WWE Royal Rumble 2021

[FLips]

In a stat that only backs up the opinion that people are there forever doing nothing, apparently Big E got his first Rumble elimination last night. This was his 7th Rumble.

[DavidB6937]

1 hour ago, LaGoosh said:

*read off notes*

"FOR THE LOVE OF MANKIND!"

Hard to imagine that he even enjoys that job. Recycling endless meaningless soundbites while watch endless generic pointless matches and terrible acting for hours every week for two decades while a psychotic old man yells in your headset. Sounds like hell.

I think that Rey Mysterio mask advert part could be the worst Cole has ever sounded.

[gaz2050]

What on earth was the Alexa Bliss stuff about? I get the connection with Bray but Jesus Christ. She ended up looking like a right idiot.

[The King Of Swing]

Only seen bits and bobs and have nothing to add other than it is fucking hilarious that Sami Zayn (who comes across as a bit of a liberal/lefty out of character) is being portrayed as some sort of conspiracy nutter.

In a company ran by the family that supported Trump.

[Mr Butternut Squash]

3 minutes ago, DavidB6937 said:

I think that Rey Mysterio mask advert part could be the worst Cole has ever sounded.

Haha yeah! That and his weird deadpan tone for Rollins return is the worst shit I've ever heard. Crazy that he seems to be getting even worse.

Commentary is just so shocking these days. I fear for someone like Bianca Beliar. Everything is so forced and disingenuous that Cole yelling about how likable she is is hard to swallow and detrimental in getting her over. 

I remember Samoa Joe being interesting when he first started, now I can't even tell if he's there.

[Supremo]

In an attempt to not repeat what everyone else has already said, my main takeaway from the men’s Rumble match was that they should’ve done a 1999 style match with loads of daft shit happening backstage. Edge and Orton brawling into the toilets, someone getting sent away in an ambulance only to return later, stuff like that.

As it was, you had what would’ve been a below average Rumble in front of fans, never mind in an empty arena, where some guys slowly filled a ring for an hour. Rubbish.

Of course, the only problem there is that you can’t trust them with stuff like that at the moment. Anything extra curricular would have likely involved Bray Wyatt, children’s playgrounds and stupid camera cuts. The fact we didn’t get any of that was a huge plus. The way they barely mentioned it and Randy’s face was normal again, I wonder if someone’s woken up in the middle of night realising what colossal shit it is and binned it off entirely.

No Aleister Black suggests he’s probably not long for this company. Feels very AJ-Lee-after-CM-Punk-quit at the moment. I assume lawyers are trying figure out how best to let him go without AEW immediately signing him up.

Carlito’s scored himself a job though, surely?

Edited February 1, 2021 by Supremo

[The Cutting Edge]

@Supremo various reports say that Aleister Black is due back soon and been planning an angle for him, they kept him of TV to let the Zelina situation pass.

Rumble seemed an obvious place but maybe they'll get it right this time and do packages for him building him up

[GeronimoJacksBeard]

For years i absolutely hated Mickey Cole and his whole style. Then i came round to him a bit when he started doing his Miz superfan stuff and arseing about on NXT 3. Years thinking he's a soulless robot to realising let loose there was something there and he had some humour to him. And then he actually seemed pretty decent when he did the UK title tournament, which had that different feel about it and probably didn't have Vince screaming and dictating everything in his ear all night long. I don't know if he's so much the problem, but the system and that he's very good at his job with regards hitting the correct notes his boss wants and professional and slots into that system too well to act as Vinces puppet and be devoid of any emotion, when that's what that role actually really needs. That stretches and applies across the company though.

 

The Rumble match is such an awesome concept. Done well, it features loads of intertwining stories, payoffs, whets appetite and teases with interactions and potential interactions, foreshadows big things on the horizon. 2004 is one of my absolute favourites as it was just a non stop onslaught of all of this. Somewhere along the line, many Rumbles become unbelievably lazy in their booking. Relying on a few surprise pops and the rest of the match mostly consisting of - guys comes in, gets a shine and hits his signature spots then fades off into the background. Next guy comes in, gets shine, hits spots, fades into background and repeat all the way through. Often up until the last couple of guys come in and the closing stretch happens. Last year was so refreshing because it was the first time in ages that it felt like it took a different format. Although that only really lasted until Brock was out. This years Rumble, having no live crowd, desperately needed to have a bunch of stories going on, something constantly happening, one thing after another and little dead periods of nothing really happening.

[tiger_rick]

Aside from Edge and Orton, was a single other feud extended or started from that Men's Rumble? They referenced a couple, like the fact Big E beat Sami but they booked it in almost exclusively in a vacuum. If we're being generous, Dominik eliminating Corbin was another, that's it. As a match, it might be better in time. As a tool to setup the road to WrestleMania that they spout ad nauseum, it was useless.

Surprised some people think the Women's match was better. I thought it had the same problems but the work was much, much worse. Not just from the likes of Torrie, who could never work, or Tamina, who could never work, either.

[Supremo]

Almost as bad as them forever relying on oldies, I’m absolutely flabbergasted that Seth Rollins returned as The Messiah. Imagine not realising what a toxic disaster that character has been? This was the perfect opportunity to do a hard reset and bring him back as the, “Burn it down,” guy. What’s the plan with this shit? More matches with the Mysterios?

EDIT: Some very cruel trolling from Becky Lynch last night.

Edited February 1, 2021 by Supremo

[Jazzy G]

@Mr Butternut Squash Joe's job on commentary Joe seems to be just to keep saying "oh ho ho" in the absence of Renee Young.

I think people preferred the women's rumble because it had more little story based bits that happened. The Billie Kaye stuff, Charlotte and Lacey, Lana, Nia & Baszler, Nia's little dilemma with Baszler and Tamina, the sequence with Ripley and Belair, some of the NXT girls going straight for each other. I know it didn't amount to very much, but it was at least a bit more than they had in the men's

[The Gaffer]

I honestly had no idea Rollins messiah gimmick went as far as him having new music, and was wracking my brain at first thinking if it was Brother D-Von coming back. 

That would have popped me. 

[Chris B]

1 hour ago, Supremo said:

Almost as bad as them forever relying on oldies, I’m absolutely flabbergasted that Seth Rollins returned as The Messiah. Imagine not realising what a toxic disaster that character has been? This was the perfect opportunity to do a hard reset and bring him back as the, “Burn it down,” guy. What’s the plan with this shit? More matches with the Mysterios?

Purely based on how I saw people talking about it, I was under the impression the Messiah thing had been really well-received, even if the Mysterio feud was a disaster. Did it just fall apart?

[Snitsky's back acne]

I'm sure I saw a comment when Charlotte came back along the lines of 'She's been gone months, has been back 1 day and I already want her to fuck off again'. 

[PunkStep]

Just watched the Rumble, which is the first time I have watched ANY wrestling since...last year's Rumble. 

I swear it was just the same show. Has nothing changed in a year? Tell a lie, Roman looks really cool and I like Seth's new music. Looks like I haven't missed much then.