2023 Royal Rumble

[Supremo]

Last few things I forgot to mention; Michelle McCool having no choice but to enter the Rumble because they played her music was the funniest bit of lore of all time. Like the fucking Hunger Games, you can be selected at any time. No wonder The Rock sent an egg rather than attending that Survivor Series event! If they’d have played his music he would have had no choice but to wrestle a match!

What’s the deal with Peacock in the states? Are they showing adverts between every match? Is there a tier that has adverts and another that doesn’t? If so, what’s the difference?! The endless, pointless vignettes that I assume are used to fill the ad time are exhausting to get through. I think I’d rather see some funny Robocop-style American adverts selling drugs or guns. 

Edited January 29, 2023 by Supremo

[JNLister]

7 minutes ago, Supremo said:

What’s deal with Peacock in the states? Are they showing adverts between every match? Is there a tier that has adverts and another that doesn’t? If so, what’s the difference?! The endless, pointless vignettes that I assume are used to fill the ad time are exhausting to get through.

Yes, it's exactly that. It's $4.99 for the standard tier with ads (or free if you are on certain cable companies) and $9.99 for the ad-free version. Which is all great until you come a to a live broadcast and you either see "proper ads" or WWE filling time with those videos.

[Slapnut]

3 hours ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

I struggle with this.

I’m enjoying the Sami Zayn story more than anything I can remember really, but I don’t think it needs Mania as it’s arbitrary end point. It doesn’t elevate it, and I don’t think the WWE owe us a Sami title win at Mania if they don’t see him as a main event option. I just want them to continue telling the story well.

Cody whilst not as hot as Sami right now, has a prestige back story that will lend itself to peaking at Mania. I’ve got no beef with both things interacting.

To be honest, I know it hasn’t been for years, but I still see Wrestlemania as the logical end point for long term stories. It should, in theory, be headlined by the most anticipated match, and I honestly can’t see anything coming even remotely close to Roman vs Sami at this point. Like I said, I know it’s a bit of an outdated idea, but it feels mental that they’ve built up this match for so long and they’re about to wrap it up the month before Wrestlemania for fucking Stardust of all people.

OK I’m being harsh on Cody there. I’m not much of a fan but I know he’s super popular so no issue with him main eventing in general, just not now.

[d-d-d-dAz]

The one that’s strange about some of the Never Cody’s I’ve seen online today is, they don’t give him credit for anything and make out like he’s had everything handed to him.

It all went a bit sour in AEW (mainly because he was always a bit of a square peg and he always positively oozed WWE) but… like…. He’s a fucking grafter, right?

He’s occupying a spot right now that literally no one ever wanted him to have and he scratched and crawled his way to the top. Perhaps as much as anyone ever.

I get not liking him - he can be a little dull, he doesn’t speak like a human, he takes himself oddly seriously - but I really respect his story and wish him all the success in the world.

The amount of shitehawk marks we moan about on here who just accept terrible booking, or burials, or humiliations because they’re just happy to be there - he didn’t accept he was a curtain jerking comedy act and actually had the bottle to break away to try and prove it. Good for him.

[FUM]

For what it’s worth, I think I, and many others, would have been right behind the Cody story if The Bloodline/Sami story wasn’t so hot.

It was obvious from his return that Cody had to be the guy to dethrone Roman until, you know, someone else came along. 

Unfortunately absence hasn’t been kind and there’s now two people I want to see dethrone Reigns more than Cody which makes his story far less interesting.

[LaGoosh]

23 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

The one that’s strange about some of the Never Cody’s I’ve seen online today is, they don’t give him credit for anything and make out like he’s had everything handed to him.

It all went a bit sour in AEW (mainly because he was always a bit of a square peg and he always positively oozed WWE) but… like…. He’s a fucking grafter, right?

He’s occupying a spot right now that literally no one ever wanted him to have and he scratched and crawled his way to the top. Perhaps as much as anyone ever.

I get not liking him - he can be a little dull, he doesn’t speak like a human, he takes himself oddly seriously - but I really respect his story and wish him all the success in the world.

The amount of shitehawk marks we moan about on here who just accept terrible booking, or burials, or humiliations because they’re just happy to be there - he didn’t accept he was a curtain jerking comedy act and actually had the bottle to break away to try and prove it. Good for him.

Cody's a guy that I don't really hugely enjoy watching but like as a person. And in today's Gratitude Era it's fun to have someone around who reminds me of the bullshitter carny as fuck wrestlers of the past. He works hard but will also take any shortcut he can, he's one of the most disingenuous babyface promos going and will latch on to any hot act he has to to be a top star. I'd say he's a modern day Jeff Jarrett but Double J is still thankfully knocking around.

[d-d-d-dAz]

I suspect the ending to Mania could well be newly minted tag champs Sami and Kevin fighting off The Bloodline to allow Cody to win the world titles and everyone goes home with the three of them lifting their belts.

Given I think Cody is naturally a heel, and Roman will want time off probably after Wrestlemania Backlash, I wouldn’t mind Sami’s popularity causing Cody to turn on him and Owens for ruining his moment and taking his spotlight.

Owens/Sami/Cody beat The Bloodline at Backlash and then Cody goes all brooding and angry, leading to Sami getting a world title programme through the lean May-July months would work for me.

**I realised mid post I was venturing into fantasy booking but fuck you, I’m just trying to make the Codyverse and the Samiverse work together. If you want, Sami can eventually beat Cody for one of the titles (maybe Cody has to defend one each against Sami and then KO, keeping one and losing another) only for Roman to turn up. Then you can do Roman/Sami for a world title at Summerslam and Cody vs some other sod for a world title on the same show.

Edited January 29, 2023 by d-d-d-dAz

[CleetusVanDamme]

I'm really happy Cody won. This feels like the first time since 2005 where the circumstances are right* for a babyface with potential to be a lasting top guy** to get properly MADE with their first title win at a Wrestlemania. It's baffling how little they've even tried it, given it should be the go-to to making a star.

* They did do right by Drew in 2020 tbf but no crowd = no one cares.

** Sorry, Kofi. Great moment though.

 

[TildeGuy~!]

9 hours ago, TildeGuy~! said:

Ahhhh That Cody, overcoming the odds of coming out at Number 30 being dominated by Number 1 Gunther but making a massive comeback to win.

Never change Cody.

Just to go back to this as I’ve now finished work and can give my views on the show as a whole, Cole constantly trying to put that opener over as the best Rumble ever was just flat out annoying.  Gunther was great, Sheamo was great, Logan Paul was great, everything else was very meh.  Looking forward to what seems to be Rollins/Logan at Mania though. 

The Mountain Dew match was shite, As was the post match.

Belair/Bliss was basically a Raw match with everyone waiting to see what Wyatt bollocks would happen.

Womens match was Ok, although Ripley was my favourite to win I spent the whole match expecting a Beth Run in/entry to eliminate her, so when it came down to the Final 4 I was expecting an Asuka win, Nia Jax in at 30 though?  Jaysus 

Asuka moving to her Kana gimmick from Japan is great news, really looking forward to see how far they let her go with it, she had some genuinely terrifying face paint at times.

That post match angle in the main event. WOW, I don’t think this ends with KO and Sami getting the tag titles though, I still see Sami getting a shot on one of the nights at Mania, Jey Uso and Roman were great in that, they’ve all played blinders well done to everyone involved

Edited January 29, 2023 by TildeGuy~!

[DavidB6937]

I can't fucking wait to see what happens next.

 

 

[Statto]

After the obvious, the highlight of the night for me was the all too brief hoss division segment of the men's Rumble.

Quite why Johnny fucking Gargano was the only non-hoss to survive throughout that section, only to then hang around for another 10 minutes and continue to do absolutely nothing of note, I've no idea.

Edit: oh yeah - whether it's 1v1 against his dad, or another Judgement Day vs Edge/Rey/whoever (Bad Bunny??) deal, whatever Dom does at Mania needs to be a Jailhouse Match, after which they recreate the Mountie skits, with self-proclaimed hardened crim Dom freaking out over being put into a (not that intimidating) county holding cell.

Edited January 29, 2023 by Statto
Fantasy booking.

[SuperBacon]

35 minutes ago, TildeGuy~! said:

Sheamo was great

He really was, wasn't he? I've never been a massive fan, but the past year or so he has been brilliant. 

Such an excellent hand at anything, and guaranteed to deliver.

I loved his look to Gargano I think it was, when he was trying to do his clubbing across the chest spot as if to say "You taking the piss mate?" 

On Gargano, the absolute state of the cunt.

And I really liked him in NXT! Go home and play with your Imperial Walker toys or something mate.

[andrew "the ref" coyne]

Fantasy booking time:

- Prick head Roman Reigns uses corporate shenanigans via Heyman to have Jey Uso's tag team title belts handed over to Silo Sikoa under the premise that it's some sort of "freebird rule".

- This leads to Sami / Owens / Jay vs Roman / Jimmy / Silo in a team elimination chamber match.

- Match ends with Jay betraying Sami and coming back to the fold. Maybe even repeat what we saw at Rumble, but this time Jay says sorry to Zayn before stabbing him in the back.

- Roman hands the tag titles back, and we're now on the way to the tag title match with the Usos vs Owens and Zayn.

Edited January 29, 2023 by andrew "the ref" coyne

[SuperBacon]

3 minutes ago, andrew "the ref" coyne said:

Fantasy booking time:

- Prick head Roman Reigns uses corporate shenanigans via Heyman to have Jey Uso's tag team title belts handed over to Silo Sikoa under the premise that it's some sort of "freebird rule".

- This leads to Sami / Owens / Jay vs Roman / Jimmy / Silo in a team elimination chamber match.

- Match ends with Jay betraying Sami and coming back to the fold. Maybe even repeat what we saw at Rumble, but this time Jay says sorry to Zayn before stabbing him in the back.

- Roman hands the tag titles back, and we're now on the way to the tag title match with the Usos vs Owens and Zayn.

 

On 1/28/2023 at 8:50 PM, SuperBacon said:

I genuinely can't stand fantasy booking, but glad everyone is having a good time with it.

 

[Rockbus2]

Tag Titles are splitting aren't they? 

Could we maybe see the Usos splitting and each being given a set and being told to pick a partner? Jimmy chooses Solo and Jey chooses Sami.