WWE Royal Rumble 2017: 10 Things That Must Happen
WrestleMania hinges on key decisions being made during the Rumble match itself...
Credit where credit is due, for the first time in years there's a big old question mark hanging over the Royal Rumble.
There's some serious star power in this year's 30-man match, meaning it should be the most exciting in recent memory. If things aren't handled properly though, the 2017 Rumble could suffer from the same problems the last three did. Namely, that the titular match actually ends up strangling the pay-per-view rather than ending it in satisfying fashion.
WrestleMania 33 needs the Royal Rumble to be a success, so what must happen on 29 January 29 for WWE to launch itself towards 2 April?
Raw has Fastlane and SmackDown will present Elimination Chamber before reaching 'Mania, but that doesn't alter the fact that the Rumble has to get things right.
30-man match and beyond, here's what needs to happen in the Alamodome on Sunday night...
10. Nia Jax Beats Sasha Banks
Announced on Monday Night Raw, Nia Jax will get Sasha Banks inside the ring during the Royal Rumble Kickoff show. This has been in the works for a while, as Banks moved straight from issues with Charlotte Flair to an underdog story opposite the larger Jax almost immediately.
Keeping in mind that Sasha is the bigger star, it's almost imperative that Nia comes out with the win on the Rumble pre-show. Should she lose, there's really nowhere else to take the story. After all, what does Banks have to prove against Jax if she has already beaten her on the first proper attempt?
WWE will likely use Sasha's ongoing leg injury to pin down the match, and it'd be foolish not to. Similar to the likes of Braun Strowman and Baron Corbin, Nia has a bullying style to her in-ring work that only feeds the injury idea further.
Jax winning is the right result, and WWE have the opportunity to book a babyface win elsewhere on the Kickoff show that would please the live crowd.