The Official Royal Rumble 2017 Discussion Thread - Brought to you by Wolf Cola

[Savio]

YESSSSSSSSSSS IT'S "NOT REIGNS"

[Lock Jaw]

Was really hoping the rumours of Orton winning the Rumble was not true, because it is stupid as F

[Dark One]

Rapidly approaching one star.

[Crimson]

Yessssssss

[Frank Drebin]

This is probably the worst rumble ever. Just because it isn't Roman doesn't mean it isnt.

[RP]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[KIRA]

Gonna be Philly all over again

[Maluco]

Haha great finish at least

[Crimson]

Better than Reigns at least

[Ruien]

WYATT FAMILY MATTERS!

[Locke]

It sends the message that you should take your job seriously and second place doesnt deserve to be celebrated
The basis for their feud would just be "You eliminated me at the Royal Rumble"

[Theo Dious]

Damn that was amazing.

[RP]

Anyone but Reigns

[Triple A]

That was fine I guess

[Destor]

Really smart finish

[road doggy dogg]

\_0__/

[Locke]

This is probably the worst rumble ever. Just because it isn't Roman doesn't mean it isnt.No dude the one that SlickyTrickyDamon made a "tout" for

[KIRA]

Whew

[GD]

Better than Roman

[#1-norm-fan]

Damn. Meltzer was right.

[Emperor Smeat]

:fu: Reigns tossing out Bray. Cost me Tipsters points.

:lol: at how anti-climatic Rumble's ending was. Legit like an RKO with it coming OUTTA NOWHERE instead of the usual staredown and mini-brawl.

[Evil Vito]

And the betting odds win again.

[Locke]

Wrestlemania-level pyro there

[Ruien]

Why is everyone sitting on the Rumble? I was invested the entire time. Besides for Angle not showing up it was amazing.

[Dark One]

What a turd of a Rumble, despite OMG SO MANY BIG NAMES REMEMBER THE RUMBLE.

Surprises were like Enzo and Ellswoth, and Reigns.

All the big names they built the show around were in the Rumble for like... three minutes.

[road doggy dogg]

POINTING SEASON

[Frank Drebin]

Breaking news:

Randy Orton violates wellness policy for third time.

[Sixx]

wanted someone new to win, when it was down to 3 i was rooting for bray.

but, still better than roman winning.

[Destor]

The basis for their feud would just be "You eliminated me at the Royal Rumble"
So like...the beginning of every great sports rivalry.

"I hate *insert team here* they beat us at *insert event here*"

[Locke]

I fucking smoked Jari tonight

[#1-norm-fan]

Pretty awful rumble but Orton winning is cool.

[road doggy dogg]

I for one am excited to do some Orton poses at the WM main event... 'ell yeah

[Theo Dious]

So for the first time in history banning someone from an arena worked.

[Dark One]

Why is everyone sitting on the Rumble? I was invested the entire time. Besides for Angle not showing up it was amazing.

Hey, if you enjoyed it, good on you. I was invested to, but for a payoff that never really happened, and not even just because I was looking for like Angle or anything. Just some kind of surprise or suspense.

[Locke]

So like...the beginning of every great sports rivalry.

"I hate *insert team here* they beat us at *insert event here*"
Yeah and something "reasonable" like that has no place in the world of professional wrestling

[slik]

Orton is winning I bet

Bray will win belt at EC

Bray/Orton/Cena at WM?
Taker/Roman
Shane/AJ
Lesnar/Goldberg

[road doggy dogg]

I haven't watched in many months etc. so w/e @ my opinion, but I'm kind of excited to see Orton main event I guess... idk. Evolution is a mystery

[Jazzy Foot]

Please no more Goldberg v Lesnar.

Disappointed neither Goldberg or Taker won. Building a feud between Cena and Taker would have been good. But there's still Elimination Chamber and another PPV too so who knows both men may end up in the title picture somehow?

[Evil Vito]

I was thinking the betting odds would finally get one wrong because Orton wasn't hyped as a Rumble favorite or anything at all going in. But the late money always comes in in the hours leading to the show. I'd have to think some people who work inside the company are making serious bank.

[Afterlife]

What a load of nothing.

[Theo Dious]

Wait a damn second.

This better not give us Orton vs Cena at Mania.

[Locke]

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Locke (http://tpwwforums.com/member.php?u=18325) <table class="tborder" width="100%" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="6" border="0"><tbody><tr><td class="alt1">
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</td> </tr><tr><td class="alt1"> Jari (http://tpwwforums.com/member.php?u=16949) </td><td class="alt1">48 (http://tpwwforums.com/search.php?do=finduser&userid=16949&searchthreadid=132819)</td></tr></tbody></table>

[Theo Dious]

What a load of nothing.

What a load of fuck you.

[Jazzy Foot]

I think at WM it ought to be Orton v Goldberg and Cena v Taker. Goldberg winning the belt at one of the PPVs.

Or Goldberg v Lesnar v Orton?

[Ruien]

Bray will win belt at EC

Bray/Orton/Cena at WM?
Taker/Roman
Shane/AJ
Lesnar/Goldberg

Wait what? They will actually give the belt to Bray? That will be amazing.

[Triple A]

Wait a damn second.

This better not give us Orton vs Cena at Mania.

Bray Wyatt gonna prob win "the strap" according to "Meltzer"... wyatt vs orton

[road doggy dogg]

So.

Cena drops title to Wyatt at Elimination Chamber, then Orton/Wyatt at WM? I'd be okay with that

[Theo Dious]

Why is everyone sitting on the Rumble? I was invested the entire time. Besides for Angle not showing up it was amazing.

Because assholes.

[road doggy dogg]

Bray Wyatt gonna prob win "the strap" according to "Meltzer"... wyatt vs orton

nice @ if he actually said that

would be "kinda excited" to see that...

[NoJabbaNoBogRoll]

Hadn't watched any wrestling in about 10 months... until tonight.

That was a really boring Royal Rumble match.

See you next year, I suppose.

[rob11]

One of the most stacked Rumbles ever and they dropped the ball. I don't mind Orton winning although I would have preferred Jericho but that's fine. Never even got to see the Taker/Goldberg/Lesnar stare down. No returns. Not as bad as 2014 or 2015 but below average in terms of comparing it to the better Rumbles. Once Taker was eliminated you could hear the crowd pissed off. I was thinking of going to 2018 but I bet it will be Reigns again in the final two. Seriously, with a Rumble that stacked, how could they blow it? They found a way.

[Theo Dious]

They trolled us. Every one of us was convinced Reigns was going to win for athe least a second.

[Afterlife]

Hadn't watched any wrestling in about 10 months... until tonight.

That was a really boring Royal Rumble match.

See you next year, I suppose.

Thanks for playing! :wave:

[Sixx]

suck there were no really shocking entrants.

[Evil Vito]

I suppose the bad thing about this is that it guarantees Orton's going back to face officially. I mean it would've been the case anyway had he been wrestling Wyatt in a regular match but man, he's been so lovingly refreshing as a heel that I would've been okay with him staying a Wyatt until SummerSlam or something.

Oh, and Taker/Reigns. Not interested in that in the slightest.

[Emperor Smeat]

Rumble's undercard was pretty great but Rumble match itself was really average. Wasn't as horrible as the past few years for winners or match in general but really didn't feel special either. Lack of real surprises hurt but something about the flow felt really off for most of it.

Reigns was a waste at #30 not just because its Reigns but because WWE is probably going to rush through the Strowman-Reigns feud just to get to Taker-Reigns which will hurt Strowman the most.

[DrA]

DrA how do you count joint eliminations?

I'll just count them as one for both.

[#1-norm-fan]

They really could have used some big surprise entries in the first 25.It was just filler after filler after filler.

[The CyNick]

Great show top to bottom.

One of the better Rumbles in history, cool finish. Set the table for Mania programs. Can't ask for much more than that.

[RP]

Great show top to bottom.

One of the better Rumbles in history, cool finish. Set the table for Mania programs. Can't ask for much more than that.

The Rumble was horrible. One of the worst booked Rumbles i've ever seen.

[Simple Fan]

Just finished watching. Only watched the two championship matches and the Rumble and they were all pretty good. Styles vs Cena was a great match. Rumble was great until Roman came out number 30. They chose the wrong Samoan if Reigns wasn't going to win. Place would have exploded for Samoa Joe. Didn't really agree with Enzo being in the match either but other than that I liked the match.

[Savio]

I think it was smart having reigns at #30, what better way to make us cheer Orton than eliminating Reigns.

I am Happy Orton won as long as it leads to Orton vs Bray at Mania. Not Orton vs Cena.

[Sixx]

there were like 25 guys mostly chilling on the mat and 5 doing all the squashing every now and then.

[#1-norm-fan]

Lack of real surprises hurt but something about the flow felt really off for most of it.

Yeah. First 50 minutes or so just felt like it didn't matter. Like they were coasting through it and just wasting time til the "big dogs" came out.

[Evil Vito]

Reigns being #30 definitely worked me. I didn't think he'd win as I didn't think they'd do back to back #30 winners again (did it in '07/'08) but still seeing him just show up was enough to piss me off. Turn the man heel WWE, PLEASE! Roman's going to get booed mercilessly at Mania against Taker. Let him just be a total dick in the entire buildup.

[Savio]

The Rumble was horrible. One of the worst booked Rumbles i've ever seen.

Did you watch the 2014 and 2015 Royal Rumbles?

[Lock Jaw]

Like DAMN I really don't want to see a John Cena/Randy Orton match at Wrestlemania for the title.

And I really don't want to see John Cena lose the title in the Elimination Chamber, two weeks after winning it.

[The CyNick]

The Rumble was horrible. One of the worst booked Rumbles i've ever seen.

I really enjoyed. Appreciate your feedback though.

[road doggy dogg]

I think it was smart having reigns at #30, what better way to make us cheer Orton than eliminating Reigns.

I am Happy Orton won as long as it leads to Orton vs Bray at Mania. Not Orton vs Cena.

That's what I'm hoping for personally.

The only thing is, who would Cena face at WM? Taker?

[Savio]

I think they are turning Roman though, finally.

[Maluco]

Yeah, a massive, and I mean, massive lull between Braun going out and Lesnar coming in. Very boring stuff.

But the ending got the focus and set up the relevant programs. I can see the story with Lesnar and Goldberg, but I don't like it.

Will fully admit that they played me like a fiddle at the end. Wasn't invested at all by that stage and they brought me back with Reigns...was in full revolt and marked at finish.

Well played wwe

[The CyNick]

Just finished watching. Only watched the two championship matches and the Rumble and they were all pretty good. Styles vs Cena was a great match. Rumble was great until Roman came out number 30. They chose the wrong Samoan if Reigns wasn't going to win. Place would have exploded for Samoa Joe. Didn't really agree with Enzo being in the match either but other than that I liked the match.

Assuming Joe vs Cena is the Mania program (not saying it is or it isn't), but wouldn't you want to hold off Joe's first big appearance at the EC?

[Savio]

That's what I'm hoping for personally.

The only thing is, who would Cena face at WM? Taker?

He'll probably be left off the card, or MAYBE be in the battle royal..... creative has nothing for him.

[Frank Drebin]

Can you imagine if they didn't even have Dillinger at 10?

[road doggy dogg]

He'll probably be left off the card, or MAYBE be in the battle royal..... creative has nothing for him.

Naw there's no way Cena is off the card man. I would be pretty disappointed if he didn't have something to do at WM.

My buddy is telling me Cena/Samoa Joe is rumoured... I would be very okay with this

[Theo Dious]

I think they are turning Roman though, finally.

Yeah they could easily work him into heel territory against Taker.

[Lock Jaw]

Reigns vs Taker at WrestleMania then? Just gonna forget about Braun?

Gonna feed Braun to Roman on RAW..... gotta make Roman look strong going into WM!!!

[Emperor Smeat]

So.

Cena drops title to Wyatt at Elimination Chamber, then Orton/Wyatt at WM? I'd be okay with that

Yeup. Probably the only option without really messing up the Orton-Bray feud and some other potential stuff for Mania.

Chamber would have been to take the belt off of Styles to lead into Styles-Shane but Cena getting a small "thank you" run isn't bad.

[Maluco]

Also, Taker has serious work to do to be ready for Mania...He looked awful. Hoping it will be his last match tbh.

[Afterlife]

Great show top to bottom.

One of the better Rumbles in history, cool finish. Set the table for Mania programs. Can't ask for much more than that.

Stuff like this is ridiculous.

[Sixx]

Stuff like this is ridiculous.

at least it was a short post.

[Corporate CockSnogger]

That was okay. A bit boring at times though, seemed to be a lack of exciting spots and entrants, but whatever. Wanted Goldberg to win. Or Undertaker until I saw how terrible he looked. Taker vs Cena would've been amazing a few years ago. Taker can barely walk in a straight like now and has a belly like Kane now.

[road doggy dogg]

Yeup. Probably the only option without really messing up the Orton-Bray feud and some other potential stuff for Mania.

Chamber would have been to take the belt off of Styles to lead into Styles-Shane but Cena getting a small "thank you" run isn't bad.

christ if they waste AJ Styles with a match against Shane I'ma be mad

[Lock Jaw]

Can you imagine if they didn't even have Dillinger at 10?

I was hoping for him to be #11. Some heel, or James Ellsworth at #10...... Dillinger comes in at #11 and murders the #10 entrant for stealing "his number".......

[Savio]

Naw there's no way Cena is off the card man. I would be pretty disappointed if he didn't have something to do at WM.
Maybe he will have a dark match with Curtis Axel or something.

[Dark One]

Reigns being #30 definitely worked me. I didn't think he'd win as I didn't think they'd do back to back #30 winners again (did it in '07/'08) but still seeing him just show up was enough to piss me off. Turn the man heel WWE, PLEASE! Roman's going to get booed mercilessly at Mania against Taker. Let him just be a total dick in the entire buildup.

At this point, it's gone past the point where I want to see him turn Heel. I'm just tired of him. Like, it's getting to the point where I think that we should collectively agree to rename "X-Pac Heat" to be "Reigns Heat"

[James Steele]

great undercard. Pretty bland rumble especially when all the hyped stuff lasted about 1 minute.

[Nicky Fives]

I only saw the Rumble Match itself and hated it. Only 1.5 good moments, Dillinger at #10 and Corbin eliminating Strowman, that's it. Could have wasted the Goldberg/Lesnar crap in another short match and saved those spots in the Rumble for someone else.

[Frank Drebin]

I was hoping for him to be #11. Some heel, or James Ellsworth at #10...... Dillinger comes in at #11 and murders the #10 entrant for stealing "his number".......

I'd be all for that actually. Crowd would still pop for him at 11, and you could still use him at 10 next year to "correct the mistake" if you wanted.

[Corporate CockSnogger]

I liked Braun Strowman. Big fan of huge guys who just cause destruction. Weird that some random guy eliminated him though and not Lesnar or Goldberg or someone.

[Emperor Smeat]

christ if they waste AJ Styles with a match against Shane I'ma be mad

If they had held off on the title change till the Chamber, could buy Styles going crazy at Shane for "costing" him the title that a feud occurs. Like Rollins level of hatred at Triple H but without the massive breaks or filler in between. Would save Styles auto-rematch for a later date and transition to a Orton-Bray feud for the title at Mania.

Realistically Styles wasn't going to have a major match at Mania unless it was for the WWE title with the way the sheets were teasing plans.

[road doggy dogg]

That sucks. Was hoping I'd get to see AJ put on a good match at the big show...

[slik]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Technically, a Samoan named Joe was #30 ������ <a href="https://t.co/U75g0XY0xl">https://t.co/U75g0XY0xl</a></p>&mdash; Pun B (@QueMarlon_) <a href="https://twitter.com/QueMarlon_/status/825916333451776000">January 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Savio]

If they had held off on the title change till the Chamber, could buy Styles going crazy at Shane for "costing" him the title that a feud occurs. Like Rollins level of hatred at Triple H but without the massive breaks or filler in between. Would save Styles auto-rematch for a later date and transition to a Orton-Bray feud for the title at Mania.

Realistically Styles wasn't going to have a major match at Mania unless it was for the WWE title with the way the sheets were teasing plans.Yes I was hoping for that too.

[slik]

I liked Braun Strowman. Big fan of huge guys who just cause destruction. Weird that some random guy eliminated him though and not Lesnar or Goldberg or someone.

Braun has gotten really good in the last year. I look forward to him destroying someone each week on RAW. He's a beast.

[#1-norm-fan]

Didn't Rollins guarantee he'd show up tonight or something?

[road doggy dogg]

I liked Braun Strowman. Big fan of huge guys who just cause destruction. Weird that some random guy eliminated him though and not Lesnar or Goldberg or someone.

Yeah me too... kind of "turning the page" on Braun I guess, idk. Will have to watch more to see how I feel

[The CyNick]

Stuff like this is ridiculous.

Enjoying WWE? I watch almost every week, so it would stand to reason I would enjoy one of their shows.

It's okay, you're the cool guy in the room because you think it stinks, everything stinks.

[Savio]

Didn't Rollins guarantee he'd show up tonight or something?

He showed up at take over.

[Emperor Smeat]

Didn't Rollins guarantee he'd show up tonight or something?

WWE's way of solving that issue was having Steph say he was banned from the arena during the pre-show.

WWE finally found a group of security guys that managed to do their job correctly since Rollins never appeared during the show.

[Simple Fan]

Assuming Joe vs Cena is the Mania program (not saying it is or it isn't), but wouldn't you want to hold off Joe's first big appearance at the EC?

Considering Cena won the WWE World Championship no. I think Joe being a surprise entrant at 30 and winning would set that up better. Joe in the EC is fine as well although I'd like to see Styles/Joe/Cena at Mania.

[Savio]

HHH vs Rollins should happen at take over, might convince people to buy the network who seem stuck to buying PPVs

[Simple Fan]

christ if they waste AJ Styles with a match against Shane I'ma be mad

Yeah, Miz vs Shane makes more sense. Styles should stay in the main. event scene, just has to good of matches to take him out. Like I said Styles/Joe/Cena at WM could be a great match.

[Evil Vito]

So the Mania card Meltzer reported before the show appears to be right.

Meltzer sheep,,,,,,,,

[road doggy dogg]

Styles/Joe/Cena would work. I hate the idea of triple threat matches at WM though but I could probably settle for that...

[#1-norm-fan]

So the Mania card Meltzer reported before the show appears to be right.

Meltzer sheep,,,,,,,,

Chalk another W up for the Meltz.

DUMMYING doubters since the 80's.

[Sepholio]

HHH should have been 30 and Rollins should have interfered and cost him the match. Ijs.

[slik]

lol

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CRzeotjLbMg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Simple Fan]

Styles/Joe/Cena would work. I hate the idea of triple threat matches at WM though but I could probably settle for that...

Joe and Styles had TNAs best match ever in a triple threat with Christopher Daniels, I figure they could have one he'll for a match with John Cena. With the heat that Styles/Cena have added to the history Joe has with both I think it could really work. Tease it at EC and have Bray win the title there although I don't like Cena dropping the title so soon but if it's Bray or Styles I'd be fine with it.

[Stickman]

Randy Boreton was a better choice than LOL Reigns Wins, but what a horrible choice. So many other options and angles to choose from and they go with this? Wtf

[Theo Dious]

Rewarding the pre-show... wtf was with those white shorts Becky was wearing?

[road doggy dogg]

Joe and Styles had TNAs best match ever in a triple threat with Christopher Daniels, I figure they could have one he'll for a match with John Cena. With the heat that Styles/Cena have added to the history Joe has with both I think it could really work. Tease it at EC and have Bray win the title there although I don't like Cena dropping the title so soon but if it's Bray or Styles I'd be fine with it.

Definitely, I could see it working well.

[Theo Dious]

Joe and Styles had TNAs best match ever in a triple threat with Christopher Daniels, I figure they could have one he'll for a match with John Cena. With the heat that Styles/Cena have added to the history Joe has with both I think it could really work. Tease it at EC and have Bray win the title there although I don't like Cena dropping the title so soon but if it's Bray or Styles I'd be fine with it.

I feel like they wanted to get this win for Cena out of the way. Seems they didn't want to do it as a Mania thing, since I think he's going away after that.

[DaveWadding]

The WWE made the impossible happen. They made me mark out for Randy Orton in 2017.

[Evil Vito]

As much as Reigns at #30 was a wet fart, I see a lot of people complaining that it made no sense for him to get a second chance.

Not sure I understand that. Kayfabe-wise, Foley and Steph want a Raw guy to win the Rumble. They had one spot to fill, and figured whoever lost Reigns/Owens would give them a better chance than anybody not in.

For those same kayfabe reasons, it made a lot less sense for Bryan and Shane to waste a SmackDown slot on James Ellsworth.

[Emperor Smeat]

I feel like they wanted to get this win for Cena out of the way. Seems they didn't want to do it as a Mania thing, since I think he's going away after that.

Yeah been like that for the past few years with Cena. WWE can no longer do long terms plans with Cena. Part of it was due to injuries but now its mainly due to all the non-WWE stuff he keeps getting.

WWE probably felt comfortable they squeezed enough of the "Will he tie Flair's record" story to finally give him a 16th reign even if it likely will be very short.

[Disturbed316]

The Rumble was utterly boring. Took forever for the thing to start what with all the adverts, flashbacks, stats and rules. The only decent thing to happen was Tye Dillinger coming in at number 10.

They need to let the Reigns experiment die already but I get a bad feeling they might try and build something with him and Taker now.

[Evil Vito]

Roman Reigns will pin The Undertaker clean as a whistle at WrestleMania and that will likely be the last moment of WWE television I watch unless they are smart enough to make him be a proper heel in the build and keep him there.

[Mr. Pierre]

I love Taker. Greatest of all time for me. But man, he looked like dogshit tonight. For the first time, he looked completely out-dated in the ring with the current roster. Rough night for the Deadman.

Outside of that, I really enjoyed the show. Not sure why Cena needs a 2 week reign before dropping to Bray in the Chamber but whatever.

Overall great show

[Frank Drebin]

"At least it wasn't Roman" isn't a good excuse for why the Rumble didn't suck.

[Frank Drebin]

....and yeah....Taker looked bad. Probably because he's 78 years old.

[Frank Drebin]

I know we get into trouble when we fantasy book and think about all the crazy, wonderful things that could happen. Angle, Balor, Omega, Joe, Nakamura, Sting.....I get that our wildest dreams can't come true, but ffs, what was "cool" about the Rumble match? Braun ' s elimination and maaaaybe Goldberg again making quick work of Brock was it. I'm not sure what anyone else is seeing that is saying it was anything but a terrible Rumble. It feels like we just took 10 years worth of steps back with Orton winning but I guess that's ok because it wasn't Roman.....

[slik]

Taker looked kind of hefty for the first time and like a dude with hairplugs.

Still love the guy but it's probably time to hang it up.

[BigCrippyZ]

I really enjoyed. Appreciate your feedback though.

:lol: I almost didn't respond but I just don't care.

:lol: You're such a complete douche. It's not feedback regarding anything you did, thus nobody cares if you appreciate it.

[BigCrippyZ]

I know we get into trouble when we fantasy book and think about all the crazy, wonderful things that could happen. Angle, Balor, Omega, Joe, Nakamura, Sting.....I get that our wildest dreams can't come true, but ffs, what was "cool" about the Rumble match? Braun ' s elimination and maaaaybe Goldberg again making quick work of Brock was it. I'm not sure what anyone else is seeing that is saying it was anything but a terrible Rumble. It feels like we just took 10 years worth of steps back with Orton winning but I guess that's ok because it wasn't Roman.....

Agree. 1. No surprise entrants. 2. No surprise winner. 3. Nothing really continued and/or no storyline's that will continue from here currently make any sense.

Not watching RAW tomorrow that's for sure.

[screech]

I enjoyed the show. Rumble seemed a bit slow at points, though. Lack of surprise entrants was a bummer, though. (Outside of Tye - that was awesome.)

Not really into the potential Orton/Cena or whatever the deal is with Goldberg/Lesnar, but there's plenty of time to get invested I guess.

[Simple Fan]

Ellsworth was a waste and could have been any legend willing to get thrown out by Braun. Ellsworth just makes zero sense in the Rumble. Enzo was a waste as well. Didn't mention nothing of him being in when Cass was announced as being in. He got a good pop but everyone knew his fate. Would have been another good spot for a return of Kurt Angle to get in there face to face with Brock only to be eliminated by him. Reigns was also as just putting his stench on the Rumble ruined it. Samoa Joe would have been great for that spot even if he did win. Roman being in the match at a time Braun wasn't was also kind of dumb. They just didn't have that AJ Styles type moment this year.

[Simple Fan]

Didn't really care for Dillinger at 10. Was a bit to predictable but it made sense, was hoping Braun would toss him out quickly and he only lasted 10 seconds.

[#1-norm-fan]

There had to have been SOME legends or something they had available they could have tossed in just to break up the monotony of filler guys while waiting for the final 5.

[Emperor Smeat]

Had a small chuckle after reading some Rumble stuff on another forum. WWE spent weeks weeks hyping up Goldberg, Taker, and Lesnar as the only people who mattered for the Rumble only for their combined in-ring time to be around 5 minutes for a match that lasted over an hour.

Never had the triple staredown happen and nor really bothered to build any tensions between the three for eliminations.

Even their combined eliminations is a bit weak since Strowman had more by himself and their number got inflated because they also eliminated each other.

[Poit]

As much as Reigns at #30 was a wet fart, I see a lot of people complaining that it made no sense for him to get a second chance.

Not sure I understand that. Kayfabe-wise, Foley and Steph want a Raw guy to win the Rumble. They had one spot to fill, and figured whoever lost Reigns/Owens would give them a better chance than anybody not in.

For those same kayfabe reasons, it made a lot less sense for Bryan and Shane to waste a SmackDown slot on James Ellsworth.

To me, at least, it seems in kayfabe, Shane & Bryan care more about telling a story (putting Ellsworth and Ambrose in the match), while Stephanie & Foley care more about WINNING.

[BigCrippyZ]

So the Mania card Meltzer reported before the show appears to be right.

Meltzer sheep,,,,,,,,

Yeah, Meltzer doesn't know shit. :roll: :lol:

[The CyNick]

:lol: I almost didn't respond but I just don't care.

:lol: You're such a complete douche. It's not feedback regarding anything you did, thus nobody cares if you appreciate it.

The feedback on the show. I appreciate the sharing of the feedback on the show. Is this difficult to understand?

Name calling again, tsk tsk young man.

[The CyNick]

Agree. 1. No surprise entrants. 2. No surprise winner. 3. Nothing really continued and/or no storyline's that will continue from here currently make any sense.

Not watching RAW tomorrow that's for sure.

Bullshit

[The CyNick]

There had to have been SOME legends or something they had available they could have tossed in just to break up the monotony of filler guys while waiting for the final 5.

So people like you could say "WWE is so stupid. They brought back DDP, had him give a couple diamond cutters and then he was eliminated by Corbin. What a waste. Waaaa waaa waaa"

[The CyNick]

Chalk another W up for the Meltz.

DUMMYING doubters since the 80's.

If only you knew what I know, you would realize how dumb that sounds.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

I liked the finish. I mean, not stoked on Orton winning, the idea of Orton vs Cena for the 18,000th time doesn't enthral me but I'm guessing that's not the end game. But the actual finish shocked the fuck out of me, did not see Orton winning.

The rumble itself was a bit paint by the numbers but it had some nice moments. Just not enough highs for my liking. Well worked in that there was some decent spots, but nothing seemed to really matter that much.

5/10 for the rumble match, 7.5/10 for the undercard stuff. Styles vs Cena really picked up with the submission stuff and they kicked into real high gear after what I thought to be a bit of a staggered match but honestly, near fall city takes its toll on me. Still, good stuff and they worked their nuts off.

Owens vs Reigns was a hilarious and entertaining match. Would have had no problem with Reigns going over but it was a fun, surprise ending.

Cruiser match was kind of there. Good workers but nothing special about it.

Womens match was fun. 2 good workers, seem to have a bit of chemistry, IMO more than Banks and Flair. I'm beginning to think Banks is a bit over rated and botchy.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

also enjoyed the taker/reigns stuff, along with taker and goldberg. Just a lot of MEH in between in the rumble.

[rockman725]

Since most of my feelings about the Rumble are echoed throughout the thread already, I'll focus on something else that really irks me... the preshow. Why are they taking main card caliber matches and putting it on a "preshow?" Why can't they just start the damn event early if they are worried on time??? I mean, just look at the card and the winners:

1. Team Becky - Face
2. The Club - Heel
3. Nia - Heel

4. Charlotte - Heel
5. Owens - Heel
6. Neville - Heel
7. Cena - Face
8. Orton - Heel

And what's worse, they do yet another title change on a "preshow" match!?! The only match I remember them announcing for the preshow was Banks/Jax so having 3 matches that are not part of the main program is ridiculous. They could have done a better job booking that card.

Also, after watching the rumble play out with Roman, why not have Roman come in while Braun was still in the match? Or better yet, why have Braun come out that early if Roman needed time to rest, and have him come out later for the interaction? I mean geez, how stupid is that? The ending to Owens/Reigns now makes sense ONLY because they couldn't have so many Heels win cleanly in a row. A Roman/Braun rumble interaction is the only reason that makes sense to have Roman in the match. I don't care if Roman/Braun is not the match they want for WM, the dude just cost him a title match, where is the kayfabe seek for revenge???

Totally ass-backwards

It's the "take 1 step forward & 2 steps back" mentality.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Charlotte wins 16th PPV match on the same night Cena captures 16th title. Will be interesting to see if that has anything to do with the build to WrestleMania.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Free hand wrote about 12 pages college ruled on the Rumble tonight. Will try to transcribe it later if time permits for my blog. Pretty fucking pissed I couldn't watch it and contribute to the thread in real time.

My handwriting is fucking terrible. This might take a few days to decipher.

[mike adamle]

Free hand wrote about 12 pages college ruled on the Rumble tonight. Will try to transcribe it later if time permits for my blog. Pretty fucking pissed I couldn't watch it and contribute to the thread in real time.

My handwriting is fucking terrible. This might take a few days to decipher.

That's okay no one is interested

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Somebody was they said 6/10 on the last one and I didn't even put that much effort. It was just a dull period at work.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

and fuck you.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

That was not the Samoan Joe we were looking for!

[Ruien]

I know we get into trouble when we fantasy book and think about all the crazy, wonderful things that could happen. Angle, Balor, Omega, Joe, Nakamura, Sting.....I get that our wildest dreams can't come true, but ffs, what was "cool" about the Rumble match? Braun ' s elimination and maaaaybe Goldberg again making quick work of Brock was it. I'm not sure what anyone else is seeing that is saying it was anything but a terrible Rumble. It feels like we just took 10 years worth of steps back with Orton winning but I guess that's ok because it wasn't Roman.....

Randy's character has been refreshed with him being a Wyatt follower. Would have preferred Wyatt winning with Randy taking the EC but whatever. Randy has been a damn savior in making Wyatt relevant and fresh again too.

[Maluco]

Yeah, I love Orton. He is a true main eventer for me and has been away from that scene long enough. I feel like he isn't as valued as he should be given everything he has accomplished.

If it is to be Orton/Wyatt, I am more concerned about how they build Wyatt up as a credible champion before then, since he never seems to win the big matches. Hoping Wyatt gets a massive push and can finally break through with this.

Raw is strange because Owens looks like a mid carder. He was destroyed last night again, and has been this whole feud. If he goes into Mania with the title, it will be a strange one. But him/Jericho has been the main company storyline for months and months, so maybe we shouldn't be complaining about long term booking.

They obviously haven't decided about Taker for Mania, given Braun interference. It sets up two paths for Reigns.

I feel like they need to keep Cena away from Orton/Wyatt. Doesn't make sense to just squeeze him in.

Trying to be positive, but two biggest gripes were Goldberg/Lesnar again. I love Brock and a 50 year old bitching him out twice, does nothing for him. I understand their intention, I just don't like it.

Second gripe is just Reigns. He just isn't very good. His reactions are phony, the constant superman punches are boring, and his whole look and act is stale despite him being so young.

Him entering at 30 after being in another match, might make sense with Foley/Stephanie, but it is still a nice little corporate spot for the favourite that is being shoved down peoples throat.

That has to be the start of a heel turn, they knew that would get Orton the biggest pop possible. Hoping we see something totally different from Reigns.

Braun is my favourite right now, which is crazy to think about

[Vastardikai]

A few points:

1. I don't see Wyatt winning the Chamber match.

I mean, what was the point of Cena winning number 16 if he's just gonna drop it again 2 weeks later? I think we're more likely to get Wyatt vs. Harper.

2. WWE 2016: It's a new era! Time for new matches and opportunities

WWE 2017: lol just kidding.

3. I can't tell if fans were legit hot for the teased Sister Abigail by Harper or if they saw something happening in a Rumble that had very little of that.

4. Why would you have that many people in the ring just have them lay around for 6 minutes during the part timer bit?

[Heisenberg]

Ran into Brock Lesnar Guy @ Hooters by the venue yesterday. He was no sold at the entrance and was perturbed about "not getting an ovation" upon arrival(I mean, dude, it's Hooters, whaddya think the gimmick is here). He even walked through the restaurant, which was crowded, trying to get over.

Well, got to see Goldberg/Attend a Rumble and the Alamo. Pretty swell day if I must say.

[Evil Vito]

If I had my druthers, I might've done the Lesnar/Goldberg thing maybe 7-10 or so spots before they actually entered to make it feel like there was less dead space during the match. The ring was still plenty full enough to give Lesnar a bunch of people to suplex into oblivion and then after Goldberg throws him out in five seconds you can have Goldberg eliminated by Wyatt or somebody. Ring would've been full again by the time you needed Taker/Reigns to clean up.

[Droford]

Joe will pull an HBK/Taker 2010 EC and cost Cena the title in the Chamber to Bray.

Also there are like two options for the Universal belt - Jericho will inadvertently cost Owens the title at Fast lane vs Goldberg or Roman Reigns. Setting up Jericho vs Owens and either Roman vs Taker or Goldberg vs Brock for the belt.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CSR4NmfWwAAaa7Z.jpg

[Droford]

They have to cool off on Goldberg winning the belt to lose it to Brock at WM. Though at this point Goldberg needs to probably have the belt for the match to make any sense to happen..unless they do a retirement match "could Goldberg dominate Lesnar a 3rd time and retire the beast?"..lol no

[Rammsteinmad]

Undertaker looked awful. I really hope this is his last Wrestlemania.

Goldberg also looked awful. He's still got the look and the hype about him, but he also still looks clumsy as fuck in the ring. Between botching his lines in every promo, busting himself open, slipping in the ring, slipping getting out of the ring... fucks sake. Kinda bored of him already.

Ditto for Lesnar, without the botching.

Otherwise, Rumble was alright I suppose. A bit lackluster. Not really any memorable moments or surprise entrants. Orton hitting that RKO and winning was a surprise I guess, but still a pretty unexciting one in itself.

Aw well. Undercard was great at least.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

I know it's barely happened in the last decade, but remember when mid-card feuds were setup in the Rumble? Good times.

[slik]

@Heisenberg, kick-ass

How was the Alamo?


@Rammsteinmad

Yeah, I don't see how Taker/Roman and Goldberg/Brock can over 5 minutes each at WM. Ok, well maybe Taker/Roman can be stretched to 10 minutes via a table bump or something, but not 20 or 30 minutes.

[Jordan]

I really enjoyed the show, especially the Rumble match itself. Braun's story was awesome all night from destroying Reigns to getting eliminated by Corbin of all guys, loved it.
The finish made me pop huge, loved that WWE didn't put Roman over, Orton deserves another shot, the dude is by far one of the best in the world.

[slik]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170130/a83b80269787973c5fd31c17f4fefd0d.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170130/f7e88cd44b68ded30b4208a65032d116.jpg

[BigCrippyZ]

Bullshit

Not bullshit. Just made plans to have dinner and drinks with some friends.

[BigCrippyZ]

If only you knew what I know, you would realize how dumb that sounds.

:lol: Sounds exactly like something Meltzer would say to those who question his info.

[Droford]

Big E needed a cart too..that's hilarious.

[Heisenberg]

@Heisenberg, kick-ass

How was the Alamo?


@Rammsteinmad

Yeah, I don't see how Taker/Roman and Goldberg/Brock can over 5 minutes each at WM. Ok, well maybe Taker/Roman can be stretched to 10 minutes via a table bump or something, but not 20 or 30 minutes.

It was splendid, also ran into some crazy ass Canadians who reenacted the Yapapi strap match that Hogan made famous while walking to the Rumble

[The CyNick]

Not bullshit. Just made plans to have dinner and drinks with some friends.

Dinner alone

Okay okay ogling the Victoria Secret catalogue

Sears catalogue

[The CyNick]

:lol: Sounds exactly like something Meltzer would say to those who question his info.

Difference between him and me is he's trying to con people into giving him money. I'm just a dude. I gain nothing financially, just trying to spread the truth to people who are being conned.

Look at his Mania card. The whole thing is just looking at current storylines and projecting. Doesn't know Cena's match (you really think Cena doesn't have an opponent lined up at this point), listed some mystery match that he won't print because it's pretty cool and doesn't want to jeopardize it (okay Pal), and can't identify which matches are for the titles. Then if any of the card is inaccurate, he has the tried and true "plans changed" line to fall back on. The guy is a genius when it comes to working you people.

[Simple Fan]

Looks to me that they haven't made their mind up for a Cena match. That's just from watching tv to. Right now it's looking like Orton but I doubt that's the way they go. Styles is about the only other guy on Smackdown on Cenas level other than Orton at the moment. I'd be down for Styles and Cena again.

[poopfromweiner dude]

meltzer

[Evil Vito]

meltzer

sheep,,,,,,,,

[Heisenberg]

Y'all saw the cart I see, shit was hilarious. Didnt know if they showed that on screen

[#BROKEN Hasney]

http://i.imgur.com/hQaLgVo.png

[BigCrippyZ]

Dinner alone

Okay okay ogling the Victoria Secret catalogue

Sears catalogue

:lol: Yep. All alone. Me, my wife and a group of at least 4 other friends of ours, all alone, at a table, catching up, eating Italian and having drinks with a restaurant full of other people eating Italian and having drinks.

You enjoy watching a nonsensical Raw though. Speaking of doing something alone.

[Evil Vito]

I'm surprised Big E needed a cart. Seems like somebody who would actually be capable of running to the ring fairly quickly.

[BigCrippyZ]

Y'all saw the cart I see, shit was hilarious. Didnt know if they showed that on screen

That's funny. Watched the Rumble. Didn't notice the carts on screen honestly.

[slik]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WWE fans to reaction to Roman Reigns number 30 spot ���������������� <a href="https://t.co/LcP5dUvp1u">pic.twitter.com/LcP5dUvp1u</a></p>&mdash; Wrestling LAD (@WrestlingLAD) <a href="https://twitter.com/WrestlingLAD/status/826119608432263168">January 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[XL]

Feel the same as I have the last 3 years after the Rumble; not angry, just disappointed.

Ultimately WWE didn't promise Angle/Joe/Nakamura/Balor/etc. but at least 2 of those things were on the table at their disposal and they chose not to pull the trigger. Now, I concede there may still be plans in place to bring up Joe or bring Angle in for something big but as a moment in time the Rumble left a lot to be desired.

Rightly or wrongly fans have been conditioned to expect the Rumble to have surprise debuts/returns/legend stars in there and 2017 only gave us Dillinger (interesting if they do anything with him permanently now). Instead we got Kalisto, Crews, etc who are so low down the pecking order they can't be anything but filler, and don't have the benefit of getting the surprise pop. With Cena tying #16 you could have put Flair in there and told a little story.

The structure of the Rumble match wasn't the worst, just some of the matches being lined up off the back of it are looking a little lacklustre.

I've no interest in Bray v Orton as a title feud, or Cena v Orton again. Styles deserves a great spot on the Big Stage but a planned match against Shane isn't it (for me), we've already got "internet darling/independent sensation" vs. Authority figure over on Raw albeit with the face/heel dynamic reversed. I can't see anyone putting on a better match at Mania than Styles/Cena did last night. That was your answer to Wrestle Kingdom if they wanted one.

Taker/Reigns has the potential to be a clunky mess going by Taker's performance last night, and Braun taking a beating at the hands of Reigns during the build up will derail him too. Do we get a Braun/Corbin match off the back of his elimination? Not sure that feels Mania worthy?

Owens/Jericho has lost a lot of steam with the break up being teased twice already, and Owens is not being presented well at all. Feels very midcard compared to what's happening elsewhere, especially with Jericho not winning the Rumble. It'll be interesting to see how we get to a new #1 contender on Raw.

[#1-norm-fan]

I'm not above lying to make it look like I know what I'm talking about.

[#1-norm-fan]

To be fair, it would have been kinda weird to have Nakamura selling a bad knee injury at Takeover and then come out for the rumble the next night.

[XL]

I don't disagree. There was just a chance that they did that to "put us off the scent" of a debut. He could have sold the knee injury, or, not run that angle at Takeover (it's in their power after all).

It's not great from a kayfabe POV (if you do run the injury angle) but again, they had that card to play and chose not to.

[Simple Fan]

Feel the same as I have the last 3 years after the Rumble; not angry, just disappointed.

Ultimately WWE didn't promise Angle/Joe/Nakamura/Balor/etc. but at least 2 of those things were on the table at their disposal and they chose not to pull the trigger. Now, I concede there may still be plans in place to bring up Joe or bring Angle in for something big but as a moment in time the Rumble left a lot to be desired.

Rightly or wrongly fans have been conditioned to expect the Rumble to have surprise debuts/returns/legend stars in there and 2017 only gave us Dillinger (interesting if they do anything with him permanently now). Instead we got Kalisto, Crews, etc who are so low down the pecking order they can't be anything but filler, and don't have the benefit of getting the surprise pop. With Cena tying #16 you could have put Flair in there and told a little story.

The structure of the Rumble match wasn't the worst, just some of the matches being lined up off the back of it are looking a little lacklustre.

I've no interest in Bray v Orton as a title feud, or Cena v Orton again. Styles deserves a great spot on the Big Stage but a planned match against Shane isn't it (for me), we've already got "internet darling/independent sensation" vs. Authority figure over on Raw albeit with the face/heel dynamic reversed. I can't see anyone putting on a better match at Mania than Styles/Cena did last night. That was your answer to Wrestle Kingdom if they wanted one.

Taker/Reigns has the potential to be a clunky mess going by Taker's performance last night, and Braun taking a beating at the hands of Reigns during the build up will derail him too. Do we get a Braun/Corbin match off the back of his elimination? Not sure that feels Mania worthy?

Owens/Jericho has lost a lot of steam with the break up being teased twice already, and Owens is not being presented well at all. Feels very midcard compared to what's happening elsewhere, especially with Jericho not winning the Rumble. It'll be interesting to see how we get to a new #1 contender on Raw.

Been saying that for a while. I'd even be fine with Styles and Cena again at Wrestlemania.

[XL]

I know it's barely happened in the last decade, but remember when mid-card feuds were setup in the Rumble? Good times.

Nowadays the middle of the Mania card is filled with the year-round Main Eventers/World Champions so the actual midcarders go into a Battle Royal so there's no point setting up midcard feuds.

[XL]

Where was Kane last night?

[Danny Electric]

Where was Kane last night?

I was asked exactly the same question by one of the kids at school today

[mike adamle]

Somebody was they said 6/10 on the last one and I didn't even put that much effort. It was just a dull period at work.

That doesn't sound like they were very interested.

[The CyNick]

Looks to me that they haven't made their mind up for a Cena match. That's just from watching tv to. Right now it's looking like Orton but I doubt that's the way they go. Styles is about the only other guy on Smackdown on Cenas level other than Orton at the moment. I'd be down for Styles and Cena again.

From a TV perspective Cena's focus has been on proving he's still better than the new generation guys.

[The CyNick]

:lol: Yep. All alone. Me, my wife and a group of at least 4 other friends of ours, all alone, at a table, catching up, eating Italian and having drinks with a restaurant full of other people eating Italian and having drinks.

You enjoy watching a nonsensical Raw though. Speaking of doing something alone.

Triggered

[The CyNick]

I don't disagree. There was just a chance that they did that to "put us off the scent" of a debut. He could have sold the knee injury, or, not run that angle at Takeover (it's in their power after all).

It's not great from a kayfabe POV (if you do run the injury angle) but again, they had that card to play and chose not to.

So because they didn't do things that make no sense based on storylines, you're disappointed? Got it.

[RP]

I watches something last night that was saying Cena was working the match as heel.

[Emperor Smeat]

I watches something last night that was saying Cena was working the match as heel.

Yeah the way certain parts of the match flowed did make it seem Cena was in the heel role but any idea of teasing a real turn got squashed with the Make A Wish moment after the match.

[Simple Fan]

From a TV perspective Cena's focus has been on proving he's still better than the new generation guys.

Yet he wins the title and is now set to face an old foe in Randy Orton if he keeps it.

[XL]

So because they didn't do things that make no sense based on storylines, you're disappointed? Got it.

Well no, not at all.

Firstly Nakamura was one example of one of the elements that I found disappointing; specifically that they had a number of cards they chose not to play.

Secondly, that wasn't my original point (Nak debuting the night after a storyline injury =/= me being disappointed) but a response to something somebody else said in reply to my original point (which I clearly stated they didn't need to run that angle and thus it would have made sense).

Comprehension is your friend.

[Emperor Smeat]

In one of those "WWE Did You Know" type facts, this was the first Rumble where the WWE didn't bother to get any creative input from Pat Paterson for the match itself according to the LAW podcast.

Also Reigns currently has the streak of being in the Final Three for the last 4 Rumbles in a row. Probably a safe bet he will make it 5 years in a row if he's not champ after the Universal title match based on the rumor of WWE still has two Manias left for his mega star push.

[Lock Jaw]

https://media.giphy.com/media/l3q2VIQqzPe6fFIyI/giphy.gif

Zoooooom

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Where was American Alpha? Tag champs usually are a given in a match like this.

[The CyNick]

Yet he wins the title and is now set to face an old foe in Randy Orton if he keeps it.

Thus proving his claims to be legit

[The CyNick]

Well no, not at all.

Firstly Nakamura was one example of one of the elements that I found disappointing; specifically that they had a number of cards they chose not to play.

Secondly, that wasn't my original point (Nak debuting the night after a storyline injury =/= me being disappointed) but a response to something somebody else said in reply to my original point (which I clearly stated they didn't need to run that angle and thus it would have made sense).

Comprehension is your friend.

But your entire list also made no sense.. maybe Joe if he's to be involved at Mania, but if his program is with Cena, and Cena was going over Styles, what purpose would it serve to lump Joe in a crowded field of stars? Why not debut him when he can be the focal point?

[Cool King]

Big E needed a cart too..that's hilarious.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Almost certain getting the golf cart Royal Rumble entrance was the company's not so subtle way of telling me I'm fat.</p>&mdash; ShinigamE (@WWEBigE) <a href="https://twitter.com/WWEBigE/status/826142912312393731">30 January 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Emperor Smeat]

Where was American Alpha? Tag champs usually are a given in a match like this.

WWE didn't have plans for them nor most of Smackdown for the Rumble match. Supposedly WWE didn't make up their mind for who the surprise entrants would be till the event itself according to the sheets.

Think PWI mentioned the Alphas asking if they were going to be in the match only to be told "wait and see."

[Vastardikai]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Almost certain getting the golf cart Royal Rumble entrance was the company's not so subtle way of telling me I'm fat.</p>&mdash; ShinigamE (@WWEBigE) <a href="https://twitter.com/WWEBigE/status/826142912312393731">30 January 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I figured it was due to his knee surgeries. (seriously, he has very long scars on both of his knees. I didn't notice until the Vudu commercial.)

That said, they could have done better:

http://www.angelfire.com/ns2/czarmatthew/otherpics/andre-wm3.jpg

[The CyNick]

WWE didn't have plans for them nor most of Smackdown for the Rumble match. Supposedly WWE didn't make up their mind for who the surprise entrants would be till the event itself according to the sheets.

Think PWI mentioned the Alphas asking if they were going to be in the match only to be told "wait and see."

Classic sheets.

The WWE didn't decide on the surprise entrants until the show. So Vince was planning to show up at the arena and go "bring me MVP". Sure Pal.

[Emperor Smeat]

Pretty much considering they had all of RAW, Smackdown, Cruisers/205 Live, and a good chunk of NXT guys backstage to pick from.

Been like that for the past few years where the non-Legends surprises get picked right before the event itself if the entire list wasn't finished in time.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Part of my fondness for the Rumble is seeing legends come out. Wish there were more guys getting a one off appearance.

[The CyNick]

Pretty much considering they had all of RAW, Smackdown, Cruisers/205 Live, and a good chunk of NXT guys backstage to pick from.

Been like that for the past few years where the non-Legends surprises get picked right before the event itself if the entire list wasn't finished in time.

Who from NXT would come in? Joe? Unless he was winning the Rumble, that would be a wasted debut for a guy on Joe's level. Nak? I don't believe his time in NXT is over, so why bring him in just to randomly lose at the Rumble with no follow up?

Fantasy booking is fun, I used to do it as a kid. But you have to fit things into a long range plan. Clearly WWE has had plans for all of the top Mania programs going as far back as SummerSlam. You don't just make a left turn for the sake of a shocking surprise.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

The Revival could've come in for some shine. Maybe have them eliminate New Day.

They're the only ones I could see honestly.

[Bad News Gertner]

Watched just the Rumble match. Definitely a top 5 Royal Rumble match and I've seen them all.

I love this criticism : there were no surprise in the Rumble

Wrestlemania: wtf is with all the part timers taking up spots.

[Emperor Smeat]

Clearly WWE has had plans for all of the top Mania programs going as far back as SummerSlam.

http://i.imgur.com/7HNgt6f.gif

[XL]

But your entire list also made no sense.. maybe Joe if he's to be involved at Mania, but if his program is with Cena, and Cena was going over Styles, what purpose would it serve to lump Joe in a crowded field of stars? Why not debut him when he can be the focal point?
Only he hasn't come in to feud with Cena, and they could have done what they did on Raw at the Rumble. Sometimes people have certain expectations (e.g. You get surprises in the Rumble) and sometimes you have to deliver on those expectations or you disappoint people.
Watched just the Rumble match. Definitely a top 5 Royal Rumble match and I've seen them all.

I love this criticism : there were no surprise in the Rumble

Wrestlemania: wtf is with all the part timers taking up spots.
Come on Gert, not the same thing at all.

[#1-norm-fan]

Watched just the Rumble match. Definitely a top 5 Royal Rumble match and I've seen them all.

What was good about it? They back-loaded all the stars and nothing happened for the first 45 minutes. It's like they were just throwing guys out to fill time until the match actually started at the 26th entrant. It was awful. lol

[Maluco]

It wasn't awful imo, not at all.

The match was booked really well up until Braun's exit. Filled up ring, let him dominate and then told a few stories that had a bit of history. Gallagher's comedy was great and Braun's eventual elimination was fun. I was really into it up until then.

The middle was the worst, and Gertner dropping in that he has seen them all, it is quite a regular thing to have lulls in the Rumble. I thought this one was way too long, but yeah.

Going into last 5, it still could have been 7-8 people winning the thing. That never happens and I thought that was awesome. Hate Lesnar/Goldberg story but understand what they are trying to do with a very limited Goldberg.

Also get the impression that they know people hate Reigns. He wasn't put at 30, didn't eliminate Undertaker and wasn't in the last two for no reason. I was irate, they completely played me. I was in full revolt mode...And then marked out for the RKO and the actual elimination.

It was a really smart finish and meant I was genuinely shocked and happy at the end.

Do I think an Angle run in the middle part would have been amazing? Yes! Are there some proposed Mania matches coming from the event that sound underwhelming? Definitely, but it wasn't a bad Rumble

[Big Vic]

Watched just the Rumble match. Definitely a top 5 Royal Rumble match and I've seen them all.

I love this criticism : there were no surprise in the Rumble

Wrestlemania: wtf is with all the part timers taking up spots.
Surprise entrants like DDP don't also appear at Mania.

[Evil Vito]

Surprise entrants like DDP don't also appear at Mania.

Probably not the best name to drop.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VZGLezJnvxo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Big Vic]

That was a year later though



card/ date<table cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr class="head"><th width="17%">
</th><th colspan="3">match</th><th width="15%">match type</th><th width="15%">title(s)</th></tr><tr class="chequered"><td>http://profightdb.com/img/flags/us.gif WWE WrestleMania 32 (http://profightdb.com/cards/wwe/wrestlemania-32-23975.html)
Apr 3rd 2016</td><td width="22%">Baron Corbin (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/baron-corbin-9251.html)</td><td width="9%">draw </td><td width="22%">Adam Rose (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/adam-rose-6438.html), Bo Dallas (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/bo-dallas-6435.html), Curtis Axel (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/curtis-axel-3847.html), Damien Sandow (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/aron-rex-376.html), Darren Young (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/darren-young-3424.html), Diamond Dallas Page, Fandango (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/fandango-3434.html), Goldust (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/goldust-123.html), Heath Slater (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/heath-slater-3407.html), Jack Swagger (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/jack-swagger-3410.html), Kane (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/kane-197.html), Konnor (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/konnor-2927.html), Mark Henry (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/mark-henry-213.html), R-Truth (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/r-truth-317.html), Shaquille O'Neal (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/shaquille-o39neal-5985.html), Tatanka (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/tatanka-141.html), The Big Show (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/the-big-show-283.html), Tyler Breeze (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/tyler-breeze-6734.html), Viktor (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/viktor-5305.html)</td><td>Battle Royal</td><td>
</td></tr><tr><td>http://profightdb.com/img/flags/us.gif WWE Royal Rumble '15 (http://profightdb.com/cards/wwe/royal-rumble-3915-20819.html)
Jan 25th 2015</td><td width="22%">Roman Reigns (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/roman-reigns-6728.html)</td><td width="9%">def. </td><td width="22%">Adam Rose (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/adam-rose-6438.html), Bad News Barrett (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/king-barrett-6096.html), Big E (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/big-e-6446.html), Bray Wyatt (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/bray-wyatt-6287.html), Bubba Ray Dudley (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/bubba-ray-dudley-294.html), Cesaro (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/cesaro-1874.html), Curtis Axel (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/curtis-axel-3847.html), Damien Mizdow (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/aron-rex-376.html), Daniel Bryan (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/daniel-bryan-1741.html), Dean Ambrose (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/dean-ambrose-3069.html), Diamond Dallas Page, Dolph Ziggler (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/dolph-ziggler-450.html), Fandango (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/fandango-3434.html), Goldust (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/goldust-123.html), Jack Swagger (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/jack-swagger-3410.html), Kane (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/kane-197.html), Kofi Kingston (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/kofi-kingston-3295.html), Luke Harper (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/luke-harper-3461.html), R-Truth (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/r-truth-317.html), Rusev (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/rusev-7415.html), Ryback (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/the-big-guy-3020.html), Sin Cara (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/sin-cara-927.html), Stardust (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/cody-rhodes-2805.html), The Big Show (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/the-big-show-283.html), The Boogeyman (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/the-boogeyman-440.html), The Miz (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/the-miz-412.html), Titus O'Neil (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/titus-o39neil-6290.html), Tyson Kidd (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/tyson-kidd-1814.html), Zack Ryder (http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/zack-ryder-3248.html)</td><td>30-man Royal Rumble</td><td>
</td></tr></tbody></table>

[Evil Vito]

Yes but the point is part timers still have a place on both shows.

[Evil Vito]

Tatanka being in the battle royal last year and not even getting an entrance was hilarious.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

I think my biggest beef with the rumble was up until #20 there was nobody in that could win it. Just made it uneven. Once 20 hit, it got pretty fun, but it made me keep expecting something HUGE.

In retrospect I give the match a 7 because i was really enjoying Braun and enjoyed when the big boys "came out to play". Would have been higher, but Roman at 30 while maybe straight up booking wise was not a bad decision in that it was a strawman, making you think he'd win, but after feeling like something YUGE would happen at number 30, they gave us Roman, who we already saw, and also wasn't selling the beating from earlier.

[Big Vic]

They gave us Roman so we would cheer Randy.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

They gave us Roman so we would cheer Randy.

But he's a heel D:

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Yeah, like I said... technically not a bad idea, it's just I could have gone for something actually special.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

According to Da Meltz, the reason Undertaker was moving around the ring like he'd been animated for WWF No Mercy on N64 was because he came back too early from surgery as Vince said he needed him.

[Bad News Gertner]

What was good about it? They back-loaded all the stars and nothing happened for the first 45 minutes. It's like they were just throwing guys out to fill time until the match actually started at the 26th entrant. It was awful. lol

It felt like pretty much everybody was important, set up feuds, little stories inter twined.

[Bad News Gertner]

Only he hasn't come in to feud with Cena, and they could have done what they did on Raw at the Rumble. Sometimes people have certain expectations (e.g. You get surprises in the Rumble) and sometimes you have to deliver on those expectations or you disappoint people.

Come on Gert, not the same thing at all.

How is it not? It's a part timer taking a spot away from a full timer

[Bad News Gertner]

Surprise entrants like DDP don't also appear at Mania.

It's still a non roster wrestler taking a spot. There's no difference.

[screech]

5 minutes in the Rumble is not the same as 20 at WrestleMania, though.

I'd rather have seen someone like DDP - or another NXT guy - than James Ellsworth out there.

[Frank Drebin]

The Rumble is one of the only events where fans can expect surprises. Some people would want a one off DDP. Ok, not my thing but it's a surprise. This year with it being treated like a big 4 with the whole weekends worth of shows nxt, raw, SDL in the same area and the big stadium for the ppv you kinda expect something cool to happen.

30 was a great chance for someone to come in and make an impact. Hell, even 27 was a waste on Enzo. Anyway, he wouldnt even have to win. Instead, Roman was used to troll fans into getting them to cheer for Orton who they might not have been overly excited about.

Way to get people to care about your product. Get them to vote for Hil Dog or Trump and they'll cheer at that moment only for whomever sucks less.

[Bad News Gertner]

5 minutes in the Rumble is not the same as 20 at WrestleMania, though.

I'd rather have seen someone like DDP - or another NXT guy - than James Ellsworth out there.

It's a non roster wrestler taking the spot of a roster wrestler.

I'm not even complaining, I like the surprise entrants, but it's really no different

[Big Vic]

Way to get people to care about your product. Get them to vote for Hil Dog or Trump and they'll cheer at that moment only for whomever sucks less.
I agree, Trump should have came out at #30

[Bad News Gertner]

Lol he wouldn't have gotten booed louder than Reigns did

[Big Vic]

lol would have been absolutely hilarious if Mustafa Ali was #27 and Trump was #30 and as soon as Trump hits the ring he eliminates Ali.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Trump comes out #29, Muhammad Hassan at #30. Hassan gets a pop by eliminating Trump and Trump just has him deported.

[Bad News Gertner]

Lol could you imagine Donald Trump telling the Iron Sheik he's not allowed in the U.S.A

[#BROKEN Hasney]

. @realDonaldTrump SEND INTELLIGENT @Linda_McMahon TO SBA.SHEIKIE HEAD NATIONAL ENDOWMENT HUMANITIES SO I SUPLEX FINDING RORY JABRONI FISH

[#BROKEN Hasney]

I AM THE IRANIAN AMERICAN WHOEVER TRY TO BAN ME I TAKE TO MY COUNTRY SUPLEX CITY

https://twitter.com/the_ironsheik/status/825454110690402305

[XL]

How is it not? It's a part timer taking a spot away from a full timer

The complaint about Mania is that the part-timers take prime positions at the top of the card meaning your all year round guys miss the card/get lumped into the Battle Royal. Prime example looking at this year might be Styles, who's had a fantastic year but is looking like the odd man out on the card because Brock, Berg, Taker, HHH are all being brought in.

The Rumble match has 30 guys in it, having 3 or 4 surprise/legend entrants should knock off your real low card guys (did anyone miss Titus on Sunday?) but really this is the first year in a long time were a bunch of guys that should have been on the card/in the match didn't get in due to the volume of the overall roster. The SmackDown tag division was completely absent from the card (including the champs) which isn't great but they were kept out of the match by the same part-timers who are taking the Mania spots (rightly or not) and some lacklustre "surprises".

Ultimately as good as Gallagher's little stink was, Ellsworth's deal, Enzo, Henry in Texas, Crews, and Kalisto weren't what the audience expected as their surprises in the Rumble.

[Ruien]

I see all the time how it sucks because a wrestler does not receive a Mania check because of part timers. Same thing for the rumble.

Plus, you already had Taker, Brock, and Goldberg. That's 10% of the Rumble already filled by part timers.

But I love part timers because they are typically huge stars. If I could have Rock, Cena, Berg, Brock, Angle, HHH, and every other part timer who is a superstar at Mania instead of Owens and Ambrose I would be more than happy to take it.

[Mr. Nerfect]

My thoughts (I'm going to do snowflakes even though I hate them to bother people):

* Charlotte vs. Bayley was an odd choice for opener. I'm still annoying by the very presence of main roster Bayley. She seems "over" though. I think the trend will fade when people realize she is not very good. Decent match, but nothing special. I remember Charlotte taunting Bayley and the finish. Oh, and Charlotte getting some blood. That would be a good way to continue to the feud. "You may have left with the belt, but you also left with a battle scar. So much for hopeless Bayley, right?" **

* Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns made me realize how much I fucking hate Kevin Owens. Ugh. I loved his presentation in NXT, but his work on the main roster is shameless pandering to "smart" crowds. I also hate the way his t-shirt rides up and you see he's wearing a singlet underneath, because it emphasizes the fact that the WWE is ashamed of their guy's body. It made me think about attire during the match, and how Roman Reigns is still a babyface that wrestles in FUCKING BODY ARMOR! Argh!

* I was rooting for Reigns to win the title so that a heavyweight guy that doesn't need to jump for the Stunner could hold it. Oh well. The Frog Splash through the table looked sick -- that's the sort of clip they'd add to the RAW intro if this were the Attitude era. The chair spot looked shit. I don't know how morons can buy into near falls when they still have a table set up in the corner and a tower of chairs on the outside. Completely removes the suspension of disbelief. Because of the athleticism and crowd, I think saying this was "very good" is a stretch, but I'll give it that. ***1/2

* People do not give a flying fuck about the cruiserweights. Rich Swann has been presented as a pity party. He cannot talk and his head movements make him look like a jerk. Looks weird, like a natural heel, except he's tiny. Apparently he's a great dude and a whole lot of fun to be around, but he's not fun to watch. The crowd sat on their hands for this, but would occasionally perk up when Swann did something insane. They worked hard here, it was slightly better than the women's match, but not by that much. **1/2

* AJ Styles vs. John Cena was better than Okada vs. Omega. Suck it. Still not a perfect match, but that's fine. That's good -- gives people a reason to keep chasing it and getting better. I don't mind Cena winning the belt because the match put Styles on a whole other level. I don't really like that Styles loses his belt while Owens gets to continue to fuck around in the mid-card with his. This is the first Rumble title match that I feel should have closed the show. ****1/2

* I actually thought the Royal Rumble Match itself was good. What the fuck are these surprises people are going on about? We got Jack Gallagher. I didn't know he was going to be in there, and he was great. Mark Henry wasn't scheduled. Kane wasn't in the match, which surprised me. Brock got eliminated quickly. I thought there was a lot of cooperation and well thought out spots in this match, which almost got too cute at times, but it was a lot better than some other Rumbles. I actually had no problem with almost anything that happened during the "still goes to go" section of the Rumble. The weirdest thing to me was Bray being the first Wyatt Family member in. The way they are playing it out, Bray is almost a valiant leader -- it's like they want him to be babyfaced by this, but Orton is clearly going to be cheered despite being the massive douche.

* The ending fucking sucked though. Roman Reigns sucked the god damn wind out of the place. He is NOT the guy. The stare-down with Undertaker legitimatelly depressed the wrestling fan in me. No one gives a flying fuck-doodle about that match. But it's going to happen, because fuck everyone. Orton winning feels mid-card, not because Orton is mid-card, but because he's been working mid-card since Brock killed him. Very underwhelming, which brings the entire thing down. "Very good" Rumble, "Awful" ending -- averages out to *1/2.

This means the average score of the 2017 Royal Rumble was **1/2 -- or "average." This is mainly for Cena/Styles and the Rumble Match itself, with the Owens/Reigns ECW match being fun for a first-time view, and everything else being completely redundant or upsetting.

[#1-norm-fan]

Damn. I was hoping for a vintage Noid "mock CyNick" review.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I'll do one for Elimination Chamber. Or maybe for this PPV later.

[Vastardikai]

Some of my friends hated the Gallagher bit, others loved it for the same reason: It was dumb.

Baron Corbin is that guy who used to sit by himself at a lunch while wearing a wolf shirt.

Again, was the Sister Abigail tease by Harper getting a pop because it was something people wanting to see, or was it because it was a thing that happened at a Royal Rumble where not much did happen.

And I stand by this: The worst thing a bunch of people can do in this kind of match is absolutely nothing. There are four sides of the ring. People could be brawling in the corners while the main action goes on in the center. Or were they so bothered that something else go on would distract the old guys, who are the only thing we're supposed to give a shit about (according to Creative).