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WWE promoted The Greatest Royal Rumble as an event that was of the same importance as WrestleMania. However, after witnessing the way this “historic” event played out, it is safe to say that WWE did not even try to make an effort to exceed the vivid expectations of their fanbase.
Therefore, the Greatest Royal Rumble became nothing more than a glorified house show for the majority of the WWE Universe. It did not have any effect on the primary narratives being booked in the company right now. That is truly disappointing, as this event had the potential to rectify any complaints fans had after WrestleMania, as the matches on both cards were similar.
However, from uneventful matches to mind-boggling conclusions, WWE missed the mark in making this event feel significant. This resulted in numerous aspects of the show falling to resonate with the WWE Universe. Here are five things WWE got wrong at the event.
#1 An uneventful Royal Rumble match
The 50-man Royal Rumble match was marketed as the biggest Royal Rumble in WWE history as it was going to define an era of Royal Rumble matches. However, halfway through the bout, it was evident that this was proving to be one of the least engaging Rumble matches in the contest's storied history.
Filled to the brim with main roster mid-card jobbers and lesser known NXT talent, WWE produced one of the worst line-ups in Royal Rumble history after spoiling all the big surprises during the build-up to this event. This turned one of the company’s most exciting match into a tedious affair.
Other than the fact that Braun Strowman deserved to win this match, this match might be forgotten in weeks to come.
#2 Cruiserweights get lost in obscurity
There is no denying that John Cena was the most over Superstar that appeared at the Greatest Royal Rumble event. Although his match against Triple H was no classic, it served to take this event to the next level.
It had one thing every other bout on the card was lacking, crowd involvement. However, one title match that felt the consequences of the Cena-Triple H match, was the Cruiserweight Title bout.
Kalisto and Cedric Alexander had a fantastic match that was overlooked due to the audience’s fatigue from witnessing two of the most celebrated wrestlers in all of wrestling square off before them.
If WWE wanted to give the cruiserweight division a moment to shine, they should’ve given them the opening spot, as the hot crowd would’ve been excited to witness their fantastic offence and aerial work.
#3 World Title matches end in controversy
AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura and Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar were two of the most significant matches on the WrestleMania 34 match card and the truth is that neither of these matches lived up to their grand expectations. Therefore, with this event, WWE had a chance to redeem themselves and book classic encounters with both these matches.
Moreover, while the quality of these matches was drastically improved, the underwhelming finish of both these main events was a lazy way to have both World Champions retain their titles. This was a chance for these storylines to conclude hotly or continue with an exciting outcome. However, the company chose to pull out the lamest trick in the wrestling handbook, which was to book a non-finish.
#4 No monumental title changes
There were discussions among the wrestling fanbase about which Superstars would walk out of the Greatest Royal Rumble event as new champions and which Superstars would retain their titles. Therefore, with seven title matches on the card, fans expected at least one title to change hands, as that would’ve elevated this event from house show level to a worthwhile pay-per-view.
However, that moment never came, as the only titles that saw new owners were the vacant Raw Tag Team Titles. From an IC Title change to possibly World Title change, WWE could’ve made this Greatest Royal Rumble event feel a bit more bigger and a little less mediocre.
#5 Reigns vs Lesnar feud continues
As mentioned earlier, it was outrageous that WWE booked a controversial finish for both their World Titles matches, as that decision took away the excitement from the overall quality of the match. However, with AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura, there is still a vast part of their narrative that is yet to be told. However, the feud between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns needed a conclusion at the show.
WWE pursuing this angle with Reigns and Lesnar is foolish for many reasons, and the main reason is quite simple - there is no more story to tell. With the company being stubborn about not turning Reigns heel, there is no need for this narrative to go on any longer, as the “babyface” Roman Reigns failing to beat “the hated heel” Brock Lesner is only damaging Reigns, the Universal Title and Raw’s main event scene.
