10 New Directions For WWE After Royal Rumble 2017
1. Safety First On The Road To WrestleMania
If one thing is abundantly clear coming out of the Royal Rumble, it is WWE’s reaffirmation as a company who are almost completely unwilling to take risks. Rarely have the company produced such a safe set of outcomes, and if last night is anything to go by, the road to WrestleMania will be more linear than ever.
Safety prevailed across the board. Charlotte, the company’s most trusted female competitor, regained her championship. Kevin Owens’ bland Universal Title reign continues. Cena, the franchise player, retook the throne, Randy Orton won the Rumble, and the titular match’s closing stretch was built primarily around a trio of ageing part-timers. Furthermore, there were no major shocks in the Rumble itself, and Tye Dillinger acted as the match’s sole surprise entrant.
That’s not to say that all of the above were bad choices, but WWE unquestionably took the easy route. The build-up to the event made this feel like one of the most unpredictable Rumbles in history, but no: part-timers and safe hands remain at the forefront, and the event itself probably won’t live long in the memory.
For a company obsessed with “making history,” WWE did quite the opposite last night. For all its positive qualities, the Rumble did very little to impact the company’s long-term landscape, and it looks like smooth sailing all the way to Orlando. It’s too early to write WrestleMania off, of course, but last night’s show suggested that if fans were expecting major shake-ups over the next few months, they’re probably going to be disappointed.