Women’s Royal Rumble Match
This is a train wreck every year and this is no different. Hardly anyone was over. Every 5th entrant was, maybe. And all of them kept messing up. It was botchy, sloppy and not very professional but I had a fun time laughing and the gimmick itself rather carried it. Naomi coming back and Jade Cargil debuting were the main highlights with a rather neat finish to close a terrible match. But I'll be generous. **
WWE Universal Title / WWE Title Fatal Four Way Match: Roman Reigns (c) vs. AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton vs. LA Knight
I think people are going to be really harsh on it because it has some laazy and tired tropes when there was some really good wrestling in this match. Orton looked good on top and when working with Roman, whose selling was particularly awesome. He does sell that vulnerability really well, rarely coming across as sympathetic which is rare in the selling role. Now AJ had his spots but didn't blow me away. LA Knight is just a WWE wrestler. Bland. The match wasn't amazing but it's not terrible. It hit its notes well and showcased Roman's strengths as a seller. ***
WWE United States Title Match: Logan Paul (c) vs. Kevin Owens
I've been reluctant to compliment Logan Paul on his wrestling for whatever reason but I can't fault him. I liked his attempts at working the hand, feeding into the story coming into the match. I like his athleticism and how its incorporated into the match. And he works with Owen's well, who is hit and miss with me. KO sold the arm well and fed for Paul nicely. All in all, this was looking to be a pretty good match but then came the moment that derailed the match entirely. Firstly, one of Logan Paul's friends showed up, leading everyone to be like WHO??? That distracted from the match entirely, then Theory and the other guy came down to the ring for no reason really. All of which was a convoluted way to set up a brass knuckles finish where KO uses the brass knuckles against Logan Paul in a bit of a babyface cheating joy but he gets caught. That in itself is a cool way to get the desired result but the set up was bad at an all time level. ***
Men’s Royal Rumble Match
While this was functionally superior for the woman’s version, as it was full of mistakes and sloppy wrestling from nearly all involved, this was flat out boring to sit through. The match only “picked up” when Punk and Cody were left in the ring, but that wasn’t enough to make the rest of the time feel worthwhile. And if I am being honest in my assessment, Punk and Cody didn’t exactly blow me away as a Rumble finale either. It was slow and lacking in drama which vastly contrasts to the other types of finishes in the Rumbe’s history. This is yet another modern day Rumble with hardly a memorable spot to speak off. It all feels interchangeable with last year’s match and the year before that. Long are the days of memorable moments, compelling action and pure excitement. If Pat Patterson’s legacy is everything, it's that he seems to be the only one who can make the Rumble work. We are in a dark era for the Rumble matches. **
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