10 Things I Hate About The Royal Rumble

But that’s the thing. The Royal Rumble is a WWE institution - it’s Christmas Day and Thanksgiving dinner, a special occasion that makes no sense and rarely lives up to the hype, but gets hyped up every year regardless - and it’s not just the fans. WWE (bookers, producers, writers and wrestlers all) have bought into that hype, in real life and, crucially, in the narrative that make up WWE programming.

In terms of the storylines, they really shouldn’t be, because it makes no sense. That’s not just because of the aforementioned false equivalency, either - although the WWE World Champion should definitely be asking some serious questions of a company that gives the WrestleMania challenge spot to whoever can stay inside a wrestling ring longest.

But there's no rhyme or reason as to who enters the damn thing. Take this year, for example. Brock Lesnar, Goldberg and the Undertaker are massive, industry-bending stars. They’re part timers who can jump in and out of the top levels of the card whenever they feel like it; they’re certainly big enough stars to be able to kayfabe place themselves the title picture at WrestleMania without needing to of twenty-nine other guys ganging up on them to throw them out of a wrestling ring.

That's the stupid risk they take in entering themselves in the Royal Rumble. They gamble a spot that their reputations should automatically get for them, giving two dozen or so lesser WWE Superstars a very real chance of taking it from them.

The same goes for the full time stars like Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens etc etc . Those main event level performers should loathe the Royal Rumble gimmick, as it forces them to compete with the plebs for a position that their efforts year round should have already secured them.

Yet they don’t - because everyone’s a mark for the Royal Rumble. Us, them… everyone.