2015 Royal Rumble

[E92_]

but thinking about the mindset of the company (and it goes beyond just bryan and reigns) its really mind boggling. they have a guy who is insanely over everywhere they go (not just a couple of smark hotspot cities who love him because hes an "indy darling"), a guy who got a bigger pop than the rock making a surprise return, and it appears that rather than pulling the trigger on him being THE man theyre pushing him aside for the designated golden child for no apparent reason except its what theyve planned on doing for some time.

Even when Bryan was off injured they neglected to even mention him when he made mainstream news a few times (compare that to Roman who was mentioned quite a bit in his short time off), it reminds me of what Punk and other former employees have said about people getting themselves over without the help of the company.

As someone who only watches WWE wrestling, it was so awesome to see Bubba Ray Dudley back. What's it been, 10 years?
I really hope he sticks around on the active roster.

Bring back Dvon and Stacy pls.

 

[Rainfall]

Am lols at superstars getting blocked in cars & thousands unsubscribing the network

 

[Chops18]

As someone who only watches WWE wrestling, it was so awesome to see Bubba Ray Dudley back. What's it been, 10 years?
I really hope he sticks around on the active roster.

And he looks just as good and healthy as he did in his first run. He was amazing in TNA and I think he can do good things in WWE. He's a bit like Goldust in that regard.

 

[cheesedogg]

I can see that happening. I think people are jumping to conclusions this is going to end bad.

I agree that plenty of water has to go under the bridge before we get to a babyface Reigns/heel Lesnar WM main event in it's current standing but what I don't get is why they keep backing themselves into these crowd mutiny situations. I mean surely if a bunch of randoms on an Australian Rules football forum in places like Adelaide/Melbourne etc are calling this exact same scenario taking place if Reigns wins the Rumble months out from the event, then surely can't people who have been in the business booking this stuff know it's coming aswell yet they allow it to happen & put themselves throw themselves into this viewer backlash. I just don't get that.

 

[Hawks1523]

That fresh prince scene though!

Am lols at superstars getting blocked in cars & thousands unsubscribing the network

The unsubscribing is pretty funny. Blocking the cars is just stupid though.

 

[Millky95]

I agree that plenty of water has to go under the bridge before we get to a babyface Reigns/heel Lesnar WM main event in it's current standing but what I don't get is why they keep backing themselves into these crowd mutiny situations. I mean surely if a bunch of randoms on an Australian Rules football forum in places like Adelaide/Melbourne etc are calling this exact same scenario taking place if Reigns wins the Rumble months out from the event, then surely can't people who have been in the business booking this stuff know it's coming aswell yet they allow it to happen & put themselves throw themselves into this viewer backlash. I just don't get that.

I think the bigger issue is the fact they used a main story line as the ending of the Rumble which is something I'm not a fan of. What they did with Mizdow, Bray/Bryan and Gold/Stardust was good. Created or continued storylines in the match. The ending should always create a new storyline. Reigns should've eliminated Big Show or had been Eliminated by him to continue their feud but not as the finish. I think Bray should've had a smaller run at Eliminating guys or had more Eliminations early to get his push of the Rumble done earlier so Big Show and Kane could've done their Authority eliminating earlier before Ziggler came out. Then have Reigns / Show do their thing.

 

[pantskyle]

As someone who only watches WWE wrestling, it was so awesome to see Bubba Ray Dudley back. What's it been, 10 years?
I really hope he sticks around on the active roster.

The squeal of delight you did proves this.

 

[Southerntakeover]

Think about it this way - Bryan doesn't need the title to get or be over, whereas winning the title "legitimises" Reigns.

Like it legitimised Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler etc.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Not taking anything away from guy's like Bryan but Roman still has to work hard, yeah he hasn't been around as long as anyone else but it doesn't mean he doesn't work hard and improve his skill set.

5 years from stepping in the ring to main eventing WrestleMania.

He's the new Kurt Angle.

 

[workhorse]

Man do I feel sorry for Roman. He's a likeable guy, in fact I like him, I think he has some great tools and good work ethic. But holy hell did that PPV, and the Rumble match in particular, stink. The WWE title match was superb, I absolutely lost it when Rollins hit that 450 Corkscrew. I thought the story telling was great and that it almost felt like Cena was the afterthought and that it was Rollins and Lesnar who had feuded for so long.

The Rumble match, jeez. I usually try to er on the side of WWE in terms of getting bashed by fans I just felt completely underwhelmed right from the beginning. R-Truth and Miz #1 & #2. Are you kidding? You could see it a mile away when Bryan was eliminated, the crowd just turned, and it happened exactly as most people had predicted. Not to mention the fact that Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler & Ryback were made to look pathetically weak. The only people that walk out of the Rumble match, in my view, with any type of positives, are Rusev and Bray. They both gave great showings and deserved to be in the final 3 with Reigns.

I'm keeping the network through to 'Mania because there's always something good at 'Mania, and last year they turned it around from this position. Hopefully they can do the same.

I just cannot fathom how Vince and everyone else can be so stubborn and so out of touch with what their fanbase wants.

 

[nobbyiscool]

And he looks just as good and healthy as he did in his first run. He was amazing in TNA and I think he can do good things in WWE. He's a bit like Goldust in that regard.

Perhaps it was just because he was wearing the very old-school Dudley gear - but I thought he looked like he'd put on a shitload of weight since I last saw him on Impact back in October.

I doubt it's a permanent return in any case. Given how they chose to present him upon his return, they clearly haven't paid attention to his recent TNA run - he can't elevate himself from that return to being anything like a main eventer.

 

[Chops18]

5 years from stepping in the ring to main eventing WrestleMania.

He's the new Kurt Angle.

Well if he's the new Kurt Angle I'm not complaining.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Man do I feel sorry for Roman. He's a likeable guy, in fact I like him, I think he has some great tools and good work ethic. But holy hell did that PPV, and the Rumble match in particular, stink. The WWE title match was superb, I absolutely lost it when Rollins hit that 450 Corkscrew. I thought the story telling was great and that it almost felt like Cena was the afterthought and that it was Rollins and Lesnar who had feuded for so long.

The Rumble match, jeez. I usually try to er on the side of WWE in terms of getting bashed by fans I just felt completely underwhelmed right from the beginning. R-Truth and Miz #1 & #2. Are you kidding? You could see it a mile away when Bryan was eliminated, the crowd just turned, and it happened exactly as most people had predicted. Not to mention the fact that Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler & Ryback were made to look pathetically weak. The only people that walk out of the Rumble match, in my view, with any type of positives, are Rusev and Bray. They both gave great showings and deserved to be in the final 3 with Reigns.

I'm keeping the network through to 'Mania because there's always something good at 'Mania, and last year they turned it around from this position. Hopefully they can do the same.

I just cannot fathom how Vince and everyone else can be so stubborn and so out of touch with what their fanbase wants.

I usually think "Give them a run with the US/Intercontinental Championship first to see how they go" is a cop out, but it sure seems like they should have. He's clearly not popular enough to be rushed to the biggest match of the year.

 

[Damon_3388]

Like it legitimised Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler etc.

Well Sheamus and Swagger are popular and believeable big guys, who can work face or heel up and down the card effectively.

Ziggler never really had any sort of proper reign with the World title, but he's still popular and can work as face or heel up and down the card too.

Del Rio was a megastar in Mexico before he ever came to the US, and played to a different market, so WWE were smart to capitalise on that at different times. Had never worked as a heel before coming to the US, either, so I think he did pretty well for the most part.

I'll put it a different way then - Let's say DB is 100/100 for "overness", the most over face on the roster, and Lesnar is 100/100, the most over heel on the roster, both at the peak of their powers. You then have face Reigns and heel Bray at, say, 75/100, but who both have the potential that you'd like to explore further, and elevate to main event status.

If you put DB and Lesnar together, and give DB the title, they'll both still be 100/100, and Reigns and Bray are still at their same level, too. Whereas if you put Lesnar and Reigns together, with Reigns winning the title (and all the exposure and prominence that come with it after), the latter might be boosted to 85 or 90/100, while Lesnar and also DB still remain 100/100 for now too. This way, you "make" a guy and elevate him to that next level (Reigns), while still having a super-over face available (DB) to help make another heel (Bray) into a bigger deal, too (who then might end up at 85 or 90 after a good solid feud with Bryan). It's about giving guys a rub and using established stars to elevate others, and making money off of everyone, and not just being a one star company putting on one match cards. It's not as simple as just "here's the most over guy on the roster, give him the title", because sometimes guys leapfrog title-level overness, and can survive as popular guys without the belt (New Generation-era Undertaker is an example of this). Also, once the top face starts plowing through everyone, it can become boring, and that 100/100 guy can begin to lose his shine, a la Cena vs. Heel of the Month in 2006-2007 (when he held the title for 380 days before vacating due to injury).

 

[workhorse]

I usually think "Give them a run with the US/Intercontinental Championship first to see how they go" is a cop out, but it sure seems like they should have. He's clearly not popular enough to be rushed to the biggest match of the year.

Absolutely. Even a short reign where he gets screwed out of the title by The Authority (remember that feud that never really ended?), so he can then feud with Seth Rollins or Triple H. Could've feuded with Bray Wyatt or Cena or even someone like Kane just to continually get him over and established as a singles star. They should have the fans begging for him to win the Rumble and mainevent WrestleMania (Like Bryan last year)

It's funny that it would've been more appropriate for him to win last year because of how much of a roll he was on and how hot he was. Now it's just like he'd been irrelevant for 4 months, comes back, wins the slammy of the year for some reason, wins the rumble and headlines 'Mania without doing, well, anything really. He's been a single's wrestler for what, 3 months? 1 singles match on a PPV and he's now headlining WrestleMania...baffling really.

 

[Baird]

Remember Goldberg v Lesnar? This will be WORSE.

no it won't. Goldberg vs Lesnar was bad because they weren't even trying, for several reasons.

1. They were both leaving the night after
2. Brock was upset at the company
3. It wasn't the main event
4. Wrestlemania 20 was stacked. They didn't need to put on a good match for it to be a good show. It was booked as an undercard match.

None of these things apply to Reigns vs Lesnar

 

[eddiesmith]

The biggest problem the WWE face now is in the past with s**t Rumble winners, they have fought for the B title and been on the undercard, now its 1 champion and given the possible matches, it will be the main event, there is no hiding now. Using it to elevate someone not ready isn't what the fans want and when its the only title, its not a great idea.

I am guessing they will go 1 of 2 ways at Fast Lane- A tag match between Reigns/Ambrose v Kane/Big Show, if the Rock sticks around maybe a 6 man with Rollins or the Authority will put Reigns title shot on the line against Rollins.

 

[Igloo]

Despite not wanting Roman to win, i'm not fussed, and kind of happy, that Bryan didn't win it. We saw his whole "road to redemption" story last year. I like seeing something fresh. I know this year it would have been a bit different coming off an injury and getting the title he never lost back, but still, a chance for something new will always sit right with me at least a little bit.

I hated the crowd reaction. Hated it. What, are we never going to have a Rumble winner people will be happy with unless Bryan wins one first?
Of course, that's not taking into account the incredibly ****ed up Big Show and Kane scenario that happened, which was the worst thing about the whole show.

I hope Reigns proves a lot of people wrong and has an awesome feud with Lesnar. I think it'll all end with Rollins as champ at the end of the day anyway, which will be awesome, but a "sink or swim" kind of deal with a guy like Reigns who a lot of people deem not ready, who obviously already works hard, has a good chance of being pulled off well, imo.

 

[TradeDraft]

Just Watched the Royal Rumble and My God did the Crowd Die after Byran was Elimanated. Looked like lot of them wanted to just walk out

 

[NitroFan]

I hated the crowd reaction. Hated it. What, are we never going to have a Rumble winner people will be happy with unless Bryan wins one first?

the crowd popped for mizdow (obviously not a realistic winner at this point) and ambrose and was even cheering on rusev after bryan got eliminated. the main problem was the instant bryan was out everyone in that building knew who was going to win. just like last year where ironically reigns was the one who got the "anyone but the obvious guy" cheers

 

[TradeDraft]

Despite not wanting Roman to win, i'm not fussed, and kind of happy, that Bryan didn't win it. We saw his whole "road to redemption" story last year. I like seeing something fresh. I know this year it would have been a bit different coming off an injury and getting the title he never lost back, but still, a chance for something new will always sit right with me at least a little bit.

I hated the crowd reaction. Hated it. What, are we never going to have a Rumble winner people will be happy with unless Bryan wins one first?
Of course, that's not taking into account the incredibly stuffed up Big Show and Kane scenario that happened, which was the worst thing about the whole show.

I hope Reigns proves a lot of people wrong and has an awesome feud with Lesnar. I think it'll all end with Rollins as champ at the end of the day anyway, which will be awesome, but a "sink or swim" kind of deal with a guy like Reigns who a lot of people deem not ready, who obviously already works hard, has a good chance of being pulled off well, imo.

You Feel for Reigns. He has done nothing wrong and I also hope he sticks it up the Fans BackSides to show how good he can be

 

[TradeDraft]

the crowd popped for mizdow (obviously not a realistic winner at this point) and ambrose and was even cheering on rusev after bryan got eliminated. the main problem was the instant bryan was out everyone in that building knew who was going to win. just like last year where ironically reigns was the one who got the "anyone but the obvious guy" cheers

I still thought Ziggler could of run as well as Reigns

 

[Chops18]

Despite not wanting Roman to win, i'm not fussed, and kind of happy, that Bryan didn't win it. We saw his whole "road to redemption" story last year. I like seeing something fresh. I know this year it would have been a bit different coming off an injury and getting the title he never lost back, but still, a chance for something new will always sit right with me at least a little bit.

I hated the crowd reaction. Hated it. What, are we never going to have a Rumble winner people will be happy with unless Bryan wins one first?
Of course, that's not taking into account the incredibly stuffed up Big Show and Kane scenario that happened, which was the worst thing about the whole show.

I hope Reigns proves a lot of people wrong and has an awesome feud with Lesnar. I think it'll all end with Rollins as champ at the end of the day anyway, which will be awesome, but a "sink or swim" kind of deal with a guy like Reigns who a lot of people deem not ready, who obviously already works hard, has a good chance of being pulled off well, imo.

Agreed on the crowd, that was just petty and pathetic in my eyes. It was disrespectful to whole roster, Daniel Bryan would not have wanted that. I feel sorry for the kids at the ppv who had to sit through that, they'll grow up thinking that whinging and complaining until the get what they want is normal behaviour.

 

[eddiesmith]

the crowd popped for mizdow (obviously not a realistic winner at this point) and ambrose and was even cheering on rusev after bryan got eliminated. the main problem was the instant bryan was out everyone in that building knew who was going to win. just like last year where ironically reigns was the one who got the "anyone but the obvious guy" cheers

Ziggler would have been a good winner as well and not completely unrealistic given the storyline he is in and was getting a bit of a push being the sole survivor

But once Bryan was eliminated and Lesnar had retained it was obvious they were going to the original plan of 6 months ago...

So much for HHH alleged speech of its all in the air, this s**t booking will be blamed on Vince but it seems to me ever since HHH moved into power there is a lot less chance given to the wrestlers and evem more pushing of muscled, tough guys...

Also instant burial of anyone the internet gets behind

 

[nobbyiscool]

no it won't. Goldberg vs Lesnar was bad because they weren't even trying, for several reasons.

1. They were both leaving the night after
2. Brock was upset at the company
3. It wasn't the main event
4. Wrestlemania 20 was stacked. They didn't need to put on a good match for it to be a good show. It was booked as an undercard match.

None of these things apply to Reigns vs Lesnar

I'm sorry, but this is just factually incorrect.

The match sucked because the crowd shat on it before it even started. The other factors were minor ones that might've played into the minds of the wrestlers - but they weren't given a chance to even demonstrate whether they were factors or not.

The Goldberg/Lesnar comparison is appropriate because, if it's confirmed that Lesnar is leaving, they'll get exactly the same crowd reaction - magnified 3 times to account for the size of the buildings.