A Quick Take on the 2017 Royal Rumble

This past Sunday, the WWE hosted their annual Royal Rumble event, coming to us from the Alamo Dome in San Antonio, TX.  A site which hosted the 1997 Royal Rumble (trying hard not to think it has been 20 years already).  A Rumble that saw "Stone Cold" Steve Austin put in an impressive performance along his way to the top of the WWF at the time, and to being one of the most popular wrestlers of all-time.  Sadly, the 2017 didn't really have a display like that, but after the previous couple years of lackluster Royal Rumbles, this year's edition, I felt was one of the better ones they've put on in recent years.

The Royal Rumble usually provides a solid series of undercard matches.  This year was no exception.  Every match on the undercard was solid to outstanding.  The John Cena/AJ Styles match was one of the better matches I've seen in a very long time.  Despite how some fans may feel about Cena, he does step up to the plate under the bright lights, and rarely disappoints.  In the Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns match for the Universal Championship, despite how I personally feel about the endless push Reigns gets, and how drawn out this feud has been, both men put on a great match.  Having Chris Jericho (Owens' buddy), hanging above the ring in a cage was a nice old school touch.

As for the Rumble match, I REALLY enjoyed it, well 90% percent of it.  I did my best to stay away from any online sources that may've spoiled the outcome for me.  When it comes to the Rumble, I want to be surprised.  I loved what they did with Braun Strowman.  He's been booked since the brand split last year as an unstoppable monster.  His performance in the Rumble match did not disappoint.  He'd eventually be eliminated, but I felt his performance was congruent with how he's been booked.

Chris Jericho was another highlight.  Entrant number 2, he found himself in the Rumble and lasted about an hour.  I was disappointed that the announcers barely made mention of his duration.  As a kid, I used to love when Gorilla Monsoon would bring up how such and such was nearing a record.  Sure, Jericho spent some of the time outside the ring, but he's had an impressive run, and the Rumble reflects it.  For a man who's about 45 or so, and being in the business as long as he's been, he's putting on one of his best performances as a character since I first saw him back in 1995.

The Rumble was a lot of fun until about entrant 25 or so.  Prior to that, it was mainly the younger guys, and they put on an entertaining show.  From here on out, we had entrants such as Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, and The Undertaker enter the fray.  With these part-timers and legends, it felt the match had some of the air sucked out of it.  Topping it off was entrant 30.  Guess who?  Roman Reigns!  I told myself if he wins, the Rumble was a bust.

As the Rumble reached its conclusion, we had Goldberg quickly eliminate Lesnar, continuing their feud.  Then Reigns eliminated the Undertaker, getting me even more nervous.  Fortunately, Reigns did not go home winning the Rumble.  He was eliminated by Randy Orton.

Overall, despite my feelings that the WWE needs to stop relying on old-timers and continually pushing Reigns on us, they did a great job with the 2017 Royal Rumble.  It's the first Rumble in several years at least I really enjoyed.  I was nervous after the last couple Rumbles, but the WWE didn't let me down this year.  The show gets a solid 4 stars from me.

Starrcade '91: BattleBowl - The Lethal Lottery

1991 Starrcade: The Lethal Lottery

The 1991 edition of Starrcade was the very definition of a gimmick PPV event. There were 10 tag team matches, with the winning team of each match sending it’s representatives to a battle royal known as the Battlebowl. The BattleBowl was a double-ring take on the Battle Royal. As for the tag teams themselves, they were random pairings. As a result, there were heels teaming with faces, and in the case of the opening match with the Fabulous Freebirds, normal tag partners facing off against each other. There was certainly promise for this event to lay down the groundwork for stories moving forward. Unfortunately, the event didn’t seem to do that with the exception of the outcome of the BattleBowl match itself. As an admission, I caught WCW when I could back then, which wasn’t often, so I could be wrong about feuds.

My overall opinion of the event would be that while I felt the BattleBowl concept was interesting, the overall card I felt very middle-of-the-road about. The first half of the tag matches provided most of the highlights. The first match had Fabulous Freebird members Michael P.S. Hayes and Jimmy Garvin on opposing teams. The Arn Anderson and Lex Luger vs. Terry Taylor and The Z Man provided fans with the match of the night. Of course, how can we forget Rick Rude was on this card as well as part of the Dangerous Alliance. The rest of the tag matches after the first half of the event leading up to the Battlebowl could not hold my interest. However, Rick Steiner’s belly-to-belly overhead suplex to 450lb Big Van Vader was one of the event’s highlights. Arachnaman? Not so much.

The BattleBowl itself was a different take on the Battle Royal match concept. Two rings were set up side-by-side, and the elimination was a two-step process. The match starts in ring one. Competitors get tossed over the top rope into ring two. Sort of like a losers ring. When a competitor gets tossed over the second ring’s top rope and hit the floor, then they are eliminated. The first ring in due time gets cleared of everyone except for one, as does the second ring. The two remaining competitors then do battle, and whoever gets tossed over the top rope to the floor is the loser.

The BattleBowl match I felt was well paced. It took awhile for the first ring to clear, which I feel in a match like this is important for storytelling purposes. It gives the feeling that the competitors all want to survive and win the match. Once the second ring started to fill up, THEN the eliminations began to pick up pace. The two survivors were Lex Luger (first ring), and Sting (second ring). Sting and Luger would battle for a bit before Sting eliminates Luger, winning the inaugural BattleBowl match. I thought this set up the feud between Luger and Sting nicely.

Overall, Starrcade ‘91: BattleBowl – The Lethal Lottery, was an event with a lot of promise, but the execution ultimately fell flat. There was so much potential to create interesting feuds moving forward out of the tag matches, which didn’t seem to happen. The wrestling overall wasn’t bad, but lacked consistency. There are some good things to be found on this card, but it was easy for me to become bored watching a lot of it. While I give WCW credit for trying something different, they should’ve saved this gimmick idea for a card other than their biggest one of the year. Either that, or have the tag team matches occur on a series of Saturday Night shows over a few weeks, and save the BattleBowl for the PPV. I’d not recommend watching this. The tag matches made the card drag at times, and can easily cause a view to lose interest, in particular the final half of the tag matches.

Wrestlemania 31 - Press Play

I'll start this post off with a disclaimer.  My expectations for Wrestlemania 31 were extremely low.  Every year I look forward to Wrestlemania.  My buddy and I make plans to watch it and we talk about it as soon as the Royal Rumble concludes.  In fact, we attended the 29th Wrestlemania at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.  It really was our Superbowl.  This year was different though.  I became disillusioned with the product, and stopped watching it last July, except for Pay-Per-Views on the WWE Network. The overall booking leading up to this year's 'Mania was flat, and didn't give me anything to look forward to.  I went to dinner and returned about an hour after the event started, and I was pleasantly surprised.  Of course, my friend came over, and we caught the first hour on replay.  Overall, Wrestlemania 31 was a pleasant surprise.  Here are my thoughts on the good and bad of the event.

The Good

The opening Intercontinental Title match was a 7-man ladder match, with the key names in the match being the champion Wade Barrett, top contenders Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, and Dean Ambrose.  Luke Harper, Stardust and R-Truth were the other three combatants.  Overall, it served its purpose.  It had some nice spots (Ambrose going through a ladder bridge set up outside the ring), allowed Bryan to be a champion again, and was a return after a few year hiatus of ladder matches at Wrestlemania after Money in the Bank became a stand alone PPV.  It was a good match to open the card.

Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins was the next match on the card, and Rollins continues to show that he is part of a very talented group of young stars that can carry the company moving forward (depending on creative getting out their rut).  One of the highlight moves came when Rollins went for his curb stomp.  Orton lifts himself up, Rollins gets airborne, and Orton hits with an RKO.

Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt.  Undertaker looked much healthier this year compared to last.  Got a much better match this year compared to last year's that ended his 21-0 winning streak.  We got a 'Mania moment in this match when 'Taker is down on the mat, Wyatt does his human spider body pose.  Undertaker sits up, and Wyatt's express said it all!  Taker would win this match.

Main Event match.  Roman Reigns was, most likely, originally going to leave Levi's Stadium last night with the title.  However, fan reaction to Reigns probably forced WWE their hand, much like last year.  The match started great, with Brock being an unstoppable beast, manhandling Reigns like he was a child.  Reigns would get a couple Superman Punches in to Reigns towards the end of the match.  As the title match came to a conclusion, both competitors battered, Seth Rollins comes down to the ring, demanding to cash in his Money in the Bank contract.  It's now a triple threat match, with Rollins giving a Curb Stomp to Lesnar and getting the pin. 

Fans got to see the NWO vs. DX in the Sting vs. HHH match.  I wasn't as crazy about this match as others were, mainly because I knew Sting would be booked to lose, because McMahon can never lose to WCW.  However, it was a lot of 1997 nostalgia with the NWO and DX going at it and looking out for the respective stars of the companies they represented back then. 

Wrestlemania is known for great entrances.  Out of them all this year, Rusev's was the best.  He entered the arena in a tank!

There was also the Rock with Ronda Rousey standing against the Authority.  Rousey did a perfect hip toss to HHH, and to be honest, she would be able to legit beat him up! 

The Bad

There wasn't much to complain about.  Being in California, the sun was out for most of the event, which kind of put a damper on Sting's, Undertaker's, and Bray Wyatt's entrances.  Those would have had a more stronger effect if it was dark, but otherwise, the last Wrestlemania that was outdoors, and under mostly sunlight, was the infamous Wrestlemania 9.  In that regard, it was different.

The stage set up.  Each year since Wrestlemania hit the big arena circuit starting at X-7, the stage set ups have been fantastic.  However, this year it seemed lacking, and looked to me very much the same one that was used at 'Mania 28 in Miami, except the font was different (or appeared to be).  I hope this doesn't become a trend.

My biggest gripe was the burial of Sting.  Yes, I knew it was coming, it was obvious, but I wonder why Sting even bothered signing with WWE.  Hopefully he got a good payday out of the deal.

Overall

Wrestlemania 31, in this fan's humble opinion, was a strong Wrestlemania offering.  From top to bottom, there wasn't a bad match on the card.  Each match, including the Diva's match, was decent at worst.  There weren't any matches that made me want to divert my attention to the guitar I had sitting by me, waiting to be played.  Of course, the WWE pulls out all the stops for Wrestlemania, and they hit it out of the park this year.  It makes me look forward already to see what they can do at next year's installment, which will be held at the massive AT&T Stadium.

Thoughts on WWE Rebranding

Browsing lordsofpain.net today, I saw a headline regarding the WWE and how it wants to rebrand itself.  One major change is simply going by the name of WWE, to take wrestling out of the company's name.  In addition, they want to expand their offerings beyond their in-ring product.  Reading comments, a lot of people are viewing this change negatively, but was this announcement really a surprise?  They stopped calling their performers "wrestlers" a long time ago, have movies they created ("Knucklehead" and "The Chaperon"), and Vince McMahon even tried the XFL a decade ago.

My thoughts on this change are mixed, with my biggest fear being that the WWE will begin straying from the in-ring product that it always has been known for.  As a viewer of WWE since 1985, this prospect is distressing to me.  What is also distressing is the fact that WWE became as huge as it did for its wrestling, and it almost feels like a slap in the face to fans who've helped make the company what it is today by going to live shows, purchasing merchandise, etc.

Another thing I personally didn't understand is why are they making this move now.  As mentioned in my opening paragraph, they've been dipping their fingers in other entertainment avenues for awhile now.  Back in 2001, when WWE had their restaurant in NYC, and the XFL, the company was in the tail end of their mega-successful "attitude era".  Back then, it was okay to say you watched professional wrestling.  In 2011, it's not as hip.  Try to think if you saw anyone recently wearing a piece of WWE merchandise (and not a kid in a John Cena shirt).  Chances are, you probably haven't.  The WWE is going through a time now where their product just isn't going over with fans, and they are having difficulty with bringing new fans into the fold.  This was reflected in last Sunday's Wrestlemania XXVII, where they had to bring in The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.  There are possible reasons for this, but now is not the post for it.  What it comes down to is the WWE realizes their in-ring product now caters to a niche market (as it did before the attitude era), and their current entertainment offerings don't expand outside of this market.

In the end, Vince McMahon and the WWE want to disassociate with wrestling as much as they possibly can in order to make money.  Why?  Perhaps McMahon is being greedy, but at the end of the day (or financial quarter), they have to answer to their shareholders as WWE is a publicly traded company on the NYSE. Despite my lack of embrace with this rebranding it is understandable.  In the business world, companies are always changing strategy to earn profits.  However, I am very concerned about the future of the in-ring product, or at least how they approach it IF their expanded entertainment offerings are actually successful.  Only time will tell.

Views of Wrestlemania 27

I was looking forward to Wrestlemania 27 due to how well I thought the event was being built up.  What was my ultimate opinion of the show?  It was ultimately average. It had some good things, and some bad.  Here's my quick take on the show.

What was good?  We get a few quality matches.  The Edge vs. Alberto Del Rio championship match (which was the first match for some reason), was well done.  It had a good pace to it, Del Rio was excellent in the ring, and the ending that nearly everyone thought would happen didn't.  Christian didn't turn on Edge, which I'm glad they didn't do.

Cody Rhodes vs. Rey Mysterio.  We get an entertaining match here that had a nice pace to it.  Cody looked real good in this match, and I was impressed. After his performance tonight, I'm hoping he gets a serious push.

CM Punk vs. Randy Orton.  Very good match here, and a testament to how good a worker Punk is.  He carried this match.  He did an outstanding job working with Orton's slow, deliberate style.  Randy gets move to the night so far.  Punk comes off the top rope, and Orton counters it into an RKO.

Undertaker vs. Triple H.  Match of the evening hands down.  While not as good as 'Taker vs. Shawn Michaels matches from WM 25 and 26, it was still outstanding. Especially the selling of both competitors.  Triple H hits with three Pedigrees and a Tombstone piledriver, yet taker still won with the Hell's Gate submission move.  If it weren't for this match, this 'Mania would've felt like an exaggerated RAW.

John Cena vs. The Miz.  This isn't good for the match itself, or the outcome. In fact, this was one of the least overwhelming Wrestlemania main events.  However, there were a lot of old school heel actions going on here.  Miz taking off a turnbuckle cover.  Alex Riley, Miz's lackey interfering, Miz using a metal briefcase to hit Cena as examples. Nice homage to the style of heel antics I recall fondly from my youth.

Segment with Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin stare down.

Once again, the WWE has an awesome stage set up.

Now for the bad...

Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole.  While better than Vince McMahon vs. Bret Hart from last year, this could have been cut by a few minutes.  There were funny moments, but this match would have been better served at a lesser PPV event.  However, Stone Cold tosses out some Stone Cold Stunners.

8-man tag match.  Yawn.  Out of the 8 men, only two do anything.  Santino wins with the Cobra to Heath Slater.

Mixed tag match.  Only special guest Snookie did anything of interest in this match.  John Morrison and Dolph Ziggler did next to nothing.  However, I was impressed with Snookie's athleticism.

John Cena vs. The Miz. An underwhelming main event.  If anything, Triple H and Undertaker should have been here.  Anyway, the ending kinda sucked, with the Rock getting involved, giving Cena a Rock Bottom, and allowing Miz to win. Once again, The Miz comes off looking like a weak champion.  However, if we get a payoff of an awesome Cena/Rock feud, then perhaps my gripe was in vain.  Speaking of the Rock...

The Rock's promo to start off Wrestlemania.  This promo ran WAY too long.  I felt like I was watching an episode of RAW.  Is this why Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan didn't take place?  I hope not, because that would be unfortunate.

Overall, this Wrestlemania was okay, and as usual with these events, only time will tell how it ultimately measures up in the scheme of things.  I feel that Wrestlemania is where most feuds end and new ones begin, but I didn't feel that way for this one. An over glorified RAW would be the best way to sum this one up.