Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Wrestling: WWE Royal Rumble 2017 - My opinion

A royal rumble which is hard to predict, a lot of rumors of returns form injury and superstars from NXT, this can only be great...


Charlotte Flair(Champion) vs. Baylay

Baylay is challenging Charlotte for the WWE Raw Women's Championship and i just can't get invested in this match. Charlotte has still not lost on a PPV, why would she lose against Baylay. Don't get me wrong, i love Baylay but i do think she needs a better finisher. The match was fine for what it was, a couple of spots that looked kinda botchie. The natural selection on the apron was a nice move. It was an OK match but it didn't feel like the title would change hands because of Charlotte's record on PPV and Baylay needs a few more moves and a bit more time to become big. Charlotte Flair wins.


Kevin Owens(Champion) vs. Roman Reigns

I don't have a lot against gimmick matches, when they make sense. This one is a no dq match with Jericho in a shark cage suspended over the ring. I said to a friend of mine that this is really stupid because since it's No DQ you know that Jericho is going to interfere. My friend said that that wasn't possible. When i saw that they didn't take his belt of him i knew that something was going to happen. He dropped some brass knuckles to Owens. I don't care what he dropped really, it could have been the belt, it wouldn't have made any difference. Having said that, if you can just ignore the shark cage it was a pretty good match. More or less as good a match as AJ Styles vs John Cena, i just enjoyed the Styles vs Cena more. A couple of huge spots, especially the tower of chairs. It was a bit crazy but i think the michinoku driver on a ladder at Money in the Bank was worse. Still, very crazy and cool looking. Reigns is a superman in this match too, kicking out after an insane amount of damage. Even after the brass knuckles. Even after a stunner from Owens(my personal favorite moment of the night). It takes the interference of Braun Strowman to get Reigns down for good. I know they want him too look strong but that's just insane. A bit to much superman Reigns, OK ending, stupid gimmick, great match. Kevin Owens wins.


Rich Swann(Champion) vs. Neville

Neville is challenging Swann for the Cruiserweight Championship. Another match that is kinda hard to care about for me because it is the cruiserweights. WWE has not shown me any reason to watch them outside of PPV. I am a fan of Neville and heel Neville is best Neville, the fact that he won might do so it's worth to check out. To be fair, it was a fine match. A couple of good spots, nothing really insane but the best match i have seen of this iteration of the cruiserweights. Neville Wins.


AJ Styles(Champion) vs. John Cena

This was an amazing match. It started of really slow and maybe a bit boring but it built up nicely. First of all, I am one of those people that has no problem with Cena. He has had his fair share of bad moments and bad decisions but he is in a really good place right now. He doesn't win every match and he helps put some people over. He is not burying so much anymore. AJ Styles is still phenomenal. He was phenomenal when i saw him in TNA, he was phenomenal when i saw him in New Japan and he is still phenomenal(even though i miss the spinal tap). Every bit of Styles is great , from his moves to his selling. A lot of huge spots, a great sunset flip power bomb by Cena(i love when he does that), and great finishers. Let's see what happens going forward with Cena as Champions but it might just be Styles vs Cena at Wrestlemania but i hope they'll add 2 more and make it a fatal 4 way, just because i feel like i have seen Cena vs Styles enough now. This was easily match of the night for me. John Cena wins.


The Royal Rumble

If i get any of this wrong I'm sorry but there is a lot to remember. This is going to be a long one so let's just get to it.


Entry #1 is Big Cass. Not a lot to say about that, i enjoy Big Cass and he is really good at kicking people in the face. We know he isn't going to win, he is part of a solid team and he hasn't done much as a solo wrestler. Love seeing him get to do some spots though.

Entry #2 we've got Chris Jericho. A lot of people were rooting for Jericho to win this rumble which i never thought would happen. The Jericho Owens thing is too good to break when it still works. Maybe at Wrestlemania something happens between them but i think its up to the fans. As long as we as fans are OK with Jericho and Owens they are going to use it which means that they are not going to make him fight Owens at Wrestlemania. Jericho did spend most of his time outside the ring hiding which could have been good if he won. Now it's just a thing he did. Not a strong look for him.

Entry #3 is Kalisto. I don't have a lot of feelings about Kalisto. He's a fun wrestler but was he really going to win. Good showing for him though

Entry #4 is the one and only Mojo Rawley. He had a couple of great moves but he didn't to that much and the he was out. He was in there for a bit but this was their possibility too show us what Mojo is all about. It's a huge show and if I'm not mistaken Ryder is injured. Show us why we should be interested in what Mojo can do. He doesn't need to win but give him some big spots. Let him slam some big names. Let him stay in the Rumble a long time and let Lesnar throw him out. You don't look weak when Lesnar throw you out. Instead he is still seen as Ryders friend.

Entry #5 is Jack Gallagher. I haven't seen much of this guy but in the rumble he was more of a comedic guy. He had an umbrella that he beat people up with(is that a Kingsman thing?). Seen him do it before but it's cool. The he jumps from the top rope with the umbrella for some reason. I still don't know why, maybe to hit someone? And then he was gone. It was kinda funny but not a strong showing for him.

Entry #6 a bit of a surprise, its Mark Henry. It's been rumored that he has been on his way out for a long time but it was kinda fun to see him again. I'm not huge on big guys in the rumble, it is fun right when they come in and go crazy but after that everything becomes really slow. Early entry for Henry would mean that he probably wouldn't win.

Entry #7 is Braun Strowman. It had to be since Sami Zayn is number 8(we knew that from earlier in the show). With the history between them it had to be Strowman, also because they needed someone to take out Henry. Strowman had a great showing at the rumble, he went crazy, threw out a lot of people(both Big Show and Mark Henry if I'm not mistaken). He was more or less a monster and that is awesome.

Entry #8 as said it's Sami Zayn. A OK showing for Sami, nothing new, nothing old but a huge helluva kick to Strowman in the corner.

Entry #9 we need someone to fight with Strowman and its' the Big Show. Big Show looks great, get some great moves in but he wasn't going to win. It is said that he will have a match with Shaq and even if he doesn't have that he wasn't going to last from 9 and win, in my opinion.

Entry #10 surprise, it's Tye Dillinger, The perfect 10. I love Tye Dillinger, i think he is great and he might be ready for the main roster. I would like to see him change his finisher first though. The one thing i that annoys me is that they made him come out at 10. Why have the balls with the numbers and Sami and Ambrose earlier in the show if you are going to tell us that Dillinger is 10. No way he picked that, it fits to well. It broke my immersion completely, sadly. He had a great showing though, with some great spots.

Entry #11 it's goddamn James Ellsworth. They did a «fun» thing between him and Ambrose but was it really necessary to use a spot on Ellsworth? I think there is room for Ellsworth on the roster but to give him a spot in the rumble when there are so many other superstars we wanted in it really sucks.

Entry #12 is Dean Ambrose and we kinda know he won't win. He is number 12, he is the current Intercontinental Champion. He got to do his spots to, dirty deeds, wacky clothesline. Nothing new but it was fine. We just knew the outcome.

Entry #13 we've got Baron Corbin who had a pretty huge rumble. He was the man who got the elimination on Strowman which makes him look strong. He also had some really good high impact moves. Corbin is shaping up to be a really good wrestler.

Entry #14 we've got Kofi Kingston. The biggest thing with Kofi is to see how he would avoid elimination in the rumble. There has been things like pogoing in a chair, and walking around the outside on his hands. Was he ever going to win? Doubtful as long as he is in a tag team.

Entry #15 Aaaawesome, its The Miz. I've become a huge fan of The Miz through out 2016 and he was also one of the people i would have liked to see win the rumble. After The Miz lost the Cruiserweight title it seemed natural for him to go into the main event scene. He is one the best, if not the best heel on the roster right now. We'll see if he gets in there after Wrestlemania then.

Entry #16 is Sheamus and he is probably not a happy man having lost the Raw Tag Team Championship on the Pre-show. The most notable thing he was a part of was when he and Cesaro eliminated all three members of The New Day at the same time. And then he turned on Cesaro and tried too throw him out which resulted in them both getting eliminated by Jericho. Don't think they are going to be a team for much longer.

Entry #17 it's Big E. I don't remember him doing much, which is probably not a good sign. He did do a splash on another superstar with the help of Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston. Got thrown out by Cesaro and Sheamus.

Entry #18 is Rusev with a mask because apparently he broke his nose earlier that week, don't know if that was real or not but he looked a bit silly. He came in, kicked someone, got thrown out by Goldberg.

Entry #19 and its Cesaro. He comes in and just uses the giant swing, or Swiss swing or whatever we are calling it now on everyone he can find. He almost does it to Sheamus but he is interrupted by other wrestlers before anything happens there. He doesn't do much more until he and Sheamus eliminate The New Day. This is also one of those guys i would have liked to see win. I mean why not, the lost the Tag Team Championship, he is a very very good wrestler. Why not push him into the main even scene and see what he can do?

Entry #20 It's the last member of The New Day, Xavier Woods. Biggest thing he did is to get eliminated as a team when Cesaro and Sheamus threw the entire New Day out at once. That's really to bad because he is a really good wrestler. I think he might be used to little in general.

Entry #21 Oh my it's Bray Wyatt. He was kinda silent this rumble, but he went far and hopefully some people will remember that. He was another one of those i would have like to see win. He should get a shot at the Main Event scene, with or without the rest of the family. Either way, it's going to be interesting too see what happens if Orton takes the Championship at Wrestlemania. Can Wyatt demand it from him? Will Orton give it too him. Will Orton turn on Wyatt?

Entry #22 It's Apollo Crews. He enters does a couple of things, gets thrown out by Harper, very forgettable.

Entry #23 It's the Viper Randy Orton. He comes in and RKOs a couple of guys. Then he helps Wyatt up so you know they are still on the same page. After that its just the regular stuff. Until the end.

Entry #24 is Dolpe Ziggler and he comes in, goes a bit crazy, superkicks a bunch of dudes then he kinda disappears to the back and all of the sudden he was out of the rumble.

Entry #25 it's Luke Harper. There is a pretty big storyline between Harper, Wyatt and Orton going on, or it might be resolved now. Who know, we'll see this week i guess. Anyway, Harper had a mediocre showing. It could have been way better. I was actually kinda pulling for Harper to win. If you have seen Harper actually wrestle you can see he is not bad, and if he is breaking from the Wyatt group that would make him a solo guy so why not push him a bit.

Entry #26 is The beast incarnate Brock Lesnar. Lesnar just came in and threw a bunch around the ring, some even went to the outside. At number 26 this is a really late entry, and we know that there are two more big guys coming in The Undertaker and Goldberg. This is the point that i put my hope in that number 30 will be someone really cool. A lot of rumors and hype to fulfill.

Entry #27 is of course Enzo Amore. Who else? And who is standing tall in the ring after destroying everyone? Lesnar. Enzo more or less walked to the ring, talked smack, got run over and got sent out. Easy as that. That's another spot where i feel they could have done something more, and maybe with someone else.

Entry #28 Ohhhh it's Goldberg. This is what we have been waiting for, again. Lesnar, Goldberg. What can happen? Well, Goldberg runs in, spears Lesnar and send him to the floor. I don't have a big issue with this since i think they will clash again, most likely at Wrestlemania. But i got to hand it to WWE, brave too do that twice on something so hyped.

Entry #29 and the sound of the bell rings through the arena, it's The Undertaker. Lesnar might be gone but Goldberg is still there to welcome The Undertaker. The have an epic staredown and then all the other wrestlers jump in and starts beating both Undertaker and Goldberg so we never see them clash. Undertaker ends up throwing Goldber out but he himself gets eliminate by entry #30.

Entry #30 is Roman Reigns. This is the one that pissed the most people off. I immediately lost interest in the rumble. Of everyone we wanted to see, the big dog was probably way down on that list. Then something happened, the big dog threw out Undertaker. The ring is know as Undertakers yard, but its also The big dogs yard. Undertaker went out and was staring at Reigns, Reigns staring back. The reason why i like this is that i think Reigns will go heel, Undertaker will challenge Reigns for a match because he threw him out of the rumble at Wrestlemania and it will be for Undertakers career. Reigns will beat Undertaker on Wrestlemania and forcing Undertaker to retire, all doing it heel-style. That would be explosive. If they don't do this then i don't know why he was number 30.

Randy Orton wins the Royal Rumble 2017

Oh my, that was way more than I thought it would be...


What I think this means going forward.....

I'm not sure what will happen between Charlotte and Baylay. As i said earlier i think Baylay needs a bit of a better move-set, or at least a better finisher, and then she is good to go. Charlotte is as good as ever and ready for who ever will try next. I guess maybe Emmalina will challenge her. Or maybe Nia Jax.

I don't think Owens and Reigns will fight again. Well, maybe at Fastlane but i doubt they will go into Wrestlemania with a match against each other. As i wrote earlier i think and kinda hope for it to be Reigns against The Undertaker. I don't know who will be coming for Owens title now but maybe , if we are lucky, it could be Finn Bàlor.

John Cena winning the title from AJ Styles might be because they wanted to give him that sixteenth run, which is fine by me. He deserves it. He has been very good for WWE and for his fans. I think Styles will get the title back, maybe as early as Elimination Chamber. As i said earlier, it might just be Cena vs Styles at Wrestlemania and if that's the case i hope they make it a fatal 4-way or something like that.

Randy Orton as winner is fine, i just don't understand why. Is it so the Wyatt stable would run things for a bit if Orton wins? If Harper had won the rumble he could have won a title and then Orton and Wyatt could have come for him with a final confrontation at Wrestlemania. That gives you time to see if Harper would be a good champion and if not you could give away the title on Wrestlemania to either Orton or Wyatt.

Either way, the reason for me that this royal rumble was a bit of a dud is that the was so many expectations and they gave us none of them. I hoped for a winner i didn't see coming. I hoped for surprises. There has been a ton of rumors too so a lot of people were hoping for something really special. Maybe Samoa Joe, Kenny Omega, Shinsuke Nakamura, Rey Mysterio, Finn Bálor. But non of them was there. When you hope for that much and get nothing you are going to be disappointed. Having said that i though it actually was a pretty decent event. AJ Styles vs John Cena and Kevin Owens vs Roman Reigns was great matches, and even if i didn't get what i wanted in the Royal Rumble I'm really excited to see where this takes us now. Only 2 weeks until Elimination Chamber, please be good.

My big question for you out there who don't agree with how WWE did this is, how should they have done it?


Until next time, be excellent to each other


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