3 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Raw (19 January - Results & Review)

2. Who Isn’t In The Royal Rumble?

WWE Raw Jey Uso
WWE

Ah, it’s that time of year, when everyone grabs a mic and announces that they’re entering the Royal Rumble match. There’s no criteria or qualification other than having a pulse, speaking into a microphone, and saying that you’re declaring your entry or participation in the Rumble. That’s it.

Gunther kicked things off by announcing he was entering the Rumble. Jey Uso also announced his entry, despite just last week putting the tag team division “on notice.” Guess that’s on hold for now. (If that gets weaved into a Jey heel turn – that he’s still preoccupied with singles glory – then this works.)

Not to be outdone, the Women’s Tag Team Champions announced that they’re entering the Rumble, as will the three Judgment Day women, who jumped Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky, beating them down in a predictable go-home heat segment ahead of Saturday Night’s Main Event. Bayley, Lyra Valkyria, Asuka, and Kairi Sane all declared their entrances into the Rumble as well on Monday night.

The Rhiyo/Judgment Day segment was especially disappointing, as both teams tried to use the Rumble to sow seeds of divisions between their opponents – despite the Rumble taking place the week after their SNME tag title match. It also diminished their title match to have half of the promo segment focused on entering the Rumble for a shot at a women’s singles title. Maybe just focus on the titles around your waists and your upcoming defense/challenge? Just a thought.

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Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.