WWE Royal Rumble: Ranking Every Winner After Lynch, Rollins Wins
Credit: WWE.com
16. Seth Rollins
With the exception of Becky Lunch, Seth (Freakin’) Rollins was unquestionably the MVP of WWE’s main roster in 2018. With Universal Champion Brock Lesnar rarely making televised appearances, the Intercontinental Championship was left by default to be the top men’s championship on Raw. In spite of the belt’s devaluation in recent years, Rollins did wonders to restore it to the level of prestige of years past.
After winning the intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 34, becoming a Grand Slam Champion in the process, Rollins went on a streak of quality matces in WWE virtually unmatched in the modern era. Rollins’ matches with Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, and Finn Balor produced some of WWE’s best television of the year and by its end fans were clamoring for “The Architect” to return to the main event scene. Unfortunately, Rollins’ elevation did not come under the best of circumstances.
Shortly after defeating Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam and reuniting The Shield, Universal Champion Roman Reigns revealed that he was battling leukemia, forcing him to step away from wrestling for the foreseeable future.The same night, Dean Ambrose turned his back on Rollins, later defeating him for the Intercontinental Championship at TLC.
In the WWE Royal Rumble, Rollins entered at Number 10, and managed to outlast the field. After eliminating Bobby Lashley, Rollins was attacked by “The Almighty” and slammed through a table. He would recover in the closing stretch of the match to try to bring a stop to the dominance of Braun Strowman. After a nail-biting series of counters, Rollins managed to land a Curb Stomp on the apron to secure the victory.
It remains to be seen which Championship Rollins will challenge for at WrestleMania 35, though it seems likely that he will take on Brock Lesnar and, hopefully, bring an end to his stranglehold on the Universal Championship. A lot of variables could affect Rollins’ placement on this list over the next year, but for now a solid ranking just above the middle of the pack feels most appropriate.