Raves, Rants and Results – Rousey crashes Rumble party
WWE kicked-off 2018 with a history making Royal Rumble, and Ronda Rousey as the headline act.
Raves
Lets get rowdy, Rousey
It may have not been the biggest shock WWE have ever surprised their fans with, but it was still a jaw-dropping moment to see Ronda Rousey part of WWE. Some have questioned her arrival slightly overshadowing Asuka’s Rumble win, but for me it only enhanced the moment and it avoided her being in the actual match and having to likely win. To close the show with those four women standing in the ring was not only a statement of the talent now on display, but will be a moment that WWE will replay for years to come. Yes, Rousey’s mannerisms were a tad on the awkward side, but we can forgive first night nerves for the bigger picture and what it will mean in the run up to WrestleMania - especially as she’s on a full time contract too. If WWE can soak up that final rub that Ronda still has in a big-time Mania match, we could be in for some fun on the road to New Orleans. Rousey is a game changer for them and especially the women’s roster.
Centre stage
Putting the women’s Rumble on last was a big call, and a tad forced, but I think WWE just about got away with it. There were times when it seemed they may struggle to get the crowd going again after they somewhat peaked during the men’s outing, however through some clever plot points and a host of familiar faces they managed to raise the roof in Philly. The returning legends were given much better focus than they got at Raw 25 and I enjoyed seeing the spots involving Molly Holly, Michelle McCool, Lita and the face-off between Nia Jax and Beth Phoenix. Trish Stratus got the standalone pop she deserved on Monday Night and perhaps my favourite moment of the whole Rumble was her interactions with Mickie James, harking back to one of the few female feuds WWE done well back in the day. Having Asuka the winner makes perfect sense too, it continues that dominating aura that they’ve managed to keep alive since her call-up from NXT and gives us the prospect of one hell of a match at WrestleMania whether she chooses red or blue. Other highlights saw Naomi take on the Kofi Kingston role with an elaborate way of escaping elimination, Ember Moon and Asuka rekindling their NXT battles and there was the returm of the heavenly tones of one Vickie Guerrero. WWE went all out to make history and only time will tell what impact the match will make, but what did deliver was a entertaining and headline-grabbing first ever women’s Royal Rumble match.
Rockin’ rumble
I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a Royal Rumble match so much. Having endured some real disappointments in recent years, I believe that 2018’s event may go down as one of the best ever Rumble bouts. You had the surprise element coming from The Hurricane and Rey Mysterio, the NXT flavour with Andrade Cien Almas and Adam Cole, comedy chops in the form of Heath Slater and New Day pancakes and even another Kofi Kingston get out of jail card. It felt like thought had gone into every entry and elimination, right from Baron Corbin’s early meltdown to Roman Reigns eliminating his Shield brother Seth Rollins. Nothing was throwaway and the crescendo came when WWE beautifully booked a final six where generations collided. On one side you had bona fide legends in John Cena, Randy Orton and the bang in shape Mysterio, opposing WWE’s new generation of Reigns, Finn Bálor - who was the bout’s iron man - and the eventual winner Shinsuke Nakamura. Wrestling magic. Picking Nakamura was a bold move seeing how oddly he’s been booked since his move to SmackDown, but it’s one that went down very well with the crowd and one that means we get a dream match booked for WrestleMania. Well done WWE, because that was a Rumble that was worthy of the name and a match I’ll be going back to watch over and over again.
Monster Mash
I had low expectations going into the Universal Title bout and part of the reason I’m raving about it is because the feud is now over, but the match itself was a lot of fun - especially the interactions between Lesnar and Strowman. I really like the chemistry these two have and they hold absolutely noting back against each other; just witness the knee Brock took from Braun and then the brutal right hand Strowman suffered in reply. The Kane element did slow things down and there were a couple of real sloppy spots, but we got the end result we expected and got to see more of why Braun Strowman should be the future of this company going forward. Enough for me.
Rants
Shhhh Steph
I’m over the moon that Stephanie McMahon didn’t actually get involved in the Rumble match, but I’m not sure she added much from the commentary position. Steph is one of the best talkers in the industry, but sitting behind the desk is a whole different ball game and I’m not sure what she really added to proceedings. It felt like she never quite got into the flow of how things work and was reduced to reading off clearly scripted facts she was either reading off notes or had memorized or just resorted to simple short lines like ‘Look at her go’. I understand the bigger impact it had of her being part of it, especially given how the show ended, but I wouldn’t hurry McMahon back to the commentary desk anytime soon.
Raw deal
Not really a rant, more of a tough spot for these guys that seemed impossible to fill. It was very much a tough act to follow for the Raw Tag Team Title match, with the crowd on a come down from the Rumble match and many choosing that moment for a toilet and snack break. The result was a pretty subdued match that saw The Bar win back the straps thanks to Jason Jordan bowing out with an injury. Not sure these guys could have given too much more with the spot they got, but on the bright side we may have finally seen the last of Seth Rollins mixing it with Sheamus and Ceasro, a rivalry that has been well and truly played out.
No spark
No pyros even for our Royal Rumble winners? Surely it won’t the same at WrestleMania.
Results
Kick-off show
Kalisto, Gran Matalik and Lince Dorado defeated TJP, Drew Gulak and Jack Gallagher
The Revival defeated Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson
Bobby Roode defeated Mojo Rawley to retain the United States Championship
Royal Rumble main show
AJ Styles defeated Kevin Owens and AJ Styles to retain the WWE Championship
The Usos defeated Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin to retain the SmackDown Tag Team Championship in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match
Shinsuke Nakamura won the 2018 Men’s Royal Rumble Match
Sheamus and Cesaro defeated Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan to become the new Raw Tag Team Champions
Brock Lesnar defeated Braun Strowman and Kane to retain the Universal Championship
Asuka won the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble Match