Wow. Just, wow. That was quite a pay-per-view, one that had plenty of highs, and plenty of lows. Say watch you will about WWE's current product, but damn if Vince can't make me care about the results of matches, and that's more than I can say about almost any other company in wrestling history. There was raw emotion at the end of that Royal Rumble, with the wrestling world staring down literal Armageddon, and you all know what I'm talking about. WWE has the power to make me feel, so I tip my cap. Let's get into the recap.
- This was a fantastic show for wrestling. I'll start with the pre-show, where I went 3 for 3 in my predictions. Other than that, not much to add. I enjoyed all three matches for what they were.
- It seems Raw has finally figured out Bayley's character. She and Charlotte had a very enjoyable match, and the Hugster looked strong enough to stay in the title scene.
- I know almost everyone expected Roman to walk out with the Universal Title, but I did not. Some inner instinct told me with the No-DQ stip that Big Kev would walk out with the belt, and I was right. They had a really good match with some crazy spots, and then Braun killed Roman. Fun day at the office.
- The Cruiserweights could wrestle the greatest match of all time and no one would care. Neville is great, though.
- Not sure if you're aware, but AJ Styles and John Cena are pretty good at that pro wrestling thing. This match was just a clinic in psychology and storytelling, easily the match of the night and probably match of the year. Congrats to Cena for that sixteenth world title, and that was a heart-warming moment after the match.
- Read elsewhere that the Rumble match failed in elevating any participants, and I can probably agree. Although it was a very enjoyable match, nobody really came out of it significantly better than they were before. Again, though, that didn't stop it from being a pretty good Rumble. Roman entering at 30 was classic Vince, but I think they booked it perfectly. If you want to guarantee that an event finishes with raucous cheers, just make sure Roman losing is the ending. To be honest, he should just be in every match on the card, just to make every face on the roster that much more over.
7/10
This was not a show without it's flaws, but they weren't ultimately huge. I don't really have a problem with Randy as the Rumble Winner, as it sets up a pretty cool story with him and Bray. I would've preferred some more surprises in the Rumble match, but I enjoyed myself. Looking forward to Mania!
- This was a fantastic show for wrestling. I'll start with the pre-show, where I went 3 for 3 in my predictions. Other than that, not much to add. I enjoyed all three matches for what they were.
- It seems Raw has finally figured out Bayley's character. She and Charlotte had a very enjoyable match, and the Hugster looked strong enough to stay in the title scene.
- I know almost everyone expected Roman to walk out with the Universal Title, but I did not. Some inner instinct told me with the No-DQ stip that Big Kev would walk out with the belt, and I was right. They had a really good match with some crazy spots, and then Braun killed Roman. Fun day at the office.
- The Cruiserweights could wrestle the greatest match of all time and no one would care. Neville is great, though.
- Not sure if you're aware, but AJ Styles and John Cena are pretty good at that pro wrestling thing. This match was just a clinic in psychology and storytelling, easily the match of the night and probably match of the year. Congrats to Cena for that sixteenth world title, and that was a heart-warming moment after the match.
- Read elsewhere that the Rumble match failed in elevating any participants, and I can probably agree. Although it was a very enjoyable match, nobody really came out of it significantly better than they were before. Again, though, that didn't stop it from being a pretty good Rumble. Roman entering at 30 was classic Vince, but I think they booked it perfectly. If you want to guarantee that an event finishes with raucous cheers, just make sure Roman losing is the ending. To be honest, he should just be in every match on the card, just to make every face on the roster that much more over.
7/10
This was not a show without it's flaws, but they weren't ultimately huge. I don't really have a problem with Randy as the Rumble Winner, as it sets up a pretty cool story with him and Bray. I would've preferred some more surprises in the Rumble match, but I enjoyed myself. Looking forward to Mania!
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