WWE Royal Rumble 2022: Ranking and grading every match

WWE is officially on the road to WrestleMania 38, with the Royal Rumble in the books. It was an interesting show, with a couple of matches standing out from the rest.

Following the theories and fan expectations over the namesake bouts, some can argue they should have been much better. Regardless, Rumble matches always offer entertainment and intrigue.

The rest of the card was good, featuring a variety of contests that ranged from solid to great. But what was the best match on the card? Where do both Rumbles rank? Let's find out.

Here is every match at Royal Rumble 2022 graded and ranked, from worst to best. What was your favorite match on the show? Let us know down in the comments.

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#6 Men's Royal Rumble Match

Two years after the previous Royal Rumble Match with a crowd was a rousing success, WWE put on a bland and predictable offering. The field was filled with pretenders and there was a lack of true surprises.

Among the bright spots was AJ Styles, who enjoyed a great performance after entering first. Well, until he got eliminated by Madcap Moss. He and Happy Corbin went on a tear during the Rumble, before being thwarted by Drew McIntyre.

The two-time WWE Champion's entry was a shock, as he was expected to miss months of action. Johnny Knoxville's involvement was fun. He took multiple finishing moves before getting eliminated by Sami Zayn, who got his revenge.

This Royal Rumble Match endured more than its fair share of negatives, with no moment more unfortunate than Kofi Kingston's elimination. He was pushed off the top by Kevin Owens and was supposed to land on the side of the barricade, but his feet touched the floor. Well, it had to happen one year.

The final stretch of the match was a mixture of predictable and surprising. WWE posted a picture of Bad Bunny backstage with The Undertaker before the event, hours before he enjoyed an impressive outing in the 30-man free-for-all. Shane McMahon also returned.

His elimination of Kevin Owens was ill-advised, as was his involvement in the final three of the Royal Rumble Match. Shane O'Mac was eliminated by the final entrant, Brock Lesnar. After what happened earlier in the show, The Beast Incarnate entering and winning the match seemed like a foregone conclusion.

Lesnar's showdown with McIntyre was decent, even if there was no doubt over the winner. He F5-ed The Scottish Warrior out of the ring to stand tall. It was such a straightforward end to a match that needed a few more exciting entrants.

Grade: C

#5 Edge and Beth Phoenix vs. The Miz and Maryse - Royal Rumble

Taking place directly before the Men's Royal Rumble Match, Edge and Beth Phoenix's victory over The Miz and Maryse was weirdly placed on the card. It was as good as it could have been, considering we had already seen Edge and Miz in the ring at Day 1.

There were some entertaining moments, with the highlights being the inter-gender spots. Maryse hit Edge with a hurricanrana, while Beth Phoenix beat The Miz down. The "Grit" Couple then hit a double spear on The A-Lister, before dueling Glam Slams ended the match.

Grade: B-

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#4 Becky Lynch vs. Doudrop for the RAW Women's Championship

The circumstances surrounding Becky Lynch and Doudrop's RAW Women's Title match were a shame. For starters, they had to follow the Women's Royal Rumble Match. Also, the crowd was distracted by the WrestleMania sign catching fire during the match.

Still, Lynch and Doudrop had a decent outing. They traded some big moves, with the Scottish star coming close multiple times. However, the outcome wasn't in much doubt, as Big Time Becks won after hitting a Manhandle Slam from the middle rope.

Grade: B-

#3 Women's Royal Rumble Match

The 30-woman Royal Rumble Match was booked decently for most of it, even though WWE did make a few baffling decisions. Sasha Banks was eliminated shockingly early by Queen Zelina. It looked like she would be the 'Iron Woman' of the match after entering first.

We saw so many women from the Divas era make their returns in the Rumble, with all of them getting warm welcomes. Summer Rae and Natalya continued their online beef, while Cameron was tied into the ongoing rivalry between Naomi and Sonya Deville.

Mickie James came out to her current theme "Hardcore Country" and had a solid stint in the match, while Nikki A.S.H. viciously assaulted her fellow superhero, Mighty Molly.

Brie Bella got a measure of revenge on Nikki by eliminating her the same way she was from the 2018 Women's Rumble match.

Liv Morgan and Bianca Belair did well to last long after being among the first 10 entrants. However, once Ronda Rousey came out at No.28, there was no doubt over who would win. She dominated her way to a victory, eliminating Charlotte Flair in the end.

There was enough excitement throughout this match, but the current female roster did not shine as much as it should have. Regardless, the 2022 Women's Royal Rumble Match had enough memorable moments to exceed its male counterpart by some distance.

Grade: B

#2 Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship - Royal Rumble

Before Brock Lesnar punched his ticket to WrestleMania, he partook in an explosive first-time-ever match at the Royal Rumble. Bobby Lashley proved a stern challenger, especially after being disrespected by The Beast Incarnate recently on RAW.

The All-Mighty no-sold a German suplex and hit one of his own, proving he can hang with The Beast Incarnate. Lashley would get sent crashing through the barricade after missing a spear, though. Lesnar hit him with an F5 but took the referee out in the process.

Following this, Roman Reigns appeared from out of nowhere and speared him. Paul Heyman then handed The Tribal Chief the WWE Title, which he hit Brock Lesnar in the head with. Bobby Lashley made the cover to win his second WWE Championship.

This was what we expected it to be. Lesnar and Lashley truly showed out and delivered a masterful hard-hitting brawl. One could telegraph the finish once the referee was knocked out, though. It led to the painfully predictable Men's Royal Rumble Match.

Grade: A-

#1 Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship - Royal Rumble

The Royal Rumble began with some mind games from Seth Rollins, as he entered to The Shield's music. He and Roman Reigns laid into each other early on, with their biggest moves.

The Architect floored Reigns with a powerbomb through the announcer's table before the two had some lovely exchanges. We got multiple call-backs to their days as The Shield as well as their classic at Money in the Bank 2016.

Rollins countered a Spear from Reigns into a Pedigree for an agonizing near-fall. But what drags this match slightly down is the finish. The Universal Champion Speared his challenger and locked in the Guillotine choke. He refused to let go even after The Visionary grabbed the bottom rope.

Roman Reigns left the Royal Rumble with the Universal Championship, but not before laying a massive beating on Seth Rollins. He smashed him with a steel chair, in a role reversal of the Shield betrayal.

While this was still the best thing on the show, it could have been even better had there been a proper finish. At least there was a story and it was well told, for the most part.

Grade: A