WWE Royal Rumble 2017: Match Grades for the 30 Battle Royal Entrants

Royal Rumble, WWE.com

Match grades for all 30 WWE Royal Rumble entrants.

The WWE Royal Rumble match has come and gone with plenty of fanfare, which is par the course for this battle royal spectacle. It sends one Superstar to a WrestleMania World title match, which is one of the biggest bouts of the show or even the main event. WWE repeated on the 2017 Royal rumble broadcast that this would be for the headlining spot.

The winner of the Royal Rumble would be Randy Orton who last eliminated Roman Reigns to win. It’s his second win with his first coming in 2009 at age 28.

Now at 36, Orton adds another career accolade and will be a centerpiece in the build toward WrestleMania 33. His opponent is not yet clear, but that should be known in the coming days and weeks as we near Sunday, April 2 in Orlando, FL.

Outside of Orton, there would be plenty of action taking place. We saw Goldberg and Brock Lesnar collide for the first time since Survivor Series. The Undertaker and Roman Reigns had an interesting faceoff. Even Braun Strowman tore through the field and even looked like the potential star of the match at one point.

Overall, 30 WWE Superstars entered the match and all had a performance worth breaking down. So we gave each one of them a grade on their Royal Rumble in-ring action, if they eliminated anyone, and how far they survived. Besides Orton, who received one of the top grades? Which stars had some of the worst outings of the bunch?

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1. Big Cass

Entering at No. 1 would be Big Cass. He may be high on WWE’s radar for his charisma, presence, and size in the ring. The microphone skills aren’t quite there yet, but they can be developed.

However, Cass did not get much of a run during the Royal Rumble match. If anything, his pre-match promo lasted more than his time in the ring. He got eliminated by Braun Strowman after not making much noise during the minutes he wrestled to compete for a WrestleMania 33 spot.

One-half of the Realest Guys in the Room didn’t make much of a difference in the Rumble and had a pretty forgettable performance.

Grade: D

2. Chris Jericho

The longest remaining Superstar in the Royal Rumble match would be Chris Jericho. That seems like a great feat and all, right? This is usually the most impressive performer in the Royal Rumble and the one who seemingly stands the best shot at winning a trip to WrestleMania 33.

However, for some reason, Y2J was resting on the ring apron for about half the match. He would randomly jump back in, but then left without much being said. It didn’t lead to a big angle or anything either. The guy needed a breather, albeit a lengthy one. Jericho did survive until the final four, so it bodes well for his grade. Other than that, his performance was somewhat off the map.

Grade: B

Next: No. 3 and 4

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3. Kalisto

Kalisto entered his first-ever Royal Rumble at No. 3 and turned into one of the eight Superstars that didn’t get previously announced. He didn’t do anything of significance, however, and got tossed out of the ring during Braun Strowman crusade to attempt to break Roman Reigns’ elimination record.

It’s a positive that the Lucha Dragon received a spot in the Rumble. There just wouldn’t be anything for him to do.

Grade: F

4. Mojo Rawley

Rawley won a battle royal on the latest edition of WWE SmackDown to earn a spot in the Royal Rumble match. He received this after going solo once Zack Ryder went down with a knee injury that will keep him out into the spring or summer. So the Hype Man received a chance to build momentum.

Well, outside of being dumped by Strowman, Rawley didn’t do much. He’ll slide into a mid-card spot on Tuesday nights, but expectedly had a minor role at the Rumble.

Grade: F

Next: No. 5 and 6

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5. Jack Gallagher

Jack Gallagher became the one and only cruiserweight to enter the Royal Rumble match. While involved, he had a few comedy spots like using his umbrella to hit Chris Jericho between the legs. He even opened up the object on Y2J to provide a laugh.

After that, Mark Henry disposed of the Gentlemen and ended his night. He gets a good rub for being part of the Royal Rumble and is still one of the cruiserweight division’s top stars.

Grade: C+

6. Mark Henry

One of the eight open spots would go to Mark Henry, who received plenty of fan support from his home state fans in Texas. He had a standoff with Braun Strowman early on and got the fans going with the “Hook’em Horns” hand gesture. After a brief brawl with the former Wyatt Family member, Henry would be eliminated, much to the dismay of the fans.

This could have been Henry’s final Royal Rumble. If so, he went in front of his home state fans and put up a fight for a time.

Grade: C

Next: No. 7 and 8

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7. Braun Strowman

The first half of the Royal Rumble match would be all about Braun Strowman and his path of destruction. He entered at No. 7 and tore through seven competitors, seemingly headed down a path to tie or break Roman Reigns’ elimination record. Factor in the standoffs with Big Show and Mark Henry, and this would be a fantastic showing for Strowman.

Somewhat surprisingly, the Mountain of a Man would be eliminated by Baron Corbin a short time after he entered at No. 13. He had a successful run, but didn’t go as deep as expected. Despite that, Strowman earns one of the Royal Rumble’s highest grades.

Grade: A-

8. Sami Zayn

Zayn ended up going a significant distance in the Royal Rumble match, making it toward the back-end and being eliminated by the Undertaker. During this time in the ring, the former NXT Champion would go toe-to-toe with some of WWE’s top faces, including the Dead Man, the rising heel in Strowman and Brock Lesnar.

Length and a few quality moments gives Zayn a decent grade coming out of the Royal Rumble. He could receive some momentum out of this as he proceeds toward WrestleMania 33.

Grade: B

Next: No. 9 and 10

Source: WWE.com

9. Big Show

At this stage in his career, Big Show isn’t going to be providing any lengthy matches or be involved in a feud that nears the main event scene. He is going to have standoffs like he did with Braun Strowman, however, to add to a highlight reel and put over a younger star that has some similarities to the Giant.

Show would stay in the Rumble to work with Strowman and get eliminated. It didn’t seem like it would be the last of these two going head-to-head either, The World’s Largest Athlete did his job here and proved to be an asset for this Royal Rumble.

Grade: C

10. Tye Dillinger

The one (somewhat) surprise of the Royal Rumble match would be NXT star Tye Dillinger entering at No. 10. Of course, he’s called the “Perfect 10”, so his spot would make all too much sense here, even if he wouldn’t do much.

Dillinger didn’t stay in for long. His most significant moment came when he and Sami Zayn tried double suplexing Braun Strowman, but failed miserably.

This seemed like a one-off for the Canadian wrestler, who may have work left to do in NXT. We’ll see what his future is and if he shows up on Raw or SmackDown in the coming days.

Grade: 10

Next: No. 11 and 12

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11. James Ellsworth

Ellsworth pleaded all week for the WWE fans to push for him to be in the Royal Rumble match. He tried to get everyone behind him to continue moving forward his dream of WWE, which probably has gone further than anyone expected. From losing within seconds to Braun Strowman, to helping AJ Styles retain the WWE Championship in the main event of a pay-per-view, things certainly worked out well for the Chinless Wonder.

Well, he made it to the Royal Rumble match, entered the ring, and got demolished by Strowman. He took a bad landing on his left shoulder too to add to the punishment.

Grade: F

12. Dean Ambrose

Ambrose has continued to break out during his time on SmackDown. He started as WWE Champion then had a main event feud with AJ Styles for three months, which kept him relevant into the winter. A WWE Intercontinental Championship reign followed this up, which gave him some momentum for the Royal Rumble match.

However, Ambrose didn’t do much in the Rumble. He survived for a little while, but got dumped by Brock Lesnar during his war path. This won’t do much for the Lunatic Fringe going forward, even though his performance wasn’t anything special.

Grade: D+

Next: No. 13 and 14

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13. Baron Corbin

Corbin had been red hot on WWE SmackDown throughout the fall. Then he ran into John Cena, took a pinfall loss and disappeared, with the exception of a Talking Smack appearance. So this made the Royal Rumble match somewhat important for his rebuild back to being one of Tuesday night’s top heels.

The Lone Wolf lurked around the ring for a little while, not doing a ton overall. What he can be credited for is eliminating Braun Strowman, who had been running rampant over everyone. It’s enough to push his grade to a solid B- for what he did during his handful of time in the ring.

Grade: B-

14. Kofi Kingston

Kingston has become a staple of the Royal Rumble match for his unique ways of avoiding elimination. None of his saves have led to him winning, but they always provide an entertaining moment. He tried to pull off one this year by nearly being impaled by the ring post. It didn’t meet what he did in previous Rumble, but still provided an eye-popping moment.

Other than that, it was hard to remember what the former Raw Tag Team Champion did. He got eliminated with his other New Day members by Cesaro and Sheamus.

Grade: C

Next: No. 15 and 16

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15. The Miz

The Miz returned the WWE Intercontinental Championship to relevance on SmackDown over the past six months with his vicious promos on Daniel Bryan, and the in-ring performances to back it up. He had one of the feuds of the year with Dolph Ziggler during the brand split and turned in an A-list showing.

As for the Royal Rumble match, the former Tough Enough star didn’t eliminate anyone and stuck around before being eliminated by the Undertaker. Despite everything he’s done to rejuvenate his career, this performance wasn’t memorable.

Grade: D

16. Sheamus

The Royal Rumble did not prove kind to Sheamus. He lost the Raw Tag Team Championship after Brogue Kicking one referee, which led to the other not being able to follow everything going on in the ring with he and Cesaro vs. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows. Anderson then rolled the tights in the pinfall attempt and got the win.

When Cesaro and Sheamus entered the Royal Rumble, they eliminated all three members of the New Day at once. Then the Celtic Warrior tried dumping his tag team partner over the ropes, which backfired when it didn’t work. The two then got tossed over the ropes seconds later.

It looks like the Cesaro vs. Sheamus feud is on again, especially if they come to blows on Raw. If not, then it meant this miscommunication was pointless.

Grade: C

Next: No. 17 and 18

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17. Big E

Remember the idea about New Day entering the Royal Rumble and potentially turning on each other. Well, Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods all went over the ropes at the same time. No Big E taking out his stablemates or anything.

The former powerlifter, like his other New Day members, didn’t do anything notable. So there’s not much to discuss here.

Grade: F

18. Rusev

The past two Royal Rumble matches did not prove kind to Rusev. He would be last eliminated in 2015 and the first to go in 2016, both via Roman Reigns. In 2017, the Bulgarian Brute would enter at No. 18, survive a few minutes, and be eliminated by Goldberg.

Heading into WrestleMania 33 season, there’s nothing clear for Rusev to do. He’s nowhere near where he was just two years ago and may be relegated to the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Option No. 2 is trying to using Lana to lure Enzo Amore to a hotel room again.

Grade: F

Next: No. 19 and 20

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19. Cesaro

The situation with Cesaro is similar to Sheamus. They rode the same path from the beginning of the Royal Rumble pay-per-view to their bitter end in the battle royal match. It proved to be a poor night for him overall, but he did help eliminate all three members of New Day. That’s a plus, right?

Outside of this, the Swiss Superman is likely headed toward another feud with Sheamus. It should be part of the undercard for either Fastlane in March or WrestleMania 33 in April.

Grade: C

20. Xavier Woods

The story has already been told with Big E and Kofi Kingston. They didn’t stick around long in the Royal Rumble match or do anything of note. Getting eliminated means these three may also tease no signs of tension going forward, which had seemed to be the case when Titus O’Neil tried jumping in the middle of them.

Woods’ highlight may have been when he went over the ropes with Big E and Kingston, because other than that, he didn’t get on the radar for a noteworthy moment.

Grade: F

Next: No. 21 and 22

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21. Bray Wyatt

In the last third of the Royal Rumble match, Bray Wyatt would enter and take control. He didn’t end up eliminating anyone, which is surprising since he played a key role until the end. Wyatt and Randy Orton controlled the ring before Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, and the Undertaker appeared and again after their were eliminated.

The Eater of Worlds ended up surviving until the final three of the Rumble. He looked to team up with Orton to take on Roman Reigns, who had entered at No. 30. Things broke down quickly for Wyatt, who got eliminated by Reigns and barely missed out on a win. This took away a chance of him squaring off with the Viper in the final moments of the match to tease potential tension.

It’s difficult to be disappointed with someone who survived until the third-to-last spot and may be in line for a significant role in WrestleMania season. This should provide a good sign for Wyatt going forward.

Grade: B+

22. Apollo Crews

As we hear every time, Apollo Crews has all the talent and tools to become a top WWE Superstar. Like we saw in NXT and over the past nine months on the main roster, Crews has still yet to put it together. Granted, he doesn’t get much air time and barely stayed in the Royal Rumble match, but something is still missing there.

Luke Harper eliminated Crews and ended his night somewhat quickly. We’ll see if he gains any steam as WrestleMania season approaches.

Grade: F

Next: No. 23 and 24

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23. Randy Orton

Randy Orton turned a corner last fall by surprisingly aligning with the Wyatt Family on WWE SmackDown. This turned into a tag team championship reign that lasted only a few weeks. American Alpha took the belts, which led to tension building between Orton and Luke Harper. It made the Viper and Bray Wyatt close, sending Harper away from the mix. This culminated at the Royal Rumble when he attacked both Orton and Wyatt.

Well, the night certainly became interesting for Orton. He only made one elimination, but it proved to be the biggest one of them all, as he tossed Roman Reigns over the ropes to win the 2017 Royal Rumble match and will headline WrestleMania 33.

Orton is an interesting choice for the battle royal’s winner. It happened after John Cena, his long-time rival (fans grew to hate this feud in 2013), won the WWE Championship earlier in the show. Could that mean these two are headed toward a WrestleMania 33 match?

The more likely option may be Wyatt given their alliance. However, that would mean he has to walk into WrestleMania with the WWE Championship in hand. Is that going to lead to a win a the Elimination Chamber PPV to set up Wyatt vs. Orton then?

Grade: A+

24. Dolph Ziggler

Dolph Ziggler has begun a rivalry with Jerry Lawler, which has played back to the King’s nearly-fatal heart attack four years ago. Ziggler took pride in being the one to cause the heart attack and superkicked him in the chest on SmackDown earlier this month.

Despite Lawler being on commentary, he and Ziggler didn’t have a physical altercation. The Showoff didn’t have a memorable moment in the Royal Rumble match and got disposed of by Brock Lesnar within five minutes.

Grade: F

Next: No. 25 and 26

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25. Luke Harper

Perhaps the most underrated performance at the Royal Rumble came from Luke Harper. He not only split from the Wyatt Family, but had an elimination. Nearly two-thirds of the match field didn’t toss anyone over the top rope, so that could be somewhat of a win there for Harper.

His Rumble appearance also cemented him as a singles star. For now, it would seem he’s going to be a babyface since he tried playing to the crowd. Unfortunately for him, Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton are more popular, so fans didn’t seem to know what to do when Harper turned toward the 50,000 in attendance. We should get an answer to what kind of role he’ll have on Smackdown this Tuesday.

Grade: C+

26. Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar wasn’t going to come into the Royal Rumble match early and survive until the end. Having him enter at this No. 26 spot made sense so he could be around as the climax of the battle royal neared. It also set up something with Goldberg, which took over the match for a minute.

Before this happened, Lesnar tore through the Royal Rumble match competitors, leaving everyone on the ground in pain. Then came the former WCW star and Survivor Series conqueror, Goldberg. Within seconds, he dumped the Beast Incarnate over the ropes and left him in shock.

Lesnar stood a decent run in the Royal Rumble before having this happen. It shouldn’t mean that these two are going to face off again because we’ve already seen what Goldberg can do to time. However, with other Superstars seemingly locked up in other matches, this may be a foregone conclusion.

Grade: B-

Next: No. 27 and 28

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27. Enzo Amore

Enzo Amore standing at the entrance way waiting to go to the ring to confront Brock Lesnar was, well, interesting. He went to the squared circle, tried to stand up to the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion, and fell flat on his face. This grade is easy.

Grade: F

28. Goldberg

Goldberg’s grade is an interesting one here. He annihilated Brock Lesnar for a second consecutive meeting of the masses in the ring, making him look like just another WWE Superstar. Then came a staredown with the Undertaker and a subsequent mini-fight. The Dead Man then took him out of the ring with one fell swoop.

Judging by what the former NFL player did here, he’s probably on pace for another meeting of the masses with Lesnar, who will want retribution based on their long staredown. Undertaker is also likely on his way to a match with the No. 30 entrant, so that takes him out of the equation. Nothing else would be teased here that indicates anyone else for him at WrestleMania other than the former Next Big Thing.

Grade: B+

Next: No. 29 and 30

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29. The Undertaker

At No. 29, the gong went off and the WWE fans flipped out with good reason—they were about to see the Undertaker enter the ring and go to work in the Royal Rumble. It would be his first appearance in this match since the tail-end of his run as a full-time star.

He may not have been in for long, but the future WWE Hall of Famer had the second most eliminations with four. The most significant one came when he knocked out Goldberg just minutes after their staredown.

The main takeaway here is who tossed Undertaker over the ropes. From the moment Roman Reigns entered at No. 30, these two had eyes on each other and seemed ready to fight. They ended up having a back and forth before the former Shield man turned around and knocked him over the ropes. A brief verbal exchange would ensure along with another staredown. So they’re pretty much guaranteed to be going head-to-head at WrestleMania 33.

Grade: B+

30. Roman Reigns

When Roman Reigns entered the Royal Rumble match at No. 30, you could sense that most of the 50,000 in attendance at the Alamodome rolled their eyes. They had seen him plenty during the 22-minute Universal Championship match against Kevin Owens, which saw Reigns lose after Braun Strowman interfered. So for him to be going for another title opportunity disgruntled plenty, especially by coming out at the last spot.

Reigns ended up playing an important role. He eliminated the Undertaker, signaling that these two are likely bound for a WrestleMania 33 match. Then for the fourth consecutive Royal Rumble he survived until the final three. He tossed out Bray Wyatt and stood head-to-head with Randy Orton. WWE obviously knew that the fans would want Orton since Reigns gets booed everywhere, so they used the latter as a heel in this scenario by getting RKO’d and dumped over the ropes. This allowed the Apex Predator to celebrate his win to a crowd very pleased with the result.

Grade: B+

Who holds your top grade of the Royal Rumble match? How about the worst? Let us know below.