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WWE produced its first pay-per-view of 2018 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia - The Royal Rumble.
We witnessed the first ever women's Royal Rumble match and two Japanese superstars booking their ticket to Wrestlemania; however, roses come with both fragrance and thorn. Here are some booking decisions the fans might have disliked.
#10 No cruiserweights
In the WWE universe, cruiserweight, Raw and Smackdown rosters live in parallel galaxies; Survivor Series and Royal Rumble are the only two times in a year when they clash with each other. However, this year we didn't see the cruiserweights.
It would have been a great opportunity for the fans to see the underutilized performance of these talented wrestlers. While we did see NXT stars making an impact in the ring, the same could not be said for the high-flying cruiserweights. They could have pulled miraculous attempts to save themselves from getting eliminated. There could have been a 'passing of the torch' moment for any one of the cruiserweights and Kofi Kingston.
#9 Bella Twins in the final three
While the idea of women returning for a one-off in Royal Rumble was great, the execution of having Bella Twins in the final three wasn't.
The final three should have been all about active wrestlers like Asuka, Sasha Banks and Nia Jax. Having the Bellas in the final three meant we were sure to see Asuka win it. Rather, if there were active wrestlers, the suspense of seeing who would win wouldn't have been squandered. It is the unpredictability of Royal Rumble which makes it sensational; WWE should have kept that tradition alive.
#8 Short Matches
The carpet looked great for the event. It was the performance that backfired. Having two one-hour matches in the main card was always going to be a challenge for other matches, but they surely could have done better.
A triple-threat match involving three monsters, a two-out-of-three falls match between two great tag teams and a two-on-one handicap match featuring AJ Styles surely had the spark to light up the fire. Short time allocations meant superstars couldn't show off their full potential. Additionally, putting the Raw tag team title match on the pre-show would have been a good option.
#7 Cena continues to bury future superstars
What is the difference between John Cena and Chris Jericho: both are great world champions; both have got great mic skills; both have great in-ring ability. Then, what is it that separates the two? It is the ability to make future Superstars.
The frustration was so evident that Philadelphia fans chanted 'John Cena sucks' when his entrance song was played. While eliminating the Hurricane made sense, eliminating Elias and Finn Balor didn't. It should have been Shinsuke Nakamura or Dolph Ziggler - the future superstars - to eliminate them if they weren't going to be the winners. WWE should understand that his time is up, the others' time is now.
#6 No Deadman
Hit the iron when it is hot! Undertaker's appearance in the 25th anniversary of Raw re-ignited the spark that he was going to come to the Royal Rumble; however, his absence put water to the hopes.
The speculation that the Undertaker is retired is dying quick; if he had retired, he should be the one to headline Hall of Fame. The emotional farewell that Shawn Michaels and Edge got hasn't been given to him. Subsequently, a feud between Cena and Undertaker is something that just needs to happen, and it should have started at the Royal Rumble.
#5 Two continuous falls for the Usos
The Usos has given us some terrific tag team feuds; whether it be the war with the New Day, or the fatal four way tag team match, the Usos have carried the torch brilliantly.
It is needless to say that whenever there is a two-out-of-three falls match, the match should always go to the third fall. Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable made a fool out of themselves by losing two continuous falls.
It had the capability of at least being a four-star match given that they were some of the best tag team wrestlers. Rather, it turned out to be a somewhat squash match. Instead of glorifying the tag team titles, it only lost its prestige.
#4 Woken storyline not going forward
What was once the star attraction for TNA is turning out to be a disaster for the WWE. The only reason why the audience watched TNA might be the same reason why the fans leave watching WWE.
Without Brother Nero, his wife and son, the 'Woken' story-line might not emit the same light, but that doesn't mean it will be reduced to shadows. It was a sure thing that we were going to see Hardy go against Bray Wyatt, but it looked as if they were going to form a tag team and head to the tag team division.
Eliminating each other was fine, but 'Woken' Matt Hardy lasting not even two minutes wasn't. The fans have every reason to be angry with the creative for this booking decision.
#3 Dolph Ziggler returns with no purpose
When the countdown had begun for the last entrant in the Royal Rumble match, the fans only had two names in their mindL The Undertaker and Dolph Ziggler. When Ziggler's music had hit, it looked as if creative was finally giving what the fans eagerly waited for.
He came, eliminated Goldust, and went back home. Two minutes; that was how long Dolph Ziggler lasted. If he claims to be the best in-ring competitor, then this was the perfect opportunity for him to be in the last four. He should have been the one to eliminate John Cena and Rey Mysterio. Alas, his performance only made him look like a fool; another crop that turned out to be a weed.
#2 Roman Reigns and John Cena have a face-off
There were only three wrestlers in the Royal Rumble that were welcomed with thorns rather than roses: Jinder Mahal, John Cena and Roman Reigns. If that wasn't enough, having a spot where two of them would have a face-off just exposed the failure of creative.
The fans don't buy Cena and Reigns because they believe that there are numerous other wrestlers in the locker room who deserve better treatment than them. WWE should have learned from their match at No Mercy the hostile reaction the fans would give them.
The 'passing of the torch' moment has happened already, and this storyline should have been passed on too.
#1 Ronda Rousey stealing the spotlight
What happens after someone wins the 'Royal Rumble' match: the referee pulls the victor's hand above for victory; the fans cheer heavily (or boo heavily); the winner climbs the second rope, points their finger to the 'WrestleMania' symbol, and fireworks. However, after Asuka's victory, something else happened.
Before she could announce whom she would challenge at WrestleMania, Ronda Rousey appeared. While the idea of Rousey returning with a 'Rowdy' jacket is great, she shouldn't have stolen the spotlight from Asuka. WWE should have let that moment happen sometime later, like at Elimination Chamber or 24 hours later on raw.
It should have been Asuka pointing to a WrestleMania symbol to end the pay-per-view; it should have been Asuka headlining sports magazines as the first ever winner of women's Royal Rumble match, and definitely, not Ronda Rousey.
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