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WWE Greatest Royal Rumble: Results, Updates, Highlights from Saudi Arabia

See the full list of results from WWE’s 2018 Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia. 

Dan Gartland

WWE Greatest Royal Rumble: Results, Updates, Highlights from Saudi Arabia
WWE Greatest Royal Rumble: Results, Updates, Highlights from Saudi Arabia /

WWE fans were unsure whether Friday’s long-awaited Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia would be WrestleMania 34.5 or the world’s biggest house show. It was the latter. 

The loaded card included seven title matches but no one lost their belts. (The only title change was Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy winning the vacant Raw Tag Team Championships.) Most notably, Roman Reigns lost the Universal Championship match against Brock Lesnar on a technicality. 

The 50-man Royal Rumble match was the highlight of the show and featured a handful of fun surprise entrants, such as Hornswoggle.

Below you will find a full list of results, followed by highlights as they appeared in our live blog. 

• What is the Greatest Royal Rumble, Why Is it in Saudi Arabia and Everything Else You Need to Know

Full match card with results (winners in bold)

• John Cena vs. Triple H

• Cruiserweight Championship — Cedric Alexander (c) vs. Kalisto

• Raw Tag Team Championship — Sheamus and Cesaro vs. Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy

• United States Championship — Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Jinder Mahal

• SmackDown Tag Team Championship — The Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs. The Usos

​• Ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship — Seth Rollins (c) vs. The Miz vs. Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe

​• WWE Championship — AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (double count-out, Styles retains)

​• Casket match — The Undertaker vs. Rusev

​• Steel cage match for Universal Championship — Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns

​• 50-man Greatest Royal Rumble — Winner: Braun Strowman

Triple H vs. John Cena

We’re underway in Saudi Arabia with Triple H and John Cena getting things started. 

Cena wins in a sub-par match that featured a couple of botches but the crowd was totally into it and sounds like it’ll be hot all night. 

Triple H was able to kick out of Cena’s first AA but Cena pinned him with the second to keep the crowd happy to start the show. 

Cruiserweight Championship — Cedric Alexander vs. Kalisto

The high fliers are up next on this packed card, facing off for the Cruiserweight title. 

So much for the crowd staying hot. It sounds like the Saudi fans are just as disinterested in the cruiserweights as Americans are. From a technical perspective, this match was stronger than HHH-Cena. The crowd just didn’t connect with these two. 

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In the end, Alexander retains the belt. 

Raw Tag Team Championship — Sheamus and Cesaro vs. Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy

Well, we already know which way this one is going. Sheamus and Cesaro were sent to SmackDown in the Superstar Shakeup so I don’t think they’re winning the Raw belts.

Wyatt and Hardy showed again that they’re great together as a tag team, and the Saudi crowd was very much into the “Woken” gimmick. 

Surprise, surprise. Wyatt and Hardy win. They’re your new Raw tag champs. 

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

​Matt’s brother Jeff is up next, defending his U.S. title against Jinder Mahal. 

Jeff Hardy hits the Swanton Bomb on Jinder and is still your champion. We still haven’t had a belt change hands tonight. 

SmackDown Tag Team Championship — The Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs. The Usos

​After a brief break for the evening prayer, the show is rolling again with this title bout. 

Well, that was fast. The Bludgeon Brothers win a squash match in just a matter of minutes to retain their belts. 

Ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship — Seth Rollins vs. The Miz vs. Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe

Finn Balor’s entrance was probably the best of this match, but it’s awesome to see Samoa Joe back on the PPV stage.

All four wrestlers had their moments in this match, whether it was Joe doing damage with the ladders and with his brawn or The Miz turning the tables. 

In the end, it was Rollins snatching the belt from Balor’s fingertips to retain the championship.

Balor got busted open when the belt hit him in the face and shared a photo of the aftermath.

WWE tryout winners vs. the Daivari brothers

You will never, ever get more heel than by stoking the fires of religious sectarianism. The Daivari brothers got easily the loudest reaction of anyone when they came out to talk smack to WWE’s new Saudi signings. 

WWE Championship — AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

It’s time for the rematch of the dream match. We’re getting into the meat of the card now. 

Nakamura is such a more compelling performer now that he’s working heel. It’s just the refresh he needed.

There will be no winner, though. Styles retains the belt by virtue of a double count-out. 

Casket match — The Undertaker vs. Rusev

It’s time for the legend to enter the ring and the crowd is amped up. Rusev is already expecting to Taker’s next victim and spends the first moments of the match avoiding him.

Taker not only buried Rusev, but his buddy Aiden English as well and earned his 101st PPV victory.

Steel cage match for Universal Championship — Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns

Everyone thought Roman Reigns was finally going over and winning the Universal Championship from Brock Lesnar. Nope. 

Reigns was dominating the match but lost when he speared Lesnar through the side of the cage. Lesnar hit the ground first, meaning he was declared the winner. 

Will he ever get over?

50-man Greatest Royal Rumble match

Here we go, the namesake main event. This one is going to take a while. 

WWE already announced about half of the field, so I’ll just drop in the surprise entrants.

Hiroki Sumi doesn’t even bring up any Google results!

It’s not a PPV unless Shane McMahon goes through a table.

Braun Strowman is your winner, after he eliminated Daniel Bryan and Big Cass to be the last man standing. 

But the must-see moment of the match was Titus O’Neil tripping on his way to the ring and finding himself under the ring. 

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Dan Gartland
DAN GARTLAND

Dan Gartland is the writer and editor of Sports Illustrated’s flagship daily newsletter, SI:AM, covering everything an educated sports fan needs to know. He joined the SI staff in 2014, having previously been published on Deadspin and Slate. Gartland, a graduate of Fordham University, is a former Sports Jeopardy! champion (Season 1, Episode 5).

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