Best and worst of The Greatest Royal Rumble

The Greatest Royal Rumble was a mixed bag
The Greatest Royal Rumble was a mixed bag

The Greatest Royal Rumble was obviously an event of utmost cultural significance. WWE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia came together to put together a show for the ages. The question remains- did it deliver? In this feature, we will examine the best and worst from the show.

Maybe years down the line, we will see the show differently. We will recognize it for the long term implications of an event of this nature. For the time being, however, let's analyze the entertainment aspect of the event.

Feel free to chime in with your opinion too. Let us know what you thought of the event.

Here is our analysis of it!


#1 Best: The stage and production

King Abdullah Sports City Stadium hosted a truly magnificent event
King Abdullah Sports City Stadium hosted a truly magnificent event

When WWE decides to put on an event, they do not cut corners. The stage looked worthy of the hype. The long ramp-way made it seem like The Greatest Royal Rumble was a big deal. Even the video packages were great.

WWE deserves a special mention for the fireworks. The fireworks lit up the sky at the stadium and made the occasion feel larger than life. It was a near-WrestleMania like feel.

Now that we've set the stage, let us discuss the event. The production was fantastic, but how was the show from a booking and entertainment perspective?

#1 Worst: No real title changes

Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt do not really count
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt do not really count

There were seven Championship matches billed for the Greatest Royal Rumble. Only one of them saw new champions crowned. This was the match for the vacant RAW tag team championships. The other matches almost seemed like Live Event matches with titles on the line on certain occasions.

Maybe fans like us came in with far more expectations than they should have. We're just glad that Bray Wyatt finally had a moment in front of a sold out crowd.

#2 Best: Braun Strowman's crowning moment

Braun Strowman is the new Greeniversal Champion
Strowman enjoyed a very well deserved moment

Braun Strowman began as a member of the Wyatt Family. WWE recognized the potential in him and Strowman capitalized on every single opportunity he was given. Yet, it always seemed like he never had his moment until the Greatest Royal Rumble. Yes, it may be a meaningless title in the larger scheme of things, but we're proud of Strowman.

Let's hope that this win does catapult him to the next level. Now that Reigns could not defeat Lesnar, could Strowman be the man to defeat The Beast and dethrone him? One can always hope, right?

We do hope that there's some kind of a payoff to winning the Greatest Royal Rumble on RAW. Kudos to WWE for also booking Daniel Bryan strongly.

#2 Worst: Easy to predict matches?

Did WWE give some of the results away with the Superstar Shake-Up?
Did WWE give some of the results away with the Superstar Shake-Up?

We already knew that Wyatt and Hardy would win the RAW Tag Team Championships. This is because their opponents, The Bar, are SmackDown Live superstars. It would not make sense for them to hold championships that have the word 'RAW' associated with them.

Once Jeff Hardy retain the United States Championship, we knew that either Finn Balor or Seth Rollins would hold the Intercontinental Championship as well. It was easy to predict as each brand would require its own mid-card title.

#3 Best: The Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match

We're certain that all four men will be sore when they wake up the next day!
We're certain that all four men will be sore when they wake up the next day!

The ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship was far and away the best match at the Greatest Royal Rumble. Throw in Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, The Miz and Samoa Joe into a match and you have the recipe for a classic. Throw in a ladder as well, and the excitement level just shoots up. This was a match that delivered and more!

Nakamura and Styles put on a pretty good show as well and The Greatest Royal Rumble match had its moments at various points. Neither could compare to the ladder match, we felt.

#3 Worst: The Kickoff Show

There was absolutely nothing of note on the Kickoff show
There was absolutely nothing of note on the Kickoff show

Let's face it. Even for the few and the proud who wear our love of wrestling on their sleeves, a 5+ hour show is tiresome to sit through and enjoy. We sat through the Kickoff Show because there's always a match or two to pump the crowd up. We were all sadly mistaken.

We also felt that the Greatest Royal Rumble also went on a little too long and lost its charm with some of the weaker names that were called up from NXT. Attention spans are dropping these days and WWE could potentially drive fans away with such long and never ending shows.

#4 Best/worst: The Undertaker and his matches

Do The Undertaker's matches hurt his legacy now?
Do The Undertaker's matches hurt his legacy now?

The Undertaker is definitely in better shape now than he was when he took on Roman Reigns. We just wonder if he should have wrestled so soon after his WrestleMania appearance. It just kills his mystique sometimes.

Do you folks think that The Undertaker should call it a day? We thought he was fairly decent in his match against Rusev. At the same time, we're torn about whether he should be wrestling in meaningless matches with no heat.

We could not decide if this was a best or worst. And hence, we've grouped The Undertaker's match in both categories.

And of course we're going to end this article with the Titus botch!


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