The Rumble Complete, We Now Have RAW's Fallout!...

A Fine Beginning of the Week to You Enthusiasts!

 

Who caught the Royal Rumble? How’d you like it? I know, it wasn’t quite the spectacle we’re used to but I think it was fine, given the circumstances. Generally speaking, I think it went to plan. I was kinda wrong about the switch ups on the singles matches but they did try to keep them entertaining, which I do appreciate. They got Goldberg and McIntyre over and done with right off the bat so, no complaints there. I was right about them just using up the appearances, though. WWE has to know they can only do so much with Goldberg so let the man retire with some dignity.

 

Carmella and Sasha Banks along with Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns were what they were but I saw the extra effort put in to keep it fresh. Carmella sacrificed herself with a determined suicide dive through the ropes to get her some street-cred. And Reigns running Owens down with the golf cart was hilarious. Though, I would have thought it’d be the other way around. Well, I guess this leaves Reigns open to someone returning the favor in the months to come 😉 Owens also showed he picked up how to operate a forklift with relative ease as well. I liked how he took back the off the scaffold moves. Gotta go big in a match like this. I also thought it wise that they decided to stay realistic with Reigns. Having been handcuffed to a lighting structure, they opted not to make him “look strong” by “breaking free” or something. Paul Heyman had the key showing that the game for the most part has already been rigged. That I can believe and go along with, so kudos to WWE for trying to make some sense.

 

As for the Rumbles themselves, they were very respectable. The Ladies held their own, which was no surprise. What was surprising was the number of NXT participants. Rhea Ripley was fully expected and I’m glad I called her being one of the final participants standing. She looks ready for the big time. Yet, no one was really surprised that Bianca BelAir got the win. She has been pretty primed for it given her recent showings on TV. The only thing that kinda brought it down was the faux emotion she showed at her victory. You can’t say anyone believes she didn’t know the outcome. Kayfabe is a tricky thing to maintain in modern times. You can tell when you read or watch interviews with wrestlers. Whether to stay in kayfabe or have an honest discussion is something that wrestlers grapple with. Personally, I think wrestlers should stay in character for interviews. I don’t mind playing along. If they ever get to sit down with Anderson Cooper or Oprah, that’s a different story but if it’s just the regular ole wrestling news, they should stay in character.

 

Many fans lament the days of titles meaning something and what have you but if we are ever going to care that much again, then everyone has to chip in and do their part to maintain the front. That’s the fun of it. We kinda sign up to have the wool pulled over our eyes. At this point, they can’t try too hard, though. It’s a delicate sleight of hand.

 

The Men however, and surprisingly so, did manage to go back to basics in a way. There are some lamentations that this year’s Rumble is a painful indication of how the WWE is stuck in the past but I think, given circumstances, that’s not exactly a bad thing. We still don’t have live audiences and we all now have proof that wrestling simply isn’t the same without them. So, to double back to “old tricks” in this particular instance is actually a good strategy. That’s also why I think Edge winning the Rumble is good timing. Yes, WWE should be focusing on the next generation but there’s time for that. Might as well use this unofficial downtime for working out current kinks and angles. Christian coming back gives an added dimension to Edge’s return and some place to start as we come to the end of their respective in-ring careers. Yes, we got to kick over some old stones but that won’t hurt given times aren’t ideal for performing. If WWE continues to use some savvy, they’ll slowly segue these old stories into the new, leaving the space for new talent/star development when they can be best received before a live audience. Let’s hope this is indication that WWE is taking the long-view for once. Not to mention, for those of you partial to the grander scope of things, we are at the start of a Mercury Retrograde. You can check in with your astrological types for further insight. Just remember that during these times it’s generally not a good idea to start anything new. It’s better to stick to old patterns and associations. Maybe WWE is experimenting in other ways.

 

Just some closing thoughts on the Rumble, I found Randy Orton back and fresh as a daisy funny as that vampire facial worked wonders. Also, Damien Priest getting called up was an interesting move. He’s in a peculiar position because he’s new to WWE but he’s not exactly young. He’s kinda in Diamond Dallas Page territory as he’s getting his big shot at 38. He looks like he got kicked out of Los Angeles’ Viper Room if you ask me. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the scene, it’s a lot of old rockers last I checked. I’ll be playfully referring to him as any number of 80s hair bands as a consequence. If he’s ready for the big time, he should see the humor as should anyone else. It’s all in fun.

 

So, where does that leave us? Well, we will have the customary fallout on tonight’s RAW. Looks like Edge will waste no time setting his sights on Drew McIntyre’s WWE Title. Edge has only got so much time left so it appears he’s not gonna waste it. He’s gonna see if he go out on top. We all know McIntyre won’t step aside quietly. There will probably be a rematch for the Tag Team Women’s Titles as something put in play is often reversed on the corresponding fallout show. They could put something else in its place but we’ll have to wait and see what that is. As we do that, Funny tweets will get retweeted and as for Likes, well, let’s see how they manage to build for this year’s WrestleMania. It’s gonna be another 2 day event but they’re hoping for fans. Will it all work out? Let’s give them a chance to prove themselves. We got some time.

 

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)