The largest Royal Rumble match in the history of WWE took place Friday, starring 50 Superstars. Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler were tasked with setting the tone for the match, the two workhorses drawing the unenviable Nos. 1 and 2.
Sin Cara and Curtis Axel would follow, but it was 2018 Hall of Fame inductee Mark Henry who drew the first oohs and aahs from the WWE Universe in Saudi Arabia, presumably because of the sheer size he brought to the match.
With Sin Cara and Axel eliminated in minutes, Mike Kanellis entered at No. 6. He was eliminated immediately after stepping into the ring, leading Michael Cole to question whether or not the Boston native set a new record for futility in Rumble matches.
Hiroki Sumi, a renowned sumo wrestler, entered at No. 7 as a surprise and immediately confronted Henry. Like Kanellis, Sumi's run was short-lived as Henry tossed him. Ziggler and Bryan, seizing an opening, teamed up to dump Henry.
Victor of The Ascension entered at No. 8 and took the fight to Bryan, catching him with a nasty flying knee to the face. Unfortunately for the NXT alumnus, he was dumped moments later by the leader of the Yes! Movement.
Kofi Kingston, the veteran of Royal Rumbles and master of unforgettable saves, entered at No. 9. Joining the fray at No. 10 was 205 Live's Tony Nese, who wasted little time showcasing his athleticism against Kingston. The ring began to fill up as Dash Wilder hit the ring at No. 11, looking to make a name for himself at a time when The Revival is struggling to gain traction on WWE television.
Former WWE cruiserweight champion Hornswoggle returned and entered at No. 12 and immediately helped eliminate Wilder. He wowed fans by delivering a Samoan Drop to Kingston but ate a superkick from Ziggler as he tried a Tadpole Splash. Nese finished his night, knocking him to the floor.
Primo Colon entered at No. 13 and immediately botched a springboard. He paired up with Nese for a sloppy exchange while, across the ring, Bryan planted Kingston with a tornado DDT. The New Day would gain strength in numbers at No. 14 as Xavier Woods entered the match.
Kingston staved off elimination, hanging on the back of Woods as he teetered on the ring apron. Nese celebrated with Woods and Kingston but found himself dumped to the floor.
Bo Dallas entered at No. 15, but it was the arrival of Kurt Angle at 16 that drew a big ovation and led to the eliminations of Dallas and Primo. Ziggler followed as the Olympian was a ball of fire. Scott Dawson of The Revival entered at No. 17, Goldust at 18 and The Ascension's Konnor hit the ring at No. 19.
The guitar strummed, and at No. 20, Elias entered the stadium, drawing a pop. He cut a promo, claiming Elias is universal. Seeing an opening, he entered the ring and dumped Kingston, Woods and Konnor in one swift motion.
Luke Gallows was out next at No. 21, but the eyes of wrestling fans everywhere turned to the center of the ring, where Bryan and Angle squared off. Angle countered the Yes Kicks with an ankle lock attempt. Bryan fought out but ate an Angle Slam. The Olympian went to pull down the straps, but Elias eliminated him.
The No. 22 spot was filled by Rhyno, Drew Gulak entered at 23 and Tucker Knight of NXT's Heavy Machinery arrived at No. 24.
As the match neared its midway point, former United States champion Bobby Roode rushed the ring at No. 25. Roode drop-kicked Goldust, ending his night, and did the same to Dawson.
Fandango was in at No. 26, Chad Gable followed at 27 and Rey Mysterio drew a huge pop for his arrival at No. 28. Much like he did at the Royal Rumble in January, he dazzled fans with his explosive offense, proving size matters not as he eliminated Gallows.
Mojo Rawley entered at No. 29 and eliminated Fandango, then targeted his fellow NXT alumnus Gable. Speaking of NXT alumni, Tyler Breeze was next up at No. 30. Immediately, he was sent off the apron and into the waiting arms of his tag team partner Fandango. As he attempted to re-enter the match, he was eliminated by Rawley.
At No. 31, Big E hit the ring having missed out on sharing it with partners Woods and Kingston. No. 32 Karl Anderson entered next, Apollo Crews followed at No. 33 and one-half of the NXT tag team champions, Roderick Strong, rounded out the latest string of Superstars at No. 34 as the ring began to fill up.
Two-time Royal Rumble winner Randy Orton sprinted to the ring at No. 35, taking the fight to anyone in front of him. He delivered a huge RKO to an overzealous Crews and cleaned house of him, Rawley and Anderson. The Viper paired off with Mysterio, the man who cost him a victory in the 2006 Rumble.
Heath Slater was out next at No. 36. Babatunde of NXT made his WWE Network debut at No. 37, and mere seconds later, 2016 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner Baron Corbin entered at No. 38. The Lone Wolf pulled Elias under the rope and sent him crashing into the ring steps. He followed up with a nasty Deep Six to Mysterio.
Corbin dumped Roode, and Titus O'Neil entered at No. 39. As he sprinted down the aisle, he tripped and slid under the ring apron. The commentators laughed uncontrollably as replays of the mishap aired. Dan Matha of NXT was out at No. 40, but it was No. 41, Braun Strowman, who drew tremendous interest from the fans.
Babatunde, Matha, Big E and Slater were all sent packing courtesy of The Monster Among Men. Bryan was sent to the arena floor, and the remaining Superstars paired off with the big man. Tye Dillinger entered at No. 42, joining Orton, Mysterio, O'Neil and Corbin in trying to eliminate Strowman.
O'Neil was gone next, and Dillinger followed. Mysterio and Orton paired up to double-team Strowman. Corbin blasted Mysterio, eliminating him. Orton sent Corbin packing, and Elias reappeared, dumping The Viper. Curt Hawkins was out at No. 43 and, upon seeing Strowman, tried to run away. Strowman chased him down, threw him back into the ring and delivered two big right hands to Bryan and Elias.
Strowman dumped Hawkins but missed a blind charge into the corner, allowing Elias to buy himself some time. Bobby Lashley entered at No. 44 and immediately pummeled Elias, unloading on him with a series of clotheslines and a shoulder to the gut. Lashley eliminated Elias before pairing off with Strowman. Bryan re-entered the ring and unloaded on both of his much larger opponents.
The Great Khali returned to WWE for one night only, arriving on the scene at No. 45, much to the delight of the audience. His run would end at the hands of Strowman and Lashley, who teamed up to dump him over the top rope.
The newest member of Raw, Kevin Owens, entered at No. 46 and unloaded on Bryan, Strowman and Lashley with a series of cannonballs. Michael Cole announced when Bryan had lasted over one hour and five minutes, passing the Royal Rumble longevity record. As he wrapped up that stat, "Here Comes the Money" played, and Shane McMahon hit the ring at No. 47, teeing off on Owens and rekindling their rivalry.
Bryan and McMahon stared each other down before opting to unload on Owens with a barrage of Yes Kicks.
Shelton Benjamin slid into the ring and took down Shane McMahon, momentum on his side at No. 48. Big Cass arrived on the scene at No. 49 and immediately set his sights on Bryan. Across the ring, McMahon scaled the ropes and came off with Coast-to-Coast on Strowman.
"Break the Walls Down" exploded over the PA system, and Chris Jericho returned to the squared circle at No. 50. Former tag team partner Owens waited for him, their rivalry still strong. The ring cleared, giving the future Hall of Famer the chance to shine. Jericho took the fight to The Prizefighter and eliminated Benjamin. Y2J applied the Walls of Jericho to Owens, only to be kicked in the face by Cass.
Bryan ordered McMahon to the top rope to deliver another Coast-to-Coast, but Strowman came from out of nowhere and slammed the boss' son from the top and through the announce table. A rejuvenated Strowman eliminated Lashley, Jericho and Owens.
Bryan teed off with Strowman but ate a big boot from Cass, who eliminated Bryan to a chorus of boos. Strowman and Cass, the final two competitors, came face-to-face, and a slugfest ensued. Strowman crotched Cass on the top rope and tackled him off and to the floor, winning the Greatest Royal Rumble match.
Strowman won the Greatest Royal Rumble.
From a marketing standpoint, the Greatest Royal Rumble was an awesome concept that probably sold subscriptions to WWE Network. Execution-wise, it was too much with too many Superstars no one cared about.
With that said, there were some damn fun spots and stories that elevated its overall quality.
From Bryan's historic run to Shane McMahon's death-defying bump, Jericho and Mysterio's returns to the biggest win of Strowman's career, it spotlighted the right Superstars and gave fans a little bit of everything to enjoy.
A flawed concept, sure, but WWE treated it like it was a hugely significant match, and as a result, it was easy to invest one's self in the action unfolding on the screen.
