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- The 2018 Royal Rumble event is among the highest-regarded Rumble PPVs in WWE history, with its rating of 7.45 on cagematch.net showcasing just how well-received the show was. It was an unprecedented event that featured two Rumble matches for the first time ever, so pacing the show was a tough task, though WWE managed to successfully pull it off. Some great Rumble moments, satisfying winners, and a strong undercard led to a show which received acclaim. That being said, not everything was absolutely perfect, and there were a few moments that didn’t quite hit the mark (though these are much harder to root out given how strong the show was).
Every January, it's worth looking back at some of WWE's past Royal Rumbles. Over the years, fans have witnessed amazing matches, shocking eliminations, cool returns and memorable moments in the January PPV, although it's no secret to anyone that they can drag at times.
RELATED: The 5 Best Things About The 1992 Royal Rumble (& 5 Worst)
The 2018 Royal Rumble was a recent event that made history, as it featured the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble match. It was fun to watch, with enjoyable in-ring action, comedy spots, major returns, good matches and right booking decisions. However, there were also some flaws. Let's take a look at the best and worst things about the 2018 Royal Rumble.
UPDATE: 2023/01/23 07:30 EST BY ANDREW KELLY
The 2018 Royal Rumble event is among the highest-regarded Rumble PPVs in WWE history, with its rating of 7.45 on cagematch.net showcasing just how well-received the show was. It was an unprecedented event that featured two Rumble matches for the first time ever, so pacing the show was a tough task, though WWE managed to successfully pull it off. Some great Rumble moments, satisfying winners, and a strong undercard led to a show which received acclaim. That being said, not everything was absolutely perfect, and there were a few moments that didn’t quite hit the mark (though these are much harder to root out given how strong the show was).
14 Best: Heath Slater’s Involvement
Heath Slater made his Rumble entrance just as Baron Corbin got eliminated, leaving him on the receiving end of a beatdown before he made it to the ring. For the next several entries, Slater was thrown around by the likes of Elias, Andrade, Bray Wyatt, and Big E, in what was a funny running gag.
Finally, Sheamus threw Slater into the ring, only to get eliminated instantly by Slater, to a huge pop. Mini stories like this in a Rumble can turn a good match into a great match, and that was the case here.
13 Worst: The Bella Twins In Final Three
Asuka was one of the odds-on favorites going into the 2018 Royal Rumble match, so her win wasn’t a huge surprise, but the ending should have still been made to be more unpredictable.
The Bella Twins made respective surprise appearances at the event after previously both leaving WWE and made it to the final three, though this took away much of the suspense as it was fairly obvious that neither of the pair was going to win the match. It was nice to see them spotlighted, though it would have been better to have another full-time competitor mixing it up with Asuka in the final stages.
12 Best: Inclusion Of NXT
Both the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches had a small inclusion of NXT. In the men’s, Andrade Almas and Adam Cole came out to a huge ovation, as did the likes of Kairi Sane and Ember Moon on the women’s side.
WWE didn’t overload these matches with cameos, but they all got a good chance to shine. This was another step on the way to NXT becoming WWE’s definitive third brand for a small while.
11 Worst: Michelle McCool’s Dominance
Michelle McCool was one of many surprise entrants into the Women’s Royal Rumble, and her performance was very good. However, with her eliminating several full-time competitors and getting more eliminations than anyone else in the match, it just felt wrong.
WWE should have put this sort of spotlight on someone who was going to stick around after the match - someone like an Ember Moon or Becky Lynch. McCool’s dominance made little sense when looking at the wider context of the match.
10 Best: Opening Match
Royal Rumble 2018 kicked off with a Two On One Handicap match in which Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn challenged WWE Champion AJ Styles. Usually handicap matches are not good, but this particular one was quite entertaining. The build of the match was mediocre and fans didn't have high expectations for this match, but fortunately this match turned out to be a positive thing from the 2018 Royal Rumble. The Phenomenal won the match and retained the title.
9 Worst: SmackDown Tag Team Title Match
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos faced off against Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable in a two-out-of-three falls match. The match wasn't bad, but it was ordinary. The stipulation didn't make much sense, as The Usos scored the first fall after 12 minutes, and a minute later scored the second fall for the win. It was a predictable match with basic in-ring action.
8 Best: Women’s Royal Rumble
For the first time in history a Women's Royal Rumble match was held. Expectations were not very high, as fans thought there wasn't enough depth in the women's division for a Royal Rumble. Fortunately, expectations were exceeded, and we had a solid Rumble.
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The legendary Lita, Trish Stratus, Mickie James and Torrie Wilson participated and provided star power, while Sasha Banks, Bayley, Becky Lynch and Asuka (the winner, amidst her undefeated streak) set the bar high for the new generation.
7 Worst: Universal Title Triple Threat Match
At Royal Rumble 2018, Brock Lesnar had to defend the Universal Championship in a Triple Threat match against Braun Strowman and Kane. As you might expect, it was a hard-hitting match with a couple of brutal spots, but it was more the flaws than the positive points. There were a couple of botches, Lesnar looked sluggish for most of the match, 51-year-old Kane couldn't do much, and Strowman looked sloppy. In the end, we had a predictable result, as Lesnar retained.
6 Best: Rey Mysterio’s Return
After losing to Bad News Barrett on the April 7, 2014, episode of Monday Night Raw, Rey Mysterio left WWE. Some believed that the legendary masked wrestler would never return, but they were wrong. Rey Mysterio made his WWE return when he entered the 27th spot of the Rumble, being a pleasant surprise for all fans. Mysterio had a great performance, lasting about 10 minutes in the ring and eliminating Adam Cole.
5 Worst: RAW Tag Team Title Match
Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan defended the Raw Tag Team Titles against The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus) in what turned out to be the worst match of the PPV. The fans were tired after the men's Royal Rumble, but the match wasn't interesting enough to get people on their feet. Jordan was injured, so he couldn't do much, it was all up to Rollins, who in the end was overpowered by The Bar. Cesaro and Sheamus became the Raw Tag Team Champions.
4 Best: Final Six Of The Men's Royal Rumble
The 2018 Royal Rumble was one of the best of all time, as it had good booking and several great moments. One of the best things about it was the six last men standing, John Cena, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Finn Balor, Roman Reigns and Shinsuke Nakamura.
In other words, there were three wrestlers who were in the Ruthless Aggression Era and three from the modern generation. These six men did a great job, fighting with intensity to take the Championship shot at WrestleMania. The last few minutes were a lot of fun to watch, even dramatic, just as all Royal Rumble match finishes should be.
3 Worst: Dolph Ziggler As 30th Entrant
It would have been much better if Rey Mysterio had been the 30th entrant, but instead, that special spot was filled by Dolph Ziggler. Certainly Dolph Ziggler is a veteran who has had a great career, but admittedly, he has never been a fan favorite, let alone in 2018.
For some reason, WWE thought Ziggler's "return" would be a big deal, but in reality, it wasn't, and let alone after he was eliminated in two minutes. The 30th spot is important, and WWE wasted it on this one.
2 Best: Shinsuke Nakamura Won The Men's Royal Rumble
A Royal Rumble match can be ruined if the wrong wrestler wins, but fortunately that wasn't the case at the 2018 Royal Rumble. For the first time in several years, the winner was someone the fans actually did want to see win.
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Shinsuke Nakamura was super over at the time and the crowd exploded when he eliminated Roman Reigns to get the historic win. That’s how we saw one of the best Royal Rumble matches ever.
1 Worst: Ronda Rousey Overshadowing Asuka
Ronda Rousey had certainly appeared on WWE television before, but at Royal Rumble 2018 she made her official debut, entrance and music included. After the women's Royal Rumble match, at the end of the PPV, Asuka, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss were in the ring, when The Baddest Woman On The Planet appeared. Rousey went to the ring, offered Asuka her hand and pointed to the WrestleMania sign.
At the time, Rousey’s debut was looked upon as a great moment, though in hindsight her arrival did overshadow the history-making match, and it took away from Asuka’s victory. The show should have ended with Asuka standing tall, with Rousey’s debut coming on the following Raw.
