Royal Rumble Thoughts

Save for NXT Takeovers, I don't think I've ever been as hyped up for a WWE pay-per-view as I was for this year's Royal Rumble. I guess the stipulation that the WWE World Heavyweight Championship being defended on the rumble itself on top of the countless rumors about surprising debuts/returns made the event doubly interesting and highly unpredictable. Exactly what we need given the current state of the WWE and the rash of injuries that has befallen its top stars *huhubells Seth Rollins*.

Overall, it was an entertaining Rumble with several potential storylines being set-up for a culminating finale at Wrestlemania 32. Here are some of my thoughts regarding the 2016 WWE Royal Rumble. *Pardon the large quantity of wrestling lingo and jargon.

WHAT'S BEST FOR BUSINESS

If you've been religiously following updates regarding the Rumble, then you might have correctly guessed that Roman Reigns and Triple H would be heavily involved in the ending and that's exactly what happened. HHH eliminated Reigns followed by some very intense crotch chops for good measure.

Suck it, Roman!

That left Ambrose and HHH as the final two competitors (which was kind of a swerve at that point) and after some false finishes, HHH emerged the winner and was crowned the heavyweight champion for the 14th time in his career. Angle-wise, the booking made sense since this could be played out as HHH's revenge against Reigns' vicious attack back on TLC. What caught my attention though was that HHH's spot was just too damn perfect for Seth Rollins. A Shield reunion/angle for the Road To Wrestlemania? Oh, what could have been. Also, those big Dean Ambrose pops are so nice to hear. Ladies and gentlemen, I think we know who the next top face of the company would be.

The Architect is sorely missed.

THE PHENOMENAL ONE

It was highly anticipated for weeks and at the Rumble, AJ Styles finally made his long-awaited debut. It was a solid start to Styles' WWE career as he performed fairly well in the Rumble, inserting several teases of the Styles Clash along the way before being eliminated by Kevin Owens. I truly hope the WWE maximizes his talent. He is that special even with his advanced age.

Long overdue. *flips and marks out*

THE BOSS RETURNS

The Charlotte/Becky Lynch rivalry for the Divas championship is one story that the WWE has been doing right. The rivalry has been receiving rave reviews in terms of consistency and continuity and has certainly pushed Becky Lynch into babyface stratosphere. Well, that is until Sasha Banks made a statement.

Bank Statement delivered.

Charlotte retained the Divas belt after yet another Ric Flair intrusion but it was what happened after that mattered more. The Boss, Sasha Banks, returned from a short hiatus, kicked Becky out of the ring, and slapped the Banks Statement onto Charlotte. Bow down to The Boss, everyone. This triple threat program would be hands-down glorious and I can't wait for Bayley to be called up and add more fuel to the Divas division. Four Horsewomen, please.

SELL, OWENS, SELL

If you're still not aboard the Kevin Owens hype train, then I highly recommend you hop on right now. No one in the current WWE roster comes close to his blend of charisma, in-ring skills, mic work, and smark love. Everything he does right now is gold and he probably was the best worker during the Rumble. KO got blasted through two tables during the IC title match against Ambrose, sold the hell out of the double table spot during the Rumble, got jeered for eliminating the debuting Styles, and rekindled his intense match-up with the re-debuting Sami Zayn. Clearly, it was an A+ night for Mr. Owens.

Stay classy, KO.

HOLY SHIT STUFF

The Royal Rumble certainly wasn't devoid of amazing and awesome spots. Here's a rundown of some that I found entertaining:

• Brock Lesnar's high flying knee to Strowman (that's just not possible; insane all the way)
• Rusev (CRUSH!) splash to Roman Reigns that destroyed the announcer's table (I think that was the French table)
• Big E catching an Uso from the air to deliver the Big Ending during the Tag Team championship match (smooth!)
• Kofi Kingston riding Big E to avoid elimination in the rumble
• R-Truth bringing a ladder inside the ring thinking it was actually a Money In The Bank match (hilarious!)
• Kevin Owens' cannonball that destroys both Ambrose and the barricade
• Ambrose elbow drop from the top turnbuckle to KO lying on the table outside the ring
• And my favorite: KO's brainbuster on Ambrose from the top rope through the table

That Ambrose-Owens Intercontinental match certainly had lots of cool moves huh? Such a good opener.

I certainly can't wait to see how the good Royal Rumble showing translates to what I hope is a better Wrestlemania 32. WWE always seems to deliver during Wrestlemania season and I expect the same this year. It sure looks like I'm gonna have some enjoyable wrestling viewing for the next few months. Cool!

Photo credits:
http://www.sbnation.com/wrestling/2016/1/24/10825108/triple-h-royal-rumble-suck-it
http://www.ringsidenews.com/featured-news/could-the-shield-reunite-at-wwe-payback/
http://411mania.com/wrestling/video-of-aj-styles-wwe-debut/
http://www.cagesideseats.com/2016/1/24/10824492/wwe-royal-rumble-2016-results-becky-lynch-loses-divas-title-match-sasha-banks
http://whatculture.com/wwe/5-positives-5-negatives-from-wwe-royal-rumble-2016.php/10