Monster Jam World Finals 18

Monster Jam World Finals 18 is a upcoming event that will be held on March 23-25, 2017 at the Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, NV.

This will be the first World Finals where both Dennis Anderson and Tom Meents will not be competing, as they are both unable to compete due to injuries. They will still be present at the event, however, as honored guests.

Young Guns Shootout Line-Up (being refered to as the Double Down Showdown)

 * 1) Grave Digger  - Krysten Anderson (Double Down Showdown Debut)
 * 2) Blue Thunder - Matt Cody (Double Down Showdown Debut)
 * 3) Zombie - Ami Houde (Double Down Showdown Debut)
 * 4) Alien Invasion - Bernard Lyght (Double Down Showdown Debut)
 * 5) Pirate's Curse - Camden Murphy (Double Down Showdown Debut)
 * 6) Max-D 7 - Jared Eichelberger
 * 7) Monster Mutt Dalmatian - Cynthia Gauthier
 * 8) El Toro Loco (Red) - Mark List (Double Down Showdown Debut)
 * 9) El Toro Loco (Red) - Kayla Blood
 * 10) Earth Shaker - Tristan England (Double Down Showdown Debut)
 * 11) Scooby Doo - Bailey Shea Williams
 * 12) Stinger - Zane Rettew (Double Down Showdown Debut)
 * 13) Jester - Matt Pagliarulo (Double Down Showdown Debut)
 * 14) Rage - Cory Rummell (Double Down Showdown Debut)
 * 15) Obsessed - Eric Swanson
 * 16) Saigon Shaker - Ryan Disharoon

Line-Up (as of March 16th)

 * 1) Adam Anderson - Grave Digger #32C7pxbp5UwAAw3td.jpg large.jpg
 * 2) Morgan Kane - Grave Digger #33
 * 3) Jim Koehler - Avenger
 * 4) Cam McQueen - Northern Nightmare
 * 5) Jimmy Creten - Bounty Hunter
 * 6) Mikey Vaters - Overkill Evolution
 * 7) Charlie Pauken - Monster Mutt
 * 8) Ryan Anderson - Son-Uva Digger
 * 9) Coty Saucier - Monster Energy (Ford)
 * 10) Neil Elliott - Max-D #6
 * 11) Scott Buetow - Team Hot Wheels Firestorm (Grafitti)Mjwf thurs 0015.jpg
 * 12) Marc McDonald - El Toro Loco
 * 13) Candice Jolly - Monster Mutt Dalmatian
 * 14) Jon Zimmer - Dragon
 * 15) BJ Johnson - Gas Monkey Garage
 * 16) Brianna Mahon - Scooby Doo
 * 17) Matt Buyten - Metal Mulisha (World Finals Debut)
 * 18) Bari Musawwir - Zombie
 * 19) Chad Fortune - Soldier Fortune
 * 20) Lee O'Donnell - VP Racing Fuels The Mad Scientist
 * 21) Colton Eichelberger - Max-D #5
 * 22) Colt Stephens - FS1 Cleatus (World Finals Debut)
 * 23) Rosalee Ramer - Wild Flower (World Finals Debut)
 * 24) Bryce Kenny - Great Clips Mohawk Warrior (World Finals Debut)
 * 25) Becky McDonough - El Toro Loco (World Finals Debut)
 * 26) Buddy Tompkins - Razin' Kane (World Finals Debut)
 * 27) Randy Brown- Grave Digger #29 (Arena Tour #4 Champion)
 * 28) Linsey Weenk - Lucas Oil Crusader (Fox Sports 1 Points Series East Champion)
 * 29) Todd LeDuc - Monster Energy (Cadillac) (Fox Sports 1 Points Series West Champion)
 * 30) Tyler Menninga - Grave Digger 23 (East Coast More Monster Jam Champion) (World Finals Debut)
 * 31) Alex Blackwell - Megalodon
 * 32) Tristan England - Earth Shaker (Double Down Showdown Champion) (World Finals Debut)

Round 1:
Max-D vs. Pirate's Curse

Obsessed vs. Scooby Doo

Saigon Shaker (Crash)  vs. Grave Digger Rage vs. El Toro Loco (Kayla)

Zombie vs. El Toro Loco (List)

Blue Thunder  vs. Jester (NOTE: Blue Thunder wins, but is unable to continue due to damage: Jester advances instead). Earth Shaker vs. Alien Invasion

Monster Mutt Dalmatian vs. Stinger

Round 2:
Saigon Shaker vs. EL Toro Loco (Kayla) Max-D vs. Obsessed

Earth Shaker vs. Monster Mutt Dalmatian (Crash)

Jester vs. El Toro Loco (List)

Semi Finals:
El Toro Loco (List) vs. Earth Shaker

Obsessed vs. Saigon Shaker

Championship Race:
Earth Shaker vs. Obsessed (Crash)

Double Down Showdown Encore
All DDS competitors come out to do donuts. Unlike the previous years, this time the trucks would have fireworks at the tailgate of their trucks.

Round 1:
Max-D (Elliot) vs. Solder Fortune

Monster Energy (Saucer) vs. Mohawk Warrior

El Toro Loco (Mcdonald) vs. The Mad Scientist (red lights race: disqualified)

Monster Mutt (red lights race: disqualified) vs. Grave Digger (Menninga)

Grave Digger (Kane) vs. Northern Nightmare

Team Hotwheels Firestorm vs. Metal Mulisha

Gas Monkey Garage vs. Razin Kane

Grave Digger (Anderson) vs. Lucas Oil Crusader

Avenger vs. Zombie

Dragon (red lights race: disqualifed) vs. Overkill Evolution Monster Energy (Leduc) vs. Scooby Doo

Fox Sports 1 Cleatus vs. Wild Flower

El Toro Loco (McDonough) (crash) vs. Max-D (Eichelberger) (NOTE: Mcdouough wins, but due to her crash, she is unable to return due to truck damage. Eichelberger advances).

Earth Shaker vs. Grave Digger (Brown)

Bounty Hunter vs. Son Uva Digger

Round 2:
El Toro Loco (Mcdonald) vs. Monster Energy (Saucer)

Grave Digger (Menninga) vs. Grave Digger (Kane)

Team Hotwheels Firestorm vs. Gas Monkey Garage

Lucas Oil Crusader vs. Megalodon

Avenger vs. Max-D (Elliot)

Overkill Evolution vs. Monster Energy (Leduc)

Grave Digger (Brown) vs. Son Uva Digger

Max-D (Eichelberger) vs. Fox Sports 1 Cleatus

Quarter Finals:
Grave Digger (Menningna) vs. Monster Energy (Leduc) (Red Lights, disqualified)

Gas Monkey Garage vs. Megalodon

Overkill Evolution vs Avenger

Son-Uva Digger vs. Max-D (Eichelberger)

Semi Finals:
Grave Digger (Menningna) vs. Gas Monkey Garage

Avenger vs. Son-Uva Digger

Championship Race:
Grave Digger (Menningna) vs. Son-Uva Digger

Racing Encore
All racing competitors come out and line the track. The Monster Jam 25th Anniversary truck came out, and circled the track, before doing a backflip over Son-Uva Digger. Then, all Young Guns, and other Displays came out onto the track.

Freestyle
TBA

Freestyle Encore
TBA

Other Rewards
These awards were given out on the night of March 24th 2017, before the racing competition began.
 * Fastest Qualifier: Coty Saucer/Monster Energy
 * Rising Star of the Year: Matt Pagliarulo/Jester
 * Stadium Freestyle of the Year: Todd Leduc/Monster Energy
 * Rookie of the Year: Camden Murphy: Pirate's Curse

Reception
As of March 24th 2017, this World Finals has been generally well received, due to its exciting Double Down racing event. Fans also praised the addition of a water fountain, which has not been used in the World Finals since World Finals 11. Although fans found the Double Down encore to be rather underwhelming.

Concerns for the rest of the World Finals include a potential dirt-exclusive freestyle course as well as the use of judges. Some fans also criticized using the same racing track and color scheme for the track as Monster Jam World Finals 17 the year before.

Trivia

 * Neither Tom Meents or Dennis Anderson will be competing in this World Finals as both are out due to injuries. This makes it the first World Finals without both Meents and Anderson, the first without Tom Meents and the first without Dennis Anderson since Monster Jam World Finals 4: these statistics include World Finals 0, in-which both drivers competed (in Meents' case, in Bulldozer).
 * The More Monster Jam Central and West Coast champions, Cole Venard and Justin Sipes respectively, were originally going to compete in the event, but will not attend due to unknown reasons.
 * Alex Blackwell drove Megalodon for Justin, while Randy Brown drove Grave Digger for Cole's absence
 * This is the first World Finals since Monster Jam World Finals 11 to have a fountain obstacle. This is likely for two reasons: to commemorate Avenger's 20th anniverary, as well as complaints of previous tracks lacking a fountain, causing Koehler to provide his own water feature himself.
 * This year's Young Guns Shootout (A.K.A Double Down Showdown) was the first to have a truck lose a tire (Matt Cody's Blue Thunder in Round 1 against Jester, sending Jester to the next round despite losing).
 * This was the first year two of the same truck faced off in racing: the two trucks would be Tyler Menninga and Morgan Kane in Grave Digger, with Menninga getting the win. This situation almost happened in 2015 at World Finals 16 between Damon Bradshaw and Coty Saucier's Monster Energy trucks, but Bradshaw would have technical problems, giving Saucer a pass-by victory.

Ride Trucks
BKT

Grave Digger #11

Mighty Monster Bus

Wheels of Freedom

Displays
Airborne Ranger

Barbarian

Big Kahuna

BKT

2nd Bounty Hunter

Carolina Crusher

Cyclops (2016)

Cyclops (restored classic)

Devastator

D'Sturbed

Enforcer

Extinguisher

"Grandma" Grave Digger

Grave Digger the Legend

Hillbilly Deluxe

Ice Cream Man

Illuminator

Iron Outlaw

Jail Bird

Joey Strong

Master of Disaster (Rettew)

Maniac

Maverik Monster Trakker

Midnight Rider

Monster Jam 25th Anniversary

Monster Mutt Rottweiler

Monster Patrol (Phelps)

New Earth Authority (N.E.A Police)

Nitro Menace

Obsession

Over Bored

Paddy Wagon (ride truck)

Play'n For Keeps

Quadzilla

Rat Attack

Reptoid

Scarlet Bandit

Stealth

2nd Team Hot Wheels Firestorm

The Law (Other)

Time Flys

T-Maxxx

T-Wrecks

Unnamed & Untamed

USA-1

War Machine

Warrior

Wild Thang

Wonder Woman

Xtreme Diesel

The Xtermigator

​Entertainment Zone
FMX

BMX

Freestyle Sport Bikes

Drifters