7 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Royal Rumble 2023

by Jamie Kennedy

1. Post-Match Brilliance

WWE Royal Rumble 2023 Sami Zayn Roman Reigns Kevin Owens The Bloodline
WWE.com

The entire post-main event angle was f*cking superb.

Roman demanding that Sami do his bidding, then Zayn cracking him in the back with a steel chair sent the live crowd wild. The way Jimmy Uso then instantly turned on Sami, but Jey didn't? Genius. They've been building this story for quite some time now, and it was role reversal from last year.

One thing you would say is that WWE better have some proper good build in mind for Cody Rhodes, because everyone's crying out to see Sami vs. Roman. That's the biggest match on the active roster right now, and no amount of tear-jerking promos about doing his dad proud from Cody will change that.

It'd be a travesty if the company didn't book Zayn to go one-on-one with Roman soon-ish. It has WrestleMania written all over it, to be honest. The Rumble's post-match storytelling ended this show on a real high, if only 'cause everyone was dying to cheer Sami anyway.

Now, they have every reason to.

What did you think of this year's WWE Royal Rumble? For more wrestling, check out 4 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Rampage (Jan 27) and 5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Jan 27)!

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Contributor

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.