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

TLC 2013 Breakdown

Hello wrestling fans! It's been quite some time from my last article, but now I am ready, and back in action! Today, I will be reviewing the upcoming WWE pay per view "TLC". The main focus on this PPV is the unification of the World Heavyweight Championship and the WWE Championship once again, an event recreated from Vengeance 2001 with Chris Jericho becoming the first ever Undisputed WWE Champion by defeating then-World Heavyweight Champion The Rock, and then-WWE Champion Steve Austin.

We will have a new Unified Champion in the WWE, but who?

Dolph Ziggler vs. Fandango

I've noticed a lot of these "kick-off" shows that have former established superstars before the actual event. This sounds a lot like Sunday Night Heat in a way, but Heat was intended to start fresh wrestlers, not established main eventers. Both of these men have headlined Wrestlemania at one time or another, and now they're at the bottom rung of a PPV? Everyone is entitled to their own opinion of course, but with the high amount of diluted WWE programming is absurd. Simplicity is a key factor. WWE has their hands in so many cookie jars for advertising and marketing that it's unnecessary and bores the general public.

I'll get off my soap box, but this is a debate for another day.

Fandango and Ziggler shouldn't be this low on the card. It's outstanding to see them on the card at all, considering TLC 2013 is saturated with cheap bread, condiments, joined with a thin slice of cheese. No meat, all filler. In any event, this is the "kick-off" match to get things started for the PPV and liven up the crowd. Ziggler has been on a losing streak for four months ever since his break up with AJ (she goes up, he goes down) with the various mid-card championship chases. The guy can't catch a break, and now he's been delegated to face off against Fandango. I consider Fandango to be part of the "was promsing-less serious" aspects of wrestling--the Wade Barretts, Tensais, David Otungas... wrestlers that were destined for something great so long ago and part of what has been swept under the rug. Tensai(Albert) was scripted to to come back and demolish John Cena...

...never happened.

I can't tell who's going to win this one. Since Dolph is in a funk, and Fandango is on a similar path (spotted wins here and there), it'll be tough to decide. Frankly, I'm in high regard for Ziggler to make a win out of this one and get himself back in the title chase, and get away from wrestlers who have nothing going for them outside of your typical comedy act.

Prediction: Dolph Ziggler

Diva's Championship: AJ Lee(c) vs. Natalya

The Diva's division has slowly built itself up (and by slowly, I mean at a snail's pace) through the past few months, but I still can't help to use a bathroom break each time a cat fight breaks out on WWE TV. The Diva's division within the WWE hasn't turned a profit since the days of Lita and Trish Stratus, and even then, it wasn't a comparable dime to profit with...

...until Total Divas. The WWE-based reality show goes behind the scenes of half of the Diva division into their personal lives, and somewhat branches off into other superstars' lives as well (cue in John Cena and Daniel Bryan for starters). This employed idea ALONE grasps hundreds of people's attention because there is that hidden magic that no one sees outside of the typical WWE programming; what happens outside of RAW and Smackdown? This is, in my personal opinion, what is driving the vast majority to this show. It has been bumping the Diva's division little by little because of the outside exposure, but within the ring... I still see nothing that holds together any interest. All I see is a bunch of older high school girls squaking about their differences with a freshman who thinks she's Queen Bee.

Nonetheless, I think AJ Lee and the Diva's Championship has run its course. If WWE had maintained the power couple between her and Dolph Ziggler as World Heavyweight Champion, she may have more relevance and impact on the Diva's division. However, the WWE decided to go a different direction with Ziggles. It is time that we have a face Diva's champion, and with Natalya only having a little more than a one time, two month reign, it should be her chance to shine. Not only that, I hope by putting the title on Natalya, it will pull her away from that ridiculous clown disaster team of Hornswoggle and Khali.

Prediction: Natalya Neidhart

WWE Tag Team Championship; Fatal 4-Way Match: Goldust & Cody Rhodes(c) vs. Rey Mysterio & Big Show vs. Ryback & Curtis Axel vs. The Real Americans

A last minute championship addition to TLC 2013, this match has eight star powerhouses, and with so many egos clashing in one squared circle, it'll be a chaotic mess. An awesome chaotic mess. The tag division, in my personal opinion, has flourished into something much better from the past few years. Not as good as in the 90s, but definitely watchable. This is another match (outside of the main event) that I would definitely be tuning in to watch. Anything that I have watched within the past few months that have to do with the Rhodes brothers has made WWE that much more to stomach.

However...

Goldust has been lobbying for a Brother vs. Brother match before his return to the WWE. Is this still the Wrestlemania intent? Will there be any turn against one another at TLC? This should be playing in the back of every one's mind at the end of TLC. Then again, Cody and Goldust have been working very well together, and Goldust himself is in the best shape of his career and he fits in the tag team picture with his brother. Personally, I would absolutely hate this tag team to break up as it is a huge staple in the current development, but I think that it would put asses in seats. Some seats. A typical sibling rivalry, escalated in the ring over years of neglect from the American Dream.

Just an idea. I could be wrong.

Going down to the Big Show and Rey Mysterio, these two were frequently pitted against each other in tag matches and singles matches, even stemming to a "David vs. Goliath" match from a Big Show elimination at Survivor Series '05. So, by my research, this will be the first time that these two team up. Storyline wise, these two have been at it for quite some time, and now finally decide to team up for a quick tag team bout. I've seen much more weird things (the Rock 'N' Sock connection to be one of them).

The team of Ryback and Curtis Axel, I think, is a strong team, rebirthed as Paul Heyman "rejects". Not necessarily rejects in the sense that they may be quite a formidable tag team, and could dominate the division like the Rhodes have. I see big things in the future of these two superstars in 2014 if they stay relevant, and stay heels. Ryback and Axel can be like the school yard bullies starting trouble in the WWE Universe. I wouldn't mind to see these two as tag champs and pull off a nice little run, but we shall see.

The Real Americans I just cannot take seriously. Swagger has become a lame duck, and Colter is just a supporting comedic crutch. Cesaro is being pulled down in this whole comedy act, and has potential to be a part of something bigger. The Intercontinental Championship will become similar in prestige of the World Heavyweight Title, and much more individuals will be gunning after Langston (or future title holders), aching to bridge the gap between being an IC champion to the WWE Championship. And Cesaro should be part of that elite group. He's the only thing that keeps me interested in the Real Americans (that Cesaro Swing is killer, by the way), but as a group, it's just another wrestling faux pas that I get up and get a sandwich.

Prediction: It'll be a hard one, as usual with four way matches, and even more with tag teams. I'm going with the champs to retain.

Rhodes & Goldust: 70%
Ryback & Axel: 50%
Big Show & Mysterio: 40%
Real Americans: 20%

Intercontinental Championship: Big E Langston(c) vs. Damien Sandow

I liked the idea behind Cody Rhodes bringing back the "prestige" to the Intercontinental Championship (as all heels say that they will do sometime during their reign) and showcased the white IC title. However, I don't think that it fits well with Langston (or Curtis Axel, or any modern day champion). I am glad that Axel is no longer in the picture, and has made somewhat of a good tag team with Ryback (as "former" Heyman guys). With a little more fine-tuning, I'm pretty sure that Ryback and Axel would make for decent tag champs. But enough about what isn't to be. Axel is gone, and now WWE has pitted Langston against the "Savior of the Masses", Damien Sandow in a quick turn of events for the IC title. Langston is such a big guy, that I highly doubt Sandow will be able to knock him down off his championship run, and I see Langston as a credible Intercontinental title holder, and with being such, could be launched into the title picture. The upper card should be composed of very strong mid-card titles holder, and if Langston can hold his own, he'll be able to maintain a top spot in the WWE. It would be entertaining to see an Intercontinental Champion VS a WWE Champion match.

With that being said, and with John Cena having internal backing on the Big E, Langston will continue to hold the IC title for a long time, and dominate the mid-card.

Prediction: Big E Langston

CM Punk vs. The Shield (3-on-1 Handicap Match)

There is no reason that this match up should have even been booked. I understand the whole plot issue with both faces being punished, but between CM Punk and Bryan, it isn't needed. Honestly, this should have been a 2-on-3 handicap match for the Tag Team titles with Punk/Bryan and the Shield, continuing the IWC indy gloryfest storyline with Punk and Bryan since both superstars have been buried to mid-card players. As the 3-on-1 handicap went with the Big Show a few weeks ago, I don't see CM Punk tallying a win without some sort of outside interference from Bryan.

On the flip side of this match, the Shield have nothing better to do than to do Triple H's dirty work. As rumors have been floating around on the IWC, this is going to set up a future feud between Punk and Triple H, to which we will possibly see a continuation of the feud from Night of Champions '11. This also serves to be a temporary fix for the Shield to keep themselves relevant until their next task from the C.O.O.

Punk won't walk away from this one clean.

Prediction: The Shield

Daniel Bryan vs. The Wyatt Family (3-on-1 Handicap Match)

Another match up that really isn't necessary, but this one has a bit of build up and story behind it. It keeps Daniel Bryan busy until his "fair" WWE Championship rematch in 2014, and it builds the Wyatt Family up to be credible. Bray Wyatt, with the transformation from Husky Harris, has made something of himself as that creepy and sadistic persona--it's something that works for him, and it isn't too far out, or too cartoony. This is someone that could possibly be in the bayous of Louisiana in a horror flick.

Kidnapping aside, I think that Bryan will be "following the buzzards" after a nasty beat down and disappear for a while as what happened with Kane. Then again, Kane came back as a corporate big-wig, totally out of left field. Bryan will get the loss and disappear for a few weeks to allow a small program for Cena to develop (possibly a rematch clause from Orton) and squash real soon just in time for Bryan's return.

Prediction: The Wyatt Family  

WWE Unification Match: World Heavyweight Champion John Cena vs. WWE Champion Randy Orton (Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match)

What this PPV is all about. The ONLY match that people will be paying for, if they pay for this PPV at all. WWE is touting this to be a historic match eleven years in the making (Vengeance 2001). And no where in the TLC page describes anything about the original WWE/WHC Championship match... as if it never happened. There hasn't been any other mention of it even on television, Which is truly disappointing to say the least, because at Vengeance 2001 was a turning point in WWE's own history to finally unify the defunct WCW with the WWE.

This time around, the WWE is in need of one champion, one great individual that can be the target of the entire federation. With the brand split finally at an end, WWE feels that there isn't a need for two champions, as Cena and Orton respectively have shown up at both shows over the past few weeks, and this is simply to create and setup the next few months of programming and make it easier upon the writers.

This small feud started when John Cena began speaking in cahoots with The Authority (Triple H and Stephanie McMahon) and suggested that there be only one champion on November 25, sparking Randy Orton to lose what composure he had. Jumping to a small conclusion, Cena just wants to be WWE Champion again and to do away with the ridiculousness of the WHC title, but that's just my thoughts running through my head. The Authority thought of that to be a great idea (storyline wise anyway), and now at TLC, there will be a newly crowned WWE Unified Champion.

Between the two, John Cena and Randy Orton have had a long and storied clash since early 2004 (even before that in OVW), a lot of bad blood, and this will be a shining moment with both individuals, and will open up new possibilities and more feuds similar to that before the WCW/WWE Invasion storylines.

All in all, Cena will undoubtedly be the new WWE Unified Champion, and the "Face of the WWE". There were talks roughly ten days ago that there wouldn't be a crowned champion at TLC (pushing the storyline for the Unification out until Wrestlemania 30), but for simplicities sake, one champion is all is needed...

... for the time being. Needless to say, I feel that the TLC Unified WWE Championship match was a bit rushed, and that WWE Creative is struggling to put something together in a short amount of time. Deadlines change all the time, but the idea stays the same--At TLC, one man is walking away with two titles.

Prediction: John Cena


With a continuing thought, with no brand split and one WWE champion, I am interested to see usage of the United States Championship like the European Championship was back in the late 90s. Digging up some past archives during the Monday Night Wars, the only championships that were around at that point in time were the WWF Championship, the Intercontinental Championship, the European Championship, the WWF Tag Team championships, the Light Heavyweight Championship, and the Hardcore Championship. With the current set up, all the WWE is missing is the LHC, and the Hardcore championship, and since the WWE needs to stay PG oriented and has a new slew of cruiserweights in the roster, this would be the perfect opportunity to bring back the Cruiserweight title, and have those superstars still relevant. It creates a mix and variety of action (instead of having bruisers lumbering about for WWE title shots), and allows the WWE product to stay fresh and maintain interest in not only the flagship show of RAW, but the fast actioned pace of Smackdown... on how it used to be.

Thanks for reading! And see you at TLC!