10 Big Talking Points From WWE Royal Rumble 2017

Over on the SmackDown side of the equation, though there weren’t any shenanigans in the world title match that doesn’t mean there wasn’t any drama.

After a 24-minute epic with AJ Styles, John Cena ultimately emerged victorious to capture the WWE Championship and tie Ric Flair’s record of 16 stints as champion of the world.

Obviously, this is major news, but in some ways the biggest talking point here is the fact the company didn’t afford this a great deal of attention. Heading into SummerSlam last year, when Cena was first looking to tie Flair’s haul, much of the pre-match discussion revolved around his bid to draw level with Flair in the record books.

This time out though, there was very little mention of tying the record—or at least far less than you’d expect from WWE.

That may simply because they were hoping to retain an element of surprise for Cena’s coronation at the Rumble—in which case, it was a job well done. Or, it could be a sign that Cena’s going to lose the belt at Elimination Chamber in a fortnight; why else would they understate such a historic achievement?

Personally, my money’s on the second scenario and a title change in the Chamber.