10 Reasons Why January 2018 Was The Best Month In Wrestling History
3. The Men's Royal Rumble
The best Royal Rumble of the decade and discussed in some circles as the best ever, WWE's 30-man war rebounded from years of abuse in spectacular fashion.
An exquisitely planned, timed and executed feast of suspense and drama, it accomplished everything the inspired gimmick always has the potential to do but so often fails to achieve.
Shinsuke Nakamura was a dynamic, head-kicking babyface megastar for the first time since leaving NXT. Finn Bálor again proved why he's far more over than Vince McMahon thinks he is with an Iron Man performance that marked his second one-night rehabilitation in four months. John Cena and Roman Reigns were outstanding as big match bullies, timing their comebacks and beatdowns on the sentimental favourites magnificently. The plight of Heath Slater early on was handled with a rare deft touch, astonishingly not dragged out long beyond saturation point. The 10-second countdown for Rey Mysterio apparently applied to the time machine he emerged from based on his speed, dynamism and physique.
'Rumble for all' was the catchphrase dreamt up by marketing gurus in reference to the first ever women's variant later in the broadcast. The company had comfortably delivered on that promise at the half-way point.