|
Watched the Rumble with some friends. We did our annual wagering with a trophy for the winners. These are my thoughts:
*Reigns and Rollins told an interesting story. The run-up was how Rolllins was always in his head and Reigns couldn't beat him in the big match. And the finish reflected that story where Reigns ultimately lost his cool, because Rollins was in his head. He ended up losing the big match, by disqualification. So there is more in that match. The annihilation with the chair was something else entirely. He was becoming an actual devil.
*Women's Rumble wasn't bad. Ronda winning was fine. Mickey James showing up and eliminating Michelle McCool was clever. Brie eliminating Nicki was a humorous juxtaposition of their first Rumble appearance together, where Nicki eliminated Brie. I don't even follow the main product, but I am done with Sonia vs Naomi. Amber won the trophy, which was promptly broken. Why? Because it's Pro Wrestlling. You see a trophy, it gets destroyed. You see a cake, it ends up in someone's face.
*Women's title match was pretty good. Doudrop looked like she belonged in the ring with Becky, and is a damned good monster. Lynch went over, and that was the right decision. I'm sure Doudrop will be back, though. She is too entertaining not to be.
*Ultimate Hoss Fight was next. I waited 20 years to see Lesnar vs Lashley. It was worth every second. And, you know what? I wouldn't mind seeing Lesnar vs. Lashley 2. The ending wasn't conclusive (double ref bump is new), which leaves the door open. Reigns screwing Lesnar was a thing of genius. I really like how Heyman didn't seem to comply out of a sense of duty to Reigns, but out of fear. Well played all the way around.
*Mixed tag match was exactly what it needed to be. Gave the fans a minute to come down in preparation for the Men's Rumble match. It went a little long, but had a satisfying ending.
*If you watched the Men's Rumble in a bubble, which various people want to do, I can see not liking it. But one thing was certain, the show was written around Lesnar winning, in preparation for his revenge at Wrestlemania. Austin Theory had a solid run. I was kind of disappointed that Omos didn't eliminate more, but it makes sense with what they were doing. He looked good, and it took everyone in the ring at that time to eliminate him. And I want to say he still landed on his feet. I think Omos is going to be money. Knoxville played his part decently. Felt bad that Kofi ate shit trying to do his annual save. It happens though. I liked that there were some actual mini-stories in this match. One of the better ones being McIntyre coming in, eliminating Corbin and Moss, then just murdering them on the outside. There was nothing funnier to me than seeing Riddle, an actual MMA guy, selling the Shittiest Punches in the World. Like I said, Lesnar would be back for revenge after what happened to him earlier in the night, so #30 was the perfect spot. And he just went on a rampage. The Riddle elimination was a thing of beauty, and you realized that he was a small child in comparison. The Lesnar and McIntyre final played off their last meeting. I was wanting Drew to win, but the story was told in the direction it was told. I was satisfied, and I can't wait to see what will likely be the blow-off between Lesnar and Reigns.
*I went with a slightly larger trophy for the Men's Rumble than the Women's Rumble. That made smashing it a LOT easier. It was an idea I had Monday, sold the host of the show on it without much difficulty, and the 2 trophies cost me less than $13. A friend had a birthday this week and drove in. I said next year, I'll get him a cake...
|