WWE Greatest Royal Rumble Match Card, Full Predictions for Each Champion

WWE Greatest Royal Rumble is set to emanate from Saudi Arabia this Friday and will feature a WrestleMania-worthy lineup.

In addition to every active male title being up for grabs, the King Abdullah International Stadium will also host the biggest Royal Rumble match ever, consisting of 50 Superstars from SmackDown Live and Raw.

When all is said and done, the Greatest Royal Rumble could end up eclipsing WrestleMania 34 from earlier in April, especially if more championships change hands.

A total of seven new champions were crowned at The Show of Shows, and this blockbuster event could be equally newsworthy given the odds each titleholder is facing.

The following matches have so far been confirmed for the card:

• 50-man Greatest Royal Rumble match
• Universal Championship Steel Cage match: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns
• Intercontinental Championship Fatal 4-Way match: Seth Rollins (c) vs. The Miz vs. Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe
• WWE Championship match: AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
• United States Championship match: Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Jinder Mahal
• Raw Tag Team Championship match: "Woken" Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt vs. Sheamus and Cesaro
• SmackDown Tag Team Championship match: The Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs. The Usos
• Cruiserweight Championship match: Cedric Alexander vs. TBD
• John Cena vs. Triple H
• Casket match: The Undertaker vs. Rusev

Every champion on the SmackDown and Raw rosters will have their work cut for them in their respective matches, but whether they can walk away with their titles intact remains to be seen.

WWE Champion AJ Styles

Credit: WWE.com

AJ Styles has defended his WWE Championship against all comers since early November, yet Shinsuke Nakamura has proved to be his toughest challenge to date.

Although he defended the gold against The King of Strong Style at WrestleMania 34 on April 8, the feud took a personal turn when Nakamura subsequently betrayed Styles' trust with a low blow.

Nakamura has had Styles' number in the weeks since then, making it clear he wants the prestigious prize in his grasp.

Already it looks like Nakamura is far more comfortable as a heel than he was as a babyface, so The Phenomenal One's title could be in serious jeopardy come their rematch at the Greatest Royal Rumble.

This feud deserved to span a few major events, but it's only inevitable Nakamura will become the champion. He has built up so much momentum that it would be criminal for it to go to waste.

Backlash is right around the corner on May 6, so regardless of the result, they'll likely clash on that pay-per-view as well. I expect the third time to be the charm for Nakamura, meaning he'll fall short on this show.

Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins

Credit: WWE.com

Since capturing the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 34, Seth Rollins has been on the roll of a lifetime. He and The Miz are set to go one-on-one for the title at Backlash, but first, The Architect has to go through two additional contenders in a Fatal 4-Way Ladder match.

Granted, the odds are stacked against him, but this won't be the first time Rollins will walk into a match as the underdog. Plus, he has history in ladder matches, having won Money in the Bank in the past and beaten Dean Ambrose in one before as well.

Logically, The Architect is the only choice that makes sense to leave Saudi Arabia as intercontinental champion. After all, Joe and Miz are on SmackDown Live coming out of the Superstar Shake-up, and it isn't likely the championship is switching shows so soon.

Rollins is the perfect fit as champ at the moment, and there's no real reason to take the belt off him this early, so look for him to retain his title.

United States Champion Jeff Hardy

Credit: WWE.com

Similar to Rollins, Jeff Hardy will be facing competition from the opposing brand. He shocked the WWE Universe when he knocked off Jinder Mahal for the United States Championship in Mahal's first night back on Raw before journeying over to SmackDown the next night.

It's possible the midcard championships change brands, but they are better off where they are right now. Furthermore, Mahal regaining the gold would mean he has to rekindle his rivalry with Randy Orton at Backlash, and few fans want to see that again.

Moving forward, Hardy can be the seasoned veteran up-and-comers attempt to prove their worth against. He can take on the role John Cena used to have as United States champion three years ago by defending the title on a near-weekly basis, starting in Saudi Arabia.

The Charismatic Enigma emerging victorious on this show should be considered a slam-dunk prediction.

Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander

Credit: WWE.com

As of this writing, Cedric Alexander's opponent in his Cruiserweight Championship defence at Greatest Royal Rumble is unknown.

Previously, it appeared Buddy Murphy was in line for a shot at the strap, but last week it was revealed he couldn't make weight, and thus his title shot was delayed indefinitely.

Consequently, 205 Live general manager Drake Maverick announced a Gauntlet match for this coming Tuesday. The winner of that will earn a Cruiserweight Championship match at the Greatest Royal Rumble on Friday.

No matter who Alexander ultimately faces, he is most people's prediction to reign supreme as the Cruiserweight champ, and rightfully so. He only just kicked off his first reign at WrestleMania 34 and should have a lengthy run with the title over the next several months.

If Murphy is on the sidelines until after the Greatest Royal Rumble, Mustafa Ali is the best possible candidate to vie for the strap. If so, the outcome will be no different than it was at WrestleMania with Alexander having his hand raised.

SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bludgeon Brothers

Credit: WWE.com

The Bludgeon Brothers have been on an absolute tear in WWE for many months. Their unparalleled path of destruction led them to clinching the SmackDown Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 34, winning a Triple Threat match against The Usos and The New Day.

Unfortunately for Harper and Rowan, The Usos are coming for their obligated title rematch at the Greatest Royal Rumble. They have had a stranglehold on those straps since coming to SmackDown Live two years ago, and they won't go down easy.

This bout is one of the most difficult to predict because it could go either way. Both tandems stayed on SmackDown in the Shake-up, so either could embark on a reign as champions for the foreseeable future.

Considering The Bludgeon Brothers are the hot hand these days and have been pushed aggressively on TV, they should remain undefeated through the Greatest Royal Rumble by beating The Usos.

Universal Champion Brock Lesnar

Credit: WWE.com

One day removed from WrestleMania 34, WWE.com revealed Brock Lesnar had re-signed with WWE. It's unclear how long he intends to stick around for and whether this is simply a one-match extension on his current deal, but either way, he has Roman Reigns in his sights.

Lesnar owns a one-on-one victory vs. Reigns from 'Mania and plans on handing him another brutal beating, this time in a Steel Cage match. His Universal Championship will be up for grabs as well, but it's pretty predictable Reigns will finally slay The Beast Incarnate in their WrestleMania rematch and take the title.

The masses received Reigns poorly in New Orleans at 'Mania, but that doesn't change how he is the right choice to be crowned champion on this show. Lesnar has done damage to the belt by holding on to it for so long because he rarely appears on programming, and that issue must fixed starting on this show.

To WWE's credit, it has swerved the fans before because no one thought Lesnar was going to win against Reigns on April 8, but they shouldn't make the same mistake twice.

For this to be remembered as a blockbuster event, Reigns has to dethrone Lesnar for the Universal Championship.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.