WWE Royal Rumble 2021: 10 Things That Must Happen
Royal Rumble winners, Edge's WrestleMania agony and a WWE legend getting squashed.
The weirdest 'Road To WrestleMania' starts here.
Last year, nobody knew that the world would be plunged into a pandemic one month out from 'Mania 36. The 2020 Royal Rumble was left intact back then, and few will ever forget the emotional return of Edge or mega-pop that accompanied Drew McIntyre's win. 12 months on, WWE must adapt to their own "new normal".
This Rumble will be the first to take place without an in-person live crowd. Instead, hundreds will watch on those ThunderDome LED screens, and millions more will wait with bated breath to see exactly who is hand-picked to win both the men's and women's Rumble matches.
Those same fans will chew fingernails in both 'World Title' bouts too. The unequaled rise of Roman Reigns as a heel force could be threatened, and Goldberg may secure another unwanted championship run elsewhere. This might not be a time for WWE's typical formula (at least one major title switching hands) either.
So, from Rumble ecstasy to 30-man agony and everything in between, here's what must happen at Tropicana Field this Sunday.
The "weirdest" Rumble ever could still be awesome...
10. Asuka Announces She’s In The Rumble
Nobody would shed tears if the Women's Tag Title match was moved to the pre-show. It's an unnecessary addition to the Rumble card anyway, and it's rather obvious that Asuka and Charlotte Flair will retain. Before they do, Asuka should announce that she's joining her partner in the 30-woman match later on.
Stealing Flair's thunder is what Asuka does.
Between Lacey Evans' manipulation of her father and now her own pal's promise to win the Rumble, Charlotte has a lot going on. She would rightly be miffed that Asuka chose that precise moment to make her announcement on the Rumble - that could perhaps lead to some miscommunication during the match?
Of course, Asuka is already Raw Women's Champ, but she should suggest that winning the match would thus be a history-making achievement. Her status as champion would also force Flair to question whether or not she's just trying to nab the spotlight.