Latest WWE Royal Rumble doesn’t deliver
By Michael Battista
Staff Writer
WWE put on one of it’s yearly mainstay pay-per-views on Sunday, Jan. 29, known as the Royal Rumble. In the 13th iteration of the event, WWE replaced what usually is a night of surprises and athletics with a demonstration of how deep its roster could be — key word being “could.”
The rules of the match are simple — two men start in the ring and fight, and every two minutes, another contestant enters the match until all 30 are in the ring. Wrestlers are eliminated if they leave the ring over the top rope and both feet touch the ground. The simplicity of it is what makes it fun to watch.
While WWE, along with all professional wrestling, is predetermined, the athletics of the match are always a sight to behold.
Seeing large competitors such as Barron Corbin and Braun Strowman throw people around is great, and the interesting ways people avoid elimination is always entertaining.
However, 2017 didn’t see as many highlight reel moments — nothing I can see being put into one of WWE’s promotional packages.
The rumble has had many older wrestlers return in the past, such as the late Roddy Piper popping up in 2008 or New Jersey native Diamond Dallas Page in 2015. The only real surprise was when fan-favorite Tye Dillinger — from WWE’s developmental brand NXT — joined the match at No. 10. Most fans, however, already assumed this would be the case, as the young star’s current gimmick of calling himself “The Perfect 10” made easy to make the assumption.
Another small surprise was when cruiserweight Jack Gallagher came in at No. 5. The crowd favorite was entertaining,…
Comments