Okay, I have gotta get my thoughts out about a few things from this years Royal Rumble. There was a lot to build on and some great moments but overall I have to say that for me the show was somewhat disappointing.
I have really high expectations when it comes to the Royal Rumble and I can accept the fact that everything won’t be exactly as I had hope but to me this ppv, and the Rumble match in particular, didn’t quite live up to expectations. So here are a few notes from the show.
Edge vs. Dolph Ziggler: to me this was one of the highlights. I was a little surprised to see this go on first but it was a good way to get the show rolling. The match had a really nice pace that continued to build as the match went on. The crowd was extremely into the match and the ref bump and interference played out well to help make for a great opening match. This helped elevate the status of both men moving forward.
Orton vs. The Miz: not a ton of comments on this one, other then CM Punk vs. Orton should be a very good Wrestlemania feud, provided that is the way they go. Although I gotta say I really thought CM Punk vs. Cena woulda made a lot more sense. In any case it’s good to see the Miz retain the title.
Divas Match: the performance wasn’t terrible, the only thing of interest to me was the beginning when it seemed like Awesome Kong might be the surprise entrant.It’ ll be interesting to see her in the land of divas.
There were a few things about the rumble match itself that bothered me for starters, the beginning.
The Opening: to me having to start and stop the match once the Corrre (their r’s are like the Americans in Jack Swaggers name) completely killed any momentum the match had. One of the most exciting times of the year is finding out the first 2 entrants of the rumble and kind of like Orton and Triple H both hitting their finishers in the opening match of WM 25, this stop and start really took away from that suspense. Off to a bad start so far.
The First Few: I have to say that WWE really did a good job of the first 10 or so participants. They had a great mix of talented wrestlers, who had enough time and ring space to really show off their talent. Putting CM Punk in with Daniel Bryan, William Regal was a really good move and let the fans see exactly what they are capable of and gave a lot of independent fans something to cheer about.
Morrisons Move: this was one of the sickest things I have ever seen in a Rumble. If you didn’t see it go watch it, it truly was a Holy $H%T moment. Aside from Paul London being nearly decapitated off the ring apron by Snitzky a few years back, this may have been one of the best moments in rumble history.
The First Half: the rumble always seems to come down to two major sections, each filled with a few stars capable of winning it, until it slowly turns over to the next group of main event guys. The first half of this years rumble was killed by The Nexus. The fact they dominated was fine but it came about too quick and went on for FAR too long. The whole eliminating every guy who enters one at a time fad, needs to be put on the shelf for a few years. There have to be a few lulls in the action to help build the supense, but the pace at this point came to a screeching halt, and never really returned.
CM Punk Elimination: if anyone can tell me why Punk got eliminated when he did Id love to hear it. He was clearly the favorite to win at that point, one of the few major stars in the match and for some reason Cena eliminated him out of nowhere. No chance to interact with Randy Orton, who he cost the title earlier and a credible threat to win ousted early. An ill timed elimination of one of the major stars of the match and a big let down.
Booker T and Kevin Nash: man thats weird just typing that. These were two returns I would not have expected, especially Kevin Nash and they were both great. They got eliminated a little too early, especially Booker but the crowd was incredible for both and it was good to see them back in a WWE ring, even if for only a short time.
The End: I like the fact Alberto Del Rio won as they are really making him out to be a top level heel. I don’t even mind that Santino came back in and had a “chance” to eliminate him. It was a really exciting moment briefly but after a few seconds, it was clear it wasn’t going to happen. If anything, it should have been a more credible threat of winning had they wanted some real suspense. I did not care for how quickly the last two eliminations (besides Santino) came. It was a little too reminiscent of a few years ago when Orton won. Triple H eliminated Legacy, much like Orton did Barrett and then right behind him was Alberto Del Rio, to dump him over the rope, like Orton did two years ago. Lacking originality and drama.
Final Thought: overall to me the ppv disappointed. Not having Triple H or Jericho return certainly added to the let down. When you combine that with knowing Kane was going to be the 40th entrant and having two really big momentum killing lulls in the action, really took away from the overall feel of the match, which never really found its groove. While I don’t give the ppv a very good grade maybe a C+ overall, I am still optimistic about the Road to WrestleMania.
With the return of a few major stars, some savvy booking and a surprise or two and things should still be looking up for WrestleMania. Then again Jerry Lawler is in a PPV main event match so…who knows what could happen.
