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The Road to WrestleMania kicked off with another edition of the Royal Rumble pay-per-view which is one of the most interesting wrestling events in the eyes of hardcore wrestling fans.
The night had everything from surprise returns to winners, along with a few top-notch matches that helped Champions retain their titles.
Becky Lynch did extremely well to defend her title against Asuka, while Daniel Bryan tried his best to outsmart The Fiend during the night.
Sheamus made his in-ring return during the preshow, while Andrade defended his United States Championship against Humberto Carrillo.
Bayley too braved off another contender for her SmackDown Women’s Championship, giving fans hopes of watch Bayley go head to head against Sasha Banks down the road.
In this article, we will look at the seven things the creatives got right during the 2020 edition of the Royal Rumble.
#7 El Idolo retained
During the pre-show, Andrade defended his new shiny title against his biggest rival from RAW, Humberto Carrillo.
Carrillo was more determined than ever to defeat his archrival as Andrade had sent him to the hospital not too long ago after dropping him with a DDT on the concrete floor.
The two men didn’t hold back and delivered their best on-screen match to date as they kicked out numerous times and reversed each other’s moves to perfection.
However, Carrillo did not seem to get on top long enough during the match, and Andrade’s dominance proved to be too much for the newcomer.
While the creatives did the right thing by allowing Andrade to retain the title, it was upsetting to watch Carrillo go down so early in the rivalry.
Andrade has a bright future ahead of himself, and RAW needs to give the Superstar a lengthy title reign to make him among the top NXT exports of all time.
#6 Women of NXT shine again
The Women’s Royal Rumble match was one of the most entertaining matches of the night. While the match was won by a Superstar belonging to RAW, it was the women of NXT who shined bright during the match.
No less than ten women from NXT and one from NXT UK participated in the match, making it more about the Black & Gold brand rather than its counterparts.
Not only did the twelve women participate, but a few of them impressed a lot of fans. Bianca Belair, who was the second entrant in the match, was the brightest star as she not only eliminated eight women in the match but did so while being in contention for the NXT Championship.
Her efforts helped her gain a whole new fan following, and allowed her to showcase her strength and talent on one of the biggest stages in the world.
Not only did Belair eliminate eight Superstars at the top of the match, but fan-favorite Shayna Baszler entered at the last spot and also eliminated eight women.
Even though Baszler did not go on to win the Rumble, she managed to show her dominance and prepare to become a three-time NXT Champion.
#5 The Man collected her debt
Becky Lynch entered the Royal Rumble as the RAW Women’s Champion and hoped that Asuka’s reign of wins over her would come to an end at the pay-per-view.
One half of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, Asuka, had other plans and wanted to leave the event holding two Championship belts.
The Man’s entrance and the response she received from the WWE Universe proved that she was still shining as brightly as she was last year, and her reign as Champion had potential to continue for even longer.
While Asuka tried every dirty trick in the book and Kairi Sane was proving to be a menace from ringside, Lynch came prepared for the battle.
A nasty boot to the face almost took her out of competition, but she continued even though the referee looked to end the match.
In the ending moments, Asuka prepared to use the green mist again, only for Lynch to kick her in the stomach and forced her to spray it out in thin air.
She caught The Emperess of Tomorrow with the Dis-arm-her to pick up the victory and continue her reign as The Man and The Champ.
This was the right booking decision and gave the RAW Women’s Champion a lot more confidence. Asuka seemed to be her biggest threat to date, and Lynch did well to build up the story and end it at the Rumble.
#4 The Fiend knows no mercy
Daniel Bryan made one of the boldest decisions of his life as he challenged ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt to a strap match for the Universal Championship at the Rumble.
The match was built up to perfection and was set to steal the show at the mega event. It did exactly that, and the chemistry and work of the two competitors allowed fans to get one of the best gimmick matches they’d ever seen.
The two men had faced off six years ago at the Royal Rumble and did well to deliver a good performance. They went way over their previous performance and gave us the singles’ match of the night with this one.
Bryan took all the punishment he could while dishing out a lot of his own. The Fiend seemed to enjoy the punishment and made things much more difficult for The Planet’s Champion.
It’s insane how Bryan can play a heel character and a babyface equally well, and his performance as the latter in this one showed why he’s regarded as one of the best of all time.
Bryan tried his best but could not survive the punishment, allowing Wyatt to apply the Mandible Claw and pick up the victory.
Even without the red light, The Fiend was as powerful as ever, increasing the interests of the fans in what Rambling Rabbit has to say next.
Everything about this match was right, and the booking was perfect to make Bryan look strong and The Fiend even stronger. It won’t be easy for The Fiend’s next opponent to top this performance as it will go down as a candidate for the Match of the Year.
#3 The Queen rises again
The Women’s Royal Rumble proved to be another good match that tried to build on the success of last year’s match where Becky Lynch came in as a surprise entrant and shocked the WWE Universe from thereon.
While Shayna Baszler’s entry at No. 30 looked to do something similar this year, Charlotte Flair wasn’t going to let the opportunity slip again this time.
Flair entered at No. 17 as the women of NXT tried to dominate the match and somehow shock the world by picking up the win.
She was left in the final four along with Beth Phoenix, Shayna Baszler, and Natalya. Phoenix surprised everyone by eliminating Natalya from the match, and the arena filled with chants of “Shayna.” However, she was faced with a chorus of “Boos” after she eliminated the crowd-favorite Phoenix from the match.
In the final moments, Flair fought off Baszler’s attempt to eliminate her and dumped her instead to pick up a much-needed victory.
This came as a pleasant surprise at a time when Flair has drowned into the mid-cards and was looking for something substantial to do on RAW. Her hopes of becoming the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion did not come to life, and this victory will help her rebuild as the top woman of WWE.
It’ll be interesting to see who she challenges for the Women’s Championship on the Road to WrestleMania.
#2 The Rated-R return
“You think you know me”
The entire WWE Universe erupted into one of the loudest pops we’ve ever heard!
Amid all the rumors and speculations, Edge made his return to the ring for the first time in a decade. The Rated-R Superstar walked into the Men’s Royal Rumble match at No. 21, and instantly became the favorite to win the match.
With big men such as Brock Lesnar, Keith Lee, and Braun Strowman out of the match, it seemed as though the field was relatively safe for the former World Champion to compete.
He entered and speared Dolph Ziggler and Karl Anderson to give fans one of the greatest moments of the year, and continued to dominate the match from thereon.
A dream match was born as he came face-to-face with AJ Styles and ate a Pele Kick for his troubles. Edge did not hold back from taking any bumps, as he even took a Deep Six from one of the safest workers, KIng Corbin.
Edge eliminated Styles and Gallows and teamed up with Randy Orton for a short while before eliminating The Viper himself.
The Rated-R Superstar reached the final three but was eliminated by Roman Reigns from the match to end his dream run in the Rumble.
Edge’s return was a massive surprise as he had shot down rumors regarding his return constantly. Will this open the door to some more final matches for one of the greatest Superstars of all time?
#1 Killed two birds with the Chosen One
The prophecy came true!
Brock Lesnar entered the Royal Rumble as the first entrant and eliminated no less than thirteen men during his time in the ring. The first thirteen eliminations in the match all belonged to the WWE Champion, who showed once again why he’s known as The Beast Incarnate.
While Keith Lee and Braun Strowman felt like his biggest test, their own differences allowed Lesnar to eliminated both the monsters from the match too.
This called for the Scottish Psychopath who joined the fray at No. 16. A low blow to Lesnar from Ricochet as payback from last week’s RAW allowed the opening to McIntyre, who Claymore Kicked him out of the match.
This instantly made McIntyre the favorite to compete with The Beast for the WWE Championship, even if he didn’t win the Rumble.
However, there was no stopping McIntyre as he eliminated six men, including King Corbin, The Miz, and finally Roman Reigns, to win the men’s Royal Rumble match.
The win allows him a title opportunity for WrestleMania 36, which he has announced that he will face Lesnar for the WWE Championship.
This was the perfect build and moment for The Scottish Psychopath who not only eliminated The Beast but won the Rumble too!
A WWE Hall of Famer called out AEW fans HERE
