The Strange Case of The 2022 Women's Royal Rumble

Royal Rumble. Considered by many as the most exciting wrestling event of the year, Pat Patterson's creation has provided numerous magical moments and very few disappointments. Between the surprise returns from legends and the vibrant energy of having 30 individuals compete in the same match, the Royal Rumble has every ingredient to be great. However, despite the fact that on the days and hours preceding it, the media chaos surrounding the women's match made it seem as if fans were about to be strapped into the wildest rollercoaster up to date, the result was quite frankly underwhelming. And no one should personally blame themselves for it because it wasn't the fault of any hardworking women in the ring. Sadly, what happened was simply the fact that sometimes even the best chef in the world can't make a good dish with a full pantry of gourmet ingredients. 

Every wrestler has a different role in matches and perhaps the wisest choice made in this one was to send Sasha Banks, a veteran ring general, as number one. Having done the same job in the 1st ever Royal Rumble, by starting with Sasha, the foundation for the match could be properly made and while many wished for her to be victorious this year, her role was merely to build. However, and in a move that surprised most fans, the first numbers were returning legends and new talent. While that provides fans some excitement right off the gate, it's an unfair and Herculean task for to the builder, Sasha Banks in this case. Unlike 2021, where Bianca eliminated Bayley - numbers #3 and #1, respectfully - when the match was well underway, Sasha Banks is eliminated when the structure isn't built yet but just as Bianca Belair was about to enter. Almost a passing of the torch, it seems, since Sasha's job of getting the returning legends moving fluidly had already been achieved.

As time passed and more entrants joined the match, it became clear that this year's Rumble was less about the match itself and more about the storylines leading into it. Sonya and Naomi, for example, eliminating each other to further ignite their blood feud while Summer Rae and Nattie, a feud built off of social media but with enough traction to capture the attention of most fans, seemed to be rushed in the ring. There wasn't a clear balance and while the brawling intensity in the ring was good, it wasn't enough to hide the lack of foundation. Thus enters Charlotte Flair, who always draws the stick of shuffler, being thrown around right in the middle to shift things into next gear, this time her role was quieter. Still got the job done but the intensity didn't rise.

Which brings us to the final stretch of the match, where the momentum has to be big enough to make fans stand from their seats and cheer, this time they were merely watching. Many looked as confused as some of the superstars did in the ring throughout the match, others seemed have already figured out the winner and were simply waiting for confirmation. No one can deny that returning merely four months after giving birth is a feat of unbelievable strength by Ronda Rousey but the standing ovation many believed she would receive wasn't enough to drown out the sound of the pyro that melted the WrestleMania sign - which some considered to be a bad omen.

While we had massive highlights as Melina's emotional return and Mickie James kicking the so called Forbidden Door wide open with the IMPACT Knockouts Championship around her waist, this year's Royal Rumble felt painfully underwhelming throughout. No fault should be attributed to any of the women involved, even the ones who seemed lost in the shuffle, because you could see every single one of them was doing their best to keep it exciting. As it was stated above, it was simply a matter of having all the right ingredients but failing to add them up at the right time and the clear lack of a dorsal spine connecting the whole match.

Thank you to everyone involved, congratulations to the winner and may 2023 learn from these mistakes so we can raise the bar again.