- Cody Rhodes wins Men’s 2023 Royal Rumble - Bray Wyatt def. LA Knight | Mountain Dew Pitch Black Match - Bianca Belair def. Alexa Bliss | WWE Raw Women’s Championship - Rhea Ripley wins Women’s 2023 Royal Rumble - Roman Reigns def. Kevin Owens | Undisputed WWE Universal Championship
Did anyone watch?
Reviews? Comments?
ETA: Tipped 4 winners myself. Anyone do worse than that?
I haven’t watched a WWE “PPV” since they went to Peacock, but I broke down because I do enjoy a good Rumble but mostly because of Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens and boy oh boy was that good theater. I haven’t followed The Bloodline story closely and I know some people think this has run on too long, but to me it was perfect. Really curious what they do going forward. A six man tag feels like not enough, but is Sami winning a title too much? I say no, but what do I know.
I liked both Rumbles. Any time you give me a Rumble loaded with Gunther and Sheamus smacking people around it will be a win in my book. Same with Rhea in the Women’s Rumble.
This was a good show, I was glad I watched it. It’s amazing how Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have broken through WWE’s oppressive creative system time and again. These two have a one of the most impressive bodies of work as anyone in wrestling.
Crowd will be booing Cody in two or three weeks. Poor guy.
The men's rumble was so very good. I loved it. Gunther is a machine. The women's had two stories: Damage CTRL and Rhea. Way too many NXT names in there as filler.
The main event was kinda OK, but the story after it was immaculate.
Back in 2019, I bought DolphDrew Jericho Tracker tickets for Smackdown in 2020. Of course that didn't happen. But I got tickets for the same arena and the same show for this Friday, and it should be an insane crowd. He will not be prepared for how big these shows are in person.
(edited by Matt Tracker on 30.1.23 2036) "To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
Originally posted by BigDaddyLocoboy oh boy was that good theater. I haven’t followed The Bloodline story closely and I know some people think this has run on too long, but to me it was perfect.
Just the best story in wrestling in years, as far as I'm concerned. Genuinely feels like we need to get Sami vs. Roman for the title to do this justice, but Sami vs. Jey Uso in the weeks to come is going to be gangbusters.
Originally posted by BigDaddyLocoCrowd will be booing Cody in two or three weeks. Poor guy.
It took less than 24 hours for me to go from, "Oh boy, Cody's back!" to "Ugh, this fucking guy again." Cody doesn't cut promos; he gives speeches. He's good for the occasional really gripping moment, but these things always come off as super rehearsed and inauthentic. Compare anything Mox has ever done, and you can really see the difference, not just in quality, but in both style and substance.
I've never understood the Cody thing. Does anyone else have an opinion of him other than "solid but unremarkable" - on the mic, in the ring, his look, everything?
I liked the show overall. Royal Rumbles are like pizza. Even when they're bad, they're still pretty good.
I hate criticizing, but Ive noticed more and more that the Rumble seems SUPER choreographed. Its to the point now where when the countdown starts you see the performers kind of drop whatever theyre doing and sort of mosey on over to where they are supposed to be for the next set of spots.
Also, they kept repeating the same sort of things over and over. Wrestler helps their partner, and both get eliminated. Big name entrant comes out, everyone stops what theyre doing and stares at them. Wrestler comes in, and everyone attacks one by one, taking their finisher or other signature move.
I always watch all he classic rumbles in the weeks leading up to the event because I'm weird. You definitely notice the difference between the 80's and 90's guys and today's performers in how they were able to make transitioning from one spot to the next so seamless and like its part of the action. Now I sound old.
As far as Gunther, I wasnt as impressed as some. I felt there were times where he really made it look "fake". His elimination for example looked like he just ran over to the ropes and jumped out. I also feel like there are times where hes just a guy who stands there and keeps chopping people and everyone acts like its the greatest thing ever.
Originally posted by MoeGatesI've never understood the Cody thing. Does anyone else have an opinion of him other than "solid but unremarkable" - on the mic, in the ring, his look, everything?
During Codys first run, I though he was criminally underutilized. He did amazing things once he left, and he really felt like a huge star in the indys and AEW. Since hes been back, I think they are expecting the fans to buy in based on his run outside the company, but a lot of their fans dont know anything about that. I think he needs some time in front of the WWE "universe" to establish his persona. It reminds me of what Jim Cornette once said about HHH : Hes a 9 that they push like hes a 10 so everyone thinks hes an 8. Not saying Cody is or isnt a 9 or whatever you want to rate him, I just think thats part of whats happening here. Also, they did him no favors by entering him in at number 30.
Originally posted by i before eAs far as Gunther, I wasnt as impressed as some. I felt there were times where he really made it look "fake". His elimination for example looked like he just ran over to the ropes and jumped out. I also feel like there are times where hes just a guy who stands there and keeps chopping people and everyone acts like its the greatest thing ever.
You know, I didn't like his elimination either, but he's a big guy, and it can be hard for them to go over the top convincingly sometimes. On the other hand, he is a big guy, and he was in there for 75 minutes. That's some monster cardio, and he's done similar in singles matches in the past. I think that's the part that's really impressive.
Originally posted by i before eAlso, they did him no favors by entering him in at number 30.
I don't think I agree with this. We all knew he was there, so I thought it built anticipation for him. Plus, coming off the injury, giving him less ring time felt like the smarter, safer option.
Thread rated: 6.27
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