Location- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Venue- Riyadh Season Stadium, King Abdullah Financial District
Commentary- Michael Cole & Wade Barrett
Women’s Royal Rumble Match
Winner- Liv Morgan
Rating- 7/10
AJ Styles VS Gunther- If AJ Loses, He Must Retire
Winner- Gunther
Rating- 8/10
Sami Zayn VS Drew McIntyre (Champion)- WWE Undisputed Championship
Winner- Drew McIntyre
Rating-6/10
Men’s Royal Rumble Match
Winner- Roman Reigns
Rating- 5/10
Overall Thoughts- Sami VS Drew really picked up towards the end. Loved the trash talking from Drew, the hard slaps across the face, and a clearly exhausted Sami fighting back. I never believed Sami had a real shot at winning the belt, because we’re too close to Wrestlemania, so maybe there’s a chance they’re saving Zayn’s big moment for Vegas. Still, a solid match, and I’m glad they’re giving Drew a real sustained run as champion.
Styles VS Gunther is my pick for the best match at the Rumble. AJ emptied the tank. Styles threw everything he had at Gunther to keep his career alive, but The Ring General was just too much for him. Too relentless, too nasty, and too physical. AJ tried to make that one last push to win, but Gunther shut down all of his comeback attempts.
Gunther is reaching a point, where he doesn’t necessarily need a world title. Goldberg, Cena, and now Styles. Gunther has retired a number of big legends, but sometimes I get the feeling Gunther’s character is becoming a bit too comical and hokey. Staying in the realm of “Legend Killers,” Randy Orton was far more sadistic and mean-spirited, when he bullied and went up against Mick Foley and other veteran wrestlers, who were either retired or still active. A really good match, and AJ strikes me as one of those guys, who’ll be serious about staying retired.
The women had the better Royal Rumble match. The best friends forever stuff between Alexa Bliss and Charlotte was good for a few laughs. The comedy spots were well-placed, and the overall match had a better flow to it. The women’s Rumble did an excellent job of pushing and showcasing the women from NXT and new, or newer faces on the main roster, including Lash Legend, Jacy Jayne, Lola Vice, Sol Ruca, and Giulia. Also, Liv finally winning the big one works as a feel good story.
The Men’s Royal Rumble wasn’t terrible, but it was painfully obvious Reigns was winning this one. Cody winning three years in a row would’ve been overkill. Yes, the Rumble had numerous main event or main event ready guys. But looking at the landscape for WWE’s world title picture across Raw and Smackdown, Reigns was really the only guy, who made sense to win the whole thing.
If I had to pick out a few positives from the Men’s Rumble, I’d have to go with Oba Femi and Je’Von Evans. Femi made a strong impression with a dominant run before his elimination. Evans showed off his endurance. He had a number of impressive high spots, and Evans’ close calls for escaping eliminations really worked.
Show Highlights-
-Liv Morgan wins Women’s Royal Rumble
-Brie Bella returns during Women’s Royal Rumble
-Tiffany Stratton returns as the 30th entrant in the Rumble
-Gunther retires AJ Styles, Styles seemingly puts an end to his in-ring career during post-match farewell
-Drew McIntyre retains WWE Undisputed Championship
-Mysterious hooded man attacks Bron Breakker before entering the Rumble, Breakker is instantly eliminated by Oba Femi
-Royce Keys/Powerhouse Hobbs debuts in Men’s Royal Rumble match
-Roman Reigns wins Men’s Royal Rumble
Overall Rating- 6/10
