Men's Royal Rumble Match: WWE Royal Rumble 2018 winners, video highlights and analysis
The men's Royal Rumble match, surprisingly, is not the main event of this year's Rumble. The match was won by Shinsuke Nakamura, who eliminated Roman Reigns to earn a chance to face off the champion of his choice at WrestleMania 2018.
The #1 man to enter the 2018 Royal Rumble is Rusev, who is introduced in his iconic way by Aiden English, to a very enthusiastic Philly crowd. Rusev's first competitor and the #2 entry in the match is Finn Balor.
The two eyeball each other and Rusev almost immediately tries to use his power to throw Balor out of the ring. Rusev then picks up Balor to put him over the top, but Balor tries to counter; Rusev throws him down to the floor, while Balor drop kicks Rusev, before the #3 in Rumble enters - Rhyno.
Rhyno landed a belly-to-belly on Rusev and then manhandled Balor with his power. Rusev then attacked Rhyno from behind and then landed a kick.
#4 is Baron Corbin, ran into the ring and then put all three to the floor; and then eliminated Rhyno. Almost immediately, Corbin is thrown over the top by Finn Balor; an infuriated Corbin then drags both Balor and Rusev and attacks them before officials and referees drag him to the locker room.
On the top of the ramp, serial jobber, Heath Slater, who is at #5 is taken out by Corbin with a huge clothesline.
Slater, Rusev and Balor, who are the three people in the ring, are all down.
#6 is Elias, who brought out his trusted guitar and played a song - kicking Slater on the way to the ring - sings a song as the clock counts down to zero.
Andrade Cien Almas, the NXT Champion, is #7 to the ring and he kicked Slater on the way to the ring, too. Elias tries to throw Almas out, but the NXT champ recovers and even lands two knees to the guitar-wielding Superstar. Elias somehow recovered and landed a huge clothesline.
#8 in the 2018 Royal Rumble is Bray Wyatt, who also kicks Slater on the way to the ring. Wyatt lands a huge clothesline on Balor and an uranagi on Elias. Rusev tries to enter the ring but is knocked out of the ring multiple times by Wyatt.
#9 is Big E, who takes out a few pancakes and feeds it to Slater. E lands a belly-to-belly on Wyatt, while Rusev tries to eliminate Almas, Wyatt on Big E, and Elias and Balor.
#10 is Tye Dillinger, quite appropriately, but Dillinger is assaulted backstage by Owens and Zayn, who are incensed at finish to their match against AJ Styles earlier in the night.
Zayn, who is not announced for the match, enters and tries to throw Balor over the ropes.
#11 Sheamus is next, and unlike the other Superstars, Slater is pushed into the ring by Irish Superstar. But Sheamus' kindness doesn't help him as he is thrown over by Slater, much to the delight of the audience! But Slater's celebration does not last long as Wyatt lands a Sister Abigail and throws him over. Slater eliminated!
#12 Xavier Woods entered next and goes after Wyatt, and then Woods and Big E team up and went to work on Zayn and Elias.
#13 Titus Worldwide's Apollo Crews is next and lands a superb drop kick on Wyatt. The New Day were still double teaming, while Almas is still in the ring, along with Rusev, Balor, Wyatt Zayn and two of The New Day.
#14 is SmackDown Live's Shinsuke Nakamura, his first Royal Rumble, and almost immediately lands a huge kick on Zayn and then a kick to Wyatt. The crowd are super over for Nakamura with loud "Nakamura" chants. Nakamura then eliminated Zayn with a kick to the gut.
#15 Cesaro is up next and landed upper cuts on a few Superstars and tried to eliminate Balor. Cesaro is almost eliminated but he recovers and exchanges punches with Rusev.
#16 Kofi Kingston is in next and all three New Day members are in the ring. Kofi runs in enthusiastically but is welcomed with a huge punch by Cesaro.
Crews holds Cesaro over his held, but he's then pushed to the apron, where Cesaro lands a huge punch to eliminate Crews. Apollo Crews eliminated.
#17 is former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal, whose first Royal Rumble, and lands a suplex on Woods, and then Woods retaliates with a kick; Jinder then throws Woods out of the ring. Xavier Woods eliminated. Mahal then eliminates Big E who came to the aid of Woods.
#18 is Seth Rollins is in next and after going to work on a few Superstars, acrobatically eliminates Cesaro.
Jinder Mahal tries to eliminate a third New Day member, Kofi Kingston, but Jinder can't eliminate him even though Kingston lands outside as he lands on Woods' chest.
He then incredibly gets back in the ring and eliminates Jinder Mahal. Jinder Mahal eliminated.
Kofi Kingston is then eliminated by Almas.
#19 Matt Hardy is next and he eyeballs Bray Wyatt before the two, who are currently feuding, eliminate Rusev.
Wyatt and Hardy then eliminate each other by clotheslining each other over the top ropes.
#20 is John Cena who is welcomed with a chorus of "John Cena sucks" chants. The remaining Superstars all attack Cena and then Elias goes to work on Cena.
Cena lifts him over his head and eliminates Elias. Elias eliminated. Balor, Rollins, Almas and Nakamura along with Cena are the remaining ones.
#21 Hurricane is the next one in! A surprising entry indeed.
He goes for a chokeslam on John Cena but he's also thrown out of the ring, almost immediately.
#22 Aiden English is the next one in and goes to work on Rollins and then Balor and then Cena. Nakamura tries to eliminate English.
#23 NXT's Adam Cole is the next one in, who is taped up after the previous night's NXT Takeover match.
Balor eliminates English, who was on the third rope.
#24 Randy Orton, a two-time Royal Rumble winner, and almost immediately clotheslines Adam Cole and then goes to RKO Cena; Almas flies high to land a crossbody but Orton lands a superb RKO and then eliminates Almas.
Cole and Cena tries to eliminate Balor.
#25 Titus O'Neill is next and he goes to work on Cena and tries to push him over the top rope, but Cena holds on.
#26 Intercontinental champion, The Miz, is next and lands a neckbreaker on Rollins and then a DDT to Cena, followed by the IT kicks. He then lands a skull-crushing finale on Cena, but Rollins followed it up with a superkick on Miz.
#27 is Rey Mysterio and the crowd erupts as he makes his return after three years!
He then goes to work on Cole and then acrobatically eliminates Adam Cole and then the 619 on The Miz!
#28 "The Big Dog" Roman Reigns is next and lands a huge right on Cena, Orton, Mysterio, and Cews. Reigns and The Miz eyeball each other, and The Miz is clotheslined; and Crews runs into Miz.
Reigns tries to eliminate Miz who holds on to the apron and is saved by The Miztourage. Reigns and Rollins double team to throw Miz out. The Miz eliminated.
Reigns takes advantage of the situation and throws his Shield partner, Rollins, out of the ring. Seth Rollins eliminated.
#29 is Goldust who almost throws Orton out of the ring.
Mysterio, Reigns, Orton, Nakamura, Cena, Balor and Goldust are the ones in the ring.
#30 is Dolph Ziggler, who returns once more! Cena goes for the Attitude Adjustment on Ziggler, but he gets out; he then lands a huge superkick on Orton, and then eliminates Goldust.
Nakamura tries to overthrown Ziggler, but Ziggler stands on the apron. Balor tries to hit Nakamura who moves away and eliminates Ziggler.
Balor, Cena, Mysterio, Reigns, Nakamura and Orton are the final six. They eye each other before going to attack each other. Reigns is eliminated by Orton and then Mysterio lands a double 619 on Orton and Cena.
Balor then eliminates Mysterio!
Cena, Nakamura, Reigns and Balor are the final four of the match. The four look exhausted and lying on the floor on each corner of the ring.
Cena attacks Nakamura while Reigns attacks Balor before Cena and Reigns eye each other and Cena points to the WrestleMania sign, to a chorus of "You guys suck". Brutal Philly crowd.
Nakamura and Balor now attack Cena and Reigns and eye each other. Nakamura landed a huge kick on Balor, who lands on the apron, but he recovers with a kick to the head. All four final competitors are down.
Cena then lands a shoulder tackle, but Reigns recovers with a Samoan Drop. The Big Dog goes for the Superman Punch, but Cena knocks him down, and is about to go for the Five Knuckle Shuffle, but Balor clears the ring.
Nakamura then goes to town on Balor, but Balor is thrown out of the ring by Cena. Balor is eliminated.
Cena, Nakamura and Reigns are the final three of the 2018 Royal Rumble. Reigns and Cena go to town on Nakamura; Cena then lands a few shoulder tackles on Reigns and then a Five Knuckle Shuffle.
Reigns lands a Superman Punch and then lines up a spear on Cena, but Cena moved out and landed an AA of his own.
Cena is then thrown on the apron and after holding on for a bit is eliminated by Nakamura with a kick to the chest of Cena.
Nakamura and Reigns are the final two of the Men's Royal Rumble. The former has been in the Rumble for over 40 minutes!
Reigns almost eliminates Nakamura who lands on the apron; he then tries to acrobatically eliminate Reigns, but is powerbombed by The Big Dog. Reigns lined up Nakamura for a spear but The Artist kicked Reigns; now Nakamura lines up his finisher, the Kinshasa, but is speared by Reigns!
Nakamura then somehow landed a Kinshasa on Reigns and then throws Reigns over the top rope! That came out of nowhere!
Shinsuke Nakamura is the 2018 men's Royal Rumble winner and says he will face off against AJ Styles at WrestleMania 2018.