10 Snap Judgements Following WWE Royal Rumble 2017

4. Wyatt Family Values

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WWE.com

It was a huge night for the Wyatt Family, with their further disintegration marking a major plot-point within the Royal Rumble match, and both Bray and Randy Orton making it to the final three before the latter's climactic victory.

The inclusion of Orton with The Wyatts has been one of WWE's most recent success stories, with remarkable chemistry emerging between 'The Viper' and 'The Eater of Worlds', and unusual patience shown by WWE to not completely pull the trigger on their collapse any sooner than necessary.

After their win for Team Smackdown Live at the Survivor Series, Bray and Randy's unity was smartly placed on a pedestal, casting doubts amongst discerning viewers that 'Apex Predator's entry into the cult would even lead to eventual split.

However, that seemed the biggest takeaway from the Royal Rumble, with Orton's guaranteed WrestleMania title shot certain to cause consternation with Family doyen Bray, or a potential match between the two should Wyatt win the WWE Title at Elimination Chamber.

Either way, the match denoted the ex-communication of Luke Harper from the group, foreshadowing a wholesale implosion that Orton can eventually take credit for if and when he and Bray are destined to clash.

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