WrestleRant
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • WRR
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • About
    • Contact

Columnist Corner

WWE Royal Rumble Review - January 29, 2012

1/30/2012

1 Comment

 
PictureSheamus wins the 2012 Royal Rumble match.
Good opening match between World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan, Big Show and Mark Henry that was just as most would expect. Henry's recent injuries limited him, but he made the most of it and was still able to compete well. The Steel Cage was once again a nice environment and saved this bout from being a complete disaster, and I'm glad Bryan escaped with the victory in a decisive fashion to retain the belt. The only real issue I had with this bout was that it was only nine minutes.

Fine Divas tag team match that was of course unadvertised, but was nothing groan-worthy. It was as as clunky and quick as Diva tag matches usually are, so it was good in that aspect. It's about time Divas Champion Beth Phoenix remerged on television, and hopefully this is an indication that they'll continue to establish her as a threat in the Divas division.

Sloppy match between John Cena and Kane that certainly didn't live up to my high expectations. Sure, they've never had great matches in the past, but I had my hopes that they'd pull out something good enough. However, it was a smart move in having both Superstars get counted-out to keep the feud going and save the finish for a later date. The brawl between the two that followed was dragged out, and bringing back Ryder onto to television so soon only to be attacked again was a mistake. This rivalry no longer holds my interest, and I can't wait long enough to see Cena's feud with The Rock finally kick off extremely soon.

Meaningless match with Brodus Clay quickly defeating Drew McIntyre. Luckily, my feed got off moments before the bout, so I was saved from the horror of McIntyre being once again buried, this time live on pay-per-view. As much as I love Clay and his fan favorite gimmick, it doesn't seem to be winning over the crowd while his squash matches feel more and more repetitive.

PictureCM Punk retains his WWE title against Dolph Ziggler.
Excellent title match between WWE Champion CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler before the final few minutes. They have perfect chemistry and made for a solid wrestling match-up. I was originally expecting John Laurinaitis to referee in the ring and not a special guest enforcer, but it turned out for the better. The numerous performed finishers on Ziggler by Punk for the handful of pin-falls were unnecessary, but I must admit that Ziggler's comeback bulldog on the Straightedge Savior was well done.

Uninspiring Royal Rumble match that mostly filler from start to finish, which is pathetic seeing there was only 30 participants this year and not 40. Having Alex Riley and The Miz kick off the match was fun given the history between the two, despite Riley being eliminated so quickly. Miz and Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes looked strong from entering first and lasting as long as they did, but Show eliminating them so quickly was anticlimactic. Mick Foley provided good humor through the time he was apart of the match, especially with Santino Marella, but I was hoping we'd see a more serious side of Foley given his heartfelt promo on Raw a few weeks back. I didn't mind the commentators entering the Rumble at first, but I began to dread it at the end given how it wasted so many potential spots for other competitors. While the Great Khali's return fell flat, it was awesome to see Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Road Dogg, and Kharma make surprise returns and get huge ovations from the live audience. Kofi Kingston had a very cool spot with the handstand on the floor, so I'm glad his participation in the bout went to good use. On that same note, I was extremely disappointed not to see the returns of Ryback, the rumored Carlito, and the ever popular Christian, as Big Show being the 30th entrant fell flat big time. The final four felt completely rushed, especially for someone like the hometown hero in Randy Orton. Nonetheless, Chris Jericho and Sheamus had the most entertaining segment of the whole match with the near eliminations, that left me shocked with the Sheamus Rumble win. I was a bit let down Jericho didn't end up winning as promised, but the Celtic Warrior is still a fresh face that can finally be relevant again with this upset victory.

Overall, a good show that certainly wasn't as strong as originally expected that included too much filler for my taste. The two title matches were entertaining, as were parts of the Royal Rumble, but it wasn't enough in the end of being an uneventful show. The unadvertised matches didn't do much help, and I spent most of the Rumble hoping for a major swerve, which subsequently didn't come to fruition. With it being a forgettable event, one can only hope that they can kick off the rest of the road to WrestleMania with a bang if build to the show of shows looks to be anything notable or exciting.

1 Comment
dal
2/13/2012 12:08:53 pm

sheamus stands tall

Reply



Leave a Reply.


    Categories

    All
    #AskGSM
    Battle Of The Belts
    Cruiserweight Classic
    Halftime Heat
    Hidden Gems
    Lists/Rankings
    Mae Young Classic
    Mixed Match Challenge
    News
    NJPW
    NWA Shockwave
    Opinion
    Previews
    Retro Reviews
    Reviews
    RJ's Two Cents
    Satire
    SummerSlam Recall
    The Deadly Draw
    Tribute To The Troops
    Women's Eliminator
    Worlds Collide
    WrestleMania Recall
    WWE Draft
    WWE Starrcade


    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010

    RSS Feed

©2023 WrestleRant. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • WRR
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • About
    • Contact