10 Snap Judgements Following WWE Royal Rumble 2017

6. No More Heroes

john cena wwe
WWE.com

Taking the 'iron man' role in the Royal Rumble for the third time in his career (Michael Cole even noted on commentary how he now held the longevity record for cumulative time in Rumble matches), Chris Jericho put in a noble physical shift but was involved so poorly in the meat of the match that he didn't get anywhere the deserved response when dumped out late by Roman Reigns.

It's a recurring problem WWE have had in recent years, where the marathon men are ignored by commentators and matchmakers alike.

Not only does this undermine the incredible effort from the performers on the night, it also removes opportunity for wrestlers to be braggadocious in the aftermath.

Outside of an excellent comedy spot with Jack Gallagher and the double elimination of Cesaro and Sheamus, Jericho was forced to the floor to sell for long portions of the match or left to lay in a corner whilst action took place centre-ring.

The drama of a possible Owens/Jericho Universal Title match should have been played to throughout, but was barely mentioned.

It will be down to Jericho and Owens to get there themselves on Raw tonight, if that indeed is where directions are pointed.

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