WWE Greatest Royal Rumble was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event and WWE Network event promoted by WWE for their Raw and SmackDown brands. The event was held on April 27, 2018 at the King Abdullah Sports City's King Abdullah International Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The event was scheduled for 7:00 p.m. local time. It aired live in the United States at noon EDT, with a pre-show starting at 11 a.m. EDT. At the event, all men's main roster championships were defended, in addition to a 50-man Royal Rumble match.
John Cena vs Triple H
The actual pay-per-view opened with John Cena facing Triple H. During the match, Cena performed an Attitude Adjustment on Triple H for a near-fall. Cena attempted another Attitude Adjustment but Triple H countered into a Pedigree for a near-fall. In the end, Cena performed a second Attitude Adjustment on Triple H, a catapult into the corner, and a third Attitude Adjustment to pick up the victory. Following the match, Cena thanked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their hospitality, and expressed excitement over the event.
In the following match, Cedric Alexander defended the Cruiserweight Championship against Kalisto. The match ended when Alexander countered a Salida Del Sol attempt into a Lumbar Check to retain the title.
Next, the vacant Raw Tag Team Championship was contested between the team of Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy and the former champions, Cesaro and Sheamus. In the end, Hardy distracted Sheamus, allowing Wyatt to perform a Sister Abigail on him. Hardy and Wyatt then performed a wheelbarrow Twist of Fate on Sheamus to win the title.
Jeff Hardy then defended the United States Championship against Jinder Mahal. Hardy performed a Swanton Bomb on Mahal to retain the title.
After that, The Bludgeon Brothers defended the SmackDown Tag Team Championship against The Usos. Harper and Rowan retained the title after performing The Reckoning on Jimmy Uso.
Next, Seth Rollins defended the Intercontinental Championship against Finn Balor, Samoa Joe and The Miz in a Ladder match. Near the end of the match, Balor attempted to retrieve the title, only for Rollins to springboard onto the ladder and retrieve the title belt, thus retaining the championship.
In a segment between matches, four prospects from the recent Saudi tryouts came out to the ring to introduce themselves. Cruiserweight Ariya Daivari and his brother Shawn Daivari, who had not appeared for WWE in many years, came out to interrupt them. The Saudi prospects attacked and cleared the Daivari brothers from the ring.
Later, AJ Styles defended the WWE Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura. During the match, Nakamura resorted to various illegal tactics, such as a low blow, increasingly frustrating Styles. In the end, both Nakamura and Styles fought outside of the ring, only for the match to end in a double countout. After the match, Styles performed a Phenomenal Forearm to the floor on Nakamura.
After that, The Undertaker fought Rusev (who was accompanied by Aiden English) in a Casket match. At the end of the match, Undertaker performed a chokeslam on Rusev and rolled him into the casket. Before he could close the lid, English attacked the Undertaker, who retailiated with another chokeslam and a Tombstone Piledriver before putting English into the casket alongside Rusev and closing it for the victory.
In the penultimate match, Brock Lesnar (accompanied by Paul Heyman) defended the Universal Championship against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match. Reigns performed three spears on Lesnar for a near-fall. Reigns tried to escape through the door but Heyman pushed the door into Reigns, allowing Lesnar to execute an F5 on Reigns for a near-fall. In the end, Reigns performed a Spear through the cage wall on Lesnar. Despite Reigns touching the floor first, the referee awarded the win to Lesnar, thereby retaining the Universal Championship.
50 man Royal Rumble match
Braun Strowman, eliminated Big Cass to win the match. Strowman also achieved the most eliminations of a single Royal Rumble match at 13, beating out a record previously held by Roman Reigns with 12. Post-match, Strowman received a trophy and a green championship belt.
The Whispers
The Whispers are a Los Angeles-based rhythm and blues band. They have had several hit records since the 1960s. The Whispers were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003. They were winners of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's "Pioneer Award" in 2008. By popular vote, they were inducted into the SoulMusic Hall of Fame in December 2012. They were later inducted into the Official R&B Music Hall of Fame in 2014.
The Whispers formed in 1964 in the Watts, California, a neighborhood of Los Angeles.
They had many R&B and United States "Billboard" Hot 100 hit songs in the 1970s and 1980s. The songs included "Rock Steady", "And the Beat Goes On" and several other songs.
Celia Barquín Arozamena
Celia Barquín Arozamena (6 July 1996 – 17 September 2018) was a Spanish amateur golfer. In July 2018, she won the European Ladies Amateur Championship. She finished one stroke ahead of German Esther Henseleit. She was a student at Iowa State University (ISU) in the United States. She was a member of the university's Iowa State Cyclones women's golf team from 2014 until her death. She represented her country at the Youth Olympic Games in 2014. She was born in Puente San Miguel, Reocín, Cantabria.
On 17 September 2018, Barquín was found dead on a golf course in Ames, Iowa. She was 22. Police said she was murdered by stabbing. A man was arrested and taken into custody for her murder.
Effingham County, Illinois
Effingham County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the population was 34,242. Its county seat and largest city is Effingham.
Some other cities in Effingham County, Illinois include Altamont, Teutopolis (T-Town), Beecher City, Montrose, Dieterich, Shumway, Watson, Mason, Edgewood, and Funkhouser.
Fayette County
Fayette County is the name of eleven counties in the United States, each named for the Marquis de Lafayette, a Frenchman who served in the American Revolution:
Fayette County, Illinois
Fayette County is a county in Illinois.
Ford County, Illinois
Ford County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. In the 2010 census, 14,081 people lived there. The county seat is Paxton.
Fulton County, Illinois
Fulton County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 37,069. Its county seat is Lewistown, and the largest city is Canton.
Fulton County was founded in 1823 and named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the steamboat.
Gallatin County
Gallatin County is the name of three counties in the United States:
Gallatin County, Illinois
Gallatin County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 5,589, making it the fifth-least populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Shawneetown. Gallatin County was founded in 1812 and named for Albert Gallatin.
Hamilton County, Illinois
Hamilton County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 8,457. Its county seat is McLeansboro. Hamilton County was founded in 1821 and named for Alexander Hamilton, Revolutionary War hero and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury.
Hancock County, Illinois
Hancock County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 19,104. Its county seat is Carthage, and largest city is Hamilton. The county is made up of rural towns with many farmers.
Hancock County was founded in 1825 and named in honor of John Hancock, who clearly signed the Declaration of Independence.
Hardin County, Illinois
Hardin County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 4,320, making it the least populous county in Illinois. The county seat is Elizabethtown.