The WWE website has confirmed that the finals of the WWE United States Title tournament will no longer be taking place at the January 28th Royal Rumble pay-per-view. The finals will now take place at the January 23rd SmackDown episode from the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.
Tonight’s SmackDown will still feature both semi-final matches - Xavier Woods vs. Jinder Mahal and Bobby Roode vs. Mojo Rawley. The winners of those matches will then meet the following week to crown a new champion.
Speculation is that the champion crowned on January 23rd will now face former champion Dolph Ziggler at the Royal Rumble. Ziggler never officially announced that he was relinquishing the title but the storyline is that SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan took Ziggler’s actions, laying the title down in the ring and walking away while later ignoring Bryan’s calls, as his way of relinquishing.
With the finals pulled from the Rumble, below is the updated card for the big event. The Rumble pay-per-view takes place on January 28th from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
30-Man Royal Rumble Match
John Cena, Finn Balor, Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura, Elias, Baron Corbin, Matt Hardy, Bray Wyatt, Aiden English, Rusev, Titus O’Neil, Apollo Crews, TBA
30-Woman Royal Rumble Match
Asuka, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan, Sasha Banks, Nia Jax, Bayley, Naomi, Natalya, Sonya Deville, Mandy Rose, Mickie James, Tamina Snuka, Lana, Carmella, Becky Lynch, Dana Brooke, TBA
Triple Threat for the WWE Universal Title
Kane vs. Braun Strowman vs. Brock Lesnar
2-on-1 Handicap Match for the WWE Title
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles
RAW Tag Team Title Match
Sheamus and Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan
2 of 3 Falls for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles
Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin vs. The Usos
WWE Cruiserweight Title Match
Cedric Alexander vs. Enzo Amore
