Written by: Kevin Berge (All images used are courtesy of WWE.com)
That's right, Roman. WWE loves you so much that they are literally putting you in a match where 29 other men are there just to make you look strong.
It's been a long time since I last wrote about the WWE. What has happened in that time? Well, buddies Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose are now champions one and two in the company. The Divas Revolution finally has a feud worthy of that label. The Authority... is still a thing, but at least there's a new stable in the League of Nations that isn't always 100% overshadowed by them.
There's also the unfortunate rash of injuries plaguing the roster that comes every few years, this time taking most of the top talent just before WrestleMania season. John Cena, Randy Orton, and Daniel Bryan (though he will tell you he's perfectly healthy) are gone. Sting broke down the moment he was told he was jobbing again on his second major WWE pay-per-view. Even Cesaro almost got hungry enough to impress Vince McMahon before he tore his rotator cuff.
Still, time must move on as it always does in wrestling. With the few still healthy, WWE put together a very strong card for the Royal Rumble. Every title was on the line including the WWE World Heavyweight Champion put on the line in the Rumble itself. It was a night of great promise with multiple matches coming in with great stories attached to them.
Reigns went through a long road to become champion beginning at this show last year where he was booed out of the building. Now he's finally on the precipice of being accepted at the top, but everything was riding on how he was presented as champion in a match where all the odds were against him. This was to be his breaking point performance, beginning as the number one entrant.
Elsewhere, Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens were ready to tear each other limb from limb for the right to be called Intercontinental Champion, culminating in a Last Man Standing match. Becky Lynch had reached her emotional breaking point with the betrayal of her closest friend Charlotte and was ready to break her former friend's arm and take her title. It was night full of promise that hopefully no one would soon forget.
There's also the unfortunate rash of injuries plaguing the roster that comes every few years, this time taking most of the top talent just before WrestleMania season. John Cena, Randy Orton, and Daniel Bryan (though he will tell you he's perfectly healthy) are gone. Sting broke down the moment he was told he was jobbing again on his second major WWE pay-per-view. Even Cesaro almost got hungry enough to impress Vince McMahon before he tore his rotator cuff.
Still, time must move on as it always does in wrestling. With the few still healthy, WWE put together a very strong card for the Royal Rumble. Every title was on the line including the WWE World Heavyweight Champion put on the line in the Rumble itself. It was a night of great promise with multiple matches coming in with great stories attached to them.
Reigns went through a long road to become champion beginning at this show last year where he was booed out of the building. Now he's finally on the precipice of being accepted at the top, but everything was riding on how he was presented as champion in a match where all the odds were against him. This was to be his breaking point performance, beginning as the number one entrant.
Elsewhere, Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens were ready to tear each other limb from limb for the right to be called Intercontinental Champion, culminating in a Last Man Standing match. Becky Lynch had reached her emotional breaking point with the betrayal of her closest friend Charlotte and was ready to break her former friend's arm and take her title. It was night full of promise that hopefully no one would soon forget.
They came together. They conquered together. They lasted ten seconds in the Rumble match together.
Jack Swagger and Mark Henry def. The Dudley Boyz, The Ascension, and Darren Young and Damien Sandow to Earn Spots in the Royal Rumble Match
Overview: Mark Henry and Jack Swagger began this match dominating with Damien Sandow clearly the crowd's favorite of anyone in the match. The Ascension and Dudley Boyz got into the match as it progressed, slowing the pace a bit until Bubba took out both men. After a side slam, Bubba went for the cover, and everyone got involved to break it up.
The Dudley Boyz cleared the ring of everyone and hit Darren Young with the Whassup and then Viktor with the 3D. Swagger though pulled Bubba off the cover and into the Patriot Lock which Mark Henry followed through on with a splash that allowed Henry to get the three count on the still unconscious Viktor. Afterward, Henry and Swagger shook hands.
Analysis: This was an okay match, but it really had no time to deliver. With eight guys in the match, each guy wrestled for thirty seconds. The only guys who stood out were the Dudley Boyz and Damien Sandow (only because he was clearly the most over man in the match by a mile). The rest of the crew barely did anything including the winners with Henry even messing up the finish.
It was all around an okay way to build up the main show, but it could have also just not even happened. It produced two winners, but they will never really be a team and would make little impact on the Rumble match itself. It was just a way to sell that Rumble entry matters even though it really didn't help these two.
The Dudley Boyz cleared the ring of everyone and hit Darren Young with the Whassup and then Viktor with the 3D. Swagger though pulled Bubba off the cover and into the Patriot Lock which Mark Henry followed through on with a splash that allowed Henry to get the three count on the still unconscious Viktor. Afterward, Henry and Swagger shook hands.
Analysis: This was an okay match, but it really had no time to deliver. With eight guys in the match, each guy wrestled for thirty seconds. The only guys who stood out were the Dudley Boyz and Damien Sandow (only because he was clearly the most over man in the match by a mile). The rest of the crew barely did anything including the winners with Henry even messing up the finish.
It was all around an okay way to build up the main show, but it could have also just not even happened. It produced two winners, but they will never really be a team and would make little impact on the Rumble match itself. It was just a way to sell that Rumble entry matters even though it really didn't help these two.
Rating: 6.5/10
Sing with me the requiem of sorrow for the forty-fifth table broken in this match. He was stronger than the thirtieth, and braver than the twelfth, but not quite as sturdy as the fiftieth.
Dean Ambrose def. Kevin Owens in a Last Man Standing Match to Retain the Intercontinental Championship
Overview: These two wasted no time, brawling from the moment the bell rang, right to the outside and never stopped. Outside or inside, they fought. The two brought chairs into the ring and began using them to inflict punishment on one another. Owens set up multiple tables on the outside for Ambrose to go through only for Ambrose to throw a steel chair at him to stop him.
Owens recovered enough to try a pump up powerbomb, but it was turned into the Dirty Deeds then a second one on a steel chair. Owens barely got out of the ring to save himself from the count, and Ambrose pulled out a table to hit a diving elbow on Owens. When that wasn't enough, Ambrose pulled out another table which Owens sent Ambrose through from the second rope.
Ambrose still survived after taking another pump up powerbomb which infuriated Owens. He set up Ambrose on a ton of steel chairs and went to the top rope. Suddenly, Ambrose recovered and sent him through the two tables he set up early on.. That allowed Ambrose to get the 10 count and the win.
Analysis: This match was a ridiculous spotfest, and it was a lot of fun because of that. Ambrose and Owens didn't even need to click in this match because they were just blasting each other from the beginning to the end. Chairs and tables were just destroyed left and right with the story ramping up fairly simply. These two were both resilient and frustrated and would not stop.
By the end of the year, this match probably won't stand out. It didn't have much in definitive impact because it was such a spotfest. It got to the point where it was hard to believe anything could put these two down. The final two table drop to end the match was so long coming that it had to be the finish, but it didn't quite feel like the necessary finish.
In the end though, what matters is that both men looked gold coming in and leaving. They warred for the Intercontinental Championship as much as their pride and thus raised the prestige of the title with this very fun match even if it could been a bit slower and more story driven.
Owens recovered enough to try a pump up powerbomb, but it was turned into the Dirty Deeds then a second one on a steel chair. Owens barely got out of the ring to save himself from the count, and Ambrose pulled out a table to hit a diving elbow on Owens. When that wasn't enough, Ambrose pulled out another table which Owens sent Ambrose through from the second rope.
Ambrose still survived after taking another pump up powerbomb which infuriated Owens. He set up Ambrose on a ton of steel chairs and went to the top rope. Suddenly, Ambrose recovered and sent him through the two tables he set up early on.. That allowed Ambrose to get the 10 count and the win.
Analysis: This match was a ridiculous spotfest, and it was a lot of fun because of that. Ambrose and Owens didn't even need to click in this match because they were just blasting each other from the beginning to the end. Chairs and tables were just destroyed left and right with the story ramping up fairly simply. These two were both resilient and frustrated and would not stop.
By the end of the year, this match probably won't stand out. It didn't have much in definitive impact because it was such a spotfest. It got to the point where it was hard to believe anything could put these two down. The final two table drop to end the match was so long coming that it had to be the finish, but it didn't quite feel like the necessary finish.
In the end though, what matters is that both men looked gold coming in and leaving. They warred for the Intercontinental Championship as much as their pride and thus raised the prestige of the title with this very fun match even if it could been a bit slower and more story driven.
Rating: 9/10
Francesca was a special trombone, and she could only be replaced by an equally special brass instrument. Luckily, there was another, so we may all rejoice.
The New Day's Kofi Kingston and Big E def. The Usos to Retain the WWE Tag Team Championships
Overview: The New Day came out first to introduce Francesca 2. This started out slow with Big E taking dominant control on the outside. The two teams fought around the ring with several bumps on the outside including a crazy suicide dive mess at one point that left everybody taken out. Eventually that chaos caught up to the teams, leaving Kofi alone with one of The Usos.
Kofi nearly got the roll up but then took a superkick. When the Uso went to the top rope and jumped for the Superfly Splash, Big E caught him and hit him with the Big Ending out of nowhere. As the legal man in the match, Big E then got the pin for the win.
Analysis: This wasn't a bad match, but it didn't stand out much. Both teams did their thing with some nefarious actions along the way, but it was just another tag team match for the New Day. You never really got the sense that The Usos had the champions on the ropes which made this feel like it wasn't much of a title defense.
The athleticism of course was at a high point throughout this match. Big E is a beast while Kofi's a ninja, and The Usos are just flying monkeys at this point. They all make big impacts with their styles, but where they used to stick out in matches they just kind of feel the same at this point. Both teams need a real heated rival to work with, and they aren't that for each other.
I don't know what The New Day does from here. I would say they might really get into their feud with Chris Jericho, but this show gave the sense by its end that Jericho has bigger fish to fry. Lucha Dragons are not only dealing with an injured Sin Cara but also Kalisto's singles career. Who's even left? There really seems to be nobody.
Kofi nearly got the roll up but then took a superkick. When the Uso went to the top rope and jumped for the Superfly Splash, Big E caught him and hit him with the Big Ending out of nowhere. As the legal man in the match, Big E then got the pin for the win.
Analysis: This wasn't a bad match, but it didn't stand out much. Both teams did their thing with some nefarious actions along the way, but it was just another tag team match for the New Day. You never really got the sense that The Usos had the champions on the ropes which made this feel like it wasn't much of a title defense.
The athleticism of course was at a high point throughout this match. Big E is a beast while Kofi's a ninja, and The Usos are just flying monkeys at this point. They all make big impacts with their styles, but where they used to stick out in matches they just kind of feel the same at this point. Both teams need a real heated rival to work with, and they aren't that for each other.
I don't know what The New Day does from here. I would say they might really get into their feud with Chris Jericho, but this show gave the sense by its end that Jericho has bigger fish to fry. Lucha Dragons are not only dealing with an injured Sin Cara but also Kalisto's singles career. Who's even left? There really seems to be nobody.
Rating: 7.5/10
Alberto Del Rio doesn't hate Kalisto. In fact, he doesn't even know who Kalisto is. He still thinks he's fighting Rey Mysterio.
Kalisto def. Alberto Del Rio to Become the New United States Championship
Overview: Alberto Del Rio dominated this match early until Kalisto pulled out a big kick and sent Del Rio reeling on the outside. ADR though wouldn't go down long, throwing Kalisto around even under the bottom rope onto the floor. In order to humiliate Kalisto, Del Rio even tried to strip the luchador of his mask which fired up Kalisto who got rolling from there.
Flying around the ring, Kalisto kept Del Rio off balance though eventually got stuck in the tree of woe. Kalisto dodged it and hit the Salida Del Sol for a near fall saved by Del Rio's foot on the rope. Then with a hurricanrana and a second Salida Del Sol, Kalisto did the unthinkable and defeated the former World Champion for the second time to win the United States Championship once more.
Analysis: This is a really hard match to rate. Kalisto and Alberto Del Rio have both never been so good together and never been so sloppy together. They were clearly very worked up going, fighting with a lot more passions than I've seen from Del Rio in a long time (long back in his last WWE run). Kalisto knew this was his biggest stage yet and worked to prove he deserved the spotlight.
It was an exciting match between guys with clear chemistry, but it was also a botchfest. Kalisto repeatedly messed up spots, making them look uneven. There was clearly just something not clicking to make sure these two were alwyas on the same page. Unfortunately, it took away from the best effort from these two yet.
I have no idea why Kalisto lost the title on SmackDown. Apparently TV ratings were more important than lasting title prestige, but the right guy has the title again. That's all that matters. All of the titles are finally in a good place though the US Title still has a lot of work to do to keep up.
Flying around the ring, Kalisto kept Del Rio off balance though eventually got stuck in the tree of woe. Kalisto dodged it and hit the Salida Del Sol for a near fall saved by Del Rio's foot on the rope. Then with a hurricanrana and a second Salida Del Sol, Kalisto did the unthinkable and defeated the former World Champion for the second time to win the United States Championship once more.
Analysis: This is a really hard match to rate. Kalisto and Alberto Del Rio have both never been so good together and never been so sloppy together. They were clearly very worked up going, fighting with a lot more passions than I've seen from Del Rio in a long time (long back in his last WWE run). Kalisto knew this was his biggest stage yet and worked to prove he deserved the spotlight.
It was an exciting match between guys with clear chemistry, but it was also a botchfest. Kalisto repeatedly messed up spots, making them look uneven. There was clearly just something not clicking to make sure these two were alwyas on the same page. Unfortunately, it took away from the best effort from these two yet.
I have no idea why Kalisto lost the title on SmackDown. Apparently TV ratings were more important than lasting title prestige, but the right guy has the title again. That's all that matters. All of the titles are finally in a good place though the US Title still has a lot of work to do to keep up.
Rating: 8/10
Ric Flair doesn't always kiss women a third his age, but when he does they're usually friends of his daughter. It's an odd family dynamic.
Becky Lynch def. Charlotte to Become the New Divas Champion
Overview: Becky and Charlotte got in each other's face until the bell rang. These two tried to one up each other early with both showing off their grappling ability. The intensity ramped up the two fought to the outside with Ric Flair getting in the way and even distracting Lynch with a sudden unwanted kiss that allowed Charlotte to attack.
Becky fought back slowly eventually getting rollins with a series of big strikes. With each bigger shot, Becky went for a pin, but it wasn't enough. That led to Becky going after the arm more directly which was stopped by a spear. Then a Dis-arm-her was turned into a powerbomb for a nearfall.
Finally, Ric Flair took a spill in the chaos, leading to him jumping on the apron and throwing his jacket at Becky which allowed Charlotte to poke her in the eye and hit the Spear for the win. Not happy with just the win, she kept attacking Becky until Sasha Banks hit the ring and decided to attack Becky. After a fake out, she took out Charlotte as well and held the title high.
Analysis: This was the best main roster women's match in a long time. All the build up was paid off as these two built a match from the ground up, step by step. This began with pure fundamentals and got more and more story driven. The spots while not all memorable kept getting bigger and served the pacing of the contest. This was the best women's wrestling match on the main roster in years.
Of course that still leaves some NXT matches they have to beat, but it was finally like the NXT women's wrestling had made its transition to the main roster. Ignoring everything Ric Flair did in this match, this was the best singles match of the night. Unfortunately, the ending was so messy and poorly booked that it hurt the quality of the contest.
After the match was over, Sasha basically made her main roster debut. Sure, she's been here a while, but has she really? She attacked everyone in her path and staked her claim to the top spot. It was perfect and set up a three woman dynamic that should go all the way to WrestleMania. I just hope Becky's increasing impressive efforts are not ignored for Sasha's rise.
Becky fought back slowly eventually getting rollins with a series of big strikes. With each bigger shot, Becky went for a pin, but it wasn't enough. That led to Becky going after the arm more directly which was stopped by a spear. Then a Dis-arm-her was turned into a powerbomb for a nearfall.
Finally, Ric Flair took a spill in the chaos, leading to him jumping on the apron and throwing his jacket at Becky which allowed Charlotte to poke her in the eye and hit the Spear for the win. Not happy with just the win, she kept attacking Becky until Sasha Banks hit the ring and decided to attack Becky. After a fake out, she took out Charlotte as well and held the title high.
Analysis: This was the best main roster women's match in a long time. All the build up was paid off as these two built a match from the ground up, step by step. This began with pure fundamentals and got more and more story driven. The spots while not all memorable kept getting bigger and served the pacing of the contest. This was the best women's wrestling match on the main roster in years.
Of course that still leaves some NXT matches they have to beat, but it was finally like the NXT women's wrestling had made its transition to the main roster. Ignoring everything Ric Flair did in this match, this was the best singles match of the night. Unfortunately, the ending was so messy and poorly booked that it hurt the quality of the contest.
After the match was over, Sasha basically made her main roster debut. Sure, she's been here a while, but has she really? She attacked everyone in her path and staked her claim to the top spot. It was perfect and set up a three woman dynamic that should go all the way to WrestleMania. I just hope Becky's increasing impressive efforts are not ignored for Sasha's rise.
Rating: 8.75/10
AJ Styles was doing so well then Vince McMahon started watching the match and asked "who the hell is that and why isn't he putting over my hosses?".
Triple H Wins the 2016 Royal Rumble and Becomes the New WWE World Heavyweight Champion
Overview: This match began with Roman Reigns and Rusev with Reigns decisively eliminating Rusev before number two to show that he would not be taken down easily. Number three was the shocker of the night (despite clear rumors) with AJ Styles debuting in WWE. Together, he and Reigns eliminated Tyler Breeze and Curtis Axel before a swarm of veterans got involved.
The ring filled with stars until R-Truth came out, took a ladder, and looked to grab the Money in the Bank briefcase many months too early and got taken out by Kane. Kofi Kingston pulled off his stunt of the Rumble surviving on his New Day partner Big E's shoulders. Already weary from the beat down of many big men and veterans, Reigns was taken out of the ring by the League of Nations and destroyed, leaving the match with medical staff.
Then everything turned the way of The Wyatt Family as Braun Strowman started taking out the biggest men in the match. At 18, Kevin Owens arrived, still limping from earlier, and he eliminated AJ Styles though quickly ran into two rivals in Dean Ambrose at 19 and Sami Zayn at 20 who eliminated Owens before succuming to a Wyatt Family now three men strong with Erick Rowan.
The reign of terror seemed insurmountable until Brock Lesnar arrived at 23 and began a rampage. By the time The Miz arrived at 25, the ring was carnage that Miz happily ignored by going over to do commentary. Then by the time Bray Wyatt came out at 27, his entire family was gone. They didn't stay gone though as they re-entered the match to aid their leader in eliminated the Beast Incarnate.
At 29, Sheamus finally arrived only to get taken out by a finally returning Reigns who went on a tear only to hear number 30's music, Triple H. The two men stared each other down and had a brief battle of one-upsmanship, hitting big moves on others. They then proceeded to brawl. HHH tried to enlist Wyatt's help against Reigns but ultimately had to take out the mysterious cult leader with Sheamus.
The final four of the match after Ambrose eliminated Jericho was Reigns, Ambrose, HHH, and Sheamus. Reigns managed to take out Sheamus but was shockingly eliminated by HHH which left Hunter alone with IC Champion Dean Ambrose. The two fought wildly with Triple H just barely getting Ambrose over the top rope and winning the match.
The McMahon family then all celebrated their victory with Hunter raising his fourteenth world championship over his head.
Analysis: This was the best Royal Rumble match in a very long time. Almost every participants felt like they mattered even if it was just as cannon fodder for a particular story. The stages of the match were: Reigns and Styles fighting the world, Strowman taking out the biggest men, Owens making rivals and getting taken out by them, The Wyatt Family reigning, Lesnar reigning, and The Authority finally gaining charge and battling head to head to victory vs Reigns and Ambrose.
There were small hilarious bits as well as long running booking choices that all stood out. R-Truth's clueless routine has never been funnier than this where he actually managed to disrupt the entire match flow with his lunacy. The New Day were hilarious running around the ring parading Kofi's not elimination in everbody's face. Most importantly, there was no nostalgia for nostalgia's sake.
It was surreal to see AJ Styles in WWE, and it's hard to think that he could have been booked better in his first outing. He fought with many of the biggest and best and avoided countless eliminations before running into a buzzsaw in Owens who might be the perfect first rival for Owens unless Zayn is really ready for the main roster.
The Wyatt Family vs. Brock Lesnar had already been teased, but it was on full display as the longest story of this match. Braun Strowman looked unstoppable at times, but he was still no match for Lesnar. Wyatt cheated Brock and got more time to shine afterward, meaning the eventual clash between these two will be considered fairly even.
At the end, this all came down to the story we knew it would. Even though WWE never directly teased it, we all knew Reigns vs. The Authority was all about Reigns vs. Triple H, so his arrival in the match and subsequent destruction of competitors was cool if predictable. Luckily, they gave it some flavor by letting Ambrose be the final man not Reigns, to tease a different direction.
The one fault I have with this match is that Triple H does not need to be champion for this story to work. It's a marquee clash with no gold, and HHH at 46 is just a bit too old to be the headline champ of the promotion right now. This could have been a chance to give a different rivalry a boost with gold on the line such as Wyatt vs. Lesnar.
Still, the reaction to the finish for me is subjective and does not really take away from how beautifully booked and worked this match was. Stars were made and built up while we given perhaps our first look at the entire WrestleMania card for this coming year.
The ring filled with stars until R-Truth came out, took a ladder, and looked to grab the Money in the Bank briefcase many months too early and got taken out by Kane. Kofi Kingston pulled off his stunt of the Rumble surviving on his New Day partner Big E's shoulders. Already weary from the beat down of many big men and veterans, Reigns was taken out of the ring by the League of Nations and destroyed, leaving the match with medical staff.
Then everything turned the way of The Wyatt Family as Braun Strowman started taking out the biggest men in the match. At 18, Kevin Owens arrived, still limping from earlier, and he eliminated AJ Styles though quickly ran into two rivals in Dean Ambrose at 19 and Sami Zayn at 20 who eliminated Owens before succuming to a Wyatt Family now three men strong with Erick Rowan.
The reign of terror seemed insurmountable until Brock Lesnar arrived at 23 and began a rampage. By the time The Miz arrived at 25, the ring was carnage that Miz happily ignored by going over to do commentary. Then by the time Bray Wyatt came out at 27, his entire family was gone. They didn't stay gone though as they re-entered the match to aid their leader in eliminated the Beast Incarnate.
At 29, Sheamus finally arrived only to get taken out by a finally returning Reigns who went on a tear only to hear number 30's music, Triple H. The two men stared each other down and had a brief battle of one-upsmanship, hitting big moves on others. They then proceeded to brawl. HHH tried to enlist Wyatt's help against Reigns but ultimately had to take out the mysterious cult leader with Sheamus.
The final four of the match after Ambrose eliminated Jericho was Reigns, Ambrose, HHH, and Sheamus. Reigns managed to take out Sheamus but was shockingly eliminated by HHH which left Hunter alone with IC Champion Dean Ambrose. The two fought wildly with Triple H just barely getting Ambrose over the top rope and winning the match.
The McMahon family then all celebrated their victory with Hunter raising his fourteenth world championship over his head.
Analysis: This was the best Royal Rumble match in a very long time. Almost every participants felt like they mattered even if it was just as cannon fodder for a particular story. The stages of the match were: Reigns and Styles fighting the world, Strowman taking out the biggest men, Owens making rivals and getting taken out by them, The Wyatt Family reigning, Lesnar reigning, and The Authority finally gaining charge and battling head to head to victory vs Reigns and Ambrose.
There were small hilarious bits as well as long running booking choices that all stood out. R-Truth's clueless routine has never been funnier than this where he actually managed to disrupt the entire match flow with his lunacy. The New Day were hilarious running around the ring parading Kofi's not elimination in everbody's face. Most importantly, there was no nostalgia for nostalgia's sake.
It was surreal to see AJ Styles in WWE, and it's hard to think that he could have been booked better in his first outing. He fought with many of the biggest and best and avoided countless eliminations before running into a buzzsaw in Owens who might be the perfect first rival for Owens unless Zayn is really ready for the main roster.
The Wyatt Family vs. Brock Lesnar had already been teased, but it was on full display as the longest story of this match. Braun Strowman looked unstoppable at times, but he was still no match for Lesnar. Wyatt cheated Brock and got more time to shine afterward, meaning the eventual clash between these two will be considered fairly even.
At the end, this all came down to the story we knew it would. Even though WWE never directly teased it, we all knew Reigns vs. The Authority was all about Reigns vs. Triple H, so his arrival in the match and subsequent destruction of competitors was cool if predictable. Luckily, they gave it some flavor by letting Ambrose be the final man not Reigns, to tease a different direction.
The one fault I have with this match is that Triple H does not need to be champion for this story to work. It's a marquee clash with no gold, and HHH at 46 is just a bit too old to be the headline champ of the promotion right now. This could have been a chance to give a different rivalry a boost with gold on the line such as Wyatt vs. Lesnar.
Still, the reaction to the finish for me is subjective and does not really take away from how beautifully booked and worked this match was. Stars were made and built up while we given perhaps our first look at the entire WrestleMania card for this coming year.
Rating: 10/10
This young buck worked his whole career for this moment, and now it's finally here.
Final Notes: The show began with a brief Vince promo saying that the main event was not about hurting Reigns but giving him an opportunity. The Wyatt Family also cut a promo promising to wreak havoc as they would later do in the Rumble match.. Finally, Stephanie McMahon was interrupted by Paul Heyman who wanted to renegotiate the contract of Brock Lesnar but was told to hold off until after the Beast had taken out Reigns and won gold.
The crowd tonight was pretty strong throughout the night. While they did have some brief moments of complaining about not getting what they wanted rather than just appreciating how good what they were getting was, they kept it loud and strong and didn't absolutely hate on a finish they could have easily booed into oblivion for the wrong reasons.
Conclusion: Tonight was one of the best PPVs WWE has produced in a long time. The expected strong card didn't just deliver but overdelivered, repeatedly given us thrills and surprises that set the stage for a Road to WrestleMania that could absolutely last without many of the company's marquee names. In fact, it may still be hard for WWE to get everyone that deserves time their moments at the show.
The Divas match, besides its dubious Flair moments, was the best pure wrestling of the night with Ambrose and Owens bringing the thrills and the Rumble match bringing never slowing story development. It was a night with a little something for everyone even if you aren't big on the top champion in the company being the same man that was headlining in 1999.
What is next? Well, exactly what was promised. Reigns will be on a rampage, looking to regain his title from COO Triple H. Lesnar will have his own score to settle with The Wyatt Family. Charlotte will now be contending with two hungry competitors in Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks. We will likely even get to see AJ Styles begin his very first feud in WWE.
It is as always an exciting time in wrestling, and whoever had creative control for tonight should be getting a raise, promotion, and lasting control of this program because they just took this whole entire program up a notch.
The crowd tonight was pretty strong throughout the night. While they did have some brief moments of complaining about not getting what they wanted rather than just appreciating how good what they were getting was, they kept it loud and strong and didn't absolutely hate on a finish they could have easily booed into oblivion for the wrong reasons.
Conclusion: Tonight was one of the best PPVs WWE has produced in a long time. The expected strong card didn't just deliver but overdelivered, repeatedly given us thrills and surprises that set the stage for a Road to WrestleMania that could absolutely last without many of the company's marquee names. In fact, it may still be hard for WWE to get everyone that deserves time their moments at the show.
The Divas match, besides its dubious Flair moments, was the best pure wrestling of the night with Ambrose and Owens bringing the thrills and the Rumble match bringing never slowing story development. It was a night with a little something for everyone even if you aren't big on the top champion in the company being the same man that was headlining in 1999.
What is next? Well, exactly what was promised. Reigns will be on a rampage, looking to regain his title from COO Triple H. Lesnar will have his own score to settle with The Wyatt Family. Charlotte will now be contending with two hungry competitors in Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks. We will likely even get to see AJ Styles begin his very first feud in WWE.
It is as always an exciting time in wrestling, and whoever had creative control for tonight should be getting a raise, promotion, and lasting control of this program because they just took this whole entire program up a notch.