Post-Rumble Thoughts '07

Just got back from watching the show with family and friends, and overall not a bad show tonight. No real surprises to speak of since everything pretty well went as I figured it would. And all 30 Rumble participants were announced beforehand so there weren't any surprise entrants this year. In fact, I think I went 5-0 with my predictions.

The Hardyz d. MNM: Not totally sure if it was a fued ender, but it was your standard Hardy tag match with most of the big spots for both sides. I hope it continues to 'Mania with at least one set of the tag straps involved (or both for unification, but that's too much to hope for), but I could see this being it for the tag side of things. Nitro vs. Jeff over the IC strap will likely continue, because who else have they got (and think is worth pushing? Carlito? Meh.)

Lashley d. Test by Countout: Because nothing says EXTREME like a countout. Terrible match that did nothing for either guy, and I'll get on the bandwagon now and say I don't expect ECW to last the year. This was worse than Holly and Lesnar or Angle and Henry.

Batista d. Kennedy: A surprisingly decent match, and much to my delight they really managed to get Kennedy over with the match. He actually dominated for a good portion of it, and though Batista won the match cleanly he sure sold a lot for him and for a few seconds there I thought Kennedy might take the title. 100% better than that whole Taker fued did for Kennedy, and Dave's best match since coming back.

John Cena d. Umaga: I'll take my foot out of my mouth, I enjoyed this match. It upped the brutality and was fun all around, and though I never really thought Cena would come close to losing the strap the whole thing came together and was much better than I expected it to be. Weird spot near the end where Armando used a wrench to undo the entire top rope all for Umaga to use as a weapon, when he could have just as easily given him the wrench in the first place. Inventive finish though, with Cena choking Umaga out like that.

Undertaker wins the Royal Rumble: It pretty much came down to who I thought it would with Rated RKO, Shawn Michaels and Taker as the final four, but it was fairly entertaining all the way through. Gregory Helms managed to last longer than 1 minute in the match, a personal best for him. CM Punk, RVD, Benoit and Finlay all got a decent amount of time during the match. Sandman was embarrassed with a 10 second appearance or so. Taker came out as #30 and won the match, which at least made Steve happy that for once the 30th guy won the match. All it says to me is Taker got his win with the least amount of work; right up there with Stone Cold in 2001. But oh well, still an entertaining match as usual.

Quick Raw Predictions: Based on what went down tonight, I say the Hardyz take on Rated RKO for the tag straps tomorrow (based on Matt and Jeff getting eliminated by Edge and Orton) and win the belts with HBKterference to throw RKO more firmly in the world title scene. Cena vs. Umaga one more time for the fugly WWE title to blow off the fued once and for all. And terrible comedy from Vince McMahon.

Rumble Young Man Rumble Pt II

Can't believe it's already come up around for the Royal Rumble 2007, but here we are a year removed from Rey Rey's fairytale victory and that stupid ass "spaceship" entrance for Cena. I mentioned last year that the RR is a favorite of most wrestling fans, standout years in particular for me being Benoit in 04, the entire 02 Rumble in general, and Flair's magical run in '92. Having reviewed a bunch of them in the last week or two, 2001 can be added to that list too. Hadn't seen it since the night it happened, but damned if I wasn't entertained. Not as good as the previous three listed, but a cut above most of the rest. Now, onto predictions for this year's event.

The Hardyz versys MNM
Long has the IWC (Internet Wrestling Community) pleaded with the E to bring tag team wrestling back to the glory days. Well whether intentional or not, we may be in the middle of the rebirth these days. With a list of teams like the Hardys, MNM, the Hooliganz, Regal/Taylor, the Redneck Whirling Dervish, Cryme Tyme, World's Greatest Tag Team, now Deuce and Domino and even Idol Stevens/KC James if they were to return, it's a shockingly deep tag scene stretching from Raw to Smackdown. And if Rated RKO were ever to defend the belts against someone other than DX, there's no telling how hot the division could get. Although part of me is curious to see Shawn and "Sledgy" as champions...

At any rate, while Jeff and Nitro might be getting hot as singles competitors there's no denying that the fans are right into the fued between these two teams, which stretches across both brands. And unfortunately, I think that means the E is ready to conclude the fued because that's what they do, end things prematurely. And then god help Matt Hardy's career.
Winners: The Hardyz.

Bobby Lashley versus Test for the ECW Championship
As a sign of how far the new ECW has sunken, I suppose. I tried to give it a chance, I went in with every bit of optimism and every time I see the show now (which is getting more and more rare) I'm heavily dissapointed. And it's not even a knock on the two guys in this match, I don't have an active problem with either man. It's just that ECW could have been so much more as an alternative to Raw and Smackdown, and instead it's just become a third brand. Completely interchangeable for either of the other two shows, except it's carefully crafted to look cheaper and not as good.
Winner: Lashley, because god help the last remaining ECW diehards if Test wins the belt.

Batista versus Ken Kennedy for the Smackdown Championship
Ken Kennedy has been one of the most entertaining things on any WWE brand this year, and it's nice to see him getting an upper card position on one of the big PPVs of the year. That said, the ending is a foregone conclusion, and all I can hope for is that Kennedy is at least made to look somewhat competent. Which is more than they've given him the last few months against the Undertaker. Batista and Taker has been rumored for months now to headline 'Mania this year,
which will make KK the odd man out (and the way Vince runs things probably left off WM altogether). Since I'll take what I can get from this match, so long as Taker doesn't shoot lightning bolts from his hands _AGAIN_ I guess I'll be satisfied.
Winner: Big Dave.

Last Man Standing Match - John Cena versus Umaga for the Raw Championship
Goody, a rematch from earlier this month that I didn't want to see in the first place. I dunno what it is with these two, I buy Umaga as a threat after the buildup he's received and while Cena still bores me to tears as champion I see the logic on the belt on him at this point, I have absolutely no interest in seeing this go down. I do get a kick out of the WWE trying everything to paint Cena as the underdog when he's clearly not going to lose the title (including a storyline where he's going into the match with severe internal injuries), but this is probably the match with the least amount of interest for me. And yes, that includes Lashley/Test.
Winner: John "Superman" Cena.

30 Man Royal Rumble
I won't list everyone in this match, because www.wweroyalrumble.com does that quite nicely for me. And since the frontrunner this year seems to be the Undertaker, I'm not so much interested in who's going to win the whole thing as I am with seeing who mixes it up with who from different brands. The past couple of years I've really enjoyed seeing guys we don't normally see against one another squaring off. Benoit and Orton starting the match in '04 was incredibly fun (until they ran that pairing into the ground by Summerslam after Benoit jumped to Raw), and the brand face-off in '05 with total gangup on Muhummed Hassan was an awesome RR moment. Hopefully this year we get more of the same, although in the past year most of the big names have already made appearances on the other shows (Booker and Finley on Raw stands out in particular). I'd really like to see CM Punk last a while in the match and mix it up with some of the Raw and Smackdown guys, but knowing how the fed operates he'll probably get the "Hurricane" treatment and be gone before the next participant comes out.

Still, it's rare when the actual Rumble match is a total screwup (even 1999 has its moments) so I'm looking forward to it. I just hope they don't do the same script that they seem to be repeating each year, with the underdog coming in near the beginning and lasting through to the end. Then again, if Taker really is the favorite I don't see him in there more than 20 minutes TOPS. Just long enough to mow through anyone with a shred of heat.
Winner: Taker, although if anybody else has a shot in hell it'd be Shawn Michaels. Hometown, sympathy DX push, and one of the only credible challengers to Cena for WM.

So that's where things stand for me on the Rumble, cautious optimism for the most part. But if I see another 'spaceship', I'm leaving.