WWE Royal Rumble 2015 **Official** General Discussion Aftermath Thread

[MERPER]

Smart? They are huge DB marks and ONLY DB marks, how is that smart?

This year's WM card:
Daniel Bryan vs Rusev for the US title.
Daniel Bryan vs BNB for the Intercontinental title.
Daniel Bryan vs The Usos for the Tag Team titles.
Daniel Bryan vs Nikki Bella for the Diva's title.
Daniel Bryan vs Seth Rollins for the MiTB briefcase.
Daniel Bryan vs Brock Lesner for the World Heavyweight title.
and finally...
Daniel Bryan vs Cena for kicks.

"We're all cheering Daniel Bryan and booing Roman Reigns because we're not sheep!"

Well, let's highlight the words in that last sentence that people in this "smart" crowd should be saying.

"We're all cheering Daniel Bryan and booing Roman Reigns because we're not sheep!"

They wanted one guy over at the expense of literally everyone else on the roster, if the crowds always got what they wanted, why would anyone watch the RR match at all? I paid for and watched a good PPV today(still today here in Oz) that, if ruined by anything, it was the crowd.

Not quite sure what you were watching or what your obsession is with Daniel Bryan. My post had NOTHING to do with him whatsoever.

Hell, I'm not even a huge DB fan.

Yes, the crowd reacted negatively when he got eliminated and rightfully so. They also acted negatively when Ziggler got eliminated after 3 minutes and when Ambrose got eliminated before Kane and Big Show as they realized at that point Reigns had won and they got robbed of an exciting finish.

Bryan was a part of the negative reaction but far from the only reason for it.

 

[Aquaman6686]

The Royal Rumble match this year was like having a sour piece of cheesecake after a delicious meal. Despite EVERY non-World title and Rumble match on the show being a tag team match, we actually got some really good matches this year. But the Rumble match itself was horrible. It was short, with very little in the way of quality in-ring action, with sub-par returns, and was essentially a giant middle finger to the fans. The crowd was WHITE-HOT for Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler, and both were given terrible showings and made to look like jokes. Being live in the arena, I can say that in all my years of going to WWE events, I have NEVER heard such vehemence and NUCLEAR heat towards a wrestler as Roman Reigns got tonight. After Ambrose was eliminated, the crowd was so rabidly anti-Reigns they were even cheering Big Show and Kane over him to win the Rumble. When The Rock can't get you a pop, you're in trouble. WWE is going to have a VERY hard time keeping Reigns as a babyface after the incredibly hostile reaction he got tonight.

 

[BuriedByCena]

I would make the match not be boring. More close calls. All the favorites wouldn't have been buried so quickly. Different winner. I would have scrapped the whole thing with the rock coming out because now I don't like him anymore.

 

[NegativeFeedback]

I did a fantasy booking in the WZF writing gallery. I don't think I would change anything. I did have Mysterio, Bo, RVD, Sheamus and Orton returning though. Only Orton is really important to the match. Everyone else can be replaced by Ryder, Axel, DDP & Bubba.

I was gonna continue it. Write a 4 Raws, 4 SDs and Fast Lane, then doing the same for the RTWM, but I'm feeling very disinterested in wrestling right now. I might not post here in a while after tonight.

 

[Dragonslayer]

Well, to me the Rumble this year showed two things:

1) Seth Rollins has earned his spot in the main event picture.

2) WWE is truly facing a SERIOUS lack of top-tier stars.

Well since the curtain jerkers and undercard were not really of any importance and also nothing spectacular, I'd rather get right down to what to me was the surprise of the evening: The triple threat World Heavyweight Championship match.

Usually, World Title matches at Royal Rumble events tend to be an afterthought, but this year, Lesnar, Cena and Rollins totally stole the show. From Lesnar's early dominance with the awesome double German Suplex to J & J Security, to Lesnar effectively no-selling 3(!) consecutive AA's, Rollins' high-flying antics to the announce table and the corkscrew moon/somersault splash (even if he botched the landing a little), to Lesnar defending in a cool finish segment, I really did love that match, and kudos to all three men involved.

And I keep on being impressed by Seth Rollins. I already always liked him in the Shield, as I always felt he was the most "complete package" of the three, but since the break-up and his push into the main event, boy has he ever taken the ball that was given to him and run with it.

He managed to reach the status of the only legit main event heel in WWE right now (granted with the help of being associated with The Authority), with Rusev coming in a distant second; he's a complete package inside the ring, technically sound with crazy aerial skills but still a pretty large and strong guy (performing a running turnbuckle Powerbomb on a pretty big guy like John Cena with that sort of elevation is no small feat) and has also above-average skills on the mic. Granted, he's no CM Punk in that department, though his hairstyle might suggest otherwise, but he's definitely up there.

Dean Ambrose might be the more naturally gifted on the mic and the overall "performance" side of wrestling, but in my opinion, Rollins did what Roman Reigns couldn't, and that is establish himself as a legit main event player. If you can go toe to toe with WWE's two biggest stars in John Cena and Brock Lesnar, and still manage to NOT look like an afterthought in that match but make people believe you might ACTUALLY pull off the upset, that's a win in my book.

This match, if none before it, definitely put Rollins on the map as the breakout star of the Shield for me - much respect. Good booking for Rollins combined with solid talent, and given enough time to naturally grow into it - that's how you do it.

How you do not do it WWE did prove with Roman Reigns. Of course we all knew this was coming, and admittedly, Reigns had some fine momentum going for him after the Shield-split as well, but I think he really got derailed by his injury. While he was gone, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins just managed to overshadow him, since his "by satellite" promos were naturally less than stellar, and if you're supposed to be the name-taking and a$$-kicking wrestling machine that doesn't really need to talk - and then all you CAN do is talk - that doesn't work so well.

To be honest, I was really surprised that the crowd crapped all over Reigns win the way it did in the end though; you know something's afoot when even after a run-in by The Rock(!) of all people, you still get dead silence as a reaction when you pose for your "I'm going to Wrestlemania"-picture. Sure, it was great to have Daniel Bryan back, but even as a DB supporter, I didn't see him in the main event of Mania this year. Last year was a different story; last year was all about DB vs The Authority. This year, the main event picture was taken up more by Cena/Ambrose/Rollins/Reigns/Lesnar, and quite rightfully, the idea to go with either of those guys for Mania is not without logic.

What WWE didn't account for, though, was that (I believe mostly due to his long absence) Roman Reigns was no longer as over with the crowd as he was half a year ago, and Daniel Bryan's return just came at a very inopportune time for Reigns.

WWE could've either had a) keep Bryan or Reigns or both supposedly "on the shelf" for after the Rumble, and then have either (especially Reigns) or both enter as surprise entrants. That would've elicited a positive response for either, and people probably wouldn't have had so much time to make up their minds before the event that they'd actually prefer Bryan over Reigns in the Mania main event.

Option b) would've been to have Bryan return the Raw after the Rumble, and announce that he's back... and since was unceremoniously stripped of the title, he demands a rematch against Lesnar at Fastlane. That way DB could be back in the main event without having to take the Rumble away from Reigns, and still get a deserved WHC rematch against Lesnar.

Bryan would then lose to Lesnar at Fastlane, putting even more heat on Lesnar (who can handle it better than Reigns since he's a heel and also leaving after Mania), and Reigns could then go on and finally dethrone Lesnar at Mania.

But well, what's done is done - let's see how the crowd reacts to Reigns going to Mania tonight at RAW.

Also, I'm curious as to what happens with Seth Rollins now. It seems it'll be Lesnar vs Reigns and Cena vs Rusev, so where exactly does that leave Seth Rollins? He could probably cash in on Reigns at Mania, after Reigns defeats Lesnar (which would be awesome and immediately set up a Rollins/Reigns feud, into which at some point Dean Ambrose could also be injected), but other than that, I don't see a particular feud on the horizon for him. Current options would be Daniel Bryan (for whatever reason) and Sheamus (again for whatever reason).

But anyway, I digress - my last comment regarding the lackluster Rumble match this year is the lack of top tier talent. The only guys in the whole match that really got a main event level reaction were Daniel Bryan, and to a lesser extent, Dolph Ziggler. And both (especially Dolph) where unceremoniously eliminated way too early, without creating any drama where they might potentially win. Either man should've remained in the final four, since it was too unlikely that either Rusev, Kane or Big Show would win it.

But in truth, there was really not one guy in the Rumble match who'd have been a definite main event player. Randy Orton comes to mind, who was supposedly backstage, but not used in the match for whatever reason. Sheamus would've made a legit contender, but he was out with injury. Cena didn't participate for obvious reasons, and then the list grows really thin. Also, it was nice to see Bully Ray and DDP as surprise entrants, but if you have The Rock there... damn the roof would've blown off if he had ACTUALLY entered the Rumble. He could've worked together with Reigns a bit, getting rid of Big Show and/or Kane before being eliminted by Rusev (giving Rock's "buddy" Cena even more incentive to start a feud with Rusev for Mania), and his presence in the actual match alone would've elevated it - especially since there would have been an outside chance of him actually winning, since Brock vs Rock doesn't look bad on paper (even if it was a long shot for Mania, as both guys wouldn't be around sufficiently to remain WHC).

But alas, in the Rumble match, only Bray Wyatt (in order to set him up dominantly for a potential Taker match), Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns were portrayed as "main event candidates", and out of those, I thought only Bryan got the necessary crowd reaction. WWE definitely needs to build up new main event players, but I don't see them anywhere right now. Let's see how the landscape changes after Mania, but personally I think WWE needs to give Dolph Ziggler another chance at the spotlight in terms of main event faces - right now I don't see anyone else on the cusp of the main event.

 

[MoRtAnDaD]

I probably will get bashed for this, but....

Taking the 30 participants that actually compete on the rumble, knowing that you most beloved guy is going to be eliminated, knowing that last year you faced a almost exactly same scenario, knowing that you will have 3 or 4 fan favorites in the last 6......then i cant understand how wwe cretive team went for the worst route...hell it was harder to made the bad decision than any other options left.

I would have Rusev winning the rumble, yeah, its way better than burn one of your good projects. Rusev can handle the heat, he is a heel, and judging by the reaction lesnar got last night, Rusev (heel) vs Lesnar (kind of face). If lesnar is leaving, you give rusev the winning over lesnar...AND the title....cementing him as THE unstoppable monster. If Lesnar stays, you can have brock crushing rusev streak and showing the world he is the most destructive force in wwe history.

 

[sanefan_har]

Well for one, I wouldn't try to get Titus O' Neil to break Santino's record.

I thought the Rowan appearance was done decently, but what made it suck was the Curtis Axel never bothered going to the ring after that. Neither was there any mention of his status in the rumble.

Also, what the hell was up with putting all the three surprise returns in the first fifteen entries? I would put Boogeyman at 7, DDP at 17, and Bubba Ray at 23. That would've saved us some boos from the crowd, especially Bubba. (BTW if he wrestles a mixed tag team match alongside Summer Rae, I'd watch that.)

I'm not against Reigns winning, I would've booked him to win myself, but not in such a shoddy manner. I'd have him come out no.19, get a slight rub from facing both DDP and Bubba, and have him being the focus of all attacks until Ambrose showed up at his spot.

Also, I'd have booked an NXT tournament and then had Tyler Breeze show up at the Rumble. I'm surprised that no one from NXT even showed up.

Kofi's spot would have also been fixed. That was a lame way of having him avoid elimination.

Last of all, and I know this has been mentioned on multiple threads, book the final four as Bryan, Reigns, Ziggler and Ambrose. Atleast there would be an element of unpredictability.

 

[MoRtAnDaD]

sanefan_har You are absolutely right about NXT, i was hoping for Neville to show up, but probably that would have turned him in the fan favorite to win the match lol.

Just to clarify, at least speaking for myself, theres nothing wrong with Reigns, i think the problem was the booking/timing for the final decision.

 

[jameswalsh292]

I don't have a problem with reigns winning the rumble. What I do have a problem with is how boring and predictable the match was. There was no excitement or suspense for me. Bryan shouldn't have been eliminated so early. Orton should have been involved. Not once did I ever feel a doubt about roman winning, rusev at the end done nothing for me. The last bit with Kane and big show didnt work for me. I just feel there was something missing this year. Could it be lack of star power, lack of creative spots, lack of surprise, lack of doubt about who was going to win? I think a lack of everything. Like I said I don't have a problem with roman winning but it just seems like they could have done so much better. My least favourite rumble was when ADR won but I think this one takes the cake.

To end on a happier note I will say that the title match was fantastic. Fair play to all involved. This match excited me and had me interested. Everything was perfect about the match.

 

[cornerdon26]

There was so much wrong with that Royal Rumble match, it was painful to watch. Especially staying up till 4am in England for it.

1) I have little issue with Reigns winning, my issue is the way he has been booked since The Shield split. He should have been a 'lone wolf' character, mysterious but an ass-kicker. That sort of booking adds intrigue, takes away from the Cena comparisons and helps cover up flaws in his promo work.

2) The first 10 entrants. Of the first 10 only Wyatt was booked well (Bubba was fun, but exited prematurely). Why not throw Barrett, Cesaro, Ziggler or Ryback in early? Make them look strong. The booking of Harper was awful. He should have had 20minute plus.

3) Lack of spots. It was a really boring match, people entered and did nothing. Then just simply thrown over the ropes. There was few exciting eliminations, and few exciting arrivals in the ring.

4) The awful final 4. I felt like my intelligence was insulted. Big Show and Kane were never ever ever ever going to win. The Rusev twist was fun, but he should have lasted longer, but such an anticlimax once he returned. Why not leave Reigns, Ziggler, Rusev and Wyatt. It would have been a bit more interesting.

5) Daniel Bryan situation. Last year they messed up. Whilst I understand not wanting Bryan vs Lesnar why not have Rollins win the title and Bryan win the Rumble? Have Lesnar vs Reigns in a non-title match? Fans would have been happy. Could have elevated Reigns and Rollins. It was just stubborn booking, people cheered Reigns last year as he was different, young and not overexposed.

6) The booking into the Rumble resulted in little intrigue. They need more qualifying matches, more promos should be cut declaring they will win and potential winners need to make a statement beforehand. Everyone knew it would be Reigns or Bryan. Having Bryan go out early was done so people may cheer Reigns, but backfired. As did The Rock. The predictability was painful.

 

[d_henderson1810]

So if the people in the crowd are presented with an awful show, they should not be allowed to react by showing their dislike? That's stupid. Royal Rumble last year was a HORRIBLE show and the fans had every right to react the way they did. I legitimately feel bad for anyone who paid money to be there.




No, it was spoiled because WWE tried to force ideas on the fans that they had no interest in. Bryan SHOULD have been in the Rumble, not in that garbage of a storyline with Wyatt. Batista also should not have won.




No, they got upset because the show SUCKED. There's a difference. If this year's show SUCKS then the fans have a right to express that opinion.




That was pretty obvious. What was also quite obvious was that the fans had no interest in seeing those two close Wrestlemania for the World Heavyweight Championship. WWE instead tried to force that on the fans, while putting Bryan into a pointless feud with Wyatt while giving Batista the Rumble win Bryan deserved. How do the fans not have the right to be upset about that?




How is that boring!? That's the whole POINT of the Royal Rumble!!!!




Really!? The fans had an idea forced on them that they did not like when WWE Creative were clearly ignoring the wrestler who the fans wanted to see succeed. The stubbornness of WWE Creative comes off as immature, while the fans reactions are fully justified. Fans buying tickets to events, subscribing to the Network, purchasing merchandise, and so forth are how the federation earns money. If we don't like the product, they won't make a profit. They should give the people what they want, not force a match on us that no one's interested in. Calling the fans at the Royal Rumble last year immature is absolutely ridiculous.






You can't possibly be serious. The fans owe Rey Mysterio an apology? I don't even like Mysterio and couldn't care less if he's a veteran. I'd have boo'ed too if I was in attendance. I think you are taking this way too seriously and you need to realize that the people in attendance were upset at how much the show sucked. It had nothing to do with Rey. They were boo'ing the show itself, not Rey.




I have a right to cheer or boo for whoever I want. As do you. So does every single person who will be in attendance at the Royal Rumble this year. If the show SUCKS, then they have a right to express said opinion out loud. If WWE want to not have any repeats of what happened at last year's Rumble then they should re-consider any ideas that may ignore fan favorites. They are called "fan favorites" for a reason. They are the guys the fans (the people who the federation's survival depends on) want to see win.




Clearly this cannot be true. If you have watched for as long as you claim to have, you would know by now that the opinions of the fans is what matters more than anything. You claim to know "a lot about how wrestling works" but you showed us exactly the opposite when you made a post about how the fans shouldn't be allowed to boo at an event that SUCKS.




No, but enough reactions from the fans will get them to change things for the better. There's no way that they had planned for Bryan to win at Wrestlemania at this time last year. They changed everything to give the fans what they wanted, which they should have done in the first place. If you make the fans angry by forcing ideas on them that they are not interested in, you risk alienating the very people your company depends on in order to continue existing. So, if you still haven't figured it out, if a show SUCKS, the fans who paid money to be at said show have a right to boo loudly whether you like it or not.

Funny how you never write a post when you love a PPV, and say what a fantastic show it was.

So, tell me, which WWE show have you attended live that you walked away satisfied or more than satisfied?

 

[d_henderson1810]

And what's wrong if he wins every year, especially if he's popular? When Austin was popular, he won 3 Rumbles and main evented, what, 3-4 Manias? So why can't Bryan go ahead and do that?

WWE's obsession with the 'face of WWE' thing is astounding. Instead, why not have 3-4 faces who can fleet in and out as face of the company? Austin and Rock together did great. Why do we need one singular face? You go with the person who's most over and put him in the main matches. That makes money. Reigns is no where close to the most over face on the Roster. He's not even no.2, 3 or 4. Why not take time with him and let him develop?

I enjoyed the Rumble myself. The triple threat was an insane match. Even the pre-show match worked. The Rumble match was, however, underwhelming with not much action happening. Was great to see Bully Ray and DDP. I enjoyed what Bray did, but the second half of the match was poorly booked. I don't have any problems with Reigns winning. I still feel they shouldn't fast track him like they are doing. Hopefully, we'll have a better build as the Road to Mania continues.

See, you contradict yourself.

On one hand, you say what is wrong with Bryan dominating for the next few years, winning Rumbles and headlining WM every year. Yet you say that WWE shouldn't focus on only one "face", but have three or four rotating faces.

Except of course, in your opinion, if the one face they focus on is Daniel Bryan.

What if Ziggler won instead? What if Dean Ambrose won? But they aren't Bryan, so they would be booed as well.

I like Daniel Bryan, but, in one way, I wish he hadn't come back from injury until after WM, so that this year's RR would return to some normality, as fans would already know that Bryan couldn't compete, and it wouldn't be WWE's fault (although you will find some way to blame them anyway).

 

[d_henderson1810]

So if the people in the crowd are presented with an awful show, they should not be allowed to react by showing their dislike? That's stupid. Royal Rumble last year was a HORRIBLE show and the fans had every right to react the way they did. I legitimately feel bad for anyone who paid money to be there.




No, it was spoiled because WWE tried to force ideas on the fans that they had no interest in. Bryan SHOULD have been in the Rumble, not in that garbage of a storyline with Wyatt. Batista also should not have won.




No, they got upset because the show SUCKED. There's a difference. If this year's show SUCKS then the fans have a right to express that opinion.




That was pretty obvious. What was also quite obvious was that the fans had no interest in seeing those two close Wrestlemania for the World Heavyweight Championship. WWE instead tried to force that on the fans, while putting Bryan into a pointless feud with Wyatt while giving Batista the Rumble win Bryan deserved. How do the fans not have the right to be upset about that?




How is that boring!? That's the whole POINT of the Royal Rumble!!!!




Really!? The fans had an idea forced on them that they did not like when WWE Creative were clearly ignoring the wrestler who the fans wanted to see succeed. The stubbornness of WWE Creative comes off as immature, while the fans reactions are fully justified. Fans buying tickets to events, subscribing to the Network, purchasing merchandise, and so forth are how the federation earns money. If we don't like the product, they won't make a profit. They should give the people what they want, not force a match on us that no one's interested in. Calling the fans at the Royal Rumble last year immature is absolutely ridiculous.






You can't possibly be serious. The fans owe Rey Mysterio an apology? I don't even like Mysterio and couldn't care less if he's a veteran. I'd have boo'ed too if I was in attendance. I think you are taking this way too seriously and you need to realize that the people in attendance were upset at how much the show sucked. It had nothing to do with Rey. They were boo'ing the show itself, not Rey.




I have a right to cheer or boo for whoever I want. As do you. So does every single person who will be in attendance at the Royal Rumble this year. If the show SUCKS, then they have a right to express said opinion out loud. If WWE want to not have any repeats of what happened at last year's Rumble then they should re-consider any ideas that may ignore fan favorites. They are called "fan favorites" for a reason. They are the guys the fans (the people who the federation's survival depends on) want to see win.




Clearly this cannot be true. If you have watched for as long as you claim to have, you would know by now that the opinions of the fans is what matters more than anything. You claim to know "a lot about how wrestling works" but you showed us exactly the opposite when you made a post about how the fans shouldn't be allowed to boo at an event that SUCKS.




No, but enough reactions from the fans will get them to change things for the better. There's no way that they had planned for Bryan to win at Wrestlemania at this time last year. They changed everything to give the fans what they wanted, which they should have done in the first place. If you make the fans angry by forcing ideas on them that they are not interested in, you risk alienating the very people your company depends on in order to continue existing. So, if you still haven't figured it out, if a show SUCKS, the fans who paid money to be at said show have a right to boo loudly whether you like it or not.

Now I get why I get modded when I make disparaging remarks about Daniel Bryan. Because you sir are a DB mark and a mod, so you use that to remove posts of anyone who disagrees with you.

Where I come from, that is called "censorship". You want the right to boo at WWE shows. Well I want the right to criticise DB nappy-wearing crybaby fans without you modding me.

 

[MoRtAnDaD]

Having the rock coming out to work as a heat shield (no pun intended) for reings, was disgusting. That sole act degraded Roman to a lvl of "i need to suck my cousin star power".

Honestly, everything they did in the last 20 mins of the PPV, was DESTROY roman reings.

Its not fair for Reigns, he is not great, but he is not awful by any means, they guy is an average guy, with great look. And these guys buried him tonight just because they did everything wrong.

 

[DCLXVI]

Well, me and my friend got together with some beers and a pizza and I had high hopes for this PPV - especially the Rumble just looking forward to seeing some returns/surprise entrants. I haven't been that invested in WWE lately and have been missing the occasional raw.

The best matches on the card were the Lesnar/Rollins/Cena match and the tag match with Cesaro/Kidd and New Day on the pre-show. The Rumble itself was kind of a boring mess and I think a few of the choices were silly - Daniel Bryan being eliminated quickly being one. I'm not even a huge Daniel Bryan fan but that was a little anticlimactic given he's just returned to wrestling and is the most over guy on the roster. I get why they did it - eliminate him early so by the time Reigns wins people have gotten over it... talk about something blowing up in your face. I popped twice during the Rumble - for Bubba (who I really hope has resigned as full time) and DDP getting in there and taking a few bumps and giving the Diamond Cutter. They made Ryback and Ziggler look like shit after this "firing" angle (which I'm not even sure why it was implemented in the first place).

I expected some crowd backlash but I really wasn't expecting Reigns to be crucified that badly. The aftershow segment with The Rock was painfully awkward, he looked a little shook up and Reigns looked like he'd seen a ghost... it was more than obvious he was not ready. He brings up "I'm just gonna have to watch some tape" (emphasizing TAPE) talking about Lesnar... why? Your moveset consists of punches and a Samoan Drop... and why was The Rock so weirdly disrespectful to Tom Phillips who was trying to interview him? It wasn't Heel or Face, just snarky and awkward.

I feel kind of bad for Reigns because I'm sure he's a nice guy in real life, but this exposed him beyond repair for now and I'm glad the crowd let him have it, even though it was pretty brutal. Maybe WWE will listen to the fans next time (doubtful).

If anything, what I took away from the PPV is that it is a real shame Lesnar doesn't wrestle more... he did awesome... and that they need to be extremely careful they don't ruin some guys that have a little bit of momentum now.

 

[FromGlasgow]

I don't know if it was because I had been awake for like 22 hours up till 4am watching it live and lack of sleep was blurring my judgement but I enjoyed the Royal Rumble event it wasn't one of the best ones I had seen but it was enjoyable to watch. The world title match was one of the best matches I had seen for a long time from start to finish and actually felt like I cared about who won for the first time in a long time in a world title match. and royal rumble itself didn't feel predictable with with eliminations and some surprise entrants like Bully Ray, DDP and Boogeyman that I wasn't expecting.

 

[FromGlasgow]

I don't know if it was because I had been awake for like 22 hours up till 4am watching it live and lack of sleep was blurring my judgement but I enjoyed the Royal Rumble event it wasn't one of the best ones I had seen but it was enjoyable to watch. The world title match was one of the best matches I had seen for a long time from start to finish and actually felt like I cared about who won for the first time in a long time in a world title match. and royal rumble itself didn't feel predictable with with eliminations and some surprise entrants like Bully Ray, DDP and Boogeyman that I wasn't expecting.

The only thing I would change is why the winner has to always main event wrestlemania for the world title, It hasn't always happened in 1988 for example Jim Duggan would have wrestled either Hogan or Andre at the main event of Wrestlemania 4 and Big John Studd would have wrestled Hogan at Wrestlemania 5, It takes away any surprise wins and winning it could also help to put to an up and coming wrestler over who isn't quite ready for the main event world title seen or of be used as kind of a last great win towards the end of certain great wrestlers careers which leaves the world title match free to build up a storyline over a longer time

 

[Softcore Holly]

That rumble.....I think the only non-violent way that could have gone any worse is if the arena just emptied out once they hit the final 4. I'm really surprised they didn't have HHH/Steph come out a LOT sooner to try to draw some of the heat their way (Whether or not that would've worked is a different story) because it seems like they expected something like this was going to happen and actually planned for it. I mean on paper their plan was decent: Get DB out early, have a big name heel do it so he gets all the heat and gives the crowd over half the rumble to get over it. And of course have one of the most popular guys in WWE history come out to try make everyone happy, but as we all know that didn't work.

The interesting thing is seeing where does WWE go from here? Despite their seemingly best efforts their hand-picked guy got booed so hard it made Batista winning last year seem like a standing ovulation, and the idea of it happening again at WM31 has to scare the hell out of them. Do they turn him heel like they did for Batista despite how desperately they want him as their next huge face? Do they do a repeat of DB and WM30 just to play it safe? Or do they stick to their guns and take the risk that WM31 doesn't end up like last night did?

All in all I feel for Reigns. He didn't book himself to win the RR and to headline WM31 despite all the signs of it being too soon on top of his injury taking him out for a good chunk of 2014. He didn't ask to be feed to the dogs that people here saw coming for months. And chances are he didn't ask the Rock(or maybe he did, family and all) to come in and not only completely overshadow him but show that not even one of the all time greats could get him cheers. But WWE had to take the extremely long odds and sadly Reigns had to pay for it.

Well least the triple threat match was awesome.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Last night's show was in many ways a mirror of what we saw last year: a pretty solid undercard, one fantastic match and a highly disappointed ending to the Royal Rumble match itself.

The New Day vs. Cesaro & Kidd was a surprisingly good match, much more so than I was expecting from the kickoff show. The reaction Cesaro was getting should have been a big clue to WWE management that this was going to be a hostile crowd if someone that fit Vince's formula of what a top star should be won the Royal Rumble match.

The Ascension vs. The New Age Outlaws was fine for what it was. Nothing much to speak about all in all, a decent 5 minute or so tag match that saw The Ascension gain a decisive victory.

The Divas tag match was, again, pretty decent in my eyes. The girls did a solid job in front of a smark heavy crowd that didn't crucify them.

The WWE World Heavyweight Championship match was awesome, all three men worked their asses off to put on a very physical match with a lot of good storytelling. Rollins is someone who has it, plain & simple. The match would've been damn near perfect without the interference, albeit relatively minor, of J&J Security, but I also like the fact that Rollins took the fight to Lesnar and that we didn't have Show & Kane also try to interfere. They reinforced Lesnar as a beast and having him look so much like a monster would have made a title match build with Daniel Bryan all the more intriguing.

The Royal Rumble match itself was disappointing all in all because the energy went out of the match when Bryan was eliminated. It was nice to see Bray Wyatt have himself a good showing, but the reaction for Reigns winning was exactly what I expected. The moment with The Rock coming out to give Reigns a rub fell flat, it just simply backfired and Vince finds himself in exactly the same spot he found himself in last year: the promise of a title match at WrestleMania that most fans simply aren't interested in because of Vince's defiant booking decisions in spite of what a clear majority of WWE's audience wants.

 

[87wcw87]

I would have the final 10 be Wyatt, Bryan, reigns, ziggler,Ambrose, rusev, ryback,big show, Kane, triple h. Id have triple h be number 30(if undertaker was well id do this a different way). Triple h number 30. Id have it down to triple h, reigns, Bryan, Kane, show. With triple h, show and Kane eliminating most people before the final 5. Reigns is down. On the verge of the authority throwing out Bryan. Lights go out, come on, sting eliminates big show. Has a stare down with Kane. Bryan eliminates Kane, sting eliminates triple h. Lights go off then come on, sting is gone. Triple h, kane and show losing it at ring side. Bryan almost eliminates reigns in final 2 after a running knee while reigns is on the turnbuckle. Only for reigns to be caught mid air by Kane and big show. Id have triple h pedigree Bryan then eliminate him. Kane and big show roll reigns back in making him the winner. Reigns cuts a promo saying he was always part of the authority.

End of rumble

 

[Jack-Hammer]

So you people are only happy if Daniel Bryan wins every Royal Rumble until the end of his career?

I wonder if SCSA and the Rock would have been as big stars with today's fans, as it seems that who the fans love and who the WWE push are never the same people. It almost seems like the fans deliberately pick the opposite to what WWE is doing, and then bitch and moan that WWE doesn't listen to them.

I read reviews, and like always, there is the obligatory "I'm never watching WWE again" or "I cancelled my Network subscription". My answer is- "See you next month".

Because the fact is, you actually don't hate what WWE do. Not really. If you hate something, you want nothing to do with it. That includes posting on message boards about how bad Raw was, or how bad a PPV was (when, you could have only known that if you watched it or read on websites about it, which you wouldn't do if you care anymore).

I know that most of the people booing are just sheep who do what everyone else in the crowd does. If some in the crowd stood on their heads, the others in the crowd would follow as well. I sometimes go against the crowd at shows to troll them, and laugh at their annoyance that their idiot ideas don't get used by WWE.

I liked the Rumble match. There were great returns this year (I hope Bubba Ray has signed full-time). The ring wasn't overcrowded, and interactions between guys made more sense (like the Wyatts in the ring together, or Bray targetting Bryan or Ambrose). The second half wasn't as good, but at least no-one booed No. 30 this year (maybe make Ziggler No. 30 next year, and then not have Bryan in the Rumble at all, and see the stupid IWC fans not know whether to cheer or boo.

I think there are a lot of underlying problems that WWE management seems determined to ignore. I get you don't like Bryan, I'm not gonna bust anybody's chops over who they do or don't like. But even the most ardent anti-Bryan fan has to acknowledge that the man's the most over talent on the roster and has been for quite a while now. He is who the majority of fans are invested in and I'm not just talking about internet or indie fans either. To a lot of fans, he's a breath of fresh air and a great alternative to Vince's formula of the corporate superman being THE face of WWE.

If Bryan hadn't been injured last year, I think it's possible that fans MIGHT have been satisfied if he hadn't won this year as he would've most likely had a very prominent role in the company all last year. Even if he lost the strap to Lesnar, he'd have still found himself at the top tier level of the company.

Also, I think there's a genuinely simple explanation for this in the fact that the tastes of fans have changed and Vince is out of touch with that. Many no longer want to be told to cheer for someone just because he happens to fit the cosmetic requirements Vince McMahon deems important. Plus, there's the idea that's supported by damn near everybody from fans to insiders to wrestlers alike that Roman Reigns just isn't remotely ready for this spot. If he somehow is, then he hasn't shown it by his rapport with the fans, his ability to get them to invest in him and his in-ring ability.

Let's face it; Roman Reigns at this moment in time is coming off like a poor man's substitute for John Cena as he doesn't have Cena's charisma or abilities as a pro wrestler.

 

[MartialHorror]

Part of me think Ziggler should've won, but the rest of me didn't want Ziggler to win. His victory would've had the best pay-off storywise, as Bryan hasn't been around long enough and Reigns is in an irrelevant feud. But even if Reigns had to win, I would've added Ziggler immediately after Bryan was eliminated in order to deflect the heat. NOT have him be taken out in 2 minutes.

I would've had Mizdow turn on Miz after their Tag Team match (or vice versa) and him come out to his original music and persona- albeit as a face. He would then do an awesome job, lasting awhile before being screwed by Miz.

I would've had Bray hide under the ring instead of Rusev, as I think it would fit his character more and have a nice pay-off as he has been resting.

I would've had most of the midcarders and Ryback get eliminated by Big Show and Kane, although Kane himself is taken out by someone. Big Show then forms a reluctant reliance with Rusev and then removes everyone else, including Ziggler and Ambrose. Their past tensions ignite though and they turn on each-other, before Reigns eliminates them both. Then Bray returns and they have an intense fight with Reigns emerging as the victor.

I personally don't think Reigns should've won, but I'm playing ball with the WWE's wishes. They could've potentially deflected heat off him by doing this and it would've been a more satisfying rumble. FEW people came out of this looking good.

 

[GeminiGarlord]

Basically the same as what happened, only Curtis Axel suddenly comes back and just destroys reigns, the rock and rusev, and then goes to wins throwing reigns out of the ring with one hand.

Now that's a swerve.

 

[pepentorresHHH]

Thank God Daniel Bryan does NOT have the ego of a CM Punk.... can you imagine that? people rioting and booing results just because you didnt win? Daniel Bryan, the most over performer in the company by far, would have walked out by far......


But now its kinda becoming a tradition, Royal Rumble comes around, people shit all over the result and for the next few weeks (months?) people bitch, moan and boo everyone, chant bryan`s name during other peoples matches, ruin segments, etc, just because Bryan did not win.

How do you think the guys in the back feel? Daniel Bryan seems like the kind of guy who just does what he is told, and only worries about the performance, not the result. But what about the wrestlers who have to deal with the fans during their segments, you know the ortons, batistas from last year, and this year the roman reigns, big show, kane, authority, etc.

people booing just because they want to boo? it just seems like there would be no motivation to go out there and perform because people will boo it or chant someone elses name. Reigns just had the biggest victory of his career but he had to share the spotlight with the rock and he still got booed

Thoughts?

 

[Rykerzane]

This Philly crowd was so annoying. CM punk, booing reigns, cena, cheering Seth Rollins, booing NEW DAY? Lol what the heck. Look the WWE pushes people just as they always have. But now we have entitled fans that apparently think daniel bryan should get everything.