Ranking and grading every WWE pay-per-view in 2021 so far

#2 WWE Royal Rumble

One of the bEST #WrestleMania points by far. See you in April, @BiancaBelairWWE! #RoyalRumble pic.twitter.com/jdV0utpD0q

— WWE WrestleMania (@WrestleMania) February 1, 2021

WWE's first pay-per-view of 2021 was, as always, Royal Rumble. It was a weird affair without a crowd, but it still delivered nonetheless.

Goldberg's WWE Title match against Drew McIntyre was quick and served to elevate The Scottish Warrior, while Sasha Banks defeated Carmella in a solid outing for both women. Roman Reigns also retained his belt, fending off Kevin Owens in a brutal Last Man Standing Match.

Aside from the confusing ending, the match was excellent. Both men put a lot into it and fought around Tropicana Field. It was the perfect match to place between the two Royal Rumble matches, both of which were filled with fun surprises and emotional moments.

The women's Rumble match saw some great performances from the first few entrants, like Shayna Baszler and the returning Naomi. Rhea Ripley did well and eliminated seven women, but Royal Rumble was Bianca Belair's night. She went all the way from No. 3 and earned a monumental victory after eliminating Ripley.

There's no way the men's Rumble winner would top this moment, right?

.@EdgeRatedR is No. 1 and headed to #WrestleMania! #RoyalRumble pic.twitter.com/wLrhIs4SfM

— WWE (@WWE) February 1, 2021

Well, Edge entered at No. 1 and won the entire match. It was an unbelievable effort that somehow topped his inspirational comeback from the previous Royal Rumble. The match did feature quite a few fun moments.

Damian Priest had a strong outing on his WWE main roster debut, eliminating multiple superstars including Kane. The Big Red Machine enjoyed a brief Team Hell No reunion with Daniel Bryan, but was not the only nostalgia entrant. Carlito made his WWE return at the Royal Rumble as well.

But the biggest one of all was Christian, who made his in-ring return after seven years away. It was one hell of a moment, made even stronger by his great performance. He reunited with Edge during the match, with both superstars lasting until the final four.

The Rated-R Superstar outlasted every competitor and eliminated entrant No. 2, Randy Orton, to win the Men's Royal Rumble Match. He had earned this incredible moment, although a crowd would have made it legendary.

Grade: A-