6 Match Star Ratings For WWE Royal Rumble 2022

2. Edge & Beth Phoenix Vs. The Miz & Maryse

Brock Lesnar Bobby Lashley
WWE

A quasi-WrestleMania midcard attraction that wasn't remotely bad - if anything, it over-delivered - it didn't remotely belong on an overlong Royal Rumble card that had already dragged and lost the crowd.

All four performers in the end generated a response worthy of the spectacle, but when the show had already done so little to build towards WrestleMania with any sort of intrigue, it felt especially frivolous. The expected structure unfolded early. Maryse was terrified of Beth Phoenix and took refuge on her husband's c*ck on the outside before cheating to hand her husband the advantage - upon which he capitalised with a slow run-through of his Yes! kick sequence.

When that structure was subverted and the story riffed on the TV build, the drama spiked. The brick came into play deep into the match, informing a suspenseful near-fall, but the biggest pop was reserved for a genuinely impressive athletic feat and narrative twist: the petrified Maryse grew in confidence and struck Edge with a hurricanrana. This was a doubly incredulous spot, and earned the sizeable pop for its audacity.

At the finish, Edge and Beth overcame the heel chicanery and blasted them with a stereo Glam Slam. It wasn't perfectly in sync - nor was much of the offence exchanged between Phoenix and Maryse - but it was a fun enough if slightly out-of-context crowdpleaser all the same.

Star Rating: ★★★

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!