10 WWE Royal Rumble 2019 Impulse Reactions

8. Good Job, Big Buddy

Nia Jax
WWE

The cruiserweights title match developed into quite the tasty treat in the latter stages as the okay spotfest became an exhilarating one the more exhausted the competitors became.

As usual, Buddy Murphy was the fulcrum, serving as both destroyer and provider for all the major moments of magic from the 205 Live crew, though Akira Tozawa's various flourishes served as what may be last gasps from the former Champion to try and get over once again.

The question must be begged again - what is WWE's endgame with the lightweights at this point? The commentators even alluded to the fact that Buddy looked bigger than his weight limit suggested, but that's probably exactly what Vince McMahon loves so much about the Australian champion in the first place.

He's a good a flight-of-fancy type as he is musclebound sh*tkicker, but it remains tricky to imagine him wanting to stay marooned on the 205 desert island if a main roster reward awaits at any point in the near future. This was the latest exhibition of his incredible arsenal and should continue his personal Road to WrestleMania - but can that truly be redemption enough for the highly-touted star?

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