12 WWE Royal Rumble 2018 Impulse Reactions
8. Iron Maiden
Finn Bálor's 57-minute Royal Rumble run was thankfully paid attention to by the announce team that have in recent years failed to reward incredible physical feats.
Bálor was decked out in brand new burgundy tights and boots, perhaps in tribute to Daniel Bryan as the inadvertent ruiner of Rumbles' 2014 and 2015. He rewarded the audience in a way the 'Yes Man' sadly couldn't; entering in a fabulous endurance display in his first ever entry into the match.
Sweating buckets but bursting at the seams with charisma, it was the best night of Finn's main roster career sans 'Demon' daubing. Lasting as long as he did but saving so much fighting spirit for a gutsy final four effort, the Royal Rumble 2018 may forever be the pay-per-view remembered for his main event absence, but his status as a headliner was carefully restored.
His placement in the beautifully executed closing stretch reinforced the company's faith in his worth for the future. Positioned next to Roman Reigns and Shinsuke Nakamura as the company's future staring down Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton and John Cena, Bálor was again the man once considered a maiden Champion rather than a failed Number One contender.