12 WWE Royal Rumble 2018 Impulse Reactions
1. Ronda Valley
Impossible to ignore as the headline coming out of this year's January classic, Ronda Rousey's debut failed to inspire much but did at least leave scintillating options on the table for WrestleMania 34 and beyond. Staring down both challengers dressed in a commemorative shirt and literal jacket of her wrestling hero Roddy Piper, Asuka and Stephanie McMahon, the 'Rowdy' former UFC Bantamweight Champion was lining up more programmes than Triple H managed at last year's Survivor Series.
And so she should.
WWE probably haven't gotten her signature cheap. It behoves the company to make her share the screen with as many of their in-hose projects as they can justify, not least if she's ultimately as committed to the cause as they are.
Some bemoaned the lack of an actual ending in place of seemingly endless pointing and chuckling from Ronda, Raw Champion Alexa Bliss and SmackDown Live! titleholder Charlotte Flair.
Asuka hadn't yet made her choice when Rousey pulled the tablecloth out too fast and sent pieces flying. How all four women (or five if her predictable match with Stephanie McMahon goes ahead) will now intertwine on the long and winding road to WrestleMania should proffer weeks of exciting television during the trip.