|
|
Post by MichaelTheMartian on Aug 28, 2017 8:56:46 GMT -5
Looking back at it now, the 2014 Royal Rumble was the biggest night in the WWE in the past decade. It shifted and changed the course of pro-wrestling as a whole. It was really WWE vs the world, the world won momentarily short after but not much has changed since. Force fed guys were being booed out the building, yet seen as new and fresh then, Reigns would get cheered that night but ultimately has became the guy everyone loves to hate, poor Rey Mysterio got booed out of the building simply for coming out at number 30, which was the last hope for Daniel Bryan to come out.
The Rumble match highlighted all of WWE's wrong doing in the past 5-8 years, there was a simple answer to the test was- Daniel Bryan winning and seemingly all would be forgiven, and at the time- they failed the test. Instead we got strong showings from years past failed main eventers in Sheamus and Del Rio,
From booing Batista (Which was a terribly booked return, but that's another story), to this ultimately being CM Punk's last night ever with the company this Royal Rumble was a monumental event which turned the WWE upside down, if you think back leading into the event we had Cena, Punk, Orton who wre on top with the a new breed of superstars on the brink of stardom in Daniel Bryan, each Shield member, Cody Rhodes, Cesaro and the Wyatt Family and since then only two have joined Cena and Orton in that elite level being Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, some with bad luck (Daniel Bryan) and others with plain terrible booking has kept them at bay.
A shame really, the fact in 2014 had the fans not shat on the company we would have gotten Randy Orton vs Batista for the WWE Title is mind boggling and really shows the disconnection, which is still present, that the WWE has with it's fans.
|
|
|
|
Post by theoutlaw1999 on Aug 28, 2017 10:58:57 GMT -5
I have always wondered if Reigns would be as hated today if he won that Rumble. Despite what anyone says it was Daniel Bryan that triggered the Reigns hate because look back at the 2015 Rumble. That was the first night Reigns got booed and the crowd turned sour the minute Daniel Bryan got eliminated.
Back to 2014 no matter what happened Bryan's neck was done so he would've had to take time off regardless of what spot he was in so lets say Reigns wins the Rumble and then wins the belt at Mania. Then the Shield play the Three Bird rule with the title for a few months until Seth rebels against them and sides with the Authority which results in the split only with Reigns as champion.
|
|
|
|
Post by hbkbigdaddycool on Aug 28, 2017 13:18:30 GMT -5
Vince doesn't care who the fans want to see as the Champion, because Vince knows the fans will keep on watching the WWE product no matter who is champion, who is in the main events, or who is getting pushed hard. Fans can complain all they want on the internet about it, but Vince knows that they will be back each and every week to watch the WWE product.
So that's why Vince didn't care if fans wanted Daniel Bryan, he was gonna give the fans what Vince himself feels the fans want. It's always been that way.
|
|
xtremebadass
Main Eventer
Joined on: Oct 2, 2006 19:27:32 GMT -5
Posts: 3,072
|
Post by xtremebadass on Aug 28, 2017 13:43:07 GMT -5
I bet if that crowd knew what WWE was going to do with Roman Reigns, they would have cheered Batista.
|
|
|
|
Post by J12 on Aug 28, 2017 14:02:34 GMT -5
Vince doesn't care who the fans want to see as the Champion, because Vince knows the fans will keep on watching the WWE product no matter who is champion, who is in the main events, or who is getting pushed hard. Fans can complain all they want on the internet about it, but Vince knows that they will be back each and every week to watch the WWE product. So that's why Vince didn't care if fans wanted Daniel Bryan, he was gonna give the fans what Vince himself feels the fans want. It's always been that way. That may be the case for the most hardcore audience, but by and large, it's not true at all. Viewers have declining at a rapid rate for the last few years, and it more or less correlates directly with the rise of Roman Reigns. You can't solely place the blame on him, but as the top full time act, he is representative of the brand as a whole. |
|
|
|
Post by IRS on Aug 28, 2017 16:00:48 GMT -5
I have always wondered if Reigns would be as hated today if he won that Rumble. Despite what anyone says it was Daniel Bryan that triggered the Reigns hate because look back at the 2015 Rumble. That was the first night Reigns got booed and the crowd turned sour the minute Daniel Bryan got eliminated. Back to 2014 no matter what happened Bryan's neck was done so he would've had to take time off regardless of what spot he was in so lets say Reigns wins the Rumble and then wins the belt at Mania. Then the Shield play the Three Bird rule with the title for a few months until Seth rebels against them and sides with the Authority which results in the split only with Reigns as champion. It was not the first night Reigns was booed. It may have been the first night he was booed that heavily, but he was receiving a healthy amount of negative reactions since they started airing all the live via satellite promos of him while he was out following his hernia surgery. Crowds had been turning on him more and more leading up to the Rumble, after it became apparent he was the next handpicked guy. The crowd also got heavily behind Ziggler and Ambrose later during the Rumble match, so no, it wasn't all about Bryan. ... also, it's the Freebird Rule, not Three Bird. |
|
|
|
Post by theoutlaw1999 on Aug 28, 2017 16:49:46 GMT -5
I have always wondered if Reigns would be as hated today if he won that Rumble. Despite what anyone says it was Daniel Bryan that triggered the Reigns hate because look back at the 2015 Rumble. That was the first night Reigns got booed and the crowd turned sour the minute Daniel Bryan got eliminated. Back to 2014 no matter what happened Bryan's neck was done so he would've had to take time off regardless of what spot he was in so lets say Reigns wins the Rumble and then wins the belt at Mania. Then the Shield play the Three Bird rule with the title for a few months until Seth rebels against them and sides with the Authority which results in the split only with Reigns as champion. It was not the first night Reigns was booed. It may have been the first night he was booed that heavily, but he was receiving a healthy amount of negative reactions since they started airing all the live via satellite promos of him while he was out following his hernia surgery. Crowds had been turning on him more and more leading up to the Rumble, after it became apparent he was the next handpicked guy. The crowd also got heavily behind Ziggler and Ambrose later during the Rumble match, so no, it wasn't all about Bryan. ... also, it's the Freebird Rule, not Three Bird. Bryan did play a huge part in it though. 2014 Batista gets booed out of the building and then in 2015 the same happens with Roman and it was all because fans wanted Bryan. I admit I could never stand Batista and was glad that the fans give it to him but I have to wonder if things would've been different without Bryan. Also the Three Birds are the biggest thing going! |
|
|
|
Post by IRS on Aug 28, 2017 17:05:52 GMT -5
It was not the first night Reigns was booed. It may have been the first night he was booed that heavily, but he was receiving a healthy amount of negative reactions since they started airing all the live via satellite promos of him while he was out following his hernia surgery. Crowds had been turning on him more and more leading up to the Rumble, after it became apparent he was the next handpicked guy. The crowd also got heavily behind Ziggler and Ambrose later during the Rumble match, so no, it wasn't all about Bryan. ... also, it's the Freebird Rule, not Three Bird. Bryan did play a huge part in it though. 2014 Batista gets booed out of the building and then in 2015 the same happens with Roman and it was all because fans wanted Bryan. I admit I could never stand Batista and was glad that the fans give it to him but I have to wonder if things would've been different without Bryan. Also the Three Birds are the biggest thing going! Which is ultimately all WWE's fault for their moronic booking of the Rumble matches. And moronic booking in general. In 2014, despite being the biggest star in the company, they don't even put Bryan in the match. In 2015, they have him enter early, and have him eliminated after 10 minutes. Then proceed to have Kane leisurely toss out the rest of the fan favorites to blatantly set Roman up to win. They could've gone about things a thousand better ways, instead of just going, "Well, Roman is The Guy now. Like it or  off." Is it Bryan's fault he's naturally over and the fans love him? What if they did this with Austin in '97/'98? |
|
|
|
Post by theoutlaw1999 on Aug 28, 2017 17:36:09 GMT -5
Bryan did play a huge part in it though. 2014 Batista gets booed out of the building and then in 2015 the same happens with Roman and it was all because fans wanted Bryan. I admit I could never stand Batista and was glad that the fans give it to him but I have to wonder if things would've been different without Bryan. Also the Three Birds are the biggest thing going! Which is ultimately all WWE's fault for their moronic booking of the Rumble matches. And moronic booking in general. In 2014, despite being the biggest star in the company, they don't even put Bryan in the match. In 2015, they have him enter early, and have him eliminated after 10 minutes. Then proceed to have Kane leisurely toss out the rest of the fan favorites to blatantly set Roman up to win. They could've gone about things a thousand better ways, instead of just going, "Well, Roman is The Guy now. Like it or off." Is it Bryan's fault he's naturally over and the fans love him? What if they did this with Austin in '97/'98? Bryan in the 2014 Rumble would've made things 10 times worse. The fact he wasn't in it angered the fans but imagine if he got eliminated by Batista? As for 2015 I personally believe that he should not have been in the match. His neck still wasn't right and there was no plans for him to fight for the title so why put him in the match and get peoples hopes up? I agree that it's completely WWE's fault due to the bad booking. Also you can't really compare Bryan to Austin. Bryan was an underdog who the fans pushed to the top but Austin was a straight up bad guy who didn't care about fans and his only desire was raising hell and destroying Authority. Austin was the total package and had the perfect look for the company at the time. When you saw him walking down a hallway you knew instantly that there was going to be an ass kicking. |
|
|
|
Post by IRS on Aug 28, 2017 18:00:48 GMT -5
Which is ultimately all WWE's fault for their moronic booking of the Rumble matches. And moronic booking in general. In 2014, despite being the biggest star in the company, they don't even put Bryan in the match. In 2015, they have him enter early, and have him eliminated after 10 minutes. Then proceed to have Kane leisurely toss out the rest of the fan favorites to blatantly set Roman up to win. They could've gone about things a thousand better ways, instead of just going, "Well, Roman is The Guy now. Like it or off." Is it Bryan's fault he's naturally over and the fans love him? What if they did this with Austin in '97/'98? Bryan in the 2014 Rumble would've made things 10 times worse. The fact he wasn't in it angered the fans but imagine if he got eliminated by Batista? As for 2015 I personally believe that he should not have been in the match. His neck still wasn't right and there was no plans for him to fight for the title so why put him in the match and get peoples hopes up? I agree that it's completely WWE's fault due to the bad booking. Also you can't really compare Bryan to Austin. Bryan was an underdog who the fans pushed to the top but Austin was a straight up bad guy who didn't care about fans and his only desire was raising hell and destroying Authority. Austin was the total package and had the perfect look for the company at the time. When you saw him walking down a hallway you knew instantly that there was going to be an ass kicking. Bryan shouldn't have been in the 2014 Rumble and eliminated. He should have been in it and WON it. Bryan's neck was fine by the time he returned. If they didn't put him in the Rumble for a second straight year, that would have only made things worse. There were far better ways they could've gone about things while still including him in the match. You can absolutely compare Bryan and Austin in terms of popularity at their respective times. Bryan was the hottest person in the wrestling world in 2014, nobody else was even close, and they nearly didn't pull the trigger on giving him his WM moment - and actively kicked and screamed the whole way to WMXXX as it is. Imagine not having Austin win the Rumble in '98 and going over Michaels at WM14, because he wasn't 'their guy.' It would rightly be looked at as one of the most stupid decisions in history. |
|
Quazimoto
Superstar
Joined on: Feb 4, 2014 12:37:37 GMT -5
Posts: 991 
|
Post by Quazimoto on Aug 28, 2017 18:08:08 GMT -5
Bryan did play a huge part in it though. 2014 Batista gets booed out of the building and then in 2015 the same happens with Roman and it was all because fans wanted Bryan. I admit I could never stand Batista and was glad that the fans give it to him but I have to wonder if things would've been different without Bryan. Also the Three Birds are the biggest thing going! Which is ultimately all WWE's fault for their moronic booking of the Rumble matches. And moronic booking in general. In 2014, despite being the biggest star in the company, they don't even put Bryan in the match. In 2015, they have him enter early, and have him eliminated after 10 minutes. Then proceed to have Kane leisurely toss out the rest of the fan favorites to blatantly set Roman up to win. They could've gone about things a thousand better ways, instead of just going, "Well, Roman is The Guy now. Like it or off." Is it Bryan's fault he's naturally over and the fans love him? What if they did this with Austin in '97/'98?WWE probably wouldn't be around today if they had ignored the organic reaction for Austin they way they do for a lot of guys nowadays. WWE is damned lucky they don't have any real competition right now because if there was another company now on the level WCW was then, WWE would be getting their ass kicked week in and week out. |
|
|
|
Post by LA Times on Aug 28, 2017 18:13:22 GMT -5
Which is ultimately all WWE's fault for their moronic booking of the Rumble matches. And moronic booking in general. In 2014, despite being the biggest star in the company, they don't even put Bryan in the match. In 2015, they have him enter early, and have him eliminated after 10 minutes. Then proceed to have Kane leisurely toss out the rest of the fan favorites to blatantly set Roman up to win. They could've gone about things a thousand better ways, instead of just going, "Well, Roman is The Guy now. Like it or off." Is it Bryan's fault he's naturally over and the fans love him? What if they did this with Austin in '97/'98?WWE probably wouldn't be around today if they had ignored the organic reaction for Austin they way they do for a lot of guys nowadays. WWE is damned lucky they don't have any real competition right now because if there was another company now on the level WCW was then, WWE would be getting their ass kicked week in and week out. If Stone Cold in 1998 was booked like Daniel Bryan in 2013-2014 or Roman Reigns in 2015, we would all be watching Ted Turner's product right now. |
|
Quazimoto
Superstar
Joined on: Feb 4, 2014 12:37:37 GMT -5
Posts: 991
|
Post by Quazimoto on Aug 28, 2017 18:25:59 GMT -5
WWE probably wouldn't be around today if they had ignored the organic reaction for Austin they way they do for a lot of guys nowadays. WWE is damned lucky they don't have any real competition right now because if there was another company now on the level WCW was then, WWE would be getting their ass kicked week in and week out. If Stone Cold in 1998 was booked like Daniel Bryan in 2013-2014 or Roman Reigns in 2015, we would all be watching Ted Turner's product right now. I don't know about that. WCW surely would have 'Won' the Monday Night Wars, but they let the inmates run the asylum way too much to actually become the true number one company. Let's not forget that it wasn't until AFTER Hogan and his buddies left that anyone new really entered the main event scene. Still, they were strong enough until Austin (and The Rock to a lesser extent) really took off in WWE that WCW would either have crippled WWE immensely or put them out of business for good had they pulled the crap they pull now. They only get away with it now because there's no real consequences. NJPW is just starting to take hold in America. ROH is always going to be looked at an indy fed (a good one, but and indy fed nonetheless). Global Force Wrestling (ie TNA) has had plenty of chances to rise up the ranks and become viable competition, but sabotaged themselves far too many times to ever reach those levels again. Lucha Underground is flippin' amazing IMO, but they're not really in the same category as WWE being that they're not a year-round promotion. |
|
