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The 2021 Royal Rumble took place last night and has well and truly set off the road to WrestleMania. Fans were treated to some great moments through the event, with WWE pulling out all the stops despite being limited to no live audience in the building.
At the Royal Rumble, fans witnessed Bianca Belair achieve her dream of winning the women's Royal Rumble after a stellar performance, and multiple-time champion Edge returning to win his second Royal Rumble match in his career.
Overall, there were some standout moments at the 2021 Royal Rumble, with new stars emerging following great performances in the matches, and even new records made by the WWE Superstars who participated.
Here are five things that we learned at the 2021 Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
#5 Billie Kay's night at the Royal Rumble confirmed that she is one of the best comedy characters in WWE right now
In the women's Royal Rumble match, Billie Kay was the fourth entrant but didn't step foot in the ring until she had found a partner to join her in the action. While biding her time, Billie Kay entertained by enjoying a few short stints at the commentary table and approached each entering star with her headshot asking them to partner up, resulting in getting shot at by Shotzi Blackheart's tank-mounted cannon and attacked by Shayna Baszler, until returning WWE Legend Jillian Hall agreed to join her, dubbing themselves Billie and Jillie.
Fans even saw a brief reunion of The IIconics in the Royal Rumble match as they teamed up once more before Billie Kay was eliminated by the Riott Squad following her betrayal of Jillian Hall.
Over the past few weeks on SmackDown and during the Royal Rumble, Billie Kay has shown that she is a naturally comedic performer and is possibly one of the most entertaining women on the current roster.
#4 Damien Priest is set for huge things on the WWE main roster after his Royal Rumble performance
Former NXT North American Champion Damian Priest appeared to make his main roster debut at last night's Royal Rumble. The Archer of Infamy had been reported to be moving to WWE's main roster, and he seems to be making a powerful start.
Damian Priest entered the Royal Rumble match at No. 14, and quickly set about attacking the other men in the ring. During the 15 minutes that Priest was in the match, he scored four eliminations, tying with Intercontinental Champion Big E.
One of the biggest moments of the men's Royal Rumble match was Priest's showdown with WWE Legend Kane, who made a surprise appearance. Damian Priest managed to eliminate Kane from the match, as well as Elias and RAW tag team The Miz and John Morrison.
Judging by the showing that Damian Priest had in the men's Royal Rumble this year, the star is set for something big on the main roster in WWE. Priest is possibly one of the most unique men on WWE's current roster, and it will interesting to see the direction he's headed.
#3 Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns delivered one of the most intense Last Man Standing matches in WWE at the Royal Rumble
Kevin Owens and the WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns have been involved in a rivalry that came to a head at last night's Royal Rumble. The animosity between the two has been ongoing since November 2020, around the time of Survivor Series. The pair had already faced off over Reigns' title at TLC, where the Tribal Chief retained.
At the Royal Rumble, Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns came together in a Last Man Standing match that captivated fans. Both Superstars put their bodies on the line as they battled it out for the WWE Universal Championship. There were some interesting spots in the match that left fans shocked, including Kevin Owens leaping off of a forklift truck onto Reigns, and also Reigns running Owens down with on a speeding golf buggy.
By the end of the match, both men were struggling to carry on after giving it their all, but eventually it was Roman Reigns who retained his title at the Royal Rumble after he choked out Kevin Owens, who was unable to move.
#2 Both Royal Rumble winners made WWE history
The 2021 Royal Rumble was the first-ever to take place without a live crowd in the history of the event. In addition, history was also made with the winners of this year's Royal Rumble matches.
In the Women's Royal Rumble, Bianca Belair entered at No. 3 and lasted all the way until the end. The SmackDown Superstar was this year's Iron Woman, and the first woman to earn that accolade and also win the Royal Rumble simultaneously. As well as this, Bianca Belair is the first African-American woman to win the Royal Rumble.
Edge also became one of only a handful of men to win the Royal Rumble from the No. 1 spot and was the Iron Man of the match as well as the winner, which is a rare feat. Interestingly, Edge's second win was on the 11th anniversary of his first Royal Rumble win back in 2010.
For the first time since the Women's Royal Rumble was established, both the Iron Man and Iron Woman managed to win their respective matches, with both stars outlasting any other competitor on the night.
#1 Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley are the next huge stars of WWE's women's division after the Royal Rumble
The Women's Royal Rumble match was possibly one of the most intense that has been seen for some time. During the match, there were some shocking eliminations, and also entrances from unexpected legends such as Torrie Wilson and Victoria.
By the end of the Women's Royal Rumble, there were three women remaining for the final standoff — 2020 winner Charlotte Flair, Rhea Ripley, and Bianca Belair. Both Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley teamed up to eliminate the former RAW Women's Champion before turning their attention to one another.
After an intense final few minutes of the Women's Royal Rumble, Bianca Belair managed to eliminate Rhea Ripley. Both women set records in this year's Royal Rumble: Rhea Ripley scored the most eliminations of any WWE Superstar this year with a total of seven, and Bianca Belair became the first African American woman to win a Royal Rumble match, and also the first Iron Woman to win, with the longest time spent in a women's Royal Rumble ever.
Both Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair had outstanding performances in the Women's Royal Rumble match this year, and cemented themselves as two stars to look out for.
A WWE Hall of Famer called out AEW fans HERE
