Royal Rumble 2021: Honest Review
If you know me, you will know that the Royal Rumble is my all-time favourite WWE PPV and last night saw the road to Wrestlemania kick start when the 2021 Rumble took place. While we only had three other matches beside the Rumbles and the show most certainly felt different without a crowd, I can honestly say I enjoyed the evening and there were some strong moments that really stood out! In today’s blog post I am going to be running you through some of the highlights of the evening from start to finish as well as the moments that surprised me and did not leave me all too impressed.
A Modern-Day Goldberg Match booked… RIGHT
I will be honest, I was not looking forward to Goldberg vs
Drew McIntyre and held my breath throughout the entire encounter praying the
WWE didn’t put the title back on Goldberg ahead of Mania. I was surprised to
see McIntyre get an early shot in before the bell had even been rang and the
brawl between the two men prior to the match set up a solid baseline for the
story being told. It was touched on throughout that due to what went down
between the two superstars beforehand had visibly left Drew with “Injured” ribs
which he sold well throughout. Now, the action was kept short and sweet here
which was evidently the right root to go down. It was clear that what made this
match so interesting and what kept us on the edge of our seats was not only
because we did not want Goldberg to win but because with both men using their main
spots and their main spots only it was a battle of who would get their finisher
in first and who would give in first. We saw both men execute their top move
within their arsenal a couple of times before McIntyre finally scored the
victory retaining the WWE championship. A big win for the Scottish talent and a
match well booked.
Carmella Impresses
Carmella vs Sasha Banks was in fact a match I was looking forward to watching once again. The story is a little too Diva era themed, but it appears to work and the two women have solid chemistry that effectively has created a strong storyline and rivalry. Now, I do think their previous PPV title match was stronger than what we saw last night however, Carmella once again stood out and had an impressive performance. Her dive to the outside of the ring had a brutal landing but the former champion was able to get back up and continue the match and carry-on leaving fans impressed. There was no title change here despite the close calls for Mella but no one can take away nor deny just how far she has come and the sheer fact that this former Money in the Bank winner is providing some of the best wrestling and character work of her WWE career so far.
The Women’s Royal Rumble Match
Billie Kay is a Star
Okay, so she may not be the worlds greatest wrestler, but Billie Kay is a god damn star and I won't here otherwise from anybody! The former tag team champion was an early standout of the 2021 women’s Royal Rumble when we saw her enter early but refuse to go to the ring without entering with a partner. Sitting at commentary and going up to stand alongside the next couple of women to come down to the ring she left me genuinely laughing and entertained. Eventually, we would see her join the match alongside a surprise entrant in Jillian and moments including saving Ruby Riott and a brief reunion with Peyton Royce gave Billie more of the spotlight and it's clear she is winning over the WWE universe.
Alexa’s Surprise Elimination
The thing that surprised me the most at this year’s Rumble had to be the booking of Alexa Bliss. I was left genuinely surprised and frustrated with how things turned out for a star so many had down as this year’s Women’s Royal Rumble winner. She did not spend a great deal of time in the ring at all entering at number twenty-seven and soon being eliminated by Rhea Ripley. Now, this could transition into an angle between the two women in the coming weeks, however, while she may not have been down to win this match its clear so much more could have been done with Alexa and her multiple personalities that could have given her the spotlight she deserves and the entertainment from her so many fans wanted to see!
Rhea Ripley Dominates!
One of the surprising standouts out of the night of course came from former NXT women’s champion, Rhea Ripley. Many including myself were expecting to see her make an appearance after rumors suggesting she is set to join the main roster but the dominant performance she had was something I did not see coming. Several eliminations including Tamina, Bliss and Charlotte Flair put a spotlight on the up-and-coming star and her power/dominance, but it was coming down to make the final two alongside Bianca Belair where we saw her really grip fans. The two have a lot of history and their chemistry was evident throughout. We saw both women coming ever so close and we saw a few creative spots that made for a great addition and kept us all entertained. She may not have scored the win this time around but Ripley made a huge impact and its clear 2021 is going to be a big year for the young talent.
Bianca Belair’s Win
For anyone who follows me on my socials, you would have seen that Bianca Belair was one of my picks to win the Women’s Rumble this year and when she eliminated Ripley to finally score the win, I honestly could have cried I was that happy for her! Not only did she start at number three and remain the whole course of the match the night saw Belair make more Rumble history; not only does she tie the record for most eliminations in a women’s rumble, but she has also lasted the longest and now the first black woman to win the Royal Rumble. The emotion she expressed after her win was felt all around the world and I am genuinely so excited to see what this year holds for and I cannot wait to witness the EST of the WWE become champion at Wrestlemania!
Roman Reigns… that’s the headline
Honestly, Roman Reigns just continues to deliver. The last man standing contest between the champ and Kevin Owens made for an early highlight of the year and put a brilliant end to their long term rivalry. We saw some brutal spots and fantastic storytelling and while there wasn’t a lot of pure wrestling, this match brought something different to what we have previously seen go down between them and I despite personally losing interest In their rivalry I did find that I was entertained and genuinely hooked throughout the second portion of this match. There were several standout moments of course but Roman continuing to deliver in terms of his character work really was what grabbed my attention here especially when he pulled the referee aside to stop the count when he was handcuffed. Of course, there was no title change here but a very entertaining contest that once again showed us all why Reigns is truly right at the top today both as an in-ring star and character.
The Men’s Royal Rumble
Damien Priest Arrives and Seth Rollins Returns
The men’s Royal Rumble did not have many surprises in terms
of entrants this year. We saw NXT star Damien Priest make an appearance which
again did not come as a big surprise due to the rumors around his main roster
call up, but he was noted as the only NXT talent to show up in the men’s Rumble
this year, which was something, I personally was not a fan of! The up-and-coming
star had a strong performance and genuinely looked like a star with several
elimination including The Miz and Morrison (which leaves me to believe he may
be heading to RAW) as well as the biggest elimination for him, Kane. Priest was
soon taken out by Lashley, but his Rumble debut was a strong one and he genuinely
looked like a star from the moment he arrived to the moment he left. Whether he
goes to RAW or Smackdown is something we cannot predict yet, but I know where I
would rather see him head to… Smackdown.
The biggest return of the night was of course, Seth Rollins. A picture tweeted out by Lynch did leave me predicting Rollins was in fact going to show up, so I was not left surprised at all, but the former champion had an impressive standout performance and became a quick new favourite to get the win. He of course, came remarkably close to going down as a two-time Rumble winner and if I’m being honest, I was in fact surprised to see he didn’t actually leave as the victor but with Rollins back what does this Smackdown? Is he set to head straight for Roman Reigns? Or do we have a completely different angle coming up for the messiah as he looks to make his presence felt on the road to Wrestlemania
Full Circle for Edge
If I’m being totally honest, I was not expecting to see Edge win this year’s, Royal Rumble. There were several other names I had down as potential winners and I would of predicted Rollins over Edge however, I am delighted to see this the Hall of Famer get the big win on the road to Mania. This is a man who has truly stood out as a fan favourite for years and I am genuinely so happy for him and excited to see what the WWE have planned for him in the coming weeks and months and it will of course be very interesting to see who he challenges heading into Mania. I loved the story being told between Edge and Orton from start to finish, from the brawl outside the ring to Randy’s “injury” right up to the final moments when Orton attempted to sneak in one more attempt at a win. A story was being told here and it was great to see and genuinely kept me hooked and feeling something, which is always so great to see in the Rumble. It was of course topped off also with Christians surprise entrant in the match!
And so, the 2021 Royal Rumble really did have a different feel
due to the absent audience. Throughout it felt as though something was missing,
the Rumble spark was gone and in my opinion, at times both key matches felt rushed
and simply not as strong as what we saw last year. However, the evening brought
to light new up and coming stars set to potentially make an impact this year in
the form of Rhea Ripley and Damien Priest. We also saw a couple of surprises which
is always a special part of this PPV, and brand-new storylines were teased and
set up for the months to follow as we kick start the road to Wrestlemania! As
always, I would love to know what you guys thought so feel free to leave a
comment below or tweet me over at @TezangiVictoria telling me what you thought
of the show!
RECENT BLOG POSTS:
GREATEST ROYAL RUMBLE PPV MATCHES (PART 1)
I enjoyed the Rumble. 🤗
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