WWE Royal Rumble 2018: Star Ratings For All 6 Matches

3. Seth Rollins & Jason Jordan Vs. The Bar - RAW Tag Team Championship Match

Jason Jordan Rumble
WWE.com

Subdued almost by design, even workers as well-liked and talented as Seth Rollins and Cesaro in particular were faced with an impossible remit here. The fans in attendance had just bore witness to a dream match made real, epic in length and exhausting to experience. Without wishing to appear too disrespectful - they worked hard, as they invariably do - this was a combination pummelled into submission on RAW for over half a year, and Jason Jordan. The match was a victim of timing on the night and a creeping, cloying sense of abject overfamiliarity in the wider sense.

There was enough to savour in the glorified handicap match - when eyes were prised from phones to ensure that Shinsuke Nakamura had just won the Royal Rumble match - but the match belonged to Jason Jordan. Enforced by an indeterminate injury it may have been, Jordan nonetheless delivered in his role as histrionic kayfabe injury victim, completely (and hilariously) overdoing the effects of his ring post spot. A slimy, knowing pr*ck, Jordan has finally grasped what it means to be Kurt Angle's son - tonally, at least; his performances aren't anywhere near his "father's" bravura level.

But, in a non-starter of a match, this was a good start to his formal heel turn.

Star Rating: **1/2

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!