12 WWE Royal Rumble 2018 Impulse Reactions

11. Handicapped

AJ Styles Kevin Owens Sami Zayn
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.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for 10 years. Alongside the production of daily written, audio and video content covering WWE and AEW, he 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 on the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 10,000 episodes and 70,000,000 total downloads. He also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House!, Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast, and has guested on long-running Sunderland AFC podcast Wise Men Say. With WhatCulture, he has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. He has also been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling. 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 music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.