WWE Royal Rumble 2015 Results: Biggest Highlights and Low Points
WWE is officially on the Road to WrestleMania and now that the results of the 2015 Royal Rumble are in, the WWE Universe has an indicator of what this year has in store for them.
This event is always one of the most exciting shows of the year and can truly set the tone for the months ahead.
With Brock Lesnar defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against both Seth Rollins and John Cena, the title was in serious jeopardy and the landscape could change drastically overnight.
Talented young stars and seasoned veterans alike had the opportunity to not only make this the best Royal Rumble in history, but also win a title shot to become the top of the food chain at WrestleMania.
Along with those two selling points, the Tag Team Championship was on the line, as was the reputation of WWE's latest duo—The Ascension—and the Divas couldn't just sit this one out, either.
Was it as monumental of a pay-per-view as WWE touted it to be, or did it end up being nothing but a series of disappointments?
Has WWE succeeded in sparking a fire that will burn bright for 2015, or was this just a smoke screen filled with duds, setting an anticlimactic precedent for the year?
Let's break down the highlights and the low points of the night, presented in order of appearance on the card and taking into account the Philadelphia audience members' points of view.
Low Point: The New Day vs. Tyson Kidd, Cesaro and Adam Rose
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From the perspective of a lot of fans in the arena such as myself, this match never even happened.
The lines were long enough that when everyone was finally able to get in, a good number of people weren't even remotely close to sitting down.
Unfortunately, it appears as though the consensus for the match was lukewarm at best.
The pop for Tyson Kidd, Cesaro and Adam Rose being victorious was the only time the audience acted invested in it.
While talking to people that were able to see most or all of it, none had anything truly positive to say.
There was no talk of great spots or recommendations to check it out as soon as it was up on the WWE Network.
The video packages that warm up the crowd with Daniel Bryan in them did more to excite the crowd than this match, which is a shame considering how talented the participants are.
Middle of the Road: The New Age Outlaws vs. the Ascension
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This match was neither a highlight nor a low point, which is an odd way to start off the event.
From the very beginning, the fans were pumped to chant along with the New Age Outlaws during their entrance, but things soured after that.
In the arena, there was a general atmosphere of wishing the match had a quicker pace.
Many fans were remaining cautiously optimistic that it would pick up some steam and by the end of it, they were retroactively looking for reasons to be happy.
Rather than everyone commending it for being such a great match, most people expressed their fondness of it by simply stating that Billy Gunn and Road Dogg moved around well for their ages.
Talk then moved to what other tag teams might return to face The Ascension, and it was rather quickly forgotten.
While the match was by no means bad enough to qualify as a low point, it was certainly not good enough to be labeled a highlight of the event.
Highlight: The Usos vs. the Miz and Damien Mizdow
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If you give the fans Damien Mizdow, they're going to have a lot of fun with that alone.
The Usos are consistently solid performers, and The Miz should not be overlooked, as his contributions to his tag team are crucial in order to help get Mizdow's character over.
Clearly, this formula is doing wonders for Mizdow, as his gimmick has not gotten old and appears to be far off from it.
"We want Mizdow" chants are commonplace, and any tease of his involvement in the match resulted in a higher level of excitement in addition to an already fun bout.
With the previous two matches not being anything special, these four helped put together a solid segment that woke the audience up and made the event fun again.
Low Point: The Bella Twins vs. Paige and Natalya
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Sadly, the trend of Divas matches being some of the least entertaining aspects of the night continued at this event.
Whereas the Tag Team Championship match was fun because of Damien Mizdow's performance, this match was almost the total opposite.
Everyone wanted Paige, but outside of leering at her while she bounced on the ropes hoping to be tagged in, she seemed to be a non-factor for the most part.
This segment was taken down even more with the end of the match, as it came out of left field and in a way that was more confusing and random than sudden and shocking in a positive way.
Your mileage may vary on whether you enjoyed this match or not, but there was much more talent in the ring than was showcased here.
It's arguable that a standard title defense between Nikki Bella and Natalya would have been the same thing, with the only missing element being the support for Paige from the crowd.
Highlight: WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match
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In what some are calling a potential candidate for Match of the Year, Brock Lesnar, John Cena and Seth Rollins tore the house down.
With each German suplex, the audience was eating it up more and more and having a blast.
Tension rose to rather high levels at various times in the match, particularly when finishers were being tossed around haphazardly.
All three men looked strong in their own special ways, showcasing Cena's heart, the strength of Lesnar and the intelligence of Rollins.
One of the biggest highlights of the entire show took place in this match when Rollins jumped from the top rope and flipped in a way that would make Justin Gabriel jealous enough to quit WWE if he hadn't already.
The crowd was firmly behind Lesnar and very happy to see him retain the title, but even when he was out of the match and being attended to at ringside, the rest of the action was still incredibly fun to watch.
Many called this event a two-show card and even if that is true, this match more than made up for what preceded it.
Highlight: The 2015 Royal Rumble Match
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Even the worst Battle Royals tend to be highlights on virtually any card, so this was naturally a guarantee for this spot.
The downside to this match was the disappointment in not only Daniel Bryan's elimination, but also Roman Reigns winning, although there were still pockets that didn't jump on the "Reject Roman Reigns" movement.
The first major highlight of this match was the entrance by Bubba Ray Dudley, which helped get things cooking.
Diamond Dallas Page's return, along with Zack Ryder's, was met with a lot of fanfare.
Kane's name has been etched once more in the record books as he now has tied the record for most eliminations over the course of Royal Rumble appearances.
Bray Wyatt's domination will be a valuable tool in the build to his WrestleMania match against whomever WWE decides to put up against him, whether it be The Undertaker or someone else.
Fans of Rusev will be happy to see how dominant he was in this match as well—yet another person who was made to look strong.
Unfortunately for WWE, Reigns being victorious was met with a ton of boos, but the match itself was still the best of the night and held up to a lot of the traditional entertaining elements of Royal Rumbles from the past.
What do you think were the best and the worst moments of the night?
Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
Anthony Mango is the owner-operator of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment as well as the host of its podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.
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