The Royal Rumble is always one of the biggest nights of the year for WWE, and the company puts a lot of effort and focus into making this a night to remember. This year was no different as the Road To WrestleMania kicked off with a bang as two wrestlers booked their place in the main event matches while several other storylines were enhanced.
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There were a lot of great moments throughout the show with the performances that took place and the booking decisions that happened. However, while there was a lot of fun to be had, not everything was perfect, and there were some situations that could have worked better.
10 Best: Logan Paul & Ricochet Collide
The Royal Rumble is one of the biggest shows of the year, and because of that people are always looking to create a spot or a moment to steal the show and wow fans. That is exactly what Logan Paul and Ricochet were able to do, as their mid-air collision is something that will be on highlight reels for years to come.
The two men are very athletic, and that's something they highlighted in this encounter. They both springboarded into the middle of the ring, slapping into each other which created an audible noise that led to a big reaction, stunning fans in the process.
9 Worst: A Musical Interlude
Whenever a premium live event takes place time is important, and fans want to see that be given to the in-ring talent to perform. However, WWE took the time to give musical act "Hardy" the chance to perform his latest song in the middle of the ring, which didn't go down that well.
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They got plenty of boos from the live crowd which is no surprise because the Rumble is always a long night and fans want to see wrestling, not one-off songs.
8 Best: Asuka Changes Her Attitude
Asuka has been off television recently and has been teasing an attitude change on social media, and that began at the Royal Rumble. She appeared with her old Kana gimmick for the first time in WWE, with the face paint getting a huge reaction from fans.
Asuka then put on a great display throughout the match, and it was made clear that things are going to be changing for her moving forward. The moment itself got a massive response, and that is a positive sign for her.
7 Worst: Chelsea Green's Booking
Chelsea Green returning to WWE was a fun addition to the show as she is somebody that audiences respect and want to see thrive in the business. She got a good reaction to coming out which showcases that, but then WWE had her last just five minutes inside the ring.
While this might play out with her character moving forward now that she is back with the company, it would have been nice to at least give her a little time inside the ring to prove what she can do and show WWE is going to book her differently.
6 Best: Rhea Ripley & Liv Morgan Go The Distance
The women's Royal Rumble was booked well as it was book-ended by Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan competing. They were the first entrants and the final two performers, and it is great to see WWE focusing on two different stars rather than the typical Four Horsewomen.
Morgan and Ripley didn't just last over an hour throughout the night, but they put in important performances as well and made big impacts on the match which made things even more impressive.
5 Worst: Surprise Entrants
Over the years WWE has conditioned fans to expect fun surprise entrants in the Royal Rumble matches, and this year was no different as it featured a variety of them. However, there was a lack of real excitement or imagination when it came to who WWE brought out for these matches.
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Michelle McCool and Booker T were the big old-school names, but both of them have been in that role before, which meant it wasn't fresh. Edge and Logan Paul were expected names while some of the NXT stars didn't get the big reactions people associate with these spots, which made this element of the show a little disappointing.
4 Best: Cody Rhodes & Gunther's Mini Match
Booking the finish for a Royal Rumble match isn't an easy thing to do as you can't get the same false finishes that happens in a normal wrestling match. However, Cody Rhodes and Gunther showcased just how it can be done with the two of them going back and forth for several minutes at the end.
They essentially had a mini-match together which gave a tease of what a full-on encounter between them might be at one point. They had teases for each man winning and really got the fans invested, creating one of the best finishes in Rumble history.
3 Worst: Women's Championship Match
Bianca Belair and Alexa Bliss are two talented workers, and on paper, they should be able to put together an enjoyable match given the fact that their styles are different. Unfortunately, they didn't get a lot of time at the Royal Rumble and because of that, their Raw Women's Championship match was a little flat.
This wasn't something that got people talking or created a ton of excitement, and neither woman came out of it looking any stronger because of it, which wasn't a good thing.
2 Best: Sami Zayn Stands Up To Roman Reigns
WWE decided to close the show with the match between Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens, and while that was fun it was clearly done for the post-match moment. It was the next chapter in the incredible Bloodline storyline and it saw Sami Zayn stand up to Roman Reigns, hitting the Tribal Chief with a chair after he had beaten down a helpless Owens.
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It led to a huge ovation taking place and was an amazing situation to see, even if he ended up being beaten down himself. However, seeing Jey Uso also walk out on The Bloodline added another layer to this story that people didn't see coming, with the latest layer in this story being an amazing one.
1 Worst: The Pitch Black Match
WWE has always had problems booking Bray Wyatt's matches, and unfortunately, that was on display with his first match back against LA Knight. The Pitch Black encounter was never explained, and while there were some interesting visuals it wasn't something that people enjoyed on the whole.
It was a very fast and forgettable match, with the focus being on the post-match shenanigans. However, seeing Wyatt put together different looks only adds to the confusion of his character right now, and the patience of fans isn't something that will last with matches like this being the reward of months of storytelling.
