WWE Royal Rumble 2018 Results: Breaking Down Best, Worst Moments of Battle Royal
The Royal Rumble match is typically one of the most entertaining and unpredictable matches of the year, and Sunday night, WWE presented an incarnation of the bout that was equal parts thrilling and frustrating.
The good outweighed the bad, but the bad left fans scratching their heads and wondering why the hell a certain spot or entrant existed.
Luckily, unforeseen returns, enthralling showdowns and a monumental victory made it a much more fan-friendly match than it has been in years.
Relive Sunday's epic bout with these best and worst moments from the annual Battle Royal extravaganza.
Best: Baron Corbin Snaps
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Entering the Royal Rumble at No. 4, Baron Corbin appeared poised to go on a dominant run. He laid out both Rusev and Finn Balor and then eliminated Rhyno to hammer home the idea that the former United States champion would be a force to be reckoned with in the match.
Then, Balor dumped him unceremoniously, and The Love Wolf snapped.
Corbin obliterated Balor at ringside and left the arena flanked by referees and producers tasked with removing him from the scene of his assault.
Though he did not win and was not granted an iron man position in the match, the handling of Corbin represented a concentrated effort by WWE Creative to ensure his appearance in the match meant something.
Worst: Dolph Ziggler's Return
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From one appearance that meant something to one that did not.
Dolph Ziggler returned to WWE television in the Royal Rumble, entering at No. 30 after weeks of teasing retirement.
The Showoff entered to a fairly strong pop, but Finn Balor eliminated him in short order, leaving some to wonder what the point was.
There was none, apparently.
Ziggler was brought back for no rhyme or reason, and what he did (or didn't do) certainly made no sense within the narrative WWE Creative had laid out on Tuesday nights.
A massive disappointment at a key spot in the match.
Best: Old School vs. New School
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One of the coolest visuals of the men's Royal Rumble was the showdown that pitted John Cena, Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio against Roman Reigns, Shinsuke Nakamura and Finn Balor.
For longtime fans, it represented a confrontation of two eras.
Cena, Orton and Mysterio were essential to the Ruthless Aggression Era. Their accomplishments throughout the 2000s are well-known, and their status as the faces of that decade is undeniable. Reigns, Balor and Nakamura, on the other hand, represent this current era of WWE Superstars.
They are from different backgrounds, and not all of them were molded in the vision of the company's owner.
Yet there they were, standing opposite three future Hall of Famers, as if to announce to the wrestling world that they were the future and that the time for Cena, Orton and Mysterio was over.
It was a chill-inducing moment the likes of which the Rumble was built on.
Worst: New Day Pancakes
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The New Day has been responsible for some of the best television of the last few years, and its creativity has been a major reason. Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods have their finger on the pulse of the WWE Universe and have thrived as a result.
The pancake gimmick is not one of their better creations.
Sunday night, Kofi Kingston evaded elimination by standing on a pile of pancakes. Later, Jinder Mahal was eliminated and had the breakfast food thrown at him as if to humiliate the hated villain.
While it may make some fans laugh, it is one of those jokes that misses far more often than it hits. It is not as effective as the Booty-O's cereal or their hand-clapping chants.
It's flat.
Like a pancake.
And it is time to retire the gimmick.
Best: Shinsuke Nakamura Overcomes the Golden Boys
5 of 8WWE has spent so long building John Cena and Roman Reigns as its golden boys, the top heroes in its live-action morality play, that fans' general disdain (jealousy? boredom?) for them and all of their accomplishments made them the perfect foil for fresh, exciting and charismatic Shinsuke Nakamura Sunday night.
The Artist overcame an, at times, concentrated effort by Reigns and Cena to eliminate him. The fans in Philadelphia were red-hot, hanging on every near-elimination and chanting the Japanese star's name.
When he delivered a Kinshasa to Cena, the atmosphere grew more electric. By the time he planted Reigns and threw him to the arena floor, the fans erupted into a thunderous ovation.
The fans lived vicariously through Nakamura. His elimination of Reigns and Cena was akin to them taking their frustrations out on the most-pushed Superstars on the roster.
Worst: Sami Zayn Steals Tye Dillinger's Spot
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Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens beat down Tye Dillinger at entry No. 10 and stole his Royal Rumble spot, seemingly in an attempt to set up a major angle that would play out on SmackDown.
Except, you know, nothing happened.
Nakamura eliminated Zayn shortly, and nothing of Zayn or Owens was mentioned again.
Why?
AJ Styles beat the top two heels on SmackDown Live in the night's first match, and then Zayn was so unceremoniously eliminated in the Rumble that one must question WWE Creative even taking that opportunity to insert him in the match.
Dillinger would have been a better bet and probably could have enjoyed a fun spot or two in front of the fans responsible for the creation of his Perfect 10 gimmick. Instead, he was dismissed in favor of Zayn, whose entry amounted to nothing.
Best: Elias Strums His Way to the Squared Circle
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With Finn Balor, Rusev and Heath Slater laid out around the ring, the victims of a brutal assault by Baron Corbin, the countdown began and the buzzer sounded. With a single strum of his guitar, Elias introduced himself to the Philly crowd and drew one of the louder reactions of the entire bout.
From his singing to the little kick he dealt Slater on his way down the ramp, Elias captivated the audience and delivered a performance that continued to suggest he is but an opportunity away from being a huge star for WWE.
That he stuck around long enough to be eliminated by John Cena in a tip of the cap to their ongoing TV program only helps build excitement for his future.
Best: Booyaka 619
8 of 8Rey Mysterio stunned the wrestling world, entering the Rumble at No. 27 and receiving a thunderous ovation as he hit the ring, eliminated Adam Cole and proceded to last until the final five competitors.
The Master of the 619 was nearly booed out of Pittsburgh's then-Consol Energy Arena in 2014 when fans desperately wanted to see Daniel Bryan enter the match but were instead given the two-time world champion.
Sunday night was essentially his redemption.
Crisper, faster and in the best shape of his career, Mysterio flew around the ring with the speed of a cat, taking the fight to the best and brightest stars on the WWE roster.
Fans were genuinely disappointed to see him eliminated from the match, a far cry from the reaction the future Hall of Famer received four years earlier.
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