The Voice of Reason: Royal Rumble Thoughts

Announced this past week on Raw by the Chairman Vincent Kennedy McMahon, was a bombshell. A complete change to what we are used to and an announcement that raises many many questions. We now know that the Royal Rumble match will not give the winner a headline match at WrestleMania, but instead the victor will walk out the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

I have read a few opinions where people claim this is not a good idea, but I disagree. Most part because its new and different. Yeah it’s not totally new because it was done back over 20 years ago, but it’s not a change we see every month or year. It brings a completely new dimension into the outcome of not only the PPV but also the road to WrestleMania. How will the main event even be decided now?

This could really set a foundation for the run up to WrestleMania, especially with the attendance record hanging in the balance and taking the recent injury list into account. This leads to my next point about the Rumble being for the title; the recent string of injuries have hurt WWE more than they care to admit and really hurt us as fans who loved seeing the likes of Daniel Bryan, Cesaro, Rollins etc. Thus it makes sense to not create a fresh feud from anywhere for the title – yes Triple H will face Reigns at some point, but they can still capitalise on that heat during the Rumble match.

This ultimately does solidify Roman’s babyface role, as never before has any superstar has to face 29 others in a Royal Rumble to defend their title. Reigns is to carry the company for the next 10 odd years and this is the perfect foundation to continue his heat. And if Reigns is to drop the title, it will be a screw job.

I think it is key for Reigns to enter number 1. If the match is for a defence for the title, he has to be number one to make sure he goes through over the full 29 superstars. This paired with having a 40-60 minute run is definitely something fans will respect.

All in all, I think this was a smart and creative move. Definitely eager to see how it unfolds. Til next time.