WWE: Royal Rumble 2020

[Triple A]

Anderson one of the surprise slots also........... Gallows will prob be another

[Nicky Fives]

Not sure Hot Karl needs to be in this match....

[Jordan]

Anderson one of the surprise slots also........... Gallows will prob be another

That SUCKS.

[GD]

EDGEEEEEEE!

[OssMan]

now that lesnar's gone this match rules

[Evil Vito]

Oh fuck!

[rez]

Edddddddddddge

[Droford]

oh shit

[Jordan]

OH MY GOD IT'S EDGE

[Sepholio]

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[Emperor Smeat]

Styles is a bit of a moron for interrupting the Drew elimination attempt.

[Nicky Fives]

BOOM!

[Jordan]

HE LOOKS AMAZING

[RP]

PLEASE LET EDGE WIN!!!!!!!!!!!

[teamXtremist]

Epic markout

[Mr. Nerfect]

Oh man, AJ Styles is so fucking good. I almost forgot.

[GD]

FUIHFHJKHADSFO[UASJDFAKLSFJASJKLDFDLKFJSDFJLKSDJFDSF

[Evil Vito]

And the cameras missed his first Spear. Lovely.

[Emperor Smeat]

:eek: Edge actually showed up

[OssMan]

how come they give pyro to bitch ass Edge

I thought he retired... I was at da show where he retired

[teamXtremist]

Edge vs fiend

[Nicky Fives]

I've missed that theme so much....

[GD]

Fuck Corbin! We still have Roman in the Rumble.

[Lock Jaw]

Meh. Should have been Christian.

[Evil Vito]

Here comes Corbin to eliminate Edge and get the heat.

[RP]

I want Christian back too

[teamXtremist]

Edge in tremendous shape

[slik]

Honestly, best men's rumble match in years so far

[Sepholio]

Old man Edge looks bad ass af not gonna lie

[GD]

There goes AJ.

[OssMan]

I've missed that theme so much....

his rob zombie theme was 100x better...

[GD]

Matt fucking Riddle! :love:

[Sepholio]

Roman gonna win from #30 :(

[teamXtremist]

Broooooo

[Jordan]

BRO

[OssMan]

Who the fuck is this guy

MRI

"Bro"

lol

[Mr. Nerfect]

Edge. Fucking Edge. Good on him.

[Nicky Fives]

Bro! Bro! Bro!

[Triple A]

smh @ not letting Riddle get in there with Lesnar,

[DaveWadding]

BROOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Evil Vito]

I was in the arena in Bridgeport when Edge made his retirement announcement in 2011. Mad that he's back in the ring all this time later.

[Triple A]

Who the fuck is this guy

MRI

"Bro"

lol

He`s the best...

[OssMan]

lmao this ***** wearing sandals

Beast

[Triple A]

fuck u fuckers

[GD]

Are you kidding me with that elimination :fu:

[Droford]

bro

[BigCrippyZ]

I don't know what it is about Drew, but I'm not sold on him. I appreciate what they're going for, but he's just a bit...there.

I don’t like Drew McIntyre.

That’s because he’s another fucking Vince project. A dude with good size/physique and no personality or actual mic skills to back it up gets a rocket push. Vince is desperate to make new stars and has no idea of how to do that anymore.

[teamXtremist]

Woken matt ftw

[Sepholio]

Feel like the quick Riddle elimination was prob a result of the early backstage incident.

[OssMan]

Bro is the man lol.......

[Jordan]

FUCK IT'S LUKE GALLOWS YOU GUYS

[Emperor Smeat]

:lol: at Riddle getting booed for attacking Edge.

Well that was a waste of a entrant for Riddle.

[OssMan]

I was in the arena in Bridgeport when Edge made his retirement announcement in 2011. Mad that he's back in the ring all this time later.

It was in DC in like 2014 dude... he came out with daniel bryant and they both announced their retirement or some shit

[GD]

There goes Corbin!

[teamXtremist]

Aj's elimnation looked off

[Crimson]

There's Riddles punishment. Hope that's it.

[GD]

Snek time!

[Triple A]

wish Matt Riddle would get fired via having a backstage fight with Brock Lesnar, then go to AEW

[teamXtremist]

Rko

[Sepholio]

Rated RKO reunion

[Jordan]

I really love this match.

[Emperor Smeat]

Kind of funny the ring has the same amount of bald guys as long haired guys. All that was missing was Drew having blonde hair instead.

[GD]

Rated RKO :yes:

[Nicky Fives]

Seems like they are setting up Edge/Styles for Mania....

[OssMan]

fuck Randy Orton..

[Mr. Nerfect]

Surprised they didn't have Corbin eliminate Edge for the heat.

[teamXtremist]

Would be wpic if ziggler won this shit

[Evil Vito]

Five spots left. Roman, Owens, Joe, Rollins still to go. Murphy, Black, and Heavy Machinery were announced and all but one of them were bumped.

[DAMN iNATOR]

Edge's beard is weird.

[GD]

The Big Dog is back! Boomshakalaka!

[teamXtremist]

Reigning down boos for reigns

[Jordan]

BROWN HAIR BEARD LONG HAIR AND SPEAR VS BLONDE HAIR BEAR LONG HAIR AND SPEAR

[Nicky Fives]

HERE COMES THE BIG DOG!!!!! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!

[Emperor Smeat]

Michael Cole sucks at convoying any sort of emotion for big calls. That Rated RKO reunion moment was way bigger deal than his call was.

[rez]

too bad Goldberg isn't in this. spear spear spear

[Sepholio]

Good pop for KO

[GD]

Samosa Joe, Rollins and Murph remain.

[Droford]

Edge's beard is weird.

(someone's) stache is trash

[OssMan]

stunner

[GD]

Aleister Black :yes:

[OssMan]

stunrer

[Mr. Nerfect]

This Rumble is so fucking amazing.

[teamXtremist]

Black mass

[Nicky Fives]

Black vs. McIntyre is something I would very much like to see.

[OssMan]

who are these fucking jobbers..... "aleister black"...

[Sepholio]

That might be the best black mass I've ever seen him do.

[GD]

Joe and Rollins...

[xrodmuc316]

I guess no Buddy Murphy then

[teamXtremist]

Those educated feet of alister black

[Emperor Smeat]

Bit surprised Edge has lasted this long in the Rumble.

[teamXtremist]

Rollins is winning

[Droford]

rollins is 30?

[Evil Vito]

No clue how they bumped the guys they did for boring ass Gallows and Anderson. At least feed them to Brock instead of Shinsuke and Morrison.

[DaveWadding]

Seems like they are setting up Edge/Styles for Mania....

If by Mania you mean Saudi Blood Money V, then yes.

[Sepholio]

Bit surprised Edge has lasted this long in the Rumble.

Might be seeing how his cardio is and how long he can reasonably go. Easy match to watch that in. You know he's back for a final run now, no way this is a one off.

[slik]

shakey cam

[Impeccable]

In terms of quality of competition in the ring...edge, reigns, McIntyre, Joe, Owens, Orton, Black and Rollins this is a great end to a rumble match

[OssMan]

what happened to that ridiculous redhead guy from West Virginia.. forgot his name... some jobber ass name

[Mr. Nerfect]

I actually predicted all the talent that wouldn't make it into the Rumble, lol.

[Evil Vito]

Four guys entering at #30 is a good one

[teamXtremist]

what happened to that ridiculous redhead guy from West Virginia.. forgot his name... some jobber ass name


Heath slater baby

[Sepholio]

laaaame

[Evil Vito]

Roman gonna clear out Seth's whole stable single-handedly.

[Emperor Smeat]

Might be seeing how his cardio is and how long he can reasonably go. Easy match to watch that in. You know he's back for a final run now, no way this is a one off.

Yeah, wouldn't be surprised if he showed up again at next month's Saudi show or even at Mania.

Just hope he's not playing with fire for his neck even if he feels perfectly fine and healthy.

[GD]

Damn, Rollins eliminating both Owens and Samosa Joe like chumps.

[#1-norm-fan]

I want Edge to win.

Drew McIntyre will win.

I will hate him a little more.

[Sepholio]

I hope Edge wins damnit

[Droford]

where did edge go

[teamXtremist]

Edge !edge! edge!

[RP]

I'm gonna be upset if Edge dont win.

[teamXtremist]

Rip mnmessiah

[Evil Vito]

Seth trying to weasel his way into teaming with Roman again is fantastic.

[GD]

Wasn't expecting Rollins to be thrown out before the final four.

[slik]

Let's go McIntyre

[teamXtremist]

Great run for edge no matter what

[Bad News Gertner]

These quick camera cuts are making this unwatchable.

[teamXtremist]

orton is turning on edge

[Nicky Fives]

orton is turning on edge

Other way around....

[GD]

Edge eliminates Orton :lol:

[Emperor Smeat]

:lol: at the crowd chanting "This is Awesome" during Orton's punches.

[teamXtremist]

Spear vs spear

[Droford]

orton is turning on edge

au contraire

[Nicky Fives]

au contraire

mon frere!

[OssMan]

i hope roman reigns wins, would be funny

[teamXtremist]

Double claymore ftw

[GD]

CLAYMORE!

[teamXtremist]

its drews tine

[Sepholio]

YES IT WASNT ROMAN MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

[Nicky Fives]

:O

[Nicky Fives]

This was about 7 years overdue!

[Jordan]

DREW!!!! What a fucking Rumble! That was AMAZING! Such a good story.

[Evil Vito]

Nice finish

[RP]

I'll accept Drew winning

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[GD]

Drew freakin' McIntyre!

[RP]

Bout damn time Drew Mcintyre gets his moment.

[DAMN iNATOR]

Long overdue for Drew. 👍

[teamXtremist]

Reigns vs edge at mania

[Sepholio]

The moment where Edge dodged Romans spear and then hit one of his own was the moment of the night for me. That was just a well put together spot that had a lot of sentimental value all the way around.

[Impeccable]

That was decent. Really quite decent

[Nicky Fives]

#16 won the women's rumble, #17 the mens.....

[Mr. Nerfect]

This has been so brilliant. Whoever put this thing together needs to have their salary doubled. This felt like Pat Patterson was involved.

[Emperor Smeat]

:eek: Drew won.

Men's Rumble match was great. Best one in a long while as well.

Royal Rumble itself was pretty good overall.

[teamXtremist]

Great rumble

[rez]

Not bad. Good ending

I was almost convinced they were really going to Lesnar the whole thing there for a minute early on

[Droford]

I need times. I had Mcintyre on my draft kings team. Had charlotte too.

by my count I should have 3,450 points. maybe that gets me part of the 5000 bucks lol

[OssMan]

congratulations drew macking tire...

[Mr. Nerfect]

Fucking hell, WWE. I've talked so much shit about you, and I've fallen out of love, but when you put on those fishnets I remember how fucking sexy you are.

[slik]

That was really good

[Mr. Nerfect]

I get that he's probably genuinely emotional, but I wish just once someone would win and be like "Fuck yeah. Of course I did."

[Sepholio]

Not bad. Good ending

I was almost convinced they were really going to Lesnar the whole thing there for a minute early on

I did too and it had me really worried. Tired of him being booked so strong when he hardly ever shows up. Was ruining the match for me.

[Lock Jaw]

The Chosen One finally fulfills the prophecy.....

[Evil Vito]

Hated the first half of the Rumble after a while, loved the second. McIntyre vs. Lesnar will be fun and Roman vs. Fiend is likely.

And now Edge in the fold, him being in as long as he was means that was no cameo. He's getting one last run to at least Mania.

[Lock Jaw]

Probably one of the best Rumbles in a long time.....

Even if I am not the biggest fan of Drew McIntyre....

[rez]

Shout out the people out there that thought CM Punk was gonna come out. Always a pleasure

[Sepholio]

Did they ever do the rumored bit with Sting? I missed the beginning of the show.

[RP]

The best moment is Drew eliminating Brock. I'm glad WWE didnt do what they usually do and have that be Drew's big push moment and then have him be eliminated later on.

[Sepholio]

Shout out the people out there that thought CM Punk was gonna come out. Always a pleasure

lol like they'd blow Punk on the Rumble. Punk will be paid in Saudi Blood Money...Part Five.

[slik]

I called it

Brock vs Drew
Roman vs Fiend
AJ vs Orton
Becky vs ...Charlotte?

all being set up for Mania

[slik]

I hope Mike Johnson at PWinsider feels like a 'fucking moron' for reporting STING would be in the Rumble match

[Evil Vito]

Seeing the IIconics on WWE24......they're dreadful in the ring, annoying on the mic, but wonderful to look at.

Shawn Spears has definitely had an iconic threesome.

[Mr. Nerfect]

* Brock going through 14 guys was fucking brilliant. Brock is just so well put together as an overall worker. His "ooh" face when he came up against Keith Lee and dancing to MVP's theme was hilarious. It gave the talent being chewed through something to react to. They got to go out there and show something, whether it was fear, cockiness or even charisma (in the case of Nakamura especially). And then when you have Ricochet kick him in the balls and Drew kicks him right out? Marvellous. Ricochet gets something. Drew gets something.

* Then you had AJ Styles go out there and put on a fucking clinic with Drew. Fucking hell, he's one of the best workers in the world and as soon as Brock goes, he comes in.

* Then you had Edge fucking come back. We heard the rumors, but until he's actually there, you don't really feel it. And he looks like an old fucking war dog now, which fits him, because he shouldn't be treated like a young guy. And he looked amazing as far as doing physical shit. They wouldn't let him go out there if he weren't healthy enough to take those bumps. I imagine him talking to Rey and getting some of those stem cells injected into him and him now having the neck of a 30-year-old wrestler. Hopefully, lol. The story between him and Randy Orton was great. There was actually foreshadowing with Randy Orton bringing up Edge a few weeks ago. They did the turn tease, because it's Randy -- but it's also Edge, The Ultimate Opportunist -- and he dumps out Orton.

* NXT gets some shine as Keith Lee looked really good out there and Matt Riddle got some shine.

* You get to the end and you've got Samoa Joe, Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton. All of them could, conceivably win. And Seth brings his troops. The guy who won last year. What a prick. And they go on a tear, and they fuck the babyfaces. And then you've got those babyfaces get pissed off, and they brawl with the lackeys to the back and Seth finds himself in no man's land. He tries to buddy up to Roman. What a prick. It doesn't work and Seth gets his ass handed to him.

* Roman eliminating Edge was an odd choice, because it was bound to get heat, but it's followed by the quick punches of Drew getting the win and now being the preferred choice. It enhances the moment and a fresh guy wins and I'm pretty sure he's going to go on to beat Brock and be a top guy for them going forward. They tried to make a star here. They tried to make a few at a bunch of different levels.

The rest of the show was pretty meh, but that fucking Rumble? Fucking glorious. If that were a Heyman thing (and it really was a bunch of Raw guys when you think about it, lol), then he's earning that Executive Director paycheck.

[GD]

I really enjoyed the Rumble match.

[screech]

That was fun.

Bummed MVP and Morrison were seemingly "wasted" with quick Lesnar eliminations, though.

[#1-norm-fan]

This has been so brilliant. Whoever put this thing together needs to have their salary doubled. This felt like Pat Patterson was involved.

Fucking hell, WWE. I've talked so much shit about you, and I've fallen out of love, but when you put on those fishnets I remember how fucking sexy you are.

This is where I turn on Noid.

Are you really praising WWE for trying to push Drew McIntyre as a WrestleMania main eventer?

WWE is officially in full TNA mode.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Out of that Rumble, we've got:

* Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre for the WWE Title
* Seth Rollins, Buddy Murphy & The AOP vs. Samoa Joe, Kevin Owens, Alistair Black & Rey Mysterio
* Edge vs. Randy Orton
* Baron Corbin vs. Matt Riddle (possibly)

That's fucking ace. And given that they're almost entirely Raw programs, lol, I think that's Heyman taking care of his Mania direction. There's also possibly the Four Horsewomen doing a double belt thing, which is a big match to their audience. Mania could be excellent.

I fully believe that WWE realizes the situation they are in with their metrics other than TV revenue dropping, and the eyes that are going to be on them with Vince doing the XFL. They actually went into good booking mode with this and presented a bunch of people I am interested in moving forward. No one was fucking hurt by this, except for maybe Elias and he's...well, he's fucking Elias.

[Evil Vito]

That was fun.

Bummed MVP and Morrison were seemingly "wasted" with quick Lesnar eliminations, though.

I'd have swapped Morrison and Nakamura with Gallows and Anderson. Nobody would've cared about Gallows and Anderson getting tossed quickly.

I WISH I could be upset about Cesaro being thrown out right away but let's be real, he's never going anywhere further than he has and he's basically a geek. Nakamura probably is too, sadly. That's not a reflection of Brock, it's a reflection of the way those guys are booked.

McIntyre's elimination was so ace though.

[Mr. Nerfect]

This is where I turn on Noid.

Are you really praising WWE for trying to push Drew McIntyre as a WrestleMania main eventer?

WWE is officially in full TNA mode.

He's the sort of guy that they can put on a poster and in front of cameras and he looks like a wrestler that audiences will switch onto. He presents himself as someone you might not want to fuck with, but also women might want to fuck him. I can see why they're doing it, even if I find his act kind of...bland overall.

He's a guy that Vince is not going to pull the plug on too, and if you're someone like Heyman, you want that assurance. He's a safer bet than a Joe or Owens, who Vince sees as carpenters.

[Evil Vito]

Lol I actually wish Brock would've left Shelton in there, only for Shelton to quickly be thrown out by the next guy and Brock just shrugs.

That said they were obviously trying to get him to tie the record so they had to do it that way.

[#1-norm-fan]

How the fuck do you not just have Edge win that and roll with that story?

[Evil Vito]

Ahh this WWE 24 is getting me in the feels.....before I found Rollins insufferable.

[Emperor Smeat]

I hope Mike Johnson at PWinsider feels like a 'fucking moron' for reporting STING would be in the Rumble match

Probably going to lash out or claim his words were taken out of context in one of this week's Q&A articles like him and Scherer do whenever they get called out on their reports or takes on issues.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I'd have swapped Morrison and Nakamura with Gallows and Anderson. Nobody would've cared about Gallows and Anderson getting tossed quickly.

I WISH I could be upset about Cesaro being thrown out right away but let's be real, he's never going anywhere further than he has and he's basically a geek. Nakamura probably is too, sadly. That's not a reflection of Brock, it's a reflection of the way those guys are booked.

McIntyre's elimination was so ace though.

And that comes off Brock tearing through those guys earlier. Morrison is just back with the company. He got to look cocky and cool, he got in there without any qualms and he got tossed because Brock's a fucking hoss. He's going to be going after the Tag Titles in a feud that is probably going to be a lot of joking and "Dirt Sheet" segments and New Day comedy. He doesn't need to look like he's about to fight the WWE Champion next week. But they at least made him look willing to and half-way competent.

Nakamura came out and Zayn is doing his dancing and Nakamura looks more curious to get in the ring with Brock than anything else. He believed in himself and Zayn believed in him, and when he got ousted he made it look like he was annoyed at himself. If we're lucky, he'll find a way to get past Braun or they'll just forget that and we'll get Nakamura vs. Bryan for the IC Title at Mania, which could potentially be a classic.

AJ Styles got something by having his cronies around and helping him out. And they got something out of being in there with Styles and top guys like Orton and Edge. It's possible that they'll head towards some sort of 3-on-2 deal. Or...imagine if they got Christian back.

If the creative team running SmackDown were smart, they could actually turn this into an angle. Now, I don't want authority figures back or anything, but if I were a hypothetical General Manager or coach on SmackDown, I'd be a bit annoyed that Elias, Morrison, Nakamura, Miz, Kofi and Big E all looked like fucking goofs out there (not really, but you know what I mean). I'm probably forgetting people. Corbin and Ziggler had a decent showing, but I think if you look at things, Corbin might be the only SmackDown guy who got an elimination.

This could be used to "motivate" talent. Or have heels come in and try to revamp the show. If you wanted to create a reason for an NXT invasion again, then that's a good one. "You guys didn't cut the mustard, so now you're going to have to watch your back against the hungry guys in NXT." Babyfaces and heels.

Good excuse to have Vince McMahon back on WWE TV if that's what you wanted to do.

[BigCrippyZ]

Look, I'm just as glad as the next person that Reigns, Rollins, and Lesnar, didn't go on to win the Rumble. They didn't need it...

However, this is nothing more than Vince pushing a guy with a Vince favored look/physique into a position he's not ready for... whether we're talking storyline buildup, or someone who is actually ready.

Most of you, who are celebrating this bullshit, are just as fucking stupid and pathetic as Vince. You ultimately have no idea how to build a star, you just want the next guy.

Let me know when Drew, is actually as big or bigger than Reigns, Rollins, AJ, hell even Edge, or Lesnar. Lesnar, BTW, is still the biggest star on the roster, in case you're too stupid to realize it. If your company can't build up someone to be equal to or bigger than Lesnar, you don't know WTF you're doing.

[Droford]

The biggest question is what happened to Sasha Banks

[Mr. Nerfect]

How the fuck do you not just have Edge win that and roll with that story?

I get what you're saying, but Edge is 46 and hasn't been out there for long. Him coming back and winning the Rumble is another version of the 2010 Rumble where he did the same thing (only not after nine fucking years). I think he looked awesome and I assume he's going to be doing something with Randy Orton -- either with or against him -- and they wanted to put the focus on that.

If he gets his feet wet and he's absolutely killing it in the ring and on the mic, and it's all there, then you can always do the climb back to the top story later.

[Droford]

I just now see shes non specific injury not cleared to compete

[Evil Vito]

Random thought: Edge being back for a Mania run makes it feel more likely that Christian heads into the HOF this year.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Look, I'm just as glad as the next person that Reigns, Rollins, and Lesnar, didn't go on to win the Rumble. They didn't need it...

However, this is nothing more than Vince pushing a guy with a Vince favored look/physique into a position he's not ready for... whether we're talking storyline buildup, or someone who is actually ready.

Most of you, who are celebrating this bullshit, are just as fucking stupid and pathetic as Vince. You ultimately have no idea how to build a star, you just want the next guy.

Let me know when Drew, is actually as big or bigger than Reigns, Rollins, AJ, hell even Edge, or Lesnar. Lesnar, BTW, is still the biggest star on the roster, in case you're too stupid to realize it. If your company can't build up someone to be equal to or bigger than Lesnar, you don't know WTF you're doing.

Drew is an indy darling lol. I mean, I don't think he's the most dynamic guy, but I think that's why people are accepting of him in the position -- because he ticks all those Vince boxes as well as all those indy boxes.

I think this built up Drew awesomely. He eliminated Brock. He won the match. He eliminated quite a few guys. They had him dump Corbin, which is going to get you over with those sorts of fans. He eliminated the guy who eliminated Edge. He carried himself well, spent a lot of time in there and looked like a million bucks by the end of this. They gave him the star treatment here, and while we're all salty about WWE, this is a guy that fans can believe they will commit to.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I just now see shes non specific injury not cleared to compete

Sounds like she might have a concussion. They would be smart to turn this into an angle to edge her into a program because she never got her chance.

[#1-norm-fan]

He's the sort of guy that they can put on a poster and in front of cameras and he looks like a wrestler that audiences will switch onto. He presents himself as someone you might not want to fuck with, but also women might want to fuck him. I can see why they're doing it, even if I find his act kind of...bland overall.

He's a guy that Vince is not going to pull the plug on too, and if you're someone like Heyman, you want that assurance. He's a safer bet than a Joe or Owens, who Vince sees as carpenters.

Maybe my standards are just too high at this point... but Drew McIntyre has NO mainstream appeal. And him outlasting the Edge story and the more mainstream-friendly Roman Reigns just makes it more awful.

Just picture Drew McIntyre cutting a promo as the face of a wrestling company. Holy fuck.

[Mr. Nerfect]

That Rumble was so fucking good I might go back and watch it all over again. Vince McMahon should be kissing someone on the mouth right now.

[slik]

while I like drew now

I have watched enough WWE to know 1 thing more than anything

I'll hate him by summer

they'll ruin his push right after mania within 2-3 months

Edge's novelty will wear off then too

[screech]

Isn't the trope "imagine this guy on the TODAY show" the day after Mania?

If my choices there were Drew and Edge, I'd take Edge for sure.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Maybe my standards are just too high at this point... but Drew McIntyre has NO mainstream appeal. And him outlasting the Edge story and the more mainstream-friendly Roman Reigns just makes it more awful.

Just picture Drew McIntyre cutting a promo as the face of a wrestling company. Holy fuck.

Well Roman ain't exactly the best scripted promo either. It's not like Drew's bad, he's just not really dynamic. But he'll have Heyman there very involved. He'll probably be more Batista, Triple H and Randy Orton than John Cena or Rock on the mic. But he's not offensive. And he is a pretty good looking guy. I bet he gets noticed at airports.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Isn't the trope "imagine this guy on the TODAY show" the day after Mania?

If my choices there were Drew and Edge, I'd take Edge for sure.

Edge is 46 and looks it. He looks great for 46, but I'm not sure the Today Show would take Edge over Drew.

[Evil Vito]

Drew banged Taryn Terrell so that's good enough for me

[Mr. Nerfect]

Drew is in that line of promos with your Ortons, Sheamuses and all them. I really don't think it's that hard to imagine him talking.

[#1-norm-fan]

I get what you're saying, but Edge is 46 and hasn't been out there for long. Him coming back and winning the Rumble is another version of the 2010 Rumble where he did the same thing (only not after nine fucking years). I think he looked awesome and I assume he's going to be doing something with Randy Orton -- either with or against him -- and they wanted to put the focus on that.

If he gets his feet wet and he's absolutely killing it in the ring and on the mic, and it's all there, then you can always do the climb back to the top story later.

It’s WAY different than the 2010 story. Not even fucking close to the same kind of drama. And my main point is, if you don’t want him to win...don’t fucking tease it in favour of a nobody winning instead. And if you are gonna tease it... give the heat of eliminating him to a heel he can face at WrestleMania. They had one (ideally) sympathetic face eliminate a better one so that a member of 3MB could win the match.

Brilliant.

[BigCrippyZ]

Drew is an indy darling lol. I mean, I don't think he's the most dynamic guy, but I think that's why people are accepting of him in the position -- because he ticks all those Vince boxes as well as all those indy boxes.

I think this built up Drew awesomely. He eliminated Brock. He won the match. He eliminated quite a few guys. They had him dump Corbin, which is going to get you over with those sorts of fans. He eliminated the guy who eliminated Edge. He carried himself well, spent a lot of time in there and looked like a million bucks by the end of this. They gave him the star treatment here, and while we're all salty about WWE, this is a guy that fans can believe they will commit to.

That's great. That doesn't mean shit.

It was still a rushed push because Vince is fucking desperate, out of touch, and has no fucking clue how to make a star. This was still a ridiculous stupid forced push because Vince liked his look and physique, and the guy was getting a decent crowd response.

In 2 years or less, I bet Drew will be (at best) be no more successful or over than Rollins, Reigns, etc., are currently. AKA, they'll be ready and planning to move on to someone new because they can't/don't know how to build fucking stars.

What's worse is it likely won't be Drew's fault, but 95+% because Vince has no idea what the fuck he's doing, and the folks around him continue to suck Vince's cock and telling him "yes, you're a genius Vince" instead of telling him what he needs to hear.

[Mr. Nerfect]

With Roman Reigns, if he won the Rumble then people would think back to that 2015 Rumble. People were dreading him winning like it was back to business as usual. He might end up against Bray Wyatt at Mania, but they can get there with a story that isn't "Roman Reigns wins."

Are they being too tepid about that sort of thing? Maybe. But Reigns doesn't need to get there that way either. It's not going to be the show-closer, so I'd rather he didn't win it.

[Volare]

Edge's return was worth the whole damn thing.

[Evil Vito]

Another realization watching WWE 24: for as invested as I was in seeing Becky win the title leading up to Mania, and considering I was actually in the building....I barely remember anything about that match because I was so beyond exhausted by that point. Not just from the 7 hour Mania but from the whole weekend, that was the final match in a weekend where I saw over 200 people compete in matches live. After the emotional high of Kofi's win the rest of the show may as well have been a blur.

[Triple A]

Just picture Drew McIntyre cutting a promo as the face of a wrestling company. Holy fuck.

McIntyre is better on the mic than 90% of WWE's roster

[#1-norm-fan]

McIntyre is better on the mic than 90% of WWE's roster

STD’s Tout after Roman Reigns won the Royal Rumble was better than 90% of WWE’s roster.

[Mr. Nerfect]

It’s WAY different than the 2010 story. Not even fucking close to the same kind of drama. And my main point is, if you don’t want him to win...don’t fucking tease it in favour of a nobody winning instead. And if you are gonna tease it... give the heat of eliminating him to a heel he can face at WrestleMania. They had one (ideally) sympathetic face eliminate a better one so that a member of 3MB could win the match.

Brilliant.

I think Reigns being the guy to get Edge out was a weird choice, but it was essentially there to further position people behind the Drew win. They wanted Reigns there at the end (he's probably going for the other belt) and they wanted Edge right there neck-and-neck to do the interaction there.

Edge eliminated Orton. I've been fairly sure that's where they would have been going with Edge for Mania. But he didn't get fucked over, he did the fucking. Because he's Edge and he's savvy. He's always been a better heel and they are taking those tendencies and playing to them because the fans don't want to boo him. But they set up stuff with Edge by making it seem like "Holy fuck, this dude has still got lots left in the tank."

It worked. If you put Edge over, it's a 46-year-old coming back and beating all your full-time stars so he can maybe be in shape to, what? Go to SmackDown and beat the gimmick guy? And fans would have whinged about it. I think you're putting a bit too much stock in the genuine investment people have in Edge being back as the top issue as opposed to just him getting to do this again.

[Mr. Nerfect]

That's great. That doesn't mean shit.

It was still a rushed push because Vince is fucking desperate, out of touch, and has no fucking clue how to make a star. This was still a ridiculous stupid forced push because Vince liked his look and physique, and the guy was getting a decent crowd response.

In 2 years or less, I bet Drew will be (at best) be no more successful or over than Rollins, Reigns, etc., are currently. AKA, they'll be ready and planning to move on to someone new because they can't/don't know how to build fucking stars.

What's worse is it likely won't be Drew's fault, but 95+% because Vince has no idea what the fuck he's doing, and the folks around him continue to suck Vince's cock and telling him "yes, you're a genius Vince" instead of telling him what he needs to hear.

When WWE need to make stars, they know how to make a star. It helps that Drew won't be marred by the fans seeing through the push and revolting against it, because he's not Roman Reigns or John Cena.

They've treated Drew like a pretty big deal since he's been back. I think he lost to Kevin Owens once when they were getting Owens ready for Shane, but outside of that it's a pretty well-known thing that they are protecting him. You've got to switch gears with it eventually, and yeah -- all pushes are forced liked that. It's kind of what a push is, lol.

Drew carried himself well (didn't rush in to fight Brock like an idiot) and eliminated Brock (which Brock busted his ass to sell by the way). He looked like a fucking star because he did something that a star would do. Then he got to win the whole damn thing and got to eliminate the guy with go-away heat and the guy company's current guy who just eliminated the comeback hero to do so.

I get that you're salty about WWE, but everything here was fucking gorgeous. You can talk about Drew McIntyre and whether or not you think he's the right guy or not, but if you're going to make a guy this is how you fucking do it.

And yeah, Vince probably likes Drew's aesthetic. But that's important. It might be why Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens aren't the guy getting this push and being figured into a different angle (that feels pretty fucking important with the emphasis that was put onto it today). It just so happens that the guy with a beautiful hair, chiseled face, toned body, broody vibes that is 6'5, 275lbs can also fucking work, talk a little bit, has 19 years experience and seems to be generally accepted by audiences as what they want to see.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I went into this match not really loving Drew McIntyre. I even posted about it earlier. But he's very good at what he does, lol. And this show went a long way to making him a guy with potential to being a guy realizing it. It's been a long time since a wrestling story has actually been able to endear someone to me, so I'd say this was pretty fucking effective.

[BigCrippyZ]

I think Reigns being the guy to get Edge out was a weird choice, but it was essentially there to further position people behind the Drew win. They wanted Reigns there at the end (he's probably going for the other belt) and they wanted Edge right there neck-and-neck to do the interaction there.

Edge eliminated Orton. I've been fairly sure that's where they would have been going with Edge for Mania. But he didn't get fucked over, he did the fucking. Because he's Edge and he's savvy. He's always been a better heel and they are taking those tendencies and playing to them because the fans don't want to boo him. But they set up stuff with Edge by making it seem like "Holy fuck, this dude has still got lots left in the tank."

It worked. If you put Edge over, it's a 46-year-old coming back and beating all your full-time stars so he can maybe be in shape to, what? Go to SmackDown and beat the gimmick guy? And fans would have whinged about it. I think you're putting a bit too much stock in the genuine investment people have in Edge being back as the top issue as opposed to just him getting to do this again.

I agree with you on Edge. However, if you want to get Edge over, there are (at least) better/easier ways to do it. Edge would've ultimately been (just as) over finishing in the top 4-5 as he would've if he'd finished 2nd.

The problem is, it seems (so far at least), if you're not going to use Edge to put over someone like Rollins, or Drew, why the fuck is he being brought back? Outside of selling tix to WM, and Edge's own ego of course?

If you're being objectively honest, Lesnar and Edge were the biggest stars on the Rumble tonight, and it wasn't even close. If Edge is going to come back for more than a one off (where he needs and can afford to lose to more of a "nobody"), than his loss needs to come to someone other than Reigns.

Hell, Im' not even sure Rollins would truly benefit at this point. No one has effectively been built up enough to realistically make it worth Edge losing to them. It's quite pathetic.

[xrodmuc316]

Is it just me, or did AJ either get injured and had to bail out, or did he botch the spot and accidentally get eliminated? He was out before Gallows even got there. Without all 3 in at the same time, there is zero reason for either Gallows or Anderson to be in the match for a shot at a singles championship.

The Brock stuff was good, although I agree they should have protected both Morrison and Nakamura better.

I was a big fan of MVP but what a waste of a spot. He came out, was to slow to catch Paul Heyman, then was eliminated. That would have been a better spot for Sheamus, Walter, Matt Hardy, etc.

And Rowan, why even waste all this time building him as a monster with squash matches and his caged whatever?

[BigCrippyZ]

When WWE need to make stars, they know how to make a star. It helps that Drew won't be marred by the fans seeing through the push and revolting against it, because he's not Roman Reigns or John Cena.


:lol::lol::lol: This is so much hyperbolic buillshit and wishful thinking, it's pathetic and beyond you. I'm actually shocked you actually posted it because you're usually so much smarter and better than this type of nonsense. They haven't made a star in 15 years, despite a ridiculous number of attempts and multiple needs to do it.

It's ridiculous, but it seems like, for whatever reason, no one here really wants to truly acknowledge the reality of just how fucking stupid/senile and out of touch Vince really is. I don't get it, but it's getting pathetic and sad.

[Evil Vito]

I know there's a lot of talk about making WrestleMania a two-day thing, but I really think they could make the Royal Rumble a two-day thing now that they have two of them.

[Jordan]

Is Christian soon to follow?

[Jordan]

I know there's a lot of talk about making WrestleMania a two-day thing, but I really think they could make the Royal Rumble a two-day thing now that they have two of them.

That would've been cool.

[Triple A]

Is it just me, or did AJ either get injured and had to bail out, or did he botch the spot and accidentally get eliminated? He was out before Gallows even got there. Without all 3 in at the same time, there is zero reason for either Gallows or Anderson to be in the match for a shot at a singles championship.

Yeah I was thinking that. It looked like he tried to grab on to the ropes when he was thrown out, but slipped off or something

[Triple A]

hmm

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">AJ Styles is hurt. Here is a slow-mo of the spear he took from Edge. Came down hard on the left shoulder. Couldn’t move it at all after and he just had Edge throw him out. Looks to be really injured. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoyalRumble?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoyalRumble</a> <a href="https://t.co/FT1MFEHc6V">pic.twitter.com/FT1MFEHc6V</a></p>&mdash; Darin Zoccali (@atTheTrack7) <a href="https://twitter.com/atTheTrack7/status/1221662301331382274?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">AJ Styles was talking to these fools before that suspect elimination.. Must've hurt his shoulder taking that spear from Edge <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoyalRumble?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoyalRumble</a> <a href="https://t.co/gEVontovCm">pic.twitter.com/gEVontovCm</a></p>&mdash; Gimmicky J (@gimmicky_j) <a href="https://twitter.com/gimmicky_j/status/1221644210652229638?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Evil Vito]

Figured Edge was just in for a Mania run but the reports are already coming in that he’s signed a three-year performers contract.

I highly doubt he’ll be working a full-time schedule or anything like that but he might be on all the big PPVs moving forward.

[BigCrippyZ]

My issue isn't necessarily with Drew winning. Yes, I think it was rushed for all the wrong reasons. However, my issue is with 1. the build to him winning, 2. how he won, and 3. the plans for what happens next. 1. He basically came out of nowhere and was rushed with no logical build to winning the Rumble after getting released years ago, i.e., no meaningful under card WWE title runs since 2013. 2. He beat guys who should and probably are significantly more talented and over than him, again with not justifiable build. 3. Vince will have no idea of how and what to do with him to keep and build on this momentum for him in the long term.

[erickman]

wish Matt Riddle would get fired via having a backstage fight with Brock Lesnar, then go to AEW

vince don't want that, matt will just sit out or job out contract

[#1-norm-fan]

When WWE need to make stars, they know how to make a star. It helps that Drew won't be marred by the fans seeing through the push and revolting against it, because he's not Roman Reigns or John Cena.

Noid has become The CyNick. The world is fucked.

[#1-norm-fan]

I blame Dale. And Seph kinda.

[Emperor Smeat]

I know there's a lot of talk about making WrestleMania a two-day thing, but I really think they could make the Royal Rumble a two-day thing now that they have two of them.

Unless they really up the quality of the undercard, rather they keep it as is but just have the two Rumble matches and nothing else.

Have like a 10-15 minute cool down break with expert panel stuff and Rumble packages to relax the crowd in between matches.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I agree with you on Edge. However, if you want to get Edge over, there are (at least) better/easier ways to do it. Edge would've ultimately been (just as) over finishing in the top 4-5 as he would've if he'd finished 2nd.

The problem is, it seems (so far at least), if you're not going to use Edge to put over someone like Rollins, or Drew, why the fuck is he being brought back? Outside of selling tix to WM, and Edge's own ego of course?

If you're being objectively honest, Lesnar and Edge were the biggest stars on the Rumble tonight, and it wasn't even close. If Edge is going to come back for more than a one off (where he needs and can afford to lose to more of a "nobody"), than his loss needs to come to someone other than Reigns.

Hell, Im' not even sure Rollins would truly benefit at this point. No one has effectively been built up enough to realistically make it worth Edge losing to them. It's quite pathetic.

Well you've got to bring Edge back into the fold before you start having people smash him, lol. And he did put over Drew -- Drew won the match here and he got eliminated to put his star into Roman for Roman to then put it into Drew.

He can't just walk in and get his ass tossed by the first person he works with and walk off waving to the crowd like he's Tommy Dreamer. He's got to mean something and people have to accept and know that he's back and in form before beating him means what it means to beat Edge.

Brock and Edge were the biggest stars on the show, sure. Someone's got to be. Brock is the champion and Edge is coming back after nine years on the shelf. But you had Orton and Reigns who I would argue are names on a similar standing. And, truthfully, Rollins is probably there. But that's kind of besides the point. Brock helped Keith Lee, Ricochet, Drew McIntyre (in a big way) and did some good shit himself. That's fine.

Is it just me, or did AJ either get injured and had to bail out, or did he botch the spot and accidentally get eliminated? He was out before Gallows even got there. Without all 3 in at the same time, there is zero reason for either Gallows or Anderson to be in the match for a shot at a singles championship.

The Brock stuff was good, although I agree they should have protected both Morrison and Nakamura better.

I was a big fan of MVP but what a waste of a spot. He came out, was to slow to catch Paul Heyman, then was eliminated. That would have been a better spot for Sheamus, Walter, Matt Hardy, etc.

And Rowan, why even waste all this time building him as a monster with squash matches and his caged whatever?

I can't remember if I said this out loud already or not, but Morrison is likely going to be in a tag team program with The New Day moving forward. He doesn't need to look like he is an immediate singles threat to the WWE Championship. And he doesn't look "bad" for being thrown out quickly by Brock. It was what it was.

Nakamura looks ace every time I see him. His presentation and his facial expressions. The outfit still isn't really my deal, but it looks a bit more stylized now. And he oozes charisma and he looked like a confident fucker getting in there with Brock.

If they do Bryan vs. Nakamura at WrestleMania, which I so, so, so hope they do now, then Nakamura is probably going to be in fine standing. But he's not about to headline a Mania himself or be that guy opening Raw with a 20-minute promo, so this was fine by me. And I love Nakamura.

With Rowan...I'm not sure if he's supposed to be a tippy-top guy. He's big. He probably works hard. He's got the goofy cage thing. He's probably best squashing guys much smaller than him and not being focused on as a headlining portion of Raw. Brock sold for him and got him out quick, which Brock sold as a strategic decision. It's not like they blew it all away with him. He'll be in his place, but that place is probably the Andre Battle Royal at Mania, so this is fine.

:lol::lol::lol: This is so much hyperbolic buillshit and wishful thinking, it's pathetic and beyond you. I'm actually shocked you actually posted it because you're usually so much smarter and better than this type of nonsense. They haven't made a star in 15 years, despite a ridiculous number of attempts and multiple needs to do it.

It's ridiculous, but it seems like, for whatever reason, no one here really wants to truly acknowledge the reality of just how fucking stupid/senile and out of touch Vince really is. I don't get it, but it's getting pathetic and sad.

They haven't really needed a star. 15 years takes us back to Cena and Batista, who are stars, even if Cena wasn't accepted by the fans. But you also had Shawn Michaels, Edge, Randy Orton, Hulk Hogan, Triple H, The Undertaker, Chris Benoit and Rey Mysterio floating around for a good while. Then you move into the "Rock's back" era where they tried with CM Punk, who is a star and it was not long before Brock came back and they started with The Shield (Project Reigns).

There hasn't really been a need, because they've been coasting on their brand name.

Is Vince out of touch? In many ways. But this was very clearly put together by someone with a vision. You can see what that vision is. It's Drew McIntyre as a top star, Seth Rollins as a top heel, AJ Styles as a working heel underneath, Samoa Joe, Kevin Owens and Alistair Black as your underneath/rising babyfaces, Orton and Edge as babyface legends and Ricochet as an underneath featured player. This was not "Hey, let's get guy (x) and give him a Rumble win to set up a title match with (random heel champion)." I know you want it to be that, but this was them getting a guy they've been protecting and have had featured into top and middle programs for a while, and move him into good standing with the fans so he can be that babyface and stay there.

I know there's a lot of talk about making WrestleMania a two-day thing, but I really think they could make the Royal Rumble a two-day thing now that they have two of them.

I'm all for the progressive shit, but the Women's Royal Rumble is just unnecessary. It just doesn't play to their styles. A good Rumble is time for a shit-kicking. They don't have the brawlers for it, and their size means the work is getting seen through.

Set up angles and stories. Becky Lynch vs. Asuka was enough. One year in the making, Becky tries to avenge her loss at the same show. It makes sense, it tells a story. It can be your singles main event and you can promote the shit out of it. Charlotte can come out and cut a promo on the show talking about how ridiculous it is that The Queen doesn't get airtime at the Royal Rumble and she wants it to be known that she fully intends to challenge for the Women's Title and avenge her loss in the main event of WrestleMania last year and it's all "Becky, Becky, Becky" avenging her losses. Well, she's going to give that cunt something to avenge. If you want Bayley and Sasha involved, this is where you put them. "You've been acting like the Queen but you ain't the queen of shit." Cue them fighting and someone going through a Barbershop window.

That accomplishes the same shit, possibly even more and definitely better than having a bunch of women miss kicks, doing soft forearms, telegraphing their spots and struggling to flip themselves over ropes.

My issue isn't necessarily with Drew winning. Yes, I think it was rushed for all the wrong reasons. However, my issue is with 1. the build to him winning, 2. how he won, and 3. the plans for what happens next. 1. He basically came out of nowhere and was rushed with no logical build to winning the Rumble after getting released years ago, i.e., no meaningful under card WWE title runs since 2013. 2. He beat guys who should and probably are significantly more talented and over than him, again with not justifiable build. 3. Vince will have no idea of how and what to do with him to keep and build on this momentum for him in the long term.

Drew's been back there since after Mania in 2018, lol. They've been protecting him since the move to Raw. I'm fairly certain he hasn't taken a pin since Owens on SmackDown. They didn't telegraph him winning, but he was surely one of the short-listed picks outside of Reigns and Velasquez. He seemed to be a lot of people's pick to do something with Brock at Mania. Had they done any direct story on Raw? No, but that's the story they were telling here. Brock was kind of "meeting" Drew for the first time. That's what this was about. Drew cutting bullshit promos on Raw about how he's going to win the Royal Rumble, blah, blah wouldn't do anything more. Winning the US Title only to drop the US Title and be visibly pinned wasn't going to do that either.

They're going to Mania with him. In the main event against Brock. You don't have to like it, but you almost literally can't have a more upwards direction than he's got right now lol.

[Sepholio]

I went into this match not really loving Drew McIntyre. I even posted about it earlier. But he's very good at what he does, lol. And this show went a long way to making him a guy with potential to being a guy realizing it. It's been a long time since a wrestling story has actually been able to endear someone to me, so I'd say this was pretty fucking effective.

I'm kinda in the same boat. I didn't really get him when he came back and others were immediately pretty high on him. But a few months ago, I can't tell you exactly when, I started warming up to him. He's been slowly building steam all fall/winter and tonight, when he had his biggest opportunity to showcase himself thus far, he fucking shined. He played his part perfect. When he stared down Lesnar after the elimination until he left while still fighting a couple people off? You can't ask for a better performance than that. I'm sold on him being a very solid main eventer at this point. We'll see if he can run with the momentum now.

Also he is a v attractive dude. Easily top 5 in WWE. Say what you will, but you can't ask for a much better look for a guy at the top of your card.

[Tom Guycott]

Chelsea Green...interesting

Chelsea Green theme familiar....

I'm playing catch-up. I just got here, and I thought it was going to be another "surprise" entrant in Summer Rae.

[Mr. Nerfect]

He does have presence. And the nuance of the things he was doing with Brock were there. Like, he looked more "thoughtful" compared to a lot of the talent that would just get in there to get shit-canned. He looked confident, but hesitant. I liked that, because it shows that he thinks he can take Brock, but he's also weary of just exactly what he is.

And Brock went out of his way to make that shit look amazing and really sell it. You knew that was the Mania main event as soon as it happened.

And he's 6'5, 265lbs. He's in the right ballpark for a Rock/Triple H-sized guy that is going to pass the airport test and be a face you can put on magazines and lunchboxes at the same time. He's big enough, good looking enough and talented enough.

I think the tricky part will be coaxing that little bit of charisma out of him. It's all in his poise and how he's presented so far. You can lead a horse to water all you want, but at some point I think he needs to bubble over himself if he's going to really maximize the situation they're putting him in.

[Destor]

Noid is on fire

[Rebecca Reigns]

My hubby did so well tonight!

[Emperor Smeat]

According to PWInsider, Sasha Banks was originally planned to be one of the entrants in the Women's Rumble match but got swapped out in favor of Kelly Kelly instead at some point this past weekend.

Sasha Banks was listed as a Rumble competitor over the weekend internally. We are told it appears Kelly Kelly ended up with her slot in the Rumble.

[Mr. Nerfect]

When Brock left, Vince decided he wanted the WWE brand to be what sells. This was compounded when Bobby left in 2007 or whenever that was. Looking around at their business and the attention it's about to get because Vince McMahon will be a hot topic because of the XFL, they realize they could probably use some stars now.

In the past, they haven't cared because they are the only wrestling so you've got to watch what they put on and ask for a third, fourth and fifth hour of that shit. Now that they want to get house shows up, TV ratings up, etc. it might be a different tune. Also, they're signing guys for five year deals now, so they can probably justify feeding Drew McIntyre a lot and not worry about him deciding he wants to go and chase a dream of playing for the Rangers or trying his hand at kickboxing next year.

[Mr. Nerfect]

According to PWInsider, Sasha Banks was originally planned to be one of the entrants in the Women's Rumble match but got swapped out in favor of Kelly Kelly instead at some point this past weekend.

I haven't cared about Sasha in a while, but if they want people to care about her, leaving her out was probably the best thing for her. They can turn this into an angle or position fans behind by "shafting" her.

Personally, I think they're going to do Becky vs. Charlotte vs. Bayley vs. Sasha for both belts and that will be Sasha's in -- "the company screwed me by making sure I couldn't have a shot."

[Tom Guycott]

Let's be real, Charlotte was always winning a Rumble eventually. They want to load up her resume as much as possible.

Best to just get it over with.

Yeah... just wish they wouldn't telegraph it so much, though. It felt a bit like that one year that they were bound and determined to get Roman over, and literally any of the other 29 people would have been a more interesting direction. Charlotte isn't ever dropping out of the main event picture; take that time to meaningfully start to build someone else.

Hell, part of it seemed like her winning was a setup just to show that Cricket commercial off like she was really talking to the anthropomorphic dildo right after her match.

I was also going to comment on Bayzler vs Flair showdown being the Queen of Spades vs The Queen of what I would presume to be diamonds (then, by figuring, I pictured the Divas of Doom being the Queen of "Harts" and the Queen of Clubs by proxy)... and her promo at the end kinda made it feel like I wouldn't have been as clever as I thought it sounded in my head.

Nice showing by both Bliss and Bianca. To have improved enough on both of their faults to be trusted to go as far in this thing as they did is one of those "testament to hard work" things... but I fear it will eventually mean nothing in short order given WWE's penchant to just let things go forgotten unless it fits some steadfast agenda (like Charlotte must win, or we need to continue Lana vs Liv). How long will Belair's eliminations be "impressive" enough to mention to this company? Hell, I thought they were going to be passed in the same match by the aforementioned Charlotte.

This seemed like the perfect opportunity to plant seeds for the Horsewomen vs Horsewomen feud by having Shayna win, or at least be the one who got rid of Charlotte so she can lord it over her. Then slowly start having the WWE Horsewomen get on the same page by neccessity.

Anyway, on with the show...

[Mr. Nerfect]

I don't think Marina and Jessamyn are there, and if Ronda was ready to be back, she'd be back. They could have gone with Shayna winning to go against Becky or whatever, but they obviously have different plans.

[Emperor Smeat]

This seemed like the perfect opportunity to plant seeds for the Horsewomen vs Horsewomen feud by having Shayna win, or at least be the one who got rid of Charlotte so she can lord it over her. Then slowly start having the WWE Horsewomen get on the same page by neccessity.


Only problem is the other 2 MMA Horsewomen are pretty bad in the ring and supposedly regressed a lot after all the early hype they got in the PC and NXT house show circuit.

Like they barely are good enough to just be lackeys for Shayna.

[Fignuts]

https://i.imgur.com/6uiyDuj.png

[Tom Guycott]

What is going on here. I remember Bailey turning heel but there’s no way Lacey is a face, is she?

Apparently she's pro-USA military super-mom now.

Her career is so relatively short, but she is already rivaling Big Show. Maybe I should find that picture of Top Man and re-edit it into her.

[Tom Guycott]

I honestly don't care for Marina or Jessamyn, for the record. I get that they suck, and Rousey is a *maybe*. But the rumor persists that the company wants it to happen, and you know how they like to keep trying to fit the apple into the triangle.

I didn't really see a problem with nWo Bayley. Lacey is still kinda awful, but got carried nicely. DB/Fiend surprised me, not so much because Daniel jobbed, but because Bray didn't. Refreshing not having him lose all the goddamn time.

Asuka/Lynch was great, and not just because I dig Becky and love me some Asuka. It was just a good ol' fashioned wrestling match. This was one where the ride was the fun, and the destination didn't matter. Liked the mist counter, though. On the subject of that, though, I selfishly wished she would be the one to re-introduce the progression in "danger" scale of mist colors to modern wrestling (green<red<black), but whatever.

Corbin and Reigns happened.

Men's rumble was nice, for the most part. I expected Lee or WALTER to show up to have a showdown with Brock. I didn't expect Drew. My only negative was that there were way, way too many "Let's draw attention to ourselves and form an alliance... SWERVE!" spots. It happens all the time, but here, it went way past the realm of self-parody. About the only one I liked was the teased betrayal of Orton on Edge, and when he got caught, he was just like "... hey, It's in my nature. Had to try."

Good job putting Drew over. My only fear is that WWE will squander this. Been burned too many times, even with them super selling his story about his release, rehire, and "finally getting his opportunity". Don't want Vince to just get bored with him and give up like as has been done with so many others.

On an unrelated note: why Edge and Sheamus? Not in a disparaging way, but the nature of their injury and why they had to step away... and now, those two and even Bryan being back on the active roster worries me. Next thing you know, WWE will announce they signed Shibata.

[Mr. Nerfect]

They are not risking the bad pub of having Edge end up in a wheelchair. He's cleared enough to take bumps. I doubt we see him willingly do any TLC Matches or whatever, but he's good enough to go to the point that WWE aren't going to risk a story being published about Edge being paralyzed after taking a basic back bump when they let him back in the ring and reversed their medical decision.

It's like Bryan being back. Maybe he did have real lingering issues with concussions, but WWE is not going to get themselves dragged over the coals by having this guy's brain turn to mush under their watch.

We hear Sheamus has got spinal stenosis, but we're not sure the severity. I doubt they'd be using him if he weren't able to do the things he is doing. I'm sure they all take their toll, but that's his choice as he puts the miles on his body. I'm sure he's made enough money after being a toppish guy for a decade to not *need* to do this anymore, and they'd surely give him other things to do if he needed a paycheck.

Well, Kurt Angle gives me pause on that. But Kurt's always been a freak, so we don't really know what was going on there, and I think he only worked a handful of matches. More like a legend getting back in the ring than signing a guy to take bumps all the time.

[Triple A]

Meltzer says Shayna Baszler and Roman Reigns were originally scheduled to win the Royal Rumbles.

This is confirmed. Shayna Baszler and Roman Reigns were scheduled to win the two Royal Rumbles. And then as they were trying to decide what was going to happen for WrestleMania, the decision was made instead to go with Charlotte Flair and Drew McIntyre.

The 14th would have been the day of the change because there was a lot of money that started being bet on Charlotte Flair on the 14th. Originally almost all of the money was coming in on Shayna Baszler.

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[erickman]

yep smart choice roman would get booed out of the building. 2020 the year of the uk with drew winning, marty taking over roh, an magnas still nwa champ.

[Evil Vito]

Best Moment of the Night: Edge’s return followed closely by Drew eliminating Brock

Worst Moment of the Night: Santina. Anthony Carrelli is transphobic and has openly spoken out against intergender wrestling in numerous interviews, presumably except for when he’s being paid to do it. Oh and he eliminated himself so there wasn’t even a feel good moment of someone chucking him out.

[Lock Jaw]

I'm playing catch-up. I just got here, and I thought it was going to be another "surprise" entrant in Summer Rae.

That's the one! Thanks!!

[Seanny One Ball]

I see the fourth entrant lasted all of 41 seconds.

Someday #4 has to win this thing.

[Jordan]

My thoughts on what stood out to me...

Becky/Auska had some slow moments but built so well to a great finish. I loved the idea of kickin the mist into her face for the win, really genius match layout. Becky's offense isn't GREAT all of the time, but Auska's is and Becky has great charisma and selling so this was really good.

Bray/Bryan... one of my favorite WWE matches I can remember in recent history. Bryan's genius was on display, what a well put together WWE gimmick match. Really top of the line. Great spots, super intense and realistic. Great job.

Women's Rumble - Had some spots that were fun but mostly it wasn't very good. Santino was bullshit, Shayna was great, I love Charlotte and it was a really cool finale when it was over.

Men's Rumble - Probably one of my top 3-5 favorite Rumble's ever. I LOVE strong angles in the Rumble. Flair's story, Austin/McMahon, HBK/Bulldog, Bret/Luger, CM Punk, Steven Austin...

Edge was so cool. So haggard looking lets but honest but balanced by literally no ring rust and amazing physical shape. I think the Orton match at Mania is ideal and such a cool thing that we get to see. Then later he can branch off against new talent he has no history with, but yeah starting with Randy makes the most sense.

Thank God Roman didn't win it would have ruined the whole match. He's great, I love him honestly he is so capable of being a great WWE babyface and having a great match but yeah... thank God he didn't win. However if they can build him up in a GREAT personal story with Feind for Mania then I will be very happy. They need to be work very hard to ensure that Feind doesn't get a baby face pop against Roman at Mania. I hope they make it a top concern.

Lesnar - What a fucking man. What a legend. I loved his work here. His part of the Rumble is probably my favorite story from a Rumble I can remember. Brock and Keith Lee was SO EXCITING. So cool of Brock to actually work 20min on a PPV! When Drew eliminated him Brock's selling was so cool. He took like 6 minutes to sell that kick and all of the exhaustion he was feeling.

Drew - It's your time big boy! Reach for the stars! Should be an amazing match with Lesnar. I can't wait to see what they do.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I might have to go back and watch Bryan vs. Bray. I love me some Bryan, but don't care about Bray. But if the match was that good...

[Mr. Nerfect]

I'm just thinking of how much better this overall show would have been if it were just the Men's Rumble. It's got to be so exhausting for the crowd. If you want to put Charlotte into position, there are so many better ways to do it.

[Evil Vito]

I wonder how long Edge's return has actually been on the table. I'd guess the talks started all the way back at SummerSlam when they allowed him to give Elias a Spear. In response he stoked the flames a bit on the E&C podcast by saying that even though he'd be blown up, he feels he could work a match as he'd been doing his own stunts on TV and was leading a pretty active lifestyle in recent years. But he also made sure to add that WWE would never clear him.

But really it was a month or two later when he quit the podcast that it seemed like it'd actually happen. He cited time concerns for quitting but as best I could tell he would sit in a room in his house for only an hour or two a week and talk wrestling, sure felt like he was quitting because he wouldn't be allowed to be on a non WWE-sponsored show that talks about other promotions.

[Volare]

Lee had the fans behind him alright...

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[xrodmuc316]

I really hope that they move Charlotte over to Smackdown with that win. It's not just that I don't want to see her vs Becky again, but Smackdown has consistently under delivered since Bayley regained the title.

I don't care if Charlotte and Andrade are dating, they can be on different shows. It's not like they can't tour the other brands house shows. Hell give them an alternating schedule and an extra day off so they can travel to both Raw and Smackdown.

[Droford]

So if the original plans were Baszler and Reigns winning and they shifted to Charlotte and Drew, I think we can easily speculate Roman is still facing the Fiend and they probably soured on Baszler getting a call up.

Also, I guess Edge didn't forget about this

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Maybe they'll do Edge vs Seth in SA and go with Edge vs Randy at Mania.

[Evil Vito]

So if the original plans were Baszler and Reigns winning and they shifted to Charlotte and Drew, I think we can easily speculate Roman is still facing the Fiend and they probably soured on Baszler getting a call up.

I don't think they soured on Baszler getting the call-up...they just decided they wanted to add a Rumble win to Charlotte's resume and will find another path for Baszler to get to a Mania match. Probably just her showing up and wrecking Becky and/or Charlotte on Raw.

There have been numerous times in the two title era where the last two in the Rumble wind up being the Mania challengers anyway.

[Droford]

I don't think they soured on Baszler getting the call-up...they just decided they wanted to add a Rumble win to Charlotte's resume and will find another path for Baszler to get to a Mania match. Probably just her showing up and wrecking Becky and/or Charlotte on Raw.

There have been numerous times in the two title era where the last two in the Rumble wind up being the Mania challengers anyway.

I can't see them doing Baszler vs Bayley at Mania. Baszler pretty much had to face Becky at Mania. Charlotte vs Bayley doesn't make sense either.

[Emperor Smeat]

Could see Baszler be put on Smackdown to boost the star power there and hold off on a potential Becky vs. Baszler match till after the next Shakeup happens or even till Survivor Series.

Had Triple H not completely screw up NXT's call-up process because of potential ego reasons, Baszler would have been called up months ago and would have gotten as much focus as Charlotte did for potential Rumble winners. Instead WWE waited too long for her potential call up and a Becky vs. Baszler feud for Mania probably would end up feeling rushed.

[Evil Vito]

I can't see them doing Baszler vs Bayley at Mania. Baszler pretty much had to face Becky at Mania. Charlotte vs Bayley doesn't make sense either.

The women’s division on Smackdown has been a big nothing and Charlotte is likely viewed as star power for over there. Not worried about the whole thing with Charlotte, Andrade, Zelina, and Aleister being a package deal because everyone shows up wherever during Mania season and they’ll probably have yet another draft after Mania.

It never made sense for Becky and Charlotte to both be on Raw and nobody wants to see Charlotte/Becky for the millionth time.

[Mr. Nerfect]

If Baszler is getting called up, now is the perfect time. She’s just lost the NXT Women’s Title in one of the best pieces of business they’ve done down there.

[Evil Vito]

I'm hoping Edge is something of a special attraction vs. wrestling on Raw regularly but if he does the latter I can see an OC vs. Edge/Hawkins/Ryder 6-man tag one week. Wouldn't surprise me if Edge requests a match like that because he's still tight with the Edgeheads and probably wants to give them the "rub" of teaming with him even though they're a jobber team.

[DAMN iNATOR]

I'm hoping Edge is something of a special attraction vs. wrestling on Raw regularly but if he does the latter I can see an OC vs. Edge/Hawkins/Ryder 6-man tag one week. Wouldn't surprise me if Edge requests a match like that because he's still tight with the Edgeheads and probably wants to give them the "rub" of teaming with him even though they're a jobber team.

Would he even be medically cleared to do more than the extremely occasional one-off match of likely a very short duration though? I have my doubts.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I think he'll do more than people think. Most weeks he'll just be there in spirit, or cut a promo or Spear someone -- basically have a night off -- but I do think you'll get Edge matches on Raw, smaller PPVs and even house shows.

[Emperor Smeat]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dave says the mindset behind Riddle in the Rumble was that WWE expected him to get a big pop from the hardcore fans, so they wanted the quick Corbin elimination to get the King more heat. FEED CORBIN MORE.</p>&mdash; Trevor Dame (@TrevorDame) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrevorDame/status/1221730490287157248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Blonde Moment]

edge wasn't back 2 minutes before he injured someone. nice

[Mr. Nerfect]

I'm not fan of Corbin's, but they are. Working with that mentality, and given that Corbin isn't exactly HORRIBLE -- he's just boring -- working with Matt Riddle between NXT and SmackDown heading into Mania could be a great program that cross-pollinates. You've got the big football/boxer "fuck yo' indies" guy against the laid back UFC fighter that doesn't fit the corporate mould. There's something there.

I don't think WWE does it. I don't think the emphasis they placed on that was anything more than a one-time thing. But I would be pushing for it, because I can't think of anything better for Corbin to do, and I think having some of the more outstanding NXT guys appear on SmackDown more often is probably in their best interests.