No matter what precautions and measures are taken, it is next to impossible for WWE to keep all the results of their matches from leaking out before they happen. The internet has totally ruined how wrestling used to be, and spoilers are out there for almost every single event. The WWE Universal Championship match at Sunday’s Royal Rumble has many fans thinking they know what will happen, but WWE’s own advertisements may have given it all away.
On Sunday evening, Kevin Owens will defend his Universal Championship against Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble . Unfortunately for Owens, his best friend Chris Jericho will be locked in a shark cage and elevated high above the ring, and that means he won’t be able to interfere.
This week on Monday Night Raw , it was announced that the title match would have the stipulation of being “No Disqualification,” and that changes things a bit. If the match is No DQ, why bother locking Jericho in the cage above the ring? If he’s not able to interfere, that stipulation certainly makes it seem as if someone will help out Kevin Owens retain.
That is where the possible spoilers now seem to make a lot more sense.
411 Mania reported that advertising for live events after the Royal Rumble have Roman Reigns taking on Braun Strowman in singles matches. These early ads have Kevin Owens appearing at those events, but they never said if he still had the WWE Universal Championship and didn’t have opponents listed for him either.
Now, some of the advertisements have been updated and it really does lend some credibility to the spoilers flying around. Wrestling Inc. is reporting that the Reigns vs. Strowman match is being advertised for a live event in White Plains, New York, on March 26.
Owens is also listed for that event, but he has a few opponents listed and it also states that he still has his title. Kevin Owens is listed in a match for the Universal Title and he is defending it against Seth Rollins, Rusev, and Sami Zayn.
It could simply be an early advertisement as event cards are always subject to change. If it isn’t a mistake, though, then that means he will not only retain the Universal Title over Reigns at the Royal Rumble , but he will also hold it through Fastlane in March and all the way into WrestleMania 33 .
Plans for WrestleMania 33 aren’t necessarily set in stone, but the company has a very good idea of possible plans for their biggest event of the year. Depending on what they want to do and how much actually gets out before the Royal Rumble , things could be altered even up to the matches on Sunday.
Kevin Owens has had a very good run with the Universal Title and fans still aren’t overly sold on Roman Reigns. Putting the title on Reigns at this point doesn’t mean he will go into WrestleMania 33 with it, as he could still lose it at Fastlane .
The biggest problem is if the company wants to get under the skin of the fans that much again by putting the Universal belt, yet another championship, on Reigns.
Honestly, this could be nothing more than a major swerve by WWE to fool everyone from the fans to the wrestling sites. The company may have sent out fake match listings for live events to throw everyone off and make them think something will happen, but it simply won’t.
While the 30-superstar over-the-top featured bout at the Royal Rumble may be rather difficult to predict, some of the other matches won’t be as hard with fewer variables. Unfortunately for WWE, their own advertising appears to be working against them. Of course, there is always the possibility that those are simply early previews, but if the Universal Championship match works out how the ads say it will, Kevin Owens will retain over Roman Reigns on Sunday.
[Featured Image by WWE]