Post by PdW2kX on Sept 1, 2007 16:00:50 GMT -5
The Notes: As always, feedback of any kind is appreciated. For those who don't know me, it's pretty simple: I like watching wrestling, I like writing. So, I mixed the two with reviews. I rate the matches, you rate my ability to rate. I'm always fond of feedback, so let me know what you liked and didn't like so I can improve. I won't be afraid to bite back at obvious troll comments, though, but to those who're honestly here to read and enjoy, I thank you. I had planned to do some reviews on Japanese wrestling, but that was before my BlockBuster finally got WWE DVD's in. Expect another double-shot soon, because up next on my BlockBuster haul is Backlash '07 and Great American Bash '07. Also, please excuse any double-posts. It's just the character limit.
World Wrestling Entertainment Presents "The Royal Rumble"
January 28, 2007
The AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas
16,118 Fans
With Commentary by Raw's Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler, Smackdown's Michael Cole and John "Bradshaw" Layfield, and ECW's Joey Styles and Tazz
The Hardys (Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy) vs. MNM (Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro) (with Melina)
MNM start the match by isolating Matt, focusing on his injured jaw. The Hardys get back into their groove with a Elbow Drop/Standing Somersault Senton combo-move to Johnny Nitro, but it's painfully obvious that Matt used the dreaded Phantom Elbow (meaning it was still sold but clearly missed by a mile). Matt is able to get a small 2¼ count on Nitro before MNM go back to working Matt's jaw. Matt comes close to mounting a comeback a few times, until he finally doges a flying elbow and gets the hot tag to Jeff. Jeff hits a beauty of a Whisper in the Wind, leading into a cluster-****. Later on, Jeff is the one that gets a hot tag to Matt, as MNM had spent several minutes working Jeff over quite heelishly. Matt cleans house, and Jeff scores a pinfall at 15:27 with a Swanton Bomb.
Analysis: Some good tag team action, despite being a bit formulaic. Both teams had a lot of chemistry with one another, but didn't stray too far from a basic face/heel dynamic. Everything in a normal tag match is included: hot tags, double-teams, the dastardly bad-guys working over the injured parts of the plucky never-say-die good guys, the good guys rising to victory with the fans on their side, etc. But the fact that it's MNM and The Hardys is enough to elevate it from your average run-of-the-mill tag team attraction. Since it did follow a pretty predictable formula, I felt it went on for just a bit longer than needed, but I still liked it. ***
ECW World Championship Match: Bobby Lashley © vs. Test
Test begins the match by slapping Lashley, which angers Lashley enough that he blasts Test with a massive Exploder Suplex and follows it up with a Stalling Suplex. Test works the arm for a while until Lashley mounts a comeback, but Lashley's injured arms gives out on him when he attempts a Military Press Slam. Test gets in a Big Boot for 2½, but Lashley counters the T.K.O. into an Overhead Belly-to-Belly Suplex. Test eventually goes outside the ring and allows himself to be counted out at 7:18, but Lashley hauls him back to the ring and beats on him, ending with Lashley serving up a gigantic Powerslam.
Analysis: Not the most interesting or exciting match, but not all that bad either. It was a (very) standard and (mercifully?) short power-on-power match, nothing more and nothing less. I didn't particularly care for Test's arm-work, because it boiled down to a bunch of restholds. I didn't particularly care for the finish, either. But, in the end, it's not all bad: it was certainly impressive, and got over both men's characters. While I really don't know just how much better this match realistically could have been, what I got was decent enough. **½
World Heavyweight Championship Match: Batista © vs. Mr. Kennedy
Both men work a general "brute strength vs. heelish cheating" dynamic until Kennedy focuses in on Batista's legs. In a slightly cool (if only due to it being unexpected) moment, Kennedy wraps up Batista's legs in what looks like a quasi-Nagata Lock. Kennedy gets a quick nearfall on Batista until Batista lashes out with a gigantic spinebuster, although he's unable to capitalize on the move. Batista mounts a comeback, only to knock out the referee inadvertently. Kennedy is able to capitalize and pin Batista, supposedly winning the match, but the referee is still down and thus unable to count the pinfall. Kennedy goes up top, gets caught with a clothesline, and one Batista Bomb later, is down for the 1-2-3 at 10:29.
Analysis: Although the match had its moments, it felt really cookie-cutter to me. In that regard, it felt more like a Smackdown main event, where both men are just going through the motions (with admittedly a few exceptions that turned out quite good) until the big Pay-Per-View. It had its merits, so I don't want to say I'm disappointed. It did something, that's for sure, it just didn't do enough. Neither really broke the mold, although their characters matched up quite well. Had it gone on just a bit longer and/or had both men put just a bit more into it, this would've been a welcome treat. As it stands, it falls just a bit short of really being worth watching. **¾
Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Championship: John Cena © vs. Umaga (With Armando Alejandro Estrada)
Umaga immediately goes after Cena's injured ribs, and assorted brawling follows. Cena is Umaga's whipping boy for much of the early-match proceedings, at least until Umaga brings some steel steps into play only to have them tossed directly at him in a nice spot. After some more steel steps-usage and some more ribcage-attacking, Cena hoists up Umaga for an F-U, but collapses onto the steel steps and gets cut open badly. Cena gets a surge of adrenaline, only to get planted with a Samoan Drop. Cena gets a measure of revenge when he smashes a monitor directly into Umaga's head, but Umaga dominates outside the ring. Umaga ends up running two of the three commentary tables before flying face-first into the third, trying to debilitate Cena once and for all with a massive splash but finding no one home as Cena rolls out of the way just in time. Umaga is able to get up at 9, while Armando Estrada manages to dislodge the top turnbuckle from a corner of the ring, hoping that Umaga can use it as a weapon. It's a decision that comes back to haunt him, as Cena nails a massive F-U before choking the life out of Umaga with an STF-U that uses the ropes connected to the loose turnbuckle. The hold chokes out Umaga so viciously that he can't get up before the count of 10, and Cena retains at 23:09.
Analysis: I've got to give this match its due: it was one hell of a brawl. This match did everything it needed to do for the type of match it was. For starters, Umaga and Cena match up perfectly. When Cena mounted his inevitable comebacks, you actually got behind him, because Umaga really tore into him. Cena tore into Umaga as well, and you really got a notion of just how strong the Umaga character is. Umaga took a whole hell of a lot of punishment and just kept coming back for more, really making you wonder whether Cena could actually retain against this beast of a man. The actual wrestling was nothing to write home about, but this encapsulated the best of the "brawling match" genre: it was two guys that hated each other finally settling their score in the baddest way possible, and even the fact that it's an ugly wrestling match makes you love it all the more for being a straight-up fight. It seems like everyone hates Cena these days, and Umaga has been home to his fair share of haters as well. But when two men spend over twenty minutes really putting their bodies on the line like they did here, you've got to respect them for making you earnestly feel like this was the only way to settle the war. Indeed, this match was an all-out war, and you've got to love it if only for that fact. ***½
The Royal Rumble Match: Featuring 30 Superstars from Raw, Smackdown, and ECW
Hoo boy. Here we go. Flair and Finlay start us off with some pretty standard stuff, until Kenny Dykstra comes out and double-teams Flair with the help of Finlay. Matt Hardy is the next man out and helps even the odds, at least until Edge comes out and nails both Flair and Finlay with a Spear. Edge tries a Spear on Matt, but Matt reveres it into a Twist of Fate. Flair and Kenny are soon eliminated, as more and more men fill the ring. Nothing much of interest happens until Kane hits the fray, and he gets himself a piece of almost everyone before he Chokeslams Edge, eliminates Tommy Dreamer, and eliminates Sabu by nailing him with a Chokeslam off the apron through a table. More and more men begin to pile up until The Sandman makes his way to the ring with his typically long entrance…and just like that he's ultra-quickly eliminated by King Booker. JBL makes a sarcastic "He's No Stone Cold" reference.
Randy Orton hits the scene, and Rated R.K.O. manage to make their mark with several eliminations. Hardcore Holly eventually comes in, prompting JBL to say that Holly is from L.A.: "Lower Alabama". Jerry Lawler pokes fun at Alabama as well while everyone left in the ring tries to eliminate Viscera. Shawn Michaels comes out to major applause and eliminates Viscera all by himself with one perfectly-positioned Sweet Chin Music. There's mass action until The Great Khali enters at #28. From there, all Hell breaks loose. Khali dishes out headbutts and Brain Chops to basically everyone. Khali ends up eliminating The Miz, Rob Van Dam, CM Punk, and Chavo Guerrero.
The Undertaker makes his entrance at #30 in a big way, by promptly eliminating The Great Khali and delivering an Old School to MVP. The fans are on their feet as the final two men end up being Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. Both men come dangerously close to elimination numerous times. Undertaker counters the Sweet Chin Music with a Chokeslam, but Shawn counters the Tombstone Piledriver with some Sweet Chin Music. Shawn eventually falls to a backdrop, being sent up-and-over for an elimination. The winner of your 2007 Royal Rumble after 56:18 of pure chaotic bliss: the one and only Undertaker.
Analysis: C'mon. What do you expect me to say? This is the reason you bought/rented the DVD and/or ordered the PPV. The Royal Rumble match is a guaranteed good time. There's just no way you can sit there and not enjoy a huge, crazy, 30-man over-the-top elimination match. It's great, it's long, and the sheer number of competitors means that the guys that stink up the ring are easily overshadowed by the guys who put on the classics. For one night, even The Great Khali put on a fantastic performance. No matter who you are, it's very difficult to **** up the Royal Rumble. It's just too fun to watch. The old adage rings true: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. No one man really stole the spotlight. It was a team effort that made this match fun to watch and entertaining as hell, and it succeeded fully in that effort. It was awesome to see The Undertaker win, and the nostalgia from Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker being the last two men was pure bliss. There's really nothing bad I can say about this match: the good wrestlers got their time to shine and the horrible wrestlers had so much action going on around them that it was easy to channel them out and go with the flow. Even though this is the 20th Royal Rumble, it's still just as fun and just as crazy to watch. And just as good. ***½
Extra Content
All together a total of four matches are included as extra's, along with segments like the Umaga/Cena Last Man Standing contract signing. The first match is an Extra on the Royal Rumble Disc, the other three are on a Blockbuster-exclusive bonus disc. I've taken the liberty to review the Bonus matches as well.
World Tag Team Championships Match: "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels and John Cena vs. Rated RKO (Randy Orton and "The Rated R Superstar" Edge) ©
From the January 29, 2007 edition of Monday Night Raw
After a bit of action, HBK hits a sick enzugiri to Edge. Cena continues the punishment to both Edge and Orton, even getting a nearfall. Orton accidentally clips Edge with a move, and Edge threatens to leave as we cut to commercial. Back from commercial, Edge is back in-ring and getting hit with a few of the 5 Moves of Doom. Cena's ribs are quickly attacked, and he's quickly isolated. HBK gets a hot tag and cleans house, at least until Orton sneak-attacks him. Orton ends up getting nailed with an F-U by Cena, giving us brand spankin' new tag team champions.
Analysis: For a Raw main event, I liked it. It did a lot for what it was: it furthered and got over several storylines at once, had good action, had a decent dynamic, nice pace, etc. As an extra, there's really nothing all that bad about it. It's as simple as a slightly-better-than-average Raw main event put on DVD, but sometimes simple is good, too. ***
Street Fight: "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels vs. "The Rated R Superstar" Edge
From the January 22, 2007 edition of Monday Night Raw
HBK works over Edge with a belt and trashcan before hitting a Springboard Body Press. On the outside, Edge nails Shawn with a trash can lid before the cameras cut out for a commercial break. When the cameras come back ringside, HBK is busted open pretty bad. Shawn inevitably mounts a comeback, and even beats Edge bloody with a chain. Randy Orton ends up coming in and nailing an RKO to Shawn so Edge can get the 1-2-3.
Analysis: A pretty decent brawl, by my standards. It definitely felt like both men were out to hurt each other. Again, it's the context of this match that gives it a good rating. Had this been on the Pay-Per-View, it probably wouldn't have measured up. But as a free extra and a pretty good match for Raw, it's pretty enjoyable and well worth watching. ***
The Undertaker vs. Mr. Kennedy
From the January 19, 2007 edition of Friday Night Smackdown
Undertaker starts out the match by dominating Mr. Kennedy, even hitting the Old School in a matter of minutes. Kennedy does manage to get in some offense, but most of it is no-sold. Kennedy ends up finding a measure of an advantage by working over Undertaker's legs, but he inevitably goes back to getting his ass handed to him. Kennedy is eventually thrown outside, where he slaps Batista, who was ringside doing commentary (and doing a pretty horrible job of it as well, but that's neither here nor there). Undertaker sets up Kennedy for a Chokeslam, but Batista comes in a Spears Kennedy, leading to a DQ.
Analysis: It's a really mundane match, but I liked it nonetheless. It was an average match, but there's something so un-average about Undertaker and Kennedy that made it more enjoyable than your regular match. Neither man really broke the mold and stuck to their same usual spots, and it was mostly a squash, but I still got some enjoyment out of it. Maybe I'm just a big fan of the Undertaker, but I liked seeing him demolish Kennedy while Kennedy sold like a champ and really got his character over as a despicable cheat. Most of it is pretty average, but there are some subtle things here and there that makes me bring the point value up just a bit. **¾
Triple Threat Match for the ECW World Championship: Test vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Bobby Lashley ©
From the January 16, 2007 edition of ECW on SciFi
Lashley and Test do a lot of brawling, while RVD finds the time to sneak in some of his signature spots. Lashley is able to dominate both men for a bit, but Rob Van Dam nails a barrage of offense to bring himself back into it. Test responds with a gigantic Flying Elbow Drop, but is soon hit with a 5 Star Frog Splash. RVD ends up getting a Spear and a Powerslam for his troubles, and Lashley retains the championship gold.
Analysis: Definitely a cluster-****, but not that bad. Lashley and Test got in a lot of power offense, which is what they're good at. RVD really helped balance out the match, as he inserted himself into a bunch of exchanges and nailed some pretty good spots. Strangely enough, I actually enjoyed this match more than the Lashley/Test match at the PPV. RVD's influence really helped flesh out the match and made it something more than constant mindless power moves between two jacked-up freaks. Not that there's anything wrong with constant mindless power moves between jacked-up freaks, but adding in a guy like RVD gave the match a certain edge that I liked. It's still not quite good, but it's almost there. **¾
Final Thoughts: I'm pretty glad my local Blockbuster finally started carrying WWE DVD's. It's been a long time coming, and hopefully this means I'll be able to crank out more WWE reviews. As a starting point, the Royal Rumble is well worth a rental and most likely worth buying it outright. The card is stacked with championship matches, despite some of them being better than others, and the Royal Rumble itself is always fun and exciting to watch. The Last Man Standing match between John Cena and Umaga is as much of a DVD-seller as the Royal Rumble itself, which means you've got two great matches well worth seeing on one single DVD. The extra content is very enjoyable, as well.
Overall, this is a solid event from WWE. The Royal Rumble is always heralded as the beginning of the "Road to WrestleMania", and it continues to live up to its hype as the years go on. There might not have been a lot of nostalgia, despite it being the 20th edition of the Rumble, but there was certainly a lot of action and most definitely some very good matches. If you're into renting and can find a decent copy , this is a highly enjoyable event that's well worth the paltry rental fee. If you like it so much that you want a copy of your own, that's not a bad idea either. A word to the wise, though: my copy had some issues with playability, and it was pretty scratched up upon further inspection. I know this is the chance you take with rentals, but I'm still choosing to throw up the caution flag. Just be warned: it may or may not happen to you, but it did happen to me, so that does weigh in on my overall score. When it's all said and done, however, Royal Rumble '07 is an above-average show with good extra's, and overall I'm pretty pleased.
Final Rating for World Wrestling Entertainment "Royal Rumble" 2007: ***¼
World Wrestling Entertainment Presents "The Royal Rumble"
January 28, 2007
The AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas
16,118 Fans
With Commentary by Raw's Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler, Smackdown's Michael Cole and John "Bradshaw" Layfield, and ECW's Joey Styles and Tazz
The Hardys (Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy) vs. MNM (Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro) (with Melina)
MNM start the match by isolating Matt, focusing on his injured jaw. The Hardys get back into their groove with a Elbow Drop/Standing Somersault Senton combo-move to Johnny Nitro, but it's painfully obvious that Matt used the dreaded Phantom Elbow (meaning it was still sold but clearly missed by a mile). Matt is able to get a small 2¼ count on Nitro before MNM go back to working Matt's jaw. Matt comes close to mounting a comeback a few times, until he finally doges a flying elbow and gets the hot tag to Jeff. Jeff hits a beauty of a Whisper in the Wind, leading into a cluster-****. Later on, Jeff is the one that gets a hot tag to Matt, as MNM had spent several minutes working Jeff over quite heelishly. Matt cleans house, and Jeff scores a pinfall at 15:27 with a Swanton Bomb.
Analysis: Some good tag team action, despite being a bit formulaic. Both teams had a lot of chemistry with one another, but didn't stray too far from a basic face/heel dynamic. Everything in a normal tag match is included: hot tags, double-teams, the dastardly bad-guys working over the injured parts of the plucky never-say-die good guys, the good guys rising to victory with the fans on their side, etc. But the fact that it's MNM and The Hardys is enough to elevate it from your average run-of-the-mill tag team attraction. Since it did follow a pretty predictable formula, I felt it went on for just a bit longer than needed, but I still liked it. ***
ECW World Championship Match: Bobby Lashley © vs. Test
Test begins the match by slapping Lashley, which angers Lashley enough that he blasts Test with a massive Exploder Suplex and follows it up with a Stalling Suplex. Test works the arm for a while until Lashley mounts a comeback, but Lashley's injured arms gives out on him when he attempts a Military Press Slam. Test gets in a Big Boot for 2½, but Lashley counters the T.K.O. into an Overhead Belly-to-Belly Suplex. Test eventually goes outside the ring and allows himself to be counted out at 7:18, but Lashley hauls him back to the ring and beats on him, ending with Lashley serving up a gigantic Powerslam.
Analysis: Not the most interesting or exciting match, but not all that bad either. It was a (very) standard and (mercifully?) short power-on-power match, nothing more and nothing less. I didn't particularly care for Test's arm-work, because it boiled down to a bunch of restholds. I didn't particularly care for the finish, either. But, in the end, it's not all bad: it was certainly impressive, and got over both men's characters. While I really don't know just how much better this match realistically could have been, what I got was decent enough. **½
World Heavyweight Championship Match: Batista © vs. Mr. Kennedy
Both men work a general "brute strength vs. heelish cheating" dynamic until Kennedy focuses in on Batista's legs. In a slightly cool (if only due to it being unexpected) moment, Kennedy wraps up Batista's legs in what looks like a quasi-Nagata Lock. Kennedy gets a quick nearfall on Batista until Batista lashes out with a gigantic spinebuster, although he's unable to capitalize on the move. Batista mounts a comeback, only to knock out the referee inadvertently. Kennedy is able to capitalize and pin Batista, supposedly winning the match, but the referee is still down and thus unable to count the pinfall. Kennedy goes up top, gets caught with a clothesline, and one Batista Bomb later, is down for the 1-2-3 at 10:29.
Analysis: Although the match had its moments, it felt really cookie-cutter to me. In that regard, it felt more like a Smackdown main event, where both men are just going through the motions (with admittedly a few exceptions that turned out quite good) until the big Pay-Per-View. It had its merits, so I don't want to say I'm disappointed. It did something, that's for sure, it just didn't do enough. Neither really broke the mold, although their characters matched up quite well. Had it gone on just a bit longer and/or had both men put just a bit more into it, this would've been a welcome treat. As it stands, it falls just a bit short of really being worth watching. **¾
Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Championship: John Cena © vs. Umaga (With Armando Alejandro Estrada)
Umaga immediately goes after Cena's injured ribs, and assorted brawling follows. Cena is Umaga's whipping boy for much of the early-match proceedings, at least until Umaga brings some steel steps into play only to have them tossed directly at him in a nice spot. After some more steel steps-usage and some more ribcage-attacking, Cena hoists up Umaga for an F-U, but collapses onto the steel steps and gets cut open badly. Cena gets a surge of adrenaline, only to get planted with a Samoan Drop. Cena gets a measure of revenge when he smashes a monitor directly into Umaga's head, but Umaga dominates outside the ring. Umaga ends up running two of the three commentary tables before flying face-first into the third, trying to debilitate Cena once and for all with a massive splash but finding no one home as Cena rolls out of the way just in time. Umaga is able to get up at 9, while Armando Estrada manages to dislodge the top turnbuckle from a corner of the ring, hoping that Umaga can use it as a weapon. It's a decision that comes back to haunt him, as Cena nails a massive F-U before choking the life out of Umaga with an STF-U that uses the ropes connected to the loose turnbuckle. The hold chokes out Umaga so viciously that he can't get up before the count of 10, and Cena retains at 23:09.
Analysis: I've got to give this match its due: it was one hell of a brawl. This match did everything it needed to do for the type of match it was. For starters, Umaga and Cena match up perfectly. When Cena mounted his inevitable comebacks, you actually got behind him, because Umaga really tore into him. Cena tore into Umaga as well, and you really got a notion of just how strong the Umaga character is. Umaga took a whole hell of a lot of punishment and just kept coming back for more, really making you wonder whether Cena could actually retain against this beast of a man. The actual wrestling was nothing to write home about, but this encapsulated the best of the "brawling match" genre: it was two guys that hated each other finally settling their score in the baddest way possible, and even the fact that it's an ugly wrestling match makes you love it all the more for being a straight-up fight. It seems like everyone hates Cena these days, and Umaga has been home to his fair share of haters as well. But when two men spend over twenty minutes really putting their bodies on the line like they did here, you've got to respect them for making you earnestly feel like this was the only way to settle the war. Indeed, this match was an all-out war, and you've got to love it if only for that fact. ***½
The Royal Rumble Match: Featuring 30 Superstars from Raw, Smackdown, and ECW
Hoo boy. Here we go. Flair and Finlay start us off with some pretty standard stuff, until Kenny Dykstra comes out and double-teams Flair with the help of Finlay. Matt Hardy is the next man out and helps even the odds, at least until Edge comes out and nails both Flair and Finlay with a Spear. Edge tries a Spear on Matt, but Matt reveres it into a Twist of Fate. Flair and Kenny are soon eliminated, as more and more men fill the ring. Nothing much of interest happens until Kane hits the fray, and he gets himself a piece of almost everyone before he Chokeslams Edge, eliminates Tommy Dreamer, and eliminates Sabu by nailing him with a Chokeslam off the apron through a table. More and more men begin to pile up until The Sandman makes his way to the ring with his typically long entrance…and just like that he's ultra-quickly eliminated by King Booker. JBL makes a sarcastic "He's No Stone Cold" reference.
Randy Orton hits the scene, and Rated R.K.O. manage to make their mark with several eliminations. Hardcore Holly eventually comes in, prompting JBL to say that Holly is from L.A.: "Lower Alabama". Jerry Lawler pokes fun at Alabama as well while everyone left in the ring tries to eliminate Viscera. Shawn Michaels comes out to major applause and eliminates Viscera all by himself with one perfectly-positioned Sweet Chin Music. There's mass action until The Great Khali enters at #28. From there, all Hell breaks loose. Khali dishes out headbutts and Brain Chops to basically everyone. Khali ends up eliminating The Miz, Rob Van Dam, CM Punk, and Chavo Guerrero.
The Undertaker makes his entrance at #30 in a big way, by promptly eliminating The Great Khali and delivering an Old School to MVP. The fans are on their feet as the final two men end up being Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. Both men come dangerously close to elimination numerous times. Undertaker counters the Sweet Chin Music with a Chokeslam, but Shawn counters the Tombstone Piledriver with some Sweet Chin Music. Shawn eventually falls to a backdrop, being sent up-and-over for an elimination. The winner of your 2007 Royal Rumble after 56:18 of pure chaotic bliss: the one and only Undertaker.
Analysis: C'mon. What do you expect me to say? This is the reason you bought/rented the DVD and/or ordered the PPV. The Royal Rumble match is a guaranteed good time. There's just no way you can sit there and not enjoy a huge, crazy, 30-man over-the-top elimination match. It's great, it's long, and the sheer number of competitors means that the guys that stink up the ring are easily overshadowed by the guys who put on the classics. For one night, even The Great Khali put on a fantastic performance. No matter who you are, it's very difficult to **** up the Royal Rumble. It's just too fun to watch. The old adage rings true: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. No one man really stole the spotlight. It was a team effort that made this match fun to watch and entertaining as hell, and it succeeded fully in that effort. It was awesome to see The Undertaker win, and the nostalgia from Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker being the last two men was pure bliss. There's really nothing bad I can say about this match: the good wrestlers got their time to shine and the horrible wrestlers had so much action going on around them that it was easy to channel them out and go with the flow. Even though this is the 20th Royal Rumble, it's still just as fun and just as crazy to watch. And just as good. ***½
Extra Content
All together a total of four matches are included as extra's, along with segments like the Umaga/Cena Last Man Standing contract signing. The first match is an Extra on the Royal Rumble Disc, the other three are on a Blockbuster-exclusive bonus disc. I've taken the liberty to review the Bonus matches as well.
World Tag Team Championships Match: "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels and John Cena vs. Rated RKO (Randy Orton and "The Rated R Superstar" Edge) ©
From the January 29, 2007 edition of Monday Night Raw
After a bit of action, HBK hits a sick enzugiri to Edge. Cena continues the punishment to both Edge and Orton, even getting a nearfall. Orton accidentally clips Edge with a move, and Edge threatens to leave as we cut to commercial. Back from commercial, Edge is back in-ring and getting hit with a few of the 5 Moves of Doom. Cena's ribs are quickly attacked, and he's quickly isolated. HBK gets a hot tag and cleans house, at least until Orton sneak-attacks him. Orton ends up getting nailed with an F-U by Cena, giving us brand spankin' new tag team champions.
Analysis: For a Raw main event, I liked it. It did a lot for what it was: it furthered and got over several storylines at once, had good action, had a decent dynamic, nice pace, etc. As an extra, there's really nothing all that bad about it. It's as simple as a slightly-better-than-average Raw main event put on DVD, but sometimes simple is good, too. ***
Street Fight: "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels vs. "The Rated R Superstar" Edge
From the January 22, 2007 edition of Monday Night Raw
HBK works over Edge with a belt and trashcan before hitting a Springboard Body Press. On the outside, Edge nails Shawn with a trash can lid before the cameras cut out for a commercial break. When the cameras come back ringside, HBK is busted open pretty bad. Shawn inevitably mounts a comeback, and even beats Edge bloody with a chain. Randy Orton ends up coming in and nailing an RKO to Shawn so Edge can get the 1-2-3.
Analysis: A pretty decent brawl, by my standards. It definitely felt like both men were out to hurt each other. Again, it's the context of this match that gives it a good rating. Had this been on the Pay-Per-View, it probably wouldn't have measured up. But as a free extra and a pretty good match for Raw, it's pretty enjoyable and well worth watching. ***
The Undertaker vs. Mr. Kennedy
From the January 19, 2007 edition of Friday Night Smackdown
Undertaker starts out the match by dominating Mr. Kennedy, even hitting the Old School in a matter of minutes. Kennedy does manage to get in some offense, but most of it is no-sold. Kennedy ends up finding a measure of an advantage by working over Undertaker's legs, but he inevitably goes back to getting his ass handed to him. Kennedy is eventually thrown outside, where he slaps Batista, who was ringside doing commentary (and doing a pretty horrible job of it as well, but that's neither here nor there). Undertaker sets up Kennedy for a Chokeslam, but Batista comes in a Spears Kennedy, leading to a DQ.
Analysis: It's a really mundane match, but I liked it nonetheless. It was an average match, but there's something so un-average about Undertaker and Kennedy that made it more enjoyable than your regular match. Neither man really broke the mold and stuck to their same usual spots, and it was mostly a squash, but I still got some enjoyment out of it. Maybe I'm just a big fan of the Undertaker, but I liked seeing him demolish Kennedy while Kennedy sold like a champ and really got his character over as a despicable cheat. Most of it is pretty average, but there are some subtle things here and there that makes me bring the point value up just a bit. **¾
Triple Threat Match for the ECW World Championship: Test vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Bobby Lashley ©
From the January 16, 2007 edition of ECW on SciFi
Lashley and Test do a lot of brawling, while RVD finds the time to sneak in some of his signature spots. Lashley is able to dominate both men for a bit, but Rob Van Dam nails a barrage of offense to bring himself back into it. Test responds with a gigantic Flying Elbow Drop, but is soon hit with a 5 Star Frog Splash. RVD ends up getting a Spear and a Powerslam for his troubles, and Lashley retains the championship gold.
Analysis: Definitely a cluster-****, but not that bad. Lashley and Test got in a lot of power offense, which is what they're good at. RVD really helped balance out the match, as he inserted himself into a bunch of exchanges and nailed some pretty good spots. Strangely enough, I actually enjoyed this match more than the Lashley/Test match at the PPV. RVD's influence really helped flesh out the match and made it something more than constant mindless power moves between two jacked-up freaks. Not that there's anything wrong with constant mindless power moves between jacked-up freaks, but adding in a guy like RVD gave the match a certain edge that I liked. It's still not quite good, but it's almost there. **¾
Final Thoughts: I'm pretty glad my local Blockbuster finally started carrying WWE DVD's. It's been a long time coming, and hopefully this means I'll be able to crank out more WWE reviews. As a starting point, the Royal Rumble is well worth a rental and most likely worth buying it outright. The card is stacked with championship matches, despite some of them being better than others, and the Royal Rumble itself is always fun and exciting to watch. The Last Man Standing match between John Cena and Umaga is as much of a DVD-seller as the Royal Rumble itself, which means you've got two great matches well worth seeing on one single DVD. The extra content is very enjoyable, as well.
Overall, this is a solid event from WWE. The Royal Rumble is always heralded as the beginning of the "Road to WrestleMania", and it continues to live up to its hype as the years go on. There might not have been a lot of nostalgia, despite it being the 20th edition of the Rumble, but there was certainly a lot of action and most definitely some very good matches. If you're into renting and can find a decent copy , this is a highly enjoyable event that's well worth the paltry rental fee. If you like it so much that you want a copy of your own, that's not a bad idea either. A word to the wise, though: my copy had some issues with playability, and it was pretty scratched up upon further inspection. I know this is the chance you take with rentals, but I'm still choosing to throw up the caution flag. Just be warned: it may or may not happen to you, but it did happen to me, so that does weigh in on my overall score. When it's all said and done, however, Royal Rumble '07 is an above-average show with good extra's, and overall I'm pretty pleased.
Final Rating for World Wrestling Entertainment "Royal Rumble" 2007: ***¼
