2015 Royal Rumble (1/25/15)

[PeoplesChampGB]

Re: 2015 Royal Rumble (1/25/15)

They held titles though. In fact, Jericho was the first ever "undisputed" champion.

Jericho was IC and Euro Champion during the Attitude Era.

Benoit was IC Champion during the Attitude Era.

Everytime they held a world title it was taken away from them. Jericho on RAW to Triple H and Benoit at Fully Loaded 2000 to The Rock.

Jericho was fed to Kurt Angle, Triple H, and Benoit during the Attitude Era.

Benoit was fed to Triple H and The Rock primarily.

[reyes the roof]

Re: 2015 Royal Rumble (1/25/15)

The reaction Reigns got had me thinking, when is the last time a heel won a main event at a ppv and got a reaction like Reigns did? In the year that I've been back in to watching, I don't remember it happening once

[PeoplesChampGB]

Re: 2015 Royal Rumble (1/25/15)

The reaction Reigns got had me thinking, when is the last time a heel won a main event at a ppv and got a reaction like Reigns did? In the year that I've been back in to watching, I don't remember it happening once

I didn't watch those ppvs, but I bet Orton beating Bryan caused that kind of reaction.

[DonkeyJote]

Re: 2015 Royal Rumble (1/25/15)

I didn't watch those ppvs, but I bet Orton beating Bryan caused that kind of reaction.

Yeah, probably Orton cashing in on Bryan.

[CanadianPuckHead]

Re: 2015 Royal Rumble (1/25/15)

it seems to me the people that are going overboard with the hate after bryan losing the rumble fall into 1 of 2 categories

1 people that think the fans book the shows... which if was true, zack ryder would of been world champion a couple years ago, fandango would of probably won MITB when he was getting his pop. the fact is this idea of "wwe has to give fans what they want" has NEVER been the case... what comes to mind is back when Sgt Slaughter beat Warrior for the belt... NOBODY wanted that.

OR

2 people that think they are experts and know who works hard, deserves a shot, etc... this idea when people say "Reigns isn't ready" makes me laugh because if they really knew who was ready or wasn't they would have a job as a booker.



on a side note I am a Daniel Bryan fan... but people need to be realistic about him and his popularity.

his in ring work is great nobody can deny that... but his matches have been a bit predictable lately.

his microphone skills are average at best... i don't remember him ever having a memorable promo... his "hinting at retirement" speech a couple months back wasn't even as good as when Mark Henry did his.

and if everyone is perfectly honest... until he grew the wild beard and got the "yes" chant (which he only got as a heel and fans chanting yes when he said no) he was kind of floating in nowhere

[jvalverde88]

Re: 2015 Royal Rumble (1/25/15)

Fandango never ever ever ever got the the same reactions as Daniel Bryan, Fandango only got noticed because of the Raw crowd after Wrestlemania 29. Absolutely no one cared for Fandango or his gimmick.

I really hate the Zack Ryder arguement that people seem to make nowadays. No one (at least in these boards) were crying for Ryder to get a massive push. Were people crying about him getting a fair shot/push? Of course, which he did get for a short time before all the little momentum he had was killed by Cena and Kane.

[StevenSD]

Re: 2015 Royal Rumble (1/25/15)

it seems to me the people that are going overboard with the hate after bryan losing the rumble fall into 1 of 2 categories

1 people that think the fans book the shows... which if was true, zack ryder would of been world champion a couple years ago, fandango would of probably won MITB when he was getting his pop. the fact is this idea of "wwe has to give fans what they want" has NEVER been the case... what comes to mind is back when Sgt Slaughter beat Warrior for the belt... NOBODY wanted that.

OR

2 people that think they are experts and know who works hard, deserves a shot, etc... this idea when people say "Reigns isn't ready" makes me laugh because if they really knew who was ready or wasn't they would have a job as a booker.

I think you are being extremely narrow minded with your thinking. No one here is saying they should be booking the shows, or have even indicated that. You also can't blame people for wanting to see the guys who get the biggest pops more ring time and a push. A majority of the negativity from the Rumble has been because it was extremely predictable, and none of the top faces were able to put on a strong showing.

WWE doesn't hire bookers by the way, they hire script writers and rename them "creative".

[SmashMan]

Re: 2015 Royal Rumble (1/25/15)

and if everyone is perfectly honest... until he grew the wild beard and got the "yes" chant (which he only got as a heel and fans chanting yes when he said no) he was kind of floating in nowhere

So he wasn't doing anything until...he developed a unique look and found something that hooked the crowd?

Couldn't you say the same thing for just about every top guy, ever?

[Bellsprout]

Re: 2015 Royal Rumble (1/25/15)

Couldn't you say the same thing for just about every top guy, ever?

No you can't. And that's why Ringmaster Steve Austin, Rocky Maivia, and Hunter Hearst Helmsley never changed at all and definitely connected with the audience instantly.

[ubernoob]

Re: 2015 Royal Rumble (1/25/15)

Hunter Hearst Helmsley never changed at all and definitely connected with the audience instantly.

If we're counting WWE, then you're correct.

However, Terra Ryzing definitely was WCW's NEXT BIG THING.

[reyes the roof]

Re: 2015 Royal Rumble (1/25/15)

I still can't believe Lesnar broke Mean Mark Callous' streak

[jvalverde88]

Re: 2015 Royal Rumble (1/25/15)

I still can't believe Lesnar broke Mean Mark Callous' streak

I can't believe Isaac Yankem is a former world champion.

[philliesfan136]

Re: 2015 Royal Rumble (1/25/15)

1 people that think the fans book the shows... which if was true, zack ryder would of been world champion a couple years ago, fandango would of probably won MITB when he was getting his pop. the fact is this idea of "wwe has to give fans what they want" has NEVER been the case... what comes to mind is back when Sgt Slaughter beat Warrior for the belt... NOBODY wanted that.

OR

2 people that think they are experts and know who works hard, deserves a shot, etc... this idea when people say "Reigns isn't ready" makes me laugh because if they really knew who was ready or wasn't they would have a job as a booker.

on a side note I am a Daniel Bryan fan... but people need to be realistic about him and his popularity.

his in ring work is great nobody can deny that... but his matches have been a bit predictable lately.

his microphone skills are average at best... i don't remember him ever having a memorable promo... his "hinting at retirement" speech a couple months back wasn't even as good as when Mark Henry did his.

and if everyone is perfectly honest... until he grew the wild beard and got the "yes" chant (which he only got as a heel and fans chanting yes when he said no) he was kind of floating in nowhere

rant time:

Spoiler

No one ever said Ryder was World Title material. US title/IC title, fine. At least it's a gimmick, he was white-hot over. No one deserves to get buried that hard when they're trying to make you money. Fandango wasn't over besides post-WM 29, he's an alright midcarder to me. No one was clamoring for him to be in title pictures. Fans aren't asking to book, I think most will agree we just want something surprising to happen. Everyone knew Reigns would win the Rumble but I wanted to think, just maybe, someone else would pull the upset for a change. Just because "giving the fans what they want" has "never" been the case, that doesn't mean it shouldn't be. Aren't they paying and watching to be entertained?

No, I will not eat your bull**** WWE. I like to watch who I want to watch.

It's pretty much a given who works hard, you don't have to be an expert. Bryan, for example, has been wrestling and beating his body up since 1999, indies and WWE and just came back from a possibly career-ending injury to wrestle for the fans that love him. He's the most over wrestler they've had in a decade. Reigns isn't ready - he's been around since 2010 in FCW and on the main roster for two years, mainly as a tag wrestler who only knows face comebacks. One PPV singles match with Orton so far. Not great on promos either and seemingly getting a main event spot regardless. He didn't get where he was by impressing in any way but with his body/looks, football background, and his family bloodlines, with a touch of potential charisma. They alluded to his superpush in a tongue-in-cheek kayfabe promo where Reigns basically thanked WWE for strapping the rocket on. It's apparent, clear in our faces, on television who's ready or not. You see it in the ring, you see it on the mic. Whether it's scripted promos that are his problem, what he's given to do, how they make his character, that's their decision. But he doesn't connect in the way they're hoping, at least not yet.

Sure, WWE's the booker. They are probably better bookers than people who don't have experience. But they don't always know how to use their talent and make the most out of who they have. Let's not blindly follow their ideals and sit on our hands, accepting whatever Vince gives us. The fans have the power to voice their opinion, it's not always hate. If everyone just sat here and accepted whoever WWE wants to push (44 year-old Batista in 2014) Daniel Bryan would probably not have won the WWE World Heavyweight title at Wrestlemania. They have a very single-minded mindset of who they want in the top spot, their prototypical stars. It doesn't need to be one guy all the time i.e. Reigns replacing Cena as the cashcow. Their most successful era was the AE when there were multiple characters at the forefront of storylines and everyone was covered with something to do, top card to bottom card. We're allowed to decide who entertains us, and besides not paying (I'm not old enough to buy the Network anyway) to watch their shows, people actively invested in the company are either in the audience cheering/booing or talking about it. It is about the only real way you can send the message.

Bryan's been a bit predictable in the ring lately.. yeah, he does the five moves of doom like all WWE faces are scripted to do to elicit an expected reaction. But you can bet damn well fans are gonna be more entertained by Daniel Bryan's overall moveset than the expansive samoan drop + basement dropkick + superman punch + spear. He's a smaller guy who has been feuding with the Authority since summer 2013, and would make more sense to face Lesnar as a David vs Goliath match. He will get more sympathy as a top face with his struggles than someone who has had everything handed to him like Reigns. Memorable promos or not (when has Roman had memorable promos either?), he has the support of the fans behind him. Sustained fans. A clear face reaction that hasn't been reached since Austin, and one that Reigns will not reach if he starts to get divided responses like the Rumble. The crowd won't just accept somebody in the era we're in. Even Stone Cold said that recently that these days we accept babyfaces who are workhorses in the ring (Punk/Bryan/Dolph), guys who care about the in-ring side and entertaining every night.

He was floating in nowhere because they didn't know what they had in him. Wasn't everyone pretty much floating in 2012 or so, before he had the "wild beard"? Cena, Orton, and Punk are the main guys they've built since '05. Everyone else is a tier under, floating around, getting main events sometimes. That's a flaw they have not fixed. The dude's story and size screams underdog face, it took until last year for them to realize that. I'd also like to mention he didn't have a wild beard and he was still a heel the night after he lost to Sheamus unceremoniously in 18 seconds at WM 28. The Miami crowd were sympathetic with him, and he was a heel! They were upset at his booking as early as then, losing in a stupid match to someone who had just won the Rumble! Another obvious screwup by WWE in about 4 years of **** Rumble winners (Edge was the last good one). That's when the YES! movement pretty much started. He was getting chants the day of Wrestlemania and he was gonna be turned eventually considering its popularity.

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They wouldn't even have scripted HHH talking about the Rumble as tonight's opening segment if there weren't controversy in articles, Twitter, social media, etc. That's real fan feedback, who knows if they're listening.

Not that any of this matters, they will push who they choose, whatever. Clearly, they're smarter than me, they're a million-dollar business. What do I know. The main event will be Brock vs Reigns, and Roman will win the title, probably. By his recent interviews, he seems quite ego-inflated (no doubt in part to Vince's stroking) and stubborn to change what works for him.

I'll still find a way to watch like I did when I came back to it in 2012, even though I had stopped in 2010. I had been since I was a kid in '05 and Cena was my hero. It's a different time now, I see Cena in a different light. I've appreciated what being a smark is like, how we perceive things differently.