad Gable
After that Dolph Ziggler defended the WWE United States Championship against Chad Gable, who won a tournament to earn this shot at the gold. The defending champion attempted to bend every rule and take every shortcut to continue his reign as the WWE United States Champion.
The ending of the match saw Gable attempt a German Suplex only for Ziggler to elbow him in the face to get out of the attempt, then turn around and attempt a Superkick. Only for Gable to catch it and transitioned it into a Gable Lock and Ziggler tapped out.
Winner & New WWE US Champion: Chad Gable
The fourth match of the event was the 30-man Royal Rumble took place where the winner would earn a world title match at WrestleMania 34.
Number 1: Shinsuke Nakamura
Number 2: Finn Balor
The two men to kick off the 2018 men’s Royal Rumble match were Shinsuke Nakamura from Friday Night Smackdown and the leader of Balor Club Finn Balor from Monday Night RAW.
Number 3: Aiden English
Balor made quick work of English and threw him out of the match.
Aiden English is eliminated
Number 4: Ariya Daivari
Nakamura laid Daivari out with a Kinshasa as soon as he got in the ring and then picked him up and threw him out.
Ariya Daivari is eliminated
Number 5: Baron Corbin
Number 6: Akira Tozawa
Number 7: Big E
Number 8: Kofi Kingston
Number 10: Xavier Woods
The New Day members teamed up and got rid of Corbin.
Baron Corbin is eliminated
Number 11: Kyle O’Reilly
Number 12: Bobby Fish
Number 13: Roderick Strong
Number 14: Adam Cole
Number 15: Karl Anderson
Number 16: Luke Gallows
Number 17: Curtis Axel
Axel eliminated Tozawa.
Akira Tozawa is eliminated
All out gang warfare happened when the New Day, the Undisputed Era and Balor Club brawled and when the dust settled the mat was littered with bodies.
Number 18: Bobby Roode
Number 19: Braun Strowman
The “Monster Among Men” made an instant impact by scoring a trio of eliminations in the forms of Woods, E and Strong, then the remaining men in the ring beat him down.
Xavier Woods is eliminated
Big E is eliminated
Roderick Strong is eliminated
Number 20: Luke Harper
Harper laid Cole out with a Big Boot and then hit a Double Clothesline on O’Reilly and Fish to send both men out of the ring.
Kyle O’Reilly is eliminated
Bobby Fish is eliminated
Number 21: The Miz
The 21st entrant had tunnel vision on his arrival to the squared circle as he only had eyes for Balor who he viciously attacked. The trio of Anderson, Gallows and Axel dragged him off of their leader and beat on him only for him to kick Axel in the balls and then eliminate both Anderson and Gallows.
Karl Anderson is eliminated
Luke Gallows is eliminated
Number 22: WWE US Champion Chad Gable
Number 23: WWE Intercontinental Champion Samoa Joe
Roode dragged Axel up and threw him out of the ring, Harper got the better of Strowman and eliminated him out of the ring.
Curtis Axel is eliminated
Braun Strowman is eliminated
Number 24: Johnny Gargano
Number 25: Tommaso Ciampa
Number 26: Rey Mysterio
Number 27: Jason Jordan
Number 28: Dolph Ziggler
Roode took advantage of Ziggler brawling with Gable and eliminated both men, Balor eliminated Miz and Joe got rid of Kingston.
Dolph Ziggler is eliminated
Chad Gable is eliminated
The Miz is eliminated
Kofi Kingston is eliminated
Number 29: Rusev
Number 30: Bray Wyatt
Nakamura got rid of Gargano while Balor did the same to Ciampa, Joe eliminated Mysterio and Wyatt eliminated Jordan.
Johnny Gargano is eliminated
Tommaso Ciampa is eliminated
Rey Mysterio is eliminated
Jason Jordan is eliminated
Cole eliminated Roode and Wyatt eliminated Harper.
Bobby Roode is eliminated
Luke Harper is eliminated
Wyatt eliminated Cole, Balor and Nakamura teamed up to eliminate Rusev.
Adam Cole is eliminated
Rusev is eliminated
Balor eliminated both Wyatt & Joe and then Nakamura eliminated Balor
Bray Wyatt is eliminated
Samoa Joe is eliminated
Winner of the 2018 Men’s Royal Rumble: Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE RAW Tag Team Championship
Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins(c) V The Hardy’s
Next the duo of Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins(c) defended the WWE RAW Tag Team Championships against the Hardy’s aka Jeff & Matt Hardy.
Rollins attempted to attack Matt in one of the corners but Hardy moved at the last second possible which resulted in the former hitting the ring post shoulder first. From here Matt knocked Ambrose off the apron and then tagged in Jeff and together they dragged Rollins out of the corner and hit a Two Man Twist of Fate and Jeff pinned Rollins.
Winners & New WWE RAW Tag Team Champions: The Hardy’s
WWE Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar w Paul Heyman(c) V Roman Reigns
In the penultimate match Brock Lesnar defended the WWE Universal Championship against Roman Reigns in a one on one match. This match came about after the defending champion cost the challenger the WWE Intercontinental Championship and his rematch for the gold. Lesnar came firing out of the gate and sent Reigns to Suplex City not once, not twice but three times consecutively. But he didn’t even attempt a pin seemingly intent on doing as much damage as humanly possible.
Eventually the two men brawled to the ringside area where Reigns not only put his opponent through the announce table with a Samoan Drop but followed this up by dragging Lesnar up and placing him near the fan barricade and spearing him through it.
Reigns got back to his feet and dragged Lesnar up and threw him back into the ring and then laid Heyman out at ringside with a Superman Punch. Reigns entered the ring and ended the match by hitting a trifecta of Spears to put Lesnar down for the count.
Winner & New WWE Universal Champion: Roman Reigns
30-Woman Royal Rumble Match
The main event of the evening was the first ever 30-Woman Royal Rumble match where the winner would earn a shot at either WWE RAW or WWE SD Women’s Championships at WrestleMania 34.
Number 1: Bayley
Number 2: Becky Lynch
Bayley from Monday Night RAW and Becky Lynch from Friday Night Smackdown were the first two entrants into the inaugural 30-woman Royal Rumble match.
Number 3: Sasha Banks
Number 4: Charlotte Flair
The four horsewomen of WWE formed for the first time on the main roster and they stood united.
Number 5: Alicia Fox
Bayley made quick work of Fox and threw her out.
Alicia Fox is eliminated
Number 6: Lana
Lynch got rid of Lana very quickly.
Lana is eliminated
Number 7: Dana Brooke
Number 8: Maria Kanellis
Banks got the better of Kanellis while Flair threw Brooke out of the ring.
Maria Kanellis is eliminated
Dana Brooke is eliminated
Number 9: Lita
Number 10: Trish Stratus
The two WWE Hall of Famers beat the crap out of each other.
Number 11: Mandy Rose
Number 12: Sonya Deville
Number 13: Paige
Number 14: Liv Morgan
Number 15: Sarah Logan
Number 16: Ruby Riot
Number 17: Asuka
The “Empress” eliminated Morgan and Rose and then did the same to Logan & Deville.
Liv Morgan is eliminated
Mandy Rose is eliminated
Sarah Logan is eliminated
Sonya Deville is eliminated
Suddenly Ronda Rousey, Jessamyn Duke, Marina Shafir and NXT’s Shayna Baszler came through the crowd and entered the ring and beat down Bayley, Lynch, Banks and Flair then left as security chased them.
Riot picked Lynch up and threw her out as Paige did the same to Bayley.
Becky Lynch is eliminated
Bayley is eliminated
Number 18: Natalya Neidhart
Number 19: Naomi
Number 20: Tamina Snuka
Number 21: Mickie James
Number 22: Kairi Sane
Number 23: Michelle McCool
Number 24: Vickie Guerrero
The quartet of Banks, Stratus, Lita and Flair picked up Guerrero while she was screaming Excuse Me into a microphone and threw her out of the ring.
Vickie Guerrero is eliminated
Number 25: Nia Jax
Jax threw Neidhart out and then Snuka, McCool got beaten down by Asuka and Sane and was thrown out.
Natalya Neidhart is eliminated
Tamina Snuka is eliminated
Michelle McCool was eliminated
Number 26: Brie Bella
Number 27: Nikki Bella
Number 28: Beth Phoenix
Number 29: Jacqueline
Number 30: Ivory
Asuka eliminated both Paige and RIot, Naomi did the same to Jacquline, Sane eliminated both Bellas.
Paige is eliminated
Ruby Riot is eliminated
Jacqueline is eliminated
Nikki Bella is eliminated
Brie Bella is eliminated
Asuka eliminated Ivory, Phoenix single handedly eliminated Jax, Sane threw Naomi out.
Ivory is eliminated
Nia Jax is eliminated
Naomi is eliminated
Banks got the better of Sane, Phoenix eliminated James and Flair got rid of Phoenix.
Kairi Sane is eliminated
Mickie James is eliminated
Beth Phoenix is eliminated
Flair got rid of Stratus, Banks did the same to Lita.
Trish Stratus is eliminated
Lita is eliminated
The final three of Banks, Flair and Asuka went back and forth but in the end Asuka would eliminate the two others to win the match.
Winner of the 2018 Women’s Royal Rumble: Asuka