WWE Royal Rumble 2016 Results: Power Ranking Every Match at PPV
The Royal Rumble is one of the most important shows on WWE's pay-per-view schedule and as such, Superstars and Divas typically go out of their way to provide the most memorable performances imaginable.
Sunday's event was no different, with the immensely talented men and women of today's roster breaking out breathtaking spots and telling emotional stories that elicited some of the biggest reactions of 2016 to date.
On the road to WrestleMania, they made the most of their opportunities, delivering a show that ranks easily as the best WWE production since WrestleMania 31.
From Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens' guttural display of hatred to The New Day's continued hilarity as they retained the WWE Tag Team Championships, all the way to AJ Styles and Triple H stealing the show in the Royal Rumble, the show was a masterclass in what WWE Creative is capable of when it focuses.
Some matches were better than others, of course. There were some that benefited from a more passionate response from fans, while others failed to surpass the previous levels of quality the Superstars involved had reached in the past.
Which contests ranked at the top of the list and which ones, while certainly good, did not excel past what one would see on free television every week?
Find out now with this look back at every match from Sunday's WWE Network broadcast.
6. Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Match
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The Dudley Boyz, Darren Young and Damien Sandow, The Ascension and Mark Henry and Jack Swagger battled Sunday night for the chance to enter the Royal Rumble match.
Though Sandow was incredibly over, proving again that WWE Creative missed a major opportunity to push him on the heels of his Mizdow gimmick wrapping up, the match was one-dimensional and not particularly good, either.
At one point, it appeared as though Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley would win the match, but Swagger made the save. Moments later, his tag team partner, Henry, scored the pinfall win in the least exciting outcome imaginable.
There was nothing happening here, and it really is no surprise the match was saved for the pay-per-view kickoff show.
5. United States Championship Match: Kalisto vs. Alberto Del Rio
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Was there any match on Sunday's show more disappointing than Kalisto vs. Alberto Del Rio?
The rivals had wrestled two very strong matches in the weeks leading into the event, but Sunday night, they appeared to be on opposite pages. The action was disjointed and, worst yet, not particularly interesting.
So much of Kalisto's heat had been lost after he dropped the U.S. title back to Del Rio on the January 14 episode of SmackDown, and the result was an apathetic crowd for a mach that failed miserably to give them anything to invest in.
Kalisto winning the title was a curious decision, especially after the way his first "run" was treated, and now WWE Creative is left with two Superstars significantly damaged by the 50-50, hot-potato booking of a title that should mean so much more than it does.
Not exactly the star-making moment for Kalisto that the company likely wishes it was.
4. WWE Tag Team Championship Match: The Usos vs. the New Day
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The WWE Tag Team Championship match was nothing better or worse than what fans would see on Raw or SmackDown.
Some may look at that as a bad thing, especially given the fact that the contest occurred on pay-per-view, but it is really a testament to the quality of televised wrestling that WWE cranks out every week.
The crowd was solidly behind The New Day, popping for their entrance and cheering them the entire way through their defense. The Usos, on the other hand, were booed heavily, the lack of character development and any sort of story behind their chase finally catching up to them.
The action was solid, if unspectacular, but the finish was fantastic, as Jey Uso launched himself off the top rope...and right into the arms of Big E, who obliterated him with the Big Ending for the pinfall victory.
A quality match, even if it was one fans have seen 100 times before.
3. Divas Championship Match: Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte
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The most disappointing part of Sunday's Divas Championship match between Becky Lynch and Charlotte was the abundant interference from Ric Flair, as the two-time Hall of Fame inductee once again overshadowed the women inside the squared circle.
And that is a shame because, when the attention was actually on Lynch and Charlotte, fans witnessed a very strong wrestling match that hinted at just some of the action the Divas division is capable of when given the opportunity.
From the electric chair to the Exploder suplex, the spears from the champion and the flying armbar from the challenger, the match featured numerous spots that had the fans eating up the match that was playing out before them.
Unfortunately, it was all for naught as Flair again factored into the finish and Charlotte retained the title.
A pay-per-view quality match from the Divas—but one that failed to whet the appetites of fans waiting for that one truly great contest from the former NXT standouts—the contest was good, but far from great.
2. Royal Rumble Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
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The 2016 Royal Rumble match did what the best bouts of its kind do: It meshed several stories together to create a masterpiece of booking.
There was the overarching story of Roman Reigns and the McMahon family's determination to prevent him from leaving with his WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Brock Lesnar's issues with The Wyatt Family intensified courtesy of his unjust elimination at the hands of the foursome. AJ Styles debuted, Sami Zayn wrapped up his story with Kevin Owens by eliminating his former friend, and Dean Ambrose once again came within seconds of capturing the top prize in the industry.
The action was nonstop, the drama had fans on the edge of their seats, and the result was the most satisfying Royal Rumble match in years.
Even if one hated the outcome, with Triple H capturing the WWE Championship for the 14th time at age 46, there was enough elsewhere in the match to satisfy you.
A brilliant bit of storytelling that proved that when it wants to, WWE Creative can still bring the goods.
1. Last Man Standing Match for the Intercontinental Championship
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From the moment Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens came face-to-face in the middle of the ring Sunday night, fans knew they were in for a special match. They reacted in kind, a buzz going up in the Amway Arena that made the Last Man Standing match for the Intercontinental Championship feel like a legitimate main event.
Ambrose and Owens responded accordingly, unleashing violence and brutality on each other that had the crowd begging for more.
There was a kendo stick, chairs and tables introduced. There was a vicious cannonball by Owens into his opponent and through the timekeeper's barricade, a diving elbow from Ambrose through Owens that demolished a table and a closing spot that left jaws dropped and elicited chants of "holy s--t!"
Along the way, Ambrose and Owens crafted a masterpiece that will not only endure over the next 11 months as a legitimate Match of the Year candidate, but in the annals of Royal Rumble history as one of the show's finest.
The Lunatic Fringe retained his title, but both Superstars came out of the bout looking better than they entered, a rarity in today's world of 50-50 booking.
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