[OFFICIAL] Sheamus Wins The 2012 Royal Rumble Discussion
- Thread starter ih8myusername94
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I think the problem is not with Sheamus winning, but with the booking in general.
Sheamus as I said in my last post, deserves the win and I have nothing against the fact he won. The problem is Jericho looks weak, as myself and others have said, and this does not help him or anyone he feuds with.
Jericho did work as a a great heel, however he still came off as weak. It's not the fact he didn't back his words up, it's not the fact he didn't win, it's the fact that after ALL that hype, NOTHING happened. How can you come back to such hype, proclaim something so big and then in your FIRST actual physical altercation since returning, you lose.
The advantage here is that Sheamus came off looking very strong, especially after what Jericho had proclaimed on Raw. However I think they should have changed the finish. Sheamus wouldn't have been hurt as a face had say someone "cost" Jericho the match. Sheamus could easily have cut a promo on SD saying he's sorry he had to win that way but he needs to stop Daniel Bryan etc... You then have Jericho on Raw saying how it's unfair, how he should have won and really turn up the heel persona he's using right now. Plus Jericho is incredible with his promo work when he's whining about not winning.
The only 2 ways I see this panning out so that Jericho's character doesn't come off weak is firstly if Jericho faces Sheamus this week or next and Jericho wins to get a WM Title Shot. Alternatively Jericho would need to go over 3 other top guys to earn a WM Title Shot. Jericho vs. Ziggler vs. Cena vs. Kane for example. This way enhances Cena vs. Kane for a little longer allowing Cena to really push that tweener character heading towards The Rock's apperances, it keeps Ziggler relevant as a top guy and Jericho gets a big win.
There is no doubt in my mind that Jericho is facing Taker or Punk at WM. They wouldn't pay so much to bring a big name like Jericho back to have him float around the mid-card for a while. He's going to be main eventing and will be involved in some big matches. But Jericho couldn't beat Sheamus so how could he possibly be seen as beating Taker at WM? Punk is a champion as well and again Jericho couldn't beat Sheamus, how could he possibly beat "the best" (pun intended).
I feel creative had the right ideas for the finish of the Rumble but just poor execution. Unpredictability = A. Making top stars look weak = A. Furthering storylines = F.
Nice try but not quite pulled off correctly and the end result is a weak PPV.
Sheamus as I said in my last post, deserves the win and I have nothing against the fact he won. The problem is Jericho looks weak, as myself and others have said, and this does not help him or anyone he feuds with.
Jericho did work as a a great heel, however he still came off as weak. It's not the fact he didn't back his words up, it's not the fact he didn't win, it's the fact that after ALL that hype, NOTHING happened. How can you come back to such hype, proclaim something so big and then in your FIRST actual physical altercation since returning, you lose.
The advantage here is that Sheamus came off looking very strong, especially after what Jericho had proclaimed on Raw. However I think they should have changed the finish. Sheamus wouldn't have been hurt as a face had say someone "cost" Jericho the match. Sheamus could easily have cut a promo on SD saying he's sorry he had to win that way but he needs to stop Daniel Bryan etc... You then have Jericho on Raw saying how it's unfair, how he should have won and really turn up the heel persona he's using right now. Plus Jericho is incredible with his promo work when he's whining about not winning.
The only 2 ways I see this panning out so that Jericho's character doesn't come off weak is firstly if Jericho faces Sheamus this week or next and Jericho wins to get a WM Title Shot. Alternatively Jericho would need to go over 3 other top guys to earn a WM Title Shot. Jericho vs. Ziggler vs. Cena vs. Kane for example. This way enhances Cena vs. Kane for a little longer allowing Cena to really push that tweener character heading towards The Rock's apperances, it keeps Ziggler relevant as a top guy and Jericho gets a big win.
There is no doubt in my mind that Jericho is facing Taker or Punk at WM. They wouldn't pay so much to bring a big name like Jericho back to have him float around the mid-card for a while. He's going to be main eventing and will be involved in some big matches. But Jericho couldn't beat Sheamus so how could he possibly be seen as beating Taker at WM? Punk is a champion as well and again Jericho couldn't beat Sheamus, how could he possibly beat "the best" (pun intended).
I feel creative had the right ideas for the finish of the Rumble but just poor execution. Unpredictability = A. Making top stars look weak = A. Furthering storylines = F.
Nice try but not quite pulled off correctly and the end result is a weak PPV.
Agree.
They had the chance to make Jericho this dark gets the job done heel, but now it looks like he can't back up his words and as a result makes him appear weak. So if he goes after Punk now, claiming to be the best in the world, we clearly know he's not becasue he lost the Rumble and Punk is the WWE Champion. Not the best starting place for a feud.
I really can't see where Jericho goes from here, it's lost all momentum and the aura of his return left the moment he was kicked out of the Rumble. Again this is not a bash at him not winning, it's a bash that he did nothing worthy of two months hype. Kofi came out better off last night withing fininshing runner up (Handstand FTW!).
This smells like a Vince swerve to me...
King Michéal
Dark Match Jobber
Expect Wade Barrett to win WHC at Elimination Chamber, defeating Bryan, Show, Henry, Orton and Rhodes.
Ziggler to get a rematch with Punk at EC
Jericho, HHH, Miz, Truth, Kane and Ryder for #1 contender match at Elimination Chamber, HHH wins after Taker interferes and takes out Kane. Jericho attacks Taker taker retaliates giving HHH easy victory
At Mania:
WHC: Sheamus v Barrett
WWE: Punk v HHH
Streak: Jericho v Undertaker, Jericho wins after Kane interferes
MITB Ladder match: Bryan, Miz, Truth, Orton, Rhodes, Ziggler, Henry, Kane.
Celeb match: Shaq vs Show
Rock vs Cena
Divas: Beth v Kharma
Ziggler to get a rematch with Punk at EC
Jericho, HHH, Miz, Truth, Kane and Ryder for #1 contender match at Elimination Chamber, HHH wins after Taker interferes and takes out Kane. Jericho attacks Taker taker retaliates giving HHH easy victory
At Mania:
WHC: Sheamus v Barrett
WWE: Punk v HHH
Streak: Jericho v Undertaker, Jericho wins after Kane interferes
MITB Ladder match: Bryan, Miz, Truth, Orton, Rhodes, Ziggler, Henry, Kane.
Celeb match: Shaq vs Show
Rock vs Cena
Divas: Beth v Kharma
Sheamus will have to challenge either CM Punk or Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania; I really hope that the title doesn't change hands at Elimination Chamber, especially if someone like Barrett wins the WHC.
Imagine, someone making their first major title defense of their first top tier championship, a month after winning it, at Wrestlemania. It's weak booking in my opinion. Of course it would work if the title was given to a veteran, much like in 2010 when Cena and Jericho won the WWE and WHC titles respectively at Elimination Chamber.
To have a title defended at Wrestlemania, the fans have to have had time invested in the champion to make their defence believeable: Wrestlemania isn't the time for hot potatoing.
So Sheamus vs. Bryan. The dark match for the U.S. title at last years' Wrestlemania, but would it draw this time round? Considering WWE's knack of putting the WHC matches at the arse-end of the undercard does it even matter?
Other Smackdown contenders who could come out of EC as the champ: Orton (snooze),
Barrett (see above),
Christian (#onemorematch),
Henry (injured),
Big Show (rumoured to be in a 'big celebrity match' at WM).
It makes sense to keep the strap on Bryan until WM, build his flukey heel character more, and have Sheamus defeat him for the title at WM, open up some new feud avenues, and give Henry and Show a rest from the main event scene.
On the other hand, Sheamus could do a switcheroo and turn up on Raw and challenge CM Punk, though I'd rather Y2J won the Raw Elimination Chamber to challenge Punk at WM but that might just be me. I feel Bryan and Sheamus could put on a better wrestling match, and Jericho and Punk could build a better story.
tl;dr - Wrestlemania XVIII opening match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Sheamus vs Bryan (c)
Imagine, someone making their first major title defense of their first top tier championship, a month after winning it, at Wrestlemania. It's weak booking in my opinion. Of course it would work if the title was given to a veteran, much like in 2010 when Cena and Jericho won the WWE and WHC titles respectively at Elimination Chamber.
To have a title defended at Wrestlemania, the fans have to have had time invested in the champion to make their defence believeable: Wrestlemania isn't the time for hot potatoing.
So Sheamus vs. Bryan. The dark match for the U.S. title at last years' Wrestlemania, but would it draw this time round? Considering WWE's knack of putting the WHC matches at the arse-end of the undercard does it even matter?
Other Smackdown contenders who could come out of EC as the champ: Orton (snooze),
Barrett (see above),
Christian (#onemorematch),
Henry (injured),
Big Show (rumoured to be in a 'big celebrity match' at WM).
It makes sense to keep the strap on Bryan until WM, build his flukey heel character more, and have Sheamus defeat him for the title at WM, open up some new feud avenues, and give Henry and Show a rest from the main event scene.
On the other hand, Sheamus could do a switcheroo and turn up on Raw and challenge CM Punk, though I'd rather Y2J won the Raw Elimination Chamber to challenge Punk at WM but that might just be me. I feel Bryan and Sheamus could put on a better wrestling match, and Jericho and Punk could build a better story.
tl;dr - Wrestlemania XVIII opening match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Sheamus vs Bryan (c)
andres torti
Dark Match Winner
i think there werent enough stars like cena,triple h,undertaker people like that in the rumble,orton was eliminated fast.And what i realy really dont get is how they could let win Sheamus if he is fighting only mid cards wrestlers for the last months..thats what i dont understand in the WWE..one day your great fighting the best and the other they you suck and fighting mid cards agains.Sheamus didnt had a build up with nobody he was fighting that Jindal or how the ..ck his name is.. for me it was a shitty ppv
King Michéal
Dark Match Jobber
It seems to me that Barrett was getting a push and a lot of heat with Sheamus right now, Plus after Mania we have the Wrestlemania revenge tour which takes in UK and Ireland. Rock, Jericho, Taker, HHH who will play leadig roles at mania, won't be on the European tour, however give them 2 homegrown stars fighting for the world title and it may make up for the Wrestlemania revenge tour without any of the wrestlemania leading players.
Look, the Rumble sucked plain and simple. I remember looking at the card and thinking, "This looks to be a solid card..." and then we get the triple threat cage match...mediocre at best. Cena/Kane? A sloppy, boring, slugfest and the best of it came AFTER the match. Ziggler/Punk? Could've been great if we hadn't seen it on almost every Raw leading up to the Rumble. And then the rumble? What a disaster. Even Miz and Rhodes, who were the "iron men" in this year's match didn't seem like iron men...they didn't stand out...They didn't give themselves credibility, they were just there. And then the ending? Please...way to destroy Jericho's months of momentum...
I mean seriously, does anyone have any faith in the WWE anymore? They absolutely destroyed the best thing they had going this past summer (CM Punk and his crazy momentum) and now Jericho? You might say, "Well, Punk is WWE Champion" but Punk was in that rare position to transcend wrestling and be a megastar like The Rock, Austin, or Hogan and they completely screwed it up. His promo on Raw got attention from the entire world!
Now, Jericho you might say, "Let's see where it goes." It really doesn't matter now. He said the Royal Rumble would be the "end of the world as we know it." What? You losing the rumble and fighting hard? If he had won the rumble, he not only would've gone on to Mania and wrestled Punk (and again, gave Punk the Wrestlemania match that COULD HAVE defined his career ala HBK/Razor, Savage/Steamboat, Hogan/Andre etc.) but now his character has ZERO momentum and thus far had been red hot. And let's not even bring up how WWE made a mockery of the Rumble last year with Alberto Del Rio winning and then opening Wrestlemania.
This is why I can barely watch WWE anymore. The product is pathetic, they have the exact same matches week after week on Raw and Smackdown and expect fans to care. No, I don't care. The Royal Rumble was a colossal waste of time and from one long-time fan, I really might just give up and not watch anymore.
I mean seriously, does anyone have any faith in the WWE anymore? They absolutely destroyed the best thing they had going this past summer (CM Punk and his crazy momentum) and now Jericho? You might say, "Well, Punk is WWE Champion" but Punk was in that rare position to transcend wrestling and be a megastar like The Rock, Austin, or Hogan and they completely screwed it up. His promo on Raw got attention from the entire world!
Now, Jericho you might say, "Let's see where it goes." It really doesn't matter now. He said the Royal Rumble would be the "end of the world as we know it." What? You losing the rumble and fighting hard? If he had won the rumble, he not only would've gone on to Mania and wrestled Punk (and again, gave Punk the Wrestlemania match that COULD HAVE defined his career ala HBK/Razor, Savage/Steamboat, Hogan/Andre etc.) but now his character has ZERO momentum and thus far had been red hot. And let's not even bring up how WWE made a mockery of the Rumble last year with Alberto Del Rio winning and then opening Wrestlemania.
This is why I can barely watch WWE anymore. The product is pathetic, they have the exact same matches week after week on Raw and Smackdown and expect fans to care. No, I don't care. The Royal Rumble was a colossal waste of time and from one long-time fan, I really might just give up and not watch anymore.
For instance ADR wins last year now Sheamus. As a wrestling fan if I pay however much for a ticket or PPV I expect a certain something. The fans wanted Jericho to win more than they did their own hometown guy Orton. The fans were absolutely dead when Sheamus won. No One expected that. No one wanted that. Look at the names of past winners. Michaels, Orton, Benoit, Austin, and Rock. Sheamus doesnt belong there. No one wanted this. You guys need to stop settling for less than what we want. We keep these guys in business. We matter more tan they do in my opinion. Look at this crowd when Sheamus wins. Absolutely disappointed.
http://xpressvids.info/dm.php?id=k6lIwJcV1n16A22KhGN
Why do people insist on claiming "no one wanted it" because they didn't like it?
Half the people in this very thread are delighted he won.
Good heavens. You don't think the fact that Sheamus is over and a rising star but has no direction and no one to feud with in the mid card IS the reason he needed to win it?
With this win, he has a direction (WM, the WHC, and Bryan) and a way into the main event.
Only people already in storylines or already in the main event should win the Rumble, is that it?
Midnite Express 2009
Getting Noticed By Management
I know my comment is gonna get lost in the shuffle, but it's cool, just wanna post my thoiughts. Now, at 1st when I saw Shemaus won I was like, wtf are they doing now? His programs lately have been very subpar and I was like, see here w/go again. I was feeling initally that this was a swerve from Vince to everyone who just KNEW it was gonna be Jericho. But now that I have some time to sit back & think about it, it makes perfect sense.
1st of all, this gives Daniel Bryan someone new to feud with now that he's probably done or close to being done w/Big Show & Mark Henry. Heading into WrestleMania, I'm actually excited to see how they piece this together with Sheamus and Bryan and if Bryan will actually beat him at WrestleMania. My beat is that Daniel Bryan will actually retain his title as I'm really interested in the direction his character is going. Sheamus has been there/done that as champion and I think winning the Royal Rumble is a feather in his cap. Hey, it could've been worse.
Now as far as what this has to do with Chris Jericho, I love it. If people remember, Jericho always did things in layers, and I think the Royal Rumble was just a layer to a bigger ploy. I also think Jericho, being the man he is, was willing to put someone else over for the greater good. He doesn't need to main event another WrestleMania, as he's done it before. He'll still draw BIG with a program with CM Punk so I'm not mad he didn't win. Sheamus winning made sense (maybe not perfect sense, but it made sense nonetheless). I'm actually excited to see where everything goes from here. Should be good.
1st of all, this gives Daniel Bryan someone new to feud with now that he's probably done or close to being done w/Big Show & Mark Henry. Heading into WrestleMania, I'm actually excited to see how they piece this together with Sheamus and Bryan and if Bryan will actually beat him at WrestleMania. My beat is that Daniel Bryan will actually retain his title as I'm really interested in the direction his character is going. Sheamus has been there/done that as champion and I think winning the Royal Rumble is a feather in his cap. Hey, it could've been worse.
Now as far as what this has to do with Chris Jericho, I love it. If people remember, Jericho always did things in layers, and I think the Royal Rumble was just a layer to a bigger ploy. I also think Jericho, being the man he is, was willing to put someone else over for the greater good. He doesn't need to main event another WrestleMania, as he's done it before. He'll still draw BIG with a program with CM Punk so I'm not mad he didn't win. Sheamus winning made sense (maybe not perfect sense, but it made sense nonetheless). I'm actually excited to see where everything goes from here. Should be good.
No! Jericho would NOT have been a logical choice. FFS man he was out of the company for 2 years, and not on injury leave, but out singing and dancing. He does not deserve to come back from his self imposed hiatus and win the Rumble just on legacy.
First off, why do a lot of people on here complain about other people complaining? It's a forum, chances are you have complained at one point or another. Some people may complain too much but maybe people like you are too optimistic on what WWE does and would take anything they throw at you.
Anyway, not a big fan of Shemus and would rather have somebody else win. Shemus has been fueding with that Mahal dude for the last month so why is he just thrown into the main event. The rumble win should be given to stars who have been built enough to just need that one extra little push to win the rumble then headline Wrestlemania.
And also, what was all that Jericho hype about? "The end of the world as you know it at the Royal Rumble" then he gets kicked in the face and eliminated. I am willing to watch Raw tonight to see what they do with that but my hopes are not high for the Jericho story. I kinda lost faith in wanting a Jericho-Punk match at Mania. I feel that Jericho needs to make himself look strong and he didn't at the rumble. Jericho gets eliminated and Punk beats Ziggler three times so Jericho can't just come out on Raw and say that he's better than Punk but we'll see.
BTW, Drew Mcintyre to win the Smackdown Elimination Chamber then go on to face Shemus at Wrestlemania.
Anyway, not a big fan of Shemus and would rather have somebody else win. Shemus has been fueding with that Mahal dude for the last month so why is he just thrown into the main event. The rumble win should be given to stars who have been built enough to just need that one extra little push to win the rumble then headline Wrestlemania.
And also, what was all that Jericho hype about? "The end of the world as you know it at the Royal Rumble" then he gets kicked in the face and eliminated. I am willing to watch Raw tonight to see what they do with that but my hopes are not high for the Jericho story. I kinda lost faith in wanting a Jericho-Punk match at Mania. I feel that Jericho needs to make himself look strong and he didn't at the rumble. Jericho gets eliminated and Punk beats Ziggler three times so Jericho can't just come out on Raw and say that he's better than Punk but we'll see.
BTW, Drew Mcintyre to win the Smackdown Elimination Chamber then go on to face Shemus at Wrestlemania.
Mustang Sally
Sells seashells by the seashore
Agreed, there are very few wrestlers who could merit that distinction......but Chris Jericho is definitely one of them. His status is so set in stone that he can leave whenever his contract expires, do his own thing for as long as he wants.....and not only come back whenever he pleases, but probably name the terms and conditions under which he'll return. My guess is if he demanded winning the Rumble as a factor to get him back, the company would have jumped to it. It's a tribute to the man that he didn't insist on this.
Through it all, though, I was sure Jericho was going to take the Rumble. When it came down to him and Sheamus, I was 100% positive Sheamus was going to make a great showing, but lose. Leave it to WWE to turn the tables and give us what we don't expect; the number of times they've done that over the years is a chief reason we keep watching, no?
Another reason I figured Jericho would win is that he's been setting up as a heel. I've been presuming the winner would go after the Raw title, which is currently held by a good guy: C.M. Punk. It didn't seem likely they'd set up a face vs face match.
Sheamus vs Punk? That creates some interesting possibilities, including the one that suggests it won't be those two meeting at WM.
Keep us guessing.
theBec2101
Championship Contender
Good for Sheamus. I heard Jericho was supposed to have won, so I was really surprised when he did. At least it is someone new. The rumble didnt seem the same though. There werent a lot of huge names or people for that matter. They didnt have anyone that when you saw it you were like he going to win it or dame hes going to win it again (besides Jericho). There was no Cena, Kane, Henry, Clay, Christian, or Ryan. But all in all it was good. I dint mind Sheamus won. I wouldnt mind seeing Sheamus vs Bryan or even Punk, thats even if they still have the belts at Mania
MrMojoRisin
Championship Contender
Yeah I'd agree with the bolded part.
I'm not blaming Sheamus at all. He's been doing the best with what he's been given. Unfortunately for whatever reason, creative hasn't been giving him a single thing up until now. That's their fault, not his.
But the Rumble should be won by someone already in a hot feud... or someone who at least has a rivalry with the current champ. Something they can play off of and make the championship match more meaningful at WM.
Sheamus doesn't have that, and that's because they've been lazy with him and had him come out week after week, being the dominant baby, but giving him very little in the way of an antagonist.
The Rumble match itself was one of the worst booked I can remember seeing.
- too many filler entries. Yes, everyone likes the surprise entrants... the nostalgia entrants... but like anything, there can be too much. The entire announce team? Hacksaw Duggan? Ricardo Rodriguez? Road Dogg? Karma? I'd include Foley here too, but at least they gave him something of a storyline going into the Rumble... but really, despite that, his entry was no different than the rest of the fillers
- no use of a monster. One of the WWE's biggest issues today is that very few of the guys on their roster are truly over. A lot of these guys are good hands, but characters really aren't developed, and there aren't a lot of guys who you can really look at as a top guy. The Rumble match is great for giving people an aura of invincibility. Remember Diesel in his first Rumble? How about Kane in his? They came in relatively early, dominated, cleared the ring, and would wait for their next victim. This was always a great spot. With the one guy in the empty ring, waiting on the next guy. The anticipation of who would finally be the one that could go toe to toe with him was fantastic. This would have been a great Rumble to reuse that spot with a guy like Wade Barrett, but no... they had Barrett come in late, take out a couple guys, and then get tossed by Orton like he was nothing within a few minutes.
- speaking of Barrett... isn't Orton/Barrett supposed to be one of the featured feuds right now? Isn't this supposed to be one of the bigger WM matches? In the weeks leading up to the Rumble, they were hyping Barrett as a favorite, but in the actual match, he was disposed of like he was nothing. He walked out of the Rumble looking like a chump, instead of the ass kicker he should be.
- they saved all the top guys till the end. Why not space this out? Give these guys more of a showcase? Cramming them all in at the end, then having the ring cleared as quickly as they did, had most of their best guys being completely unmemorable in the Rumble... which should never happen.
- back to the announce team. Having them all compete as 'surprise' entrants also just served to distract all three of them from their real job... which was putting people over and relaying the memorable stories coming out of the match. Miz was the first one in, and I think he made it to the last entrant... but even with his fanboy Cole calling the match, I never got the impression he was doing anything special... and it wasn't even really noticed when he was finally eliminated. This was a great time to give the Heenan treatment like when Flair won the Rumble. Sure Cole isn't in the same league as Heenan, but the effort should have been there. Too bad he was too busy putting over the fact that he lasted about 10 seconds longer than Lawler
I'm just glad I didn't pay for the Rumble this year.
I will say though that Jericho/Sheamus as the final two somewhat saved the entire match. They had a great back and forth, and I really was surprised when Sheamus pulled out the win. Almost as much because of how they worked together as the fact that logically it didn't make sense having Sheamus go over.
A few things about the reaction to Sheamus's Rumbe win :
1. It's been said by someone else, but I agree with this : IT'S NOT ABOUT SHEAMUS AS THE WINNER, IT'S ABOUT THE AWFUL RUMBLE ITSELF
Sheamus was an ok Rumble winner. It's the WWE's prerogative to book him as Rumble winner and, hopefully, it launches him as a new WWE star. But I do get some people's reservations about not having him dominate a few weeks before the Rumble. He was up against Jinder Mahal every week.
The Rumble match itself was HORRIBLE. It was the 25th anniversary of such a great match and there was no electrifying moment whatsover. Whopp de doo, here come Primo! Here comes Khali! Here comes Swagger! Here comes Road Dogg! None of these guys had a chance to win the title and it took away from the thrill of the match. It had been said previously on the boards that after Rhodes enter till about Sheamus got in there, those middle entrants were just fillers.
They booked a good ending between Jericho and Sheamus though, but in general, the whole Rumble match was just awful.
2. And this is really surprising that no one has pointed this out yet : THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT MAY HAVE BEEN SHEAMUS WINNING THE RUMBLE
Think about it, what do we mean when we say "It's the end of the world as we know it?" It means something highly improbable happened, like Sheamus winning the Rumble. Sure, it's not as unexpected as Hornswoggle or Yoshi Tatsu winning the Rumble, but look at the reaction on the boards. Some people are treating it negatively, while some positively.
Jericho knows what he's doing. It would have been nice to see him win the Rumble but he'll win it soon. It took Edge quite a while to win the Rumble, so to the Undertaker. He'll get a token Rumble win to send him off when he plans to retire.
1. It's been said by someone else, but I agree with this : IT'S NOT ABOUT SHEAMUS AS THE WINNER, IT'S ABOUT THE AWFUL RUMBLE ITSELF
Sheamus was an ok Rumble winner. It's the WWE's prerogative to book him as Rumble winner and, hopefully, it launches him as a new WWE star. But I do get some people's reservations about not having him dominate a few weeks before the Rumble. He was up against Jinder Mahal every week.
The Rumble match itself was HORRIBLE. It was the 25th anniversary of such a great match and there was no electrifying moment whatsover. Whopp de doo, here come Primo! Here comes Khali! Here comes Swagger! Here comes Road Dogg! None of these guys had a chance to win the title and it took away from the thrill of the match. It had been said previously on the boards that after Rhodes enter till about Sheamus got in there, those middle entrants were just fillers.
They booked a good ending between Jericho and Sheamus though, but in general, the whole Rumble match was just awful.
2. And this is really surprising that no one has pointed this out yet : THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT MAY HAVE BEEN SHEAMUS WINNING THE RUMBLE
Think about it, what do we mean when we say "It's the end of the world as we know it?" It means something highly improbable happened, like Sheamus winning the Rumble. Sure, it's not as unexpected as Hornswoggle or Yoshi Tatsu winning the Rumble, but look at the reaction on the boards. Some people are treating it negatively, while some positively.
Jericho knows what he's doing. It would have been nice to see him win the Rumble but he'll win it soon. It took Edge quite a while to win the Rumble, so to the Undertaker. He'll get a token Rumble win to send him off when he plans to retire.
DrMantisToboggan
Dark Match Jobber
Personally I don't care for Sheamus winning it. Not only because I am not a fan of his work in the ring or on the microphone but because I think Wade Barrett would have been a better choice to set up a great main event at WrestleMania. The way I would have done it(which obviously means jack squat) would have Barrett win the Rumble and have Orton win the title at the Elimination Chamber to setup Barrett/Orton at WM and then if they wanted to add Sheamus into the mix they could have had him get screwed over by Orton at the EC or something. Whatever they do they've got to get the belt off of Daniel Bryan. He is getting nearly no crowd reaction and is becoming very stale, a lot like the way Zack Ryder is. The whole underdog working his way to the top thing was great for a little while but after a while your skills have to take over and they are lacking in that department, more so with the mic and charisma part for Bryan.
Also people saying Sheamus should win because it was "unpredictable." So would Hacksaw winning or Michael Cole winning. It doesn't mean it's the best choice. Sometimes what everyone is planning on seeing is the best choice.
All the other matches on the card may as well not even been there. To have your 2nd biggest title open the show with an awful cage match was poor planning but what are you going to do when you've got 2 gorillas with more miles on them than Ricardo's car. The Kane/Cena match was another beatdown that got no reaction, for good reason, but Vince seems to love them. Having Kane destroying people just doesn't work anymore. The divas match was, well, a divas match. Other than having 8 beautiful women on the show it brought nothing to the table, as usual. Brodus Clay and McIntyre was pointless. I've never really understood the whole jobbing out concept. It does more to make the opponent look like crap than it does for the victor to look good. i would be more impressed to see him go in and have a solid 10-15 minute match with someone. The WWE title match was really good but could have been better. They could have easily had a great 30-40 minute match with none of the stupid Laurinitis shenanigans. They're trying to recreate the "rebel not obeying his boss" style of Stone Cold/Vince but it just doesn't deliver. Mostly due to Laurinitis' mic skills and the PG rating which just doesn't allow for the edginess that type of program needs. The Rock and Cena promos were great but terribly misplaced. Those should have been used much closer to Wrestlemania, probably during Wrestlemania.
One other thing that got me, and this was entirely a fault of my own, was the lack of big surprises. I was hoping to see someone come back like Taker or even Brock Lesnar but when no big surprises like that happened I was kind of disappointed. It really could have brought the show to a whole other level but like I said that was be just hoping for something that I should have known probably wouldn't happen.
Another thing that kills the show, PPV or otherwise, is the commentary. Play-by-play is pretty much dead and it's more now just a couple of guys talking over you trying to watch the show. It's like watching at a bar and two guys just run their mouth the whole time. Stop with all of the outside stuff, the social media and whatnot, and just focus on calling the match. No one needs a back story on Indian head wear or Irish folklore. If WWE wants to immediate results in their product bring back JR and let him do what he does. No scripts. No feeding lines. Just him and King calling the match like they did for so many years.
Overall it was a decent show but not good for one of the "majors." I wouldn't be surprised to see something like this from a Vengeance or some other PPV but not the Rumble. Being a fan I'm not going to just give up on the product like some people seem to do(every PPV) but I'll be interested to see how these things play out. Will Jericho go after Punk? When will Taker merge onto the Road to Wrestlemania(LAME!!!)? Will there be any more curves in the Road to Wres....... OK enough with the puns. Even with it being a lackluster event I'm ready to see things take off in the next couple of months and after WM we'll see if it was the best way to book things after all.
Also people saying Sheamus should win because it was "unpredictable." So would Hacksaw winning or Michael Cole winning. It doesn't mean it's the best choice. Sometimes what everyone is planning on seeing is the best choice.
All the other matches on the card may as well not even been there. To have your 2nd biggest title open the show with an awful cage match was poor planning but what are you going to do when you've got 2 gorillas with more miles on them than Ricardo's car. The Kane/Cena match was another beatdown that got no reaction, for good reason, but Vince seems to love them. Having Kane destroying people just doesn't work anymore. The divas match was, well, a divas match. Other than having 8 beautiful women on the show it brought nothing to the table, as usual. Brodus Clay and McIntyre was pointless. I've never really understood the whole jobbing out concept. It does more to make the opponent look like crap than it does for the victor to look good. i would be more impressed to see him go in and have a solid 10-15 minute match with someone. The WWE title match was really good but could have been better. They could have easily had a great 30-40 minute match with none of the stupid Laurinitis shenanigans. They're trying to recreate the "rebel not obeying his boss" style of Stone Cold/Vince but it just doesn't deliver. Mostly due to Laurinitis' mic skills and the PG rating which just doesn't allow for the edginess that type of program needs. The Rock and Cena promos were great but terribly misplaced. Those should have been used much closer to Wrestlemania, probably during Wrestlemania.
One other thing that got me, and this was entirely a fault of my own, was the lack of big surprises. I was hoping to see someone come back like Taker or even Brock Lesnar but when no big surprises like that happened I was kind of disappointed. It really could have brought the show to a whole other level but like I said that was be just hoping for something that I should have known probably wouldn't happen.
Another thing that kills the show, PPV or otherwise, is the commentary. Play-by-play is pretty much dead and it's more now just a couple of guys talking over you trying to watch the show. It's like watching at a bar and two guys just run their mouth the whole time. Stop with all of the outside stuff, the social media and whatnot, and just focus on calling the match. No one needs a back story on Indian head wear or Irish folklore. If WWE wants to immediate results in their product bring back JR and let him do what he does. No scripts. No feeding lines. Just him and King calling the match like they did for so many years.
Overall it was a decent show but not good for one of the "majors." I wouldn't be surprised to see something like this from a Vengeance or some other PPV but not the Rumble. Being a fan I'm not going to just give up on the product like some people seem to do(every PPV) but I'll be interested to see how these things play out. Will Jericho go after Punk? When will Taker merge onto the Road to Wrestlemania(LAME!!!)? Will there be any more curves in the Road to Wres....... OK enough with the puns. Even with it being a lackluster event I'm ready to see things take off in the next couple of months and after WM we'll see if it was the best way to book things after all.
NotaHippie
Dark Match Jobber
I can't get over the fact that people think Sheamus winning was a surprise. I'd been saying Sheamus was gonna win for weeks. Even after Jericho showed up I still held to my Sheamus prediction.
Also, what's with people thinking that because he'd been toiling away in the midcard with Jinder Mahal means he shouldn't win the Rumble? It seemed obvious that the company was high on him and was finding ways to keep him on television even if they currently didn't have much for him to do. This gives him something to do.
Also, what's with people thinking that because he'd been toiling away in the midcard with Jinder Mahal means he shouldn't win the Rumble? It seemed obvious that the company was high on him and was finding ways to keep him on television even if they currently didn't have much for him to do. This gives him something to do.
The Jericho angle barely had anything to do with the Rumble. Up until he said his one line promo, the angle seemed to have nothing to do with the Rumble whatsoever. People need to stop saying its ruined and tune into Raw tonight to see where it goes on.
As for the actual winner, I'm really happy about it (if it wasn't obvious from my avatar). I'm a huge Sheamus fan and he's been sitting around without much of a program for a while. Really looking forward to where he can go with this. I think him and Bryan will put on a great match if they have him go after the WHC.
As for the actual winner, I'm really happy about it (if it wasn't obvious from my avatar). I'm a huge Sheamus fan and he's been sitting around without much of a program for a while. Really looking forward to where he can go with this. I think him and Bryan will put on a great match if they have him go after the WHC.
shattered dreams
Hexagonal Hedonist
I put a stream on in the background and it was worth it for that but for a marquee event that is hardly a positive. I saw the end of the Punk-Ziggler match, totally sucked aside from actually seeing someone take the GTS in a way that made it look like a good move. I suppose it built up RAW the next night but I don't understand why WWE does that on their biggest PPVs. If you want people to keep paying you have to give them something they don't get on tv.
Then I watched the rumble. The beginning didn't grip me at all. Folely coming out was cool but I am not sure what I think about the sock showdown. The middle was actually entertaining albeit without anything that great except for that Kofi thing. I guess Kong was a decent surprise as well. As I was watching the middle I realized just how low on starpower the rumble had been and figured that since it had built up some entertainment anyway they could run out a lot of guys at the end and make a hell of a show out of it. Boy was I wrong. They didn't have anybody to run out, which was probably the reason for all that filler in the first place. That was one hell of a weak field for the rumble and as such almost all the eliminations were anticlimactic. It probably doesn't help that I am completely indifferent on Sheamus. However, the real problem is that the WWE built the rumble on allowing the guys from the other matches to compete and something big from Jericho. They didn't deliver either of those things. If the Jericho thing is designed to annoy people it is an extremely poor choice IMO. It isn't a work when it is booked like that, it is basically false advertising. If they plan on delivering on it tonight on RAW then see my issue with that in the first paragraph.
Then I watched the rumble. The beginning didn't grip me at all. Folely coming out was cool but I am not sure what I think about the sock showdown. The middle was actually entertaining albeit without anything that great except for that Kofi thing. I guess Kong was a decent surprise as well. As I was watching the middle I realized just how low on starpower the rumble had been and figured that since it had built up some entertainment anyway they could run out a lot of guys at the end and make a hell of a show out of it. Boy was I wrong. They didn't have anybody to run out, which was probably the reason for all that filler in the first place. That was one hell of a weak field for the rumble and as such almost all the eliminations were anticlimactic. It probably doesn't help that I am completely indifferent on Sheamus. However, the real problem is that the WWE built the rumble on allowing the guys from the other matches to compete and something big from Jericho. They didn't deliver either of those things. If the Jericho thing is designed to annoy people it is an extremely poor choice IMO. It isn't a work when it is booked like that, it is basically false advertising. If they plan on delivering on it tonight on RAW then see my issue with that in the first paragraph.
phoenixphreek
Pre-Show Stalwart
i really have no problem with sheamus winning, he was on obvious contender, my only problem with it is that there is no way his match at mania will even compare to the rest of the card. I think it's easy to say now that WHC will be defended in a triple threat or fatal four way this Mania, because having Orton in there will be this matches only saving grace
I have absolutely no issues with sheamus winning nor am I disappointed that jericho did not. however, if jericho wasn't going to win, what was the point of having him run through a few guys just to finish 2nd? what did that establish? if they wanted him to continue to build heat as he's been doing for the past few weeks, they should have had him come out, pander to the crowd for 90 seconds, get in the ring and eliminate himself straight away. nothing about his rumble appearance last night was worthwhile. it didn't build on his current storyline, it didn't help establish a new one. it kind of just fizzled out. they wasted his in-ring return in my opinion. what was memorable about it?
not only that, but having jericho in the final two kind of took away from some of the reaction sheamus would have gotten had he eliminated an already well established heel (say a wade barrett) instead of somebody who half the crowd is still behind. I personally would have loved to see barrett and sheamus - two of the newer/future stars of the WWE - battle for the final spot. not only would it have continued to put them both over, but it also could have been a potential starting point for a feud between the two at WM.
not only that, but having jericho in the final two kind of took away from some of the reaction sheamus would have gotten had he eliminated an already well established heel (say a wade barrett) instead of somebody who half the crowd is still behind. I personally would have loved to see barrett and sheamus - two of the newer/future stars of the WWE - battle for the final spot. not only would it have continued to put them both over, but it also could have been a potential starting point for a feud between the two at WM.
Kenny Powers
Bulletproof Tiger
The show was a bit of a letdown. Ziggler and Punk had a good match which was the match of the night. Nothing really to write home about. The rumble seemed really fast paced and eliminations seemed to happen out of nowhere. I'm glad Miz and Cody Rhodes actually were stayed in the Rumble for a decent amount of time. Cody had some good eliminations. Even Mick Foley did as well. It was fun to see Mick, Ricardo and even Santino doing their schtick. The Big show coming out at number 30 was a real disappointment. I don't have any problems with Big Show being involved and didn't expect a huge name like Lesnar, Rock, Goldberg, Triple H, HBK, or others to get involved.
It was fun but it seemed more like a Smackdown battle royal with a bunch of lower midcarders and a few old timers. I enjoyed the showdown with Jericho and Sheamus. I don't know how Jericho losing the rumble would bring about the end of the world. I thought he would at least be involved in the Punk vs. Ziggler match. It's better for Sheamus to get the win I guess, but what has Sheamus done in the past year? He is a fan favorite now but he has pretty much been off the radar.
Jericho could always go on to feud with Punk or I guess the Undertaker. I guess the majority of us were just expecting something more last night then a basic lackluster Rumble. It wasn't horrible and I wasn't expecting the moon, but it was very average. You could say the same thing about the last few years too.
It was fun but it seemed more like a Smackdown battle royal with a bunch of lower midcarders and a few old timers. I enjoyed the showdown with Jericho and Sheamus. I don't know how Jericho losing the rumble would bring about the end of the world. I thought he would at least be involved in the Punk vs. Ziggler match. It's better for Sheamus to get the win I guess, but what has Sheamus done in the past year? He is a fan favorite now but he has pretty much been off the radar.
Jericho could always go on to feud with Punk or I guess the Undertaker. I guess the majority of us were just expecting something more last night then a basic lackluster Rumble. It wasn't horrible and I wasn't expecting the moon, but it was very average. You could say the same thing about the last few years too.
Mustang Sally
Sells seashells by the seashore
That's a point. I've been saying Dolph isn't a main event wrestler, yet it seemed the company either sees him as one or didn't have anyone else who would make a believable challenger for Punk. After seeing the match, I'm convinced that both factors might be true.
Management had no intention of taking the title off Punk last night. He had Dolph defeated three times before actually winning the match. I never had the notion that Dolph was going to turn the trick. Yes, they had to find a way to make Laurinaitis relevant to the proceedings, so they chose to have him inadvertently cause the ring ref to miss Punks' finishers. These things kept the match going longer but really didn't accomplish anything, particularly since Laurinaitis didn't wind up screwing Punk, which is what I thought the whole thing was supposed to be about. After all, Punk himself had that foremost on his mind, no? As has been stated, hopefully tonight's Raw will bring some sense to what we saw (or didn't see) at the Rumble.
But, man, anyone hoping for Dolph to be established as a possible world champ sure didn't get what they came for last night.