A lot can change over the course of a year, especially in the WWE. At last year’s Royal Rumble, Batista earned the opportunity to headline WrestleMania, going from fan favorite to Bootista in a matter of moments.
It will be Daniel Bryan, Roman Reigns, and a whole slew of others hoping to earn that opportunity this time around, as the card for this Sunday’s Royal Rumble appears to be officially set. Here is a look at the superstars who have taken a leap forward over the past year, as well as those who have taken a step backward.
Progression
1. The Shield
Nobody has progressed over the past year more than the three men who formerly comprised The Shield. Roman Reigns set the record for the most eliminations at last year’s Rumble, although he was never really seen as a serious threat to win it all. This time around, he’s the odds-on favorite to win the Rumble and headline WrestleMania.
Reigns eliminated his former partners at last year’s event as a means to tease tension between the former Hounds of Justice. Both of those men have moved onto better things. Seth Rollins will be challenging for the title this time around, and Ambrose is seen as one of the most credible entrants in the Royal Rumble match. Believe that.
2. Brock Lesnar
Lesnar destroyed Big Show’s back at last year’s Rumble, walloping him with a chair about 50 times in a match that lasted two minutes. His character’s direction was unclear at the time, having engaged in various feuds in 2013 that didn’t really go anywhere, largely due to Lesnar’s limited schedule.
A few accomplishments have been added to his resume since last time around. Most importantly, he apparently broke some sort of WrestleMania undefeated streak that fans held dear to their hearts. Cena and Rollins will attempt to slay the Beast this year, as he comes in as WWE World Heavyweight Champion and undisputed top dog in the company.
– Brock Lesnar is featured on this week’s WWE “Five Things” video, which you can check out below.
– The official WWE website has a new article up on Daniel Bryan where he reveals his 15 greatest matches of all-time. The list reads as follows:
15. John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan — WWE Championship Match (SummerSlam 2013)
14. Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton — WWE App Vote Street Fight (Raw; June 24, 2013)
13. CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan — WWE Championship Match (Over the Limit 2012)
12. Daniel Bryan vs. Takeshi Morishima — Fight Without Honor (Ring of Honor Final Battle 2008)
11. Daniel Bryan vs. Seth Rollins – WWE App Vote Match (Raw; June 10, 2013)
10. Daniel Bryan vs. Cesaro (Raw, July 22, 2013)
9. Daniel Bryan vs. Nigel McGuinness (Ring of Honor Unified 2006)
8. Daniel Bryan vs. KENTA (Ring of Honor Glory By Honor 2006)
7. Daniel Bryan vs. William Regal (‘WWE Superstars’, November 11, 2011)
6. Team Hell No & Ryback vs. The Shield — Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match (WWE TLC 2012)
5. Team Hell No & The Undertaker vs. The Shield (Raw, April 22, 2013)
4. Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan — 2-out-of-3 Falls World Heavyweight Championship Match (Extreme Rules 2012)
3. Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H (WrestleMania 30)
2. Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Batista — Triple Threat WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match (WrestleMania 30)
1. Robbie Brookside vs. Daniel Bryan — EWP Intercontinental Championship Match (EWP Gilde Wrestling Festival 2003 — Tag 3)
The following are highlights of the latest Jim Ross blog:
On Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman: “Brock Lesnar had a helluva night and looked like the big time investment that he is. Whether Brock stays with WWE past WM31 is still up in the air but it certainly adds to the overall mystique to the presentation of which I like. Very curious as to what role Paul Heyman will play in Sunday’s big event in Philly. @HeymanHustle won’t disappoint.”
On WrestleMania 32 and the possibility of Steve Austin and Undertaker returning: “Enjoyed spending some quality time this past weekend with Steve Austin in Los Angeles. He is looking great and would be a perfect fit, in my opinion, to return to the ring in Dallas next year for WM32. Perhaps I should say in Arlington, Texas as the Dallas Cowboys actually play their games in Arlington. I could see WWE adding a major Undertaker match to this potential record breaker of an event that is if Taker would be physicality good to go in 2016. As I outlined on one of my Ross Reports several months ago this booking is huge for WWE and AT&T Stadium could easily fit 100,000+ for WM32 if the card is what the fans want to see which is always any promoter’s goal. I love this building and saw the first ever college football game ever played there plus the Packers vs. Steelers Super Bowl game there. It’s a palace.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
The following are highlights of a new Submission Radio interview with Bill Goldberg:
On if he believes Brock Lesnar would go back to the UFC and have another successful run: “I think so. I think if Brock….you know I haven’t trained with Brock. I don’t know exactly what he does, but if I were him I’d spend 75 percent of my time on stand up. I believe that if he does it properly he can go back and dominate, but if he doesn’t do it properly he’ll go back and the same thing will happen, you know [as] towards the end of his tenure. It’s all about growing. It’s all about being able to look at yourself in the mirror and look at your deficiencies, and be man enough, and be egoless to go out and put yourself in negative situations in training so that you could learn.”
On Jon Jones drug situation and thoughts on how the UFC handled it: “When I saw Dana White’s comment about “this is the best thing that could have happened” you know I was appalled. But once you sit back and think about it, for Jon Jones the person this is the best thing that could have happened. Do I like Jon Jones as a fighter? Was I cheering for Jon Jones against Cormier? No. Do I appreciate his ability? Do I think he is pound for pound the narliest MMA fighter on the planet? Absolutely. Can I appreiace the fact that he’s made it to that level by training his ass off, and being unique, and being innovate? Absolutely. Do I like him as a person on a post-fight interview? Absolutely not. Do I like the eye pokes and do I like the knee kicks? Absolutely not. I think that’s cheap.
I think he can be a much better fighter, and be a much better champion, and be a much better example for people to follow, if he sat back and just understood that some of things that he says and some of the things that he does need to be tweaked a little bit. And hey, I don’t know Jon, but I love him to death because he’s a guy that worked his ass off to make it to the top of his field. As a human being I want the best for Jon Jones. UFC on the other hand, what they did with this situation; until I get 100 percent of the information straight in front of me so I could look at it, I think passing judgement not really knowing everything, I think they dropped the ball. Because they’ve been fighting for what, 20 years to try and get a positive impression from everyone? From trying to get into New York state, from trying to get into these states that John McCain kept them out of years and years ago.
I think it would be in their interest to do the right thing. And you know the definition from the committee about in-season testing and what ‘in-season’ means is absolutely appalling. It’s ridiculous and it’s a technicality, and it’s something that if they would have pulled Jones from the fight, god knows how many millions of dollars they would have lost, and they would have had to refund. I can’t tell you how long it’s been that I have been wanting for a fight to happen such as Cormier and Jones. You know [Robbie] Lawler and [Johny] Hendricks I definitely wanted to see that one, but there’s other fights that you want to see. But if they would have taken that one off the plate then that was a huge loss for them in a lot of ways. So I understand from a business stand point why nothing was done, but it doesn’t look real good from the outside looking in. So I think something has to be done. I know Jon Jones is going to come back bigger and better, and look at it from a wrestling stand point; a lot of people though he was a dick beforehand, though he was a great fighter.
I made the analogy yesterday; it’s like I’m a car guy, I love muscle cars. And if I see a low-rider going down the street, and it’s perfect, immaculate, I’m gonna appreciate it, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it. So I have a lot of respect for him, but I don’t like some of the things that he says and some of it, he’s like a little baby sometimes, you know? That’s not the way a champion is. And 90 percent of the time he’s a great champion, but there’s just some things that I’m not in favour of. But hey, it makes him look like a heel, and you need a heel. And does it show a character turn, and is this the thing that puts everyone back in his corner, and even the people that didn’t like him before put in his corner? Hey, absolutely. But at the end of the day none of that matters. We’re talking about one human being and their struggle with drugs, and I hope nothing but the best for Jon Jones.”
On if he would consider displaying his skills in at least an exhibition or amateur fight? “Abso-damn-lutely. That is in the back of my mind and it has been for the past couple of months, and you know, hey I’m 48 years old. The reality is that it’s not like I didn’t retire from the NFL because of injuries. So my body is torn to shreds, but I continue to have the desire to compete. I talked to Royce Gracie this morning, same thing with him. You know warriors never die, they just get older. And you know things change a bit, but you know the spirit never dies. Therefore every day I look for some type of physical test, and you know whether it’s putting myself against myself, which is my own worst critic and no question my biggest advisory.
You know if I can please myself, then I can guarantee you that I could go out there and have some fun with people. You know Rampage [Jackson] and I were supposed to train earlier in the week. He unfortunately has the flu. We’ve got a number of guys at the gym that like to trade punches. That’s a lot of fun. And we got a big autograph session at Magic City Comicon in Miami coming up this weekend, and I did an interview yesterday the Miami State and put it out there that I want to train some Muay Thai. American Top Team through an invitation out, you know a number of other people did. Hey man, I don’t have an ego. I’ve done more in my life than 90 percent of the people could ever imagine doing. And so I don’t have an issue.
Go on YouTube right now and have a look at the video that I posted of Jimmy Pedro the US Olympic Judo coach tossing me around like a doll. Well Jimmy weighs about 180 pounds, and if I had an ego and if I was worried about what people think, I wouldn’t put that online. But I thought it would be great, and I thought it would be killer to be able to feel that from a professional. From one of the best in the world. I have no problem training with anybody and getting beaten by anybody, because anytime you’re getting beaten in a brawl; you know the good ones are the ones who prosper from that, and they learn, and they get bigger, and they get better, and they grow in the knowledge department.”
The following are highlights of the latest blog by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On Brock Lesnar and this Sunday’s Royal Rumble PPV: “After all this speculation wouldn’t it be interesting if Lesnar retains Sunday in Philly and then headlines WM31 against either Bryan or Reigns? Lots of balls in the air it seems which kee many fans like me on our toes trying to figure out what’s going on. I’ve found that it’s much easier to simply not over think these matters and just enjoy the events as they happen and then evaluate what one has seen.”
On the “Road to WrestleMania”: “The Rumble has the potential to really jump start the Road to WrestleMania and I’m anxious to enjoy it on the WWE Network. This is a great opportunity for WWE to get people talking about the Royal Rumble which in turn helps promote WM31.”
On Alberto El Patron’s Lucha Underground debut: “Saw Where Alberto El Patron made his debut on Lucha Underground which seems to be a good ‘get’ for the fledging promotion.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s BBQ products online at WWEShop.com.
Last night’s Raw was held in Dallas, TX and was the final episode before the Royal Rumble. There were plenty of surprises, and after weeks of terrible programming, perhaps the biggest shocker was that the company put on an episode of Raw that wasn’t half bad. Without further ado, here are this week’s pros and cons.
Pros
There were a few highlights to choose from, but for me, the final segment easily takes the top spot. The action during the contest was commendable, but the real excitement occurred after the match. Sting’s appearance was completely unexpected, especially an in age where nearly everything is spoiled online beforehand. The Stinger looked great (much better than he did at Survivor Series, imo) and held the pose long enough to make everyone wonder if it was a picture to distract the Authority, or whether he was really in attendance.
Fans quickly found out the answer, making a match between Triple H and Sting at WrestleMania all but official. Sting’s appearance, followed by Lesnar’s destruction of everything in sight, was an amazing way to end the show and sell Sunday’s Rumble. Speaking of Lesnar, the crowd is dying to cheer this guy. He could have a monster face run if he decides to stick around after ‘Mania.
A close second goes to the nWo reunion. The Ascension is completely laughable and unconvincing as intimating heels (Hall was straight-up laughing at them throughout the segment). I predict they will be dancing on the WWE comedy circuit within a year. With that said, it was awesome to see JBL finally take out his anger on these fools. It was hard not to mark out at the Clothesline From Hell, and it was pleasant to see actual planning and some sort of payoff for once.
The legends panel was decent, even if it’s the same three guys that are there every time a group of legends rolls into town. However, it was nice to see three Rumble winners talk about their victories, with Shawn Michaels saying, “There would be no Mr. WrestleMania without the Royal Rumble.” It was also humorous to watch Big Show bring up talking points from about two decades prior and refer to anyone as “three washed-up has-beens.”
In terms of wrestling action, the best match of the night, in my opinion, was Dean Ambrose and Bad News Barrett. These two had good chemistry and pulled off a number of impressive spots. In particular, Ambrose’s reversal of Wasteland into Dirty Deeds was an awesome way to end the match. I wouldn’t mind seeing these guys work a program for the IC Title at WrestleMania.
Finally, Sandow posing as X-Pac backstage was absolutely hilarious. This guy deserves bigger and better things. Hopefully the company comes to the same realization before it’s too late.
It was reported a while back that WWE officials were contemplating doing a John Cena vs. Rusev feud for WrestleMania 31. The idea at that time was to have Rusev cost Cena his chance at recapturing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
As of right now, WWE is advertising a tag-team main event of John Cena and Randy Orton vs. Rusev and Seth Rollins for the live event in Madison Square Garden on February 27th. Some view this as a possible sign that WWE is going forward with their original plans for Cena vs. Rusev at WrestleMania.
Thus far, there has been no interaction between Cena and Rusev that would indicate that match being booked. Some are of the opinion that Cena and Rusev is simply a live event program for WrestleMania season, possibly because Brock Lesnar doesn’t work non-televised events.
In related news, other matches advertised for the aforementioned 2/27 live event at MSG include Daniel Bryan vs. Kane, Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose vs. Cesaro and an appearance by Chris Jericho.
As things stand right now, aside from the 30-man over-the-top Royal Rumble match itself, there are only two matches that have been officially announced for the 2015 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view, those being Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and The Usos vs. The Miz & Damien Mizdow for the WWE Tag-Team Championship.
It appears that Nikki Bella vs. Natalya for the WWE Divas Championship will be added, and with the Rumble match itself being such a lengthy match, and one with so many competitors involved, there’s a good possibility that only one or two additional matches will end up being added to the card.
Matches such as Roman Reigns vs. Big Show and Ryback vs. Rusev were being pushed, however three of those four are announced as Rumble participants, and nothing can be officially booked for Ryback until WWE wraps up the “firing” angle from last week’s RAW.
The latest edition of Michael Cole’s weekly WWE.com sit-down video interview, which features Triple H this week, is now online.
In this week’s interview, “The Game” talks to the WWE announcer about WWE SmackDown moving to Thursday night’s beginning this week on the SyFy Network, as well as the Daniel Bryan vs. Kane match scheduled for the show.
HHH also discusses Monday’s RAW, noting that Seth Rollins proved he belongs in the ring with the likes of John Cena and WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, as his Curb Stomp of both men showed why he is referred to as the “undisputed future of the WWE.”
While HHH gave credit to Cena and Lesnar as two of WWE’s key players in the present day, he claimed that Rollins is “something different altogether.”
Triple H concluded the interview by reminding fans that Rollins is still in possession of the “Money in the Bank” briefcase, which ensures him a WWE World Heavyweight Championship opportunity at any time of his choosing.
“If you don’t skin a cat one way, you’ve always got a briefcase in your hand that says you can skin them any time you want,” said Triple H.
You can check out the complete Michael Cole sit-down video interview with Triple H above.
Last night’s episode of Raw was held in the Big Easy, and it’s obvious that the company knew they were going up against the CFP Championship because they seemed to be holding something back all night. Anyway, here are the pros and cons from last night’s episode of Raw.
Pros
The best thing to come out of last night’s show was the announcement that the “Macho Man” Randy Savage will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year. It’s about time one of the most talented and influential superstars of all-time takes his rightful place amongst fellow legends. Some will probably complain about the choice to have Hogan induct Savage, but as someone who loved the Mega Powers as a child, I think it’s a good choice and has the potential to be a touching and heartfelt tribute to one of the company’s most iconic figures.
I wasn’t expecting a ton out of the New Day vs. Kidd/Cesaro matchup, but it turned out to be one of the better contests of the night. Kidd and Cesaro worked well together, with the Cesaro Swing into a dropkick spot being particularly impressive. It would have been nice to see Kidd and Cesaro pick up the win, but I guess it’s a minor victory just to see them on television.
The recurring promos featuring Dean Ambrose and the doctor were certainly humorous. Ambrose seems like a natural actor and really at ease on camera, so it’s nice to see him get a chance to show off his talent. The promos were entertaining and it was an original way to have Ambrose gain entry into the Royal Rumble.
Finally, it was nice to see Daniel Bryan back in the city where he captured the title at last year’s WrestleMania. The interactions between Bryan and Stephanie were on point, especially when she tried to present Bryan with her crappy workout DVD. It was finally announced that Bryan would make his return to the ring against Kane on SmackDown this Thursday. As Kane approached the ring, Bryan dove threw the ropes and took out the Devil’s Favorite Demon before celebrating with the crowd.
– SEScoops reader Luis Figueroa sent in the following recap of what happened after Monday’s WWE RAW from New Orleans went off the air:
“The dark match on raw was bray vs dean… it was really weak bray cut a quick promo on dean… dean came out… kendo stick came out a few high spots with the stick… bray,rolls out the ring and walks off …im a huge wyatt fan… it was soo dull…”
– TNA Superstar Kurt Angle tweeted the following on Monday night in response to Paul Heyman putting over Brock Lesnar as the only man to be an NCAA Heavyweight wrestling champion, WWE Champion and UFC Heavyweight Champion. Angle argues he’s got one major professional accomplishment that Lesnar will never have.
Do Ur homework before U speak @HeymanHustle NCAA champ, check. WWE title, check. That's 2 out of 3. Oh and Olympic Gold! Brock have that?
– The latest edition of “WWE Top 10,” which you can viww below, takes a look at “Brock Lesnar’s Most Powerful Moments.” As noted, Lesnar is scheduled to appear on tonight’s edition of WWE RAW.
– Below is the “After Total Divas” web episode for this week’s show, which features Renee Young and her new co-host, Summer Rae, looking back at some of the events that transpired on this past Sunday night’s edition of WWE Total Divas on E!.
The second edition of WWE RAW of 2015 emanates tonight from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, which is near the site of last year’s WrestleMania XXX pay-per-view.
Speaking of last year’s WrestleMania, the man who walked out of the show as WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Daniel Bryan, is scheduled to make his return on tonight’s show.
Also scheduled for tonight’s RAW is current WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, along with his “advocate,” Paul Heyman.
It is expected that additional entrants for the 2015 Royal Rumble match will be revealed tonight as well, as tonight marks the second-to-last edition of RAW before the pay-per-view.
Make sure to join us here for live WWE RAW results coverage later tonight.
The most exciting sixty-plus minutes of wrestling action is only a few weeks away, where bodies will assuredly be flying over the top rope, Kofi Kingston will likely avoid defeat in dramatic fashion at least once, and one superstar will walk away with a spot in the main event at WrestleMania.
However, although thirty men ostensibly have a chance to headline the biggest event of the year, even the most delusional fan realizes there are only a handful of competitors who are legitimate contenders to walk away victorious. Here are those men.
Odds-On Favorite: Roman Reigns
After his record-breaking performance last year, the Powerhouse is easily the favorite to win it all in 2015. Even though there are still questions regarding Reigns’ ability to headline a major pay-per-view such as WrestleMania, it appears the company is ready to pull the trigger on what they apparently believe to be their next big thing.
Assuming the company goes this route, they need to be careful, because the crowd could easily turn on Reigns in a situation similar to last year’s Rumble. If fans think the Pittsburgh crowd was harsh toward Batista last year, try putting Reigns over Bryan in the city whose fans at one point pelted Santa Claus with snowballs. Trust me, it won’t be pretty.
NOLA.com has published a new interview with Daniel Bryan to hype Monday’s WWE RAW from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Once again, Bryan is calling out Brock Lesnar as his “dream opponent” and says that’s the match he’s been thinking about since he got injured last year.
Lesnar will also be at Monday’s RAW and Bryan is ready to reclaim the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
“… To me, that’s still my championship. My dream match for WrestleMania this year is if Brock Lesnar keeps the title and I win the Royal Rumble, and I wrestle Brock Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania 31 for the WWE championship. That’s the match I want. That’s the match that I’ve been thinking about this entire time that I’ve been injured.”
Bryan was out of action for most of 2014 due to various injuries. After undergoing neck surgery in the spring, nerve damage prevented him from regaining strength in his right arm. He was on the verge of reluctantly undergoing a second surgery before discovering Dr.Greg Roskopf, founder of Muscle Activation Techniques based out of Denver, Colorado. After two sessions with Roskopf, Bryan was already seeing results.
“It was like, ‘Wow. I’m actually getting better. At the beginning of December, some parts of my right arm were even stronger than my left, which is pretty incredible given how long the nerve had been damaged.”
Bryan is still getting back into peak physical condition and has been training kickboxing and jujitsu. He also spent time at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida a few weeks ago. After working in the ring there, Bryan felt like he was ready to return to action.
“Functionally, I feel great. My movement is great. Overall, I feel good. I didn’t have any hesitation (in the ring), there was nothing that I did before that I can’t do now. Not only that, mentally I’ve been recharged. I’m going to be better than ever.”
– The decision to add Seth Rollins into the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view main event with Brock Lesnar and John Cena was made at some point in the past two weeks.
– WWE is scheduled to hold another tryout camp three weeks from now at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. The word going around is that there will be a lot of women trying out for the company during this latest camp.
On Monday’s RAW, Seth Rollins was added to the Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena WWE Championship match at the Royal Rumble.
WWE officials had been talking about adding Rollins to the match for several weeks prior to the announcement and went back and forth a few times before officially changing the match.
A storyline point that’s been discussed is for Brock Lesnar to be upset that Rollins is being added to the match, since he could lose the WWE Championship without being pinned or submitting.
Additionally, Heyman’s loyalty to Lesnar has been discussed as a major storyline as we head into WrestleMania season.
MTV UK has has published an interview with Daniel Bryan, which was conducted prior to SummerSlam back in August. Bryan was out of action at the time recovering from neck surgery and spoke about Brock Lesnar being the one man he’s always wanted to face in the ring.
“One of the things that kills me about this is if I were champion right now I’d be wrestling Brock Lesnar and that’s the match I’ve always really wanted. I feel like we could do something completely different that people [wouldn’t] have seen before in the United States. That’s the match I really, really want.”
With Lesnar being the reigning, defending, undisputed WWE Heavyweight Champion of the world and Bryan entered in the Royal Rumble, there’s still an opportunity for this match to take place before Lesnar’s contract expires after WrestleMania.
When asked about which other superstars he’d like to wrestle on pay-per-view, Bryan named Cesaro, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose.
Daniel Bryan and WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar are both scheduled to appear on next week’s edition of WWE RAW, which emanates from New Orleans, Louisiana.
Speaking of RAW, below is the new official opening video package for the show.
– WWE Kids Magazine, which is still published in the United Kingdom, teases a match between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns in the latest issue.
In the magazine, there is a feature spotlighting Lesnar’s matches on pay-per-view and Reigns is mentioned despite having never faced the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
– One notable absence from Raw is that of Lilian Garcia as Eden is handling ring announcing duties tonight. Garcia explained on Twitter that she missed the show due to her father being sick.
“Sorry I’m not at #Raw tonight. My dad is in the hospital and I am by his side,” she wrote on Twitter. “Pls pray 4 his recovery!”
During this week’s edition of WWE RAW in Corpus Christi, Texas, the first episode of the show in 2015, The Authority made their return and immediately made an impact.
During the beginning of this week’s RAW, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon announce that at the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view, there will be a change to the main event. The new main event will now be a triple-threat match, with Brock Lesnar defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against John Cena and Seth Rollins.
WWE Royal Rumble 2015 takes place on January 25th at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
When I was a youngster, I remember how I used to have to beg my parents to let me order a WWE pay-per-view every once in a while. The thing is, I didn’t mind doing it because I knew that if I ordered the show, whatever feuds were going on at the time would culminate in the matches on the pay-per-view.
These days? Not so much.
I can’t imagine being a kid now-a-days that has to bug your parents to let you buy a WWE pay-per-view, so that you can see your favorite wrestlers finally blow off their program in a match inside the squared circle, only to come out of the show and realize that the next pay-per-view features the same matches.
Basically, your begging and nagging ways sound something like this. “Mom, dad, PLEASE let me buy SummerSlam! It’s the second biggest WWE show of the year and I just HAVE to see John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar!!”
Let’s say you convinced them. Your begging and nagging worked. They let you buy SummerSlam.
Good stuff right? Wrong.
You come out of SummerSlam and head into the following week of WWE television, only to find out that you didn’t see the culmination of the Cena-Lesnar feud at all.
Not even close.
As it turns out, SummerSlam was only the beginning. You find out that a rematch is going to take place between the two at the next WWE pay-per-view, Night Of Champions.
Now what do you do?!
“Mom, dad PLEASE let me buy Night Of Champions! I just HAVE to see John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar!!”
Their response will probably sound something like this. “But Timmy, you said that last time!”
Poor fella.
Now let’s say you figured out a way to order Night Of Champions. You went to a friend’s house, you found an illegal stream online, you robbed a 7/11. You figured it out somehow, someway. Brock Lesnar disappears afterwards, only to re-appear and begin the build-up to what? You guessed it!
Cena vs. Lesnar III at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view in January.
Do you even bother bugging your folks to let you buy it? Do you even bother going to a friend’s house? Do you even bother risking finding an illegal stream on the internet? Do you even bother risking your butt robbing that 7/11?
At what point do you say enough is enough?
Maybe we’ll find out when the numbers come in for the Rumble, who knows. Be sure to save a couple of bucks, because hell, we might have Cena-Lesnar IV at WWE Fast Lane in February!
Unfortunately, while this isn’t anything new, it seems to be happening more and more lately. The pattern seems to be that wrestler A and wrestler B begin an issue, it boils for four weeks or so and a match takes place at a pay-per-view. Then you turn around and the very next pay-per-view look nearly identical to the previous one.
As I see it, the ONLY silver lining to all of this is this: at least these days when you throw your money down the toilet, you’re only throwing away $9.99 a month!
ZING!
What do you guys think? Let us know by posting your feedback in the “Comments” section below. You can also add me on Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBooneWZR and/or on Twitter @MBoone420.
– NXT star C.J. Parker deleted every tweet on his official Twitter page and noted that he’s going silent on Twitter until he becomes the NXT Champion.
– As noted earlier today, Roman Reigns recently announced that he will be part of the new WWE Immortals mobile game. Reigns joins Brock Lesnar, John Cena and The Rock, all of whom have been previously announced for the show. Since then, The Bella Twins have confirmed their involvement in the game as well, as they tweeted the following photo:
– WWE Superstar Roman Reigns confirmed today that he will be part of the new WWE Immortals mobile fighting video game. Already announced for the game are John Cena, Brock Lesnar and The Rock.
– Below is a behind-the-scenes video of WWE Diva and Total Divas star Eva Marie’s recent Muscle & Fitness shoot.
