Hey fans! It’s @TheMagnumDA with another installment of the PPV Pick’em report. This time, we’re going to make our picks for the GREATEST ROYAL RUMBLE, which will take place in just a few hours LIVE on the WWE Network from Saudi Arabia. The stadium and the set look absolutely incredible. I can’t wait for this show.

I’ll be honest: Our WrestleMania picks were pretty disastrous. Then again, I think a lot of people incorrectly predicted how things were going to go. Still, it was a great time and it was a pleasure to make new friends from multiple continents. Cheers to new friends Mike and Joe from North England, and to White Sox Jim from Australia! Thanks for the drinks, and thanks for partying with us! You guys rule.

Here’s a recap of the scores so far in 2018:

Colin: 18 Pick’em Points
@TheMagnumDA: 18 Pick’em Points
Tricky Don: 17 Pick’em Points
Heel Turn Tom: 17 Pick’em Points

Wait a minute! How could this be?! I’ve been told that Tricky Don and Heel Turn Tom are going to consolidate their picks, just as they did with the Royal Rumble! Nefarious!

WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Cedric Alexander (c) vs. Kalisto

Tricky Don & Heel Turn Tom: We feel like this will be a wild night of matches. This will be fun and high-flying. Many titles will change tonight, but Cedric Alexander will win and defend successfully.

Magnum: What a fantastic opponent for Cedric. Kalisto is the man. I had the pleasure of meeting him in New Orleans during WrestleMania Axxess. He’s a really good dude with a big heart. Unfortunately, this won’t be his night. Cedric retains.

Colin: Having just won the title at WrestleMania…and after a tournament, I don’t see this title changing hands so quickly. Cedric for the win.

John Cena vs. Triple H

Tricky Don & Heel Turn Tom: No story lines? No problem. Two of the best workers who could have been used just in the Rumble. Cena must pose and sell shirts. Cena wins in a mat classic.

Magnum: I can’t believe I’m saying this, but my heart goes out to John Cena. He’s gotta be going through a tough time right now. I hope he’s able to focus on the match, because he’s going in there with a killer. I’m pulling for Big Match John…he needs this one. Give me John Cena to win.

Colin: I kinda wish that Cena would go on a long losing streak and then it’s built for his 17th title win. But probably it won’t happen (the losing streak that is). Cena just jobbed at WrestleMania, and Cena is the bigger star here, and I don’t think Triple H will have a problem doing the job at this stage of his career.

Casket Match: The Undertaker vs. Rusev

Tricky Don & Heel Turn Tom: It may be “Rusev Day”, but this will be a quick match and Undertaker will bury Rusev.

Magnum: The controversy behind this match was so silly. That said, Rusev’s tweet was pretty hilarious. I don’t believe Vince found it too funny, though. Undertaker is coming to lay down a path of destruction. My question is…whoever loses this match, how are they going to come back for the Rumble?

What would be amazing…is if Rusev upsets The Undertaker, and then during the Rumble…the casket is brought out to the stage and a lightning bolt hits it, causing the door to fly open and The Undertaker to make his entrance into the Royal Rumble. But yeah, that won’t happen. Undertaker wins.

Colin: He will bury him softly, brother. I’ll be surprised if this goes longer than 5 minutes. Taker wins, no questions asked.

WWE Raw Tag Team Championship:
Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy vs. The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus)

Tricky Don & Heel Turn Tom: This is a no-brainer. With The Bar going to Smackdown Live, the shake-up took away any doubt. Wyatt and Hardy will procure gold and become the new Raw Tag Team Champions.

Magnum: This is the first of three title matches with unique implications. The Bar said on Smackdown Live that if they won the titles back, they’d return to Raw. Does the same hold true for Jinder Mahal and the US Title? What about The Miz or Samoa Joe with the IC Title? The very thought makes my brain hurt…which is exactly how I feel after watching Matt Hardy’s promos. I’ll give the duke to Wyatt & Hardy.

Colin: With Sheamus and Cesaro off to Smackdown, it would be kinda stupid to have them win the Raw Tag Team titles, no? Or so logic would dictate, at least. Hardy and Wyatt are my pick to win the belts of gold. Or whatever that title is made of.

WWE Smackdown Live Tag Team Championship:
Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs. The Usos

Tricky Don & Heel Turn Tom: This will be another Bludgeon Brothers beat-down. There will be no Naomi for the save in Jeddah. The Bludgeon Brothers will also be one of the few champions to win and defend their titles.

Magnum: As I said on my Smackdown Live TV report, I thought that Harper and Rowan looked like total geeks this week. I hope they are given a strong, definitive win without any distractions or run-ins. They need it to solidify themselves as champions. Give me the Bludgeon Brothers to retain, BROTHER. 😀

Colin: Cute trick on Smackdown this week with Naomi. I guess they did it now because they can’t do it Friday, right? LOL! Bludgeon Brothers retain.

WWE United States Championship: Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Jinder Mahal

Tricky Don & Heel Turn Tom: We think 50/50 booking will happen, meaning this will be a short title run for Hardy. Jinder Mahal will get the pinfall and take the US Title back to Raw.

Magnum: Again, the title/show situation is so confusing to me that I can’t pick against the champion here. Jeff Hardy has something going on with Randy Orton and Shelton Benjamin, and I’m not sure how that continues without the championship in the picture…and since I think the IC title will stay on Raw, I think the US title will stay on Smackdown Live. Hardy wins.

Colin: The same thinking of the Raw Tag Team titles match applies for this one too. Jeff moving to Smackdown will help the brand and giving him the title was smart. No way Jinder will win. Right? …..Right?

WWE Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match:
Seth Rollins vs. Finn Bálor vs. Samoa Joe vs. The Miz

Tricky Don & Heel Turn Tom: The shake-up of titles will continue in this match. It will be hard to top the Triple Threat IC Title match at WrestleMania. Seth and Finn will have the most impressive ladder moves, but the match will end with The Miz climbing the ladder and bringing the IC title back to Smackdown, where he will feud with Daniel Bryan.

Magnum: Joe’s got Reigns on his radar. Miz has Bryan on his radar. Rollins and Balor are about to be on each other’s radar. I think that Rollins will retain, and move onto a one-on-one feud with Finn later this Spring.

Colin: This will be interesting. Miz reclaiming the title and going to Smackdown sounds interesting. For this to happen, Hardy has to lose the US Title to Mahal though. I’m thinking Rollins will retain in this one and then get into a decent program against Balor.

WWE Championship: AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Tricky Don & Heel Turn Tom: I am seeing a lot of 50/50 booking on this PPV. Heel Nakamura will be more aggressive. I am curious what AJ will do to counter all the nut-shots. After the match of the night, Shinsuke will be the new WWE Champion.

Magnum: “KICK HIS DAMN HEAD IN!” was my battle cry to Shinsuke at WrestleMania (at which point, Heel Turn Tom turned babyface and had to restrain me). I was crestfallen when *both* Asuka and Nakamura lost their title matches. My feelings are…since both of them couldn’t win the big one, they probably won’t win the next one. AJ Styles to retain. Don’t be surprised if Styles wins by DQ after a ballshot…but also, don’t be surprised if he’s *prepared* for it this time around.

Colin: I’m actually liking heel Nakamura. He’s being such a dick! I hope their match is better than the one at Mania. I’m undecided on this one, as it can go either way. I don’t know if Nakamura will lose clean twice in a row. That sorta kills the feud, no? And then what happens at Backlash? Nakamura/AJ III in a span of a month? And AJ is the face here so he won’t lose via DQ. Aargh. Somehow, someway, AJ retains.

WWE Universal Championship Steel Cage Match:
Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns

Tricky Don & Heel Turn Tom: This time, it’s in a steel cage. The title change that should have happened in New Orleans *will* happen tonight. Roman walks out as WWE Universal Champion, but still to a chorus of boo’s.

Magnum: Yeah, I am quite sure that this could be it for Brock Lesnar. I think Vince wanted to swerve the fans at WrestleMania, knowing that he could get his big title switch on this show. It’s going to be interesting if Reigns defends the Universal Championship against a Smackdown Live guy at the first co-branded PPV Backlash. I think that Roman’s time has finally come. He CAN’T lose another big match, can he? He’d be sunk, otherwise.

Colin: This is a tough one. Brock wants UFC fights…which are in a cage…but book him to lose in a WWE cage match against Reigns? I don’t know. Yeah, it’s different, but you get my point. On the other hand, if Reigns loses again, then he will come out looking weaker than ever. He got beat up for 3 straight weeks (or was that 4?) leading up to Mania…AND at Mania. Now he loses in a rematch he wasn’t entitled to in the first place? Very difficult to predict. What is interesting is that WWE never said how long Lesnar signed for as in previous years. It could be just a trick and maybe he signed for one deal only which in this case he would lose the title. If Roman wins, then he faces a Smackdown Superstar at Backlash for the Universal title. I know, I’m overthinking this. If Brock is leaving, there’s nothing better for WWE to make him job in a cage of all places. And I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the whole thinking behind this. Screw it, THE BIG DOG wins. Roman Reigns becomes the new Universal Champion.

The Greatest Royal Rumble Match
THIS PICK IS WORTH 3 POINTS (!!!)

Tricky Don & Heel Turn Tom: I’m going to be curious who will be surprise entrances. If this match had any title shot at the end, my pick may be different. The final four will be Braun Strowman, Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, and Big Cass. Corbin and Big Cass will take out Lashley, and then they will GET THESE HANDS as Strowman eliminates Cass and then Corbin to win it all. Rawr!

Magnum: I keep thinking back to previous Royal Rumble events, and how fans were clamoring for Daniel Bryan to come in and kick some ass. They were let down in 2014, 2015, and 2016. I think that if Bryan’s going to be in this match, he’s going to be the man. Looking ahead, Bryan needs to find a way to put himself in the title picture. What better way to do this than to win the Rumble. Similar to past years, if he’s eliminated early…it’s going to take the wind out of everyone’s sails. Strowman’s going to break the all-time record for eliminations, but Bryan will be the last man standing. YES!

Colin: I think the obvious winners here for me would be either Daniel Bryan or Braun Strowman. Maybe too quick for Daniel Bryan….and Strowman has good momentum. So I’m picking Braun to send everybody home happy.

All right guys, that’s going to do it for tonight’s GREATEST ROYAL RUMBLE Pick’em! Enjoy the show, and feel free to live tweet with me (@TheMagnumDA) during today’s broadcast! MagnumDA, signing off.