10 Biggest WWE Talking Points Coming Out Of Royal Rumble 2018
A game-changing night in Philadelphia.
WWE's first major pay-per-view of 2018 is in the books, and while not without its problems, the show will go down as a success.
Not only were we treated to the first ever women's Royal Rumble, but a men's bout that genuinely stands up to all-time classics like 1992, 2001, and 2007, and deserves every accolade that comes its way. Both were full of the spots, surprises, and shake-ups that the event is known for, and after years of rank Rumble mediocrity, their quality was invigorating.
The rest of the card didn't quite measure up. The Kickoff Show matches were fine, but skippable, and the WWE and Universal Title bouts were hamstrung by their stipulations. It was a tale of two contests in the tag division, as one set of duos delivered textbook high-workrate excellence, while the other drowned in story-driven slop.
Regardless, few shows have a more defined impact on WWE's calendar year than the Rumble, and the Road to WrestleMania now looks a whole lot clearer. Whether you enjoyed the pay-per-view or not, at least it gave us plenty to talk about over the coming weeks and months...
10. Showcasing NXT
Four of the past five Royal Rumbles had featured an NXT participant prior to last night. Though not quite a given, this ratio gave fans reason to believe that at least one developmental wrestler would feature across the 2018 event's two over-the-top-rope bouts, but no: we were treated to four.
In the men's match, NXT Champion Andrade 'Cien' Almas embarked upon a great run after entering at number seven, lasting just under 30 minutes, during which he eliminated Kofi Kingston. An injured Adam Cole also appeared, and though his run was short, it saw him go toe-to-toe with some of the main roster's biggest stars. On the women's side, we got an admittedly disappointing run from Kairi Sane (eliminated by the lowly Dana Brooke), and a late-match appearance from a one-armed Ember Moon, whose showdown with former rival Asuka was a highlight.
A developmental wrestler was never going to win either match, but NXT was put on a bigger Rumble pedestal than ever before. This is a great sign. The brand is extremely hot at the moment, and with the likes of Almas and Moon drawing great crowd reactions, it all bodes well for the future.