7 Ups And 10 Downs From WWE Royal Rumble 2017

1. Cena And Styles Steal The Show

If you were wondering whether John Cena and AJ Styles could follow up their instant classic from SummerSlam last year, the answer is a resounding “YES!”

Cena and Styles went toe to toe in a battle that featured both men breaking out home run maneuvers, at one point trading submission holds back and forth: Calf Crusher to STF to STF to Figure Four to cross armbreaker. Both men hit their finishers multiple times but were unable to hold their opponent down for three.

In the end, it took Cena hitting two AAs in rapid succession to get the pin after an Avalanche AA failed to do the job. There are going to be plenty of people who say that Cena shouldn’t have gotten his 16th world title reign, that it cuts AJ’s legs out from under him. But Styles clearly showed he’s got the goods, and as long as he isn’t booked like a goof for the next few months, then it’ll all be moot.

Also, kudos for Charles Robinson, aka Little Naitch, being the referee to present Cena with his title, tying him with Ric Flair for the record number of reigns.