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Congratulations to Cryme Tyme on greeting the fans of San Antonio while wrestling in Dallas. Perhaps they need to steal a map.
It seems that Donald Trump is even less entertaining on Raw than someone parodying him. Perhaps the men in question should wrestle each other. What a waste that whole segment was.
Ray Barnes
Surrey BC Canada
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It was a decent RAW following the Rumble but nothing really stood out as spectacular. The Vince McMahon/Donald Trump vignette was cute and not overdone though the Vince/Jackie skit was a bit much. The Edge/Orton vs. Cena/Michaels match was great up until the finish. I hated the finish. I loved how they sold the Undertaker either going for the ECW or the World Title and not challenging Cena until he appeared after Cena’s match. It makes sense for Taker to challenge Cena because they have not feuded in over three years. It will be fresh and not done over and over. I was amazed by the bruises on Umaga’s neck following being choked out last night. I give the show a solid B.
Jeff Payton
Chattanooga, Tennessee
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I'm amazed at Scherer's outlook on the PPV but anyhow..
For me (and my friends had the same thoughts) this show had more negative than positive. Apart from Cena and Umaga delivering the goods and 2 vets showing the young guys how you tell a story in the last 10 min. of a Rumble Match.....well what else was there!? 40 + $ for those 2 above mentioned things? No way.
The opener was an opener and they did what they always do when called upon to start a PPV. Test and Lashley (with an iota of opportunity) could have presented a physical ECW type match which would have given the buyers a little more to sink there teeth into. However, WWE refuses to breath life into the brand and literally stuck a middle finger in face (and i blame Vince and co. not the average worker and Mr. Green) with the presentation of this match and the finish........a countout!? My middle finger right back at you Vince. I loathe Batista as champion as I feel he has done nothing to earn this position except working alongside HHH for a long time. Wow, what a reason to give the guy a top spot. Oops....my bad....he has the "look" and people cheer....anyways.....No problem with Kennedy but Batista can't do anything to make this match good and his performance was lackluster and there is no excuse at this time especially at one of the WWE's top PPV's.
As for the Rumble match...well...I see a problem in the booking when I don't see WWE giving an opportunity to 1 or 2 individuals to show off their skill or at least make a long appearance (even if they won't win or challenge the actual winner in the match or they could set that up..) so that it helps to build these talents and gives them a bit of a boost that can be used for future reference or storyline. Nothing.....I predicted the last four and most of the talent was useless. I have no problem with Taker at all and I'm glad that he might retire with a championship reign? At the same time it says something when two 40 y/o are the 2 remaining superstars in the 2007 Royal Rumble and as content as i am in UT going to WM 23 we have to remember who's waiting for him on the other side with the belt. Can't wait for Taker's last? match (or even if it's not) to be against someone who really doesn't deserve to be there and who will, no doubtedly, bring the match quality down and ruin the contest.
Royal Rumble.....thumbs down!
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This years Rumble seemed a little rushed to me, and seemed to have entrants every 30 seconds. Regardless, it was still very entertaining, especially the ending, as it was the first rumble in a long time where you didn't know who was going to win, as compared to previous years, for example 2006, when you knew it was going to be Rey Mysterio, Brock in 2003, and HHH in 2002.
The opening tag match was a very good way to start the show, but it seems that WWE PPV's these days always begin with a strong opener, then decline in quality until the main event. I'm glad they let them go long, as they were able to really showcase a lot, and it was a great way to start the show.
While not expecting too much from the ECW Title match, i expected more than this. The match itself wasn't bad, except the horrible finish. It didn't make sense that when Test had the upper hand (with Lashley's injured arm) that he would just leave the match. Maybe they were trying to show that Lashley, even with an injured arm, kept coming back, so Test walked out realizing he couldn't beat him. Even though, after a clothesline, Test should have come back, maybe taking out the other arm. It just didn't make sense that when you have a story in the match of taking out a body part, you would just bail out, when you have the advantage. The booking was horrible, and makes you think why they booked Test to have him work on Lashley's arm, when they end the match like they did.
The Kennedy-Batista match was very done, while not the most entertaining match, helped elevate Kennedy, and showed he is main event material. He took it to Batista, and put in a very impressive performance, working on Batista's leg. Like the previous match, but made sense. The angle with Kennedy working over Batista's leg would have been more effective if they were given more time, as the 'pick a body part and go to work on it' approach only seems to work in longer matches. JBL is also showing how he is a much better color man than Lawler, as he really makes the fans watching at home why a wrestler is doing certain things in a match. This was when Kennedy was working over Batista's leg near the ropes, and while Batista, was nursing the leg, Kennedy kicks him in the face, which was open. JBL did a great job explaining this, and helped it make sense of why it was done.
The Last Man Standing match was excellent, and showed that Cena can still have great matches, while not having a wide arsenal of moves. In these gimmick matches, he can really perform. This also served as a way to elevate Umaga, as it showed how tough he really was, and the finish was excellent. Umaga didn't lose anything because of it, as he passed out, and it was a believable finish, and John Cena showed so much intensity and relentlessness, it put him over big. Also, it gave him a proper victory over Umaga, and proved he can stop the Umaga, after his flash pin last month at NYR. I also noticed how the crowd was really getting behind Cena near the end, and appreciated his efforts. This match showcased John's work ethic, and much like Austin and Rock, while not the most technically sound wrestler, can still have great matches that tell a story, and get the fans involved. This loss doesn't hurt Umaga at all, as he still has that unstoppable monster image, as it took a ring rope to choke him out to get the win, otherwise he just keep coming back from everything that Cena threw at him. There were points in that match were I thought that Umaga wouldn't get up, but he kept getting up. Umaga deserves to stay in the top tier after this effort, and a switch to Smackdown or ECW wouldn't be bad, and feuds with both Taker and Lashley should be excellent.
The Rumble itself was entertaining as it usually is, although entrants seemed to come in every 30-45 seconds, as opposed to 90. I guess they did that because they were running short of time and had approximately an hour or less to get it all in. I didn't see many big names come in early on, with Edge as the exception in the first 10 entrants. Although Flair is a big name, he wasn't a favorite. It would have made it more interesting if bigger names like Taker and HBK had entered earlier. With Taker entering 30, some might think he had an easy ride, although I can understand why they have big guys like Taker enter late. From the King Booker and Kane exchange (with Kane eliminating Booker, and Booker returning the favour), it seems like they may be going for a Kane v Booker match at Wrestlemania, instead of the rumored HBK v King Booker match. This could be a way of getting a big match on the No Way Out card however, by giving Booker a big win over Kane going into Mania. The ending was awesome, as the final four were the four favorites, which is seldom done anymore, and you knew it could be any of the four. There was that possible scenario when HBK was outside, that Taker would be eliminated, and then a 2 on 1 on HBK to eliminate him. There were just so many ways they could.
It was almost surreal seeing Taker and HBK as the last two. When they were feuding 10 years ago, who would have thought 10 years later, they would still be on top, and the last two in the 2007 Rumble. I was getting goosebumps and that nostalgic feeling seeing them go at it. I would love to see them two lock up again in a match at maybe Summerslam, or Wrestlemania 24 just one last time.
I'm glad they went with Taker winning, as he has never won, and although he doesn't need the win, it was a great tribute for Taker to let him have the win, as this was the only accolade that had eluded through his career.
Wasim, UK
