10 Snap Judgements Following WWE Royal Rumble 2017

The here and now.

john cena wwe
WWE.com

Billed as one of the biggest editions of the show ever, the 2017 Royal Rumble provided an explosive start to the 'Road to Wrestlemania', with new conflicts set in motion and some of the huge matches for the 'Show of Shows' seemingly now locked in place.

Up and down the card, the company paid off several weeks of relatively solid television in front of 52,000+ San Antonians in the company's first visit to the monolithic Alamodome since the 1997 edition of the show twenty years ago.

Whilst it's virtually impossible to make assured predictions in WWE's frenetic and ever-changing landscape, what highs and lows did the show leave with audiences in the immediate wake of the action?

Because really, what's the point in measured considerations at this time of year anyway?

10. Nobody Cares About The Smackdown Midcard

john cena wwe
WWE.com

There proved a rather prophetic moment on last Tuesday's edition of Talking Smack, as Smackdown Live commissioner Shane McMahon was at a sudden loss for words when asked who he thought could win the Royal Rumble from the blue brand.

Despite an inadvertently wise prediction about the Wyatts, it was awkwardly apparent that the meatier end of the Rumble was being supplied by Raw's bulging midcard and stolen unattached names.

Beyond the victor, the booking of the Royal Rumble match did little to favour the Tuesday show.

Most of Smackdown Live's main players were shabbily managed, with those supposedly bolstering the match left making up the numbers.

There will be other days in the sun for Kalisto or Mojo Rawley, but the subpar treatment of Dolph Ziggler, The Miz and Intercontinental Champion (and 2016 runner-up) Dean Ambrose were disappointing to see.

On Smackdown Live, The Miz could believably be slotted back in to the WWE Title picture, whilst Dolph has begun a heel turn with the expressed purpose of dispelling his 'loser' tag, and Dean Ambrose looks to rebuild his career with the secondary strap after falling short of topline expectations in 2016.

Hopefully a forgettable night for the three can be hidden away as the show rebuilds for Elimination Chamber.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett