WWE Greatest Royal Rumble: Updated Match Card and Early Predictions for Event

A bonus marquee event has invaded the WWE calendar—the Greatest Royal Rumble.

WWE has done everything it can to turn a house show in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, into something huge. Undertaker will emerge for a rare trip to the ring. WrestleMania rematches are on tap. The event will also feature a 50-man Battle Royal with an impressive amount of future Hall of Famers.

The show will be loaded with title matches and potentially Roman Reigns' coronation.

Saudi fans won't be the only ones to catch it all. The special event will air exclusively on the WWE Network on April 27.

One will notice that neither women's title is up for grabs. Deadspin writer David Bixenspan noted that WWE told him in a statement: "Female WWE Superstars will not be performing at this year's event." Saudi Arabia's strict laws regarding women are presumably to blame.

Even minus the entire women's division, the Greatest Royal Rumble has plenty to take in.

If it's a big success, perhaps we will see WWE go down this route again. International shows of this magnitude outside of the normal pay-per-view schedule would be quite a plus for the WWE Network.

Read on for a look at the Greatest Royal Rumble card complete with picks for every announced bout.

Match Card (per WWE.com)

• Jeff Hardy vs. Jinder Mahal (United States Championship)
• The Bar vs. Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy (Raw Tag Team Championship)
• The Bludgeon Brothers vs. The Usos (SmackDown Tag Team Championship)
• Seth Rollins vs. The Miz vs. Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor (Ladder match; Intercontinental Championship)
• Cedric Alexander vs. TBD (Cruiserweight Championship)
• John Cena vs. Triple H
• AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE Championship)
• 50-Man Royal Rumble
• Undertaker vs. Rusev (Casket match)
• Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns (Universal Championship)

Predictions

• Hardy over Mahal
• Wyatt and Hardy over The Bar
• The Bludgeon Brothers over The Usos
• Rollins retains
• Alexander retains
• Cena over Triple H
• Styles over Nakamura
• Braun Strowman wins the Royal Rumble
• Undertaker over Rusev
• Reigns over Lesnar

WrestleMania Rematch

At WrestleMania, AJ Styles countered the Kinshasa, nailed the challenger with the Styles Clash and kept the WWE Championship in his possession. Shinsuke Nakamura looked as if he was going to congratulate the man who beat him but instead floored The Phenomenal One with a low blow.

Nakamura has since embraced his vicious side, cracking Styles in the onions on several occasions and delighting in the pain he caused. 

It's time now for the WWE champ to seek some revenge, while The King of Strong Style tries again to take the title from him. Their last matchup didn't live up to lofty expectations; the sequel promises to be better but not the conclusion of their story.

This is a feud WWE can milk for months. The Greatest Royal Rumble is poised to simply be the next chapter, not the climax.

50-Man Rumble

The Royal Rumble match in Saudi Arabia rivals the January version in terms of star power. Daniel Bryan, Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle will all battle in the mega-sized bout.

And for the first time, WWE is stuffing 50 guys into what is traditionally a 30-man affair.

"

JUST ANNOUNCED: @WWEDanielBryan @WWETheBigShow @KaneWWE @BraunStrowman & @WWEBrayWyatt will take part in the 50-Man Greatest Royal Rumble Match in Saudi Arabia on Friday, April 27! #WWEGRR https://t.co/OP6LpZnxmU

— WWE (@WWE) April 2, 2018"

It's not clear whether the winner will receive a reward for victory. Normally, the Rumble winner gets a championship match at WrestleMania, but there has been no word on whether a title match awaits the last man standing in this case.

Braun Strowman has to be among the favorites. WWE has often portrayed him as an unstoppable force, and he's coming off essentially winning the Raw tag team titles at WrestleMania by himself.

Another big moment awaits him as he outlasts the massive Rumble field.

The Deadman's Day?

Rusev will be hoping to celebrate Rusev Day with a huge win over an icon in Saudi Arabia.

Undertaker, who was last seen running through Cena at WrestleMania, remains a special attraction for WWE. He rarely wrestles at this stage of his career, so it's a bit of a surprise the company is choosing to bring him in for this event. It's a sign of how much WWE is going all in for the show.

Jericho briefly replaced Rusev, but WWE later announced The Lion of Bulgaria was back in. 

Rusev is a big-time underdog here. For one, Undertaker will be wrestling in one of his signature gimmick matches. Secondly, WWE hasn't treated Rusev as more than a stepping stone for SmackDown's bigger names.

Reigns vs. Lesnar III

Reigns has twice failed to dethrone Lesnar. A Seth Rollins cash-in at WrestleMania 31 assured The Big Dog a loss. And at this year's WrestleMania, he left his Universal Championship match against the champ bloodied and empty-handed.  

Will his fate change the third time around?

Credit: WWE.com

The uncertainty surrounding Lesnar's future makes a title change here a strong possibility. Yes, The Beast Incarnate signed a new deal, but it's not clear how long it's for. Lesnar has had his eye on a UFC return.

Each of Reigns' battles with Lesnar has been a slobberknocker. Fans should expect the same level of violence and intensity in the third part of their trilogy. The result, though, may be different.