Minutes ago, the second highly anticipated WWE Pay-Per-View (PPV) event in the year, Royal Rumble, left the fans in a successive argument and controversy regarding the results of the matches. In addition, the event left all audiences in big shock. Here are the analysis and results of the Royal Rumble.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1487836484132642817
Match Card & Analysis
The impressive match card of the event - which attracted millions of fans worldwide, and led the name of the event to trend worldwide in a few minutes- consisted of a contest between Roman Reigns and Seth Freaking Rollins for the Universal Championship, a match for Raw Women’s Championship between the Champion Becky Lynch, and Doudrop, and a fight for WWE Championship between the Beast Brock Lesnar, and the All-Mighty Bobby Lashley, alongside the traditional 30-Men and 30-Women matches for naming the main eventers for Wrestle Mania.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1487576328723435522
Roman Reigns (C) vs. Seth Freaking Rollins for WWE Universal Championship
This match was the best narrated, scripted, and psychologically represented one in the last three years as the segment between two stars was mainly built on the old fight of the Shield group.
https://twitter.com/Fiend4FolIows/status/1487600610237161477
The Shield group consisted of Rollins, Reigns, and Dean Ambrose who is now in the All Elite Wrestling under the name of Jon Moxley. Two years ago, Rollins smacked his group mates with a chair and cashed his Money in the Bank bag against Reigns in Wrestle Mania, so the feud between was somehow unfinished yet.
https://twitter.com/embracethvision/status/1487805816371564553
Therefore, Reigns appearance as a Tribal Chief who lost his chance to be supported by the rest of his Bloodline members, The Usoso, and Rollins neo-Shield look which mixed the previous outfit and entrance style of the Shield’s Rollins and his current gimmick, Freaking Rollins, enriched the lines of the battlefield’s story.
https://twitter.com/NYCDemonD1va/status/1487825813093466113
There was extensive focus on the body language, and facial expressions of both stars as the battle was not only a matter of naming a new champion or a new face of the company, but it was a real inside themselves and their minds and in the ring.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1487593547444494343
Choosing to end the match by the DQ was so shocking to the fans because the majority expected Rollins’ victory and the title to be drafted to the RAW with the victorious Freaking guy – in the same context, fans believed in Lesnar’s victory, then his draft to the SmackDown as he is a free agent, so the distribution of the major titles was kept balanced. However, it kept somehow the gimmick of Rollins safe for further employment. Also, Reigns’ SmackDown spot would keep the balance of the major titles in the promotion’s two roasters safe.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1487599065735041028
The contest ended by being shot by the chair from the Champion against his former mate as part of the story’s play and recall for Rollins’ treason against his brothers. In addition, the mind game of the match kept playing inside Reigns' head while leaving the arena which enhanced the psychological and humanitarian dimensions of the feud.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1487618430006083587
Winner: Seth Rollins by DQ, Roman Reigns Retatained the Title
Rate: 5/5
30-Women’s Royal Rumble Match
The traditional 30-Women’s Royal Rumble Match was somehow cool and overwhelming as it was full of nostalgic spots, unexpected names, Hall of Famers presence, and the exceptional attendance of Impact Women’s Champion Mickie James to be the first woman outside the WWE promotion to existing in the company’s PPV with another promotion’s title, theme, outfit, and entrance.
https://twitter.com/BRWrestling/status/1487610992087367680
The names of the announced Hall of Famers were Lita, Kelly Kelly, and Nikki and Brie Bella (Bella Twins), alongside James, Michelle McCool, and Summer Rae.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1487610019579416579
However, the contest was opened by the presence of the impressive and attractive legend Melina who’s well known for her superstar entrance and athletic entrance performance, so her presence on the ring with Sasha Banks, the Boss, drew the fans attraction to the feminine nature of women’s athlete who also shares extra charismatic presence on the ring.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1487601495516139523
There were some expected names to win the match such as Rhea Ripley who was expected to have more major runs after her split away from Nikki A.S.H, Bianca Blair who was expected to have a major title shot for Wrestle Mania, Lita who was involved in a strong confrontation with Charlotte Flair, Bayley whose return was expected.
https://twitter.com/comicbookanime/status/1487605753263312900
Ivory and Mighty Molly also participated in the ring and presented so Attitude-Era-style like Ivory’s controversial speech on the microphone.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1487609513108721669
While Holly who is known by her Superhero gimmick involved with a face-to-face short segment with the current Villain tragic hero Nikki A.S.H.
https://twitter.com/WrestlingInc/status/1487621240311455747
Moreover, unexpected short comebacks were recorded such as Sarah Logan, Alicia Fox, and Cameron.
https://twitter.com/perreoporgarza/status/1487833964274348033
One of the unforgettable spots in the match is the shot between Lita and Charlotte Flair with the Camera gazing on the Wrestle Mania’s logo behind them which initiated that there could be a plan for involving both stars in the main event contest.
https://twitter.com/notwondergal/status/1487621599607939072
Lita presented some of her unforgettable moves such as Twist of Fate. In addition, the match saw the presence of all WWE women who formed the revolution of the pision and brought MMA and UFC experiences such as Sonya Deville, Ronda Rousey, and Shyna Bezlar.
Moving to the biggest shot in the match which was the return of the strongest woman in the pision Rousey who was away from the Professional Wrestling world for nearly three years. Her comeback overwhelmed the fans worldwide, and her victory rose the expectations of the fans regarding which star would Rousey choose to be the opponent with at Wrestle Mania.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1487614576246013954
Some reports revealed that there are plans for engaging Rousey with the RAW Women’s Champion Lynch, while others supported selecting Charlotte.
https://twitter.com/nodqdotcom/status/1487794375522406405
It is worthy to mention that Bianca Blair was the longest athlete who had time in the ring during the match reached 47 minutes and 30 seconds and the longest Hall of Famer or honored name who stayed in the ring during the contest was Michelle McCool with 20 minutes and 50 seconds. The shortest in-ring time made by Mighty Molly by only 20 seconds. On the other hand, Charlotte Flair was the most superstar who did eliminations in the match with 5 eliminations.
https://twitter.com/Veliction1/status/1487656124891467778
Winner: Ronda Rousey
Rate: 4/5
Becky Lynch (C) vs. Doudrop for RAW Women’s Championship
Well, the match was one of the weakest contests in the night, and it was full of bad selling acts. In addition, the result of the match was too obvious to the fans that the Big Time Becks would retain the title.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1487622037979996162
Winner: Becky Lynch and Retained the Title
Rate: 2/5
Brock Lesnar (C) with Paul Hyman vs. Bobby Lashley with MVP for WWE Championship
This match was the third argumentative topic among the Royal Rumble matches due to its result which was somehow predicted.
Going back to the WWE previous PPV, Day 1, there were two major championship matches scheduled: Reigns (SmackDown) vs Lesnar (Free Agent) for the Universal title, and a fatal forway contest between Lashley (RAW), Rollins (RAW), Kevin Owens (RAW), and the Champion Big E (RAW) for the WWE title. Shortly, the plans of both matches changed a few hours before the show due to Reigns’ Coronavirus infection which drove the promotion to cancel the match and add Lesnar to the fatal forway contest which ended with Lesnar’s win.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1487626225774432261
So, if Lesnar could retain the title, he would move it to the Blue-Colored brand in the presence of the Universal championship there! So, Lesnar’s loss in the match could be a kind of correction of the previously adjusted plans of Day 1.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1487626982871511042
Also, the match witnessed the treason of Hyman against Lesnar and the involvement of Reigns who made use of the Referee’s fall to attack Lesnar and assist Lashley in winning the title.
This match bridged all twisted plots together and directed them to one road only which is Wrestle Mania’s final dream fight between the Beast and the Tribal Chief.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1487628942269984769
Lashley’s victory could somehow correct the Day 1 inverted situation as it will open the door for more RAW stars to be engaged in the competitions for winning the title such as Rollins, Owens, Fin Balor (whose WWE creative plans may reflect that his role will be only supporting rising talents without having major titles shots), Edge, Randy Orton, Styles, The Miz, alongside Goldberg who were in a feud with Lashley.
During the match, both stars showed their massive physical skills and in-ring techniques by exchanging equivalent-power moves such as Soplex, F5, the Lock, and Spear.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1487628156777472002
Winner: Bobby Lashley and Named as the New WWE Champion
Rate: 5/5
Mixed Tag Team Match: Edge & Beth Phoenix vs. The Miz & Maryse
Although this match was among the contests that fans wanted to see, its script was too poor, and disappointing. In addition, the match itself didn’t meet the expectations of the fans.
https://twitter.com/The_Starstruck/status/1487813289287561218
It was almost based on expressing Phoenix’s physical powers that dominated the Women’s pision during her time in action.
https://twitter.com/WWELadyRefJess/status/1487768224611581955
The wrestling gears of the four stars were actually scripted and exhibited better than the match itself!
https://twitter.com/PUNxALXXX/status/1487636103901364224
Maybe, the few spots of parallel and dual movements by the Hall of Famers team were the only well-made moves in the match.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1487635395026292738
Winner: Edge & Beth Phoenix
Rate: 2/5
The Main Event: 30-Men’s Royal Rumble Match
Background
Before going on analyzing this contest, which was the most anticipated act in that night, the audience should remember the names that were suggested as 2022 Royal Rumble winners. AJ Styles was on the top of the predictions list, especially after the big shots he received after splitting from Omos, in addition, there was a leaked document that revealed that Styles could be the winner. Styles paid a wonderful tribute to Shawn Micheals (HBK) during the match.
https://twitter.com/btsportwwe/status/1487637406031532032
Owens was another name due to his alliance with Rollins, so it was somehow predictable to see Owens as a winner, with Rollins crowning as the new WWE Universal champion (Both didn’t happen anyway), in addition to WWE’s promise to Owens for having a title shot.
https://twitter.com/jessithebuckeye/status/1487646864866529286
Orton also was one of the expected names to win the match as the event was hosted at his hometown, St Louis, Missouri, and since last year, Orton was honored by the promotion of reaching new records, so he could be granted the Stone Cold Steve Austin’s Royal Rumble glory of winning the contest for three times in the history.
https://twitter.com/btsportwwe/status/1487654747041587201
Moreover, Rey Mysterio’s name was suggested as the star has been honored by the WWE by situating his image as the official WWE 22K game poster, and for his soon-to-end in-ring action. Sami Zayn's name was also suggested due to his improvement in the ring and the support he received from the administration.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1487647208543600642
In addition, there were also some suggested names due to the massive support they received from the WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon such as Omos, Austin Theory, Walter, Riddle, McIntyre who were eliminated from the predications due to injury claims, and Big E.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1487638676272259078
Finally, the least preferred, and least wanted scenario was the induction of one of both losers in the major-titled matches in the Royal Rumble and winning it as it happened a couple of years ago (which happened by the way).
Analysis
The match opened with a shocking dream contest between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura who previously had legendary fights during their run in Japan.
https://twitter.com/btsportwwe/status/1487638013379293192
Shortly, Styles had a short fight too with his former TNA mate Robert Rood which could be a tribute to Impact Wrestling and its efforts in the ring.
https://twitter.com/MiseryEater101/status/1487660171123826691
During the match, several breathtaking spots were observed such as the fine performance of Riddle, Styles, Owens, Theory, and Chad Gable.
The rising names in the promotion were given huge space and brace of time to reveal their skills in the ring for example Riddle, Gable, Theory, MadCap Mose, and Otis did impressive athletic work in the ring by their moves and finishes.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1487653038999412740
MadCap Mose had a highlight in the match by eliminating Styles, and the same with Otis who eliminated Mysterio.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1487650471988940802
The biggest surprises in the match were the unexpected comeback of the Scottish Warrior McIntyre whose injury claims dominated the Pro Wrestling Press since Day 1. Also, Shane McMahon’s return and short feud with Owens (It was a reference to the old feud between both that suspended with a proper ending for the story).
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1487646044108337156
Bad Bunny was also one of the pleasant surprises in the match as he presented a breathtaking performance from an unprofessional wrestler by making a well-made and excellent Canadian Destroyer move.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1487649067538784258
RKO Bro was spotted flawlessly in the match and did super teamwork and managed to do two eliminations.
In the same context, there were certain spots that should be mentioned such as Ricochet’s theme song change to the old one and his outfit that may refer to a new change of his current gimmick, McMahon recorded his first Royal Rumble appearance in history during today’s match.
https://twitter.com/super__wrestlng/status/1487692395072434176
Dolph Ziggler became the second most-participated WWE superstar in the Royal Rumble matches in history with 16 participations, just after WWE Hall of Famer Kane who had 18 Royal Rumble participations. Kofi Kingston could join the club soon as he recorded his 14th participation in the Royal Rumble today.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1487644079676661762
The winner was entry number 30 and he was Lesnar who lost his title earlier the night in a shock for all fans who believed that the match needed to have a new name, especially Styles.
In addition, the Beast won after eliminating McIntyre who eliminated him a couple of years ago to win the 30-man contest.
https://twitter.com/DMcIntyreWWE/status/1487697344715972608
However, Lesnar’s victory would correct the twisted plans of Reigns – Lesnar feud, especially after the betrayal of Paul Hyman to the Beast.
https://twitter.com/WrestleOps/status/1487629632824352768
In the same context, this Royal Rumble victory is the second in the history for Lesnar after his win in 2003. The longest participation in the latest contest was recorded by Styles for 29 minutes and 6 seconds who also did the biggest number of eliminations by six ones.
https://twitter.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1487650949137113088
The shortest participation was unfortunately done by Kingston who made a fatal mistake from the perspective of the fans. The audience believed that Kingston was supposed to use his athletic skills and jump from the ring to the fence between the ring ground and the fans, however, he messed up and his feet touched the ground led to his elimination in only 21 seconds.
https://twitter.com/GeoffRhymer/status/1487648071903322112
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Rate: 4/5
Summing up
In a nutshell, the show overall was impressive and full of enjoyable spots, in addition, it was the first Royal Rumble event after the latest wave of releases and the new policies adopted by the administration.
https://twitter.com/petestavros/status/1487682165655711744
The results could be shocking to the fans who are still mourning and objecting to the results, however, they could be one of the best scenarios to set a wave of corrections for the promotion’s plans that were screwed up by Reigns’ Coronavirus infection hours before Day 1.
https://twitter.com/its_ISHRAT/status/1487680007728406534
Lesnar could be one of the few superstars who opened the first day of the first month in the year with a historical victory for winning the WWE championship and ended the month by recording his second Royal Rumble victory.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1487854611771895815
It is reported that the promotion is still working on plans for Lashley in the upcoming Wrestle Mania with no mention of the contests that will be scheduled for the lately announced WWE Elimination Chamber in Jeddah, KSA next month.
https://twitter.com/ewrestlingnews/status/1487834887193174016
Until now, only one per-pay-view show was announced and listed on the WWE Calendar before Wrestle Mania - which will take place on 2, and 3 April- which is Elimination Chamber on February 19.
General Rate: 7/10
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