WWE Royal Rumble 2017: 5 Things WWE Got Right in Battle Royal Match
After an entertaining PPV here is a look at the five things WWE got right with this year’s Royal Rumble match.
WWE would deliver a solid Royal Rumble PPV that saw titles change hands a new number one contender for the WWE title emerge. Amidst all the chaos and confusion, new champions rose to the occasion. Above all, fans would witness a better than usual Royal Rumble match that exceeded expectations at times.
John Cena’s 16th WWE title win would be the major headline from the PPV. However, there would be much to dissect and digest from such a stacked card. Creative would pull out all the tricks from their bag during the Rumble match. The majority of the bout managed to please both casual and hardcore fans and would have them on the edge of their chairs towards the end.
When all the chaos settled, the Viper would be left as the last man standing. Being the winner of the Royal Rumble, the apex predator of the WWE now looks poised to main event Wrestlemania. From John Cena and AJ Styles’ phenomenal match to Kevin Owens’ stunner, rich moments would last throughout the PPV. However, the best and worst things happened during the rumble match itself. Here are five things creative got absolutely right with the execution of the match.
WWE.com
5. Part Timers Not Winning the Royal Rumble Match
Controversy would surround the PPV earlier on as the poster for the event was released. The reigning WWE champion AJ Styles would get relegated to the back of the crowd as part-timers and stars of the yesteryear stood tall in the front. This would go on to enrage the fans who took to social media to address the case. This would go on to leave many fans to wonder (or fear) if any of them would win the rumble this year.
However, that would not be the case this year. As Roman Reigns eliminated the Undertaker, he erased any chance of a part-timer occupying the winner’s spot. Prior to that, Goldberg would go on his usual antics and eliminate Lesnar. Undertaker would then go on to eliminate Goldberg.
Create was wise to let those events unfold as they did. The new era would thrive with new young stars at the top of the mountain. Randy Orton winning the Rumble might not be the apt scenario. However, to say the least, he could be thought of as a full-time competitor. Letting Goldberg, Lesnar or even the Undertaker win the match would have been a real understatement as far what the new era promised at first.
WWE.com
4. No Appearances from Legends
The WWE universe would know in advance that Kurt Angle would not be in the Royal Rumble match. That news alone would take away from wanting to see any other returning legends or veterans. The only exception to that could be Shawn Michaels. However, knowing how adamant he is about his retirement status staying the same, one could not have wanted anyone else making a surprise appearance.
From Hall Of Famers to stars of the yesteryear many have made one-night-only returns to the ring during the rumble. At times we would witness even commentators join the action. When Jerry Lawler was on commentary one would have expected him to join the party at some point in time. This would essentially make sense in some way as Lawler could play up his issues with Ziggler.
However, creative wisely resisted the temptation. Instead, the WWE made sure to hand all the 30 spots to active competitors and young stars who deserve the opportunity more than any returning stars. However, it goes without arguing that the Royal Rumble match card itself would feature a fair share of part-timers.
Source: WWE.com
3. Tye Dillinger Debuts at No. 10
Fans wanted this all along. That is exactly what the WWE gave to them this year. Despite being eliminated rather unceremoniously by Strowman, Tye Dillinger making his main roster debut at the number 10 spot was a sight to see. The perfect ten deserved this more than anyone else on the NXT roster. When Dillinger’s music hit for the number 10 spot’s entry, creative did a perfect 10 job of doing something right.
Fans in attendance who recognized his entrance music erupted as Dillinger made his much awaited main roster debut. He would be doing so after a match the previous night at TakeOver. Naturally one couldn’t expect an iron-man booking here for him. Before long, Braun Strowman would eliminate Dillinger.
Regardless, his entry was one of the best moments of the night. Predictable as it was, it was a sigh of relief to witness creative paying heed to what the fans wanted. We are yet to see if he would get drafted to either Raw or SmackDown or would go back to NXT. Nevertheless, he couldn’t have had a better main roster debut.
WWE.com
2. Braun Strowman
Apart from being eliminated a bit early, creative made the most of Braun Strowman. The monster among men would make his presence felt both during the royal rumble match at during the Universal title match. He would first interfere in the title match and proceed to beat up Roman Reigns. Later, Strowman would enter the rumble in its early stages and continue to stack up eliminations until Baron Corbin eliminated the monster among men.
Strowman could not hang around long enough to go face to face with Lesnar, Goldberg or the Undertaker. However, he would go on to make the most of his time in the match. He looked dominant and incapable of being defeated.
The spot where he scooped Big Show off the floor and dumped him over the top rope was perfectly executed. Some might argue that Strowman should have won the Rumble. However, he is still too green to be a heavy contender for the Universal title at the main event of Wrestlemania. Regardless, the future looks brighter than ever for him. It would be rhetorical to ask if Strowman would be featured heavily in Rumble matches for many years.
WWE.com
1. Roman Reigns Not Winning the Rumble
Imagine the scenario if Reigns had indeed gone on to win the Royal Rumble. The fans would have relentlessly booed him and could have turned on him permanently. However, luckily for Reigns and the fans, that would not be the case. As the counter went down to zero for the last time, Reigns’ music would hit on the PA system. As one would expect, he would receive a chorus of boos.
From there, it looked like the big dog might go all the way. He would go on to eliminate The Undertaker and Bray Wyatt and end up as the final two men in the match. However, as fate would have it, Orton would hit a beautiful RKO out of nowhere as Reigns came in for a spear. That one moment possibly saved the entire rumble match from collapsing in on itself.
WWE played with the fans in attendance and watching at home this time. A majority of the crowd believed Reigns would win the rumble. Despite that, creative would once again throw a curve-ball and would eventually let him be the last man to be eliminated. Reigns eliminating the Undertaker and the stare-down that followed could hint at a heel turn and a potential Wrestlemania match. For now, we would just have to wait and see.
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