SmarKDown’s WWE Royal Rumble 2023 PPV Review

Jan 29, 2023
4 min read

Tanner and Prince of SmarKDown give their insights on the 2023 Royal Rumble PPV!

Men’s Royal Rumble Match

Cody Rhodes wins the Men’s Royal Rumble after Eliminating Gunther at 1:11:40

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Tanner: This was such an entertaining rumble compared to last year’s stinker. We got some nice interactions, brilliant angles, exciting returns, and a thrilling final 2 where Gunther broke the record for lasting in the Rumble which is just great to see. Congratulations to Cody Rhodes! ***½

Prince: Fantastic kip-up from last year. The surprises were minimal but entertaining enough to keep the momentum going. WALTER, Sheamus, McIntyre & Rollins were the MVPs for me apart from the undeniable winner in Cody Rhodes. So happy for The American Nightmare as the road leads to Hollywood. ****½

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Bray Wyatt vs LA Knight | ‘Mountain Dew’ Pitch Black Match

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Bray Wyatt def. LA Knight via Pinfall at 4:42

Tanner: I don’t even know what’s going on anymore and it’s just so bad at this point, but the match itself was thankfully cut short and wasn’t too bad. But really can we get something going in this whole Bray Wyatt thing that isn’t extremely confusing and ridiculous? ¾*

Prince: I’m on the positive side for this as I was a fan of this rivalry. Heading in, I had nil expectations and pleased with the unique nature by the end. Wyatt was dominant as hell throughout which is sensible whereas the post-match angle was crazy. This could be polarizing but being a fan of Wyatt, I enjoyed it! ***

⭐⭐

Rating: 2 out of 5.

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Bianca Belair(c) vs Alexa Bliss | Raw Women’s Championship Match

Bianca Belair def. Alexa Bliss via Pinfall at 7:34 to RETAIN the Raw Women’s Championship

Tanner: A surprisingly short and uneventful match. Pretty basic overall with a few botches sprinkled into the undercooked lasagna (that being this match.) *

Prince: The action was more of a contrived version of their Raw match – started off fine, moved at a snail’s pace and ended flat. Even though my expectations were low, it was not that good. However, the polarization continues with Bliss’ change of character where I’m interested since I trust the creative. The mistakes will be sorted and the characters will be handled better. **

⭐⭐

Rating: 1.5 out of 5.

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Women’s Royal Rumble Match

Rhea Ripley wins the Women’s Royal Rumble Match after Eliminating Liv Morgan at 1:01:08

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Tanner: Overall, again, this was an improvement over last year. It may not have been as good as the Men’s match, but I still enjoyed some of the action, the surprise entrances, and the angles surrounding it. The final 3 was an exciting stretch with Rhea using her impressive athleticism to win the match from the #1 position. Congrats to her! **½

Prince: Roxanne & Zoey have a bright future as they showed their best here. Otherwise, it was moving fine until Becky & Damage CTRL’s arrival. Their story was blended so good here whereas the surprises were cool in Asuka, McCool & Piper Niven. Nia’s return is another polarizing thought from the show and I have my doubts on her still. Game changing performance from Rhea & Morgan which led to a fun final stretch. ***¾

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Roman Reigns(c) vs Kevin Owens | WWE Undisputed Universal Championship Match

Roman Reigns def. Kevin Owens at 19:13 to RETAIN the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship

Tanner: The match we got was pretty good overall and brutal as well. Told a good story of Sami hesitating, but obliging to Roman’s command before Kevin took a 4th and final spear to lose the match. The segment afterwards was absolutely brilliant with Sami going with his heart and turning on Roman, but falling due to the numbers game in front of him. Jey’s conflicting peaks my interest a lot too. Overall I really enjoyed this final segment and I’m looking forward to what comes in the future. ***¾

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Prince: Both men have the tools to deliver a better match in terms of the quality of action, but this match was a story-driven spectacle and it served the arc excellently. Both men gave their best in the ring while Zayn was absolutely fantastic with his tricks. The post-match angle was expected but executed in its style of magical cinema. It never missed to entertain and the aftermath is set to be captivating as the major turn it took right now. ****

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

Tanner: A show that I think was undeniably carried by the rumbles and the main event. Both rumbles were fortunately better than last year’s and were overall more satisfying. The main event match was great and the segment afterwards with Sami and The Bloodline falling out was amazing to see. If you cut the two other matches and perhaps give us more interesting matches this could’ve been a classic show, but overall it was just solid. 5.5/10

Prince: The unpredictability heading to the show was high as last year. The major difference is that last year was a major debacle in terms of the Rumble performances, the match card (except Reigns/Rollins) and lack of major surprises. This year, those wrongs were corrected with ample amount of surprises that clicked well, great Rumble performances and a consistent match quality at the whole. I’m curious with all of the outcomes which keeps my interest high on the road to WrestleMania. 8/10

Average Overall: 7/10

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