12 WWE Royal Rumble 2018 Impulse Reactions
4. Size Doesn't Matter
Brock Lesnar's successful Universal Title defence went just about to plan with the exception of Kane turning the entrance ramp into his personal catwalk with a rare outfit upgrade and two particularly stiff shots that lay in contrast to the increasingly familiar carnage dished out by the 'Monster Among Men'.
Tables were tipped, bodies were demolished and Kane was pinned. These things were telegraphed weeks in advance. Less expected was the almighty knee Braun inadvertently delivered right into Lesnar's skull and the almighty right fist he took to the temple as a receipt.
Only in a Lesnar or Strowman match could such a cold dose of reality fit the standard story so well. The two legitimate monsters knocking seven shades out of each other before going back to pretending to do just that was the exact injection of reality the contest needed following the quiet tag match and epic Rumble that preceded it.
With the Big Red speedbump polished off and Nakamura triumphantly declaring AJ Styles as his WrestleMania opponent of choice, the inexorable march to Reigns/Lesnar will continue through Elimination Chamber, but Raw's next great hope thankfully escaped his latest ding-dong with the doyen of Suplex City (just about) unharmed.