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This reviewer can write a separate Royal Rumble 2021 article about the music used during the show, with Corey Graves referencing Slayer making it to the 'best' column and Bad Bunny slotted as a 'worst'.
But for the purpose of this review, we shall stick to the wrestling that we saw at Royal Rumble 2021, which, to be honest, had more ups than downs.
You are welcome to share your own best and worst list for Royal Rumble 2021 in the comments section below, ladies, and gentlemen. Do let us know if your assessment of the show is different from ours or if indeed, you echo our thoughts and sentiments.
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How would you rate this year's Royal Rumble as compared to the legendary versions over the years?
#1 Best: Royal Rumble 2021 builds towards the future
Yes, you're rolling your eyes saying that Edge winning at Royal Rumble 2021 is not building to the future, but it was a feel-good moment for fans, that did not come at the cost of burying the other talent in the match. However, Bianca Belair's big victory at Royal Rumble 2021, where she stood tall and proud following her dominant win, cutting an emotional promo is certainly a step in the right direction by WWE.
Goldberg also put Drew McIntyre over on this occasion, making him look like a far bigger star than ever after Royal Rumble 2021 after McIntyre ended Goldberg's new streak.
Goldberg has been coming back into the company and winning the title, but Drew McIntyre put an end to that.
Even Damian Priest had a pretty good showing at Royal Rumble 2021, and so did Rhea Ripley, both of whom are stars to look out for in the future. The company did well in this regard.
#1 Worst: Why was Alexa Bliss eliminated with no fanfare at Royal Rumble 2021 after the awesome build? And where, oh where, is The Fiend?
Alexa Bliss entered Royal Rumble 2021 in the 27th spot and was eliminated soon after, long before she could transform into her dark, demented persona. This is the worst thing that they could have done for her, after building her up so well on RAW, leading up to this big stage.
WWE also saved an Edge and Randy Orton interaction for the end of Royal Rumble 2021 which should have been the point where The Fiend returned to action, to remind the WWE Universe that he and Randy Orton were far from done with one another.
It's just unfortunate that WWE could build Bray Wyatt and Alexa Bliss so very well, and then drop the ball at the second-biggest night of the entire year.
Alexa Bliss went into Royal Rumble 2021 as one of the favorites to win the women's match, but the way she was portrayed, she was just one of many entrants.
#2 Best: Christian makes a stunning return at Royal Rumble 2021, one year after the return of Edge
Edge started Royal Rumble 2021 from the first position, after making a stunning return at last year's edition. It did seem like nothing would be able to match the excitement that was generated last year, but then Christian came back! There was a genuinely emotional moment when the two men hugged it out in the middle of the ring, a special point in time that reminded us why we love wrestling so very much.
The other major surprise return at Royal Rumble 2021 was in the form of Carlito and it will be interesting to see what he intends to do if he sticks around in the company.
Honestly, the return of Jillian Hall at Royal Rumble 2021 wasn't bad either, and the fact that she teamed up with Billie Kay for a brief spell was pretty cool as well. Billie Kay has evolved into the most fun comedy character in all of wrestling, so this was a treat for fans.
#2 Worst: The commentary at Royal Rumble 2021, especially from Michael Cole was atrocious
A lot of the surprises at Royal Rumble 2021 did not register because of the cookie-cutter manner in which Michael Cole called the action. Hurricane's return should have been a much bigger deal than the monochrome manner in which it was announced by the voice of WWE. And the same can be said for Seth Rollins as well, who came back to action after a long hiatus, but there was no element of surprise at all.
Even Jerry Lawler's jokes seemed dated, but at least he seemed to bring a sense of energy to the proceedings at Royal Rumble 2021, making the action come alive.
Unfortunately, every other announcer except for Samoa Joe seemed to follow the Michael Cole formula, not selling the action that we were seeing at Royal Rumble 2021. Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, and Excalibur are far from perfect, but at least they tell stories that engage the viewer in the right manner. The commentary was truly terrible.
#3 Best/Worst: Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens tear it up at Royal Rumble 2021, but Paul Heyman ruins the contest
Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens at Royal Rumble 2021 was exactly the war we wanted, and it delivered quite brilliantly. That is until the spot where Kevin Owens handcuffed Roman Reigns, and the spot involved Paul Heyman taking the cuffs off.
The referee stopped counting during the match so that Roman Reigns could stand tall at Royal Rumble 2021 since Paul Heyman took far too long with the key. It marred what was probably the match of the night but that aside, there is no room for any complaint because Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens tore it up.
Check out this interview that Natalya conducted with SK Wrestling prior to Royal Rumble 2021 and find out if her predictions for the men's side were right or not. In fact, did you predict that it would be Edge standing tall at the end of Royal Rumble 2021, after being told that he would never wrestle again?
