Royal Rumble 2014 Discussion

[NegativeFeedback]

The deal with Batista was obviously done quite a while ago. It's more than likely that the deal was pitched to him with him coming back, winning the Rumble and then going on to have what many might have considered a dream match with Orton at Wrestlemania. The WWE couldn't have known that Bryan was not only going to stay as over as he was in the summer but get even more popular, and it's not like they could turn around to Batista and change what he was doing at Wrestlemania if that's the reason he signed in the first place. I know that is highly speculative, but I have to believe that the writers are not so stupid that they couldn't see the potential of Bryan winning the Rumble, but that they had booked themselves into a corner when they hired Batista.

I agree. I think this whole feud and match was pitched to Batista just like the matches with Punk and Cena were pitched to Rock way-back-when.

But I think WWE would have been smart to change course. Batista could face Brock at Mania. Nobody would complain. Bryan could face Cena in the main event for the title, and Undertaker could face Bray.

 

[Rosco999]

After watching the RR here are my thoughts:

Bray Wyatt v Daniel Bryan:

For me this was the best match of the night with some big hits and both coming across big time this worked well, although the Bray win did surprise me but i suppose it was the best way to further Bray Wyatt's dominance. The Sister Abigail off the barrier was awesome and brutal looking , and also the Wyatt's for me are the most intersting characters around atm.

Brock Lesnar v Big Show:

For me it was just a complete mess, yes WWE wanted to show the animalistic nature of Brock but anyone could hit Big Show with a chair 500 times , it would have been more effective if Brock totally demolished Show in ring without use of weapons affirming his status as the beast.

John Cena v Randy Orton:

For me it was not a classic and the heat from the crowd underlined that, yes they both put in great effort but it was so predictable at times with the finisher kick outs and using each others finishers, the Wyatt interruption is possibly setting up for WM or EC but i honestly felt , i know this will be unpopular, Cena was going to win the title to main event WM, was surprised Orton took it again.

Royal Rumble:

Was some good moments but again felt a bit flat it seemed they were trying to push Sheamus back in and CM Punk you knew was going to be shafted as the rumoured HHH match at mania draws nearer.

Roman Reigns thankfully got his push as i feel this guy has everything to become a title holder.

Cesaro i think should be mixing with the main event guys and he performed well.

Ziggler yet again pushed aside and surely Kevin Nash's place could've been someone elses.

Batista coming back and doing well was expected but to outright win was a mistake at this time, as has been said it must be a contractual thing and to be fair when Batista left him and Cena were the two biggest guys at that time but 4 years is a long time to hold on to that status.

Overall i'd give it 7/10 mostly for Wyatt v Bryan and Reigns but it will be interesting to see how Elimination Chamber pans out.

 

[HeenanGorilla]

I got the PPV last night and, for the most part, don't feel ripped off. But, that is only because Batista winning was as predictable as HHH in 2002 or Orton in 2009. I actually mentioned to someone that knowing who the winner will be ruins the best PPV of the year; HOWEVER, I still wanted to buy it.

Bryan/Wyatt = Awesome!!! Man, this was so cool. I was glad Wyatt won as it made the most sense. It truly was an incredible match with a lot of big spots, but not just big spots done for the sake of big spots...they made sense. Beautiful match!

Lesnar/Big Show = I'm sorry, guys. But, anyone who didn't see this coming a mile away isn't paying attention. How HOW can you fall for this being anything but a vehicle to show Lesnar's dominant, monster persona heading into WrestleMania? That whole set up on Raw the last few weeks was clearly done for this reason. I'm sorry, but it was so clear what they were doing. How in the world can you think The Big Show (?!?!?!) would beat Lesnar or that the match would be a legit match??? Lesnar destroyed Mark Henry, next logical step is Big Show--extended so as to set up a PPV match--and now his road to WrestleMania continues... Made perfect sense and was done pretty well. (They should have had Lesnar break Show's hand to take the knockout punch away from him, but they chose to have him almost knock him out instead--ehh, but it really didn't matter)

Orton/Cena = I actually felt bad at first as the crowd "hijacked" this one immediately. My old school self was starting to get pissed that people couldn't just enjoy the show. But, then I realized that these people were right. If WWE wants to shove Orton/Cena down the Universe's throats, then that reaction of the crowd pissing on the match was exactly what WWE asked for and deserved. I loved the ending and the pop the Wyatts got when the arena went black. Very cool and bailed out a mediocre finish that would have happened if either Cena or Orton won. This was the moment where I stopped yearning for the days of crowds that just enjoyed the shows and actually enjoyed the crowd taking over. This match has happened a million times and deserved the "Boring" and "Daniel Bryan" and all of the other chants.

Rumble = I knew who was gonna win, I knew Punk would be in the final four...and even though I hate knowing--and I mean KNOWING-- who will win the Rumble ahead of time, it still was really entertaining. (Side note: the entrants coming in every 90 seconds rather than two minutes should have let you all know Punk was going to be involved in the ending--dead giveaway let out immediately)

The Rumble, for me, is a match where I look forward to surprise entrants (so I stay off of the internet for a few days prior) and maybe enjoy a Rumble moment like Kofi (not this year, too predictable and his moments are now way too orchestrated to be significant) or Reigns dominating. The only "bummer" about last night was seeing Reigns dominating and then being in the final two. Yes, Bryan being #30 instead of Rey "who gives a shit" Mysterio would have been fun for the crowd. But, Batista was going to be the winner...it was so so obvious. Reigns being the only one left with him, however, made me WISH WWE had some balls. I actually said "They don't have the balls to let Reigns win here and they absolutely should." NO! I did not think Reigns should headline WrestleMania. That is why him being in the final two was dumb. BUT, given the situation, Reigns should have been given the Rumble victory and then lose his spot between today and Mania...some creative way with the Sheild to keep him hot but not rush him to the Mania event...not his time yet. It IS Bryan's time. If he faces Sheamus, I will be so disappointed.

ANY ending to WrestleMania other than Bryan winning the title clean is a HUGE disservice to the WWE Universe. Honestly, I don't think he has long-term appeal. He doesn't even have a Stunner/Diamond Cutter/RKO finisher people can go nuts for... He is not quite Zack Ryder, but he isn't much better, in regards to long-term appeal. CALM DOWN! He is MUCH better than Ryder in all ways imaginable. But, Bryan is not the face of WWE and couldn't be for a long period of time. He could --and SHOULD-- have the biggest moment WMXXX could ask for...winning clean and having the fans go berzerk! Let him have that moment WWE! You can easily--and without much Universe opposition, trust me--have him drop the title at SummerSlam or even sooner. I guarantee this guy fizzles by the end of 2014 at best. But, this potential WMXXX moment is too big to ignore. Give him his moment, give the fans that moment and THEN bury him if you want. He doesn't have enough to keep this momentum going much longer. Strike while the iron is hot! I'm telling you, your worries will go away soon anyway. But, don't let WMXXX go away too.

 

[Randy Orton's Head Blood]

One thing I (and I think a lot of others) look forward to at the Royal Rumble is the "surprise" entrants. Whether they be people returning from injury, Legends coming back for a nostalgia pop, NXT Superstars or Ricardo Rodriguez, it's usually quite fun & interesting to see who comes out when the clock hits 0. However, this year, out of 5 of the "surprises", 3 of them just seemed to feel like a total waste of time. Let's go over the 5 Surprises and see just why a few of them were completely pointless.

Alexander Rusev
Right, firstly, I would like to say that Rusev is NOT one of the few that I found to be a pointless surprise. I had a feeling that at least one NXT star would have debuted at the Rumble tonight & Rusev was the one that I had in mind (as well as Neville). Now, although Rusev didn't eliminate anyone in his Rumble stint, he looked great as he got in the ring, laying out most of the others in the ring. It also took 4 other superstars to eliminate Rusev, proving that in the end he will be a force to be reckoned with. Hopefully this is realised soon and unlike Bo Dallas, they start to use Rusev properly within the WWE.

Kevin Nash
The second surprise out & all I could do was say "Really?". Kevin Nash, however much wrestling significance he may have had, did not need to be in the Rumble last night. It seems that just because he's a buddy of HHH, he got that chance to throw people around a bit. He was given Swagger to eliminate (that should've been done by Rusev), until he was finally eliminated by Reigns. The only slight use that Nash had in this match was making Reigns look alright.

Sheamus
Our third surprise entrant was the second who wasn't a waste, in the return of the Celtic Superstar, Sheamus. Having been out with injury in a while, Sheamus was poised to return last night, but considering I assumed it would be as short run, Sheamus lasted almost half an hour in the match & didn't look all too bad on his return. Surprisingly, he only managed to get one elimination, but hopefully Sheamus might get a bit of a programme leading into Mania now.

El Torito
I don't really have anything to say about this. This was awful & the look on CM Punk's face said it all. Why they assumed putting Torito in this match is beyond me & having him eliminate Fandango was pathetic. Fandango was having a pretty serious match at Wrestlemania last year, now it's been reduced to this. Lovely. Again, him being eliminated by Reigns was the only benefit.

JBL
According to Michael Cole, this was JBL's first ever Rumble match. He should've stuck with not having done one at all. Lasting only 21 seconds, this entrant was wasted, as though the WWE didn't have any idea how to fill up another gap. JBL didn't hit a single move. He handed his jacket to Cole & went over the top rope. I yawned.

So, there we go. Five surprises, three of them, totally pointless. We could've seen the return of Evan Bourne, which would've at least been nice. Or Jericho/RVD, who knows? Hell, I'd have preferred three more NXT Superstars coming up to the Rumble.

Who would you have rather seen?

 

[Slyfox696]

"Appreciation" is the key word there. The thing is, Randy didn't do anything for the fans to hate him

But he did...he posed on the ropes and received a solid boo in return. That's just false.

Are you saying the "respectful" thing to do is to feign interest? Now THAT'S absurd.

The respectful thing is to appreciate what is going on in the ring and not ruin the match for everyone else. Even if it's not your cup of tea, bringing all the attention on to you, instead of the wrestlers in the ring, is disrespectful.

Fans should vocalize when they are bored.

A) No they shouldn't. It's disrespectful. If you're bored, do nothing.
B) There was nothing boring about that match. It wasn't the best match they've had, but it was a good solid title match. The fact the fans started chanting "boring" when Orton went to a chinlock is beyond absurd and shows just how stupid the wrestling fan has become.

Cena and Orton were following a brutal hardcore match-up at TLC with a regular outing. Fans were obviously not interested in seeing a match that is designed to be inferior to the last one.

A traditional match is not "designed" to be inferior. The more you post, the less credible your opinion on wrestling becomes.

Your analogy doesn't make any sense.

It makes perfect sense, though I can't say I'm surprised you didn't get it.

At a WWE event, The wrestlers are supposed to manipulate the crowd. It's what wrestling is all about, getting a reaction. The crowd IS the fiddle.

No, they are not. The crowd is the crowd. You're acting like the wrestlers in the ring did something wrong, as if the crowd is a simple machine. While I agree the crowd last night was obviously simple, they are not a machine. What they did last night was NOT pro wrestling and no matter who was in the ring, they were going to act like morons.

Take Rey Mysterio for example. He got heavily booed just for being the 30th entrant (when everyone knew he was in the Rumble) and then got cheered when he was eliminated. Why? What did Rey do to deserve those boos? That crowd wasn't at all interested in being part of the show, they just wanted to be the show. It was awful and an embarrassment.

I didn't say "change the booking", I said play to the crowd. They obviously decided to ignore what the crowd was chanting and reacting to.

But the only way to appease that crowd last night WAS to change the booking.

You're right when you say the job of a pro wrestler is to make the audience care. But that's only when the crowd wants to be part of the show.

I'll use another example. I'm a teacher and my job is to educate children. But if a child comes to class and his/her mother told them they were to sit and do nothing and to ignore everything I said, what can I possibly to do to educate the child? There's nothing, it's impossible.

The crowd last night acted like the child (in more ways than one). They were not at all interested in being part of the show, they just wanted to bring the attention to themselves. It was asinine.

You're confused. You're using one truth and making believe it backs up another false claim. Yeah, wrestling is about storytelling, but the crowd is DEFINITELY a big part of that. The story only works if the crowd reacts to it. You could put on the most intricately and expertly written story out there and if the crowd doesn't eat it up, it's back to the drawing board. It's ALL about how to get this audience to come back, and the way they do that is by gaining the audience's investment in these stories.

I've already explained to you why you are wrong on this multiple times in this post. Read one of those for my response to this.

Fans will and should continue to keep cheering for what they want to see and booing what they don't.

No, fans SHOULD have respect for the pro wrestling business. They should respect the hard work being put in by the tremendous athletes in the ring. They should respect the fact they are not the show. That's what they SHOULD do.

Here's the thing, as fans we never get an opportunity to boo the bookers. Never does WWE (or anyone else for that matter) trot out the creative team so that you can let them know how you feel.

That would be a great point if we didn't see Triple H and Stephanie every week. You know, the two individuals in charge of creative and booking.

 

[Father Uncle Oscar]

Rusev and Sheamus were great surprises, the other three were pointless like you said. Here's who I would have liked to see as surprises.

Evan Bourne
It's been a long time since he's been on TV, and although I'm not sure exactly where he is rehab-wise, if he was cleared to go, I would have marked.

Adrian Neville
I love that Alexander Rusev was in the match, but at the same time I realized that he would probably be the only NXT guy in the field of 30. If only Adrian Neville had come out and flown around the ring, maybe knocked out a guy or two. OR..... or..... Adrian Neville and Kofi Kingston work together to get back into the ring from really far away! A man can dream

X-Pac
He teased being in Pittsburgh. He even cancelled on the booking he had in Virginia. So why not? In the end it might have ended up with the same argument you made about Nash, but I've always liked X-Pac more than most of the others anyway so it would have been a nice surprise for me.

A cameraman
Hear me out. Wouldn't it be pretty cool to have the timer hit zero, then you see someone put their TV camera down at ringside, hop in there and kick some ass? I don't know why, but I've always thought that would be a pretty sick way to debut.

Santino Marella
Granted this wouldn't be a surprise at all, but Santino's had history with the Rumble. Not only does he hold the record for shortest time ever in a Rumble match, but in his very next Rumble match two years later, he was the big underdog who somehow had the crowd behind him and actually hoping for a win! That's why I always love seeing Santino in the Rumble, because it takes me back to 2011, when Santino was showing signs of actually being used properly.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

My problem with it is this:

You know to a 100% certainty that the NXT guys aren't winning the Royal Rumble. I know why they do it. These guys get huge exposure and pop from being in the Rumble but to me, that's taking the easy way out for WWE. There are other ways to expose them to the WWE universe and get them over without wasting spots in the Rumble.

As for Torito, he was a total, total joke. No justification whatsoever for him to be in it. It wasn't even "funny" which is what their intention was.

I didn't have as much of a problem with JBL being in the Rumble but why have in there for 10 seconds?

I wish they'd go back to having Rumbles where most of the competitors were believable and had a legit chance to win (in the eyes of the fans). Now sadly, it's turning into a circus.

 

[mazoocrew25]

Last night was a no win situation. Batista was coming back and likely going to win the Rumble, especially when Bryan even said he wasn't going to be in it. The only unknown to last night was whether Bryan would make a surprise entrance but knowing Mysterio was still to come when he didn't enter by #29 that surprise was gone. I was actually upset that Barrett's "voodoo" tweet didn't pan out. With all the Ultimate Warrior stuff right now I would have loved to see a return of Papa Shango for old times sake.

 

[wrestler36]

I would have put Rollins as a later entry and have somebody like Drew McIntyre have a nice long stay in the rumble. Nash was an alright entry but he was a surprise a few years ago. I would have had somebody like Finley replace him. People wanted Jake to return, but I think he's too fragile and could have gotten hurt going over the top.

 

[NegativeFeedback]

But he did...he posed on the ropes and received a solid boo in return. That's just false.

The respectful thing is to appreciate what is going on in the ring and not ruin the match for everyone else. Even if it's not your cup of tea, bringing all the attention on to you, instead of the wrestlers in the ring, is disrespectful.


A) No they shouldn't. It's disrespectful. If you're bored, do nothing.
B) There was nothing boring about that match. It wasn't the best match they've had, but it was a good solid title match. The fact the fans started chanting "boring" when Orton went to a chinlock is beyond absurd and shows just how stupid the wrestling fan has become.


A traditional match is not "designed" to be inferior. The more you post, the less credible your opinion on wrestling becomes.

It makes perfect sense, though I can't say I'm surprised you didn't get it.

No, they are not. The crowd is the crowd. You're acting like the wrestlers in the ring did something wrong, as if the crowd is a simple machine. While I agree the crowd last night was obviously simple, they are not a machine. What they did last night was NOT pro wrestling and no matter who was in the ring, they were going to act like morons.

Take Rey Mysterio for example. He got heavily booed just for being the 30th entrant (when everyone knew he was in the Rumble) and then got cheered when he was eliminated. Why? What did Rey do to deserve those boos? That crowd wasn't at all interested in being part of the show, they just wanted to be the show. It was awful and an embarrassment.

But the only way to appease that crowd last night WAS to change the booking.

You're right when you say the job of a pro wrestler is to make the audience care. But that's only when the crowd wants to be part of the show.

I'll use another example. I'm a teacher and my job is to educate children. But if a child comes to class and his/her mother told them they were to sit and do nothing and to ignore everything I said, what can I possibly to do to educate the child? There's nothing, it's impossible.

The crowd last night acted like the child (in more ways than one). They were not at all interested in being part of the show, they just wanted to bring the attention to themselves. It was asinine.

I've already explained to you why you are wrong on this multiple times in this post. Read one of those for my response to this.

No, fans SHOULD have respect for the pro wrestling business. They should respect the hard work being put in by the tremendous athletes in the ring. They should respect the fact they are not the show. That's what they SHOULD do.

I think I'm finally getting your point. (Shocking to you, I'm sure). The fact that I didn't "get it" before is because I refused to believe you were making such a stupid and misguided point, but yet you are.

It is clear from your comments above that you believe fans should "play their part". Boo when a wrestler does a pose, Cheer when he gets attacked by someone else. You feel that the crowd should follow this formula that has been edged in pro wrestling for centuries, and how dare they try to ignore it.

Well, fuck that, is what I'd say. It's no different than when a few years ago TNA started adding "CHEER NOW" monitors so the crowd could follow through with the chants they wanted.

The fans there, they booed who they wanted to boo. They booed Rey Mysterio. How is that disrespectful? They didn't like him. They didn't want to see him. That's the point of wrestling crowds. They cheer who they want to see and boo who they don't want to see. Had Daniel Bryan come out at #30, he would've gotten cheered. You know why? Because Daniel Bryan was more popular. Sure, it's not Rey's fault that he isn't Daniel Bryan, but it's definitely not anyone else's fault that he isn't as popular as DB.

Roman Reigns easily got the crowd behind him up against Batista, who was the crowd's straight up heel (Batista got booed the moment he came out for the Rumble. The lack of Daniel Bryan afterwards didn't affect how the crowd felt about him.)

The crowd cheered who they wanted and booed who they wanted. They wanted Daniel, they wanted Roman, they didn't want Rey. They didn't want Batista. They didn't want Cena. Hell, they popped for Fandango, they popped for Bray Wyatt. They cheered the guys they wanted to cheer. You're acting as if that's a bad thing. So what they shat all over Cena's match? At the end, they cheered when Bray hit him with the Sister Abigail. That's what matters. They picked someone they liked and they cheered him. But you seem to think it's "disrespectful" because they didn't follow the script. They didn't cheer Cena and Batista and they didn't boo when Bray and Roman had the upper hands against them.

It's a ridiculous notion that fans should be forced to chant in a certain manner as if it was their job. The day I start getting paid to applaud when WWE wants me to applaud is the day I'll start treating it as a duty.

 

[MoxleyCrue]

El Torito and JBL were in there for the kids. Not that kids would have known JBL in his prime, but both were a comedy bit so the up to 12 year olds had something to chuckle at. Remember they are a large market for WWE. It's why I don't have a problem with Cena, whilst he isn't the best technician and can get stale, he made WWE $100m last year or something like that. As much as I like Punk and Bryan, they probably don't make that money. Sometimes the 'IWC', in quotation marks because I doubt anyone even knows who that even constitutes anymore, gets a bit selfish and needs to remember to share. Don't sledge me for trying to be balanced.

 

[thebowtiekiller]

Theres always rumours and hype regarding who might show up in the rumble but there was a particularly large amount this year.when the buzzer hit zero for number 30 and out comes mysterio the boos said it all the crowd pretty much didnt care from that point on.i know that was mostly due to bryan not being in it but im pretty sure they where just as dissapointed that instead of the rumoured warrior and jake the snake we get a little bull guy and jbl for a few seconds.

I would have liked to have seen the before mentioned jake and warrior papa shango was also rumoured that would of been cool topping that though would be an early undertaker return as number 30 imo

 

[AhSpicyDrop]

I can't take anybody seriously who says Cena and Orton had a 'decent' match last night. Even if you mute the crowd and watch that you walk away feeling like they just went through the motions. There was nothing special about the match, everything was recycled. There was no real psychology. It didn't even feel intense considering the years upon years of history the two have. It felt like an everyday match instead of a match for the "most prestigious prize in wrestling".

The fact is people are just dogshit tired of seeing Cena and Orton wrestle. Nobody cares anymore. And when you're at the top tier of the company there is NO excuse to be that fucking sloppy in the ring. Am I the only one that paid enough attention to that match to see how utterly horrible every application of Cena's STF looked? Blame camera angles if you want, but I almost felt embarrassed to be watching that shit. Horrible match, probably one of the worst PPV matches in years. And nobody can sugar coat that turd into being a "respectable" match.

I think when the crowd resorts to chanting "We Want Divas" that it's time to look in a different direction. BUT I will say this to Orton's credit, the son of a bitch tried to keep his heat. But Cena just played it off "business as usual" which is the god damn problem.... The wrestling business is shifting and it's no longer business as usual for Cena. Change with the times or get the fuck off the big stage, Hogan Jr.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

topping that though would be an early undertaker return as number 30 imo

That crowd was so hyped up for Daniel Bryan that I think even if the lights went out and the gong at #30, they would have booed....

They would have booed for Sting even.

They would have even booed for Stone Cold's signature glass shattering at #30.

 

[Jonny B]

The fans there, they booed who they wanted to boo. They booed Rey Mysterio. How is that disrespectful? They didn't like him. They didn't want to see him. That's the point of wrestling crowds. They cheer who they want to see and boo who they don't want to see. Had Daniel Bryan come out at #30, he would've gotten cheered. You know why? Because Daniel Bryan was more popular. Sure, it's not Rey's fault that he isn't Daniel Bryan, but it's definitely not anyone else's fault that he isn't as popular as DB.

That's not the point, I think the point that Slyfox is trying to make is that there is a difference between booing a wrestler you don't like and booing a wrestler because the crowd didn't get what they wanted.

Rey would have been cheered had he not been number 30. For example at Wrestlemania 18 the crowd cheered Hogan, because they liked him more, they didn't boo The Rock because he wasn't Steve Austin.

It's a really fine line, I think the crowd was well within their rights to boo Batista last night, but booing Rey because he wasn't Bryan was disrespectful. When Rey comes out on Raw tonight he will get cheered.

 

[Ziirox]

Santino Marella
Granted this wouldn't be a surprise at all, but Santino's had history with the Rumble. Not only does he hold the record for shortest time ever in a Rumble match, but in his very next Rumble match two years later, he was the big underdog who somehow had the crowd behind him and actually hoping for a win! That's why I always love seeing Santino in the Rumble, because it takes me back to 2011, when Santino was showing signs of actually being used properly.

Santino just had neck surgery, so that would have never happened last night. I do love when Santino is used properly because he IS such a great talent and an excellent character. I think Anthony Carelli (Santino's real name) could play other characters and have a career like Mick Foley's.

Anyway, onto the discussion at hand.

Alexander Rusev making his main roster debut last night was amazing. I've been singing his praises for a while now, and he looked incredible last night. The fact that so many people had to work to get him out made him look like a monster. I'm really hoping they bring either Lana or Sylvester LeFort up with him. Rusev is going to make his presence felt when he starts appearing on television regularly. There's no way he can go back to NXT now after last night.

El Torito was a fun entrant. However, I would have rather seen just about anyone else in that spot. Torito is a cool character for the kids, and I loved him spot where he eliminated Fandango, but seriously... why even put him in there? That spot could have been used for a legend or returning star. Evan Bourne could have made his return in that spot and had a similar affect on the match.

I will forever be a Kevin Nash mark, and I believe he was put in there simply to make The Shield look like they were on the same page before Ambrose tried to eliminate Reigns. Nash still looks great for 54. Wouldn't mind seeing him work a feud with CM Punk again, Dean Ambrose, or Roman Reigns.

The Usos should have never been in that match. No one believes they were going to win anything. Those were two spots that could have went to more deserving competitors. I would have used those spots for (Wade) Bad News Barrett and a surprise entrant... maybe X-Pac.

Sheamus returning was a lock for last night. He looked incredible, and that was NOT a wasted spot. The Royal Rumble is always a prime spot for big names to make triumphant returns and last night needed that feel good Sheamus return.

I love JBL, and I'm glad he was in the Rumble. However, his spot was a waste because we didn't even get a Clothesline from Hell! Everyone wanted to see it! I know his mobility is limited and he's not in as great of shape as he once was, but give us at least SOMETHING good out him.

Did anyone else cringe when they heard Kane's music? I know I did. Then when he appeared without his ring gear, I almost vomited. WWE destroyed any credibility Kane had left as a competitor under his new gimmick. He's simply an authority figure now. He just looked awful and boring. I guess Kane keeping his Rumble streak alive was more important than keeping the reputation of Kane alive. They might as well bill him as Glenn Jacobs.

The Royal Rumble is supposed to be the second biggest PPV of the year. It's the kickoff for the "Road to Wrestlemania". I was underwhelmed by pretty much the event, and especially the Royal Rumble match.

 

[GeneralKarim]

I cant even make something out of this PPV as I'm pissed as fuck.

Bryan and Wyatt stole the show, then Bryan stole the rest of the show without even being there.

Cena vs Orton was a crapfest, they thought kicking out of 1001 finishers would get the crowd into the match but the crowd is not that stupid so they showed em what's really up.
Tho I have way more respect for Randy cause of how he fed off of the crowd's REAL heat, unlike Skinny Jeans over there.

The Royal Rumble match itself was shit and the most entertaining thing in it ( besides "jobbers" and lower card guys getting way way way more cheers than others ) was the crowd reaction.

And I'm not talking about the crowd in the sense of "Post-Wrestlemania crowd" which like to have fun and shit no, people hijacked the entire PPV and showed WWE what's up.

Sadly this doesnt matter and Batista will go on to have main event spots and he can flip fans and do w/e the hell he likes cause as long as someone gives Vince an erection, that dude is gonna get pushed.

I'm not gonna even blame creative as I think that it's ultimately not their fault Vince has no clue how to satisfy people.

I m very very glad tho that Lesnar vs Show match didnt actually happen and we got a beatdown instead.Cause noone took Show seriously no matter how Michael Cole and Paul Heyman wanna hype him up.

This just follows the 2013 trend of awful PPV finishes and I'm sicked and disgusted by this.

THEY BETTER, THEY FREAKING BETTER, include DB in the title picture at WM in a 3 way match or 4 way or w/e the hell they gonna do and have him win.

And yes I torrented this piece of crap.

 

[hlhbk]

You can, but you'd be wrong.

You obviously aren't getting it.

Randy Orton made a great heel move. The crowd booed. When the heel was taken down, the crowd should have cheered, in appreciation of the heel (the one they had JUST booed) being taken down. But they didn't. And why? Because they were too far stuck up their own ass and hated the idea John Cena was the guy to do what they wanted done. It's absurd.

I don't post here often but am around a lot. I wanted to respond to your clueless post.

They booed both performers because they are seeing the same old stuff shoved down our throats. You act like this is the first time this has happened. WWE hasn't been listening to what the fans want especially regarding John Cena for well over 5 years now. Gee if the fans react that way maybe you should put WHO THEY ARE REACTING TO in the main event???? That is just called smart bussiness.

...I'm flabbergasted at the idea you just said it's okay for fans to act like jackasses because they had a more traditional match.

Not at all and this just demonstrates you don't understand.

If they had sat on their hands, I wouldn't have had a problem at all with that. Sitting on their hands would not have been a sign they thought they were better than the show and it wouldn't have actively ruined the show for everyone else. What they did, however, was the equivalent of producing your own fiddle at an orchestra concert because you think the music is too slow.

As long as the fans are not going against any of the venue's or WWE's rules that they agree to when they buy the ticket they can boo and cheer or react however they choose. If you don't like that stop watching.

Completely different situations, especially since the WWE had booked a face turn for Hogan anyways.

It is not a completely different situation. Some of the most important turns by a character were because fans reactions went against what the promoters wanted. Think back to 1996 when HBK won his first WWF title. He was by far having the best matches on the show each and every night but they changed his edgy character to a pure baby face character and the fans started to turn on him. This all came to a head in the 96 survivor series when the fans were booing him. Less than 6 months later when HBK returned from his knee injury his edge was back and 6 months after that DX was born.

DX is another perfect example. Here is a heel group through and through that even when HHH took it over did nothing to get a face reaction. It was the fans going against what Vince McMahon wanted that made that group turn face. The same thing happened with the nWo.

CM Punk is another example in 2011.

Oh yeah then there is the biggest one yet. Stone Cold Steve Austin. NOTHING about that character was supposed to be a face, but well before his match with Bret Hart at WM 13 the fans were cheering Austin.

It happens all the time. Unfortunatly the WWE doesn't always listen, but never to the extent they have with Daniel Bryan.

You can't just simply change booking in the middle of the match. That's now how pro wrestling works.

Rock vs Brock at Summerslam 2002 says otherwise. Rock turned into a complete heel in that match and never was booked that way.

It was my brief summation in reply to your comment that it wasn't the crowd's fault, but the WWE. It helps if you can remember your posts.

But they didn't. They were going to boo everyone who wasn't Daniel Bryan. Rey Mysterio did nothing to deserve his boos. If he had come into the match at #9, the crowd would likely have cheered him.

WWE could have seen that coming a mile away. It was obvious to anyone watching the match what was going to happen if Daniel Bryan wasn't involved it was going to be a mess. They shouldn't get sympathy for digging their head in the sand and ignoring what their paying fans want.

They didn't boo who they didn't like, they threw a tantrum. It's as simple as that.

No, it's not. That's NOT what wrestling is all about. Only people who know very little about wrestling think wrestling is about booing and cheering.

Pro wrestling is about telling a story. It's about the struggle between good and evil and it's about the appreciation for the athleticism demonstrated by the pro wrestlers, an aspect unique to most other performance based shows. Pro wrestling is an art and what the crowd did tonight was completely out of line.

What the crowd did last night was completely in line and should have happened years ago to the WWE. As I have demonstrated above this isn't the first time this has happened and when the WWE has actually listened to the fans in the past they have enjoyed the rewards. This is no different.

But only if the crowd is holding up their end and is willing to participate. They weren't. They just wanted to make themselves the show, to hear themselves chant, to pat themselves on the back for their clever chants. Those fans weren't there for pro wrestling, they went into business for themselves.

That crowd last night was one of the hottest crowds in recent memory. If WWE hadn't booked a complete crap show the fans were 100% puddy in their hands. If the RR had been booked right (aka listening to what the fans actually want instead of forcing crap on us) the fans easily would have made it one of the best events of the year.

The WWE has brought this upon themselves. They are the only game in town so the fans can't do what they did in the mid 90's and vote by turning on another show. Without the fans the WWE doesn't exist, so the fans shouldn't be falling in line with what the WWE wants. I am embarassed that you would even suggest the fans should just follow along with the lame story lines and forced characters we have been putting up with for the last 10 years.

 

[AnAngryHayden]

Did anyone else feel that kevin nash should have came in later and eliminated punk i find that instead of kane eliminating punk it should have been nash because that could have played out to the whole authority storyline by having one of triple h`s best friends come down on his return just to eliminate punk

 

[HeenanGorilla]

Did anyone else feel that kevin nash should have came in later and eliminated punk i find that instead of kane eliminating punk it should have been nash because that could have played out to the whole authority storyline by having one of triple h`s best friends come down on his return just to eliminate punk

Matt Hayden?? Kevin Hayden??

But, good idea! That would have been better, as it would have given Nash a purpose...rather than just a recycled former superstar as a surprise entrant. He, the bull and JBL were nothing but wastes. WWE just doesn't get it.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

I really enjoyed the show but could have done without the crowd from the time Rey came out at #30 till the end. The crowd during that time period was the only negative in an otherwise great show.

Bryan v Wyatt was the clear match of the night. A great physical match that went nearly a half hour long but did not drag at any time. Bray winning was the right call as this sets him up for a major match at Mania and gives sets him up as a future main eventer.

Brock v Show accomplished what it needed. It was short and sweet with a lot of brutality. Also anytime Brock F-5's Show its always a treat as performing that move on a man that size never gets old.

Cena v Orton was a real good match as that is what those two always put on when against each other. I liked that they added each guy hitting the others finisher as a nod to the attitude era when that was done during main events. I was worried that Cena performing a RKO would look terrible but he pulled it off well. Did not see the Wyatt's costing Cena but Cena is a perfect opponent for Bray as Bray showed against Bryan that he can carry a match.

The Rumble itself was average with the memories that will stick with me being Kofi jumping from the barrier to the apron, Roman entering the ring the way he did with that dropkick from the floor to the apron as well as his record eliminations and El Torito actually making me enjoy his time in the match because when I saw him enter the rumble I did not like the idea of him in the match. But the ngatives of the match which pull it to average for me was the bad camera work that spoiled Kane's return to eliminate Punk and the crowd from the #30 spot on taking the event hostage.

 

[Blade]

To weigh in on the crowd situation...

I'm of the belief that the crowd should always respect the wrestlers in the ring. I hate when people chant Goldberg at Ryback, I hate when people chant Husky Harris at Bray Wyatt and I hate when people chant You Can't Wrestle at Cena. A lot of the chanting during the Orton vs. Cena match was disrespectful, for sure. Wrestlers should be appreciated and respected for what they do.

With that said, I completely understand when crowds vent their frustration at shows in instances like the Rumble match. Sure, Bryan was never advertised for the Royal Rumble match. But it seemed to be a safe assumption that he would be in the match, such is his ridiculous popularity at the moment. He didn't have to win, but he should've been in the match because your hottest superstar should be in the biggest multi-man match of the year.

That's where the boos come in. Booing during live events like that is the only way to know that Vince and co. are hearing what the WWE fans wants. He's never going to see what we write on forums. He can't hear our complaints to our friends. If we stop watching, he might know what we dislike, but it doesn't let him know what we do like.

So crowds boo during PPV's and TV's because Vince and co. are sitting in Gorilla position, hearing and seeing what the crowd are saying. Is it unfair on the wrestlers in the ring when they get booed because Daniel Bryan isn't in the ring? Yeah, in some cases. I felt bad for Mysterio last night. But it wouldn't be necessary if we felt like the WWE knows what we want, or if there was an easier way to tell the WWE that we're not happy.

But there isn't, so we have to boo during shows. It's how we tell them that we're not satisfied. And it's WWE's fault as much as it is the crowd's.

 

[salopstick]

I watched live last night in uk

I have just watched a replay with my 6 year old and WWE have heavily altered the sound so the boos and no chant at the end were barely in audible

 

[The Eighties]

Bryan vs Wyatt was a fantastic, we know Bryan can wrestle a broom and make it a good match, but Bray really came into his own here as I hoped he would, the Sister Abigail spot into the barricade was really well executed.

I thought Brock vs Show would be a really decent power match, instead it was an F-5, a punch and about 30 chair shots, very dull.

I felt a bit sorry for Cena and Orton, I've never felt they had much chemistry in the ring and last night was no exception, but the fans were ready to hate it from the get go. At least Orton used some of that to get heat during the match, there wasn't much Cena could do as the face. I figured Bray was gonna cost Cena after his comments on Smackdown, big moment for him and another example of Cena being a guy that is willing to work with guys that aren't made in an effort to elevate them.

The Rumble match was a bit odd as the crowd had this nervy edge about it the whole way through waiting to see if Bryan was going to be in it, the chorus of non stop boos that covered most of the last 10 minutes was unlike anything I've heard before. Someone also botched Kane's spot where he screwed Punk as he came out during JBL's spot. Overall Roman Reigns was made a bigger star and that is cool, Batista winning was very underwhelming though, hopefully there are twists yet to come.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

To weigh in on the crowd situation...

I'm of the belief that the crowd should always respect the wrestlers in the ring. I hate when people chant Goldberg at Ryback, I hate when people chant Husky Harris at Bray Wyatt and I hate when people chant You Can't Wrestle at Cena. A lot of the chanting during the Orton vs. Cena match was disrespectful, for sure. Wrestlers should be appreciated and respected for what they do.

That's true but like in what they said in Gladiator "You Win the Crowd You win your freedom". Bryan has won over the crowd since 2012 and his popularity has grown in an exponential way. What the WWE did to Bryan is pretty much a middle finger to the fans, first they turned him into Wyatt's stepping stone so he can look strong against Cena. Then they snubbed him completely from winning or even entering the Rumble in favor of Batista (whose crowd reaction on RAW was pretty weak).

WWE has always listened to the crowd and I guess they have been deaf all this time. I personally stopped watching the WWE because of what they did to Bryan this Summer/Fall but I decided to check out the Royal Rumble to see if Bryan will get his moment, he didn't and the whole thing just stunned me in disappointment.