8 Match Star Ratings For WWE Royal Rumble 2020

1. Men's Royal Rumble Match

Drew McIntyre Brock Lesnar
WWE.com

An absolutely glorious, pulsating, deeply thought-out and fully committed triumph of a Royal Rumble match, this was so incredible and stirring that it almost singlehandedly restored faith in WWE's creative process and built rapt anticipation for WrestleMania. It was a double-barrelled blast of a masterstroke.

Brock Lesnar was so terrifying in the opening sequence that his assault of Elias looked like something from a wildlife documentary. From there, the expected structure - Lesnar kills your favourites to piss you off, before a hero emerges to exact retribution - played out to perfection. Gruesome (Kofi Kingston's murder); hilarious (his turn on Shelton Benjamin); ultimately rewarding (his elimination to a fresh, ascendant star): this was a stupendous bit of business.

It was so inspired. It was no accident, that WWE selected cult online favourites in Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura for this abattoir scene: the idea was to intensify the loathing of the crowd, in order for them to rally behind Drew, and they did.

Edge's return was a euphoric, all-timer of a WWE 'Moment', but there was far more substance to it than that. His interplay with AJ Styles and Randy Orton was excellent, and built two matches in the medium and long-term. His elimination of the Viper was classic, intelligent babyface work, and the improvised camaraderie they shared felt genuinely vital. The events of the finish were germane to plot developments on RAW; the last-gasp drama was driven by expert, manipulative tension; several stories were advanced or teased: this was a classic Rumble match crafted by an organisation that, in stunning contrast to the idiotic chaos of several months ago, seems to have grasped what to do and when to do it.

This, coupled with 2018's stunner and last year's more workmanlike success, has put a definitive end to the Royal Rumble's period of disastrous malaise.

Ultimately, with Royal Rumble 2020, the titular matches of which were the most important, WWE pulled off a triumph of a show that couldn't have been more perfectly timed. People were tentatively starting to believe again, and this PPV repaid that faith as a minimum.

Star Rating: ★★★★½

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!