Meet our Royal Rumble Predictors:
Jeremy Donovan – Editor-in-Chief for Social Suplex and co-host of Keepin’ It Strong Style on the Social Suplex Podcast Network.
Rich Latta – Columnist for Lords of Pain and Social Suplex, and host of One Nation Radio on the Social Suplex Podcast Network.
The Real “Perfect 10” Ricky – Co-host of the Ricky & Clive Wrestling Show on the Social Suplex Podcast Network.
Brian “Clive” Kinsella – Social Suplex’s 205 Live Reviewer and co-host of the Ricky & Clive Wrestling Show on the Social Suplex Podcast Network.
Tom Gambardella – Social Suplex’s NXT reviewer
James Boyd – Co-host of One Nation Radio on the Social Suplex Podcast Network.
Caleb Baldwin – Social Suplex’s Impact Wrestling reviewer
Simon Cotton – Sportskeeda Analyst and co-host of the “What You Mean?” Podcast on the Social Suplex Podcast Network.
Robb Gats – The most reckless Social Suplex columnist
Buddy Murphy (c) vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Hideo Itami vs. Kalisto
Jeremy: Buddy Murphy seems like the easy answer to go with here. However, I’m going to go with Hideo Itami. They’ve been pushing Hideo and Daivari for past several weeks. Hideo even got the pinfall in this week’s Triple Threat Match featuring the other title challengers. Buddy Murphy losing the belt without being pinned could be a great way to turn him face and set up a feud with Hideo going into Mania season. (Yes I realized I put way too much thought into this pre-show Cruiserweight title match. It’s on the pre-show which means it doesn’t count. Which also means if I’m wrong it doesn’t count.) Pick: Hideo Itami
Rich: Let me hit the name randomizer to pick who Murphy Pins. Hideo it is! Pick Buddy Murphy
Ricky: I expect Murphy to hold the title until WrestleMania so I’ll go with him to win this match. Pick: Buddy Murphy
Clive: With how things ended on the go-home 205, I see an Itami and Murphy program leading into Mania. Murphy will retain to further this potential angle. Pick: Buddy Murphy
Tom: Can’t imagine Murphy losing the title here, they waited a long time to pull the trigger on him winning the thing, let’s let him run with it through mania at least. Pick: Buddy Murphy
James: Maybe Murphy will graduate to the main roster or somewhere on the Network. If not, keeping him as champ seems like the right call. Pick: Buddy Murphy
Caleb: Buddy Murphy still owns this title until April, and maybe even later. Anyway, since the Pakistani Prince left the show, WHO CARES?! Pick: Buddy Murphy
Simon: Buddy Murphy’s been going strong as the Cruiserweight Champion since he won the title at Super ShowDown. I don’t see him losing the title until WrestleMania. Pick: Buddy Murphy
Robb: The only person who could have pleasantly taken the title off of Buddy got promoted to SD. Expect a solid match, simple outcome. Pick: Buddy Murphy
Rusev (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Jeremy: Only in WWE can you go from winning the Rumble one year to being on the Pre-Show the next. Poor Nakamura. It makes sense for Rusev to retain here and for both these guys to go their separate ways. Pick: Rusev
Rich: The career of Shinsuke Nakamura continues to be in freefall, as his US Excursion/Retirement tour/Cash Out hits the pre-show of The Royal Rumble. Nakamura is like a great dunker who doesn’t jump anymore. I’d pick him to win, but there is a job to be done. This man won the Royal Rumble last year and didn’t make the main card. No one is immune to WWE main roster booking. Pick Rusev
Ricky: Should be a good solid match for the pre-show. Once again, I expect the champion to retain and hold until WrestleMania where I hope to see him feud with Andrade Almas. Pick: Rusev
Clive: Rusev is a walking talking meme, and Nakamura’s heel work hasn’t been memorable since falling out of the WWE Title picture. This match belongs on the pre-show. Pick: Rusev
Tom: When Tazz debuted at the 2000 Royal Rumble he tapped out an undefeated Kurt Angle. The next year he was eliminated from the Royal Rumble by a single punch. And yet, somehow, Shinsuke Nakamura’s fall from first rumble to second has been even more stratospheric than Tazz’s. He WON THE THING last year, and this year he’s not only on the pre-show, but he’s also doing a job on the pre-show. Pick: Rusev
James: Nakamura’s still employed to WWE? You sure? Pick: Rusev
Caleb: This match will be solid pre-show fodder and I don’t expect much to change with the most important title in our beloved United States of America, unfortunately. Pick: Rusev
Simon: Rusev and Nakamura have good chemistry, so their match could be great if given enough time. Unfortunately, the title they’re wrestling for is all but irrelevant, so either man could potentially win. Pick: Rusev
Robb: This will be a fun spring, but ultimately, who cares? Besides, Rusev is too early in his run to lose now. Pick: Rusev
The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus) (c) vs. The Miz and Shane McMahon
Jeremy: Shane McMahon is THE BEST IN THE WORLD and he has a trophy to prove it! There’s no way THE BEST IN THE WORLD is losing here. Shane’s going to use his great technical wrestling skills to carry his team and match to greatness. HERE COMES THE MONEY! Pick: The Miz and Shane McMahon
Rich: The latest stop on Shane McMahon’s road to CTE! Shane McMahon vs Sheamus! Can we turn this to a shoot since they’ll be clobbering each other anyway? I couldn’t give a damn about this match aside from seeing which one of them will stiff the other the hardest. I don’t even want Miz and Cesaro to tag in. Can we show Shane McMahon some Shibata tapes so he can be inspired to strike harder than he does? Pick: The Bar
Ricky: Pick: I think we will see The Miz vs Shane McMahon at WrestleMania and putting the titles on them for Miz to eventually turn on Shane costing them the titles at some point will give him the heat WWE are hoping for. Pick: The Miz & Shane McMahon
Clive: The Bar gifted me with a monumental beatdown of Miz and Shane this week. But go-home show rules tell me this means the title will change hands. Pick: Shane MizMahon
Tom: I do think Miz & Shane get a run with the tag titles at some point, and up until this week I really thought they’d win them at Wrestlemania. Then Miz covered Shane to protect him from The Bar, and honestly, that swayed me. Miz & Shane are really gonna walk into Wrestlemania as tag team champs. Pick: Miz & Shane
James: The Miz is currently ice cold from spending nearly 3 months trying to convince us that he is neither a phony just waiting to screw over his tryhard boss, nor a grown-ass family man that’s obsessed with his tryhard boss. If this is headed where I think (WM35, unfortunately), then Johnny Cage and Vince’s unloved son are gonna need every shred of story depth that they can get. Pick: Miz & Shane
Caleb: Miz & Shane win because that’s what McMahon’s do dammit! Pick: The Miz & Shane McMahon
Simon: The Miz & Shane McMahon’s parring after Crown Jewel all but confirmed they would get a run at the Tag Team Championships. The Bar has won a lot of tag titles since their team formed and they don’t need the win. Pick: The Miz & Shane McMahon
Robb: The only way this narrative makes sense is for the BITW to win, right? In the name of not devaluing the Tag Titles (again), let’s get risky. Bar decimates, Shane turns. Pick: The Bar
Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Sasha Banks
Jeremy: This has the potential to be Ronda Rousey’s best match yet. Personally, I want to see Sasha just drag Ronda, but we all know that’s not going to happen. Sasha is an all-around better pro wrestler in my eyes. At the end day, we all know Ronda is getting another armbar victory. Pick Ronda Rousey
Rich: Sasha has been pulled out of the mothballs for this feud with Ronda. They’ve had a feud where Sasha wasn’t allowed to turn heel and fully take it there as The Boss because she looks headed for the tag team Elimination Chamber. I wish Sasha could win because she’s better at everything that entertains me, but she’ll probably end up cutting her purple hair to wash Ronda’s feet. Pick Ronda Rousey
Ricky: Good build for this match and I liked the doubt they put in Ronda’s mind by having Sasha escape the armbar on Raw and maybe making people believe Sasha could win. I expect Ronda to be in the main event of WrestleMania defending her title. Pick: Ronda Rousey
Clive: It’s too late in the WWE calendar to have Rousey lose the belt here. As long as Sasha keeps the confidence she’s shown in her character of late and transfers it into the ring, it should be a good match. But Rousey will retain and the Sasha stans will be beside themselves in grief. Pick: Ronda Rousey
Tom: Look, I want to pick Sasha Banks to win here. I really do. But it’s simply not gonna happen. Rousey is only losing to one of Becky/Charlotte, and everyone up until that point is cannon fodder. It is gonna be interesting to watch this match because this’ll be the first Rousey match where she can physically dominate against somebody who can actually wrestle (sorry, Alexa). Rousey wins, but Sasha shines. Pick Ronda Rousey
James: Sasha’s best-case scenario is that she reminds the decision-maker(s) of this goofy-ass promotion who she is during this match and they’ll attempt to rectify the last 16 months of nothingness. Pick: Ronda Rousey
Caleb: I’d love to pretend Sasha Banks has a snowball’s chance in Hell of winning on Sunday but that simply won’t happen. Pick: Ronda Rousey
Simon: Sasha Banks and Ronda Rousey’s feud has been a much more entertaining feud than I expected. Unfortunately, Banks beating Rousey in a tag team match is the closest she’ll come to defeating Rousey for the title. The company has too much planned for her at WrestleMania to swerve us now. Pick: Ronda Rousey
Robb: Unless Sasha Will feud with Bayley at WM after a failed attempt at the tag titles come Elimination Chamber and Ronda is going to SD, there really isn’t a way to book this but the obvious. Pick: Ronda Rousey
Asuka (c) vs. Becky Lynch
Jeremy: This is an interesting one. On one side you have Asuka who is early in her title reign. On the other side, you have Becky who is the hottest thing going in all of WWE. I feel like this a situation where WWE doesn’t want to beat either woman. Which makes me think we’re going to see some kind of screwy finish. Possibly a double count out. Maybe Ronda interferes and causes a DQ. Whatever it is I don’t think we’re getting a clean finish. Pick: No Contest
Rich: Asuka winning the title after being in mothballs really complicated things as far as, Hey “how about Becky just beats everyone and stays over?” Becky shouldn’t really even be in
this match. I wouldn’t beat her, and giving her the title keeps her out of the rumble which is what most fans actually want to see her win. For the minimum amount of damage to others, Becky winning the title back and figuring out how to get to the 3 way later is the better option. I think WWE over complicates things and beats her, even though this isn’t hard at all. Pick: Asuka
Ricky: This could be the match of the night and I’ve enjoyed the build although at times, despite being champ, Asuka sort of feels like the odd one out or the third wheel. I expect a hard-hitting affair with Asuka coming out on top. Pick: Asuka
Clive: Both women can brawl, throw suplexes, and lock in submissions like mother f**kers. This has the makings of a classing outing. However, Becky on the chase, leading into Mania, makes more sense at this stage for Lynch. I’m expecting some sort of screwy finish that stops her from regaining. Pick: Asuka
Tom: It’s tough. We gotta keep Becky looking strong, but I also don’t think Asuka should lose this title just yet. I’ll say this one goes to a no-contest and hope we get Becky vs Rousey and Charlotte vs Asuka. Pick: Asuka
James: Only once has Becky been pinned or made to submit since May 8th of last year. With all of the Wrestlemania main event talk, this match seems set for outside shenanigans. Pick: Asuka
Caleb: This is not the belt Becky is looking for. Pick: Asuka
Simon: Asuka’s championship reign just started a month ago, so it’s unlikely to end now. The only way Becky would have a chance at winning would be if WWE wanted to put the title on her to keep her out of the Royal Rumble. Unfortunately, Becky may have a feud with Nia Jax that will sideline her instead. Pick: Asuka
Robb: It would be a shame so saddle Asuka with a weak reign, especially after the go home SD. Asuka wins, but maybe not decisively. Pick: Asuka
Daniel Bryan (c) vs. AJ Styles
Jeremy: I am one of many who believes WWE dropped the ball with Daniel Bryan’s return. However, I am a have been enjoying this heel turn. His matches and promos have been top notch. He’s done a great job of getting the fans to turn on him. I’ve been getting flashbacks of his awesome heel run in Ring of Honor back in the day. I can’t think of any good reason why you would want to take the belt off of him right now. Pick: Daniel Bryan
Rich: Am I skeptical enough to think they put Daniel Bryan in the secondary world title match at the rumble and turned him heel to avoid him being wanted in the Royal Rumble? Yes, I am. Do I have any idea who he wrestles at Wrestlemania? No. This got booked like it was going to be a falls count anywhere match, but as of this writing, it hasn’t been the case. AJ Styles lost this belt before Survivor Series, I think he’s still around it for a reason. Pick: AJ Styles
Ricky: The 3 prior matches were all excellent and I don’t expect anything less this time around. Daniel Bryan has reminded us of how great of a heel he is and can be and is arguably the best promo in the company at this very moment. What’s really intriguing is what will these 2 be doing come WrestleMania time? Pick: Daniel Bryan
Clive: Daniel Bryan has taken this feud (and the WWE Title) into must-watch territory. Bryan’s promo work is possibly the best I’ve seen in years. They need that fire heading into Mania, so a win for the Planet’s Champion (™) makes sense here. Pick: Daniel Bryan
Tom: This match is complicated by the fact that Mania is looming, and if this feud ends here, where does each guy go? What babyface is left on Smackdown for Daniel Bryan to face? What program does AJ get thrown into if he drops down the card? I think Bryan wins, but good lord I have NO IDEA where we go from there. Pick: Daniel Bryan
James: Bryan has been appointment viewing as a righteous jerk with the ego to think he will save this doomed rock. This must continue. Pick: Daniel Bryan
Caleb: The New Daniel Bryan will use his captain planet ass powers to retain his title. Pick: Daniel Bryan
Simon: We’re guaranteed to get a Match of the Year candidate from these men, but Daniel Bryan has been too entertaining as a heel champion to take the title away from him now. AJ Styles is one of the ten longest reigning WWE Champions in history, so it’s safe to say he’s not getting the title back this soon. Pick: Daniel Bryan
Robb: Decent feud, the match will be flames, but AJ doesn’t need the title. People were hating when Bryan initially turned heel, but he arguably hasn’t been more fun. Pick: Daniel Bryan
Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Finn Bálor
Jeremy: I think a majority of fans would love for Balor to win this match, including myself. A wise woman once taught me not to picks with my heart. So I’m going with Brock. History has taught us that beating Brock is reserved for Roman. Pick: Brock Lesnar
Rich: F*ck it, this Lesnar stuff is cooked. I’m going to root like hell for Finn Balor and hopes he shocks the world. Pick Finn Balor
Ricky: Screw it, I’m letting myself dream and get carries away. Finn wins the title after Braun interferes and costs Brock the win. Pick: Finn Balor
Clive: ** Insert James Harden GIF ** Pick: Brock Lesnar
Tom: Rich said fuck it, and I’m inclined to agree with him. Let’s get weird here and pick Finn. Maybe Braun Strowman interferes! Maybe Paul Heyman turns! Maybe Brock found an unattended Brinks truck labeled “UFC” in the Chase Field parking garage! I’m running out of straws to grasp at here, but let’s just root for Finn and be disappointed if he loses. And if it’s any consolation it’s a 2019 Brock Lesnar match…we were always going to be disappointed. Pick: Finn Balor
James: The Strow-man looms as this storyline provides us with some 2004 Lesnar-Guerrero-Goldberg vibes and the idea of a new champion to signify a truly new era sounds great. However, it’s gonna take more than just Balor’s last 6 weeks for me to believe in him after what’s been done to him over the last 22 months. Pick: Brock Lesnar
Caleb: I keep going back and forth on this one, and my answer could be completely different when this actually ends up on the website. Today I’m going with my heart over my brain and suggesting a title change. Pick: Finn Bálor
Simon: The company went through the trouble of paying Brock Lesnar to take the Universal Championship after Roman Reigns vacated the title. WWE clearly want Lesnar to lose the belt at WrestleMania and they aren’t gonna diverge from their plans for Finn Balor, a man they’ve ignored for two years. Pick: Brock Lesnar
Robb: Now put your tin foil hats on. Braun interferes, sets up WM match with Brock to get his heat back, and the title goes to the best man for the job. Pick: Finn Balor
2019 Women’s Royal Rumble
Jeremy: With Becky not being an official entrant in the Rumble, I don’t think there is any other choice but, Charlotte. WWE has been trying it’s hardest to get Charlotte on Becky’s level. Plus there are stories to be told with Charlotte going after either women’s championship. Pick Charlotte
Rich:
Ricky: After losing her match with Asuka, Becky will attack someone (maybe Carmella) and enter the Royal Rumble where she will eliminate Charlotte to win it. Pick: Becky Lynch
Clive: The beauty of the top tier of women’s wrestling in WWE right now is that any number of possibilities for Mania could be posited and I would be on board for almost all of them. It’s one thing WWE Creative hit out of the park during the Fall/Winter lull period. I’m thinking Becky could sneak her way into this by attacking someone else as they walk out. But I’ll go with the easy pick because, sometimes, the most obvious choice is the best choice.
Pick: Charlotte
Tom: Charlotte vs Rousey has been THE women’s match in WWE’s mind for over a year now, and that only got to be more of a sure thing as Rousey showed us how good she actually was. Whether or not Becky Lynch gets thrown into that match I don’t know. Basically, every fan on earth wants her to, but remember: WWE doesn’t care what we want. We’ll get Charlotte vs Rousey one way or another, the only thing up for debate is whether it’ll be in a triple threat. Pick: Charlotte
James: Charlotte feels like a lock unless Becky crashes the party. Also: Heaven help them if Becky loses earlier in the night and doesn’t enter this match. Pick: Charlotte Flair
Caleb: In all reality, I think there are one of two logical choices for the winner, and one of them isn’t even in the match at this moment. I’ll take the Queen to win the clusterfuck. Pick: Charlotte Flair
Simon: Last year I was convinced the Women’s Royal Rumble would be a flop and I was dead wrong. I have no doubts that they’ll have a good performance this year, but the winner may be what kills this match. The fans want Becky Lynch and the company wants Charlotte Flair. We’ve been down this road a thousand times and we know how it ends. Pick: Charlotte Flair
Robb: The Rock/Big Show finish coming. The only way to boom the triple threat. Pick: Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair
2019 Men’s Royal Rumble
Jeremy: I feel like this year there a bunch of guys in this match who have no chance of winning. One of the only guys I see that has a shot winning is THE GREAT WWE HOPE, Seth Rollins. They can tell the story of Roman’s best friend wanting to win the Universal title in his honor. Pick: Seth Rollins
Rich: Pick: I think the only way for me to get excited about Seth Rollins right now after his winter is him going coast to coast at the Royal Rumble. Jeremy mentioned it, but THE GREAT WWE HOPE for worldwide wrestler of the year has to break out of his malaise and inch deep personality. Rollins career has been hampered with horrible timing, and I’m not sure if this potential win could be another example of that. The match is almost secondary, but Rollins needs to use this match to launch to the platform his biggest fans think he’s already on. Pick: Seth Rollins
Ricky: I would Mustafa Ali or Andrade to win the Royal Rumble match but all signs point to Seth Rollins who has been building momentum but I wouldn’t be shocked if Drew McIntyre wins. I’d also love to see Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose as the final 2. Pick: Seth Rollins
Clive: The toughest pick of the bunch for me. I would love Mustafa Ali to shock the world but can totally understand them not pulling the trigger this early. There are a few strong contenders from each brand, but I’ll go into this based on pure guesswork. Pick: Seth Rollins
Tom: I think everybody’s final four includes some combination of Drew McIntyre, Seth Rollins, Mustafa Ali, and a rotating 4th. The funny thing to me is that I don’t think anybody is giving Mustafa Ali any shot at winning, perhaps rightly so. So it’s down to Drew, Seth, and…I don’t know, Braun? Samoa Joe? A freshly non-titled AJ Styles? My pick for Final Four is AJ, Drew, Seth, and Mustafa. Mustafa gets dumped out, Seth and AJ team up to take out Drew, and we get one of the longer “last two guys in the rumble” segments ever between AJ and Seth. Oh and at the end of that, Seth wins. Pick: Seth Rollins
James: Rollins feels like the only choice. Look around: No Roman, Strowman is getting kneecapped like he owes money, Bryan and Styles are in the WWE title match, Balor is in the Universal Title match, McIntyre has been catching L’s lately and Ambrose is so cold that I shouldn’t have even bothered mentioning him. Pick: Seth Rollins
Caleb: Your final four of this men’s clusterfuck will be Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, ANDRADE, and Mustafa Ali. Logic would dictate that Seth Rollins gets the win here BUT my Spidey sense is telling me this build has been to throw people off the scent. I’m going to pull my balls out of my purse and say that your winner is The Pakistani Prince. Pick: Mustafa Ali
Simon: Brock Lesnar and Daniel Bryan aren’t likely to lose their championships before WrestleMania, which narrows down the list of potential winners considerably. The final four will probably have some combination of Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, and Mustafa Ali, but WWE has only been building up one man to be the new top dog. Pick: Seth Rollins
Robb: Joe, Seth, Ali, and the Scotsman will be one of the best Final Four ever, but only one man has destiny at WM…especially if it’s against Balor. Pick: Seth Rollins
