Live Royal Rumble Thread - Live and Spoilers Galore

Exclamation Marc

2-6

40 men and all it did was highlight how WWE has such little star-power anymore outside of those that were around 5 or 10 years ago.

It's a testament to WWE's awful booking that people are frowning at the ending of the match. A Del Rio win..... fine. But he was hardly made to look like he deserved it through either a gruelling time of entry or insanely hard work.

PG or not, that sucked.

Cianan2

CoolHat wrote: »

Because its been heavily reported michaels is being inducted into the hall of fame 2011.

WWE only pis*es over guys who have no deals with the company.

Heavily reported? They announced it on Raw a few weeks ago...

What he means is that they're not going to allow it to be overtaken now, probably to keep the Michaels legacy. Next year (if he is still there), Kane will be in and out in under 10 seconds!!

CMpunked

FireballPitcher wrote: »

Bring back Nash, bring back Booker, but don't book them to look hugely incapable. When they brought back Hennig in 2001 or 2002 he remained til the final four, but having these guys return to be made look crap was silly.

I felt like it was a bit of an insult to have Nash eliminated 1. so early after he came into the ring. Most of it he was spent on his back. And 2. When he was eliminated the commentators reacted like "Oh, was he?" "So?"

FireballPitcher wrote: »

And then when you think that the number of 40 is for Nexus/Corre and then there's barely any interaction apart from the start.....

There was no need for 40 men. Bad bad bad booking by WWE.

I say this now, but i didnt think it was the way before the PPV..
WWE Used this as their ONLY way of saying how great this ppv looked. They couldnt use the undercard now, could they.

Jayob10

FireballPitcher wrote: »

No personality at all yet just remains at the top due to the lack of anyone below him being somewhat worthy of stepping up to the top level.

amen to that.

Something needs to be done with Orton, he has gone stale. They cannot afford to lose main eventers but he ideally he should take 6 months off, familiarity breeds contempt in this case. He has ZERO personality, he has a look, hes a good worker but he is best of a very poor bunch in terms of all round package.

cizolin

6-14

GTR63 wrote: »

What a load of Bull****.That was a bigger mess than Husky Harris.Cena got eliminated by someone who wasn't even in the match(not that i'm a fan but hello LOGIC,come here for a minute).Del Rio doesn't deserve it jesus only he debuted 6 months ago.He is great but its too soon. Oh no HHH too,doubt he wanted to be involved in a Car Wreck like that match was.

Emm Harris is the man. He maybe not cosmetically gifted but a wwe star of the future. A true bearcat

Ridley

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

I still can't believe that ending. I think they thought having Santino come in would add drama but it just came across as another comical moment in a match that had too many. Santino is treated as a midcard comedy act ffs.

Triple H eliminated Angle to win it, Taker eliminated Michaels, Lesnar eliminated Taker, Rey eliminated Orton, Del Rio eliminated...Santino? WTF?

See, if that Cobra had taken Del Rio over the top rope, there'd be much more incentive for people to watch Raw tomorrow/tonight/whatever.

Jayob10

jebforever wrote: »

I hate watching Cena get all the attention though, why doesn't Randy deserve some accolades? After all being the youngest world champion in history is no mean feat. And when he's in character as the Viper he's just immense entertainment in the ring with the RKO and all that.

are you having a laugh??

The Viper character is beyond boring at this stage. I think he is a natural in the ring, but its the same match over and over again. Its like they are trying to recreate Austin again with this RKO'ing everyone in sight but it doesn't really work, he doesn't have the charisma or attitude AT ALL. and the sad thing is that its not something you can teach.

Scorpion Sting

When saying Orton has zero personality I have to laugh. He's a better talent than 95% of what WWE has to show so give the guy a break. It's not all about the big persona, if a guy goes about his job quietly then fair dues.

Exclamation Marc

2-6

jebforever wrote: »

When saying Orton has zero personality I have to laugh. He's a better talent than 95% of what WWE has to show so give the guy a break. It's not all about the big persona, if a guy goes about his job quietly then fair dues.

Well when its "sports entertainment" as WWE so politely shove down our throats even 10 minutes, its part of the job to be "entertaining" and he's just not. He doesn't need to be OTT, he just needs to be more than this stoic, ambling, monosyllabic zombie character.

Being the youngest ever WWE champ means nothing at all. He's booked to win it. It's not like boxing where he earned it. If WWE wanted a 15 year old kid to win it, they'd make it happen. Look at when he was "The Legend Killer" and how the personality oozed out of him, and look at him now.

CMpunked

The whole match was a farce.

At least having Santino winning would have added to that fact.


Having Del Rio win, in the manner he did, coupled with this assumption that he is destined to be a main event star, isnt going to be taken as seriously.

He may as well have won the no.1 contendership on SD in a free tv match.

GTR63

Del Rio won it but how long will it be before wwe become bored of him like they did Sheamus & Swagger who despite both improving were needlessly buried since.

CoolHat

jebforever wrote: »

When saying Orton has zero personality I have to laugh. He's a better talent than 95% of what WWE has to show so give the guy a break. It's not all about the big persona, if a guy goes about his job quietly then fair dues.

I dont know how long you've been watching wrestling

but the more a guy is around ... and the more a guy has the same character. He gets stale.

Its no disrespect to ortan. its just how things are. Like Nightmare on elm street 1 was cool .. can the same be said about 6.

Scorpion Sting

Jayob10 wrote: »

are you having a laugh??

The Viper character is beyond boring at this stage. I think he is a natural in the ring, but its the same match over and over again. Its like they are trying to recreate Austin again with this RKO'ing everyone in sight but it doesn't really work, he doesn't have the charisma or attitude AT ALL. and the sad thing is that its not something you can teach.

I see your point, maybe he needs a fresh gimmick but I love his Viper character, going from a badass heel to a crowd favourite with it as well.

cizolin

6-14

jebforever wrote: »

When saying Orton has zero personality I have to laugh. He's a better talent than 95% of what WWE has to show so give the guy a break. It's not all about the big persona, if a guy goes about his job quietly then fair dues.

He has the personality but the character aint really shining through as the viper

Cianan2

jebforever wrote: »

I hate watching Cena get all the attention though, why doesn't Randy deserve some accolades? After all being the youngest world champion in history is no mean feat. And when he's in character as the Viper he's just immense entertainment in the ring with the RKO and all that.

As quoted before, he has no personality. I hate when he does that Viper crap myself, looks like he is having a tantrum because his opponent is taking too long to get up and be RKO'd. They're trying to bill Orton as Stone Cold, but they don't realise that it wasn't just stunner-ing of everybody that got him so many fans, it was his personality and his "don't give a fúck, never say die" attitude. He did things people only wished they could - drink beer at work, kick the crap out of your boss... Don't get me wrong, great in-ring ability, but he has the personality of a dying fish.

The rumble was great until Super John Cena came out and single-handedly beat Nexus. It was pathetic from there on. It should have ended with Punk, Cena, Barrett and Del Rio.

cizolin

6-14

Orton way better as a heel and his character way more open to development even beyond his main event status

Exclamation Marc

2-6

The complete lack of reaction to Cena's elimination was quite telling of how even the crowd weren't getting into it.

Jayob10

cizolin wrote: »

He has the personality but the character aint really shining through as the viper

I don't know if he has the personality, even his previous work as the legend killer he came across as extremely forced.

He has alot going for him in terms of his looks, his ring skills and his behind the scenes influence. I remember listening to shoot interviews with Stone Cold and another with Kurt Angle and both were complimentary about his ring skills but said that he could not cut a convincing promo to save his life.

I tend to agree

Scorpion Sting

CoolHat wrote: »

I dont know how long you've been watching wrestling

but the more a guy is around ... and the more a guy has the same character. He gets stale.

Its no disrespect to ortan. its just how things are. Like Nightmare on elm street 1 was cool .. can the same be said about 6.

Ever since the Attitude era mate with Stone Cold and The Rock.

Cianan2 wrote: »

As quoted before, he has no personality. I hate when he does that Viper crap myself, looks like he is having a tantrum because his opponent is taking too long to get up and be RKO'd. They're trying to bill Orton as Stone Cold, but they don't realise that it wasn't just stunner-ing of everybody that got him so many fans, it was his personality and his "don't give a fúck, never say die" attitude. He did things people only wished they could - drink beer at work, kick the crap out of your boss... Don't get me wrong, great in-ring ability, but he has the personality of a dying fish.

The rumble was great until Super John Cena came out and single-handedly beat Nexus. It was pathetic from there on. It should have ended with Punk, Cena, Barrett and Del Rio.

Yeah I agree with most of what you're saying but a fish personality lol, he can break loose and go wild when he feels the need.

Exclamation Marc

2-6

jebforever wrote: »

Yeah I agree with most of what you're saying but a fish personality lol, he can break loose and go wild when he feels the need.

I can't think of many examples.....

He's just constantly broody, monosyllabic, stoic, unexcitable, emotionless etc. It's not his fault as others have said, back when he was taking out legends week after week it was great, but this "viper" gimmick is killing him.

He's like Chris Benoit without the exceptional move-set and workrate. (He's a good worker yes, but he's not so extremely well versed as to mask his lack of persona)

CoolHat

jebforever wrote: »

Ever since the Attitude era mate with Stone Cold and The Rock.

Thats nice. Been watching it since the 80s myself ...

Cianan2

Breaking loose and going wild don't necessarily have anything to do with it, though.

He just doesn't sell me like Stone Cold, Rock or even Triple H. I just don't find him entertaining at all, He is Bland.

Blandy Orton. What he needs is a Bobby Heenan, then he would most likely be unstoppable.

Exclamation Marc

2-6

Well I was calling him Randy Snoreton, and Blandy Orton is brilliant....

so Blandy Snoreton will be his new name for me

Scorpion Sting

CoolHat wrote: »

Thats nice. Been watching it since the 80s myself ...

You remember the first 'Mania then?

Mr.Nice Guy

6-14

Orton's character doesn't work as a babyface really. Certainly not on a PG show. Those promos he does work as a heel because all he has to do is come across like a guy who's slightly unhinged. As a babyface however he needs to be able to have humour and trash talk guys. He's not really suited to that. Austin could do it all which is why Orton will never be at Austin's level.

It doesn't mean Orton can't be funny. I thought he was hilarious when he was doing his cocky promos when he had an injured arm, reminding everyone of his progress coming back from it. However his 'Viper' character can't do that now and I think deep down Orton would rather just be a heel. He's basically a one-move babyface.

CoolHat

jebforever wrote: »

You remember the first 'Mania then?

Haha. Not that old.
Ever lace up a pair of wrestling boots?

cizolin

6-14

Jayob10 wrote: »

I don't know if he has the personality, even his previous work as the legend killer he came across as extremely forced.

He has alot going for him in terms of his looks, his ring skills and his behind the scenes influence. I remember listening to shoot interviews with Stone Cold and another with Kurt Angle and both were complimentary about his ring skills but said that he could not cut a convincing promo to save his life.

I tend to agree

I'd agree in part to what your saying. His promos do come across as forced aswell.
If we were to drill into his personality/character deeper the wwe could extract alot more than a so called viper or legend killer. Why didn't wwe capatilise on his backstage rep that he had in the past and make him show it in the ring and on the mic. If he was being supposedly a p**** backstage, why not exploit it on the mic in front of the fans. Having a personality doesn't mean you have to be popular but imo something that you can show that you have within

Scorpion Sting

CoolHat wrote: »

Haha. Not that old.
Ever lace up a pair of wrestling boots?

Nope, not interested in the practical side just like watching it. I'd rather become a drummer tbh.

ElasticMan

Without a doubt the worst Rumble I've ever seen, and I've watched all of them for the past 15 years.

Vince definately just lost himself a buy for Wrestlemania .

A couple of things that annoyed me...

Someone needs to inform Michael Cole that it's not the Michael Cole show and he really needs to stop trying to get himself over at the expense of the actual wrestlers. Not to mention that he's really annoying to listen to, never has any good lines, and detracted from the ppv consistently throughout the night. I also wasn't pleased with Striker using the term 'marking out'. They really need to get these two away from the announce table. They really make it a struggle to enjoy the show. It's just so f*cking obnoxious. I didn't pay €22 (unfortunately I did) to listen to this crap.

Eve showing up instead of Kong. It was obvious the way they did this that it was just to annoy the internet fans. But seriously, who cares about Eve? I hadn't seen her in about 6 months and never cared much for her to begin with. I just wanted to see Kong come out and destroy all of them. Now that I wouldn't mind paying to see.

The Rumble was too sparse. When I think of the Rumble, I think of Rumbles like the one in '92 with about 20 guys in the ring at once trying to get each other over the top rope. It's not that exciting wrestling-wise, no, but there's a sense of comfort about it. The Rumble tonight was just like any episode of Raw over the past 7 months, Nexus dominates, blah blah blah. Maybe I'd care if the members weren't all so bland.

The lack of star power was really evident tonight. It never ceases to amaze me how WWE keep putting non-wresters in positions which would be much better suited to actual wrestlers, and might actually help to get them over. Case in point - Hornswaggle. One word, why? They effectively had him bury Tyson Kidd tonight, a guy who up until recently would have been a decent challenger for the US title. And what was the point in that? Hornswaggle won't be challenging for the US title on the next PPV. The time they wasted giving the spotlight to Hornswaggle could have been much better suited building an actual star for the future like Kidd, Dibiase, etc. They did the same thing recently by giving Jerry Lawler the spotlight in a feud with Miz when there's plenty of guys on the roster crying out for a push.

The ignorance of the announcers. Striker mentioned Natayla using a modified version of a Michinoku Driver, and neither King nor Cole knew what this was. Two guys who have been announcing in WWE for a combined total of 32 years. Not to mention that the inventor of the move, Taka Michinoku, was a WWE employee for 6 years from 1997-2002. Although I predict they were told to feign ignorance by Vince McMahon to rile some people, it's still annoying to watch a wresting show and have the announcers apparently not know the names of the moves.. and then mock the people who do.

I could go on ranting about numerous other aspects of the Royal Rumble tonight but I don't have the time or energy.

A couple of good points:

The Edge/Ziggler match was well booked (for the most part anyway, why was Kelly there? Why not bring out Kaityln instead who actually had some history with Vickie).

Miz coming out to the announce table during the Rumble match was a nice touch.

But if WWE keeps going the way they're going, they'll be defunct within the next 5 years. I certainly won't be foolish enough to part with my money again for a PPV, I don't trust them enough to put on a good show anymore. When Edge/Taker/Christian/HHH and the rest of the old boys retire over the next few years there won't be any reason to tune in anymore anyway. Guys like Drew Mcintyre, Ziggler, Nexus/Corre certainly aren't stepping up to the mark.

It was good to get that rant off my chest anyway:). Very cathartic.

So in conclusion the Royal Rumble was atrocious.

Garseys

IMO Dolph-Edge was booked well. It would have been nice if Edge didn't do the spear but Dolph looked awesome in the match and so did Edge.

Miz-Orton was ok, quite a bland match though and the ending made no sense whatsoever to me but I'm glad the Miz retained.

all I can say is F**k the divas match. They could have made an absolutely amazing debut for Kong but no, they decide to give the strap to Eve Torres :rolleyes:

The rumble match up until no.20 was awesome. having Punk-Bryan kick it off and lasting a good 20 minutes was great. JoMo's spot was just incredible. And while the Noveau Nexus(Thanks Striker) dominating the entries was annoying. WWE Buried nexus here tonight. Everyman until then didn't stand a chance but Cena can eliminate them all in the space of a minute. Don't get me started on Hornswaggle either. It was ridiculous.

McIntyre and Sheamus teaming up was awesome, The moment they both looked at each other as if to say, Can you believe we've made it?

The Final 4 IMO should have been Punk, Del Rio, Barrett and Cena. Have Miz help Punk eliminate Cena and have the same ending.

Pros: Booker T, Diesel (Nash looked great), The amazing start to the Rumble. Matt Striker throughout the Match was Hilarious especially with Diesel "Im sorry guys, but I'm marking out big time here":D

Cons: Cena and Hornswoggle,Michael Cole, The Santino bit at the end. Nexus looking Incredibly weak. The Corre sort of being crap.