12 HUGE WWE Royal Rumble 2018 Predictions You Need To Know

3. Elements Of Surprise

trish stratus lita
WWE.com

Though giving the victory to an unannounced challenger (with one glaring exception - more on her later) would grossly undermine the point of the historic occasion, an impressive run for a legend wouldn't go amiss with so many potential spots available to credible names from bygone eras.

Smiling and waving on Raw 25 can't have been the only reason Trish Stratus made the trip back into the WWE locker room after shrewdly dodging the hideous WrestleMania 25 Miss WrestleMania Battle Royal. Lita similarly swerved an artistic low-point for the league, electing to take a pass on a multi-woman scrap eventually won by a comedy male in drag. She missed Monday's celebration outright, despite noting how she featured on the commemorative chair given to ringsiders in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Both would be hugely welcome additions to the match, and expect them to put in memorable shifts in the inaugural brawl. Fleshing out the field, Beth Phoenix, Molly Holly and countless others would be equally welcome. WWE may still cast aspersions on some of the years it treats with disdain, but the performers that escaped with their dignity from such a dire scene deserve extra praise.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett