At the first stop on the Road to Wrestlemania, WWE delivered a great Royal Rumble PPV. An incredibly hot crowd, excellent matches, and great moments all combined to produce a stellar showing, with WWE’s 2017 off to a great start.
Sure, there were some weak moments, such as Roman Reigns entering at #30 to a chorus of boos and eliminating The Undertaker, and part-timers eliminating an astonishing number of younger talents. But, besides those small negatives, each match on the card had fans excited.
Bayley and Charlotte clashed for the Raw Women’s Championship in what was clearly a prelude to a bigger encounter later on (possibly at Wrestlemania 33). Still, that didn’t mean it disappointed, with a very good bout from the two to open the show.
Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns wrestled a great No DQ match for the Universal Championship, with awesome spots and a vocal crowd leading to Reigns and Owens’ best clash yet. Rich Swann and Neville settled their bad blood with the Cruiserweight title on the line with the latter capturing the gold in a good match, although a quiet crowd hurt their efforts.
AJ Styles and John Cena tore the house down in an instant classic, with an insanely hot crowd and fantastic work from both men leading to a Match of the Year candidate.
Randy Orton emerged victorious in the Royal Rumble match, with a number of spectacular moments leading to a fun Rumble. However, a lack of surprise entrants and the aforementioned negatives lessened the quality of the bout as a whole.
Overall, it was a great showing from the Alamodome. But, which match earned the highest grade? Let’s find out, as I analyse and grade each match from the Royal Rumble 2017.
Bayley vs. Charlotte (Raw Women’s Championship):
Result: Charlotte pins Bayley after a Natural Selection on the apron.
Grade: 8/10
This was a very good opener, with Bayley and Charlotte telling the first chapter of what is sure to be a longer story. Charlotte was vicious here, targeting Bayley’s leg and taking advantage. Bayley garnered significant sympathy and is extremely over with fans as the underdog.
Losses like this, where she is punished and beaten down, will only make her eventual title win that much better. The crowd was hot here as well, although a shorter match and a slower pace hurt the overall quality of this encounter. This was obviously a prelude to a big match later on, but for what it was, this was still a great first chapter of the Bayley-Charlotte rivalry.
Check out a short clip of the match here:
Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens (WWE Universal Championship):
Result: Kevin Owens pins Roman Reigns to retain his Universal Championship after Reigns was assaulted by Braun Strowman.
Grade: 9/10
This was a splendid No DQ match, with insane spots and a hot crowd leading to one of the best matches of the night. A good video package was a nice addition to the match and allowed fans to invest in the story of the rivalry, despite the lacklustre character of Reigns as a sympathetic babyface.
Owens and Reigns went all-out, with awesome action and a surprising finish getting fans excited. Strowman attacking Reigns was a great surprise, with a possible feud between the two being teased.
Owens retaining was a wise choice, as he will most likely be Champion heading into Wrestlemania 33. A match with Jericho should be on the cards hopefully.
Where Reigns goes from here is interesting. Does he feud with Strowman? Or Undertaker? Or both? It is not yet known, but it is smart to keep him away from the title scene for a while now.
Overall, a great match between Owens and Reigns, who had fans on the edge of their seats with the second best match of the night.
Rich Swann vs. Neville (Cruiserweight Championship):
Result: Neville forces Swann to submit, winning the championship.
Grade: 7/10
This was a strong matchup between two incredible athletes, but it never clicked completely. The crowd just weren’t invested, despite a fine video package before the bout. The action was good, but it could’ve been better considering the two men involved.
Swann doesn’t seem over as a face, which is a shame as he is a likeable character. Neville has been doing his best work as of late, but fans didn’t seem to care either way. His win was a very wise choice, as he has been on fire lately, and will serve extremely well as the next champion of the Cruiserweight division.
Hopefully, he can inject more life into the floundering brand of high flyers. Overall, this was a high-quality matchup, and these two have great chemistry, but unfortunately the crowd wasn’t interested, and this wasn’t their best work.
AJ Styles vs. John Cena (WWE Championship):
Result: Cena pins Styles after two consecutive AAs.
Grade: 11/10
Ladies and gentlemen, your 2017 WWE Match of the Year. After a classic at Summerslam, there were extremely high expectations for their encounter. Somehow, they exceeded them. Producing another instant classic, Styles and Cena tore the house down with an amazing back and forth encounter.
A fantastic video package was followed up by an insanely hot crowd, with fans in attendance screaming at the top of their lungs for both men. The hints of a more aggressive Cena were stellar and changed it up a bit from the usual routine of a Cena match.
The big moves and awesome back and forth action had the crowd very vocal, with Styles and Cena showcasing their incredible chemistry as they attempted to outdo each other with every move.
The near falls were absolutely amazing, with fans being kept on the edge of their seats for every attempted pinfall.
As well as all of that, the storytelling was on point here too. Cena, rather than wasting time after AJ kicked out of the AA from the second rope (like he did at Summerslam), learnt to counter the Phenomenal Forearm that won AJ the match at Summerslam, and hit two more AAs for the victory to a huge ovation.
Cena’s post-match celebration for his 16th world title win was fantastic as well, with fans showing respect with a cheerful ovation. Everything about the match worked so well, with Styles and Cena producing the perfect match.
There is really nothing more left to say, expect that this is the first ever 11/10 given to a match by this writer. Simply an epic match.
The Royal Rumble Match:
Result: Randy Orton eliminates Roman Reigns to win the Royal Rumble for the second time.
Grade: 7/10
Like many Rumbles before it, this year’s match had its ups and downs. There were a number of moments that had fans ecstatic. Braun Strowman dominating, Jack Gallagher’s comedy, Tye Dillinger’s debut, The Undertaker/Goldberg and Goldberg/Lesnar staredowns, and Luke Harper turning face were all awesome moments.
However, other moments had fans disappointed. Part-timers eliminating full-time talent, Roman Reigns being shoved down our throats by entering at #30, despite already being on the card and a lack of surprise entrants really hurt the quality.
In regards to the winner, whether Orton winning was a positive is up for debate. On one hand, this could possibly lead to Bray Wyatt capturing the world title in the Elimination Chamber. On the other hand, Orton is almost 40, and a younger talent would’ve benefited much more.
Whichever way you look at it, it’s hard to call this year’s Rumble anything better than great, or even just good. While the star power was huge, it seems WWE has failed once again to produce a great Rumble match. Overall, a good Rumble match, but nothing outstanding, with a lacklustre finish and a few poor moments tarnishing the annual bout for another year.
Check out Tye Dillinger’s debut here:
Overall Grade for the Royal Rumble 2017: 8/10
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