7 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Royal Rumble 2023

2. The Final Few Minutes

WWE Royal Rumble 2023 Roman Reigns Kevin Owens Sami Zayn Paul Heyman
WWE.com

There was a period during the main event when this fan picked up his phone to browse Twitter. The fact that Kevin Owens was never taking those belts away from Roman Reigns didn't help the match going in, and it all felt a bit too routine/boring for a spell. Now for some good news...

...the final few minutes rocked.

Sami Zayn was the real drama around ringside, but the final stretch of the match was excellently-worked. KO even got a few nice near falls in, and there was always the thought that Sami might turn on Roman to help Kev win lurking in the back of fan minds. Seemed impossible until around halfway through, but better late than never.

WWE did well to sidestep Owens' temp-challenger status on the whole. He and Reigns didn't try to have some carnage-filled spot-fest - they kept things simple and told a story. That's appreciated, and everything peaked during the last five minutes.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.