Should a Championship be on the line in the Royal Rumble?

[rrg251]

Should one of the two top championships be on the line in the Royal Rumble match itself, as opposed to the #1 Contendership at WrestleMania?

I'd like to propose an idea: Both brands' champions face each other at Survivor Series. The winning, or "Surviving" champion gets to keep their title. The loser has to vacate and their championship goes to the winner of the Royal Rumble match. Is this something you'd like to see WWE implement? I could see this being a multi-year tradition that spikes interest in both Survivor Series and the Rumble. What do you guys think?

[clc]

No. I like the Rumble stipulation being the winner gets to Main event Wrestlemania.

This may be unpopular, but I'm okay with Survivor Series' gimmick being War Games. People say War Games should be reserved for blood feuds as the feud-ender, but I have never been a big fan of the War Games match as some sort of final blow off match. It never felt like a definitive feud-ender to me because there is always a weak link on the team. Maybe if it wasn't always an established heel team vs a thrown together face team? Maybe if they brought back the submit or surrender aspect it would work? Giving up on your team feels way more final than the one scrub out of the 10 people eating a pin.
What War Games does offer is a fun spectacle match. So I'm okay with every year people trying to find team mates to play in the match beyond. Survivor Series has been the stale Big 4 for quite a while. For now, War Games has brought some fun to it.

[Tenshigure]

It’s too late for it to be made into storyline, but I totally could’ve seen them have Gunther put his IC title on the line in the Rumble, putting his streak on the line against the rest of the field to show how he is the superior wrestler, and then once he proves it (with plenty of close calls), he wins the thing for a shot at a championship (ie Seth).

Way too late in the game to set up that dynamic (would’ve been needed to start back around Survivor Series), but that’s how I’d elevate his position into true main event status while playing off his killer run last year.

[Magnus the Magnificent]

Once in a blue moon, if the story calls for it, like in 1992 and whatever year Roman was forced to put it on the line.
Ok, so 1992 was obviously miles better than Roman vs the world, but you know what I'm getting at.

[Mozenrath]

The only way I am good with this is if there is a specific reason for it. So, if Seth is legitimately injured to the degree where they want to take the belt off of him, for example, then I am totally okay with them having this Rumble be for a title, and they can put it on Punk or Drew or whoever. Otherwise, I am not really keen on it being done for the sake of doing it.

[Schizo]

Watch the Royal Rumble 2016 match

[HIM]

If Seth is truly injured then yeah, put his belt on the line for a champion. It's perfect. It has to be a specific situation like that otherwise nah, keep it as is.

[ChitownKnight]

If Ambrose won that 2016 Rumble, that would of been well worth it

[cosmo]

I’d put a champ in the Rumble, but don’t have it be for their title. Keep the “winner gets a Mania title shot” rule, but if the champ wins, they get to pick who they defend against at Mania. Maybe add in some kind of stipulation where whomever eliminates them before they can reach the final two gets a reward.

[chazraps]

Hang on now, I think there is an idea for a b-story for the Rumble here that could be good.

Not necessarily whoever wins the Rumble, BUT if a secondary champion like Gunther or Logan Paul opted to put their title on the line and said "whomever eliminates me wins it" that could be a cool side element. Or maybe a tag team champion enters and says whomever eliminates them becomes the new tag team title #1 contenders and can pick whomever they want as their partner for a shot. I think, while it wouldn't be the top prize for winning, there *is* something there storyline-wise for a super confident / overconfident champion that could add more dimensions and stories coming out of the Rumble.

[Tenshigure]

Jan 17, 2024 12:42:24 GMT -5 chazraps said:

Hang on now, I think there is an idea for a b-story for the Rumble here that could be good.

Not necessarily whoever wins the Rumble, BUT if a secondary champion like Gunther or Logan Paul opted to put their title on the line and said "whomever eliminates me wins it" that could be a cool side element. Or maybe a tag team champion enters and says whomever eliminates them becomes the new tag team title #1 contenders and can pick whomever they want as their partner for a shot. I think, while it wouldn't be the top prize for winning, there *is* something there storyline-wise for a super confident / overconfident champion that could add more dimensions and stories coming out of the Rumble.

Exactly my sentiment, and also exactly why I thought Gunther would've been a prime candidate for this. We've had plenty of WrestleMania matches set up purely on an elimination of someone despite them not actually winning the whole thing (see Edge/Foley or Taker/HBK), and we've seen the main titles put on the line, but nothing that elevates the lower-level belts really.

Giving Gunther a narrative where he either proves his domination as the longest reigning IC champ by eliminating everyone else and setting himself up for a main event against someone, or losing the belt to a different person he ends up facing at WrestleMania (fingers crossed for Sheamus to return and set up an IC match so he can finally get his 'Ultimate Grand Slam' as he puts it).

[Jindrak Mark]

If the title happens to be vacant in January then sure but there's no real good kayfabe reason for a champ to be defending in the Rumble.

Jan 17, 2024 12:31:58 GMT -5 cosmo said:

I’d put a champ in the Rumble, but don’t have it be for their title. Keep the “winner gets a Mania title shot” rule, but if the champ wins, they get to pick who they defend against at Mania. Maybe add in some kind of stipulation where whomever eliminates them before they can reach the final two gets a reward.

I like that better than the title actually being on the line.

It would probably only work with a dominant/egomaniacal heel but someone holding a world title can enter the Rumble and say they're going to win it then take the other world title too. Obviously they wouldn't win but it's a big moment for whoever eliminates them and can set up a Mania match, like Drew eliminating Brock in 2020.

[welshpenguin]

Every now & then maybe, but not every year.

[Friday Night SmackOwn]

Jan 17, 2024 15:36:44 GMT -5 Jindrak Mark said:

If the title happens to be vacant in January then sure but there's no real good kayfabe reason for a champ to be defending in the Rumble.

Jan 17, 2024 12:31:58 GMT -5 cosmo said:

I’d put a champ in the Rumble, but don’t have it be for their title. Keep the “winner gets a Mania title shot” rule, but if the champ wins, they get to pick who they defend against at Mania. Maybe add in some kind of stipulation where whomever eliminates them before they can reach the final two gets a reward.

I like that better than the title actually being on the line.

It would probably only work with a dominant/egomaniacal heel but someone holding a world title can enter the Rumble and say they're going to win it then take the other world title too. Obviously they wouldn't win but it's a big moment for whoever eliminates them and can set up a Mania match, like Drew eliminating Brock in 2020.

I think this would work for Roman where he enters himself in the Rumble in the hopes of winning so that he doesn't have to face anyone at Mania. Then someone eliminates him to set up their match.

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

Jan 17, 2024 12:31:58 GMT -5 cosmo said:

I’d put a champ in the Rumble, but don’t have it be for their title. Keep the “winner gets a Mania title shot” rule, but if the champ wins, they get to pick who they defend against at Mania. Maybe add in some kind of stipulation where whomever eliminates them before they can reach the final two gets a reward.

I believe they did specifically that with Charlotte Flair in 2022, mostly in part because the women's division had the depth of a paper plate at that point in time. Hell, she even did get eliminated by the person who won and eventually fought her at WrestleMania (Rousey).

[cosmo]

Jan 18, 2024 0:59:33 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

Jan 17, 2024 12:31:58 GMT -5 cosmo said:

I’d put a champ in the Rumble, but don’t have it be for their title. Keep the “winner gets a Mania title shot” rule, but if the champ wins, they get to pick who they defend against at Mania. Maybe add in some kind of stipulation where whomever eliminates them before they can reach the final two gets a reward.

I believe they did specifically that with Charlotte Flair in 2022, mostly in part because the women's division had the depth of a paper plate at that point in time. Hell, she even did get eliminated by the person who won and eventually fought her at WrestleMania (Rousey).

Now that you mention it, I think they did something similar when Chavo Guerrero entered the 2008 Rumble a week after he’d won the ECW title. The announcers sounded kinda confused and speculated that he could just pick his own title to challenge for at Mania and thus take that weekend off.