Wrestling’s 4R’s PPV Edition 1.29.08: WWE Royal Rumble 2008

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The Matches:

JBL vs. JERICHO: To kick things off, our first point of discussion is JBL vs. Jericho. I though that this could be good if they went the brawl route. They both came to the ring and stared down with each other, and you could see the intense hatred they shared for each other. I was ready for war…and they locked up. FUCK. “JBL…I AM SO MAD AT YOU THAT I WILL GRAPPLE YOU TO DEATH!” To say that I was not pleased with the initial opening of the match would be an understatement. Thankfully the tide changed, and they kicked up the HATE-O-METER and things got good. Jericho would end up eating the steel post, and TAPPED HIM A GUSHER. Someone ate his aspirin Sunday. The blood flowed, it got more intense and I loved it because you could feel the hate. I do have to mention that they completely blew a bulldog spot, which the crowd shit on, but other than that both guys worked hard and looked good. As they brawled to the floor we got a DQ when Jericho killed JBL with a nasty unprotected chair shot to the head, and then in a bit of revenge, used some cable to choke out JBL. Some of you think you know me so well and figured that I would bitch about the DQ finish. Well sorry, but you’re wrong. I have said time and time again that in the right circumstance and when not overused, a DQ finish can and will work rather well. This was the right time. Chris Jericho wasn’t out there to win a match. Chris Jericho wasn’t out there to get a title shot. Chris Jericho wasn’t out there to put on a show and be wacky Jericho that we love. Chris Jericho WAS out there to get revenge. To get revenge on a man that choked him out and drug him around an arena full of fans like he was an animal. To get revenge on a man that talked to his children and called their father a coward. To get revenge on a man that made him feel like he was less of a man in his children’s eyes. Bottom line, Chris Jericho wanted to fuck a bitch up. If he won in the process, great, but when he got busted open the game changed and he only had revenge on his mind. He killed a man with a chair shot and then, while his own blood was pouring from his head got revenge and choked him out. So while not the best “match” ever (it was good), it was good enough to get where they need to go. I figure they get into the chamber match or go to another match, NO DQ next month and/or I still expect them to go to a bull rope match. This was good storytelling and I dug it.

THE WORLD TITLE MATCH: And we came to the Word Title match, Rey challenging Edge in a match that we all knew Rey was losing. It isn’t that Rey sucks, but Edge is heading to WM and Rey was filler. The early moments were rough, as Rey botched a RANA ala the Chavo match from a few weeks back. But they would get things under control, the Rmy would be ejected and Rey would start to gain momentum. That ended when Edge kicked out his leg and then worked the knee. Rey would eventually make the comeback, and the last few minutes were really good, Rey got a big splash but a miracle would happen as Vicky would RISE from her wheelchair and pull out the ref. This led to Edge missing a spear, and Rey going for the 619. Vicky would get on the apron and take the 619 as she covered up Edge, which led to Rey going for a springboard something, but jumped into a spear and that was the match. Edge and the returning Rmy would check on Vicky and get her back to her wheelchair. I am waiting for the day when Vicky realizes that Edge is just using her, it has to come and then shit will hit the fan. This worked well but I did expect more.

THE WWE TITLE MATCH: Jeff Hardy did challenge Randy Orton for the WWE Title on the show, and while Jeff was never planned to win, in recent weeks there had been a push backstage for him to win the title. The build was great, and while I didn’t think they would pull the title change, the possibility was there. There was doubt in my mind. They had a really good 14-minute match, and they played up the high-risk style of Hardy, and the fact that Orton was trying to keep him grounded. Jeff hit his shit, the crowd was into them and it was working. Near the end Hardy “hit” a moonsault to the floor, Orton had to walk into it to save it but that was the only flub in the match. The end saw hardy go for the twist of fate, but Orton got revenge from weeks ago and HE reversed it into the RKO for the win. Many people were upset that Jeff lost. Some feel that it was a “wasted push.” And to a degree the crowd was deflated, but I disagree that it was wasted. In five weeks they took Jeff Hardy from the always over, mid-card baby face and made people believe that he could win the title. They also got the emotional response when he lost. They know it can work, and now I feel that he has a great chance at winning MITB and challenging for the title down the line, maybe Summerslam. And it is there I think the victory is that much sweeter. Also, this match was a good match featuring both guys coming out looking good. Finally, Orton needed the clean win and he got it in a hard fought match. And then in hindsight, it makes even more sense because in storyline Orton put Cena out of action. They have unfinished business and with Cena returning they will go to WM. This was good stuff.

THE ROYAL RUMBLE: The Rumble match is a favorite of mine, always has been and probably always will be. I have been in love with it since the very first one I saw, and look forward to it every year. Overall I though this year’s was great, although I have a few grievances I want to share. I hated that Shelton got a bitch run. They have been pushing him hard on ECW and he should have had a longer run ala Morrison. Speaking of ECW, Dreamer got jobbed hard in his hometown. I mean, can’t a brother buy a pity elimination? Also, why was Chavo in the Rumble? Oh yeah, because the ECW title is shit and no one would ever choose to challenge for that title. Finally, we all realize that Hornswoggle was never eliminated and that the Finlay elimination via DQ was bullshit. People have used weapons and jumped the gun before, and I cannot ever remember it happening before, the DQ that is.

So now that I have that stuff out of the way, let’s move on. HBK and Taker kicked off the match, in a complete reverse of last year’s match. They lasted 32-minutes and put on a good show. HBK eliminated him, in return for last year’s elimination and then Kennedy tossed HBK, adding to that drama. I do believe that Bob Holly kicked HBK so hard that he is the one that broke his nose. Good job Bob. John Morrison also looked good in the Rumble, saving himself many times and drawing HBK comparisons from Christi, the commentary team myself and many others. He was made to look strong, and it can be performances like this that show you how the company views certain guys. So with Taker gone, I would imagine everyone was set in the belief that HHH was going to win, since he and Taker were the odds of favorite to win the match. HHH was going strong when he entered late at #29, and well, I figured he was winning. And before I forget, we even got LEGEND surprises. Sure it would have been nice to see Yang, Moore, Kendrick or some others in the match, but they would not have gotten the pop that Snuka and or Piper did. Yes they looked 87 years old, but they are both institutions in Madison Square Garden and the place popped like it was 1984 for them. You can also tell a lot of the guys respect Snuka, because they all sold for him, EVEN Taker! He and Piper had a fun old man brawl, and I loved watching the guys sit back, watch and mark out. Especially Punk and Morrison, who I believe forgot they were in a match for close to 10-seconds as the TALKED and marked out for them. It was fun, and those wacky moments that we usually get in the Rumble match. We also got a HHH/Foley encounter, which was fun as hell.

So it comes down to #30. I wasn’t expecting a surprise of any kind, maybe Big Show since HHH was #29 and they could play into screwing him out of the match. Or maybe they were working us with Lashley was another thought. And then the music hit, the crowd POPPED, and do not mistake, they popped huge and John Cena made his triumphant return to the WWE. They did it. They swerved everyone and they set us all up. Cena gave interviews and said he wouldn’t be back for WM in an in ring capacity and we had no reason to think he was coming back. And if you say you thought he was coming back at the Rumble to wrestle, you’re a liar. Some are wondering how he came back so quickly, some are judging and accusing, but we’re not going to discuss that here but I WILL discuss it in the news column, so stay tuned to that. I have to save some material! The fact is that he was back, HHH looked as if he was about to shit his pants and it was an awesome moment. He came in, kicked ass and in the end it got down to he, HHH and Batista. They did some teasing of alliances, but in the end they just fought. Batista was gone first, and we were down to HHH and Cena. This is when the crowd went back to realizing that it’s cool to hate Cena and the men were back to hating him and booing while the women and children loved him. Cena would complete the comeback, win the match and now appears to be headed to WrestleMania and a date with revenge against Randy Orton. In hindsight the Orton title win makes sense even more due to the history and the fact that Orton is the one credited with taking Cena out. Also, with the #30 winning the Rumble two years in a row, it now helps add the importance to the number, which had been a joke in years past. I love that I was surprised, because it doesn’t happen all that often these days. Many people were saying things before the Rumble like, “I want a real surprise” or “Anyone but HHH to win.” Well kids, be careful what you wish for, because you got it. We got swerved and it was fun, enjoy it. Overall this was a great Rumble match that I really enjoyed. One last thing to mention, so thanks to DJ for sending this along: You wrote in your coverage that HHH pointed at the WrestleMania sign, and Cena clapped at him–I think Cena was doing the tapping motion, reminding HHH that The Champ made the King of Kings tap at Wrestlemania 22. I believe you are correct kind sir, great eye and thanks!

FLAIR vs. MVP: The Rumble kicked off with the Career match between Flair and MVP. I liked that they gave Flair mic time, as he addressed his history in MSG, and what it had meant for him over the years. Before he could go further, MVP’s entrance began and Flair was cut off. A far as the match goes, there are times when Flair in old man Flair, and times when he is Ric FUCKING Flair. Tonight…he fell somewhere in the middle. They both worked hard, and the match was far from bad, but wasn’t all that great. I feel that they could have benefited from a few more minutes, a better pace and chance to tell the story so to speak. But they did a good job of giving MVP a visual pin off of the Kawada kick, but Flair had the ropes and was saved. In the end Flair would counter the Playmaker and get the figure four for the win. That being said, while it wasn’t a great match there was good news here to talk about. First of all it accomplished what an opener should do, and that is excite the crowd. They loved the Flair win, and that made for a good crowd reaction. Also, while 99% of people knew Ric Flair would win the match, most felt that Matt Hardy would run down and cost MVP the match, and play into their feud restarting. Hell I was almost certain of it, but WWE threw us a curve ball. They did the tease of MVP winning, but Flair finally avenged his loss to MVP from Vengeance with the figure four. The big thing is that Vince had not wanted to give Flair clean wins, but that is something that he needed to make this angle mean something. And while I don’t think that MVP needed to lose, we can chalk it up to him being overconfident and thinking he had the match “in the bag.” With his constantly cocky attitude, it does make sense. This wasn’t bad, but wasn’t that good either.

SANTINO/ASHLEY/MARIA BULLSHIT: Listen, I like hot chicks, I think Santino is funny, and yes some of you were right. I just feel that there are some things that do not belong on PPV. Much like Pizza eating and drinking contests, I don’t need this on PPV. I don’t need bullshit hype about Playboy and I don’t need the big fat naked oily guy out there with rubber chickens. I feel that it SHOULD NOT have been on PPV. People do not pay $30 to see a drinking contest, just like they don’t spend $40 on a pizza-eating contest or shit like this. Maybe, maybe we could have had people that cut good promos, cut good promos. Maybe we could have concentrated on the in ring a bit more. Unless it is perfectly played or blows me away, I just do not like this stuff on PPV. Sorry kids.

NADDA~!:

2008 PPV Rankings:

– ROH UNDENIABLE {8.5}
– WWE ROYAL RUMBLE {8.0}
– TNA FINAL RESOLUTION {6.75}

2008 TOP PPV Match Rankings:

– (ROH UNDENIABLE) GRUDGE MATCH: Austin Aries vs. Roderick Strong ****¼

– (TNA FINAL RESOLUTION) TNA WORLD TITLE MATCH: Kurt Angle © vs. Christian Cage ****
– (WWE ROYAL RUMBLE) The Royal Rumble Match ****

– (TNA FINAL RESOLUTION) TNA NO-DQ WOMEN’S TITLE MATCH: Gail Kim ©vs. Awesome Kong ***¾
– (ROH UNDENIABLE) ROH WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Jay & Mark Briscoe © vs. The No Remorse Corps ***¾

2008 PPV MVP AWARDS:

This is a little added deal I started last year, as I feel that there are some other things that should be mentioned from the PPV’s. Not every PPV will have one, it just depends on who I think steps up and deserves some extra recognition.

– TNA FINAL RESOLUTION: Gail Kim vs. Awesome Kong (Making us Care about Women’s Wrestling on the National Stage)
– ROH UNDENIABLE: Strong vs. Aries (The Grudge is Settled)
– WWE ROYAL RUMBLE: John Cena Shocks the World (No One Saw it Coming)