'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The WWE's Greatest Royal Rumble, an odd mixture of house show and WrestleMania-caliber event, has come and gone. All the champions retained their titles, so is it possible to discern who the biggest winners and losers were since the status quo largely continued?
Yes, because despite the titles staying put, some challengers made big statements, hinting at the company's direction going forward. Things should begin to settle down after Backlash next week.
Winners: Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
The only championship that did change hands was the vacant Raw Tag Team Championship. Sending The Bar permanently off to SmackDown, Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt captured the belts. The odd couple seems to be catching on with fans, and though the Raw tag team division still has a lot of rebuilding left to do, it's heading in the right direction under their tutelage.
Who their challengers will be after Backlash remains to be seen, but the potential for a better division than last year is now present.
Winner: Finn Balor
The star of the Greatest Royal Rumble's ladder match, Finn Balor literally came within inches of capturing the Intercontinental Championship, only for Seth Rollins to leapfrog him and beat him in a race to the gold.
The ending signalled volumes about where Raw's mid-card division will move after Backlash. Finn Balor must be regarded as Seth Rollins' next challenger, and though the two have had many singles matches this year, the potential for them to have a pay-per-view length and quality match must always be a welcome prospect.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura
In my write-up before the event, I warned that it wouldn't be a good idea for AJ Styles to win this match cleanly. Shinsuke Nakamura could win the title, or AJ Styles could retain it indecisively, but the match shouldn't end with a clean title retention. Thankfully, that's not what the Greatest Royal Rumble gave us.
The match ended in a draw after AJ Styles was so furious he battled Shinsuke Nakamura on the outside, taking some revenge after three weeks of low blows and taunts. The two men were counted out, and the segment did a great job at putting over the intensely personal nature of this feud that's exploded in only a few weeks.
So the feud will continue, and SmackDown will benefit. Shinsuke Nakamura has fully entrenched himself as SmackDown's top heel at the moment.
Loser: Rusev
Sure, Rusev got some offence in, and a match with The Undertaker isn't the worst place to be in as a professional wrestler, but did the match do anything to capitalize on Rusev's popularity or signal that the company has bigger plans for him. The visual of him and Aiden English both being locked in the casket is something that will loom large in our short-term memory.
For his part, The Undertaker looked great. Though obviously far past his peak WrestleMania performances, and this match was veering toward the boring side, he's shown that, at least for now, that he isn't permanently at the low level we saw him at during last year's WrestleMania.
Loser: Roman Reigns
Sure, he only lost on a technicality this time, but he was still getting his butt kicked for most of the much, only to spring up, no-sell things, and hit Brock Lesnar with Superman Punches and Spears. Then, he fell short again, no matter how.
Does anybody really care at this point? There's no even less excitement for Roman Reigns to beat Brock Lesnar than there was before. Even the Saudi crowd was barely there. After another awful match, we must ask ourselves, why is this feud STILL a thing?! How much longer is this going to take? The whole thing is completely pointless, and the loop continues, with no end in sight, not after the way this match concluded.
And the Raw roster continues to be held hostage.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
There were three stars in the 50-man Royal Rumble match. Daniel Bryan was one of them. Lasting over an hour and breaking Rey Mysterio's record (for whatever that's worth, given the 50 entrants as opposed to the usual 30), Daniel Bryan went on to the very end of the match, and his elimination was itself meaningful, which will fuel his coming programs on SmackDown.
Winner: Big Cass
Big Cass sure is having a good week this week, isn't he? After the above promo on SmackDown, he went to Saudi Arabia and eliminated Daniel Bryan from the 50-man Royal Rumble match, undoubtedly earning himself enmity when he comes back home. He looked crisper in the ring as well. He entered at number 49 and ended the match as the runner-up.
The outcome suggests the company has big plans for him as a top heel on SmackDown.
Winner: Braun Strowman
Braun Strowman not only won the 50-man Royal Rumble match, he also broke Roman Reigns' old elimination record of 12, with 13 eliminations of his own (again, for whatever that's worth in a 50, as opposed to the customary 30-man Royal Rumble match).
It was the right decision. Braun Strowman needed some wind in his sails. Where he goes from here is still in doubt, but he's been kept hot after yesterday, and he remains Raw's most popular superstar.
One has to want to see the Monster Among Men get another shot at Brock Lesnar and finally put him out to pasture.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
