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LOOKING BACK AT THE ROYAL RUMBLE PPV, WITH TIME TO REFLECT ON WHAT WE SAW LAST NIGHT - IF ANYONE AT WWE WANTS TO KNOW WHY PEOPLE ARE ANGRY TODAY READ THIS

By Dave Scherer on 2012-01-30 13:45:26
If you followed the live blog that I did during last night's Royal Rumble PPV (which you can read on the Elite site by clicking here, on the free site by clicking here) you know by now that I pretty much hated the show.  I thought I was pretty clear as to why, but I did have one reader who enjoyed the show write me and asked me why I didn't like it and what I expected from the show.  After reading his email, I decided I would go back today and revisit the show, pointing out the positives and negatives of the PPV and see if, in the end, it would change my view in any way on what I saw.  I will tell you right now that I don't see any chance of that happening but lets see how the process plays out. 

Daniel Bryan vs. Big Show vs. Mark Henry in a cage for The World Title

What I liked: The finishing spot was really cool (Michael Cole's horrible commentary notwithstanding).  Show displayed incredible strength holding all Bryan's weight with one hand.  It was also amazing that he could get to the top of the cage. ... Mark Henry showed he was a company man by gutting it out and doing all that he could in the match.  He was obviously hurting but he gave all that he had.

What I didn't: I really didn't like that the World Title match opened the show but I get why it did because out of the four announced bouts, it mattered the least to creative.  It's a shame, for sure. ... Michael Cole's character totally blows.  He has hated Bryan all along because he was a dorky babyface.  Now he is a heel and Cole is still acting like he's a face, as if he doesn't pay attention to the product.  I don't expect Cole to genuflect to Bryan like he does for The Miz, but he should at least be throwing out some "The kid is showing me something I never knew he had in him" kinds of comments. ... And speaking of Bryan, I wish they would do more to actually elevate him.  Giving him the belt is not enough.  WWE made money in the Attitude era because people believed in the wrestlers as fighters.  That is sorely missing today in most cases.

Overall view on the segment: Given the limitations they had with Henry's injury and the size disparity of Show and Bryan, they did as much as they could have with the match.  It was OK overall and the finish was cool.

The Bellas, Natalya and Beth Phoenix vs. Kelly Kelly, Alicia Fox, Eve and Tamina

What I liked: The girls worked as hard as they could and they had a big spot where Kelly did the splash to the floor on everyone. ... I really liked the way it seemed at the end that Beth said screw this, slapped a Bella to tag in and ended the match.

What I didn't: It was a popcorn match on one of the biggest PPVs of the year.  No one cared about it because WWE has done such a horrible job in pushing the ladies.  It was pure filler and that should never happen on a A PPV.

Overall view on the segment: It added nothing to my enjoyment of the show.  It was a Raw segment.

John Cena vs. Kane

What I liked: Not one damn thing about it. And before anyone calls me a Cena hater, that isn't true.  When he was working hard in matches with CM Punk last summer and conveying his character as a real guy instead of a cartoon character cooked up by someone mixing heroin, somas, methamphetamine, Listerine, Preparation H, WD 40 and ethyl alcohol into a cocktail, I spoke highly of him.  Sadly, that character is long gone.

What I didn't: I could just say everything, I really could.  I am sure I will forget some things but I'll start with the most obvious and that is the ridiculously insipid storyline.  From the portrayal of Zack Ryder as a wimp that needs John Cena and Eve to fight his battles, to Cena's ridiculously bad acting and lack of proper timing where facials and preening instead of killing a guy who he is supposed to hate, to Kane's lack of overness, to the involvement of John Laurinaitis, this has painful from day one.  It's a mess and a train wreck and it's not resonating with most of the fans.  So what do they do, book a screwjob non-finish on a show that fans paid for, which will keep it going.  Lucky freakin' us. ... The work itself was pedestrian at best.  In fact, it wasn't even that good.  The match had zero realism to it.  Cena wants to kill Kane supposedly but he sure didn't act like it here. ... Uh, wasn't Triple H removed from the Raw figurehead because he was fostering an unsafe work environment?  Isn't Jobby Ace getting the verdict on whether he will keep his spot tonight on Raw?  Since the answer is yes to both, wouldn't Ace want to do all he could do to keep a guy in a wheelchair, wearing D Lo Brown's chest gimmick, from getting beaten up and tombstoned?  HELLO! 

Overall view on the segment: I hated every single thing about this, from Jobby Ace putting Zack in the VIP room, to the match itself, to Cena preening on the top before doing the Shuffle, to the horrible finish, to Kane attacking Zack, to Eve's bad acting in the ring, to Superman Cena, trying to once again save that wimp Zack (who had the audacity to go and get himself over when WWE wouldn't push him - well they showed him didn't they), to the fact that this wretched storyline will continue.

Brodus Clay vs. Drew McIntyre

What I liked: Not a whole lot really, but at least they are still pushing Brodus hard.

What I didn't: Poor Drew McIntyre, he gets on a PPV only to be squashed by a weeble in green.  It's such a waste of talent.

Overall view on the segment: It was a TV squash match on a PPV.  There really isn't a lot to like about it.  It's not like it made me feel better about a show that I already felt ripped off from.

CM Punk vs. Dolph Ziggler for the WWE Title

What I liked: They both worked hard and did the best work on the show. They did all that they could, in their power, to make the match good.  What they could control, they delivered on.

What I didn't: The whole John Laurinaitis storyline really hurt the match.  It is such a poor man's version of Mr. McMahon screwing Steve Austin that it's pitiful. ... I also hated that they made Ziggler look so bad, cleanly losing four times.  How will people take him seriously after that?  They kill young guys so often that it's mind blowing to me that they can't see it.  How does anyone take Ziggler seriously now?  He had a month of screwy victories on Raw that did nothing for him and then got his ass handed to him last night.  Brilliant booking geniuses. ... Jobby Ace decided to stay outside of the ring before the match, yet still wore a sleeveless ref's shirt.  I guess he thinks he has rockin' arms or something. ... The booking at the end was just ridiculous and insidious.

The Royal Rumble

What I liked: Sheamus winning was the high point of the show to me.  Obviously, they need more guys at the top of the card and Sheamus looks like he can be one of the few guys that they have that can be elevated.  It is time for them to do it.  I just hope they do it the right way. ... Ricardo Rodriguez was really entertaining.  The "blast from the past" pops for Hacksaw Duggan and Jesse James were cool too.  And, Mick Foley played his role in the best way that he could.  His sock off with Santino was goofy, but funny. ... Kharma's return was a fun surprise.  Nice to have her back. ... The Kofi walking on his hands spot was awesome.  The rules say both feet have to touch the mat.  They didn't.  Very cool stuff.

What I didn't: The biggest thing that bothered me about the Rumble was the fact that the company is so bereft of talent right now that they had to put three announcers in the match.  Plus, it wasn't until Sheamus came out at 22 that I really believed that someone who could actually win joined the match.  There were just far too many people that have been booked so poorly for so long that I just knew they had no chance at winning the match.  It hurts the bout when all but a few guys have a legitimate chance at winning. ... As Stu said on the post game show, no one got that "Wow, he has lasted way longer than we thought" rub.  A good example of that is Alex Riley.  He returns, gets the number two slot and is eliminated before the third entrant even comes out.  That right there tells you exactly how bad the creative process is.  Now, at some time in the future when they decide to give Riley a push, they will be stumped as to why he doesn't over.  Think back to nights like last WWE creative. ... Michael Cole is so horrible.  He is at ringside with Booker, who is in his WRESTLING TRUNKS.  And Cole is shocked Booker is in the Rumble, as if it's normal for an announcer to come out in front of a crowd in his underwear for no real reason. 

Overall view on the segment: The match itself, as a match, was fine but the lack of people with a legitimate chance to win, as well as the fact that no one was given a push up the card with a heroic performance, hurt the bout a lot for me.  By this point this had to be awesome to make the show OK and it wasn't awesome.

Other Stuff

What I liked: The video package that they did on The Rock was really cool and well done.  So was the Royal Rumble from the past package.  WWE does a great job at producing said packages.  It is truly one of their strengths. ... While WWE is having problems coming up with a launch date for the WWE network, they don't have similar problems with YouTube and their channel there.  It starts on Wednesday.  Why I like this is they will make money off of YouTube, which is a plus.  I have major doubts about the viability of the network and think it will cost them money, so I like that it has been pushed back.  Take the money from YouTube WWE.  You may find that is all you need and drop the network concept altogether.  It's not like you have to explain yourself if you do (just ask the anonymous Raw General Manager - whoever it is - about tying up loose ends).

What I didn't: The "Please love John Cena because he really is a great guy" video package made me want to vomit.  Only in the ass backward world of WWE do they look at a real life situation of a lot of adult male fans hating Cena because of how WWE books him and instead of saying "maybe we should make his character less dorkish and more appealing to those fans, we will tell them what they are missing and try to get them to change".  If WWE ran a car company, they would still be pushing Hummers as gas prices went through the roof.  It's ridiculous to know there is a problem and do nothing positive to address and fix it, yet that is what WWE does over and over again. ... Speaking of the video packages I mentioned above, while they were great they also had the undesired effect of making me realize how great the product has been in the past and how it pales in comparison today.  Again, you would think that integral WWE employees would pick up on this as they were putting the videos together and/or watching them. ... The announcing on the whole was putrid.  There were so many times that Michael Cole or Booker T said something so stupid that I wanted throw my remote at my TV that I lost count of them.  Announcing is supposed to enhance the product.  It did not last night, it hurt it. ... Comcast charging 10 dollars more for the HD feed.  I only noticed this recently and find it to be an utter rip off.  I have the "pretty much everything" package and as someone who pays for extra channels, I think HD should be included on PPVs.  Last night I made a conscious decision to not be ripped off and bought the Standard Definition version.  As it turns out, it was a wise move.

Overall view on the segment: Not applicable on the whole but it bears mentioning that the announcing of Michael Cole, and to a lesser degree Booker T, was so bad that made a bad show worse.  A lot worse.

In summation, my opinion today is no different than it was last night.  This is supposed to be an "A" PPV, the one that sets the course to the biggest show of the year.  Maybe they did so last night and if that is the case it's scary for WWE because overall this was a bad show both from what we saw on TV as well as what it said about where the company is and could be going.  See the company for what and where it is WWE, before it's too late.

 

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