Royal Rumble 2020: Ranking and grading every match at the PPV

Royal Rumble is in the books and boy, what a pay-per-view it was. It was truly a spectacular effort from WWE, as they produced a top-class show. Almost every match was a success.

There were a lot of lovely surprises, as well as some predictable, but logical, booking decisions. Royal Rumble 2020 was an absolute joy to watch.

With two Rumble matches having different builds, as well as matches for both Women's Championships and the Universal Championship and a wild Falls Count Anywhere brawl to top it all off, previously high expectations were shattered.

While it remains to be seen where this would land on the all-time list of Royal Rumble pay-per-views, we can sit and revel in the fact that WrestleMania looks to be shaping up pretty nicely, for the majority at least.

The kickoff show saw a couple of solid matches in which Sheamus and Andrade defeated Shorty G and Humberto Carrillo, respectively. But in this article, we will focus on the main pay-per-view card.

Here are all six matches at Royal Rumble 2020 graded and ranked, from worst to best.

#6 Bayley vs Lacey Evans (SmackDown Women's Championship)

The SmackDown Women's Championship match was placed in the unenviable position right after the first Rumble match of the night, but Bayley and Lacey Evans did the best that they could. The feud was pretty decent heading into the event, but this match did not possess as much heat as their brawl on last week's episode of SmackDown.

Bayley and Evans did produce some solid action and the crowd came back towards the end, as the challenger was staging her comeback. However, the match came to a somewhat abrupt end when Bayley got the feet up to counter a moonsault and rolled Evans up. These two will likely have a better match in different circumstances. The potential is there.

Grade: C

#5 30-woman Royal Rumble Match

In perhaps the least popular booking decision on the show, Charlotte Flair won the third annual women's Royal Rumble match. But the journey was not half bad.

The opening stretch of this Rumble was pretty fun, with the likes of Alexa Bliss and especially Bianca Belair shining brightly. The EST of NXT made a major statement by eliminating competitors left, right and centre.

The second half of the match, following Charlotte's arrival at 17, saw the ring fill up for the final entrant, Shayna Baszler, to clear up. It was weirdly booked, as Baszler eliminated every woman in the ring until the Queen dumped her out.

Fans were certainly ready for the former NXT Women's Champion to step up and win the Rumble but now, the picture for WrestleMania seems more complicated than clear.

At this point, there are more questions than answers. But we did get some extremely fun moments like Otis saving Mandy Rose, plus Naomi making a surprise return and saving herself from elimination in creative fashion.

All-in-all, decent action coupled with questionable booking, led to a middle-of-the-road Rumble match.

Grade: B

#4 Roman Reigns vs King Corbin (Falls Count Anywhere Match)

This match kicked off the Royal Rumble pay-per-view and achieved everything it needed to. For all the lame segments on SmackDown about dog food and dog mascots, WWE finally got something right in the feud between Roman Reigns and King Corbin. And they deserve credit for it as well.

Predictably, the action spilt into the WWE Universe and both, Reigns' and Corbin's partners got involved. Dolph Ziggler, Robert Roode and The Usos brawled around the stadium as well, while the two heavy-hitters went for the home run. Reigns was over as a babyface in this match, which is always nice to see.

He completely dominated Corbin, locking him in a portable toilet and tossing it over for a pretty loud pop. The Big Dog ultimately won the match on top of the dugout, which was a sight to see.

This showcased the best qualities of both, Roman Reigns and King Corbin. Hopefully, WWE allows him to be like himself more often.

Grade: A-

#3 Asuka vs Becky Lynch (RAW Women's Championship)

The two major championship matches at Royal Rumble 2020 were both based on excellent in-ring chemistry. That is exactly what Becky Lynch and Asuka showcased during their match. The storytelling was also top-notch, with The Man being portrayed as the underdog against her biggest challenge.

This match seemed like an urgent battle, featuring the perfect balance of compelling exchanges and mind games. Becky sold the story perfectly, with Asuka looking near unbeatable.

The RAW Women's Champion retained her title after she smartly avoided Asuka's green mist, eventually making the Empress of Tomorrow tap out. It completed their story arc perfectly.

This is how a big-time championship match should feel. Becky Lynch went above and beyond to make Asuka look great, even in defeat. There was even a brief moment of respect between the two rivals, after their hard-fought battle.

This match may not have been as great as their encounter for the SmackDown Women's Title one year ago, but they did come close to equalling that magnificent effort.

Grade: A

#2 Daniel Bryan vs 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt (Strap Match for the Universal Championship)

This might very well be the greatest Strap Match of all time, as the two masterminds of SmackDown battered each other.

It was extremely hard-fought and the strap definitely did not take much away from the match. In fact, it added to the contest. Bryan, in particular, took one hell of a beating, with 'The Fiend' looking like a killer in the process.

Both of them displayed some extraordinary chemistry and provided fans with a gripping contest. And while everybody seemed certain that Bray Wyatt would win again, Daniel Bryan's defiant comeback had everyone believing that he could pull off the impossible, yet again. But in the end, the sheer force and brutality of the monstrous Fiend prevailed.

Bryan was selling the effects of his fight with 'The Fiend' and it remains to be seen whether he will change further.

The future is uncertain for the Leader of the Yes Movement, which makes his story so intriguing. You cannot keep your eyes off Daniel Bryan, especially when he makes the evil monster look so much dangerous than he already is.

This was Bray Wyatt's best match as 'The Fiend' and hey, the red light is gone as well!

Grade: A

#1 30-man Royal Rumble Match

One of the only things preventing this from being a perfect Royal Rumble might be the prolonged period of dominance from Brock Lesnar.

But, one could even argue that it made Drew McIntyre's elimination of him mean so much more. Lesnar entered at number 1 and basically eliminated each entrant as they came into the ring. This lasted until Keith Lee showed up to put a spanner in the works for the Beast.

But even Lee, along with Braun Strowman, was taken out by Lesnar and finally, at 16, Drew McIntyre's Claymore, with the help of Ricochet's low blow, kicked him out of the ring.

The second leg of the Rumble was way more exciting, beginning with the shocking return of Edge. His appearance stunned the wrestling world, forging an alliance with Randy Orton and a possible feud with the OC at the same time.

The final few entrants were all top stars, just look at entrants 25 to 30 in order. Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, Aleister Black, Samoa Joe and Seth Rollins.

The recent improvement in the quality of Monday Night RAW bled into the Rumble match and it showed. Rollins looked dominant with Buddy Murphy and the AOP by his side, before they left to brawl with the babyfaces of the Red brand.

The end was also excellent, with McIntyre overcoming Edge and Orton's partnership as well as a late charge for Roman Reigns, to win the Royal Rumble.

And just like that, WWE has created a brand new mega-star. Well done to the company for following through with the Scottish Terminator and executing a fantastic Rumble match to end a fine night of action. This was the best match on a great show.

Grade: A