A Rumble Disaster

The WWE screwed up last night at the Rumble. Big time.

Without the inclusion of Daniel Bryan, THE hottest superstar in the WWE right now, the boos were deafening throughout the arena.

The Universe was awaiting the YES chant, but were forced to chant NO.

And, as Daniel Bryan makes stake to it, the Machine kept him away, once again. No one cares about John Cena and Randy Orton. It's been done way too many times. Nobody cared when Rey Mysterio came out as entry #30. He was emphatically greeted with heat as he came out, and you could even tell he was more than shocked to hear boos instead of "booyakas".

And nobody cared when Batista became the winner of the Royal Rumble. The immense frustration of the crowd (along with several former superstars) distracted from the Rumble. The announcers wer

e distracted; you could even hear it in Jerry Lawler's voice. Sheamus and his surprise entry was blown. And Batista's big return, lackluster as is was on Monday, was blown clear out of the water Sunday. He even was found swearing flipping off the Pittsburgh crowd, and even mocking the YES chants as he removed himself from the ring.

Does the WWE even care about what the Universe wants?

Of course not.

Because even if you claim you will never watch WWE programming again, there are only a handful that will adhere to it and go watch the abysmal programming of Dixie Carter permanently.

And I guarantee that you'll tune in tonight to see what happens with Daniel Bryan. Does the WWE turn a 180 and change things up to suit what the viewer wants? What if this is just pure marketing strategy to shake things up within our homes?

Vinnie Mac has always been a sh*t stirrer.

And could you even imagine Batista's rage when he reached the Gorilla Position? Not the ideal setting of what he was looking for. Honestly, with his returning storyline limping into the barn, WWE should have made him a surprise entrant into the Rumble at the same time Del Rio was in the ring and fought because of the "Twitter War."

All in all, it was a horrible PPV. Worst I've seen in years. And if this is any indication on how the Road to Wrestlemania will end, I think the WWE needs to fire a few writers. And I'm glad that a Diva's match wasn't on the card, but thinking back on it, an AJ Lee match would have been better received than what had transpired.

Usually a winner is an ecstatic one after the PPV, but in this case, Batista was visibly upset.

On a lighter note, the Big Show/Lesnar match was pretty spot on. Just as he's been written, Brock Lesnar needed to showcase being a rough and tumble monster. He took a WMD from a giant like a champ, and delivered an F5! And he should! The past year or two, Lesnar has taken Pedigrees, Attitude Adjustments, and GTS' and still came back for more after the match. The Beast Incarnate. And this leaves an impression burned into everyone's mind that Lesnar has a legitimate chance to shatter the Undertaker's streak.

Further, three superstars emerged as huge topics on interest. Bryan for one. Bray Wyatt for taking out John Cena with Sister Abigail, and Roman Reigns.

I've been saying this for some time. This born-and-raised Anoa'i, along with several of his distant relatives like the Rock, Rikishi, Umaga, Yokuzuna, and the Wild Samoans, will become the next break-out star. He's got the look, the drive, and more importantly, the lineage. And with being second place (although second place isn't a winner), Reigns stood out and stood out strong with breaking records in his first ever Rumble appearance. I was impressed, especially with him going toe-to-toe with Batista. Spear for spear. I wouldn't be hard-pressed to see Reigns win a Money In the Bank contract or a number one contender's match in the near future.

But no matter what anyone says after the Rumble, I will be tuning in tonight. I'm a mark. I'm a fan, and I'm not going to let one PPV screw my views on what continues to entertain me on a weekly basis. Yes, I am disappointed, but there have been many other PPVs that have disappointed me all the same.

Just stick to what you know. Watch the product.

WWE Royal Rumble 2014

WWE Royal Rumble 2014

The Road to Wrestlemania continues this Sunday with one of the last stops along with way in Pittsburgh, PA. As a few matches are already within the works and ready to go, the results of the PPV creates the mold for what's happening in the next few months and what becomes Wrestlemania, as everyone who follows WWE knows very well. Being Saturday evening, the PPV card is typically set, along with one or two changes between now and Sunday. I foresee a mid-title and a Diva's Championship match being added to the card, but at this point in time, would it really matter or change any draw for the event?

I didn't think so.

In any event, I prefer the Royal Rumble over any other pay per view as my top pick. Why? Because of the Rumble itself. For the past 26 years, the unpredictability of which wrestler appears next is what appeals to me, the unique structure of the match itself, and also the recent idea of inactive superstar returns. Who will be the next guy? Who will win? Granted, the winner is more often than not pencilled in within "striking distance" or written into the plot of the night, but the idea behind the Royal Rumble cannot be compared over anything. There are similar, smaller 15-man Battle Royals, yet the Royal Rumble event creates anticipation for me and employs the best showcasing out of all the superstars.

I am tuning in to see the surprise entrants. From Mick Foley, Mr. Perfect, Kharma, Diesel, and even last year's Chris Jericho returns, my mind is abuzz of who would return;

- The crows nest looks a little empty.
- Nothin' like an Irish Brogue, fella.
- The peeps! The peeps!
- Thirty years, brother! Eat your vitamins.
- The Rumble is in Pittsburgh. Oh, it's true. It's damn true.

And the final question: Who wins?

Now, I am lead to the card itself, outside of the Rumble. In my opinion, the rest of the card doesn't bring too much to the show. Individually, several superstars have grown in character, and have made something of themselves, but I don't see 5-star matches rising from the PPV where they should arise from.

Kickoff Show Match for the WWE Tag Team Championships:
Cody Rhodes & Goldust (c) vs. The New Age Outlaws

For the past few months, The Brotherhood have made each and every tag match I've seen them in more and more easier to watch. Cody Rhodes and Goldust have singlehandedly rebuilt the tag team division, and their stay power as champions have drawn more credibility to the gold. The Tag Team Championships have more credibility at this point than the US Championship. Why? Because they're always defended, and are defended within the quality of the match-ups in which they are defended in.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, the Kickoff show proudly brings to you an old-school taste of WWE Attitude with the New Age Outlaws. Throw in a Goldust in his prime and his younger brother, and this gets the crowd riled up, for sure. I like this match on paper, and I'm pretty sure that the match will be a great one. For nostalgia purposes, I'd love to see the New Age Outlaws take the win here, and for storyline purposes, it would be a fantastic way to build a storyline up with repetitive losses between the Brotherhood for a brother on brother match at Wrestlemania (as Goldust originally intended). I'm split 50/50 on this, because if and only if WWE decides to begin the brother to brother feud, the loss needs to happen now for a solid build up. Recently, Goldust had made a mention of pulling back his original request to feud with Cody Rhodes at Wrestlemania, but this may be just to deter the average smark away from the real match at Wrestlemania. Who knows.

All in all, I'm going with the New Age Outlaws as a D-Generation X rehash win to spark the feud between Rhodes and Goldust. It'll be very entertaining to see NAO back in action and working as tag champs.

Winner: The New Age Outlaws.

Daniel Bryan vs. Bray Wyatt

From what I've noticed, anything that develops with the Wyatt Family starts and finishes as a huge cluster of nonsense that drives me up the wall, as if WWE doesn't know what to do with the Wyatts but want to make them relevant. First it was Kane, then CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, now just Bryan alone. Whatever happened to CM Punk??

Oh, that's right. He's in his own feud that makes no sense with the Shield.

On top of that, Bryan joins the Family, and leaves not even a month later. What kind of madness is that?? It seems as though Vince McMahon and Triple H really are into the "bigger than life" wrestling superstars and want to leave the Indies where they should be on the mid-card, because Daniel Bryan has been pushed and buried, pushed and buried since Summerslam 2013. Take a step forward, then two steps back into the mid-card.

Drives me nuts.

Bryan needs this win to go over into the Road to Wrestlemania strong. Rumors are flying around that Sheamus is expected to return from his injury, and there will indeed be a rematch between both Bryan and Sheamus at Wrestlemania XXVIII. Hopefully it lasts longer than eighteen seconds.

On the other end, Bray Wyatt is rumored to face John Cena at Wrestlemania. Another oddball feud that comes out of nowhere! Again with the random attacks upon unsuspecting individuals. Granted, it's outstanding to see Cena take a step back out of the spotlight and become a team player, but the random feuds with the Wyatts are just to keep them relevant and in the eye of the general public.

Wyatt takes the loss to move on and build himself back up (and be buried by SuperCena at Wrestlemania), and Bryan needs the win to elevate himself into Wrestlemania.

Winner: Daniel Bryan

Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar

Another throwback from the beginning of the Ruthless Aggression era, with Big Show once again facing the likes of Paul Heyman and the Beast Incarnate--Brock Lesnar. Both superstars are older and wiser. Not sure if they're in better shape since the last time they collided, but if we get to see the ring collapse, I'll smile and mark out.

I'm honestly surprised Paul Heyman isn't more of a mouthpiece for Lesnar, reminding us with every piece of WWE programming that Lesnar is the man to beat, building up his client like a heel manager should. No wrestling. No competing until the Rumble. Just enough to gather such irritability and heat to make Show look like a hero lumbering from the Gorilla Position to the ring on Sunday.

Since returning, Lesnar has inserted himself in top-card feuds, slowly taking a step down in each feud. First Cena, then Triple H, CM Punk (with a win to his credibility), and now Big Show. Big Show needs to be dominated and destroyed. Why? Because Lesnar is having less and less of a meaningful match, and with the rumored match at Wrestlemania, he absolutely cannot lose.

Lesnar must look strong going into Wrestlemania, especially if he's challenging the streak.

Big Show has nothing lined up from here until the Big One. Maybe taking some time off? Time will tell.

Winner: Brock Lesnar

30-Superstar WWE Royal Rumble Match

As with every year, the Royal Rumble match is tradition for twenty six years, and the winner goes on to headline Wrestlemania. And what makes this Royal Rumble match so unique, is for the simple fact that there is no secondary title for the second place. That irked me about the brand split; why reward mediocrity? If you can't win the Rumble, you get squat. Get a number one contender for the World Heavyweight title at Elimination Chamber and move on.

This year, that won't be the case. Thirty men enter. One man leaves on top of the mountain. With the title unification, I am also curious to know if the Money in the Bank PPV will no longer be a PPV, and instead return at Wrestlemania?

Moving on to the match itself, the winner has all signs point to the returning superstar, Batista. His two year contract brings to the table a WWE World Heavyweight Championship run; why else would he return? A high payout and a chance to go out in style when and if he does leave. And Triple H made that happen as the Chief Operating Officer. I can only imagine being the fly on the wall listening to the phone call:

HHH: "Batista. Hey, listen. I want you to come back and wrestle for the WWE again. Leave that MMA bullshit. I'll make it worth your while."

Batista: "Hunter, I told you before--I don't want to wrestle for your father in law again. It's not worth it to me."

HHH: "Remember your last run here? You went out like a little bitch. Redeem yourself! Come back and show everyone you're the ANIMAL!"

Batista: "Hunter, no. I can't"

HHH: "How's a matching salaried two-year contract to Cena's, entry at #30 in the Rumble, and a WWE title run?"

Batista: "Fuck it. Deal!"

It's already inked in stone, and I can pretty much guarantee that's the scenario. Batista will enter as number 30, and clean house. I'd be more impressed if CM Punk pulled off what only Shawn Michaels and Chris Benoit have done in the history of the Rumble and goes on to win the match at #1. Eat that, Kane!

With the Rumble, my intrigue is not about the winning participant. It's about the unpredictability and bending the rules. I'm talking about the similarities of what Kofi Kingston does nearly every year and his creative ways to not be one of the eliminated participants.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match:
Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena

I can't even count the number of times these two men have faced off against each other in their careers. It's old. It's boring. It's stale. Cena is always making his way into the main event. Orton does the same. Granted, they are outstanding performers, but Orton VS. Cena Rematch XXXIX needs to stop. It needs to be Orton VS Someone Else. And no more Cena, for at least six months. The match is already pencilled in for a win by Orton, but I'm interested to see how that happens. Does Orton win clean again like in TLC? Does Cena get the disqualification win? Or (I can dream), Orton gets the win by a Cena disqualification?

Either way, I'm not too thrilled about this. Lackluster at best for the build, and with Batista inserting himself into the mix, I hope that it's a solid build toward Wrestlemania.


That's all I got for you tonight, Spectators! Tune in to WWE's Royal Rumble tomorrow, January 26 2014! And to keep you entertained a little while longer, here is a little bit of Rumble Trivia for you!

Most Rumble Victories

Wrestler                 Royal Rumble Wins      Year
Stone Cold Steve Austin 3               1997, 1998, 2001
Hulk Hogan         2               1990, 1991
Shawn Michaels 2               1995, 1996
John Cena         2               2008, 2013


Longest Time Spent in a Single Royal Rumble
Top twenty individual superstar longest times in a single Royal Rumble match. As of the 2013 Royal Rumble.

Wrestler         Time         Year
Rey Mysterio 1:02:12 2006 (Went on to win it)
Chris Benoit 1:01:30 2004 (Went on to win it)
Bob Backlund 1:01:10 1993

Shortest Time Spent in a Single Royal Rumble

Wrestler                     Time Year
Santino Marella              0:00:01 2009


Most Eliminations in a Single Royal Rumble
Top wrestlers with most eliminations in a single match. As of the 2013 Royal Rumble.

Wrestler         # of Eliminations Year
Kane 11           2001
Hulk Hogan 10         1989
Steve Austin 10         1997


Total Eliminations in Cumulative Royal Rumbles
Top wrestlers with the most eliminations. As of the 2013 Royal Rumble.[95][verification needed]

Wrestler                 # of Eliminations Rumbles Entered
Shawn Michaels 39         12
Kane         38         16
Steve Austin         36         6


Most Rumble Appearances
Only wrestlers with at least 6 appearances are shown. As of the 2013 Royal Rumble.

Wrestler                  Rumbles Entered First Rumble Most Recent Rumble
Kane         16                 1996 2013
Shawn Michaels 12                 1989 2010
The Undertaker 10                 1991 2009
Rikishi         10                 1993 2004

The Animal Unleashed

Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome back to another round of the Wrestling Spectator. I have a few short topics that I'm going to smash together within one week (or two), so stay continued!

Batista is making a return January 20th, a little less than a week from the Royal Rumble, and this return won't be a short term deal--the rumor mill is speculating that this will be about a two-year deal for the Animal, facing off within main event status.

I mean, being who Dave Batista is, why would he come back unless it wasn't for TV exposure and in the spotlight picture? My question is, as with all the Ruthless Aggression (or any previous era) superstars, will Batista be utilized in the manner in which we are perceiving?

My sources say yes.

Batista is coming back for two reasons; a big payoff, and a proper send off. His last stint with the WWE had him taking his ball and going home like a whiny little b*tch playing second fiddle to John Cena, so more than likely, he's interested in a feel-good way to leave. And Triple H will see to it. Here in lies the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. He will be the next guy to be thrown into the pot for the belt, and my estimation is that he will carry it for quite some time. Within the past year, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship has been held by four different champions, and Cena held the title the most for a little over four months. Then Orton, then the Rock. I don't necessarily count the Rock as a legitimate champion because his reign was only transitional in order for Cena to gain his "retribution" taken care of and extend another run.

Triple H will make sure Batista takes the helm, much longer than his meager 35 day WWE Championship run back in 2010. More than likely, Batista will be pushed to the moon when he returns, possibly winning the Royal Rumble and headlining Wrestlemania. Of course, there are a few names passed around WWE corporate who are slated to win the Rumble (no Slater wins, sorry). Brock Lesnar being one. Sheamus being another (as a surprise entrant, I assume). Needless to say, I believe that the Royal Rumble will be an interesting mix of talent, new and old.

What will happen with Batista in the WWE within the next two years? Will Triple H control the powers that be and give Batista something he can proudly hang his boots on? Can "The Animal" defeat Randy Orton and become the new heel? Does he become a tweener and work as the "Anti-Hero"? Or does he allow the beast within to be released and demolish Cena (with or without Orton or the Authority) and the WWE locker room?

Time will tell. I am excited for Batista's return. Hopefully it's a great one.