Axel and the Rumble

[MartialHorror]

Many people have pointed out that technically, Curtis Axel was never eliminated. So when Reigns left, shouldn't that have meant that Axel was the winner? To be fair, I seem to remember something similar happening to Grand Master Sexy and the commentators made a point that he was removed from the roster do to injury...which apparently they forgot to point out here.

I personally thought it was hilarious when Axel came out and looked so confident, even though he must've been able to tell that he was about to take on the combined forces of Bray and Harper. His facial expression after being attacked was pretty amusing.

So do you think this oversight will help Axel? Should it? I can see this leading to a RAW or Smackdown match with Reigns, which he will promptly lose. But maybe the exposure can help, ESPECIALLY if the crowds continue to turn on Reigns. Would you like to see some sort of Axel push?

I wouldn't mind one, albeit only to midcard status. Maybe turn him face and the authority can target him in order to spite Ryback. I felt their...breakup(??) was rather anti-climactic. Or maybe tease a face turn, with the Authority targeting him not unlike what they did with Nikki, only for Axel to turn on Ryback at the worst possible moment.

Axel doesn't have charisma and his mic skills apparently suck, but he's a decent wrestler and he seems to be trying hard to emote during his...very few matches, so he's more interesting now than he has ever been before. Plus, the 'better than perfect' line is great. Too bad 'better than perfect' apparently means failure...maybe perfection is circular?

 

[Heath Slater's Trainer]

Axel should be elevated for sure. I see this not only being mentioned on WWE programming but also being sort of a running gag for years to come. I expect "Axel Got Screwed" signs to start appearing soon. Maybe being paired with Ryback again but as a face would be nice. The Ryback/Rusev feud has supposedly come to a halt, or maybe even ended, so a tag title run for Axel and Ryback would be nice. They were a pretty good team too that had a nice arrogance.

 

[Aquaman6686]

I've been a fan of Curtis Axel since day one. He's a tremendously gifted wrestler who is overlooked because he doesn't have much in the way of mic skills (as if most of WWE's favored stars actually had those either). Axel is the one who should have gotten the big push when RyBaxel broke up, Ryback has already failed twice as a singles star. Axel has IT, Ryback doesn't.

Unfortunately, the Rumble doesn't give Axel much credibility. The rules have always stated that if you're injured and unable to compete, you're considered eliminated.

If this leads to a renewed push for Curtis Axel, I'm all for it.

 

[BuriedByCena]

I am not a huge fan of Axel, but they should give him a chance and turn this into a small story for him and see if he can get over. The obvious match is to have him fight Roman but give Axel some mic time and hype the match up. Don't Bury him right away. See if he can get a 10 minute match out of Roman for once.

I will be honest, I have no idea what Axel's finisher is or ANY of his wrestling moves because I don't remember the last time I have seen him in a match on RAW. This is a good chance to re-introduce him to fans because I legit thought he got fired along time ago.

 

[hollowpoint]

I won't say everyone, but there are a lot of people talking about this. The fact is, he never got to the ring so, in essence, he never was a competitor in the Rumble. And since people want to get technical, Reigns never went over the top rope, so if they really want to play that angle, they can have a 1 on 1 over the top rope match with Reigns vs Axel. I seriously doubt it will happen, but they could.

 

[rbv13]

If an entrant us unable to enter the ring before the next entrant they are eliminated.

 

[Kris Benwa]

I've been a fan of Curtis Axel since day one. He's a tremendously gifted wrestler who is overlooked because he doesn't have much in the way of mic skills (as if most of WWE's favored stars actually had those either).

Unfortunately, the Rumble doesn't give Axel much credibility. The rules have always stated that if you're injured and unable to compete, you're considered eliminated.

If this leads to a renewed push for Curtis Axel, I'm all for it.

I actually agree with all of this and omitted what I disagreed with. I'm an Axel guy and I think this should lead to an angle and renewed presence on tv for him but I don't see that happening. And I seem to remember them at one point in the past saying that if you don't make it to the ring by time the next entrant comes out you're disqualified but maybe I made that up.

 

[Heartbreak_Kid_707]

I like the post about Reigns never went over the top as well...that's as good point I had already stated...