WWE Royal Rumble 2012 Discussion Thread

[andrew "the ref" coyne]

I was also really happy with the reaction Road Dogg got, you could tell he was having a blast.

 

The only thing that could of made that better, is if Road Dogg entered.... and then immediately wrapped himself around the bottom rope ala Royal Rumble 2000.

[Slapnut]

Well, I thought the Rumble match was average to be honest- especially compared to last year. Didn't have that special feel to it, lacked some big names perhaps. Still, I got my prediction that Sheamus would win spot on That's 11 out of the last 12 years with the correct prediction (Edge screwed me over in 2010 by coming back from injury far too soon)

 

Where was Cena? Where was Kane? Where was Henry? Where was Taker? Where was Triple H? Where was Rock? Where was Bryan? Where was Punk? Where was Clay? Although I appreciate there are ligitimate reasons why each of these men should'nt be in, I just can't help but feel that they needed to bring a few more bigger names in to make this memorable, esspecially with the whole "all superstars are eligible".

 

Are these genuine gripes that you seriously can't find answers for?

[ajmcstyles]

I was also really happy with the reaction Road Dogg got, you could tell he was having a blast.

 

The only thing that could of made that better, is if Road Dogg entered.... and then immediately wrapped himself around the bottom rope ala Royal Rumble 2000.

I was hoping he would do that too.

 

[NEWM]

First impressions are that it was an okay (if a bit safe) show overall, but a painfully average Rumble. Such a shame after the excellent 2011 & 2010 efforts that they've resorted to some of the piss poor non-booking, in which most of the stars don't show up till the end making over half the match largely redundant and drama-free, and a few cutesy comedy bits are subbed in the place of any story to the match.

 

They fucked themselves with it this year though. Failure to promote the match itself meant them tacking on the whole "any superstar is eligible" gubbins, which in turn meant everybody would have higher expectations awaiting their favourite that might never even be in the match.

 

It's always cool to see a new winner, but as much as I like Sheamus, I can't think of a single superstar who I actually want to see him paired with in a significant Wrestlemania match. I suppose him and Bryan could talk about being bumped off last year and fighting for the title this year, but that's pretty limp. We'll see how that goes.

 

Punk/Ziggler was fuck all, but Cena/Kane was pretty great, so I suppose they balance each other out. Would have preferred to see Brodus in the Rumble but I guess this protects him even more than 8 guys teaming up to eliminate him or whatever.

 

 

 

 

[patiirc]

Urrgh, that was awful all around.

 

Lots of padding because of lack of erm, matches on the card. What matches were on there were pretty much awful. The Rumble itself was utter dirge and voila, unless there is something that is more shite all year (unlikely), this years Worst PPV of the Year.

 

Still looking on the upside, I've not broke my toe again yet.

 

 

[neil is brill]

So instead of Cena, Kane and Brodus we get Hunico, Gabriel and Otunga.

 

What a crock of shit that was.

 

I think the thing with Kane is that they're trying to protect Shawn Michaels record of 39 overall eliminations, so having Kane enter the rumble and not eliminating anyone makes him look a bit naff. I was expecting Cena to enter and win it to be honest.

 

Pretty average event. The Rumble was mostly boring, most of the top names only got a minute or two in the ring. I really wish they'd have given the win to Miz but hey, can't please them all. Kofi and his handstand beats Morrisons spiderman antics though.

 

The ending to the cage match made Big Show just look clumsy and weak. Punk and Ziggler wasn't the show-stealer I was expecting, and the shenanigans didn't really make up for it either. I wonder if they might just be sick of the Laurinaitis angle and are ending it early.

 

I can't remember much else of importance, I'll rewatch it in the morning.

[Cobra1000]

Hmm, really fun Rumble, but the rest was absolutely woeful. The Cage Match was going great, but ended way too abruptly, the match was so short so people were left with a "is that it?" feeling. Why was there any need for the Divas and YET more fucking Zack Ryder/Kane bollocks I have no idea. This Cena embace Hate storyline is taking the piss, its killing shows.

 

Shame Drew mac and Brodus weren't in the Rumble as well. Kharma back sweet, but so much for Dolph! Getting Kharmas finisher can't be good for him can it, it makes her look great and him look like a tosser. Jericho didn't deliver on the end of the world, but we got a Sheamus win which i'm all for. Have the last 2 ever lasted that long? I thought it was a brilliant end to the match.

 

Hardly any backstage segments aswell. Mick Foley can hopefully now piss off for good too, fat tosser. And Ricardo was brilliant. Kofi's Handstand spectacular. Jim Duggan...best reaction of the night? That reminds me thought the crowd were poor. I was properly gutted there was no Christian either.

 

EDIT- I guess on the plus side Raw is a must watch tomorrow, what Title will Sheamus pick? Will Jericho say anything? Will Triple H fire John Laurinitus. Where does CM Punk go from here?

[Rob Lowe]

Undercard was fine. Rumble match was very disappointing.

 

Felt like as much filler as the 95 rumble. When theres eight guys in the ring and the biggest name is Miz, you're in fucking trouble. It was cool to see Duggan and Road Dogg, and I'm happy they earned some money because they seem like nice chaps when Ive seen them interviewed.

 

But that was about it...Kofi had an interesting save, ricardo had a shit car and Foley & Santino had a nice 30 seconds of duelling socks comedy.

 

edit - Kharma returbning was interesting, but the cole elimination was weak, her giving him a proper kicking would have been pop of the night.

 

I was constantly waiting for a big name or something interesting to happen. Jericho covered in fairy lights barely counts. It'll be up there as one of the most forgettable rumbles of all time, and over the last ten years we've had some really forgettable ones.

 

Im really trying not to be negative, but it wasnt very good at all.

[Doomsday Device]

Kofi and his handstand beats Morrisons spiderman antics though.

 

 

The utter shitness of that Rumble has made me wipe the best moment of that event from my mind. How could I possibly forget Kofi's handstand? Brilliant stuff

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

Really painful PPV. I wasn't too enamoured with yesterday's UFC on FOX, but the Rumble was much worse. I get that Henry was limited, but the agents could have worked around that to give the Smackdown main eventers a better showing. Obligatory Divas match took the extra time that the cage match could have used, and instead of adding 5 minutes to the WWE title match, they gave it to Brodus Clay. I dig the Funkasauras, but he did EXACTLY the same thing he's been doing on Raw and SD. His schtick would have looked much better in the Rumble Match. The WWE title match was probably the highlight due to the hard work of Punk and Ziggler, and I think Ace had just the right amount of involvement, but it was all rushed.

 

The Rumble Match... Probably the most mediocre one I've seen. Too many Superstars scrubs, and a joke made of the entrants. It was funny at first, but it wore thin. I enjoyed Ricardo, but no need for the announcer silliness, either Lawler or Booker would have been fine. And they waste Kharma's big return on a 20 second interaction with Michael Fucking Cole. And after the nice serious angle to bring Foley in, they use him with Santino?! Duggan didn't need to be there, they did the nostalgia thing with him not too long ago (09 Rumble maybe?). I liked Road Dogg's appearance, because it's the Dogg.

 

Jericho's massive amount of build up, "the end of the world", and he's used briefly as cannon fodder for Sheamus, last seen slapping Jinder Mahal about? For fuck's sake. The Road to Wrestlemania is my favourite time of the year, and they've completely ballsed it up. Fuck you WWE.

[SpiritOfTheForest]

Aye the Kofi handstand was genious. A risky move too as it seemed so easy to fuck up, which would've been super embarrassing. I've never found Kofi especially interesting but that was incredibly impressive.

[andrew "the ref" coyne]

Well, I thought the Rumble match was average to be honest- especially compared to last year. Didn't have that special feel to it, lacked some big names perhaps. Still, I got my prediction that Sheamus would win spot on That's 11 out of the last 12 years with the correct prediction (Edge screwed me over in 2010 by coming back from injury far too soon)

 

Where was Cena? Where was Kane? Where was Henry? Where was Taker? Where was Triple H? Where was Rock? Where was Bryan? Where was Punk? Where was Clay? Although I appreciate there are ligitimate reasons why each of these men should'nt be in, I just can't help but feel that they needed to bring a few more bigger names in to make this memorable, esspecially with the whole "all superstars are eligible".

 

Are these genuine gripes that you seriously can't find answers for?

 

Where was Cena? Where was Kane? Where was Henry? Where was Taker? Where was Triple H? Where was Rock? Where was Bryan? Where was Punk? Where was Clay? Although I appreciate there are ligitimate reasons why each of these men should'nt be in, I just can't help but feel that they needed to bring a few more bigger names in to make this memorable, esspecially with the whole "all superstars are eligible".

 

I think it's very clear that I am aware of the reasons why each man I listed wasn't in. My point was that if your in charge of the Rumble lineup... and it's that poor.... you might want to start pulling in a few more names regardless whats been done before in Royal Rumbles.

 

Taker - Sure... why couldn't he make a one night appearance?

HHH - See above. Use it as a means to hype up the fact that he is coming back tomorrow night on Raw.

Rock - If you can bring him in to build up Rock / Cena at Survivor Series, then it's not outside the realms of possibility to bring him in to eliminate Cena and build up their match at Mania (or even win it and FORCE Cena to win the WWE title if he wants the Rock).

Bryan / Punk - "Every superstar is eligible." Many thought this meant the champions would be in it. Personally I've always felt that they should allow them in... just to tease the possibility of a unification match one day.

 

Also add to the list... Kevin Nash!

 

So yes... I am aware why they weren't used... my point is that they COULD of been used. Desperate times = desperate measures.

[stumobir]

Don't agree with all of this negativity, will it go down as one of the greatest rumbles? Definitely not. Was it enjoyable? I definitely thought so.

 

The undercard was fucking horrendous, fair enough. Cage match barely felt like it got started but I think that was intentional, Daniel Bryan doesn't want to wrestle he just wants to get the win and get out of there.

 

Divas match? Yes, there was a divas match.

 

This entire Cena/Kane/Ryder angle is just plain woeful. Ryder was out cold for about 10 mins after getting a glove rubbed in his face but still managed to keep his feet elevated when he was getting pushed. It's a horrible storyline with horrible actors and it needs to be ended asap.

 

Brodus Clay squash number 6 at the expense of Drew McIntyre. Pretty much a carbon copy of the previous 5 Brodus Clay squashes. Would much rather have seen both of these guys in the rumble.

 

Ziggler and Punk was nowhere near as good as I thought it would have been. The full match just felt strange and I couldn't get in to it at all, the ending was pretty naff and I don't really see the point of it?

 

Really liked John Cena's video package more so than The Rocks and I'm a Rock fan and a bit of a Cena hater.

 

The rumble itself had a good few moments, Ricardo Rodriguez was fucking hilarious, Santino and Foley were alright too. I thought the commentators stuff was pretty decent. Glad Duggan and Road Dogg got such good pops and even more glad that Road Dogg got the old "you still got it" treatment. Good to see Kharma back but I probably still won't pay any attention to the Divas. Must say I was a bit disappointed that the number 30 entrant turned out to be Big Show, a definite anti-climax but when it got down to the last two I was right in to it again, couldn't see what way it was going and fair play to Sheamus getting the win. Still not got a clue what this "end of the world" patter is and I'm beginning to think WWE don't either.

[theboxman1986]

In my opinion that was the worst rumble ever and the undercard was shocking punk ziggler was a good match up until the end there was no need in larengitis counting with the ref which was completly pointless, all that will happen on raw is hhh will fire him he will use that as proof that he has changed and punk will GTS him anyway leaving us back where we started, cage match was too short, divas match was actually better than i expected so was plesently surprised at that,

 

no need for the clay mcintyre match may as well have left that for smackdown and had them both in the rumble. as for the rumble itself only 4 things spring to mind that was even remotely good road dogg, ricardo, khama and the end of the rumble even though in my opinion the wrong man won.

[JLM]

Stuff...

 

I loved the Kofi handstand spot and the Awesome Kong bit. I didn't even know she was with the WWE as I missed her debut and then I understand she's been on maternity leave, so that was a pretty cool surprise. Randy Orton looked terrific. Socko vs The Cobra was amusing, as were some of the other novelty entrants. On a more negative note, I didn't know who quite a few of the entrants were and didn't feel like I should care. I don't watch Smackdown, so that explains a number of them I'm sure, but it still feels like a lot of the mid/lower card guys aren't over even a tiny bit, and the incredibly bland looks/theme songs some of them have don't help much. I agree with NEWM that they did go for a bit of a lazy option by splitting the match into such a clearly defined irrelevant half/relevant half.

 

Sheamus and Jericho put on a pretty exciting final stretch I thought. I was a bit disappointed that Jericho's promo going into the rumble didn't amount to anything, but it didn't have to necessarily, as Chris Jericho the character obviously didn't know he wasn't going to win the thing when he said it. I'm still very curious as to what he'll do on Raw.

 

I thought the Divas tag match was decent. No embarrassing botches and some good use of shortcuts and high spots to keep it entertaining. I've always quite enjoyed Beth Phoenix too, and it seems like she's still being booked very strong despite the title being pretty much worthless.

 

Kane vs Cena was disappointing simply for the fact that nothing fucking happened. It was just a repeat of what they've been doing on Raw. I don't think they work particularly well together generally so I wasn't expecting a good match, but there was no more intensity to it than we've seen in the build up.

 

I thought the whole point was that Cena was on the verge of losing his shit and that Kane was pushing him too far, but the whole angle just seems to be stuck in a very tedious Groundhog Day scenario, compounded by Zack Ryder and Eve Torres being awful actors performing rubbish scenes in a flat storyline. Crap. I love Zack Ryder's internet stuff and it's cool that he's got himself a cult following off the back of them because they're great, but honestly I don't think he's very good,

 

I've seen some commenters suggesting that the writers are struggling to translate his internet persona to the TV shows, and I think that's fair. Ia also agree with the sentiment that when WWE (or any big company) takes ownership of something that has its own self made following it can massively detract from the cool factor of it. Him being put into stupid shit like that tyre changing scene and isn't his fault either, but I still think that any time he's on WWE TV the charisma and personality he shows in his youtube show doesn't come accross at all, and he isn't anything special in the ring either.

 

Kane's face grab move is so very, very stupid. so stupid.

 

Ziggler vs Punk was good, though the ending felt more than a little overbooked. I didn't think Ziggler needed to be beaten quite so many times. The reversed GTS was a great near fall though.

 

Bryan/Henry/Show was OK. Certainly didn't feel like a World Title match, but then Bryan isn't really being portrayed as a World Champion. Kept short enough for Show and Henry's plodding pace not to get dull, Bryan played his role very well and the finish was quite creative.

 

I still love the Funkasaurus.

 

That is all.