Recap and Review of WWE Royal Rumble 2021
Tonight, was the annual Royal Rumble pay-per-view and the start of the Road to WrestleMania. For the first time in a long time, I felt like the winners of the Rumble matches were hard to predict. The Road to WrestleMania should be filled with chaos, surprises, twists and turns. Before I begin with my thoughts on the evening, here are the results of the Royal Rumble:
-Kickoff Show: Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler defeated Charlotte Flair and Asuka to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships
-Drew McIntyre defeated Goldberg to retain the WWE Championship
-Sasha Banks defeated Carmella to retain the Smackdown Women’s Championship
-Bianca Belair wins the Women’s Royal Rumble
-Roman Reigns defeated Kevin Owens in a Last Man Standing to retain the WWE Universal Championship
-Edge wins the Men’s Royal Rumble
On the preshow, the Women’s Tag Team Championships were on the line as Asuka and Charlotte Flair defended against Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler. I did not look the buildup of this rematch from TLC, because Asuka and Flair were doing their own thing going into this match. Asuka was dealing with Alexa Bliss and Flair has been dealing with Lacey Evans and her dad. The fact that Evans and Ric Flair interfered was not surprising to me at all. With Baszler and Jax as champions again, it really is time to get some other tag teams involved from all three brands. I also think that Asuka and Charlotte Flair go their separate ways and focus on their individual WrestleMania matches.
The opening match of the main show was for the WWE Championship between Drew McIntyre and Goldberg. This match went down exactly how I thought it would go down. Both men gave it their best shots. In the end, Drew McIntyre walked away as champion and gave his ultimate respect to Goldberg at the end of the match. With McIntyre remaining champion, I will be very curious to see where his reign takes him on the Road to WrestleMania. It feels like no challengers have stepped up to the plate to be worthy of dethroning McIntyre, so I will be curious to see who they put in his path during WrestleMania season.
Sasha Banks has been on a roll since her split from Bayley back in the fall. The rivalry between her and Carmella has been outstanding over the last few months. Both are at the peak of their careers and keep having amazing performances each time they go out. Sasha Banks retained the title, which makes me ask the same question I had to ask about McIntyre. Who steps up on Sasha’s road to WrestleMania? Outside of Bayley and Carmella, Sasha has not had any legitimate challengers to the title.
There were two Rumble matches tonight and the first one was the Women’s Royal Rumble match. Bayley was number one and a returning Naomi. The women who showed up that were not announced were Shotzi Blackheart, Toni Storm, Jillian Hall, Victoria, Santana Garrett, Rhea Ripley, Torrie Wilson, Dakota Kai, and Ember Moon. The final four of the Royal Rumble were Natalya, Charlotte Flair, Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair. The final two came down to two ladies that started in NXT in Belair and Ripley. After a hard-fought battle, Belair who came at number three won the match and the right to challenge the champion of her choosing at WrestleMania. She has stated she would like to face Sasha Banks for the tile, so that Is an extraordinarily strong possibility. I liked that the two women at the end are two women who have not really been in the spotlight in-front of a large pay-per-view audience. That is how you build stars and make them successful for the future. We know where Bianca Belair’s place is at WrestleMania, but I am very curious as to where Rhea Ripley’s road will take her.
Since Roman Reigns return at Summerslam, he has been nothing but dominant. During his dominant reign, his prominent feud has been with Kevin Owens. They have battled in many matches and tonight they battled in a Last Man Standing Match. Kevin Owens has been doing some of his best work since he has been in the main event scene again. This match was absolutely nuts and at one point we even saw Reigns run over Owens with a golf cart. I cannot believe the lengths that both men went to in this match. Roman Reigns played the ultimate bad guy again and won the match. This now marks three big losses in a row for Kevin Owens. We know Reigns will headline one of the nights at WrestleMania, but where do you go with Kevin Owens? Only time will tell.
The Main Event was the Men’s Royal Rumble Match. Starting number was Edge and number was Randy Orton. The superstars that showed up unannounced were Carlito, Damian Priest, Kane, The Hurricane, Christian, and Seth Rollins. The Final Four seemingly came down to Edge, Christian, Seth Rollins, and Braun Strowman. When Edge was the last one in the ring, Orton had snuck up on him because Orton was never eliminated from the match. Edge eliminated Orton and is now going to WrestleMania. Edge is just third person to start the Rumble and finish it. He goes on to WrestleMania, but which champion will he challenge? I am sure we will find out soon.
Tonight, the Road to WrestleMania has begun and in the next ten weeks a lot is going to happen. As for tonight, I have to give it a 7.5 out of 10. The matches were solid, but the surprises in the Rumble were lackluster and the botched finish to the WWE Universal Title Match hurt the match. I hope the next ten weeks have awesome television that leads to some awesome matches at WrestleMania 37. Now that the Royal Rumble is over, be sure to check back here each Saturday for the weekly recaps on the Road to WrestleMania.
