8 Match Star Ratings For WWE Royal Rumble 2020
5. Women's Royal Rumble Match
In which WWE extracted so much from such minimal/abused resources.
In spite of a badly fading main roster Women's division and almost comically bad build, WWE relied on the women of NXT and faces from yesteryear to obscure this and deliver a very good - but likely controversial - Royal Rumble match.
Considerably better than last year's broadly comedic and overlong misfire, this was far more economical. Last year, Ember Moon, Natalya, and Charlotte Flair all entered 50+ minute stints. None got particularly over, because as a match it was flabby and inconsequential, but Bianca Belair impressed in a powerhouse performance in which she broke the record for most eliminations in a Women's Rumble match. This was tied by Shayna Baszler's blitzkrieg cameo, which sadly was just that. Candice LeRae looked excellent in her cameo, and Naomi's interpretation of the creative elimination save might be the most impressive yet. The core strength required to cling to the barricade in the manner she did - and the tiny gap she left between her feet and the mats - rendered this a superbly athletic spot of agonising drama.
The match as a whole never meandered, advanced future storylines, called back to fond memories of yesteryear, created an advertisement of a bright future with its various interactions, and generally had no right to be as effective and over as it was.
Star Rating: ★★★¾