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From Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens' hard-hitting Last Man Standing Match to a high-stakes clash between Goldberg and Drew McIntyre, WWE Royal Rumble 2021 featured many contrasting moments.
Royal Rumble has consistently delivered over the past few years, but this was the first time that the event took place in the absence of an actual live crowd. As a result, this year's Royal Rumble may not have reached its full potential, but it was certainly an enjoyable ride from start-to-finish.
The Road to WrestleMania has officially begun, and the interesting fallout from Royal Rumble will certainly be a huge part of WWE programming over the next few months.
What are your thoughts on this year's WWE Royal Rumble event? Leave your opinions in the comments section below.
Here are the five biggest news stories from WWE Royal Rumble 2021.
#5 Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler defeated Charlotte Flair and Asuka to become the new WWE Women's Tag Team Champions
A title change from this year's Royal Rumble event occurred during the Kickoff Show.
Charlotte Flair and Asuka have been fighting two separate battles on WWE RAW, but they stuck together to defend their Women's Tag Team Titles against Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax at the pay-per-view.
Towards the end, Lacey Evans and Ric Flair arrived to distract Charlotte. The Queen could not balance both ends simultaneously, which allowed Jax and Baszler to pick up the victory here. Charlotte and Asuka's short-lived run as the Tag Team Champions came to an end, but the plot points from this match would later pan out in the Women's Royal Rumble match.
Charlotte Flair only eliminated one person from the Rumble, but she survived until the "final three" sequence. The Queen also encountered Lacey Evans in the multi-woman bout, as The Sassy Southern Belle wore Charlotte's robes to fire shots at The Nature Boy's daughter.
Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler may have become the new Tag Team Champions, but they still don't like each other, which became apparent during the Rumble. Jax eventually eliminated her own partner, and Jax herself was eliminated by a returning Lana.
While the Women's Tag Team Division hasn't made any huge leaps, it was nice to see how WWE connected the Kickoff Show match to the Women's Royal Rumble bout.
#4 Roman Reigns defeated Kevin Owens in yet another classic between the two WWE Superstars
Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens have incredible chemistry with each other in WWE. As expected, both of them put on an exhilarating Last Man Standing Match at this year's Royal Rumble event.
Reigns and Owens displayed smart wrestling psychology throughout the match, which isn't quite as common in WWE nowadays. The Last Man Standing match also felt like a well-produced clash, as there were a few cinematic elements included throughout the bout. Kevin Owens put on a courageous performance and executed a few jaw-dropping spots.
Towards the end, The Tribal Chief outsmarted The Prizefighter at Royal Rumble. Jey Uso didn't help out his cousin this time around, but it was Paul Heyman who freed Roman Reigns from a pair of handcuffs. This allowed The Tribal Chief to apply a guillotine hold on Owens for the victory.
The WWE Universal Champion has frequently defeated Kevin Owens over the last two months, and it will be interesting to see who will be the next star to step up to Roman Reigns on SmackDown.
#3 Drew McIntyre earned Goldberg's respect at WWE Royal Rumble 2021
Drew McIntyre and Goldberg faced each other for the WWE Championship in a bout that lasted less than three minutes.
Over the years, Goldberg had earned the reputation of being the star who pushed down up-and-coming wrestlers on the Road to WrestleMania. Even if WWE's higher-ups had made those controversial decisions, the aforementioned pattern came to an end at this year's Royal Rumble event.
As expected, both stars engaged in a back-and-forth exchange of quick finishing moves. The Scottish Warrior proved to be indestructible against Goldberg's dangerous offense.
The WWE Champion retained his title, which was the right decision to make in most fans' eyes. After the match was over, Goldberg and Drew McIntyre shared a handshake and a hug. The Scottish Warrior had earned the WCW icon's respect, and this had to be one of the most iconic moments of McIntyre's WWE career.
Sure, the match wasn't anything extraordinary, but it ended in the right way on the Road to WrestleMania 37. Drew McIntyre seems to be unstoppable, and whoever steps up to him at the Grandest Stage of Them All will have a tough task ahead.
#2 Christian, Victoria, Seth Rollins, and several other WWE stars returned at the Royal Rumble
One of the most emotional WWE moments in recent years occurred when Christian returned during the 2021 Men's Royal Rumble match, just like his tag team partner, Edge, had done last year.
It was a full-circle moment when Edge and Christian shared a moment together inside the ring, which will be fondly remembered by WWE fans in the years to come.
While it was great to see a star like Carlito return to the WWE after several years, some of the other legends' spots didn't feel as important in the grander scheme of things.
Kane and The Hurricane entered the Royal Rumble as well, and WWE SmackDown Superstar Seth Rollins made his first wrestling appearance since Survivor Series 2020.
Several part-timers also appeared in the Women's Royal Rumble match, including names such as Victoria, Torrie Wilson, Jillian Hall, and Alicia Fox, among others. As mentioned earlier, Lana also returned to WWE towards the end of the Women's Royal Rumble match.
While WWE always brings back notable names from the past to fill up the Women's Royal Rumble spots every year, Alicia Fox was involved in a pretty noteworthy and entertaining 24/7 title melee during the Rumble.
#1 Edge and Bianca Belair won their respective WWE Royal Rumble matches despite being one of the earliest entrants
Edge and Bianca Belair were both highly-favored to win the Men's and Women's WWE Royal Rumble matches, respectively.
Edge entered first with Randy Orton, and The Rated-R Superstar managed to outlast 29 other Superstars for almost an hour. Bianca Belair entered third in the Women's Royal Rumble, and she set a record for the longest time in a Women's WWE Royal Rumble match.
Both victories were highly-emotional moments for the stars involved.
This year's Women's Royal Rumble featured some memorable sequences that may stick with the fans for a long time, which is quite an accomplishment in the ThunderDome. While the match could have been a little more coherent, the "final three" sequence between Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair, and Rhea Ripley was absolutely excellent.
Rhea Ripley looks more than ready to become a part of RAW or SmackDown on the Road to WrestleMania.
The Men's Royal Rumble match felt like a standard affair, for the most part. While it was more coherent than the Women's Royal Rumble, there was no chance for it to live up to the 2020 Men's Royal Rumble match, which has since then become an iconic part of Royal Rumble history.
Daniel Bryan was the ultimate fan-favorite heading into the match, but Edge's Royal Rumble victory brought his personal journey to a full-circle. For those upset that Bryan did not win the WWE Royal Rumble this year, it is important to remember that he could very well challenge Roman Reigns at WrestleMania if Edge chooses to face Drew McIntyre at the Grandest Stage of Them All.
It's no secret that a few pre-Royal Rumble announcements killed some momentum at the time of the event. But under the circumstances, WWE managed to put on an entertaining pay-per-view.
