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The 2021 edition of WWE Royal Rumble had its fair share of jaw-dropping moments. Both the Royal Rumble Match winners made history with their respective victories. We also saw the women’s tag team title change hands during the pre-show. Like every pay-per-view, a few WWE Superstars came out on top while others would not want to remember their performance tonight.
In this article, we will take a look at Superstars who impressed us at WWE Royal Rumble and those who did not. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
#1 Impressed at WWE Royal Rumble: Roman Reigns
At WWE Royal Rumble 2021, Roman Reigns locked horns with Kevin Owens in a brutal Last Man Standing Match. This was the third battle between the two Superstars for the Universal Championship, and this match still managed to come across as a must-watch title bout. Both Owens and Reigns pushed each other to their limits as they battled across the arena.
Reigns looked resilient to prove a point to Kevin Owens during their meeting at WWE Royal Rumble. The Universal Champion was innovative in his offense throughout this match. He took Owens back to the spot with the screen and threw him off the top, but KO managed to get on his feet again. That said, Owens was struggling, so he went backstage to get away from the assault.
While KO struggled to catch a breath, Reigns returned with a golf cart and ran over his opponent. They continued to battle before KO found a way to put Reigns through a huge table. It seemed difficult, but Reigns got back on his feet, and both Superstars continued their brawl. Following this exchange, both Superstars returned to the ramp where Reigns put KO through the LED screen.
Following that, Reigns took some time to tell KO that he can’t go back home with a loss at WWE Royal Rumble. He then tried to attack Owens with a handcuff, but KO ended up tying Reigns to a piece of backstage equipment. This led to KO almost winning this match at WWE Royal Rumble, but Reigns ended up assaulting the referee before hitting KO with a low blow.
Paul Heyman saw his opportunity and helped Reigns in getting out if the handcuff. Reigns then applied a Guillotine submission and Owens started struggling to breathe. Eventually, KO passed out, and the referee counted to 10. The match ended with Roman Reigns successfully retaining his Universal Championship at WWE Royal Rumble.
This match was particularly impressive in Reigns’ title reign as he actually fought most of his battle himself. Apart from a low blow and slight help from Heyman, Reigns looked stronger than he has ever looked before and he took a lot of punishment in the process. This was a huge win for him, and Kevin Owens deserves a lot of credit as well for delivering such an engaging encounter at the pay-pe-view. It will be interesting to see what is in store for both these Superstars following this year’s WWE Royal Rumble.
#1 Flopped at WWE Royal Rumble: Alexa Bliss
Alexa Bliss was one of the favorites to win WWE Royal Rumble 2021. Several fans expected that she would win the women’s match and challenge Asuka for the RAW Women’s Championship. After all, she was enjoying such a great run on RAW. However, tonight’s pay-per-view had brutal plans in store for this popular Superstar.
Alexa Bliss entered the match as the 27th entrant. She was almost immediately attacked by all the Superstars present inside the ring. Following that, the lights started going off inside the ThunderDome, teasing the arrival of Bliss’ Fiend-inspired alter-ego at WWE Royal Rumble 2021. Bliss even sat inside the center of the ring, like she usually does right before her ‘metamorphosis’.
Unfortunately for Bliss, Rhea Ripley did her homework. The latter ended up throwing Bliss out of the ring before she could summon her dark side. This spot came across as a shock to everyone who had been following Bliss’ recent form. This was certainly not the best booking for Bliss. It ended up showing her in extremely weak light, and it would be interesting to show what is in store for her after an underwhelming performance at the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
#2 Impressed at WWE Royal Rumble: Edge
Edge picked up an impressive victory at WWE Royal Rumble 2021 tonight as he became the third Superstar to win the match after entering at No. 1. He delivered a resilient performance inside the squared circle and fought with almost everyone who spent at least more than two minutes inside the ring.
From Randy Orton to Braun Strowman, Edge went toe-to-toe against all his opponents. He even worked hard to put over younger Superstars like Mustafa Ali, Damian Priest, and Riddle during WWE Royal Rumble's main event. In the end, he was the last one left along with Randy Orton, and The Rated-R Superstar had his eyes set on the prize.
He ended up eliminating Orton to win his second WWE Royal Rumble after exactly eleven years since his first victory in the said bout. The only flaw in his entire run on tonight’s pay-per-view was that WWE had already told us that he was coming back.
Nonetheless, Edge delivered an impressive performance, and it remains to be seen which world champion he will challenge following his victory at WWE Royal Rumble. More than anything, he deserves to be acknowledged for his dedication towards the craft that allowed him to script his comeback.
#2 Flopped at WWE Royal Rumble: Sami Zayn
Sami Zayn is criminally underused, and WWE Royal Rumble was no different. He participated in the men’s match and was thrown off the top of the ring following a forgettable performance. Zayn was the third Superstar to enter the ring and spent most of his time staring at Randy Orton and Edge who were involved in a gruesome exchange.
Mustafa Ali joined him, and they all attacked Edge. That said, Zayn had a very small role to play in any of the brawls before Big E made his way to the ring. The two Superstars immediately started their brawl, and before anything big could happen, the Intercontinental Champion sent Zayn over the top rope.
Sami Zayn was the second Superstar to leave the match, and he had zero eliminations to his name. He has been booked as an opportunist on SmackDown and should have been allowed to employ some of those tactics at WWE Royal Rumble. Instead, his performance on tonight’s show made him look extremely weak ahead of a plausible title feud with Apollo Crews and Big E.
#3 Impressed at WWE Royal Rumble: Bianca Belair
WWE Royal Rumble 2021 witnessed Bianca Belair make history at the pay-per-view when she won the women’s match to grab a WrestleMania opportunity. She was the third entrant in the Women’s Royal Rumble Match and eliminated four Superstars before eventually winning the match. Throughout the match, she brawled with top Superstars and threw the likes of Bayley and Rhea Ripley over the top rope.
While the overall match was decent, it was Bianca Belair’s in-ring exchange with Rhea Ripley at the end that had everyone talking. Both Superstars looked extremely strong inside the ring and were involved in a memorable bout at WWE Royal Rumble. In the end, Belair managed to knock Ripley over the top rope to win her WrestleMania opportunity.
Having Bianca Belair win the Women’s Royal Rumble was a great decision. She had a lot of momentum on her side and the creative desperately needed to bring a fresh face into the title picture. Not to forget, Belair also became the first black person to win the WWE Royal Rumble match in over twenty years. She is now expected to challenge Sasha Banks for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania.
#3 Flopped at WWE Royal Rumble: Otis
Otis had an extremely underwhelming performance at WWE Royal Rumble this year. He entered the match at No. 20 and was almost immediately eliminated by King Corbin. He barely had any chance to make an impact, and it was disappointing to see him booked in such a fashion for this match.
Otis is someone who enjoyed a good push on SmackDown. But ever since he lost his Money in the Bank contract, he has been far from decent on the Blue brand. WWE Royal Rumble 2021 was the one opportunity that he could have used to establish himself as a credible threat on the roster once again. Unfortunately for him, the creative did not share the same viewpoint.
In hindsight, the split of Heavy Machinery makes no sense now that both Otis and Tucker are struggling on their respective brands. Even without any eliminations to his name, Otis could have used a little time inside the ring to gain momentum on WWE Royal Rumble. It remains to be seen what is now left for him following tonight’s event.
#4 Impressed at WWE Royal Rumble: Drew McIntyre
The opening match of this year’s WWE Royal Rumble saw Drew McIntyre lock horns with Goldberg with his WWE Championship on the line. In a welcome surprise, McIntyre picked a clean victory over Goldberg and successfully defended his title. In fact, the WWE Hall of Famer went out of his way to put McIntyre over during this match.
When the two Superstars stepped inside the ring for their match at WWE Royal Rumble 2021, McIntyre landed the first blow. He attacked Goldberg with a Spear even before the match started and that forced Goldberg to roll out of the ring. Following that, both Superstars brawled outside the ring that and Goldberg’s Spear sent McIntyre crashing through the barricade.
Both Superstars then stepped back inside the ring, and it appeared that McIntyre had hurt his ribs. He was still adamant on fighting against Goldberg and ended up delivering a devastating Claymore. Goldberg then responded with a Spear before delivering a botched Jackhammer. He then tried to pin McIntyre, but the latter kick out right in time.
Following that, a fired-up McIntyre hit Goldberg with a Claymore and ended up pinning his opponent to retain his championship at WWE Royal Rumble. Following their match, Goldberg hugged McIntyre and said that he deserved this victory. Even though the match between these two Superstars was not that great, Drew McIntyre certainly managed to pick a huge win on WWE Royal Rumble by defeating Goldberg.
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