10 Snap Judgements Following WWE Royal Rumble 2017

8. Hail To The King

john cena wwe
WWE.com

The saviour of the Cruiserweight Division in storyline and real life, Neville finally captured the league's Title with a comprehensive victory over the listless Rich Swann.

Since turning heel at 'Roadblock: End Of The Line' in December, Neville has lit up the flagging 205 Live broadcast with his embittered persona and a shift in his in-ring style to reflect that nastier edge.

Dominating the majority of his enjoyable Cruiserweight Title match at the Royal Rumble, Neville saved one of his most accomplished WWE displays for the biggest North American crowd he's ever performed to, wearing down Swann throughout before seeing him off with his new scissored arm-bar crossface finisher.

It was the first of several smartly booked moments on the show, as Neville looks, acts and feels like the 'King' he proclaims himself to be.

Despite portraying a bully heel garnering the right kind of heat from crowds, it's also clear he's regained their respect with a series of displays in which he mostly finds creative ways to back up his own hyperbole.

This win will hopefully lead to an extended run of dominance for Neville and stability for the belt itself, which has switched too frequently since its inception last summer.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett