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The relationship between WWE and Saudi Arabia is one of the most controversial professional wrestling business dealings of all time. Whilst their special PPV events do come with glitz, glamor, and often added star-power, there is an uncomfortable undertone to the shows. Things all started off with the Greatest Royal Rumble event, which is still up there with one of the most bizarre PPVs of all time. From requested appearances from beyond the grave to a slight opening of the Forbidden Door to a championship belt which meant nothing, there was a lot to discuss with this PPV, and a lot to be left confused about.

WWE’s Build To The Greatest Royal Rumble Was Bizarre

The build to the show was a peculiar one, with WWE going for a half-in approach to building the event. It wasn’t clear if it was supposed to be a defined PPV in the calendar or just a WWE Network special, and it ended up being somewhat in between. For instance, WWE just randomly announced that John Cena would take on Triple H with no build whatsoever, similarly for the Casket Match between The Undertaker and Rusev.

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Undertaker vs Rusev in a casket match Cropped

In regards to that Casket Match, the lead up to the show was weird, as seemingly out of nowhere, Rusev was replaced by Chris Jericho for the PPV, only to be swapped back once again. The chopping and changing of this wasn’t really ever explained. Ahead of the first and only 50-man Royal Rumble match, Saudi officials had requested the appearances of legends such as Yokozuna and The Ultimate Warrior, only to be told by WWE that the pair had passed away. This would lead to WWE bringing in an unknown sumo wrestler by the name of Hiroki Sumi to appease those who wanted Yokozuna in the match.

The Undercard Was A Mixed Bag Of Big Names But Underwhelming Action

When it comes to the event itself, it took place in the remarkable King Abdullah International Stadium, with a breathtaking stage and a whole lot of fireworks. It felt like a major show even with a strange card. Things kicked off with John Cena and Triple H. Their match was basic, but the crowd was electric for it. The two part-timers and old rivals could have had this match in their sleep, but it did the job nonetheless. Despite Cena’s promo hyping up the event and hospitality, he would eventually refuse to compete at these shows from a moral standpoint.

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Cedric Alexander and Kalisto then fought for the Cruiserweight Title in a fun match, though the crowd was completely indifferent to it. The two Tag Team Title matches felt like glorified house show contests, with no one really pushing into a third gear, instead giving lethargic displays. The most notable example of this was Jeff Hardy vs Jinder Mahal for the United States Championship, which was sloppy, and included one of the worst botches of Hardy’s career, as he completely missed a Whisper in the Wind, though Mahal sold it anyway in a hilariously bad moment.

Jeff Hardy v Jinder Mahal Greatest Royal Rumble 2018 Cropped

Things improved slightly when Seth Rollins defeated Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, and The Miz in an IC Title Ladder Match, though it was obvious that they were holding back. AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura wrestled to another disappointing non-finish, just weeks after their horrendous no contest at Backlash 2018, The Undertaker slogged through a bland and cliche Casket Match with Rusev, and Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns was another finisher fest, trading big moves for ten minutes before a creative finish in which they both crashed out of a Steel Cage.

The “Greatest Royal Rumble” Match Was Atrocious

The undercard was all pretty meaningless though, as fans went into the event excited for the prospect of a 50-man Royal Rumble - the biggest of all time. Often, even a bad Royal Rumble match can be entertaining, but the same can’t be said for this one. It was long, slow, meaningless, and perhaps up there with the very worst Rumble matches of all time.

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Braun Strowman Greatest Royal Rumble winner 2018

Random NXT entrants such as Dan Matha, Tucker Knight, and Babatunde were weird. Cameos from Hornswoggle, Great Khali, Kurt Angle, Mark Henry, and Chris Jericho were pretty pointless. In terms of Jericho, he was brought in as the final entrant, which was a big deal given that he had only just competed in NJPW, crossing a “Forbidden Door” of sorts, though he lasted just three minutes and stated to Inside the Ropes (h/t WrestlingInc) that he was paid more for that than any WrestleMania appearance. Daniel Bryan had a great showing, but he was dumped out after over an hour by the returning Big Cass, who was easily dispatched by Braun Strowman. Strowman was awarded a trophy which got broken not long after, and a championship belt that was never seen again. All in all, this was a fever dream of a show with a surreal Royal Rumble match.