31st Jan2022

‘WWE: Royal Rumble 2022’ PPV Review

by Phil Wheat

What’s this? A WWE review? On Nerdly? Well yes folks, despite not having reviewed any of WWE programming in some time we’re here with a review of this year’s Royal Rumble – mainly due to all the excitement surrounding the special entrants in both the women’s and men’s Rumble events… Even more so given that Impact Champ Mickie James would be crossing brands WITH her Championship in tow! Intriguing is not the word! Let’s get to the review!

Match #1: Seth Rollins def. Roman Reigns (DQ)

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

The past isn’t over for Roman Reigns as Seth “Freakin” Rollins used some crafty mind games to send The Head of the Table over the edge and force him to take a disqualification loss in an extremely personal battle. Making his entrance through the crowd to the tune of the old Shield music and wearing his old gear, Rollins got inside Reigns’ head to keep The Head of the Table off balance. The Visionary took it to the champion early, planting Reigns through the announce table with a powerbomb. With a partnership and rivalry that has spanned across a decade, Reigns and Rollins knew each other’s moves all too well as the two Superstars absorbed countless devastating blows for near-falls that left the WWE Universe stunned. After Reigns countered a stomp by Rollins with a devastating Spear, The Visionary simply smiled and laughed at the champion while reaching out his fist in a supposed homage to their Shield days. The act set off Reigns, who picked up Rollins and locking in the Guillotine, refusing to let go despite Rollins grabbing the bottom rope. Once the ref completed his five-count, Reigns was disqualified. Not done there, Reigns broke a pair of chairs across the back of Rollins with countless menacing strikes, leaving him writhing in pain as Reigns walked away smiling.

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Match #2: Women’s Royal Rumble – Winner: Ronda Rousey

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

The WWE Universe erupted when Ronda Rousey made her return to a WWE ring for the first time in nearly three years. Rousey entered the Royal Rumble at No. 28 and eliminated four Superstars on the way to punching her ticket to The Grandest Stage of Them All. Rousey wasn’t the only surprise, as former Divas Champion Melina entered the Royal Rumble as the second entrant, suffering a quick elimination by the woman who opened the over-the-top-rope battle, Sasha Banks. The Boss tallied one more elimination in Kelly Kelly before being eliminated by Queen Zelina, who entered at No. 7. As the ring began to fill up with Superstars, Sonya Deville (No. 11) decided to wait for a more ideal time to enter the fray, keeping her WWE Official jacket on and joining the announcers at ringside until she jumped in to eliminate Naomi’s former partner Cameron. Unfortunately for Deville, The Glow entered seconds later at No. 14. Naomi headed straight for Deville and sent her to the floor with a kick to the face before Deville reappeared later in the match to pull Naomi off the apron and eliminate her. With action becoming more chaotic, 2021 Royal Rumble runner-up Rhea Ripley and SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair entered at No. 16 and No. 17, respectively, to combine for five eliminations in quick succession. In a rumble that was already slated to feature legends and former champions such as The Bella Twins, Lita, Michelle McCool and Mickie James, the WWE Universe was treated to the shocking surprise appearances of Ivory, Alicia Fox and Sarah Logan. Despite it being every woman for herself, The Bellas joined forces to eliminate Fox, Logan and Liv Morgan, before Brie made the most of an open opportunity to turn on her sister and eliminate her. When Rousey finally hit the ring, she made quick work of Nikki A.S.H. and Brie Bella as the herd began to thin following the match’s final entrant, Shayna Baszler. It came down to Baszler, Rousey, Belair and Flair in the final four. The Queen came alive in the last moments of the gruelling match, recording four of the final five eliminations until it came down to just her and Rousey. With a Championship Match at The Showcase of the Immortals on the line, an unintimidated Flair went right for Rousey, but The Baddest Woman on the Planet caught Flair in the middle of a big boot, upending her to stand tall as the lone survivor.

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #3: Raw Women’s Championship – Becky Lynch def. Doudrop

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Becky Lynch ran into arguably her biggest challenge to date against Doudrop. The intimidating Superstar stunned the champion with a powerful display, but she lived up to her Big Time Becks moniker by rising to the challenge and overcoming her rival to retain the Raw Women’s Championship. Lynch attempted to grapple with Doudrop, but the unphased challenger tossed the champion around the ring and forced Lynch to take a few moments outside the ropes to rethink her strategy. The Man evaded Doudrop’s wrath, sending her flying into the steel steps and the ring post to stun Doudrop but could only capitalize for a one-count. Enraged, Lynch pummeled Doudrop and berated her to stay down, but it only appeared to bring Doudrop to life as she brutalized Lynch with a powerslam and a massive senton. After surviving Doudrop’s onslaught, Big Time Becks threw everything she could think of at Doudrop to keep her down before climbing onto the second rope to deliver a huge Manhandle Slam and finally secure the 1-2-3.

My Score: 2 out of 5

Match #4: WWE Championship – Bobby Lashley def. Brock Lesnar

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Brock Lesnar will remember The All Mighty’s name and Roman Reigns’ underhanded tactics after Lashley defeated The Beast in an earth-shattering collision years in the making. The two heavyweights slugged it out in a knock-down, drag-out fight that nearly tore down The Dome in St. Louis, Mo. The two former collegiate wrestling champions jockeyed for control, trading German Suplexes in the opening moments until Lashley delivered two crushing Spears back-to-back to push Lesnar outside the ring to catch his breath. The All Mighty stayed on the offensive, attempting to drive Lesnar through the barricade, but The Beast wisely side-stepped at the last second to send Lashley crashing into the timekeeper’s area. After rolling Lashley back into the ring, Lesnar tossed Lashley across the ring with four straight suplexes, looking to finish it with an F-5, but The All Mighty reversed it to cinch in the Hurt Lock. Fading fast, The Beast rammed Lashley into the corner, sandwiching the referee before hitting him once again while F-5ing Lashley. With the referee down for the count, Roman Reigns snuck into the ring to Spear Lesnar before turning his sights to Paul Heyman. The Wise Man then handed Reigns the WWE Championship, which he used to smash across the head of Lesnar, allowing The All Mighty to crawl on top for the cover as a new referee slid in to count the 1-2-3.

My Score: 2.5 out of 5

Match #5: Edge & Beth Phoenix def. The Miz & Maryse

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Maryse and Beth Phoenix began the match, but Maryse rolled out of the ring and ran away from the Hall of Famer, tagging in The Miz to force a change. After Maryse helped her husband get the upper hand on Edge, The Miz continually taunted Phoenix on the apron as he picked apart The Rated-R Superstar with kicks. The Glamazon finally got her hands on Maryse, overpowering the former Divas Champion and nearly earning the pin before Miz dove in for the save, resulting in Phoenix picking up The A-Lister and slamming him into the corner. With the ref trying to get The Miz out of the ring, Maryse smashed her purse across the back of Phoenix’s head for a near-fall. After slipping out of Maryse’s grasp and tagging in Edge, Phoenix climbed back into the ring to powerbomb Miz before Edge came flying in with an elbow for a two-count. Using some underhanded techniques, The It Couple divided and conquered with Maryse hitting a French Kiss on The Glamazon and a hurricanrana off the top rope on Edge. The Miz and Maryse went for a double Skull-Crushing Finale, but Phoenix popped up to save Edge with a Spear to Maryse before joining her husband for a double Spear to Miz and an in-stereo Glam Slam to give The Grit Couple the victory.

My Score: 2.5 out of 5

Match #6: Men’s Royal Rumble – Winner: Brock Lesnar

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Brock Lesnar didn’t take his loss to new WWE Champion Bobby Lashley lying down, inserting himself right back into the title picture by winning his second career Royal Rumble in dominant fashion, entering the fray at No. 30 and clearing house with the final five eliminations. It was a phenomenal start to the 35th Men’s Royal Rumble as two former globetrotting Superstars AJ Styles and Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura kicked off the match before being joined by the likes of Austin Theory and Robert Roode, both of whom were eventually eliminated by Styles, two of his six eliminations. With the ring filling up, “Jackass Forever” star Johnny Knoxville made his way into the match as the No. 9 entrant instantly taking down Sami Zayn (No. 8) before challenging Styles, who responded with a Pele kick, leaving Knoxville down for a jaw-dropping splash from Montez Ford (No. 6). As Ridge Holland (No. 5) went to dump Knoxville outside, Zayn stole his thunder with a superkick to make good on his promise of eliminating Knoxville. Shortly after that elimination, Omos made his first ever appearance in the Royal Rumble to lay waste to everyone and eliminate Angelo Dawkins (No. 10), Ford and Damian Priest (No. 7) as Chad Gable (No. 13) tried to rally the other Superstars to eliminate the giant. The ploy worked as the Superstars joined forces to lift Omos over the ropes with Styles delivering a final flying forearm to send Omos packing. Amid the chaotic melee, the duo of Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss combined to eliminate four Superstars, including Styles, until the reappearance of Drew McIntyre wiped the smiles off their faces. The furious Scottish Warrior quickly eliminated the happy pair, piling on the punishment by rolling out of the ring and smashing the steel steps into the head of Happy Corbin in retribution for the injury he’d caused weeks ago. With heavyweights McIntyre, Sheamus (No. 17), Kevin Owens (No. 22), Otis (No. 25) and Big E (No. 26) trading blows, global music sensation Bad Bunny made a surprise appearance, flying high and stunning the crowd before eliminating The Celtic Warrior and Dolph Ziggler (No. 16). Bad Bunny was just the tip of the late surprises, as he was followed by Shane McMahon, who quickly eliminated KO before Randy Orton arrived to a raucous applause by his hometown crowd. A reunited RK-Bro brought down the house, but the tide quickly changed as The Beast emerged as the last entrant, clearing house with quick eliminations of Orton, Bad Bunny, Riddle and McMahon until it came down to him and McIntyre, the same Superstar who eliminated Lesnar from the Rumble in 2020. After dodging a Claymore Kick, Lesnar picked up McIntyre and promptly tossed him to the arena floor.

My Score: 2.5 out of 5

Final Verdict: 2.5/5

Well, this was a mixed bag… The opening match was good – as to be expected from Rollins & Reigns, but the rest of the card floundered. The women’s Rumble match was good but packed with too many nostalgic entries, which meant you knew the winner was actually from only a small pool of women. With Rousey making her return during this match you knew that she’d pick up the win… If only WWE had the balls to let Mickie James win! Even though they’d never fought before, the Lashley / Lesnar match felt very familiar. The Miz/Edge intergender match was NOT pay per view worthy IMHO. As of the men’s Rumble match? It was one of the worst WWE have put on in years. Terrible and uninteresting. Then to top it off with a reappearance of Lesnar, who then picked up the win? Stupid. Just stupid. And now that will shape WWE programming all the way to Wrestlemania!

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