The 2015 Royal Rumble was a debacle. The night ended with Roman Reigns getting booed out of the building, with even The Rock failing to get Roman any sort of cheers for winning the Rumble match. The 2016 Rumble was less of a debacle but it can’t really be called a success when the winner is a 47-year old part-timer.
WWE really have to avoid past mistakes in the 2017 Rumble and for once, give the fans what they want at a Royal Rumble. Fans leaving one of WWE’s most popular PPV’s every year disgruntled, with hashtags like #cancelWWENetwork isn’t good for the company, no matter how obstinate Vince McMahon wants to be.
The 2017 Royal Rumble needs to create a buzz to kick off the road to Wrestlemania and get fans excited for WWE’s biggest show. Here are 5 fatal mistakes WWE need to avoid at this year’s Royal Rumble but mistakes that they will probably make.
5: Too many matches
There are too many championships in the WWE right now, thanks to the brand split. There is no way that all of them will be defended at the Royal Rumble but knowing them, they’ll squeeze as many onto the card as possible. With the PPV being 4 hours and a 1 hour pre-show, it may seem like WWE have enough time to squeeze all of them in but they don’t.
More matches squeezed in mean lower match quality. SmackDown Live have shown that quantity isn’t quality with their brand exclusive PPV’s, favouring quality of matches rather than quanity. That’s something WWE should learn from.
Yes, the Rumble is one of WWE’s biggest shows of the year. So the people who say that every title has to defended have a point but for a quality show, sacrifices have to be made.
4: Remember the Rumble /Focus on older stars and part-timers
I hate the promotion for the 2017 Rumble. Absolutely hate it. I’ve had enough of WWE glorifying their past and living off of it. I’d have no problems with this if WWE this nostalgia was only part of the package but that isn’t the case.
WWE seem to think that the best way forward for them right now on the main roster is the return of stars from the Attitude Era, not building for the future with the incredible roster they have right now.
Shane McMahon came back last year in the build-up to Wrestlemania, Golberg came back ahead of Survivor Series and now WWE are using Lesnar, Goldberg and ‘Taker to promote the Rumble.
3: All Reigns Everything
Watching WWE Raw for the last month has been a terrible experience, not just for me but for most casual fans too. Raw should be renamed to rematch city soon since WWE seem to think that booking the same matches week after week is an answer to filling 3 hours.
After weeks of beating the snot out of Owens and Jericho, Reigns finally lost to them in a freaking 2-on-1 Handicap match for the US Championship on Raw this week. Owens looking weak as the Universal Champion isn’t new but this was a different level. God forbid that the Universal Champion can go toe-to-toe with ‘The Big Dog’ when it’s not a PPV main-event.
With Roman losing the US Championship on Raw last week, fans know that WWE will inevitable have Roman beat Kevin Owens at the Royal Rumble to win his first WWE Universal Championship. This move will be a monumental mistake by the WWE who never seem to learn from the past.
Reigns got booed to such an extent at Wrestlemania 32 the WWE had to play around with the audio to hide it and they want this same man to once again be in one of the headliners at Mania, and as a babyface.
2: 16th Time
John Cena will probably beat AJ Styles at the Royal Rumble to win his 16th world championship and set up a stellar match for himself at Wrestlemania 33. Regardless of whether Cena deserves a 16th title, the time isn’t right for WWE to take the WWE World Championship off AJ Styles. Styles has been the face of WWE SmackDown Live since the brand split, steering the show through John Cena-less waters.
Styles has become a star since debuting a year ago and has had one of the best debut years in WWE history. John Cena is yet to pin him clean and WWE need to let this continue. Yes, Cena should win a 16th title but now isn’t the time. Styles is hot right now and should continue as WWE World Champion at least till Wrestlemania 33, if not afterward too, especially with Cena becoming more of a part-timer than ever.
Plus, Cena vs Taker doesn’t need a title...
1: Having a part-timer win the Royal Rumble
This is the stupidest mistake WWE could make. And they probably will do it. WWE need to stop pushing part-timers to the moon when they have the most talented roster of pro wrestlers ever assembled at their disposal.
As of now, it looks like the Undertaker is the early favourite to win the Rumble to set up a match with John Cena (if he beats AJ Styles) while there’s also a chance of either Goldberg or Brock Lesnar winning it.
A part-timer winning the Rumble is the worst thing WWE can do at the show. WWE need to create a new star at the Rumble. Imagine Samoa Joe getting called up and winning the Rumble or Kenny Omega debuting and winning the Rumble. It’d create a buzz and although the winner may not be a household name, WWE could make them into a star like they did with Styles.
With the Royal Rumble around WWE fans are craving for something fresh and it’s up to the WWE to deliver, not the fans responsibility like what’s being presented to them.
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