WWE Royal Rumble 2018: Ten Best Moments From Men’s Rumble Match

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2. Shinsuke Nakamura wins the Rumble cleanly

The Royal Rumble match was designed elevate a young star to relevancy. It was created to craft mega stars out of young WWE stars. Winning the Rumble was a means to etch once name in history and a certain way to headline WrestleMania. However, it has been many years since we saw such a scenario play out.

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More often than not, an already established star, or a veteran of the game wins it. Sometimes, it is the WWE creative getting desperate to avoid a predictable outcome. Sometimes, it is simply due to them being adamant. John Cena, Randy Orton, Dave Bautista, Alberto Del Rio, Triple H and Roman Reigns have won the Royal Rumble in the past years. There is also the likes of Sheamus whose win didn’t matter much in the long run.

However, this year, a man stood in the center of the ring after winning the match. The crowd chanted his name at the top of their voice. He was neither a veteran nor a multi-time world champion who headlined multiple WrestleManias. He was simply an internationally respected, crafty wrestler, who has finally claimed what was rightfully his. Nakamura deserved this win. Moreover, he did this so convincingly.

There wasn’t any technicality or controversy surrounding Roman Reigns’s elimination. Nakamura threw him over the top rope in a decisive manner. This is what the fans came to see. It was nice to see the WWE give the fans exactly what they wanted for once.