10 Reasons Why The 2019 Royal Rumble Will Be The Best Ever

4. WWE Has Relearned How To Book The Rumble Match

Monday Night Rollins
WWE

Last year's Men's Royal Rumble match was among the best ever. The best, writing subjectively.

The extended bit in which Heath Slater acted as punching bag followed comedy's rule of repetition fabulously; comedy was elsewhere kept to a minimum, vanquishing a sh*tty trope while at the same time reorienting the match as serious, must-win business; Finn Bálor entered an Iron Man performance in which he actually dictated the flow of the action and enhanced his reputation ahead of an excellent, feature WrestleMania match; two NXT acts were booked to star...on the main roster!; the talented field elevated the often dull mid-match phase into something exciting; the drama of the finishing sequence was as electric as it was manipulative as it was, ultimately, sorely-needed: the whole thing restored the magic of a match weighed down by antagonistic, broad bullsh*t in the abysmal years prior.

Everything points towards a continuation of this form. WWE's main roster is loaded with under-utilised talent desperate to impress, reducing the need for cheap surprise entrants and worse, all of the bloody commentators - and, not least, the potential crop of winners...

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!