by 2020 WWE Royal Rumble Hot Takes
It is not a surprise that both Andrade and Sheamus won their matches on the pre-show. The only surprise is that they both went over 10 minutes. Perhaps in an effort not to squash Shorty G or Humberto even further.
Roman Reigns winning over Baron Corbin wasn’t exactly needed, but still fun to see. A great match with plenty of action, fun and suspense. Corbin is one of the top heels in the WWE for a reason.
I really enjoyed the women’s Royal Rumble for a variety of reasons. I thought both Beth Phoenix and Molly Holly both performed well, knocking off the rust and coming in for some key stretches in the match. I didn’t expect either to win, but anytime a veteran comes back for a one night appearance, you want it to count and it did for those two.
The NXT calls ups were wasted completely with the exception of Bianca Blair who had her coming out party tonight. I was surprised several other big names from NXT didn’t perform better and that includes Shayna Blazer.
I know what you’re saying, she was the last eliminated, how is that disappointing? Her coming in at 30 was the wrong move. She should have been in the Blair role if they weren’t going to have her win.
As for other returns in that match, I’m kind of shocked Naomi did as well as she did and there was no Nia Jax? Speaking of missing women, where was Sasha Banks at tonight?
In the end, Charlotte is the smart move and will give you plenty of options moving forward. The Otis saving Mandy Rose spots were also amazing. They continue to tease the Rose Deville split as well and it is a lot of fun to watch.
Bayley and Lacy Evans had no chance following that match. They did their best but I don’t think anyone seriously considered Evans as a real threat to win.
Daniel Bryan losing to Bray Wyatt was an instant classic. I loved every second of this match as both competitors are so good and kept it interesting. I hate to see Bryan lose but it was the smart move to make.
Becky Lynch finally slayed Asuka and it was another good match between the two. Becky vs Shayna Blazer and Charlotte vs Bayley almost seems like a sure thing at this point for WrestleMania.
The mens Royal Rumble was much better than it looked going in. It was 30 strong with a legit 10-15 guys who could have won it. I was a little surprised with the Brock squashes of Rowen, Roode, Morrison and Nakamura. One could even argue Cesaro, but when is the last time he won anything?
The MVP comeback was horrendous while the Edge comeback was amazing. What a bone chilling, goose bump moment it was to watch Edge not only return tonight but look incredible doing so. You will notice that he didn’t take any straight back bumps, all on the side or grabbing his neck before he hit.
This leads me to believe he may not be back long, but have one final goodbye match at Mania, because last time he truly didn’t know WrestleMania 27 would be his last night. With AJ Styles apparently hurt, I’d expect that match to be against Orton.
Drew McIntyre taking out Brock Lesnar and then Roman Reigns later on to win it, was the perfect choice. Reigns will still be ready to defeat The Fiend at Mania, but McIntyre is that feel good story that the fans have been craving.
I thought this was an excellent card and booked very well with the only let downs being the performance of Lacey Evans and Bayley. Other than that, not much bad to say about this night. People will complain about the booking of the mens rumble match, but I thought it was perfect!
