10 shocking moments in WWE’s Man vs. Woman matches!
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Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar were used by WWE as heavy guns to win the 2022 Royal Rumble fights, but the battles themselves may go down as some of the least exciting in the competition’s history.
Usually, there are more shocks, happy moments, and unpredictable elements to the spectacle. On Saturday, though, the inevitable was coming, so a large portion of those two hours were spent killing time.
As depressing as it may sound, there were still a few instances that merited praise because they were entertaining, startling, or good examples of booking.
The best 10 moments from the two Royal Rumble matches will be reviewed now.
10. Melina’s Arrival and Exit
Uncertainty about who will appear next and the surprise of hearing a legend you haven’t seen in a while make up one of the best aspects of the Royal Rumble.
Even if she was only there for a short while, Melina, who had never participated in a Royal Rumble, was amazing to see. She has more than enough accomplishments to qualify for future Hall of Fame admission, but regrettably, she isn’t frequently recognised in the same sentence as some other pioneering women.
She had tears in her eyes when she engaged Sasha Banks after hitting her signature entrance splits, but Sasha was able to eliminate her very swiftly. While that could have been depressing, it was made more entertaining when The Boss performed her own splits to mock her.
9. Drew McIntyre Makes a Full Recovery
Source: WWE.com
It was considered that it would perhaps be asking too much for Drew McIntyre to return by WrestleMania when it was revealed that he had suffered a neck injury. So it came as a pleasant surprise to hear his music start and see him arrive on Saturday.
This, it must be said, didn’t appeal to the fans quite as much as some other injury-returns in the past. Edge’s two homecoming in Royal Rumbles or John Cena’s in 2008 were much bigger events because their ailments kept them out of action for months beforehand.
Fans didn’t have enough time to begin to miss The Scottish Warrior. Fans might not even have known he was gone in other instances. But even so, it was comforting to know that he’s doing well and can be relied upon to attend these significant occasions.
8. Nikki Bella is eliminated by Brie Bella
Source: WWE.com
The Bella Twins were eliminated by Brie in the final stages of the previous Royal Rumble after Nikki turned on Brie. If they had continued to cooperate, they might have made it to the last two, but their sibling rivalry proved to be too much.
The roles were reversed this time. Tossing out Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan required them to team up once more and fight alongside one another, as they ought to have done. Everything appeared to be back on track until Brie took advantage of Nikki on the apron and knocked her to the ground.
Theoretically, the same reasoning still holds true. Both of them could have performed better if calmer judgement had prevailed. However, getting even with her sister was likely a victory in and of itself, and it was nice to see a callback to even the score between them.
7. Surprising Entrances by Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey
Source: WWE.com
Let’s face it: These two would be at the top of the list if it were created by the employees of WWE, and the overstatement of how fantastic and unexpected their triumphs were would be revolting.
Given that, it would be absurd to omit them from this list, even though there are drawbacks as well as advantages.
These two entrances had two sharp edges. They were both unannounced for the contest, thus the initial few seconds of their arrival were tense. Undoubtedly, a lot of people were truly surprised—the majority of whom don’t read spoilers or overanalyze as we do while reading and writing these articles.
But then it dawned on them that it was clearly their matches to lose. The victories were just formalities, and the rest was left for us to see. The atmosphere then changed from one of joyful surprise to one of bitter cynicism about predictability and seeing the build-up to a WrestleMania replete with rematches.
These were both fantastic moments before the fans realized that, and going forward, WWE will portray them as two of the best things to occur during the Royal Rumble history, so get ready to hear that for years to come.
6. Bad Bunny Holds His Own, number six
Source: WWE.com
Bad Bunny had a performance and unexpectedly participated in the Royal Rumble the previous year. He managed to compete very well this time around, given that he was a real opponent.
It’s odd since Johnny Knoxville’s presentation, which was in contrast very unimpressive, received so much attention. While Bad Bunny lasted longer than half the field at little under eight minutes, Knoxville left the ring in only a minute or so after doing little more than taking a frog splash from Montez Ford.
It is always commendable when a famous person does a Canadian Destroyer, and Bad Bunny even managed to eliminate two opponents—more than 22 other Superstars in this battle can boast!
5. Ivory is banned
Source: WWE.com
One of the biggest women’s division stars, Ivory, hadn’t yet participated in a Royal Rumble. Like Melina, having her in the contest at all was reason for celebration, but the execution was superior and deserving of a higher ranking.
Not only did Ivory enter the ring with a smile on her face and act happy to be there before punching and kicking a couple Superstars and exiting the match like so many others do. She switched back to her Right instead to Censor gimmick and hammed it up as a heel.
She also succeeded in boosting Rhea Ripley by being the one to silence her as one of the more memorable eliminations and a remarkable humorous moment.
4. Sonya Deville and Naomi’s Ongoing Battle
Sonya Deville had to have interfered with Naomi’s chances of winning this match at some point. It seemed like such an obvious choice that it would have been puzzling for WWE not to execute it.
Fortunately, this was a four-step procedure that accomplished everything.
Deville maintained up her reputation that she can’t be touched when she’s wearing her jacket by delaying entering the ring. This is a classic strategy used by heels to increase their chances to win, which fit nicely.
Deville’s vicious side emerged as soon as she learnt Cameron was Naomi’s buddy and she entered the room. To get back at Cameron, she immediately attacked him and threw her over the top rope.
The WWE overused the convenient placement of Naomi as the next participant in these contests, but on its own, it worked here. Naomi obtained a little measure of additional retribution for all these months by eliminating Deville.
To cap it all off, Deville hung around long enough to meddle, stop Naomi from saving herself, and eliminate her. That kind of inconsiderate action was the best choice to maintain Deville’s nasty streak.
3. There Can Only Be One Superhero.
Source: WWE.com
Since Molly Holly seems to be a saint, no one ever seems to have anything terrible to say about her. That’s why it was even sweeter when Nikki A.S.H completely destroyed her after she emerged from the door wearing her vibrant Mighty Molly superhero costume and a gleaming smile.
According to A.S.H., who attacked Holly like a true villain, threw her into the steel steps, and eventually dumped her outdoors, “there can be only one superhero.”
Even though the heel turn is still relatively new, this has undoubtedly been its strongest selling point. It was a terrific way to go past the idea that A.S.H. was a deluded scourge rather than the cheerful, hyper-optimistic babyface who wasn’t working out.
2. Mickie James Enters in the Right Way
The main topic of discussion as soon as Mickie James’ participation in the Royal Rumble was confirmed was how WWE will handle her entrance. Would her traditional music consign her to her WWE persona? Would her time spent outside the company be acknowledged in any way?
Thankfully, WWE did the right thing by not trying to clean up her image or label her a “former legend” and moving on.
She entered the ring not just with her “Hardcore Country” theme, but also while sporting the Impact Knockouts Championship belt. Even though it was known as the Impact Women’s Championship, the situation is still preferable to the alternative.
Even if this is a long way from being comparable to how All Elite Wrestling frequently opens the infamous Forbidden Door, it is nonetheless a step in the right direction. The more WWE can accept that other organizations do exist without trying to enclose its fan base in a bubble, the more everyone can unwind and enjoy professional wrestling without being enmeshed in company rivalry and feeling like they must choose a side.
Though it was more than many other people have received, it still falls short of an official apology for how unfairly she was ticketed and treated in previous years.
1. Taking care of Omos
Source: WWE.com
Again, this would never rank first on a list created by the WWE, especially not over Rousey and Lesnar, but there are times when simplicity is the best option.
The giant that needs to be taken out by a group of individuals working together is a Royal Rumble trope. Omos was an easy choice for that role this year given how big he is, and everything went smoothly.
Chad Gable got everyone together to announce that he had a strategy since, after all, he is so smart. This was after scoring two eliminations and demonstrating that he was a force to be reckoned with. His huge idea was a no-brainer that everyone enthusiastically embraced while simultaneously saying, “But it still makes sense, so I’m on board.”
Damian Priest should assault Omos first because he is the biggest opponent in the ring, according to Gable’s amusing and sensible idea. He served as a sacrifice to create a diversion so that the others could profit.
Priest should have had more to work with, but it’s better to be dispatched by Omos than to become a piece of meat for a weaker opponent. Then, after everyone gathered, it was crucial for AJ Styles to be the one to put Omos’s elimination to a close in order to put an end to their hostility.
The best places don’t always have to be the ones with the biggest surprises and most breathtaking views. It can sometimes come down to the most logical booking for the tried-and-true tropes that make up the backbone of the Royal Rumble.