Theres Gonna Be A Rumble Tonight, A Very Royal Rumble Tonight

[Suicane75]

Well, for the most part we'll have a pretty good idea what the card for WM is after tonights show. I'm thinking Batistas monster push begins here tonight with a rumble victory.

[jbmagic]

i think for WM main event, it will be Batistas vs Triple H

[Joe]

ba-who?

[MikeVic]

I'm also thinking it would make sense for Batista to win. That means Cena will win. :P

[Suicane75]

I'm also thinking it would make sense for Batista to win. That means Cena will win. :P

Yeah, i was thinking that too, but seeing as how I don't watch Smackdown that would suck for me, so I'm going with Batista. :D

[panerd]

Here is what I don't understand the winner gets a title shot at Wrestlemania. For what belt? If Batista wins the obviosuly it is for HHH's, but if Cena wins (or another smackdown wrestler) is it for the belt currently held by Bradshaw? Maybe the WWE has explained this and I just don't pay close enough attention.

[Suicane75]

Here is what I don't understand the winner gets a title shot at Wrestlemania. For what belt? If Batista wins the obviosuly it is for HHH's, but if Cena wins (or another smackdown wrestler) is it for the belt currently held by Bradshaw? Maybe the WWE has explained this and I just don't pay close enough attention.

Essentially the winner is suppose to face whoever the champ is of the brand he wrestles for, but Benoit last year won as a Smackdown guy and then jumped to RAW because he wanted to face HHH, but I think this year it's pretty much assumed that the winner will face his own brands champ.

[TLK]

I'm #30 tonight... :)

[JeffNights]

The Royal Rumble is a shell of its former glory.

My favorite rumble would have to be when Ric Flair drew number three.
i still can remember clearly Bobby Heenan screaming "Be fair to Fliar!!!" and then "This is not fair to FLair!"

Classic.

[DaddyTorgo]

I've totally stopped watching wrestling (in my view the demise of WCw and ECW killed the creative drive of the WWE) but I have one question for those who watch. Every so often I'll be flipping channels, usually past Smackdown and I'll catch a Kurt Angle interview, or some other interview. And those I'll watch for a second or two, just to shake my head and laugh. So my question is...who is this "JBL" guy, and where'd he come from?

[Joe]

do they still do that "tough enuff" show? that was funny.

[Neon_Chaos]

I've totally stopped watching wrestling (in my view the demise of WCw and ECW killed the creative drive of the WWE) but I have one question for those who watch. Every so often I'll be flipping channels, usually past Smackdown and I'll catch a Kurt Angle interview, or some other interview. And those I'll watch for a second or two, just to shake my head and laugh. So my question is...who is this "JBL" guy, and where'd he come from?

It's John Bradshaw Leyfield.

Used to have a horrible corbow gimmick, Blackjack Bradshaw. :)

Then teamed up with Ron Simmons (aka Farooq) as the Acolytes during their stint with the Undertaker's stable.

After that, the Acolytes became the A.P.A. (Acolyte Protection Agency) and they became beer-drinking, cigar-smoking, poker-playing tough-guys.

THEN, he cuts his hair, turns blond and goes solo. JBL is currently his rich-man gimmick not too different with the Million Dollar Man. He was pushed hard and to the moon as the biggest heel in Smackdown. The entire thing started out to be horrible and unwatchable, but I think he's done good with the character, and he makes for very funny segments specially when he went up against The Undertaker.

[DaddyTorgo]

It's John Bradshaw Leyfield.

Used to have a horrible corbow gimmick, Blackjack Bradshaw. :)

Then teamed up with Ron Simmons (aka Farooq) as the Acolytes during their stint with the Undertaker's stable.

After that, the Acolytes became the A.P.A. (Acolyte Protection Agency) and they became beer-drinking, cigar-smoking, poker-playing tough-guys.

THEN, he cuts his hair, turns blond and goes solo. JBL is currently his rich-man gimmick not too different with the Million Dollar Man. He was pushed hard and to the moon as the biggest heel in Smackdown. The entire thing started out to be horrible and unwatchable, but I think he's done good with the character, and he makes for very funny segments specially when he went up against The Undertaker.
HOLY HELL!!! THAT'S BRADSHAW?!!? Sweet. I was wondering if he was some new rookie guy they'd signed and were pushing the hell out of. Good to know it's at least an old-timer.

[Greyroofoo]

I used to watch wrestling religious in the 90s. I stopped watching just soon after it left USA. However now I'm beginning to date this girl thats really into it. So it looks like I'm gonna start watching it again.

[TLK]

Batista is your winner folks....

[Flasch186]

imagine that


this whole Batista v. HHH thing will have run its course in a matter of 2 months and be over....WHILE the WWE could use some decent writing and have those 2 and some others intertwined in a story for a year and grab viewers (get them involved in the characters) but if Im not mistaken just 1 month ago Batista was just an enforcer (which garners no fan involvement)....they just blow it every time by not following simple writing rules of thumb. Films that are an hour and half long can grab audiences better than a weekly show....im sorry, that is pathetic.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Flasch, you & I may not agree very often, but FWIW I think you've done a good job in explaining one of the very simple rules that VinnieMac has never grasped in his tiny little mind. It ain't brain surgery ... but it manages to escape him time & time again.

[Suicane75]

Storylines will never go back to being what they were, it would be the deathknell of the WWE for them to try and stretch angles out that long, you simply can't do it in todays age. There are no more squash matches, you have to draw ratings over 4 hours of primetime TV every week, you don't have the luxury they had in the old days.

And furthermore, if they tried to stretch the HHH/Batista fued out it would simply die off, the fans want to pay for Batista/HHH right NOW, this thing has been on a slow burn for the past 2 months, and it will be 2 more months till WM, imo theyve done a tremendouse in not hotshotting this angle.

The problem isn't in delivering the match, the problem is doing the right thing and putting Batista over and letting him sink or swim as a face Champion, he certainly needs to be protected as far as his challengers go but for once they ARE listening to the fans and giving the fans what they want.

[Suicane75]

Dola, and the finish to the RR was horrid. Instead of giving 1 guy the spotlight they divided the crowd which only served to lessen the reaction to both guys. There was no need have it finish like that, just a dreadfull finish that would of better served by having it come down to Edge/Batista or Flair/Batista.

[Flasch186]

Storylines will never go back to being what they were, it would be the deathknell of the WWE for them to try and stretch angles out that long, you simply can't do it in todays age. There are no more squash matches, you have to draw ratings over 4 hours of primetime TV every week, you don't have the luxury they had in the old days.

And furthermore, if they tried to stretch the HHH/Batista fued out it would simply die off, the fans want to pay for Batista/HHH right NOW, this thing has been on a slow burn for the past 2 months, and it will be 2 more months till WM, imo theyve done a tremendouse in not hotshotting this angle.

The problem isn't in delivering the match, the problem is doing the right thing and putting Batista over and letting him sink or swim as a face Champion, he certainly needs to be protected as far as his challengers go but for once they ARE listening to the fans and giving the fans what they want.


wrong...their highest ratings were back then, when a 6 months old feud climaxed. Now adays their ratings wallow in the same range until PPV's. If theyre happy with mediocrity to subpar and use that excuse then they will continue to have a below average product and leave the door open for people like me to stop watching. period. When they start exploring the idea of allowing the audience to get deeply involved they'll see the results of their investment otherwise, its HHH, Flair, and a bunch of other guys that come and go.

They've done it both ways, the old WWE way (success) and the new WCW way (failure). The proof is in the puddin'

[Joe]

Flair is still wrestling? WTF?

[TLK]

wrong...their highest ratings were back then, when a 6 months old feud climaxed. Now adays their ratings wallow in the same range until PPV's. If theyre happy with mediocrity to subpar and use that excuse then they will continue to have a below average product and leave the door open for people like me to stop watching. period. When they start exploring the idea of allowing the audience to get deeply involved they'll see the results of their investment otherwise, its HHH, Flair, and a bunch of other guys that come and go.

They've done it both ways, the old WWE way (success) and the new WCW way (failure). The proof is in the puddin' actually, I believe the highest rated wrestling match was Goldberg vs. Hogan, which was hotshotted in one show....

[JonInMiddleGA]

actually, I believe the highest rated wrestling match was Goldberg vs. Hogan, which was hot-shoted in one show....

I was at the Georgia Dome for that match, by far the loudest crowd I've ever been a part of for any event. Mass f'n insanity ensued, total euphoria on a sold-out basis.

But I don't know if I'd say that was a true hotshot match, considering it had become fairly obvious that the match was what was being built toward for quite a while. It was inevitable really, but it was soooooo overwhelmingly wanted by the fanbase that the short range payoff exceeded your usual hotshot. Maybe one of the last feelgood moments I got from pro wrestling, not so much for me but just to be a part of a crowd that was so hot.

[MikeVic]

McMahon injures himself.. haha. That was bad.

I thought the HBK/Edge could have been good. But too many weird spots where it seemed like they got mixed up. The casket match turned into a joke quick (when Kane was in the casket.. WTF). I wanted anyone but JBL to have the title, and HHH as the winner was guaranteed, so I didn't care for the match at all.

The actual Rumble was decent. The beginning was funny. And nice to see Benjamin and Haas do their tag team move again. :)

[MikeVic]

Flair is still wrestling? WTF?

Yeah, people love him... :) He's just really used as a joke though.... but it's funny.

[MikeVic]

The Royal Rumble is a shell of its former glory.

My favorite rumble would have to be when Ric Flair drew number three.
i still can remember clearly Bobby Heenan screaming "Be fair to Fliar!!!" and then "This is not fair to FLair!"

Classic.

Last year's actual Rumble match was classic. I suggest you watch that. Really awesome ending. Had me "marking" out. :D

[Suicane75]

Goldberg/Hogan was hotshotted, it was also the last time WCW ever beat the WWE in the ratings, and it was a terrible decision. The amount of revenue they could of gotten on PPV or as a built up TV match would have been astounding, but Bischoff was desperate and essentially decided on the match and ran it 10 days later.

Here are my thoughts on the RR, copied from an email I just sent off to Meltzer.

A very entertaining show all the way up to the last 5 minutes.

Micheals/Edge seemed to be almost an afterthough as the news of the Micheals/Angle match has leaked, really seemed to put a damper on what should of been a pretty big blowoff match, I feel bad for Edge in that regard, match was average.

The Heidenreich/Snitsky meeting was hillarious, i'm probably in the minority but I love Snitskys character, if only they could keep him out of the ring.
Undertaker/Heidenreich had enough going on that it wasn't brutal.

The Smackdown title match had a pretty good flow and enough big spots to keep it entertaining, I really enjoyed it.

Loved the RAW title match. It's a shame that they dont do the "the guy is just to hurt" angle more often, it creates a clean finish and doesn't do alot to diminish the loser. And Orton did a great job, he played the concussion very well, just an excellently booked and executed match.

Now to the Rumble. My 4 friends and I all had the same thoughts on Pruder, 1) This guy doesn't belong in there 2) This is bordering on some real sadistic behavior.
The match itself was booked very nicely right up until the end. McMahon had no need to be in there and as a result of whatever happened to him it made it look very goofy with him just sitting there, the focus was on him when it should of been on Batista and Cena. The double elimination was a dumb idea, but if your gonna do it, do it, don't do it and restart the match only for a finish to occur 20 seconds later. And lastly, why in the world do the two top guys have to be the last 2, I got the feeling that it really diminished both of them to have to share the spotlight at the end. Instead of 1 guy being really over you had the crowd split and neither guy really getting the big rub, and the crowd just seemed so deflated after the last elmination, just a complete cluster**** of a finish.

Best Match- RAW World Title Match (Loved the booking)
Worst Match- Edge/Micheals (Just felt flat to me wheras the UT/Heidenreich match had alot of stuff going on to keep interesting, even if the interest was morbid.)

[Suicane75]

wrong...their highest ratings were back then, when a 6 months old feud climaxed. Now adays their ratings wallow in the same range until PPV's. If theyre happy with mediocrity to subpar and use that excuse then they will continue to have a below average product and leave the door open for people like me to stop watching. period. When they start exploring the idea of allowing the audience to get deeply involved they'll see the results of their investment otherwise, its HHH, Flair, and a bunch of other guys that come and go.

They've done it both ways, the old WWE way (success) and the new WCW way (failure). The proof is in the puddin'



I'm not really sure what you're saying. It seems to me you dislike the characters/writing more than the length of time.

HHH vs Orton has been going on for 5 months.
Edge/Micheals close to 4 months.

I don't see the problem as longevity or immersion, but rather as quality of the content or the skill of the wrestler.

[Flasch186]

actually, I believe the highest rated wrestling match was Goldberg vs. Hogan, which was hotshotted in one show....

Goldberg hometown and hogan in Georgia dome....not a good example to debunk my theory

[jbmagic]

for this WM coming,


you guys think Smackdown and Raw will do crossover matches like they did last season?

[Flasch186]

I'm not really sure what you're saying. It seems to me you dislike the characters/writing more than the length of time.

HHH vs Orton has been going on for 5 months.
Edge/Micheals close to 4 months.

I don't see the problem as longevity or immersion, but rather as quality of the content or the skill of the wrestler.

its a blend, without the length, the investment, then the audience doesnt have enought ime to love the character and vice versa. it needs time to ferment and the results could be enormous.

[Neon_Chaos]

OH YEAH! BATISTA BABY, WHOOO!

I guess they threw the Orton-HHH feud out the window after seeing how Orton was a lousy, and I MEAN HORRIBLY LOUSY Face. :)

[MikeVic]

for this WM coming,


you guys think Smackdown and Raw will do crossover matches like they did last season?

I can at least see Kane/Taker vs Snitsky/Heidenreich. And I think there's rumours about Angle vs HBK... so I'll predict "yes, they'll do crossover matches." :)

[Deattribution]

WWE show script....

'Minor' fued

Fight each other 3 times in 4 weeks, they fight at the PPV, fight 3 more times in the following weeks and fight again at the next PPV followed by the 'finale' on the next week of Raw/Smackdown that always makes everyone happy they bought the PPV :rolleyes: ... end of fued..... rinse and repeat.


'Major' fueds... wrestler A pisses off wrestler B, a dozen 30 minute interviews that could be summed up in 2 minutes ensue, the insanity reaches it's height when they meet in a tag (or 6 man tag) match before the PPV, and the winner of this match loses at the PPV 8 out of 10 times.

fill rest of week with twelve Hurricane vs Funaki matches and make Maven fight someone from the midcard... Release anyone that the 20 man 'creative' team can't think up anything for.

[Joe]

OH YEAH! BATISTA BABY, WHOOO!

I guess they threw the Orton-HHH feud out the window after seeing how Orton was a lousy, and I MEAN HORRIBLY LOUSY Face. :)

Orton is still around too? Maaaan you learn something new every day. Dude's gotta be like 70-75 now.

[jbmagic]

Orton is still around too? Maaaan you learn something new every day. Dude's gotta be like 70-75 now.



NO he is in his twenty's something


your probably thinking of his dad :)