2. Using The Rumble To Set Up Multiple Matches For WrestleMania
One of the things that The Royal Rumble used to be perfect for but the company has really gotten away from in the past few years is using the 30-man bout to set up multiple angles between wrestlers rather than just focusing on the main event program for 'Mania. If I had to guess, I'd say that this year's bout successfully set up three major WrestleMania matches: Kevin Owens vs. sami Zayn, Brock Lesnar vs. Bray Wyatt and Triple H vs. Roman Reigns.You could possibly even get AJ Styles/Chris Jericho out of it as well, as both men had impressive showings in the Rumble and Jericho is far better as a heel. It was key that WWE use the match to build these angles and stories, especially considering the ending was going to be a bit controversial. IF we weren't going to see Brock win, they eliminated him in an effective fashion that makes us want to see him enact revenge on the entire Wyatt Family. The brief contact between Zayn and Owens reignited the interest in their long-running rivalry, and it's clear that HHH and Reigns is what we're getting. WWE deserve a tremendous amount of credit for the layout and booking of this match, and it's particularly impressive when juxtaposed against the two previous years.
Brad Hamilton is a writer, musician and marketer/social media manager from Atlanta, Georgia. He's an undefeated freestyle rap battle champion, spends too little time being productive and defines himself as the literary version of Brock Lesnar.
