10 WWE Greatest Royal Rumble Impulse Reactions
"ONE FALL"
Jerry Lawler turning up for the Greatest Royal Rumble kickoff panel in full mid-1990s regalia was a fitting start for a show that was destined to be utterly preposterous. Leaked shots of the floor seats revealed armies of armchairs - surely the comfiest way to survive a WWE supershow in the modern era and reward at least for those women who were fortunate enough to be permitted to attend so long as they turned up with a male companion.
Turning a blind eye to the numerous problematic aspects of the event - WWE were, so the audience should be allowed to - the Greatest Royal Rumble nipped by at a quicker clip than WrestleMania last month, and didn't even feel as long a show as the double-Rumbled January supercard. An absolutely bonkers card promised seven title matches, two huge feature contests and a 50-man main event. The locals had to to get their evening prayers in early - there was no stopping this oddball juggernaut.
Unless WWE intend to make this particular event an annual tradition, expect WWE never to revisit the extended format if only for how it gobbles up talent. The company were forced to line up some big surprises (and one very little one) to pad out the contest, so expect 'Greatest SummerSlam' or 'Greatest Roadblock' to require far less expense and outreach to various exes and NXT rank-and-file to ensure there's enough money left for a pyro display as good as the one on show here.
10. Superstarts
It's taken Triple H a fair few WrestleManias to realise where he's best served on cards of this size, but the last couple of months have highlighted just how well he's finally learned to play the running order 'Game' on a show he's partially in charge of.
Perfectly pitched as a middle-of-the-show attraction at WrestleMania, the Ronda Rousey tag team match he was such a vital component of didn't lose its heat to a prior contest nor outstay its welcome at the halfway point. His diet Hogan/Warrior affair with John Cena was the very definition of a 'hot start', and both performers milked their star reactions for all they were worth.
Hunter glared at the audience and they booed right back. The pair exchanged poses, pushes and tests of strength and effortlessly gathered up the requisite cheers and boos with none of the vuvuzela-like hum that ordinarily accompanies 'Big Match John' clashes on home soil. Doing a lot with very little, it was genuinely pleasing to see two legitimate legends go through the motions and still get their desired response the old fashioned way. 'Simpler' times are sometimes better ones too.