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I’ll admit that I marked out when I heard that Alter Bridge song again. The 'Rated R Superstar' is finally back.
WWE Royal Rumble 2020 was a fun night of pro wrestling. The main show had four single matches and two Royal Rumble matches.
We had four titles on the line, many Rumble surprises, a shocking return nine years in the making and a truly unexpected Men’s Royal Rumble winner. Needless to say, this is what pro wrestling is all about.
As I am still figuring out how Beth Phoenix bled that much and finished the match, I will try to distract myself and present my list of the top five most surprising moments of WWE Royal Rumble 2020:
#5 No titles changed hands at Royal Rumble
The WWE likes to pass out their major title belts like they are candy. It seems the idea of a long term credible champion is becoming a true rarity in 2020 WWE. So, imagine the shock when all four championships on the line on Sunday night in Houston, were defended, and defended quite easily.
In a fourteen minute match, Andrade defended his title. Bayley dispatched Lacey Evans in under ten minutes clean. The Fiend had his best match yet and also overcame the new and improved Daniel Bryan in a brutal strap match. Becky Lynch overcame her own personal demons and a very real green mist attack to finally beat Asuka.
It seems the WWE is happy with its current champions and wanted them to hold onto their belts until WrestleMania 36. That is simply something we don't see very often.
#4 Charlotte Flair wins the Women’s Royal Rumble
It is about time the WWE took a chance on that young up and coming star, Charlotte Flair. Sigh.
Charlotte Flair has done virtually everything in her career. She was part of the first ever Women’s Hell in a Cell and TLC matches. She was a part of the first ever female main event at WrestleMania 35. The Queen at a very young age of 33, has already won ten titles on the main roster. She has seemingly already done it all.
So it seemed like Shayna Baszler made the most sense to win the Rumble match. She had done it all on the NXT roster and had a built in feud with Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch already.
But Charlotte Flair, who has already faced Becky Lynch on multiple occasions, eliminated Baszler last to win the third ever Women’s Royal Rumble match. Do we really need to see Charlotte Flair fight either Bayley or Becky Lynch again?
#3 Brock Lesnar destroys everyone in the first half of The Men's Royal Rumble
I am sure a lot of us were really hating the first half of the Men’s Royal Rumble. Brock Lesnar, the frequently absent WWE Champion, was a surprising choice to volunteer to be the number one entry in the Men’s Royal Rumble match.
What could be gained for Brock to go first? It seems shutting down and destroying a large portion of the WWE roster.
It was certainly unique and/or boring for Brock to eliminate number two through fourteen in the Royal Rumble match and to tie the record of 13 eliminations.
It became really frustrating to see wrestler after wrestler stupidly enter the ring alone and get quickly being thrown out by Brock Lesnar.
Did we need to see Rey Mysterio and Kofi Kingston lose to Lesnar again? Did we need to see the returning John Morrison eliminated in nine seconds? Did we need to see Keith Lee lose so quickly?
I am sure all of these questions will be debated by WWE fans for a long time. We cannot deny it was a surprising booking choice, and it allowed the fans to get behind the man who finally ended Brock’s reign of terror.
#2 Edge returns to a WWE ring for the first time in nine years
Despite all the rumors, it was still a shock to see it actually happen. Edge had to shockingly and suddenly retire from the WWE in 2011.
With his cervical spinal stenosis and high risk of potential paralysis, it made sense for Edge to retire and simply live on his impressive legacy.
So when Edge came out after nine years of retirement to be #21 in the Royal Rumble, it was pretty amazing. Can Edge possibly be good after such an amazing layoff? The answer is a resounding yes.
Edge looked to be in amazing shape at the age of 46. He eliminated AJ Styles and Randy Orton. He lasted all the way until the final three of the Rumble match itself. It wasn’t just a nostalgia act.
It was an impressive performance by a wrestler I never thought I would see wrestle ever again. It would be a surprising moment in any time, but it helped make this Rumble truly special.
#1 Drew McIntyre wins the Men’s Royal Rumble
It seems like Drew McIntyre has everything you need, to be the biggest star in the WWE. He was the deemed the “Chosen One” by Vince McMahon back in 2009, at the young age of 24.
But, he never got on track before becoming a comedy act and being released from the company in 2014.
He came back to NXT and then the main roster again in 2018, but it was frustrating to see such a talented wrestler lose big matches time and time again. That finally changed on Sunday night.
The crowd erupted when he became the man to eliminate WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. He eliminated the most hated heel, King Corbin, for the match. He eliminated Seth Rollins to the true delight of the crowd. And finally, he eliminated one of the biggest names in the company, Roman Reigns to win the Rumble itself.
It is surprising and refreshing to see WWE take a chance on a fresh and unexpected Royal Rumble winner. I believe Drew will defeat Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania and finally earn that “Chosen One” mantle once and for all.
