WWE Evolution: Star Ratings For All 7 Matches
6. Battle Royal For A 'Future Championship Opportunity'
The omens were bleak.
The first half of the inaugural Women's Royal Rumble was a mess, and this Battle Royal was comprised also of ring rust-ridden veteran performers. However, in a match that banished the air of cynicism more than any other, no work load was too oppressive; the vets were handled very carefully, Michelle McCool was as evergreen as Trish Stratus was, and the match itself was meticulously laid out with betrayals, dance breaks, and surprise eliminations spiking the crowd. Given that the opening half of most Battle Royals are tedious, WWE over-delivered here - before delivering a dismal result.
As these things often do, the quality escalated as the field thinned out. Annoyingly, inevitably, Asuka and Ember Moon delivered dynamite cameos to awaken the crowd, but were there, as they always are, to put over inferior and less popular performers.
The result marred the whole thing. Nia Jax, who lived down to her dangerous reputation by failing to protect Tamina's face when aiming Zelina Vega directly at it, is an uninspiring challenger to Ronda Rousey, and is never going to get over no matter how many times WWE reboots the push. This was Ember Moon's night, gauging by her performance level and the crowd's reaction to it, but it wasn't to be.
Far too often, it never is.
Star Rating: **1/2