8 Match Star Ratings For WWE Royal Rumble 2020

6. Roman Reigns Vs. King Corbin - Falls Count Anywhere Match

Drew McIntyre Brock Lesnar
WWE.com

In what was genuinely quite an impressive achievement, Roman Reigns and King Corbin worked a 21:18 match that actually felt longer than the two Rumble matches combined.

The layout was dire, and the action was nowhere near intense nor interesting enough to make up for it. It was every weapons-based WWE gimmick match you've ever seen, fought with a flat turn-taking structure and methodical pace that betrayed the purpose of a pay-per-view opener. It was especially disheartening because, on a night on which WWE re-learned so many valuable lessons from the past, whichever agent mapped this out learned not a thing from just last month's similarly drab TLC bore.

A hot finish was at least tacked on to the last five minutes, at least five minutes too late, in which Corbin' latest crew of heel associates assaulted Roman Reigns. The comeback spot facilitated by the Usos was exciting, and at last made enterprising use of the Falls Count Anywhere stip, following which Reigns avenged the storyline humiliation in mildly, mildly amusing comedy set-pieces.

It felt like an entertaining, only-in-WWE spectacle by the finish, but by Christ did it take an eternity to get there.

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!