WWE Royal Rumble 2012: Top 10 Moments from Last Night's Show

The WWE Royal Rumble event has come and gone. It was a great night to be a WWE fan, the Road to Wrestle Mania is looking bright. Very bright!

As a paying customer, I got my money's worth last night. The Rumble went just about as I expected, and the crowd was on fire! With that being said, here are my top moments from the show!

10. Beth Phoenix Dominates

There was an added Diva's tag match. I enjoyed the action because I feel every event should have a Diva's match. Long, or short. It doesn't matter. One (or more) match per show!

However, I felt this match did one negative thing. I felt it completely telegraphed the return of a certain somebody later on in the evening. Right when Beth Phoenix won, I think WWE "gave away" the return of another woman later on in the show.

Maybe it was just me? The heels usually do not win these throwaway tag matches. There was a reason the heels won here, and I figured it out right away...

Kudos to my "it" girl Alicia Fox for having a great performance!

9. Brodus Clay Wins

This was another unannounced match. Brodus Clay defeated Drew McIntyre in less than a minute.

I liked keeping Brodus out of the Rumble. It keeps him "undefeated," and it made his act special. I still wonder what is going on with Drew.

I am waiting for a "pay off" with his story line and Teddy Long. Otherwise, a good segment.

8. John Cena vs. Kane

Well, the 56,678th predicted "John Cena heel turn" really went well...

There is always next week to begin the next scenario as to when it will occur!

Not for me. Not happening. Never have predicted such a thing. I like to stay in the "real world" and avoid "fantasy booking" at all costs.

With that being said, I was disappointed with this match. Both men brought it, but this ending was not needed at all.

First of all, get Ryder off WWE TV! Him in a wheel chair is doing him no good. WWE has already established his injury. There is not reason to further this any more. Kane injured him. Great! Now, let's move on...

Also, I really felt Cena should have won here. Clean! I am going to the Elimination Chamber PPV event next month. Am I going to see Kane vs. Cena? I could think of other matches I'd like to see, but one final "gimmick" match between two could work.

In the end, the match was fine. The Zack Ryder involvement was not needed, and a "non-finish" sure does suggest one final PPV match next month!

Mixed feelings.

7. World Title Match

Can Mark Henry get time off now? The man can barely move. I do not like him being in there. That was my thought last month. That was my thought this month as well.

Let him heal up! Safety comes first.

With that out of the way, this was a good opener. It was not anything spectacular, but it did its job. Daniel Bryan retained his World title, and Big Show came inches away from winning. It also gave the champ another win without pinning or submitting his opponent.

It will be interesting to see if Bryan makes it to Wrestle Mania as champion, especially with the winner of the Royal Rumble coming for gold!

6. WWE Title Match

This was another good match.

I liked this match, but it barely went 15 minutes. With these two in the ring, I expected much more. Dolph Ziggler is set for a huge year, and Punk can certainly "go" in the ring. Their Raw matches in the past few months were better than this.

Johnny Ace did fine as the special guest referee. He stayed out of the way , yet counted the pin fall at the ending. Very intriguing finish!

Punk retained, as he should. We now move forward on the path to Miami...

5. Please Stop WWE!

Once again, Dolph Ziggler worked two matches! This really needs to stop. We don't need another injury to a top star heading into Mania. It is just becoming redundant.

Dolph lost multiple times in the WWE title match. Why was he in the Rumble? Why?

Did he do anything worth while? Was there some story line he advanced? Did his appearance really add to the main event? No, no, and no!

He was just added. Did nothing and was eliminated minutes later. No reason whatsoever for this.

The same goes for Big Show. He entered at No. 30 in the Rumble. Wow, what a letdown that moment was! I like Big Show as a performer, but he was not needed here.

Again, no big story was told. Nothing major happened that he was needed for. He came out looking for another title match and didn't last long. No point for him to appear again!

Please stop WWE! Please. Enough with the double duty.

Safety comes first.

4. A Few Notes

1. WWE aired some excellent promo videos for John Cena and The Rock. Get ready for even more folks! This match is huge, and the non-stop hype will not end until April 2nd, 2012. Nice job here.

2. WWE also aired a great Elimination Chamber promo. Again, I will be at the event next month. If anybody has any fun sign/poster ideas for me to bring to the show, just let me know in the comments!

3. Next up is the response to the show. I stay off Twitter during WWE shows. I stay away from my Facebook during WWE shows. I just watch the shows. After the show, I log in to social media, and read some of the reaction to the event. Whether it is Raw, Smackdown or a big PPV event.

Every single time, the reaction has been the same. Negativity. Bad reviews. Complaints over who "won" or "lost." Just long rants on the company and ridiculous language being used on WWE.

It never ceases to amaze me. Every show! Every week! Same people with the same complaints. How? Why? For what? I am positive in life. Not negative, so maybe I just don't "get it?" The worst part is I have a feeling most of the complaints are coming from people illegally watching the show. 

Try watching the shows without social media at your finger tips. Try just watching the show to be entertained. Try anything! Constantly watching a product with a cynical point of view can't be fun.

4. Finally, I just have two questions for fans.

Did you watch the show last night?

Did you pay for the show last night?

The answer to both questions should be the same.

3. Royal Rumble Moments

Kofi Kingston performed a very impressive handstand. I am not a fan of "spots." Hey John Morrison, how's it going? However, this was very cool. Nice job by Kofi!

I also really liked the announcers being involved. Some may not have laughed at this, but why am I not surprised? They added a unique element to the match, and it didn't last long. Short and to the point!

Mick Foley squaring off with Santino Marella was fun. Neither man had a chance to win, so it was nice to see each man used in a special way. Good showing by the Hardcore Legend!

The Miz entering at No. 1 was known. However, I am not sure many knew who No. 2 would be. Logic would have said R-Truth, but it was a nice moment for Riley to be featured here. I am a fan of the man, so any appearance is fine with me.

I have to say this. What is going on with Wade Barrett's music? Pick one!

Finally, I really hope Hunico is okay. He took a nasty bump outside the ring. Something was "off" between the wrestlers involved here. I don't know, but it looked painful.

2. Royal Rumble Returns

As I hinted at earlier, I really felt WWE "telegraphed" Kharma returning. Her name was not even on my radar under Beth won. Right as the heel divas won, I thought the return was coming.

I have been under the impression those two will face at Wrestle Mania for months now, so it was not shocking. I just did not expect her in the Rumble. All in all, it was still a nice moment.

Ricardo Rodriguez was very entertaining. His car. His look. His actions. He was great here.

It is always nice to see The Great Khali. That man will never get the respect he has earned, and it is a shame. He had nice showing, and I hope he sticks around for another match or two. As long as he is healthy, why not give him one last Wrestle Mania pay day?

Jim Duggan was expected to appear, but it was still fun. He had the crowd support and can still perform. Even at his age, the man is very entertaining. Nice job Hacksaw!

Finally, Road Dogg made a huge impact last night. It was another short appearance, but he was excellent. Yes, excellent! It must have been a very emotional night for him...

1. Sheamus Is Going to Wrestle Mania!

Cody Rhodes had a nice night. The Miz had a very long showing. Wade Barrett caused some chaos for a few minutes. Randy Orton got the crowd going and had a great performance.

In the ending, it came down to Chris Jericho and Sheamus.

After some back and forth action, Sheamus eliminated Jericho and was named the winner of the 2012 Royal Rumble! The end of the world as we know it? No. Not tonight Chris!

This night belonged to Sheamus. I have said it many times. This man is a star. Not only that, but he is going to be a huge name in this business.

I have long said he just needs to keep winning, and his WWE future will be outstanding. Short match. Long match. It did not matter to me. Just keeping winning!

He did just that last night. Huge win for Sheamus! Yet another year with a "first time" winner, and I love it. The next step is seeing how everything sets up for Wrestle Mania in the next month or so.

We know Sheamus will be getting a title match. Who will it be against? What will the Raw main event picture look like? How about the Smackdown title situation?

So many questions, but one thing is clear. Sheamus is not only a two-time WWE Champion. He is not only a former King of the Ring winner. He is now the winner of the 2012 Royal Rumble! Congrats.

Reminder: I am now on Twitter @JustinWatry! Feel free to follow me...thanks.