5 key takeaways from WWE Royal Rumble 2022
The 35th annual edition of the much-awaited Royal Rumble has come and gone. While Twitter is still running rampant with the surprises fans witnessed and the controversial booking decisions made, the initial reaction seems mixed.
The event's major highlights include Ronda Rousey's surprising return and eventual win, Bobby Lashley's unexpected victory over Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship, and the latter's last-minute entry into the Men's Royal Rumble to punch his ticket to WrestleMania. Elsewhere, Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins resulted in an odd disqualification victory for the challenger.
With such an action-packed and noteworthy Royal Rumble, there are several vital takeaways, and this piece explores a handful of them.
#5. Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins showed unmatchable chemistry at the Royal Rumble
Sierra. Hotel. India. Echo. Lima. Delta.🗣📣 Sierra. Hotel. India. Echo. Lima. Delta.
#RoyalRumble @WWERollins @WWERomanReigns https://t.co/CVo0AdKcIa
The night's opening bout was the profoundly personal Universal Championship match between two former brothers turned enemies, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. The Messiah and The Tribal Chief were on another level at the Rumble, and the WWE Universe loved everything about their emotionally-inspired, physical battle.
From the get-go, The Visionary tried to play serious mind-games with the champ, making an entrance through the crowd in his Shield attire. The Head of the Table wasn't impressed by the challenger's antics, but Rollins managed to get in his rival's head.
As far as the in-ring action is concerned, this may be the match of the night. The self-proclaimed "Architect of The Shield" took the fight to Reigns, blasting him through the announce table with a vicious powerbomb. The encounter went back and forth, with the two rivals executing their finishers for near-falls. At one point, Rollins countered the spear into a face-shattering pedigree. The WWE Universe was red-hot for this war as fans were on the edge of their seats.
However, the controversial finish raised quite a few eyebrows. The Messiah offered the trademark Shield fist-bump to the Universal Champion, who locked in the Guillotine. Rollins made it to the ropes, but Reigns wouldn't let go of the submission hold, resulting in a disqualification. The onslaught was far from over as The Tribal Chief viciously attacked his former Shield brethren with a steel chair, reminiscent of the challenger's infamous betrayal in June 2014.
.@WWERomanReigns has lost it!
#RoyalRumble #UniversalTitle @WWERollins https://t.co/GnKrnajNGn
Reigns and Rollins took the WWE Universe on a fantastic thrill ride at the Rumble and told a remarkable story. The finish was designed to protect The Messiah and leave the possibility for another high-stakes rematch shortly.