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Post by J12 on Jan 25, 2016 14:04:53 GMT -5
I'm not sure how it could end up being good for Roman, unless the plan is to flip him, which I can't possibly imagine them doing. Triple H is aligned with the only two people that the crowd consistently dislikes the most, and he's still getting cheered. People cheered for Triple H because they like him more than they like Roman. Roman may get positive reactions over Triple H at a very cities on the road to Mania, but Triple H is going to be a total babyface at Wrestlemania, and that's not what they want. I mentioned in another thread, I expect them to hotshot Rock into Roman's corner to get him over for that night, but we're back to square one the following evening. Roman hasn't been unanimously cheered against anyone, except for his beatdown of Triple H and his big night the following evening. When he's matched up against legacy stars, they cheer the legacy star. When he's matched up against guys who are even less over than he is (The League of Nations), the crowd reacts with total apathy. I just don't see any viable way that they win with him at this point. You're right. I fully expect Rock & Ronda to be in Roman's corner to even the odds of Vince & Stephanie in Triple H's corner. It's a big match, especially for the casual viewers. I like Roman and all, but it may be time to change the coarse of this ship. I think the reason the Rumble came down to Ambrose (instead of Roman) vs Triple H was so the fans knew who to cheer and who to boo. So obviously they know Roman isn't getting the reaction Vince demands. And at this point, I question whether he ever will. IMO a heel Roman has to happen before it's too late. Absolutely. If it had come down to Roman and Triple H instead of Triple H and Dean, the crowd would have either completely turned on the match, or they would've rallied heavily behind Triple H. Either scenario would've been bad. They played it smart, undoubtedly. But, again, it was a one night fix. They cheered Dean Ambrose over Triple H, because, well, he's the most over babyface on the active roster and because neither guy was Roman Reigns. Now that Dean is presumably out of the way, and we're back to H and Roman, I expect the fans to make one of the two aforementioned choices - total allegiance to Triple H, or total apathy and/or rejection. I know my immensely strong opinion of Roman often gives off the vibe that I think he's a total lost cause or entirely worthless to the company. I think the former part of that sentence is true, if we're talking about him as a babyface, at this point in time. They've done everything they possibly can and it just hasn't worked. I think Roman Reigns can be an unbelievably successful monster heel, but I fear even that is in jeopardy if they don't do something. I honestly don't think they will, and I don't know how they maintain any level of interest in the main event picture if they don't. I've beaten the horse dead with why I think Roman just isn't working, and we can all see it. I understand the hesitation to move forward with him as a heel because of how incredibly thin the roster is, but a short term sacrifice could save his career in the long run. Not to mention, Seth Rollins will be back before we know it, and that's a guy that could unquestionably be the top babyface. Hell, I've said for months, that if I had my way, heel Champion Roman Reigns would face Seth Rollins in the main event at Wrestlemania 33, where Seth would be crowned as John Cena's successor. And then down the line, with some incredible heel work under his belt, maybe Roman could re-establish himself as a babyface. Then you've got yourself a Rock/Austin scenario, albeit on a much smaller scale. That's never a bad thing. |
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Post by tylerbreezee on Jan 25, 2016 14:15:49 GMT -5
I think it's agreed upon that if you see someone comin into the Rumble super fast and hot and start throwin bows... they're lasting about 2 minutes or less.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2016 14:28:09 GMT -5
I'm proud of @3nwpro for including "hoss" in his review; good stuff.  I remembered your campaign, hoss...cheers. It's more my thoughts - I leave 'reviews' to yourself and The Kevstaaa... |
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Post by sitruC on Jan 25, 2016 14:55:18 GMT -5
Just fully finished it and all I can say is Ambrose 100% stole the show for me.
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Post by J12 on Jan 25, 2016 15:44:16 GMT -5
Just wanted to throw a few more notes out regarding the Rumble match itself. It's such a long journey that sometimes little things get lost along the way.
-I think you have to give Chris Jericho the "MVP" of the match, if there is one. I've been very critical of him since his return, and this is a guy who has been my favorite wrestler for the better part of the last fifteen years. At 45 years old, he hung around for over fifty minutes and didn't once appear to be gassed or blown up. He was involved in several key spots throughout the match. He served as a credible threat to various other stars at crucial moments during the night. I can't say enough about his performance.
-On the other side of the coin, you have to question whether or not there was something more to Roman Reigns being taken out than simply storyline. Roman, in stark contrast to Jericho, looked gassed in the early stages. I sincerely doubt he could've handled going the full length of the match, even if he spent the majority of the time sitting in the corner. His conditioning has been called into question in the past, and I think that became part of the conversation again last night.
-Triple H looked shaky. There's a lot to be said for functional muscle vs. "good look" muscle. Triple H looked great, but he very clearly had a fair amount of rust. I thought he very genuinely almost slipped off the apron when he was exchanging with Ziggler. It looked like he just caught himself at the last second, and not in a dramatic "selling" fashion. Couple this observation with everything above regarding Reigns, and it makes me even more worried about them having a main event match at Mania.
-Last night was not a good night for Roman, in general. In addition to looking gassed, The crowd reacted with great disdain, again undoing any minimal amount of goodwill he had left. He did nothing in the match to win people over or garner sympathy. He completely no sold the beat down that was supposed to take him out of the match, which wouldn't bother me so much if it hadn't been severely contrasted by Owens' selling in the same match. I just came out of this match thinking less of him than I already did.
-I was less impressed with AJ's debut than most. If we get past the incredible nature of his even being there in the first place, he did virtually nothing in the match. A bunch of failed attemps at a Styles Clash, no key eliminations. Nothing, outside of the crowd reaction, spoke to him being any type of star, and that worries me. He was very much treated like a mid-carder who had an impressive showing. Something we'd get in the past from a guy like Dolph Ziggler or Cody Rhodes, for example. Someone for the crowd to get behind during luls, but very little of value or substance. I didn't take Owens' eliminating him as the start of a program, mostly because Owens was clearly set up with Zayn just minutes later. If the crowd hadn't reacted the way that they did, I think AJ's debut would be grounds for a lot of complaints, and justifiably so. I really hope they correct course in the coming weeks, but I have my doubts.
-I thought Brock Lesnar was handled very well, given where they're headed with him. I'm not all that into the Wyatt Family feud, mostly because they're lacking any credibility right now, but if this is what they're going with, I thought this was a fine way to set it up. Lesnar looked like a beast and got dumped out thanks to some shoddy tactics by Bray and company. I did, however, disagree with how Bray was eliminated. To me, with the way he was positioned, Brock should've come back and given him an F5, leading to his toss out. The way they did it undermined his credibility, again, to face Brock.
-I thought the R-Truth skit was funny and perfectly acceptable, though I can see where some people would dislike it.
-I actually liked the fact that they didn't rely too heavily on nostalgia acts. AJ and Zayn were far more fitting and enjoyable than a 90's relic, and honestly, this Rumble should have maintained a more serious tone anyway because of the title. Props to them on that.
-Kofi's stuff was great. Shame they missed his elimination.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 25, 2016 15:48:03 GMT -5
Just wanted to throw a few more notes out regarding the Rumble match itself. It's such a long journey that sometimes little things get lost along the way. -I think you have to give Chris Jericho the "MVP" of the match, if there is one. I've been very critical of him since his return, and this is a guy who has been my favorite wrestler for the better part of the last fifteen years. At 45 years old, he hung around for over fifty minutes and didn't once appear to be gassed or blown up. He was involved in several key spots throughout the match. He served as a credible threat to various other stars at crucial moments during the night. I can't say enough about his performance. Jericho didn't look gassed because he spent a good chunk of the match laying in the corner. It's like, if it wasn't one of the key spots he had to do, he was content with doing nothing. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2016 15:51:56 GMT -5
Just wanted to throw a few more notes out regarding the Rumble match itself. It's such a long journey that sometimes little things get lost along the way. -I think you have to give Chris Jericho the "MVP" of the match, if there is one. I've been very critical of him since his return, and this is a guy who has been my favorite wrestler for the better part of the last fifteen years. At 45 years old, he hung around for over fifty minutes and didn't once appear to be gassed or blown up. He was involved in several key spots throughout the match. He served as a credible threat to various other stars at crucial moments during the night. I can't say enough about his performance. Jericho didn't look gassed because he spent a good chunk of the match laying in the corner. It's like, if it wasn't one of the key spots he had to do, he was content with doing nothing. "He's busy doing nothing, working the whole day through. Trying to find lots of things not to do." |
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Post by J12 on Jan 25, 2016 15:57:35 GMT -5
Just wanted to throw a few more notes out regarding the Rumble match itself. It's such a long journey that sometimes little things get lost along the way. -I think you have to give Chris Jericho the "MVP" of the match, if there is one. I've been very critical of him since his return, and this is a guy who has been my favorite wrestler for the better part of the last fifteen years. At 45 years old, he hung around for over fifty minutes and didn't once appear to be gassed or blown up. He was involved in several key spots throughout the match. He served as a credible threat to various other stars at crucial moments during the night. I can't say enough about his performance. Jericho didn't look gassed because he spent a good chunk of the match laying in the corner. It's like, if it wasn't one of the key spots he had to do, he was content with doing nothing. He definitely spent a lot of time in the corner, no doubt, but that's pretty typical of anyone in the Rumble working that amount of time. My key point was simply that they had more faith in 45 year old Chris Jericho to spend an hour in the ring than they did 30 year old Roman Reigns, who, again, already looked to be having a pretty rough go of it before he got taken out, and did about as much, if not less than Jericho did during the time he spent in the ring. |
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Post by tiny04 on Jan 25, 2016 16:29:41 GMT -5
Was so pumped for this show and it did not disappoint. Every match was at least good and a lot was set up for future months.
Ambrose/Owens was a great match. Great way to end the feud. Also liked seeing Ambrose go to the end in the rumble as well. Made the IC Title look important as it's holder nearly won the WWE Title.
Tag match good, US Title was fine and Becky/Charlotte was good but I felt it could've been better. I feel it would've been better if it had less Ric Flair. The post-match stuff with Sasha was excellent. Hopefully a triple threat at WM with either Becky or Sasha winning the belt. Preferably Sasha so Becky can stay on the chase.
And then the rumble match itself. Great rumble, best in a while. Went crazy when AJ came out. Disappointed we didn't see a Styles Clash, but AJ/Owens looks like a possibility for Fastlane, and then Zayn/Owens at WM. So happy to see Sami. I expected the crowd to be against Reigns, but I thought he'd have more support. The reaction to his elimination must be worrying to WWE as he looks set on main eventing WM. Jericho did great in the match as well. The ironman at 45 years old is impressive. Ambrose/Jericho looks likely as well after Ambrose eliminated him.
Overall, great show and a lot to look forward to in the coming months.
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Post by Quanthor on Jan 25, 2016 16:37:51 GMT -5
Loved the matches leading up to the Rumble. The Rumble itself was good but not great. The booking left a lot to be desired.
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Post by Gone. on Jan 25, 2016 16:50:24 GMT -5
Meltzer said that they were using a 'B-Group' editing team. So, that's an excuse to why it sucked. well Meltzer would know. after all, Vince brings him to his house, pats him on the back, lets him sit in on Creative meetings and always allowed backstage.....oh wait..... Meltzer is the B team of Wrestling Journalists Somebody called 'The Scoop' is telling me Meltzer know's nothing. Cool. |
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Post by J12 on Jan 25, 2016 16:55:27 GMT -5
I'm hoping to get a chance to rewatch the Rumble match a little later before Raw, but something I've been thinking about throughout the day:
My disdain for babyface Roman Reigns aside, why am I supposed to feel sympathetic for the guy?
-People didn't really team up on him during the match. He was just a competitor like everyone else.
-There is precedence for the number one entry winning before, so it's not like it was impossible, just improbable.
-The League of Nations beatdown saved him from thirty minutes of potential eliminations. If they wanted to really hurt his chances, why didn't they throw him back in the ring? If anything, this worked in Reigns' favor.
-Triple H didn't use any underhanded tactics to eliminate him, or win the match. He eliminated Roman cleanly.
-Roman, the white meat babyface who never turns his back on his friends, didn't attempt to help Dean Ambrose, who was in there, presumably injured from his earlier match, against his mortal enemy, Triple H. This isn't the first time, by the way.
-Dean Ambrose went through just as much, if not more than Roman, and outlasted him
So, again, how am I supposed to feel any sympathy for him? In story context, he was just a guy who wasn't good enough to win.
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Post by Chip on Jan 25, 2016 18:48:22 GMT -5
So, again, how am I supposed to feel any sympathy for him? because Roman Reigns. |
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Post by ASR (therockisback) on Jan 25, 2016 19:38:45 GMT -5
Man that was a great PPV imo. Probably the best and most enjoyable Rumble match for me since 2010. Ambrose/Owens was also a sick match, Usos/New Day and Kalisto/ADR were also entertaining matches with good endings.
I'd maybe even rank last nights Rumble match in my top 5 Rumble matches of all time. Will post my further analysis of the show tomorrow.
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Post by ThugSuperstar on Jan 25, 2016 19:57:47 GMT -5
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Post by ThugSuperstar on Jan 25, 2016 20:11:20 GMT -5
I personally agree with everything Bret Hart said. Everything he said is basically the way I feel about the Rumble and the company as a whole.
What do you guys think? Do you agree with Bret?
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The Hitman
Main Eventer
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Post by The Hitman on Jan 25, 2016 20:14:21 GMT -5
I thought the event was good. Even if the ending seemed very obvious to the smarter wrestling fan. I enjoyed it, so I would disagree with Bret on that.
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MattelsRule
Main Eventer
JakksRule is dead! Long live MattelsRule!
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Post by MattelsRule on Jan 25, 2016 20:21:56 GMT -5
4/10
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Post by marino13 on Jan 25, 2016 20:23:41 GMT -5
I personally agree with everything Bret Hart said. Everything he said is basically the way I feel about the Rumble and the company as a whole. What do you guys think? Do you agree with Bret? I moved the original post to the Rumble thread. And for the record, no I don't agree with Bret. And he is one of my favorite ever. |
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Post by theoutlaw1999 on Jan 25, 2016 20:23:52 GMT -5
HHH had to put the belt on himself. All the big name are injured so fans need a reason to buy Wrestlemania.
However I agree about the eliminations. When Owens, Styles, Goldust, Kofi, Kane etc got eliminated it just didn't feel right. |
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