12 WWE Royal Rumble 2018 Impulse Reactions

11. Handicapped

Ronda Rousey Charlotte Asuka Alexa Bliss
WWE

Not for the first time in their respective WWE tenures, conflict between AJ Styles and Kevin Owens was again hamstrung by a bigger angle involving Shane McMahon, but conclusive defeat for 'Kami' at the hands of 'The Phenomenal One' here should effectively spin them off into a WrestleMania programme with 'The Boy Wonder' and a partner to be determined.

That AJ finished Owens instead of the legal man Sami Zayn was largely irrelevant following the Royal Rumble match's epic conclusion. The identity of the mystery man now carries the remaining heft of a flailing tale. Shane got the last 'yep' in a backstage promo following their defeat caused in part by shoddy refereeing. This allows Daniel Bryan a side entrance back into the story should he wish to meddle again with his boss, or the two troublesome challengers.

Away from the theatrics, it was an assured display from all three that protected the niggling back injuries sustained by Kevin Owens as well as the dignity of the three involved working around some rather unique stipulations. Styles could do with something a little more straightforward between now and his mammoth WrestleMania clash though, the silliness is beginning to hurt his sterner standard.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 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 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, 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