WWE Royal Rumble 2017: Best Finish for Each Match on the Card
WWE's Royal Rumble pay-per-view is always among the most exciting events of the year, and 2017's installment is bound to be no different with what is on tap.
The 30-man Royal Rumble match is usually the event's biggest draw. While that will be the case with WWE Royal Rumble 2017 on Sunday, the rest of the card also looks promising. Rivalries will reach their breaking points, championships will be fought for and twists and turns are guaranteed.
Among the marquee matches set to take place is Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship, where Chris Jericho will be hanging high above the ring in a shark cage. Meanwhile, John Cena will vie for his 16th world title against AJ Styles.
Even on the undercard, there will be several matches that could be compelling, including Rich Swann vs. Neville for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. Additionally, Charlotte Flair and Bayley will rekindle their rivalry over the Raw Women's Championship.
Here, we will look at the best possible finish to each match on the card to ensure the event lives up to the fans' lofty expectations.
Becky Lynch, Nikki Bella and Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss, Mickie James and Natalya
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The long-running rivalry between Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss just never seems to end, but it's hard to complain when they're constantly delivering in the ring and adding new elements to their feud. For example, Mickie James recently returned and aligned with Bliss to stack the odds against Lynch even more.
Meanwhile, it looked like Nikki Bella and Natalya were set to collide in singles competition on this show, but delaying that matchup until a later date might be for the better. This way, they can continue feuding through Elimination Chamber, which will occur a mere two weeks after Royal Rumble.
Lost in all of this is how James will be wrestling in her first pay-per-view match since WrestleMania XXVI. She feels rejuvenated in the heel role and has a promising program with Lynch ahead of her, but she should get the edge over her adversary from the get-go.
With it being a six-woman tag team match where nothing will be up for grabs, it doesn't matter who wins. No one will be terribly damaged by losing, but it should be enjoyable from an in-ring standpoint while furthering the feuds involved.
Fresh off her injury, Naomi is the only woman who feels out of place in this bout, so it would be best for her to take the loss in this match at the hands of James to show she is every bit as skilled as she once was.
Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax
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It is a refreshing change of pace to have a feud in Raw's women's division that isn't over a championship. Sasha Banks has rebounded nicely coming off her latest loss to Charlotte Flair at Roadblock: End of the Line, while Nia Jax has been much more of a threat throughout this program than she has ever been before.
As a three-time Raw women's champion, Banks already has plenty of credibility, so she would hardly benefit from beating Jax when they go one-on-one for the first time at Royal Rumble.
Jax has everything to gain from scoring a win over an established star such as The Boss. She suffered her premier defeat in singles competition earlier this year to Bayley, but it didn't take long for her to regain her momentum by attacking an injured Banks before Raw.
Since then, she has been booked to look superior to Banks at every turn, so it would be wise to have her continue building momentum with a win on Sunday. From a storyline standpoint, Banks is still suffering from an injury, so she would be protected in defeat.
This will be far from the last time they do battle, so Jax should emerge victorious in their initial encounter. Thus, Banks overcoming her adversary down the line will mean that much more.
Cesaro and Sheamus vs. The Club (Raw Tag Team Championship)
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The Club has crossed paths with Cesaro and Sheamus several times in the past, but this time around, two referees will be present to ensure there aren't any shenanigans. Their last Raw Tag Team Championship clash ended in controversy after The Club had the match won, but the bout was thrown out after Sheamus intentionally struck a referee.
Needless to say, The Club should have been in possession of the twin titles months ago. It never won the straps this summer as a result of The New Day being in the midst of its record-setting reign with the belts, but WWE merely delayed the inevitable.
That said, it is more a matter of when and not if The Club will be crowned champion, and WWE should pull the trigger on the title change as soon as Sunday. It has eaten enough losses in recent months, and another defeat could do further damage to its fledgling credibility.
Cesaro and Sheamus have hit their stride as a tandem in the past month, so taking the titles off them so early into their reign might feel premature. They can chase the titles through WrestleMania 33, but both are better off on their own.
Regardless of how it happens, The Club must win its premier set of tag titles at Royal Rumble to avoid becoming an act with zero steam, assuming it isn't already.
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Rich Swann vs. Neville (WWE Cruiserweight Championship)
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For the first few months of the cruiserweight division's time on Raw, a game of hot potato was played with the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. Thankfully, Rich Swann has since brought stability to the strap through his reign in recent months, setting back challenges from TJ Perkins and The Brian Kendrick.
But none of those men had the same momentum Neville has had over the last month since returning to Raw in mid-December. He made an immediate impact by laying waste to almost everyone in the division and stacking up several victories over a handful of notable names.
Although he is a natural babyface, Neville has done an excellent job of reinventing himself as a heel and hasn't been this compelling as a character in years, if ever. For the effort he has put into adding more excitement to the cruiserweight division alone, he should be cruiserweight champion in the near future.
Similar to The Club, the self-proclaimed king of the cruiserweights will inevitably be crowned the new champion, but whether it should happen at Royal Rumble or at WWE Fastlane in early March is the question. WWE shouldn't wait any longer to get the belt on Neville because it's impossible to predict if he will still be on a roll one month from now.
Taking everything into consideration, WWE should strike while the iron is hot and have Neville capture the championship on Sunday. Swann might be even better in chase mode, and an upper-echelon Superstar holding the gold could do wonders for the struggling cruiserweight division.
Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley (Raw Women's Championship)
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Before last Monday night, the Raw Women's Championship feud between Charlotte Flair and Bayley largely underwhelmed. Despite their illustrious history as both allies and adversaries, none of their matches and segments seemed to click with viewers early on.
Whether it was baffling booking or lousy promo work, their feud wasn't what it should have been for the first few weeks. Thankfully, they redeemed themselves with the interviews they produced on the latest edition of Raw, allowing them to establish their motivations for wanting to win this match.
As of this writing, the Raw women's title match at WrestleMania 33 remains uncertain, but one has to imagine that these two will be involved in it. If they aren't facing each other one-on-one, then they will likely take part in some sort of multiwoman match with Sasha Banks and/or Nia Jax.
But as far as this bout goes, it isn't the right time for Flair to lose her title. WWE had its chance to break Flair's impressive pay-per-view singles streak during her series of matches against Banks, but The Boss came up short on every occasion.
At this point, WWE might as well hold off on Bayley's coronation as champion until WrestleMania 33. However, she should lose here by nefarious means so that she maintains her momentum in defeat.
Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns (No DQ Match for WWE Universal Championship)
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Although Kevin Owens has been in possession of the WWE Universal Championship since August, there is no denying that Roman Reigns has been the clear top guy on Raw in that time. His United States Championship reign should have given him a much-needed break from the main event scene, but instead, that strap was merely a side attraction in Reigns' quest for the world title.
When they initially did battle for the belt at Roadblock: End of the Line, it was obvious Reigns wouldn't win the title, given that he was still the U.S. champion heading into the event. But now that he has lost the championship to Chris Jericho, the outcome of their encounter at Royal Rumble isn't as predictable.
Because Jericho will be locked up in the shark cage hanging high above the ring, the chances of him interfering are slim to none. However, with there being no disqualifications, Owens could—and should—retain his title with the help of someone else on the roster.
Whether it be Samoa Joe or potentially another Superstar, that person could cost Reigns the championship and kick off his own rivalry with him. That could keep the belt on Owens a little while longer—at least until Fastlane or possibly until WrestleMania 33 if WWE wishes to go all the way with his reign.
Reigns' involvement in the world title match at WrestleMania for the third straight year wouldn't be the worst thing, but there are other options that would allow him to keep chasing the championship. At the moment, it feels too soon for him to be right back where he was a few short months ago.
AJ Styles vs. John Cena (WWE Championship)
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After contesting two of the best bouts of 2016, AJ Styles and John Cena will have their work cut out for them on Sunday when they meet for the third time one-on-one for the WWE Championship.
Styles defeating Cena the first time was surprising, let alone a second time in clean fashion. That said, Cena is bound to get his win back over The Phenomenal One eventually, and it could happen when they rekindle their rivalry at Royal Rumble.
It remains to be seen whether a potential match pitting Cena against The Undertaker, which fans have been clamoring for for years, will come to fruition at WrestleMania 33. Either way, it would seem that Cena will be involved in the title picture at The Show of Shows in some form or fashion.
Cena beating Styles would result in him winning his 16th world title, but that hasn't been the focus of his feud with Styles in recent weeks. That would lead one to believe he isn't winning, allowing Styles' reign to resume at least until Elimination Chamber.
Regardless of whether Styles escapes that event with his title intact, he should be the one man Cena can't conquer for the time being. It will make Cena's eventual history-making championship win more compelling, and it keeps Styles in the forefront of the title picture heading into WrestleMania 33.
30-Man Royal Rumble Match
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It is always a tough task to predict who will win the 30-man Royal Rumble match, but it is especially difficult this year with the field being as stacked as it is. Nearly every combatant has some sort of motivation for wanting to come out on top, so there are several scenarios that could realistically work.
If Kevin Owens retains his WWE Universal Championship, Chris Jericho would be a logical pick to emerge victorious in the Rumble, as would Sami Zayn. Both men have history with Owens, and either one (or both) facing him for the belt at WrestleMania would be a blast.
The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar and Goldberg all have zero reason to win, given that they're already established, and Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton have their own rivalry going at the moment. And for as much of a roll as Braun Strowman has been on of late, the prospect of him in a world title match at WrestleMania right now isn't all that intriguing.
The best victor WWE could possibly go with would be The Miz, who has more than deserved another shot at the main event for all the amazing work he has done over the past year. The Miz vs. AJ Styles may not make much sense on paper, given that they're both heels, but Styles could gradually undergo a babyface turn between now and then.
The Miz is far from the likeliest candidate to win the Rumble, but he would be the most satisfying. Additionally, having him survive among these elite athletes would instantly solidify him as a threat to the top titles on Raw and SmackDown Live.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a Digital Journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
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