WWE: Good Week, Bad Week - Mojo Rawley earns Royal Rumble spot
Banks battles back against Jax; Rollins out of Rumble
By Phillipa Hopwood
Last Updated: 31/01/17 11:31am
The 30th annual Royal Rumble takes place on Sunday, meaning this week's Raw and Smackdown were the last chance for Superstars to declare their involvement in the 30-man match.
As per tradition, Smackdown ended in an all-out brawl ahead of one of the most unpredictable Rumbles in recent history, with 22 men confirmed for the match at this point.
Here is who had a good week - and three people who didn't…
GOOD WEEK
Mojo Rawley
Rawley was drafted to WWE's main roster in July and has quietly been Zack Ryder's Hype Bros tag-team partner. Since Ryder's injury, he has been unable to find a partner and struggled to fit in on Smackdown, but this week won a battle royal to qualify for the Royal Rumble.
Triple H has mentioned many times how much of a fan he is of Rawley and how he deserves everything he is given because of his hard work. He now has a chance to prove Triple H right, by making his Rumble debut a memorable one.
Big Show
Big Show has had to endure a lot of abuse from the WWE Universe over the past few years, but has used 'please retire' chants to find a healthy outlet, returning to Raw this week looking much slimmer and stepping up to face Braun Strowman.
Show will be part of Sunday's Royal Rumble Match and has also been training for a likely showdown with basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal at WrestleMania 33 in April. It could be an interesting few weeks for the former world champion.
Sasha Banks
Banks was the Raw Women's Champion at the last WWE pay-per-view, Roadblock, but lost the title to Charlotte on that night and Nia Jax has subsequently stepped in to take her out and deny her a rematch for the championship, with Bayley challenging Charlotte instead.
So, after Jax's easy win over Ray Lyn on Raw, Banks used her crutch to her advantage and finally took Nia off her feet. Jax will target Banks' knee in their match at the Royal Rumble, but The Boss proved that even at less than 100 per cent, she can take the fight to her bigger rival.
Mustafa Ali
Ali not only made his Raw debut this week, but also hit a stunning 450 splash to win a six-man cruiserweight tag-team match for his team. Ali was part of the Cruiserweight Classic last year and has appeared on NXT, but this was his introduction to the main roster.
Formerly known as Prince Ali, Mustafa is a talented star and has gained a huge amount of success on the independent circuit. The first Pakistani star in WWE history will surely be given a bigger spot on 205 Live following such an impressive Raw bow.
BAD WEEK
Seth Rollins
Rollins was once the favourite Superstar of The Authority - meaning he was given a lot of chances that he didn't necessarily earn or deserve - but is now seemingly an enemy of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
Rollins was forced to put his Royal Rumble spot on the line against Sami Zayn and went on to lose the match after he was distracted by Triple H's music playing. Out of the Rumble, Rollins has no way of securing a place at WrestleMania, leaving him in an uncertain position.
Luke Harper
Harper has always been one of the most talented members of The Wyatt Family, so it comes as no surprise that he feels threatened by Randy Orton taking away some of his spotlight. The two faced off this week with Orton coming out on top after an RKO - out of nowhere!
To make matters worse for Harper, Bray Wyatt then hit him with a Sister Abigail and left the ring with The Viper. It is unknown if Wyatt has kicked Harper out of The Wyatt Family but the future does seem slightly unclear for the former Intercontinental Champion.
The Miz
The Miz has made an enemy of Smackdown General Manager Daniel Bryan, so it could be argued that he deserves a lot of what he is receiving lately. The A-Lister has a place in the Rumble, sure, but the last few weeks have not been his best.
Dean Ambrose took his Intercontinental Title and, this week, Miz lost to the Lunatic Fringe in a rematch, meaning he no longer has a claim on the title. Miz is one of the blue brand's biggest stars, but the more he annoys Bryan, the less chance he has of getting what he warrants
Watch the 2017 Royal Rumble pay-per-view, live on Sky Sports Box Office on Sunday night. You can also follow a rolling blog of the event on skysports.com and the Sky Sports app.
