8 WWE Royal Rumble 2021 Impulse Reactions

6. Sasha Banks (c) Vs. Carmella

Atypical for WWE pay-per-views, the show probably needed one more midcard battle to ensure there was just enough between the two Royal Rumbles, so it's odd that it took until the go-home edition of SmackDown to make this one official.

While not an ideal return for Carmella in terms of what she can expect to be upto at WrestleMania, this programme massaged a reputation she'd been manufacturing as one of the more underrated wrestlers on the roster.

Her battle with Banks at December's TLC pay-per-view totally banged, and their work together on the blue brand made yet more use of the sort-of brilliant sommelier Reginald as well as the Challenger's notable all-round improvements.

This was a joyful continuation of all of the above. The two hit hard to conclude their believable beef, with a particularly terrifying dive from Carmella the highlight of the bout's energetic middle section. This came after Reginald caught Banks midway through another high spot, resulting in his banishing from the ring and presumably Carmella's side when she conducts the post-mortem of her latest loss.

Both shone, but credit again must go to Sasha Banks for her fabulous consistency in this role. Thanks to her and former partner Bayley's runs, the SmackDown Women's Championship might be the most valuable in the entire company.

 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett