Royal Rumble 2012: Why Rumble Is Most Entertaining Match in Wrestling History

While WrestleMania is the WWE's biggest event, the Royal Rumble is the best event. Specifically, the Royal Rumble match is the showcase of every WWE year. What makes it special is that it offers something for everyone. No other match can do that. 

Development of Stars

What makes the format of the rumble truly unique is that you can have a person put on a great performance, but still not come close to winning. A young stud can enter the match as one of the first 10 entries, put on a good 15-20 performance, and then get knocked out in enough time to clear the stage for the big guns. 

But that is an opportunity that those young stars rarely get in one-on-one matches. On television, matches are lucky to get more than about 10 minutes. In the rumble, the match goes for nearly an hour, sometimes more, so they get time to show what they can do—to the fans and executives in the back. 

When it comes time to book WrestleMania, or any event in the future, this stuff gets noticed. 

Return of Old Veterans

On the other end, the old fans are always given something to see. Past rumbles have given us the nostalgic return of guys like Diesel (Kevin Nash), Booker T, Roddy Piper, RVD, etc. There is no reason to think that 2012 will be any different. 

We all know that these stars aren't threats to win, but they do give us a memory of what things were like in past eras, even if only for a few minutes. It is always nice to see some of the past favorites come back. Think if it like an Old-Timer's game in baseball.

Always Something Going on

When you have multiple grapplers in the ring at one time, your attention doesn't need to be focused on any two. If two are locked up in an extended rest hold, you can watch two of the other dozen guys in the ring. There is always something exciting happening, and always something good to potentially miss. 

At any moment, one of the WWE's biggest stars could be knocked out. We've seen it in the past. 

This simply comes down to numbers. When that much is happening in the ring, something can always happen.

Countdown

As a kid, one of the best moments for me was the final 10 seconds and trying to figure out who the next entry would be. Eventually, you can start to narrow it down—but even then, any surprise entry basically eliminates one expected name. It is a fun thing to watch. 

And then, when the music hits, it is great to see how the people in the ring react. It tells a fantastic story and often times does so better than a 10-minute match does.

When done well, it is fantastic storytelling and sets up great matches for the future. 

New Tricks

It started in 1995 when Shawn Michaels tricked everyone. 

Then, it was a really big deal. Now, it is done four or five times a year. 

Last year, John Morrison took it to a new level. 

I can't wait to see what tricks the WWE has in mind, and who they're going to rely on to use them. These are nothing short of amazing, especially if it happens with a booked winner. 

If something went wrong and Shawn Michaels lost his grip, the ending for that rumble would be botched. Nobody would buy HBK as the winner if everyone saw him fall.

It sets up WrestleMania

The best time of the year to be a WWE fan is the time between the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania. After the rumble, we know who at least one half of one of WrestleMania's main events will be. 

When that happens, it means that WrestleMania is right around the corner and things are about to happen in a big way. That just makes the WWE great to watch, and it starts when the winner of the Royal Rumble is declared.

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