WWE Royal Rumble 2023 Weekend Thread: Smackdown Friday, Premium Live Event Saturday

[Ben Rodrigues]

So scary! Yowie Wowie!

[slik]

Is Applebees going to sponsor Bray's next ppv match

[#1-norm-fan]

Where is dump matsumoto?

She should manage Takeshita

[Ben Rodrigues]

Is Applebees going to sponsor Bray's next ppv match

Hopefully!

[Fignuts]

I don't really think montreal is that cold

[Ben Rodrigues]

Rhea #1!?

[Sepholio]

gonna laugh if sasha/naomi is in this

[slik]

women's rumble match has zero hype so it won't be hard for it to exceed expectations

[Ben Rodrigues]

Are Rhea and Dominick meant to be an actual couple or do they have a mother/son relationship?

[Evil Vito]

Rhea was the overwhelming betting favorite so we might have #30 and #1 winning in the same night

[Triple A]

The best women's Rumble was the one when Billie Kay was trying to get people to look at her head shot for the entire match

[#1-norm-fan]

Peacock allows the newer generation of wrestling fans, no matter how young, to watch and get to know the stars of yesteryear just as well as us old school fans know them. Yet WWE still would rather waste a rumble spot on some guy named Santos Escobar than give Tugboat his moment.

[Fignuts]

The best women's Rumble was the one when Billie Kay was trying to get people to look at her head shot for the entire match

Yes, that was great

[slik]

The crowd seems dead

[Fignuts]

Meiko should come in and annihilate everyone

[Evil Vito]

Too bad Chyna’s dead. Would’ve been a perfect Rumble mystery entrant one of these days.

[Heisenberg]

Emma has been eliminated

[Fignuts]

RP boiling in anger right now

[Heisenberg]

Too bad Chyna’s dead. Would’ve been a perfect Rumble mystery entrant one of these days.

You can watch the intial Smackdown! on Peacock and relive Chyna at her best. She lives there, forever

[Triple A]

groaning @ Natalya

[Triple A]

Eating a lot of "Hi-Chew"

https://www.japancandystore.com/media/catalog/product/cache/11/image/800x/040ec09b1e35df139433887a97daa66f/2/0/20210709_003.jpg

[Evil Vito]

Damage CTRL wearing matching neon armbands. Don’t know if they usually do that but from a kayfabe perspective it’s a nice touch to imagine a team wearing stuff that makes it easier to stand out so they can help each other in-match.

[#1-norm-fan]

Need a lady YouTube celebrity to add starpower to this like they did the men’s.

[DaveWadding]

Roxanne Perez going to be an all timer

[Sepholio]

this zoey girl is interesting

[Heisenberg]

Zoey Stark putting on a kick show rn

[DaveWadding]

Zoey Stark sucks imo

[Triple A]

Who eliminated Perez, got up to p*ss

[Fignuts]

Rhea ripley coming unzipped

[Ben Rodrigues]

Shawn Michaels reference in his home town. Only he can save this match.

[Triple A]

so many jobbers...

[#1-norm-fan]

Rosie Perez would be a cool surprise entrant.

[Triple A]

Tiffany Stratton should win the Women's Royal Rumble

[Heisenberg]

Xia Li makes you want to fuck everything off and play some Dynasty Warriors

[#1-norm-fan]

Imagine Rosie O’Donnell coming out in a Superhero costume and acting all over-the-top while Michael Cole fake laughs.

[Evil Vito]

I mean aside from the first one which was loaded with legends, there’s always a bunch of NXT entrants in the women’s Rumble to make up the numbers. Glad they get their moment but unfortunately there’s always a few that enter to crickets. No way most of that crowd was gonna know Zoey Stark.

[slik]

Crowd wakes up for Becky

[Evil Vito]

Big Time Becks gives me a Big Time Boner

[#1-norm-fan]

Gunther about to come out in a wig as Gertrude and right the wrong from earlier.

[Heisenberg]

DMG CTRL sending Becky into the guardrails, shattering her uterus in the process

[Heisenberg]

We don't know who Tegan Nox is down in TX, dog

[Ben Rodrigues]

Remember when the Royal Rumble had the rule whereby you needed to enter the ring before the next person's buzzer? Last time I remember them referencing it was the 1991 rumble but was clearly dropped in 96 with Jerry Lawler. Those were the days.

[Heisenberg]

Is Asuka active? would like to see her

[Heisenberg]

Nice

[Fignuts]

Asuka still crazy over

[Ben Rodrigues]

What did they do to Asuka's song!?!??!

[#1-norm-fan]

Lacey Von Erich would get a massive pop right now if she came out, clawed the fuck out of everyone and then vomited Grey Goose into the nosebleed seats.

[Ben Rodrigues]

Asuka still crazy over

Should have beaten Charlotte at Wrestlemania

[Heisenberg]

Give me Gigi Dolin next

[Ben Rodrigues]

Ahh Doodrop.

[Fignuts]

Nice. No more stupid doudrop

[Heisenberg]

Piper Niven, business has just picked up!

[slik]

Love Asuka's new look

[Evil Vito]

Thank god the Doudrop name is gone

[DaveWadding]

PIPER NIVEN.

No more Poodrop

[Fignuts]

lol its the female jtg

[Evil Vito]

Tamina still employed by WWE in the year of our lord 2023.

[Sepholio]

i know i've been dreaming of Tamina v Niven

[Heisenberg]

My brother is about to nut about Chelsea Green

[Fignuts]

lol

[Evil Vito]

Lol you knew Chelsea was getting heaved straight out with how long it was taking her to get to the ring

[Ben Rodrigues]

I see... what female stars are left?

[Fignuts]

Omg at zelina

[Sepholio]

holy shit zelina vega boner fuel fill up *drool*

[Fignuts]

Out here dressed as my main

[Sepholio]

giggity

[Heisenberg]

Asuka going through her Ziggy Stardust phase

[slik]

Is Raquel going to win this

not really familiar with her

[Evil Vito]

Aleister Black is a lucky, lucky man.

[Sepholio]

I dont know if thats a word

It is now, I used it on RAW

[Heisenberg]

Lacey Evans, a.k.a. Creature of the Night and the X2C of the WWE

[Fignuts]

Lacey Evans, a.k.a. Creature of the Night and the X2C of the WWE

she's coming for that son of a bitch, Don Piano

[Jordan]

Michelle McCool! Holy SHIT! WHAT A MOMENT

[Fignuts]

Indi Hartwell is awful

[Ben Rodrigues]

I don't know more than half these women and thus I, much like this crowd, don't care.

[#1-norm-fan]

Grace Chance has a real shot to win this. Probably gonna go predictable and have Belle Fyre eliminate Star Haven. Crowd’s gonna riot if someone like Jenn Palance is #30 and Tawni Woodruff isn’t even in the thing though lol

[#1-norm-fan]

(Hoping one of those made up names is a real person in this match.)

[screech]

Indi Hartwell is awful

lol I just saw someone on Twitter say she should move up soon

[DaveWadding]

#30 gonna be Mandy Rose

[#1-norm-fan]

#30 gonna be Mandy Rose

My money’s on Kenzie Reeves.

[Fignuts]

Oh god

[Sepholio]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FUCK YOU VINCE

[GD]

She's baaaaaaaaack!

[DaveWadding]

Oh no

[screech]

Ah fuck

[Ben Rodrigues]

Rock at Wrestlemania confirmed.

[Fignuts]

Broken necks incoming

[GD]

OMG! I'm marking out!

[Evil Vito]

LOL the fuckup on the countdown

[Jordan]

YES, Nia! This is my dream Royal Rumble moment!

[GD]

This is what wrestling is all about...WOW!

[#1-norm-fan]

She’s come to avenge her butthole.

[xrodmuc316]

Doesn't look like she kept in much shape other than round.

[Triple A]

lol Jax not going up at all for Ripley

[Fignuts]

How did they not do a nia vs piper face off

[GD]

Damn! Can't believe they eliminated Nia Jax like that.

[Evil Vito]

Too bad. Rock raising Nia’s hand to angry boos would’ve been top notch.

[Jordan]

That was great.

[Ben Rodrigues]

Rhea winning for sure. What a great rumble!

[#1-norm-fan]

Speaking of trying to avenge (figuratively) shredded buttholes…

[Triple A]

Raquel very impressive

[#1-norm-fan]

Rhea winning for sure. What a great rumble!

If John Cena and Rhea Ripley are ever in the same ring together, Cena’s gonna have a PG field day with that name.

[Fignuts]

Raquel very impressive

Shes a star for sure.

[Evil Vito]

Even in the world of “anything can happen in WWE”, the #1 and #2 entrants still being in there well past the final person entered in BOTH Rumbles feels a bit much.

[xrodmuc316]

Rhea with a modified 619 to eliminate Asuka was awesome

[Jordan]

Rhea is a fucking God.

[Fignuts]

Forgettable rumble, but that was a pretty great finish

[#1-norm-fan]

Seriously, her first name is Rhea and her last name starts with “Rip”. 2007 Cena would have 30 minutes of material written.

[Evil Vito]

Rhea is great

[Evil Vito]

Rhea vs Bianca would be a real belter

Wouldn’t be averse to Rhea vs Charlotte again either provided they did the right thing and put Rhea over

[slik]

My Royal Rumble predictions:

Rhea
Cody (or Sami)
Roman
Bianca
Bray Wyatt

4/4 so far

[xrodmuc316]

Remember the early days of NXTUK when all the dirtsheets were adamant that Toni Storm was the star? Rhea Ripley is the star.

[#1-norm-fan]

4/4 so far

“4 out of 4.5 since you said ‘or Sami’” - STD

[slik]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The fake fireworks outside after the big matches at fucking killing me every time.</p>&mdash; David Bixenspan (@davidbix) <a href="https://twitter.com/davidbix/status/1619550717781622784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[#1-norm-fan]

Just had some tiramisu from Costco. A big miss.

[Triple A]

oh no doing a live musical performance... killing me...

[Triple A]

screaming internally

[slik]

If there is one thing wrestling fans universally hate - it's a musical performance taking up space on a show

[Jordan]

I'd rather listen to Jeff Hardy's band than this.

[slik]

This is god awful

[Evil Vito]

Get this talentless fucking redneck schmuck out of here

I need ear bleach

[Jordan]

This guy grew up RICH I garuntee it.

[xrodmuc316]

Quite literally zero reason for a live musical performance on a wrestling show unless it is a wrestler's entrance.

[Jordan]

That guy Hardy fucking SUCKS.

Also that Flair doc sucks too.

[Evil Vito]

I hope that guy wakes up with polyps on his vocal chords that force him to retire

[slik]

Please, no more Fat Kid Rock guy on wwe tv

[xrodmuc316]

LOL @Cole talking about help from K.O.'s friend to beat Roman in 2017 :rofl:

[Evil Vito]

I’d have preferred a 30 minute Fred Durst solo set than that 5 minute Hardy trash

[#1-norm-fan]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The fake fireworks outside after the big matches at fucking killing me every time.</p>&mdash; David Bixenspan (@davidbix) <a href="https://twitter.com/davidbix/status/1619550717781622784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Should just cut to this during every celebration…

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/RegalThirstyKingbird-max-1mb.gif

[slik]

bring back 2hr 45 min ppvs

[screech]

The mrs turned it off after the women's rumble so we missed the musical performance. Turned it back on as Kevin Owens was getting into the ring :y:

[slik]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The fake fireworks outside after the big matches at fucking killing me every time.</p>&mdash; David Bixenspan (@davidbix) <a href="https://twitter.com/davidbix/status/1619550717781622784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">They have the actual fireworks behind the curtain while the flashy pyros go on, I imagine the sound and visual doesn't match lol <a href="https://t.co/DBq8z199oC">pic.twitter.com/DBq8z199oC</a></p>&mdash; Eduardo Martinez (@PharrFromHeaven) <a href="https://twitter.com/PharrFromHeaven/status/1619551661550354436?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Evil Vito]

LOL @Cole talking about help from K.O.'s friend to beat Roman in 2017 :rofl:

Michael Cole….YOU JUST MADE THE LIST!

[Triple A]

Feel like it's been 1 hour and 15 mins since the last match

[Evil Vito]

:lol: Tribal Queef sign

[Sepholio]

woooo main event here we geaux

[xrodmuc316]

How come K.O. is cool fighting in Texas now BTW? I thought he hated Texas bad last April!

[slik]

Sami Zayn is the most over person in WWE right now

[slik]

gulp

Nia Jax is back back it seems


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Nia Jax has a brand new t-shirt! <a href="https://t.co/CJVMc9WR41">pic.twitter.com/CJVMc9WR41</a></p>&mdash; NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW news (@nodqdotcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/nodqdotcom/status/1619557423014117376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[slik]

Shenanigans time

[Triple A]

I love Zayn

[Triple A]

damn @ smashing his head into the corner of the step

[slik]

That was definitely not KO/Roman's best match with each other

Alright, let's see what the post match segment is

[Triple A]

I like Reigns' new teeth, they make him look more cartoon-like

[Triple A]

This is great

[Triple A]

oh shit

[Evil Vito]

Sami cracking Reigns with the chair might’ve gotten the largest pop they’ve had since crowds came back

[Triple A]

that was awesome

[GD]

That was fucking awesome

[Ben Rodrigues]

Well done to all those men. Outstanding.

[Triple A]

That was soooo good, damn

[Loose Cannon]

That was epic!! long term story telling at it's finest!

I kind of wish Sammi snapped and went crazy on the whole Bloodline with the chair, but I'll take his beatdown as well

[Ben Rodrigues]

Surely you have to do Sami vs Roman at Wrestlemania

[slik]

Post match angle the best thing on the show

[Sepholio]

thats fucking rasslin boys <3

[xrodmuc316]

Sami and Jey both showing defiance just blew the roof off the place. That was incredible.

[Supreme Olajuwon]

This is the best story in wrestling in the last 20 years. Just perfectly told.

[Supreme Olajuwon]

Shoutout to Cody for getting that bag only to be upstaged by a Canadian luchador

[ron the dial]

this bloodline stuff is unreal boys

[slik]

They HAVE to split the titles.

It's the only option - Sami vs Roman is too hot a feud to not do at WM at this point

[ron the dial]

the finish to the women's rumble was also a thing of beauty. and hats off to gunther.

[slik]

This is another KofiMania situation where the live crowds are going to demand the match they want instead of the match WWE wants

[Helmsphere]

Yeah Cody can finish his story any other time. The pan is sizzling for Sami. Make your money off him now before we cool off on him.

[#1-norm-fan]

Seems pretty clear they’re gonna do Sami vs Roman at next month’s PPV in Sami’s hometown and then Sami and Owens vs The Usos at WrestleMania, right?

I don’t know how it’s gonna work out for Cody but the plan seems obvious.

[slik]

Cody was fantastic in the presser after the show

he really came across as the next face of the company and hhh praised him like he was

[slik]

I have no idea what they are going to do but I'm glad I don't have to figure it out

[#1-norm-fan]

https://media.tenor.com/hqWWj4l-6sEAAAAC/cody-rhodes.gif

[Lock Jaw]

Men's Rumble was largely forgettable but had a great battle between the final two. I really didn't want to see Cody win because now they are really in a corner where the story/focus should be on Sami Zayn but now they have to build a story for Cody/Reigns.

Women's Rumble was a lot of fun. Even though there were a lot of names I didn't know or was seeing for the first time, I think the match was more enjoyable than the men's. Except for the final, the men's final two battle was freaking sweet. As predicted, Rhea won and I ain't mad.

The Bloodline stuff was fantastic and I just don't know where they go with it and what they do with Cody Rhodes. This story demands WM closure. Unless they are going to go Owens/Zayn vs Usos at WM... then Reigns defeats Cody and holds onto the belt for another year and they somehow manage to maintain Sami Zayn "as hot" for another year and Zayn wins the Rumble NEXT year to beat Reigns at WM and continue the "vanilla workrate midget wins title at each 10 rasslemanias"

Or maybe Cody somehow get goaded into putting his spot "on the line" in the Elimination Chamber (is that still in between Rumble and Mania these days?) and loses it. Or Zayn somehow gets added to make it a triple threat with Third Wheel Cody.

[keeper2k]

Adrenaline
In my soul
Those Kevin Owens stair bumps
Were so damn cool

[Jordan]

How is it logical to split the titles for Mania without looking weak in some way? I don't understand ... maybe Cody challenges Roman for the one thing he wants "the most" the WWE Championship?

I don't think Sami and Roman is necessary for Mania we can get KO & Sami vs Uso's at Mania and Cody vs Roman. Maybe at Elimnation Chamber do a team version with The Bloodline vs Cody, KO & Sami.

[Supreme Olajuwon]

I didn’t realize the next Premium Live Event is in Montreal. Feel like they almost gotta do Roman and Sami in front of the hottest crowd they’re ever going to have.

[Fignuts]

We're always complaining that WWE doesn't care about tag teams and that the titles don't mean anything. Here we have a wrestlemania angle that could elevate said titles higher than they've been since the 80's and y'all want them to change direction?

What's cody going to do at mania? Maybe have a good match? Cool I guess. What will the usos do? Fight the street profits again? Be still my heart.

Logically, they could get more out of all this by sticking to the plan and doing sami vs ro.an in montreal.

[slik]

Meltzer said there is talk of having Cody use his RR win to challenge Austin Theory for the US Title if Steve Austin decides he wants to work with Roman in a match at WM

[#1-norm-fan]

Yeah, it would be silly NOT to do it there really. He’s not gonna win the title so overhyping a Cinderella story just to have it peter out with a loss on the biggest stage would be horrible. This way they get the WrestleMania-style hot crowd anyway and don’t tease it for too long before ultimately pissing off the audience.

Some people won’t like it going in but I guarantee that night there will be a shitload of people actually convinced Sami might win the title.

And then afterwards he can just sing some karaoke and move on to his WrestleMania moment against The Usos.

[XL]

Meltzer said there is talk of having Cody use his RR win to challenge Austin Theory for the US Title if Steve Austin decides he wants to work with Roman in a match at WM

If they do this…

[#1-norm-fan]

Just saw the Logan Paul-Ricochet spot people were going nuts about.

I don’t get it.

[Ruien]

Sami, Jey, and Jimmy is more intriguing than Sami and Reigns. Jey and Sami have so much to go off of.

[Fignuts]

Theres not really anything to get. It was an impressive display of agility.

[slik]

My WM card guesses:



Cody vs Roman

Sami/KO vs Usos

Charlotte vs Bianca

Rhea vs Becky

LA Knight vs Steve Austin

Austin Theory vs John Cena

Logan Paul vs Seth Rollins

Drew McIntyre vs Gunther

Dominik vs Rey Mysterio

Lashley vs Lesnar


Feels like Asuka & Liv should make the show, same for Miz...probably have to get Edge, Bray (yawn) and Ronda (yawn) on the card too


ESPN commentator Stephen Smith rumored to have something on the show too

[slik]

(just thought of Stonecold and LA Knight, could be a fun way to use Austin and help further LA Knight like it did with Theory and Stonecold last year)

[XL]

How’d you get to Bianca/Charlotte?

[#1-norm-fan]

Theres not really anything to get. It was an impressive display of agility.

I feel like we see guys flying halfway across the ring multiple times in every wrestling show now though. These guys just hit each other instead of a standing opponent. In fact I’m pretty sure I’ve seen THAT spot before. The reactions made it seem like a replay moment for the ages.

[#1-norm-fan]

Oh no. Did Kofi miss another miracle spot? Might be time to retire the spot. Or go heavy in the other direction and have him fail in spectacular fashion every year.

[Fignuts]

Its not even the first time hes used a chair. And morrison previously did the spot he botched last year. They're not even original anymore.

[Vastardikai]

The mid air collision spot was great for a couple reasons.

The main one is this: this ain't some outlaw mudshow in some high school gymnasium. This is the WWE. Most of that audience doesn't go to random Indy wank fests. It is new to them.

Also, whoever booked the Men's Rumble first was a genius. They got in front of all the possible backlash of no Sami. They also created a way to make Cody be the conquering hero. He eliminated the two guys who got themselves the most heat (Dom and Logan). And they managed to do #1 vs #30 in a way that made the relatively fresh #30 look like an underdog to #1. And it worked. This Rumble was the opposite of last year's, which was one of the worst.

[Evil Vito]

https://media.tenor.com/hqWWj4l-6sEAAAAC/cody-rhodes.gif

Of note, Cody subtly did both the Bullet Club signal and the Omega “goodbye and goodnight” hand signal while he was celebrating on the turnbuckle. A nice cool little nod.

[#1-norm-fan]

The mid air collision spot was great for a couple reasons.

The main one is this: this ain't some outlaw mudshow in some high school gymnasium. This is the WWE. Most of that audience doesn't go to random Indy wank fests. It is new to them.

Lol nonsense high spots with the exclusive goal of garnering a “holy shit” reaction like that aren’t exclusive to outlaw mud shows. Let’s not pretend WWE’s super sophisticated audience is above it.

[#1-norm-fan]

Of note, Cody subtly did both the Bullet Club signal and the Omega “goodbye and goodnight” hand signal while he was celebrating on the turnbuckle. A nice cool little nod.

Nice. Kudos to him for finding the time to do those things without cutting in to his contractually obligated 2 minutes of sign pointin’ time.

[slik]

How’d you get to Bianca/Charlotte?

I think Bianca will lose her title in a EC match

[slik]

*Supposedly*

Ronda didn't work the Rumble because she felt if she wasn't booked to win she would look weak

[slik]

The mid air collision spot was great for a couple reasons.

The main one is this: this ain't some outlaw mudshow in some high school gymnasium. This is the WWE. Most of that audience doesn't go to random Indy wank fests. It is new to them.



It was a great spot.

Seems weird to turn it into another one of your random 'All things not WWE' are bad rants. A great spot is a great spot, regardless of audience.

[Vastardikai]

It was a great spot.

Seems weird to turn it into another one of your random 'All things not WWE' are bad rants. A great spot is a great spot, regardless of audience.

That wasn't the point I was making, but I get with, the way it was worded, one can come to that conclusion.

My point was closer to this: if you have seen that every week, then spot wasn't necessarily new to you. To most folks who don't consume every bit of wrestling media, it was new to them. And there is a lot more of that second group than the first group.

Also, I am pretty sure WWE rings are larger than most indy rings, so there's that, as well.

[slik]

I agree with ya on that, sorry for misunderstanding what you meant

WWE rings definitely are bigger too

[ron the dial]

even having seen the spot before it was fun seeing it in this context

[Jordan]

I don't think Mania needs Austin in a main event so I really hope that idea is just rumor and nothing more. If anything I can see Austin doing something with Pat Macafee. Pat was kind of impersonating Austin throughout the broadcast I think so I took it as a bit of a hint.

[Sting Fan]

Meltzer said there is talk of having Cody use his RR win to challenge Austin Theory for the US Title if Steve Austin decides he wants to work with Roman in a match at WM

Yikes... real life and storyline that would be a miss ya gotta think.

Surely Roman can pull double duty across two nights? Sami one night and Cody another. I get the idea Sami and the Usos seems to have legs but it feels like here we go again with the crowd want something and WWE say no.

You could either book Cody/Roman night one and Cody falls short to be rebuilt later then Sami goes over night two on a depleted Reigns. Or take both belts off Roman and have the Bloodline fall apart leading to a Roman/Rock at Summerslam.

Surely someone has to get the rub from Reigns losing. You cant bring Austin back to do it. At least with Rock theres a story to it I guess but all this build for Roman just to job him out to a past guy is madness.

[Fignuts]

I'm content to wait it out and see where they take it. We don't know what the build for cody vs roman will be, nor do we know what they will do to build sami/owens vs usos. Given how good its been up until now, it seems premature to just dismiss it all and say it wouldnt measure up to roman vs sami.

[Jordan]

Last year Austin was involved with Owens. Could they circle back to that with Austin as guest ref for KO/Sami vs The Uso's?

[xrodmuc316]

There is no way to explain Cody picking Theory instead of Roman after the whole story of him coming back was to win the WWE Championship. I see no downside of having Roman main event both nights. Have him defend the WWE title vs Cody one night and then the Universal the other night.

[Sepholio]

Just a reminder that Rey won the rumble. He was never eliminated and Cody eliminated himself at the end because he jumped over the top rope to exit the ring.

[Jordan]

There is no way to explain Cody picking Theory instead of Roman after the whole story of him coming back was to win the WWE Championship. I see no downside of having Roman main event both nights. Have him defend the WWE title vs Cody one night and then the Universal the other night.

NO

[Splaya]

*Supposedly*

Ronda didn't work the Rumble because she felt if she wasn't booked to win she would look weak

I got news for Ronda. This isn't UFC. She's gonna look weak no matter what she does.

[Ruien]

You can't have Sami go over on a depleted Reigns working a second match on back to back nights. He needs to go over completely clean. Not because Reigns is tired.

Have Sami & KO vs the Usos the main event day 1.

Sami takes out solo on day 2 before the Reigns/Cody match (or during). Cody get the win. Sets up Reigns/Sami at the next ppv.

[Lock Jaw]

Just a reminder that Rey won the rumble. He was never eliminated and Cody eliminated himself at the end because he jumped over the top rope to exit the ring.

Dunno if it is true, but my friend said that Booker T also went through the ropes and not over them.

So we should have Rey vs Booker at the Chamber for the WM shot

[#1-norm-fan]

If Triple H so much as brings up the idea of making Sami Zayn world champion, Vince will sexual misconduct him so hard the room will stink.

[Splaya]

Reigns versus Cody night 1. Cody wins the Undisputed title.


Reigns versus Rock night 2 for control of the bloodline. Reigns wins. Protects Roman and gets him the big win over the Rock

[Helmsphere]

We are about to get K.O/Sami and Jey USO vs the Bloodline at Elimination Chamber

[Sting Fan]

You can't have Sami go over on a depleted Reigns working a second match on back to back nights. He needs to go over completely clean. Not because Reigns is tired.


Why though? I don't expect Reigns to come out looking like a dead man. You can even have Reigns tricked into it "i'm gonna smash you both" etc etc. Then Sami wins.

No one has to make a big deal of the two matches in two nights until Reigns does afterwards. The best heels have a sliver of truth in their anger.

Reigns ego is his downfall then he blames the world for his ego.

[Evil Vito]

Jey Uso posted a picture on IG of him walking out and captioned it “I’m done”. And then a story with a picture of him and Reigns saying “run it back”.

I would absolutely love if Jey’s actually left the Bloodline outright. In a world where long-term stories don’t happen much, this goes back all the way to Jey being arguably the biggest breakout star of the Thunderdome era. I wouldn’t have believed a Roman vs Jey multi-PPV story arc in a million years, yet they managed to make it work.

[Lock Jaw]

Which is the Uso that continually gets DUIs? Jey?

[Lock Jaw]

Oh, ok, it is Jimmy

[#1-norm-fan]

The Usos are still tag champions, right? There being a rift between them over Sami is a cool wrinkle in the story but it could easily make shit convoluted if they’re not careful.

[#1-norm-fan]

IF Cody is set to win the title at WrestleMania (which I have my doubts is gonna happen) then The Usos losing the titles to Zayn and Owens night one, Jey “flying home” immediately after the match but then showing up the next night to cost Roman would be a good way to start the next chapter. Jimmy would have to eventually join him though and reform outside of The Bloodline as a mega face team. I just can’t see Usos single runs working out over the long haul.

[DAMN iNATOR]

This is another KofiMania situation where the live crowds are going to demand the match they want instead of the match WWE wants

Daniel Bryan came along and did that several years before Kofi...just saying.

[Fignuts]

I really don't want to see the titles split again.

[Evil Vito]

Even if you put all the meaningless, self-indulgent spooky bullshit to one side - why would anyone want to work with Bray Wyatt? Every single bit of his matches, his promos, his entire story arc, is about Bray Wyatt. Nobody has come out of this story caring more about LA Knight. Nothing about that match needed to be LA Knight, it could have been any warm body, because the story is all Bray Wyatt exploring what it means to be Bray Wyatt. Absolutely nobody has come out of an angle or match with him looking better than they went in.

Even at the smallest of independent levels, the worst kind of wrestler to deal with is the guy who has a million ideas, but every single one of them is about how to make him look good - they never involve him losing, they never involve working with a specific opponent, or feed into any of the other stories the company is telling, or even really fit with the general vibe of the company at hand. And this guy is getting away with it in the biggest wrestling company in the world.

[drave]

Gunther.




That is all. Fuck everything else.

[Sepholio]

lol LA Knight was a meaningless jobber named Max Dupree running around with lame ass male models and his unknown sister before this angle. If you think he's worse off now than before the program with Wyatt you might be retarded.

Or you don't actually watch.

[Evil Vito]

My understanding though was that he turned into LA Knight first and then the Wyatt angle started after that. It's not like he had to transform into Knight to feud with Wyatt. HHH was reverting a lot of characters as one of his first orders of business. Bringing LA Knight back felt like a relative no-brainer.

Obviously LA Knight being LA Knight is an improvement over being a male model. But that would've been the case no matter who he was feuding with. It's not like the Wyatt feud specifically put him in a better place.

[Lock Jaw]

My friend who actually watches weekly has become a big LA Knight fan/supporter because of the feud with Wyatt.

TV time and spotlight. That's what it is about. Wins and losses for midcarders don't matter. The more spotlight you get the more you are in a better place. So YEAH, he is in a better place from working with Wyatt cause he got his image and persona more out there.

[Sepholio]

Yeah I dunno what Vito is on about. Clearly doesn't watch. LA Knight is far hotter now than at any other time in his NXT/WWE tenure.

[drave]

LaKnightYEAH.gif

[Sepholio]

dummy

[XL]

My friend who actually watches weekly has become a big LA Knight fan/supporter because of the feud with Wyatt.

TV time and spotlight. That's what it is about. Wins and losses for midcarders don't matter. The more spotlight you get the more you are in a better place. So YEAH, he is in a better place from working with Wyatt cause he got his image and persona more out there.

This.

He’s no worse off for being in the feud. He’s not damaged goods.

[Evil Vito]

Knight is a brilliant talker and has a personality. Given proper TV time and promo time I firmly believe he'd have gotten over vs. anybody they chose to feud him with. He's a really good talent and he'll be fine in whatever program he does next.

That doesn't mean I'm gonna give Wyatt credit when his feuds seem to be the usual spooky, self-indulgent bullshit he's been known for for years. My whole point with him is you can stick anyone into Wyatt's feuds and it barely matters.

And Seph's right. I don't watch. I read results and then seek out the stuff that sounds interesting to me. Been watching shitloads of Gunther stuff for months, for example. I tried watching the first month or so of Wyatt's return and that Uncle Howdy bullshit was so cringe I noped out. Zero interest at all.

I surmise Knight himself will be regular viewing for me once he's paired with someone that doesn't make me want to drop a toaster in the bath tub.

[DAMN iNATOR]

Wait, is Peacock really free with Comcast?

Yes. Literally the only good thing about having Comcast cable and home internet.

[DAMN iNATOR]

I really don't want to see the titles split again.

Me either but then you have idiots on the Internet crying that it’s somehow not fair to RAW because they have no WWE/WHC level belt. But honestly they could give Roman ANOTHER 2½ years from now as champ...that’s a believable scenario to me. He’s got the look, the charisma, the in-ring skills, as of right now the best storyline in the business, which even assuming the Bloodline does completely dissolve, it’s not like he can’t take any story he’s put in and spin it into gold.

Yes, part of that is also admittedly wanting to see him pass single run records of Morales, Hogan and Backlund. No chance he ever gets near Bruno, though. That’s a record that is and should forever be safe from being beaten.

[Mr. Nerfect]

LA Knight is getting more attention and has shined brighter on his own since Triple H has been back, but he’s surviving this Bray Wyatt thing. It’s always horrible stuff. LA Knight hopefully gets to do something better with someone that can hold up their end. He’s turned around my opinion on him.

[Sting Fan]

I watched some of the Raw 30 episode and LA Knight seemed really good on the mic. Very Rockish tone to him but seemed super strong and fans were buying into the "Yeah" thing which is always a good sign.

The Wyatt stuff is goofy as fuck, always has been. Taker is past being an intimidating legend sadly.

[XL]

I’m still in to the Wyatt deal. I thought his look at the Rumblw with the neon paint and the VI on the head and the new mask was pretty good.

That said, it is hokey and doesn’t really benefit anyone other than Wyatt and seems to exists in its own little pocket universe and doesn’t make me want to watch him wrestle.

All of those things can coexist.

[Lock Jaw]

US Title apparently gonna be the chamber match, so there goes my idea that Cody gets goaded into putting his shot on the line in the chamber, unless they do two matches

[XL]

They’ll surely do a women’s one too. No?

[XL]

Re: the Ricochet/Logan Paul spot

It popped me when I saw it even with as little sense as it made. My take was they were establishing Paul as equal to the best of the high flyers that WWE has to offer. And on that front I think it works.

[Sepholio]

Cody has a ruptured eardrum

[drave]

Should have put more points into STR instead of the neck tattoo DLC.


BRB, gonna re-make CAWdy.

[xrodmuc316]

This makes me smile

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hear <a href="https://twitter.com/indi_hartwell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@indi_hartwell</a> share her experience representing <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WWENXT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WWENXT</a> at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoyalRumble?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoyalRumble</a> with a cameo from <a href="https://twitter.com/CandiceLeRae?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CandiceLeRae</a> and &quot;Baby Wrestling&quot; ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/404Ol9Nabn">pic.twitter.com/404Ol9Nabn</a></p>&mdash; WWE NXT (@WWENXT) <a href="https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1620454745507860482?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>