Well, the rumble has come and gone.
My wife Gretchen and I gave it a 6 out of 10. It would’ve been a seven, but Roman Reigns coming in at 30 and the very blah finish downgraded it.
Having RR be the one to eliminate Undertaker was a bad idea, unless they want to turn RR heel, and we know that they won’t do that right now.
Orton as the overall winner is… dull. Cena/Orton is a match we’ve seen dozens of times before, and that’s not a match that’s going to sell Wrestlemania tickets or PPV buys. I’m sure they’ll put on a decent match, but unless that main event gets some other bodies in there (Cena/Styles/Orton triple threat?) or spice it up in some other way, I’m already halfway checked out on the idea.
The Goldberg/Lesner storyline was handled well. Kudos to them for that. Those two as one of the top-billed matches at Wrestlemania will be a lot of fun.
I LOVED seeing Jack Gallagher as a surprise entry, and the spots with his umbrella were great, but I’m also disappointed that we didn’t see anyone else from the Cruiserweight division. TJ Perkins could’ve used the exposure, and a cunning heel like The Brian Kendrick always works well in this format. Hell, bring in Cedric Alexander for some crowd-pleasing highflying, why don’tcha?
One other major complaint was that the ring got too crowded. There was a long middle stretch where no one was getting shoved out, even when powerhouses like Cesaro and Rusev came in, and a crowded rumble ring always cramps everyone’s style. It wasn’t as stifling as I’ve seen in other years, but still a down point overall.
Mark Henry and Big Show both got eliminated too early. Giving both of them a little more time to flex in the ring, brawling with Braun, would’ve been a good idea.
Nice to see Tye Dillinger come in at number 10. It’s an easy gimmick entry, but a good one, and he looked good in there, looking just as capable as anyone else in there with him at the time — hell, he looked better than Mojo Rawley, whose presence on the main roster still baffles me, because Mojo hasn’t done a single thing to pierce through the veil of indifference I have about him. I don’t hate him, he just bores me, and for a wrestler, that’s actually worse than being hated.
Your thoughts, fellow fans?
Yeah, yet another year the rumble disappoints. The only thing I liked was the long periods with no eliminations. I hate when some one comes in and starts eliminating people left and right.
Part of me feels Vince went: “Fine, I’ll give them Tye Dillinger at no. 10, but then I’m giving them Roman again.”
And man…while it was a great match, just turn heel cena. You’ll be so much more interesting, you were wearing the black shorts and already were acting like a jerk. Don’t you dare thank the fans. Plus AJ is cheered more!
I popped for Mark Henry. He still rules.
Henry was walking oddly, though. Knee problems, perhaps?