Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar could be set up at the Elimination Chamber

The Royal Rumble event is edging closer and fans continue to predict who they believe will emerge victorious and book their place in a championship match in the main event of WrestleMania 34.

Although there are a handful of names that have been in the conversation for quite some time now, it’s difficult to confidently put your finger on just one as the odds continue to change the closer we get to the Royal Rumble.

ROYAL RUMBLE

WWE fans poked fun at the company on Friday evening when WWE’s official Twitter account ‘broke’ the news that Roman Reigns was entering the Royal Rumble - which wasn’t really a surprise - it was a matter of when and not if following on from his Intercontinental Championship loss to The Miz at RAW 25.

SIGN UP NOW

Want to become a GMS writer? Sign up now and submit a 250-word test article: http://gms.to/haveyoursay4

It’s been speculated for so long now that Reigns will, once again, meet with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 34 following on from the WrestleMania 31 rematch where Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase to perform the heist of the century.

WWE

✔@WWE

BREAKING: #TheBigDog @WWERomanReigns is officially entering the 2018 Men's #RoyalRumble match!

3:40 AM - Jan 27, 2018

•  2,6012,601 Replies
 
•  2,4762,476 Retweets
 
•  10,30710,307 likes

This time, though, it’s going to be for the Universal Championship and will act as a coronation for The Big Dog, meaning he could have back-to-back WrestleMania victories over The Undertaker and then The Beast Incarnate.

Despite that, Reigns is not expected to win the Royal Rumble to earn this opportunity like he did in the build-up to WrestleMania 31. Instead, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that it’s likely a SmackDown LIVE superstar will emerge victorious and receive a WWE Championship match in New Orleans, Louisiana.

It’s looking as if the favourites from the blue brand include Shinsuke Nakamura - which could potentially set up a dream WWE encounter against AJ Styles, while the likes of Randy Orton and even Baron Corbin will be in the conversation.

THE CHAMBER

In regards to Reigns, the source is claiming that he’ll earn his opportunity at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.

The T-Mobile Arena has already started advertising the event which may have spoiled a major announcement that the women could be receiving their own Elimination Chamber match, while Samoa Joe is currently also on the graphic.

As Lesnar - should he do what many are expecting him to do and retain the Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble against Kane and Braun Strowman - isn’t advertised for the Elimination Chamber, it could mean the men’s Elimination Chamber match will be to decide who earns his way to an opportunity against Lesnar.

With some big names potentially missing out on a Rumble win, such as Finn Balor and Seth Rollins, the actual Chamber match could be an unmissable one - even if the result seems pretty obvious.

Terrible WrestleMania 34 Rumors We Hope Aren’t True

WrestleMania 34 is approaching very quickly, and with it, 2018’s biggest weekend for wrestling. At press time, the road to WrestleMania is still wide open, with the Royal Rumble yet to crown a number one contender, and plenty of time for dramatic shifts in the WWE landscape. Remember that, last year at this time, neither Bray Wyatt nor Goldberg held world titles, and Randy Orton wasn’t exactly a favorite to win the Rumble.

We are getting close enough to ‘Mania season, though, for the rumors to fly fast and furious. We’re close enough, too, that some of those rumors are getting more credible. WWE is making deals with part timers and outside talent, and booking directions start to crystalize.

There are some rumors that warrant excitement, like the potential debut of Ronda Rousey on the WWE roster, or that Chris Jericho may join the select ranks of stars who have worked the Wrestle Kingdom stadium show for New Japan and WrestleMania in the same year. There are, however, other rumors of what to expect in New Orleans that are underwhelming, disappointing, or down right infuriating for the missed opportunities and misuse of talent at WWE’s disposal.

This article takes a look at rumors surrounding WrestleMania 34 at this point that we hope are off base, or even purposeful misdirection on the part of WWE. No one knows for sure what to expect, and injuries or crowd reactions could always change the course of booking. These are fifteen realistic directions for the big show that would be big mistakes.

Since John Cena transitioned into essentially part time status in recent years, the stakes have gone up for his WrestleMania programs. With limited dates on his schedule, ever ty program he works is a big one, and at WrestleMania we have the chance to see him put on a classic with a star talent, or perhaps even put over an up and comer who deserves the rub.

Rumors abound that WWE has very big plans for Cena at this year’s WrestleMania. That could mean a record 17th world championship. It could mean a rematch from No Mercy against his spiritual successor as face of the company, Roman Reigns. Or, it could mean a match with The Undertaker.

Cena has publicly stated that he wanted a WrestleMania match with The Deadman, and while fans can certainly respect Cena’s personal bucket list, it seems like an awful idea to book this encounter. After putting on a series of good to all time great performances for the latter half of his WresteMania winning streak, The Undertaker hasn’t put on a good match in his last four ‘Mania outings. It looked as though he was retiring after losing to Roman Reigns, and it seemed like a fine enough time to go, when it was clear he’d never be the performer he once was. No one’s really clamoring for Undertaker-Cena, the match is unlikely to be that good, and it would squander Cena’s abilities at the biggest show of the year.

At WrestleMania 31, Roman Reigns looked to be traveling one of the most traditional roads to glory WWE has. He won the Royal Rumble and moved on to challenge for his first world title in the main event of ‘Mania, against a dominant heel, Brock Lesnar. WWE seemingly called an audible because fans were rejecting Reigns a little too aggressively, and he didn’t really have the chops to overcome the poor reactions. Three years, later, two more WreslteMania main events and three WWE Championships to his name.

Reigns finally seeing through his destined win over Lesnar is logical enough, but it’s also a painfully obvious choice. Moreover, given Lesnar’s dominance over all contenders this past year, if Reigns does beat him clean, it raises real questions as to whom could possibly challenge The Big Dog for the Universal Championship in the months to follow.

There’s a ton of intrigue about Ronda Rousey, and perhaps her Four Horsewomen of MMA compatriots mixing it up at WrestleMania 34. Rousey is a big enough star with enough real fighting credibility to be an instant draw. Fans are already speculating about dream matches between her and Charlotte Flair, Asuka, or maybe someone like Sasha Banks or Alexa Bliss.

But what of Rousey vs. Stephanie McMahon?

WWE planted some of the seeds for this match in their altercation at WrestleMania 31, and Stephanie does have at least as much name recognition as any active female wrestler. Moreover, she did perform quite respectably in her last in-ring outing with Brie Bella. McMahon is not, however, in the same class of performer as Flair, let alone Asuka. If Rousey is going to wrestle, we can’t take it for granted and WWE should put forth the best possible match it can for this special occasion. Keep Stephanie out of the ring, at least until Rousey has gotten her start against better performers.