10 Biggest WWE Talking Points Coming Out Of Royal Rumble 2018
2. The Winners We Deserve
It's been a long time since WWE delivered a Royal Rumble winner the fans actually wanted headlining WrestleMania. In 2014, Dave Batista tanked because he wasn't Daniel Bryan. Roman Reigns' universal rejection created one of the biggest Rumble farces of all time the following year, and 2016 & 2017 winners Triple H & Randy Orton were met were a begrudging acceptance, not the euphoric outpouring that used to define this event.
This is why Asuka and Shinsuke Nakamura's victories were so satisfying. For once, the company chose two wrestlers that their audience actually wanted to root for. But there's more to it than that. When 'The King Of Strong Style' dumped Reigns over the top, we didn't just celebrate because our favourite guy won: we celebrated because finally, WWE had rewarded our loyalty.
Even 'bad' Rumbles are enjoyable, but the show was in danger of becoming a poisoned brand. If Reigns had won the men's bout and Stephanie McMahon the women's, it would've felt like another epic troll job from a company that specialises in them. But it wasn't. Both outcomes were pure fan service, and WWE shouldn't always pander to their audience in such ways, moments like this go a long way towards restoring faith.