WWE Royal Rumble 2015: Biggest Talking Points Following Major Event

The 2015 Royal Rumble is in the books, and the show has left World Wrestling Entertainment fans with a number of talking points in its wake. 

Roman Reigns' victory in the night's main event is one that faced intense backlash immediately following the broadcast, with fans questioning whether he is ready and, more importantly, why it had to come at the expense of Daniel Bryan.

Speaking of Bryan, his early elimination, as well as the treatment of Dolph Ziggler, Dean Ambrose, Damien Mizdow and even Ryback, left fans completely dismayed with the Rumble match itself, not to mention WWE Creative's figurative middle finger to the audience.

John Cena, Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar wrestled a match that, 11 months from now, should remain in contention for Match of the Year honors.

With the road to WrestleMania officially underway, there was plenty of good, bad and ugly to discuss coming out of Sunday's show.

Here is just a small sample.

Roman Reigns Wins the Royal Rumble

Credit: WWE.com

Roman Reigns was the right choice to win the Royal Rumble.

Was his ascension to the No. 1 contender's spot Sunday night the prettiest? Did fans react in the manner WWE Creative and management would have hoped for? Absolutely not. But those same fans had been so dismayed by booking decisions leading to Reigns' win, not to mention the lack of drama surrounding the closing moments of the match, that they let their voices be heard.

The fact of the matter is that, over the last year, Reigns has been one of the most over stars on the roster. When not handed ridiculous promos that quote 60-year-old cartoons, he has demonstrated a quiet charisma and explosive in-ring style that have helped elevate him in terms of popularity.

It was not until it became apparent that Reigns was going to be the next big thing—he had the proverbial machine behind him—that fans began criticizing him.

"He's not ready. His promos are terrible. His in-ring work sucks," were criticisms that faced Reigns.

For whatever reason, it was determined a while back that any Superstar the marketing machine gets behind is no longer cool.

A decade ago, John Cena and Batista were given a push to the top of the company and spots in the WrestleMania 21 main event, despite both facing the same criticisms Reigns currently is, not to mention neither of them being the in-ring performer that Reigns is at this point in his career.

Neither Cena nor Batista would have become the quality performers they turned out to be, nor would we have ever known if they could succeed at the level they did, without McMahon taking the chance and going all-in with the duo. It could have backfired, much in the same way that Reigns could prove a mistake, but it was absolutely a chance the boss was willing to take in order to freshen up his product.

At that time, just as it is doing right now, WWE decided it was time to take a leap of faith and build to the future.

The backlash Reigns experienced Sunday night was more a case of fans letting WWE know their displeasure with the treatment of their favorites than an indictment of Reigns.

Don't believe me?

Go back and watch Raw and SmackDown from the last month. Listen to the reactions Reigns gets upon entering arenas.

That is not the response a guy fans despise receives, unlike Batista a year ago.

Reigns will be fine, the decision by Vince McMahon to hitch his wagon to him will prove to be the right one in the long run and WWE Creative will one day understand how to effectively book a show that makes its audience happy.

Maybe, in the case of that last one.

Questionable Booking

Credit: WWE.com

Roman Reigns' Royal Rumble victory would have been much more accepted by the Philadelphia fans if WWE Creative had not failed him as miserably as it did.

The arrival of Daniel Bryan in the Rumble match at No. 10 seemed to indicate a long run for the former WWE world heavyweight champion. The fans in the City of Brotherly Love erupted for the leader of the Yes Movement and watched with joyful glee as he destroyed Bray Wyatt with a series of corner dropkicks.

A sentimental favorite, they wanted nothing more than to see their favorite underdog pull off a Rumble win just two weeks after returning to the squared circle following an injury that threatened his career.

How did WWE reward its fans in relation to Mr. Bryan?

They had Wyatt eliminate him in one of the most lackluster spots in the entire match.

When Damien Mizdow entered the contest later, finally picking the crowd back up after several minutes of unrest, he was dumped in 15 seconds, further irritating the crowd.

Finally, Dolph Ziggler's entrance into the match brought energy and excitement to the bout at a time when Big Show and Kane's presence had done anything but captivate the audience. The Showoff's eliminations of Cesaro and Bad News Barrett, as well as a big double DDT to the World's Largest Athlete and the Big Red Monster, seemed to indicate that Ziggler was in store for a great run.

But then he was knocked out and tossed over the ropes moments later.

The boos grew louder, the disgust for the company's booking of its favorite stars intensified and the recipient of their anger was poor Reigns, who did nothing wrong and really had not earned the response he got to close out the show.

At some point, Vince McMahon himself will have to take a step back, put his finger on the pulse of his audience and realize that what he has done over the last year has alienated them.

Reigns is absolutely the right choice to guide the company into the future, but his ascension does not have to be at the expense of Bryan, Ziggler and the rest of the audience's favorites. Use them to help him get over, to help Reigns succeed rather than sacrificing them to shove the second-generation star down our throats.

It was that type of booking that hurt John Cena and caused him to receive the mixed reactions that greet him in arenas across the country. It would be wise of the boss not to make the same mistakes, even if it appears that is exactly the same path he is taking his company down.

John Cena, Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar Thrill in Championship Match

Credit: WWE.com

The brightest spot on Sunday's otherwise dismal pay-per-view offering was a Match of the Year candidate between John Cena, Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Rollins and Cena delivered the action that fans have come to expect every time they share the ring, but it was the performance by Lesnar that helped elevate the match to the level of greatness it finally achieved.

For the first time since the Beast Incarnate returned to the squared circle three years ago, he was booked as the destructive badass he is.

Lesnar tossed Cena and Rollins around the squared circle, rattling them with suplex variations and asserting his dominance. It was not until Rollins delivered an elbow drop from the top rope through the announce table that Lesnar's dominance was halted.

That spot wowed the Philadelphia crowd while also giving Lesnar an excuse to lie at ringside while Cena and Rollins settled things down into a more traditional match. They managed to maintain the energy of the bout, using several finishers and near-falls to pop the crowd.

Lesnar's re-entry into the match was phenomenal, as he pummeled the opposition, withstood two shots to the face with the Money in the Bank briefcase by Rollins and delivered an F5 to the Architect and successfully retained the title.

It was easily one of the finest performances of Lesnar's career, while Rollins undeniably cemented his status as one of the faces of WWE's bright future.

Surprises Galore

Credit: WWE.com

Bubba Ray Dudley. Diamond Dallas Page. The Rock.

Keeping with Royal Rumble tradition, World Wrestling Entertainment stacked its annual January extravaganza with surprises galore.

The introduction of Dudley early in the Rumble match was one of the brighter spots of an otherise miserable contest. Bubba received a huge pop from the Philly fans, who welcomed him back and greeted him with chants of "ECW." From there, he and R-Truth worked together in the same manner in which Bubba and longtime partner D'Von did during their days in the company a decade ago.

Page's return to the squared circle was a much-deserved opportunity for the master of the Diamond Cutter to bask in the spotlight after helping Jake Roberts and Scott Hall get healthy and clean in time for their Hall of Fame inductions.

His series of Diamond Cutters popped the crowd before the legendary WCW ran into Rusev and saw his night come to a disappointing end.

The Rock's appearance was less-than surprising, thanks to a Tweet the night before that essentially spoiled it, but he attempted to smooth things over with the audience by endorsing Reigns as the Rumble winner.

It always helps when the surprises booked feature Superstars fans care about. That was the case Sunday night, as three of the top stars from wrestling's greatest boom period returned to the spotlight.

Planting the Seeds for John Cena vs. Rusev

Credit: WWE.com

So it did not take place on the actual Royal Rumble broadcast, but the confrontation between John Cena and Rusev during the Fallout show that aired immediately following this year's event planted the seeds for a huge match that will not only contribute to the growth and evolution of Rusev as a performer but also give Cena something to do away from the championship picture, where he cannot possibly overshadow Roman Reigns' quest for championship gold.

Cena is the logical choice to end Rusev's winning streak, to deal him his first pinfall defeat.

The story essentially writes itself and could lead to one of the more entertaining programs on the show.

Most of all, it was an excellent booking decision on a night not necessarily full of them.