The road to "WrestleMania 34" has already begun with the advent of the "Royal Rumble" pay per view. The annual event is vital to the World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) biggest show because the rumble's results will outline how "mania" will unfold, from the storylines and how the matches will turn out.
The 2018 "Royal Rumble" will be scheduled for Jan. 28, 2018 and is estimated to last for four hours, just behind "WrestleMania" and "Summerslam" in terms of air time.
It will also be a historical event as this will be the first time that there will be a women's Royal Rumble match to determine who will face the respective champion of the winner's brand. It has not yet been revealed, however, how many will participate in the match. So far, the only two who have declared their entry are Asuka and Naomi from Raw and Smackdown, respectively.
The following matches are likely to take place, although some of these are just speculations and can be subject to changes.
Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman vs. Kane for the Universal championship is the only match that have been officially announced for the event so far. The match will go under triple threat rules.
A.J. Styles may defend his WWE World Heavyweight championship against Kevin Owens. The two reignited their rivalry after Owens defeated Styles this past Tuesday.
Roman Reigns could face Samoa Joe for the Intercontinental championship. The animosity between the two has not even reached its peak yet and they are already attempting to destroy each other. Fans can expect a very physical match between the two if it is made official.
The finals for the United States Championship might take place in the "Royal Rumble." The tournament was set up after Dolph Ziggler abruptly vacated the championship. Preliminary matches have only recently concluded in this week's "Smackdown Live" so, it is still too early to tell who will be facing each other in the final.
The highlight of the show, as the name suggests, will be the 30-man Royal Rumble. The participants for the match will come from the Raw and Smackdown rosters but superstars from NXT are occasionally thrown in the mix for added depth. The WWE follows the tradition of placing the winner of the match at the main event of Wrestelmania.
"Royal Rumble 2018" will be held live at the Wells Fargo center in Philadelphia. Tickets are still available starting at $25.
