Brock Lesnar

Royal Rumble 2022 is officially in the books. As such, this year’s winners, Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar, are on pace to face the champion of their choice at WrestleMania 38. However, the relatively short card didn’t quite live up to expectations on a fairly underwhelming night.

Maybe we gave WWE too much credit this time around. After all, we predicted that this year’s Royal Rumble would be the best in recent memory. That may have seemed like a lofty guess, but the company has historically delivered with its back against the wall. The concise match card also came with so much potential to overachieve.

The Rumble took place in front of a live audience for the first time in two years, which added anticipation to an event that caters to crowd participation. 44,390 fans filed into The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis prepared to be a part of an unforgettable night. Instead, they were treated to a show that started on a high note, stumbled, and never quite found its second wind

WWE’s Tried and True Concept Delivers the Same Old Same Old

Seth Rollins was the MVP of Royal Rumble 2022. The Visionary continued to play mind games and effectively won the crowd over as he entered through section 112 to the Shield’s iconic theme song.

If there was any lingering doubt that the challenger could turn face, his performance against Roman Reigns on Saturday definitively put them to rest. The 35-year-old was clicking on all cylinders in the opening contest. We all know that he is a phenomenal in-ring competitor, but his character work made this match so much more entertaining.

Rollins vs. Reigns was easily the best match of the night. However, it ultimately ended with an anticlimactic DQ finish as The Tribal Chief refused to release the guillotine choke when the challenger made it to the rope.

Yes, two of the top stars of their generation told a great story, and the ending was a serviceable way to keep it going. Regardless, it was an odd decision to start the Royal Rumble in front of a packed crowd with an inconclusive outcome. It’s hard to even get excited for where this will lead because WWE has made it clear that Lesnar is still the Samoan superstar’s intended opponent for WrestleMania.

This high-profile matchup proved its worth, but it suffered for the same reasons many of the universal title feuds did in the second half of 2021. The long-term destination is set in stone so no one other than Reigns and Lesnar feel like a priority. This issue also bogged down the WWE title picture at Day 1, and it became abundantly clear again Saturday night as their storyline dominated the card.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing if you have been enjoying this long-running feud, but it felt like too much of a retread for anyone hoping for something new. Honestly, this could summarize the entire show as WWE heavily relied on nostalgia, which isn’t a surprise because that’s a part of the appeal of Royal Rumble.

The annual “Big Four” pay-per-view attracts new and old fans making us all reminisce on childhood memories. Still, this overreliance on the past and the same handful of stars hindered this iteration. Nostalgia wasn’t used in a way to accentuate a new crop of wrestlers or give us hope for what 2022 would bring. To that end, this show felt largely unimaginative and predictable.

Mistakes from 2021 Haunt the 1st Major Show of the Year

No one else in professional wrestling can duplicate the spectacle that WWE has become famous for. The company’s high production value is still one of its greatest strengths, but it wasn’t enough to cover for its biggest mistakes from last year.

This couldn’t have been any more obvious during the 2022 women’s Royal Rumble match. The 30-women battle royal created a buzz with a collection of stars from different eras, but it struggled because of a lack of current superstars who could believably win.

The women’s roster is noticeably thin following the round of releases from 2021. WWE attempted to fill the void as best as it could, but it certainly would have used the likes of Asuka, Bayley, or Io Shirai. Many of the aforementioned cuts who are thriving elsewhere or preparing to enter free agency would’ve been helpful as well.

Still, there were some highlights for longtime fans. Sasha Banks entered as the first participant dressed as Sailor Moon. The 30-year-old shined in her second Royal Rumble appearance, so much so that her star power was sorely missed after Queen Zelina surprisingly eliminated her early on.

Many of the returns offered fun moments like Nikki A.S.H ejecting Mighty Molly, Ivory’s Right to Censor tirade or Alicia Fox’s short-lived reunion with The Bella Twins. Mickie James’ triumphant return as Impact Knockouts champion complete with her current theme, "Hardcore Country," was also one of the best stories of the night.

However, most of the returns or surprise entrants didn’t feel rewarding because many of them lasted for less than a minute. This exposed the current women’s roster at times, but it was a bigger indictment of WWE's failure to produce engaging storylines with the wrestlers available.

The women’s Rumble also illustrated just how abysmal most of the recent WWE theme songs are as well. The audience in attendance relies on music to react to each entrant. As such, several wrestlers didn’t get the reception they might have in both Rumble matches because the fans didn’t recognize the first few notes of their themes.

Murphy’s Law Set In

In 2003, rapper and St. Louis native, Murphy Lee, released his debut album, Murphy’s Law. The title was based on the adage that “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” Royal Rumble was a perfect example of just how prophetic this statement can be.

In a perfect world, Ronda Rousey’s return to WWE should’ve been enough to salvage the women’s Rumble. Her appearance and eventual win will undoubtedly create headlines and potentially bolster the upcoming WrestleMania card. Nevertheless, the former MMA fighter didn’t look nearly as polished, and her coronation as the fifth women’s Royal Rumble winner led to a dangerous production issue.

The pyro following her celebration caused the WrestleMania sign to catch on fire. Unfortunately, this created a distraction during Doudrop vs. Becky Lynch. That’s a shame because the Scottish wrestler recently revealed that she has been preparing for this matchup with Big Time Becks for 15 years.

The two put on a solid showing, but it never recovered after the sign debacle. Bobby Lashley vs. Brock Lesnar didn’t live up to years of hype either thanks to formulaic pacing and interference from Reigns. The mixed tag match that followed was fun, but the show had completely lost the crowd by this point.

The men’s Royal Rumble match was shockingly uneventful, and the biggest pops came from non-wrestling stars like Bad Bunny and Johnny Knoxville. To go along with the theme of the night, Kofi Kingston didn’t even properly execute his traditional save to remain in the match.

There were so many questionable booking decisions throughout the contest, but the St. Louis crowd came alive for its hometown star, Randy Orton. Still, Lesnar joined the fray as entrant No. 30 secured his second Royal Rumble win. Then, WWE bafflingly decided to set off the same pyros that caused a fire earlier.

It was symbolic. The company made strikingly similar mistakes with Rumble matches and stubbornly hoped for different results. Instead, the show sent most of its crowd home unhappy and confused about the start of this year’s storylines.

WWE, if nothing else, is very confident in what it wants as its brand: a few megastars, some moments and names that draw outside attention. Everything else is largely an afterthought. 

Saturday night's Royal Rumble hammered home this idea in dramatic fashion...from the opening gun all the way to midnight on the East Coast. 

The first big landmark was the big Ronda Rousey return. The internet age doesn't leave much wiggle room for secrets nowadays, but that didn't stop the former UFC star's rumored return from getting a big pop. 

To WWE's credit, it played with fan expectations at least a bit, putting the women's Rumble match right in the middle of the show. Wandering minds would have expected, if Rousey were to return, the women's match would close the show; wandering minds also might have expected her return would happen 30th, not a few spots prior, which made the shocker all the better.

Call the manipulation of simple expectations a nice surprise. 

But that's about it. Rousey wins a match that had roughly half of its participants not even be full-time Superstars, and she'll be the main talk of the division for the next two months. She's angling as a heel, too, which was cemented after the fact in a not-great promo:  

Rousey's going to undoubtedly go at Charlotte Flair or Becky Lynch. This might be where they try to rehab the latter's so-so heel run after she returned from pregnancy to derail Bianca Belair's title run with a pair of moves. The EST of WWE and everyone else are stuck as an afterthought in the process. 

The next landmark was predictably the title match between Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar. 

We could have hypothesized for a long time that WWE would do whatever it takes to get Reigns vs. Lesnar back on track for WrestleMania. It's the money matchup, no matter how many times it has been seen, but this time with a fresh twist as The Beast Incarnate is the supposed underdog and babyface to Reigns' heel. 

And indeed, WWE derailed its entire men's Rumble match to get Reigns-Lesnar back on track after The Tribal Chief missed Day 1 due to COVID-19 and The Beast inexplicably got added to the Raw men's title match.

Lashley won on Saturday night, but only because Reigns came out to throw interference. It was a cool story moment when Paul Heyman betrayed Lesnar and walked out with The Head of the Table. But the minute Reigns showed up, everyone knew Lesnar was going to win the men's match later in the night. 

And the whole thing leaves Lashley looking like a chump without an opponent and his title an afterthought. He got whipped for most of the match and lucked into a win.

Now he doesn't have an opponent for 'Mania and with the way it got treated, why would fans care when the programming emphatically says it's only SmackDown's title scene that matters? 

Some of this could have been forgiven if the men's match had been any good. But Kofi Kingston missed his escape spot, and the contest was littered with mid-carders and the predictable, groan-worthy attempt to make Omos look like a monster. A guy like Big E—who just got sacrificed at Day 1 for Lesnar—was unceremoniously dumped over the top rope with barely a mention. AJ Styles, international legend and future Hall of Famer, got dumped by Madcap Moss? Hard to remember who. Shane McMahon was one of the final three. 

So, when Lesnar came out, yeah, the crowd popped, but that's about it. He got his win, WWE has its big star matchup and the 2022 Royal Rumble will be remembered for, well, it's hard to say. By comparison, who complains if Big E gets his win? They can still throw Lesnar at Reigns. Who complains if Styles wins? 

It's not that the emphasis on stars, social media and YouTube numbers is predictable—it's that it's so disappointing. WWE has the best roster on the planet and the most reach, and yet, it feels like nothing matters. It's especially disappointing because of two factors: 

• The reliance on part-timers to pop ratings back in the day was because it needed to sell pay-per-view buys. Now, not so much. 
• One would think with legitimate competition such as All Elite Wrestling, WWE would take a back-against-the-wall stance, not double-down on its formula. 

Imagine, for a moment, there's a lapsed fan out there who was going to give this a chance. To their disdain, the big event was again used to set up Lesnar-Reigns. There's a twist, but it's a mild one and probably not one that encourages the fan to keep coming back. 

But if it wasn't apparent before, WWE isn't really interested in that lapsed fan. Rousey's name makes a big non-wrestling splash and so will the Lesnar-Reigns matchup. The latter, based on WWE's double-down, will likely win at The Show of Shows before holding the belt until the next 'Mania in California, where he'll face The Rock, but that's a different discussion.  

The current discussion is that the more things seem to change outside of WWE, the more its desire to prioritize moments and only certain stars doesn't. It's unfortunate, and while it gets the greatly desired outside attention, it's a double down that only digs the inability to build new stars or meaningful non-WrestleMania season content an even deeper hole. 

This year's 'Mania could still be fun, but WWE's biggest problem just made the journey begin with a stumble. 

Brock Lesnar ensured his place in the main event at WrestleMania 38 with victory in the 2022 men's Royal Rumble match Saturday night.

The Beast Incarnate entered from the No. 30 position and cleared many of the remaining entrants in the contest before last eliminating Drew McIntyre to claim the victory.

Lesnar will likely target Roman Reigns at The Show of Shows after the universal champion's interference cost him the WWE title earlier in the night.

Edge won last year's Rumble from the No. 1 spot, and while there was no performance as impressive this time around, it was a highly entertaining match with plenty of star power.

Based on those who were announced for the men's match ahead of time, there were a few Superstars who stood out as top contenders.

Chief among them was Big E, who dropped the WWE Championship to Lesnar in a Fatal 5-Way at the Day 1 pay-per-view on Jan. 1.

While that loss was a disappointment for many WWE fans, it set the stage for Big E to enter the Rumble and potentially earn the opportunity to win his title back.

AJ Styles also established himself as a candidate with some big wins entering the Rumble, including multiple victories over Austin Theory on Raw and a win over Grayson Waller on NXT.

The same could be said for Kevin Owens, who beat United States champion Damian Priest twice on Raw.

However, it was The Beast who emerged in the final spot of the match to seal his place in the WrestleMania main event.

After losing to Lashley earlier in the night, Lesnar was late entrant to the men's Rumble. The night began in disappointment, but now he has a chance to bounce back on The Grandest Stage of Them All come April 2-3.

Lesnar is now on a collision course with Reigns given The Tribal Chief's role in his defeat and Paul Heyman's betrayal earlier in the show.

The Beast will love nothing more than to gain a measure of revenge on Heyman and end the champion's lengthy reign. 

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: profanity).

Bobby Lashley defeated Brock Lesnar in a first-ever dream match between the two to win the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble on Saturday night.

However, The All Mighty was helped in his victory by universal champion Roman Reigns. 

With the referee incapacitated, The Tribal Chief made his presence felt and delivered a Spear to Lesnar. In an even more shocking move, Paul Heyman handed the WWE Championship to Reigns, who proceeded to hit the champion flush with the belt.

That allowed Lashley to roll over and make the pin to claim his second WWE title.

Heyman, who had accompanied The Beast Incarnate to the ring, left the arena at the side of Reigns.

Fans have long yearned for a Lesnar vs. Lashley clash, and they finally got their wish Saturday following the events of Day 1 and the ensuing episode of Raw.

At the Jan. 1 pay-per-view, Big E was originally supposed to defend the WWE Championship in a Fatal 4-Way against Lashley, Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens, but a late change occurred just hours before the show.

Lesnar had been scheduled to challenge Reigns for the Universal Championship, but The Tribal Chief announced he had tested positive for COVID-19 and would be unable to compete at Day 1 as a result.

With The Beast needing an opponent,he was added to the WWE title bout, making it a Fatal 5-Way.

Lesnar was a dominant force in the match, taking out competitors with suplexes and the F-5 before finally pinning Big E to become a nine-time world champion.

On the follow-up episode of Raw, the originally scheduled Fatal 4-Way between Lashley, Big E, Owens and Rollins was held to determine Lesnar's opponent at the Royal Rumble.

The All Mighty won after spearing and pinning Owens, ensuring a match that has been talked about by fans ever since Lashley's return to WWE in 2018 would come to fruition.

WWE seemed to be setting the stage for Lesnar vs. Lashley during the Fatal 5-Way at Day 1, as the latter speared the former through the barricade early in the match and had The Beast on the ropes on a few different occasions.

In addition to the fact that Lesnar and Lashley are physical equals in many ways, their rivalry was made even more intriguing by the presence of Heyman and MVP.

Heyman resumed being Lesnar's advocate after getting fired by Reigns on Dec. 18, and MVP has been a huge part of Lashley's success over the past year-plus, including his first career WWE Championship win on March 1 last year.

Saturday marked a true clash of titans, and while Lesnar came close to retaining on a number of occasions, Lashley slayed The Beast and became a two-time WWE champion in the process.

Rather than getting a rematch, Lesnar might instead set his sights on Reigns coming out of the Royal Rumble.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: profanity).