WWE Royal Rumble 2014
WWE Royal Rumble 2014
Pittsburgh, PA
January 26, 2014
This review has spoilers if you haven't seen the show, you've been warned.
Pre-Show Match:
WWE Tag Team Titles Match
The Brotherhood(c) vs New Age Outlaws - No Rating, because I didn't see it, but from the recaps seems like it was a good match, quite surprised they gave the titles to NAO.
Daniel Bryan vs Bray Wyatt - 7/10
Great match overall, I think that ever since debuting, it was this match where Bray finally got a chance to shine, both Bryan and Bray were just spot on. Wrong man went over IMO, but knowing understandable.
Brock Lesnar w/Paul Heyman vs The Big Show - 3/10
5 Minutes of chair shots, 3 minutes of tossing each other around, another 5-10 minutes of chair shots. I would have totally rated this as a segment, but to do this in a PPV was pointless, should have worked for RAW.
WWE World Heavyweight Title Match
Randy Orton (c) vs John Cena - 5/10
This match is a bit hard to review, because it wasn't necessarily bad, but it was the same shit all over again, a little different things here and there, but nothing to call home about. Orton and Cena started to steal each other's finishers, which I think it's a move that should not be wasted on a one time PPV with not much heat going in.
Finally.
The Royal Rumble Match - Overall rating: 6/10
I'm not gonna go into the whole Daniel Bryan thing, it's simple, WWE dropped the ball on one of the greatest underdog/cinderella stories ever. They fucked up. But overall, the rumble itself wasn't bad, not the best, there was a lack of history making spots, but it was good. I'm gonna go into reviewing what each entrant did now
Note: gonna reference a lot of the incoming RAW.
1. CM Punk - He was pretty much solid during the whole rumble, which he almost went start to finish. He connected some GTS here and there, had a funny spot with Torito, and overall greatness. His final moments were awesome, making him look stronger than the final three, but unfortunately got eliminated by Kane. His elimination is where you can pin point the final frustration of the fans. Also, for the first time ever, i think the announcers table broke for Punk.
2. Seth Rollins - Rollins was fantastic in the rumble, my second choice to MVP of the match, personally I thought he did better than Ambrose and Reigns.
3. Damien Sandow - Nothing really relevant from Sandow, not bad, but nothing memorable. I would swear that Sandow wasn't supposed to be eliminated there and he simply slipped.
4. Cody Rhodes - Cody went straight for Sandow, which I think was pretty awesome. Sadly it didn't last. Cody had a good participation in the rumble, he was one of the most featured to be taking on Shield and other bad guys.
5. Kane - Holy. Facking. Shit. DAT KANE! Shirtless Corporate Kane is officially the scariest Kane ever. Dude is ripped and he just looked pissed off and imposing. He's like a James Bond/Jason Staham villain. Was unfortunately eliminated too early.
6. Alexander Rusev - Oh! an NXT debut of someone that no one will know off and won't be featured in tomorrow's RAW. If you wanted ratings for NXT, have Neville come in and go flippy on everyone. Having said that, Rusev was impressive in his debut and had a good showing.
7. Jack Swagger - Filler really, tho he did get in a small face to face with Rusev, that looked pretty awesome. Someone should have sold it as Swagger wanting to deport Rusev.
8. Kofi Kingston - Typical Kofi, was just in there to do some spots here and there. Made me wish Morrison was back.
9. Jimmy Uso - He came and left, irrelevant participation.
10. Goldust - Normal showing, i thought this was a wasted spot, should have gone to someone else. Only relevant thing about Goldy was eliminating Cody, but hey, not a single mention of it on tomorrow's RAW.
11. Dean Ambrose - Ambrose was solid, not bad, but not the best either, he was the least entertaining from the Shield, yet a key participant. He tried to eliminate Reigns, unfortunately, no one really cared about it.
12. Dolph Ziggler - Ziggler had a great crowd reaction, they were happy he was back and in the rumble, sadly he didn't really do much nor he lasted much. How hard he has fallen.
13. R-Truth - Irrelevant entry, got eliminated before the next entrant.
14. Kevin Nash - meh, it was fun two years ago, not so much anymore. The nostalgia effect should had been either Jake Roberts, IRS (the show was sponsored by Jackson Hewitt for god's sake!), or DDP. This is obviously considering that Ultimate Warrior, Hogan, nor Sting are available to enter.
15. Roman Reigns - The Samoan Superman (the nickname i'm gonna start calling him). He broke Kane's elimination record, which i don't like, at this rate, he's gonna end Taker's streak. Expect him to be shove down your throats the next 10 yrs. At least it seems a lot of people are into him. Having said that, he wasn't bad, he was actually pretty good inside the rumble, i wasn't a fan of him being the last elimination, but it seems to be something that WWE will do often with Del Rio and Sheamus winning rumbles, Ryback being the last elimination last year. But if he is to become the new top guy, pairing him against the hated Batista was smart move, it's a good start.
16.The Great Khali - Mr Awkward Eliminations. I know he's supposed to look imposing in the rumble, but he's not, he hasn't been for a long time, stop adding him in to the rumble.
17. Sheamus - Perfect timing for a great crowd reaction. Overall Sheamus had a pretty good rumble going all the way to the final three and at one point taking out all the Shield.
18. The Miz - See Sandow.
19. Fandango - See R-Truth.
**The Daniel Bryan Chants start to grow and grow**
20. El Torito - I'm usually not one for comedy, but i like this small segment. The face of Ambrose and the little thing he did with Punk were worth the entry spot. He's also supposedly the smallest person to enter the rumble, so you know you'll be hearing Cole say that for the next 20 yrs. Oh, and he eliminated Fandango. Facepalm.
21. Antonio Cesaro - My personal MVP. He was in for a short time, but he made it worth. He took on everyone and had some decent hits here and there. His elimination took the whole Shield. Seconds after coming in, Cesaro hits the big swing on Rollins, the camera started to zoom in and out. I almost puked.
22. Luke Harper - Harper by himself wasn't all that much, he played the big guy perfectly, but it wasn't until Rowan came out that they really started to shine a bit more. Unfortunately, not even like that they did much, their small little brawl with the Shield got distracted by Ryback's entrance.
23. Jey Uso - Runs in the family. Completely irrelevant.
24. JBL - The crowd popped, and we didn't even get a clothesline from hell. "You still got it" chants were wonderful. Trivia, according to Cole, this was the JBL debut in the rumble.
25. Erick Rowan - Like i said with Harper, Rowan had a good showing as a tag team, separately, they were just big guys out there
26. Ryback - Had a great showing for the small amount of time inside the ring. He looked like a main eventer coming in, decimating, and getting in people's faces.
27. Alberto Del Rio - See Ryback.
28. Batista - It was funny, the crowd kinda started to cheer but quickly realize they hate Batista. His performance was dreadful really, he connected a really bad looking spear, he took an air-kick from Del Rio with poor selling.
29. Big E Langston - Good reaction even when the crowd is already going crazy expecting for Daniel Bryan. Big E had a really short participation, but at least he took down Batista and Sheamus impressively.
**At this point is worth mentioning that the crowd only wants one man to come out, everything after this will be complete hate by the fans, it's cringe worthy hearing the hate and the announcers having to ignore all that's happening, the wrestlers hearing that and having to just endure it. I could imagine that every guy getting eliminated would be relieved to go to the back and not have to stay out there longer. It really is something worth watching.**
30. Rey Mysterio - Can't remember the last time the boos sounded so strong. Read out there that they sent Rey because he was likely the only superstar to dissipate the hate as much as possible, but it wasn't enough. Rey's performance was actually a bit bad, he didn't botch or anything, but he just looked sloppy.
At the end of the show, Cole is trying to explain what Batista is saying. "I'm gonna be champion, deal with it". well, fuck you too.
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
Regardless of the terrible booking (as bad as the Finger Poke Of Doom IMO), it was a bad show wrestling wise too, a terrible start of the year for WWE. However, you should go and check out the Rumble itself, just the things that transpire in the second half are worth watching for wrestling historians. This night will be remembered in years to come, and not for the good things.
Pittsburgh, PA
January 26, 2014
This review has spoilers if you haven't seen the show, you've been warned.
Pre-Show Match:
WWE Tag Team Titles Match
The Brotherhood(c) vs New Age Outlaws - No Rating, because I didn't see it, but from the recaps seems like it was a good match, quite surprised they gave the titles to NAO.
Daniel Bryan vs Bray Wyatt - 7/10
Great match overall, I think that ever since debuting, it was this match where Bray finally got a chance to shine, both Bryan and Bray were just spot on. Wrong man went over IMO, but knowing understandable.
Brock Lesnar w/Paul Heyman vs The Big Show - 3/10
5 Minutes of chair shots, 3 minutes of tossing each other around, another 5-10 minutes of chair shots. I would have totally rated this as a segment, but to do this in a PPV was pointless, should have worked for RAW.
WWE World Heavyweight Title Match
Randy Orton (c) vs John Cena - 5/10
This match is a bit hard to review, because it wasn't necessarily bad, but it was the same shit all over again, a little different things here and there, but nothing to call home about. Orton and Cena started to steal each other's finishers, which I think it's a move that should not be wasted on a one time PPV with not much heat going in.
Finally.
The Royal Rumble Match - Overall rating: 6/10
I'm not gonna go into the whole Daniel Bryan thing, it's simple, WWE dropped the ball on one of the greatest underdog/cinderella stories ever. They fucked up. But overall, the rumble itself wasn't bad, not the best, there was a lack of history making spots, but it was good. I'm gonna go into reviewing what each entrant did now
Note: gonna reference a lot of the incoming RAW.
1. CM Punk - He was pretty much solid during the whole rumble, which he almost went start to finish. He connected some GTS here and there, had a funny spot with Torito, and overall greatness. His final moments were awesome, making him look stronger than the final three, but unfortunately got eliminated by Kane. His elimination is where you can pin point the final frustration of the fans. Also, for the first time ever, i think the announcers table broke for Punk.
2. Seth Rollins - Rollins was fantastic in the rumble, my second choice to MVP of the match, personally I thought he did better than Ambrose and Reigns.
3. Damien Sandow - Nothing really relevant from Sandow, not bad, but nothing memorable. I would swear that Sandow wasn't supposed to be eliminated there and he simply slipped.
4. Cody Rhodes - Cody went straight for Sandow, which I think was pretty awesome. Sadly it didn't last. Cody had a good participation in the rumble, he was one of the most featured to be taking on Shield and other bad guys.
5. Kane - Holy. Facking. Shit. DAT KANE! Shirtless Corporate Kane is officially the scariest Kane ever. Dude is ripped and he just looked pissed off and imposing. He's like a James Bond/Jason Staham villain. Was unfortunately eliminated too early.
6. Alexander Rusev - Oh! an NXT debut of someone that no one will know off and won't be featured in tomorrow's RAW. If you wanted ratings for NXT, have Neville come in and go flippy on everyone. Having said that, Rusev was impressive in his debut and had a good showing.
7. Jack Swagger - Filler really, tho he did get in a small face to face with Rusev, that looked pretty awesome. Someone should have sold it as Swagger wanting to deport Rusev.
8. Kofi Kingston - Typical Kofi, was just in there to do some spots here and there. Made me wish Morrison was back.
9. Jimmy Uso - He came and left, irrelevant participation.
10. Goldust - Normal showing, i thought this was a wasted spot, should have gone to someone else. Only relevant thing about Goldy was eliminating Cody, but hey, not a single mention of it on tomorrow's RAW.
11. Dean Ambrose - Ambrose was solid, not bad, but not the best either, he was the least entertaining from the Shield, yet a key participant. He tried to eliminate Reigns, unfortunately, no one really cared about it.
12. Dolph Ziggler - Ziggler had a great crowd reaction, they were happy he was back and in the rumble, sadly he didn't really do much nor he lasted much. How hard he has fallen.
13. R-Truth - Irrelevant entry, got eliminated before the next entrant.
14. Kevin Nash - meh, it was fun two years ago, not so much anymore. The nostalgia effect should had been either Jake Roberts, IRS (the show was sponsored by Jackson Hewitt for god's sake!), or DDP. This is obviously considering that Ultimate Warrior, Hogan, nor Sting are available to enter.
15. Roman Reigns - The Samoan Superman (the nickname i'm gonna start calling him). He broke Kane's elimination record, which i don't like, at this rate, he's gonna end Taker's streak. Expect him to be shove down your throats the next 10 yrs. At least it seems a lot of people are into him. Having said that, he wasn't bad, he was actually pretty good inside the rumble, i wasn't a fan of him being the last elimination, but it seems to be something that WWE will do often with Del Rio and Sheamus winning rumbles, Ryback being the last elimination last year. But if he is to become the new top guy, pairing him against the hated Batista was smart move, it's a good start.
16.The Great Khali - Mr Awkward Eliminations. I know he's supposed to look imposing in the rumble, but he's not, he hasn't been for a long time, stop adding him in to the rumble.
17. Sheamus - Perfect timing for a great crowd reaction. Overall Sheamus had a pretty good rumble going all the way to the final three and at one point taking out all the Shield.
18. The Miz - See Sandow.
19. Fandango - See R-Truth.
**The Daniel Bryan Chants start to grow and grow**
20. El Torito - I'm usually not one for comedy, but i like this small segment. The face of Ambrose and the little thing he did with Punk were worth the entry spot. He's also supposedly the smallest person to enter the rumble, so you know you'll be hearing Cole say that for the next 20 yrs. Oh, and he eliminated Fandango. Facepalm.
21. Antonio Cesaro - My personal MVP. He was in for a short time, but he made it worth. He took on everyone and had some decent hits here and there. His elimination took the whole Shield. Seconds after coming in, Cesaro hits the big swing on Rollins, the camera started to zoom in and out. I almost puked.
22. Luke Harper - Harper by himself wasn't all that much, he played the big guy perfectly, but it wasn't until Rowan came out that they really started to shine a bit more. Unfortunately, not even like that they did much, their small little brawl with the Shield got distracted by Ryback's entrance.
23. Jey Uso - Runs in the family. Completely irrelevant.
24. JBL - The crowd popped, and we didn't even get a clothesline from hell. "You still got it" chants were wonderful. Trivia, according to Cole, this was the JBL debut in the rumble.
25. Erick Rowan - Like i said with Harper, Rowan had a good showing as a tag team, separately, they were just big guys out there
26. Ryback - Had a great showing for the small amount of time inside the ring. He looked like a main eventer coming in, decimating, and getting in people's faces.
27. Alberto Del Rio - See Ryback.
28. Batista - It was funny, the crowd kinda started to cheer but quickly realize they hate Batista. His performance was dreadful really, he connected a really bad looking spear, he took an air-kick from Del Rio with poor selling.
29. Big E Langston - Good reaction even when the crowd is already going crazy expecting for Daniel Bryan. Big E had a really short participation, but at least he took down Batista and Sheamus impressively.
**At this point is worth mentioning that the crowd only wants one man to come out, everything after this will be complete hate by the fans, it's cringe worthy hearing the hate and the announcers having to ignore all that's happening, the wrestlers hearing that and having to just endure it. I could imagine that every guy getting eliminated would be relieved to go to the back and not have to stay out there longer. It really is something worth watching.**
30. Rey Mysterio - Can't remember the last time the boos sounded so strong. Read out there that they sent Rey because he was likely the only superstar to dissipate the hate as much as possible, but it wasn't enough. Rey's performance was actually a bit bad, he didn't botch or anything, but he just looked sloppy.
At the end of the show, Cole is trying to explain what Batista is saying. "I'm gonna be champion, deal with it". well, fuck you too.
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
Regardless of the terrible booking (as bad as the Finger Poke Of Doom IMO), it was a bad show wrestling wise too, a terrible start of the year for WWE. However, you should go and check out the Rumble itself, just the things that transpire in the second half are worth watching for wrestling historians. This night will be remembered in years to come, and not for the good things.