Royal Rumble 2012: Breaking Down the WWE Pay-Per-View Event

Well, the moment we've all been waiting for finally came tonight when the 2012 Royal Rumble took place in St. Louis, Missouri.

The Royal Rumble is one of the biggest pay-per-views of the year, and while many seem to think it was a failure, I tend to disagree.

The "Great White" Sheamus outlasted the other 29 competitors in the Royal Rumble and will be headed to WrestleMania. 

But how did the match stack up? Let's review this year's Royal Rumble hits and misses. 

Most Impressive: The Miz and Cody Rhodes

Mizfits around the country can breathe a small sigh of relief about The Awesome One's performance in this year's Royal Rumble.

Although The Miz didn't win the match, he lasted longer than anyone after coming in No. 1 and wasn't eliminated until all 30 superstars came into the match. He also eliminated his rival, R-Truth, which was much needed to keep him relevant.

Cody Rhodes also had a very impressive performance. Rhodes came in at No. 4 and stayed until the end, eliminating five superstars in the process.

If these guys are going to be two of the top heels in the business, then this was how they needed to be booked—as superstars who can make an impact. Both Miz and Rhodes certainly made their marks on this year's Rumble match. 

Biggest Snub: Kane and Brodus Clay

Why Kane was not in this match is beyond me.

So The Big Show and Dolph Ziggler can participate despite being in matches earlier in the night, but Kane, Brodus Clay, Drew McIntyre, Mark Henry and John Cena can't? Why?

Kane had a chance to break Shawn Michaels' elimination record and also would have been entering his 14th consecutive Rumble. The crowd certainly would have popped for him, and he could have made a huge impact in the match. Instead, he was nowhere to be found.

Brodus Clay is being built up as a dominant competitor, yet he wasn't in the Rumble match. His entrance would have been fun to watch, and he could have at least eliminated a few jobbers to build him up more.

Both of these men should have been in the match, and the fact that they were not is very disappointing. 

Best Spot: Kofi Kingston Walks on His Hands

This was by far the coolest spot of the night and, honestly, cooler than any spot I've ever seen in the Rumble.

Just as he was about to be eliminated by The Miz, Kofi Kingston caught himself and began walking upside down on his hands until he got to the steel steps and reentered the match.

If that does not make you mark out, then literally nothing anyone does in the ring will.

Best Surprise Entrance: Kharma

There can't seriously be anyone out there who did not think it was awesome to see Kharma enter this match.

Although there were tons of surprise entrances (The Great Khali, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Road Dogg, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Booker T), Kharma was definitely my favorite. 

Coming in at No. 21, Kharma shocked everyone by coming back at the Royal Rumble, becoming only the third woman ever to participate in the match. She eliminated Hunico, performed her finisher on Dolph Ziggler and beat up Michael Cole before she was eliminated. 

At first, I was mad about Cole coming into the match, but the look on his face when Kharma was approaching the ring was hilarious and well worth him taking a spot. 

The Divas Division has been garbage recently, and a Beth Phoenix vs. Kharma match at WrestleMania will be the only thing that can save it. 

Biggest Waste of a Spot: Jey Uso

Say whatever you want about the announcers being in the match; I agree with you. But, at least they were surprising.

Jey Uso at No. 24? Are you kidding me? 

We already touched on all the people who could have been in this match, and instead, just one half of the Usos comes in. Why?

Why him over Jimmy Uso even? This made zero sense at all, as there were tons of other people who could have come out in this spot and served a greater purpose. 

Funniest Spot: Ricard Rodriguez's Entrance

When the countdown for the No. 8 entrance of the Rumble ended, shockingly, Alberto Del Rio's music hit. 

Del Rio is injured and not expected to be back for months, but the people I was watching it with marked out for Del Rio and thought he was coming back to defend his title.

Instead, it was his personal ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriguez, who came in a beat-up, broken-down car. Hilarious.

It is pretty hard for the WWE to make me laugh, but this did it. Rodriguez didn't serve much purpose once he got in, but his entrance alone was enough. 

Biggest Head-Scratcher: The Big Show Coming in at No. 30

When Chris Jericho was revealed to be the No. 29 entrant into the match, it was only logical to assume that No. 30 was going to be someone big.

After all, Jericho was expected by most to be No. 30, so if you're going to put him one spot earlier, that builds up the anticipation big-time for No. 30. 

Personally, I expected The Undertaker, but who I got instead was The Big Show.

I have no problem with The Big Show being in this match, but what is the point of having him come in at No. 30? It's just a letdown.

All they needed to do was flip Jericho and The Big Show's numbers, and it would have made perfect sense. The only explanation I have is that the WWE thinks The Big Show is much more popular than he really is.

It wasn't all that surprising and was a pretty big waste. 

Biggest Shock: Sheamus Wins

So plenty of people, including myself, had Sheamus down as one of the favorites coming into the Royal Rumble match. But, be honest. Did anyone really expect him to win it?

When the final two was Jericho and Sheamus, I would have probably bet my future house on Jericho eliminating him and winning.

After all, Jericho was the heavy favorite coming in, and his "It will be the end of the world as you know it" statement on Monday night really cemented him as the man that most expected to walk out on top.

But, he didn't. Instead, the Celtic Warrior eliminated Y2J with a Brouge Kick to pick up his first career Royal Rumble victory. Absolutely stunning. 

Overall Grade: B

Personally, I was very pleased with the result of the Rumble. Sheamus has been very over since becoming face, and I think he has earned a shot at WrestleMania.

Jericho is not going anywhere. He can still challenge Punk, and everyone can get the match they want at WrestleMania. The fact is, Sheamus had much more to gain from the win than Jericho did.

Jericho isn't invincible all of a sudden just because he had some creepy videos and didn't say anything for three weeks. Sheamus is a former champion, and I was happy with the result of him winning. 

The match had plenty of cool surprise entrances and fun moments, and I was entertained. Was it the best Rumble match I've ever seen? No, it wasn't. Were there some major mistakes made? Yes. Did the rest of the night fail to meet expectations? Yes.

But, the Royal Rumble match itself was everything I had hoped it would be.