5 wrestlers who were dearly missed at The Greatest Royal Rumble

The Greatest Royal Rumble event was a real success considering the crowd's investment in the matches. The stadium, with 60,000+ people, cheered for their favourite Superstars at the top of their voices, which made the show even better.

WWE left no stone unturned in making the evening as grand as possible. The who's who of the industry made an appearance. When polarising figures like John Cena and Triple H opened the show, you knew how magnificent and magnanimous the event was going to be.

However, not everyone on the roster was present for the occasion. Whether it was an injury or cultural and political differences, a handful of Superstars missed the fun and we dearly missed them.

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#5 Zack Ryder

Got injured earlier this week

Zack Ryder was advertised for the 50-man Royal Rumble match but got injured earlier this week when he damaged his knee during a taped fight for WWE's Main Event. The former Intercontinental Champion headed to Orlando while the rest of the locker room lefta for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Ryder is one of the most underrated performers of the modern era. Whenever he is in for a push, one thing or the other has always put him on the sidelines. It is a bitter blow, as he was out of action for a good part of last year as well.

#4 Kane

Removed last week

WWE removed Kane from the Greatest Royal Rumble a couple of days ago. He was initially scheduled as an entrant in the Royal Rumble match but was abruptly excluded from the card.

WWE is yet to provide a reason for his exclusion from the event. A probable reason that Kane pulled out from the show might be his current run for a Republican nomination in Tennessee as the Mayor of Knox County, whose primary race will take place on May 1st.

Kane is a guaranteed future Hall of Famer in WWE, and his appearance could have led to some great moments and face-offs against the likes of The Great Khali, Mark Henry, or Braun Strowman.

#3 Dean Ambrose

Still recovering from injury

Dean Ambrose is one of the top Superstars in WWE today. Whether as part of The SHIELD or as a singles competitor, he is a fan-favorite and a big draw for the company.

Suffering from a tricep injury since December last year, Ambrose missed the Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, and now the Greatest Royal Rumble Event in Saudi Arabia. Experts asserted that his recovery period could be more than 6-9 months, and with all major stars making an appearance, The Lunatic Fringe was profoundly missed.

It's unclear when will Ambrose return to the WWE ring, but when he does, creative is sure to give him straight entry into the main-event scene once again.

#2 Women's division

The move caused huge controversy

For the last 3-4 years, the women's division in WWE has been on the rise. What started out as an initiative to increase the participation of female athletes in the company, has now become a huge phenomenon.

The exclusion of women wrestlers from the event in Saudi Arabia came as a big shock to the WWE Universe. Women in Saudi Arabia are still restricted by the country's laws on what they can and cannot do. Triple H defended the company's decision in an interview and stated that they needed to respect the norms of the culture. While the decision received mixed reviews from the fans, there is no doubt that the women were dearly missed on the show.

From main-eventing PPVs to having matches with extremely challenging stipulations like Elimination Chamber and Iron Man Match, the women wrestlers in WWE have come a long way. It is only a matter of time before Superstars like Ronda Rousey, Charlotte, or Asuka and others go on and headline WrestleMania.

#1 Sami Zayn

Zayn is of Syrian descent

Sami Zayn is one of the most talented performers in WWE today, and along with Kevin Owens, he has already seemingly entered into a high-profile rivalry with Kurt Angle just a week after his move to Raw.

Zayn got pulled off from the event earlier this week out of respect to the local culture in Saudi Arabia. Being of Syrian descent, and due to their strained diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia, WWE didn't want to have tense relations with the host country.

Zayn's inclusion could have played a vital role in the historic Royal Rumble match considering his feuds with Angle, Shane McMahon, and Daniel Bryan. Whether the decision was right or wrong is a controversial opinion, but from the fans' point of view, WWE missed a golden opportunity in rekindling old rivalries and fuelling new ones.