5 MVPs From Royal Rumble 2020 Weekend

The most exciting wrestling event of the year has passed us by, with Drew McIntyre and Charlotte Flair standing high above the rest as the 2020 Royal Rumble winners. Overall, it was a pretty fun weekend. Not only did we get to see the ever-tantalising Royal Rumble pay-per-view, but we were also treated to a civil war between NXT and NXT UK as part of Worlds Collide. Both events delivered on all expectations, but who stands out as our MVP’s?

We run down the five superstars that the wrestling world is talking about following Royal Rumble weekend. Who’s starting off WrestleMania season with heaps of momentum? Who’s set for a very happy new year?

Let us know your own personal MVP’s in the comments section below.

 

1. Drew McIntyre

Naturally the winner of the 2020 Men’s Royal Rumble match has to make the list of the weekend’s most valuable players. Drew McIntyre’s career-making performance in the Royal Rumble has set him up for an incredible run in the main event scene heading into WrestleMania. Drew announced that he’s setting his sights on Brock Lesnar and the WWE Championship, making the dream match for many of fans who have been patiently waiting for the Scotsman’s rise to the top.

McIntyre came into the match as one of the low-key favourites to win the whole thing, having run roughshod over the likes of AJ Styles, Randy Orton and Ricochet in previous weeks. Fans were ready to see McIntyre have an incredible Rumble match and give the WWE Champion a run for his money when he entered around the mid-way point.

McIntyre scored a massive elimination over Lesnar, with a little help from ‘The One and Only’ Ricochet. The foundations were instantly set for their WrestleMania clash, which was of course confirmed when McIntyre sent Roman Reigns over the top rope for the final elimination. McIntyre has lacked that certain superstar quality for quite some time, but that all changed in Houston.

McIntyre is undoubtedly going to see a huge wave of support come his way in time for his big fight with Brock, he’ll need it now more than ever to prove that the prophecy was in fact true all along.

 

2. Jordan Devlin

The newly re-designed NXT Cruiserweight Championship didn’t stay around Angel Garza’s waist for long, as it shifted brands as part of the fatal four way match between two members of NXT and two from UK. ‘The Irish Ace’ Jordan Devlin proved to the world why he’s touted as one of the best competitors in BritWres today, putting together some incredible Cruiserweight action with his opponents at Worlds Collide. The two NXT UK entrants, Devlin and Banks, might not be strictly considered members of the 205 roster, but they definitely proved themselves worthy of the title picture in this match.

Devlin has been on a hot streak recently; not only putting together the instant classic with Tyler Bate at TakeOver: Blackpool II but now winning his first championship under the NXT banner, Devlin is destined for fantastic things as 2020 rolls on. This was a huge win for the young Irishman and a huge get for the NXT UK brand as a whole.

There’s plenty of talent on the UK roster that could benefit from being included in the Cruiserweight ranks. Ilja Dragunov, A-Kid, Travis Banks, all very worthy light-heavyweight superstars that could now vie with Jordan for the black and purple belt.

Devlin silenced a lot of doubters this weekend and proved that he is a future star for the company.

 

3. Naomi

One of the highlights of the Women’s Rumble match was the surprise return of Naomi. The former SmackDown Women’s Champion hit the ring to a huge pop from the Houston crowd, who were truly feeling the glow. Naomi proceeded to stand up to the likes of Charlotte Flair, Beth Phoenix and Alexa Bliss, cementing herself as one of the biggest threats in the match.

Naomi handled herself for the majority of the match, spanning all the way from the early teens to the final few. She also managed to wow fans with her innovative use of the commentary table cover, using it as a bridge between the outside of the ring to the steps whilst avoiding touching the floor in the process. Is it too early to start giving her the Miss Royal Rumble moniker?

Naomi should certainly find herself in contention for one of the Women’s titles soon. Now that Charlotte has been pegged for one of the two main events, perhaps Naomi could start creeping up the ranks in the meantime? Or reform a tag team and go for the Kabuki Warriors?

Either way, it’s great to see her back.

 

4. WALTER

The United Kingdom champion and his gang of European buds became the focal point of the Worlds Collide event. Battling The Undisputed Era in the show’s main event, WALTER had yet another chance to prove to the extended WWE Universe that he was a force to be reckoned with. The match itself was absolutely stunning, pitting 8 of the hardest working technicians against each other; with no punches being pulled in the meantime.

Unfortunately, Alexander Wolfe had to be removed from the match early on due to a concussion, but WALTER, Adam Cole and the rest of the competitors managed to pull things together and continue to execute a fantastic exhibition between some of NXT’s biggest names.

Momentum swung between both teams enough to make everyone look like a star. Ultimately, WALTER managed to take home the win for NXT UK by pinning Roderick Strong and knocking the confidence of The Undisputed Era. This is a huge win for Imperium, and should certainly translate over to NXT UK, making them look like even more of a threat than they already are.

WALTER is evolving into something special in WWE. Fans are so behind the big Austrian that there’s no way WWE can mess up his dominant run under the NXT umbrella. Even after he eventually drops the UK title to whoever’s next in line, he could certainly make something of himself overseas in the US branch of NXT.

This match showed that Triple H and the rest of the NXT booking team see a golden quality in WALTER, who knows what 2020 might hold for him next?

 

5. Edge

Of course the biggest MVP of the weekend had to be the returning ‘Rated R Superstar’, Edge. Edge left the world stunned when he emerged from the smoke and dry ice, setting the world ablaze with his signature pyro and his almighty spear. As a long-time Edgehead, I was left with tears running down my cheek, for anyone that has had any vested interest in these performers as human beings, then you’ll be able to appreciate how special this moment was for Edge, a man that was told that he could no long do the thing he loved most for the best part of a decade, now able to wrestle once again.

Edge proved that he still has it, going the distance and meeting some of the best wrestlers of today shot-for-shot. Edge mixed it up with the likes of AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Matt Riddle and Roman Reigns, giving fans a taste of the dream matches now potentially destined to take place in the near future. Edge might not have walked away with his second Rumble victory, but he certainly burrowed his way into our hearts and into every fantasy booking scenario heading into WrestleMania.

Drew McIntyre might have been the man to close the show, but Edge’s name was the one that everyone was talking about the next morning.

Welcome back, Edge. You the real MVP.