Welcome to Prestige‘s Blog
I guess I‘m treating this as the proper welcome . Hello everyone!
When Wrestlemania came this year I decided spontaneously that I‘d review it. Since then reviewing WWE events became an obsession.
So much so, that I decided to just put them up on my unused blog.
Originally I wanted to play catch up with myself and provide the finished reviews of the last three weeks of WWE content before I post about anything recent.
Blame it on my OCD and my tendency to procrastinate every chance I get.
But, to cut a long story short: to hell with my OCD!
The Greatest Royal Rumble is the latest WWE Network event (is it a pay-per-view? I guess it is) so this is gonna be my starting point.
WWE is treating it as a big deal, so I am too.
This means that starting today I‘ll be providing reviews a day or two after the shows happen.
All while I work through my backlog.
Let‘s start, shall we?
Preamble Ramble:
I actually already rambled about this event in one of my as of yet unreleased reviews. This is the time and place where I do the exact same thing, to give you my feelings on the whole event before it happens.
I actually have a few issues with it, that keep me from truly looking forward to it.
First of all, it‘s too close to Mania. There‘s just been way too much big matches happening recently that i‘m kind of experiencing a bit of big match fatigue.
They should have waited with an overseas Extravaganza in Saudi Arabia a few more weeks.
Secondly, I‘m not sure if this is a pay-per-view event or a televised house show. Some matches have a little bit of build (at least the roman/Brock cage fight does) which would point to PPV, while they just announce the matches through commercials and don‘t really build them up with a story-line – which would make it a house show (a big one, yes, but still a house show).
I‘m the story guy, so it really does matter to me. Plus, I‘m just confused as to what this event really actually is.
And then there‘s the Greatest Royal Rumble match itself. It feels as if WWE doesn‘t really know why we love the Royal Rumble event so much. It‘s all about the story of seeing your favorite wrestler (or Roman Reigns) conquer the odds and win a chance to compete at the biggest show of them all. The stakes is what makes the matches so memorable.
Without stakes a Royal Rumble becomes nothing more than a glorified roll call.
Sure, it‘s gonna be pretty nifty to see fifty Superstars in one ring, but that‘s still a roll call none the less!
So, I just wish there were more implications for the winner. A trophy is nice, but it‘s just not enough in my opinion. Give us something more!
Also, I‘m not really gonna say much about the whole controversy about WWE holding an event in a country that has limited rights for women.
While I don‘t agree with the laws of Saudi Arabia I think it‘s still okay to hold events in a country that has different views than yours. Sure, it sucks, and it‘s a shame that there‘s not gonna be a women‘s match on the card because of that, but it is what it is.
But!
I‘m a fairly optimistic Wrestling fan, so I can overlook all of these issues if it turns out to be fun to watch.
Predictions:
Greatest Royal Rumble Match:
My pick for the winner is Daniel Bryan. It‘s gonna be a nice moment to see him hold the trophy. As for surprises I‘m just gonna give you insane dream picks, cause WWE built this up as the best show ever, so, here it goes:
Stone Cold, The Rock, Mick Foley and Sean Michaels.
Not gonna say anything more, predicting 50 people would be just overkill. I‘ve seen that Mark Henry will be in it, that‘s gonna be nice! Did I see that right? Is the great Khali in this? Not really surprising.
Maybe it will even be Big show‘s last match. I would really like that.
John Cena vs. Triple H:
John is Gonna win, pretty sure.
Intercontinental Title Ladder Match:
Seth Rollins will retain.
United States Title match: Jinder Mahal vs. Jeff Hardy:
No way Jeff will loose his title so soon! Just no way!
Raw Tag Titles match: Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt vs. The Bar:
No way they‘ll give the titles to anyone other than Matt and Bray when the bar is already on Smackdown. Not happening.
SmackDown Live Tag Titles match: The Usos vs. The Bludgeon Brothers:
Yeah I don‘t think the title will go back to the Usos. The Bludgeon Brothers are just too damn dominant!
Cruiserweight Title Match: Kalisto vs. Cedric Alexander:
I think Kalisto could win here. They are really building up the Lucha House-party, so this might be a nice boon. Pretty sure he‘s gonna lose to Cedric soon after, but tonight he might win the title. Yeah, I‘m going with Kalisto.
Casket Match: Rusev vs. The Undertaker:
I‘m not even gonna answer this one. we all know wyho‘s gonna win. Sorr, it‘s not gonna be Rusev day.
World Title Match: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. A.J. Styles:
Shinsuke will win. He‘s just too much of a heel not to win, this will progress their feud even further. It‘s not over yet!
Steel Cage Match for the Universal Title: Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar:
There‘s no chance anyone will ever beat Brock Lesnar.
No one will ever beat Brock Lesnar.
He will have the title forever!
I don‘t like it, but that‘s just what‘s gonna happen.
Review:
Two things before the event starts properly.
I‘m a huge fan of the band Godsmack, so of course I applaud their theme song choice. Good job!
Secondly, I‘m not sure how the audience will be. I saw during the Preshow that they‘ve got really confy chairs set up right at ringside which are probably for all the rich sheiks. I just have no idea if the people of Saudi Arabia will be loud or not. No idea what crowd we will get. Will they boo Roman or do they love him over there?
They start the show with the national anthems of both Saudi Arabia and the United States of America.
So, does this mean we‘re treating this just as we treated Mania?
The event intro is a nice recap of the things to come. They have never been bad at Intros.
Okay, the crowd is not gonna be a problem.
As a huge fireworks display ushers in the start, a huge deafening pop chimes through the arena.
The night is gonna be great. I‘m pumped now, actually!
01: John Cena vs. Triple H:
Yeah, a nice crowd pleaser will always kick their shows off and I‘m sure this won‘t be any different.
John Cena, against the boss Triple H. I‘m a huge John Cena fan, and I can‘t wait for it to start!
This match is gonna be good!
It‘s time to play the game! Little known fact, it‘s my favorite Triple H theme.
His entrance is pretty cool with green lasers. They will probably fire on more cylinders than they did at Mania.
Yeah, the crowd‘ll eat every single moment up. It‘s gonna make the show so much more watchable.
John comes out flagged by a sea of little John Cena fans from Saudi Arabia. The stage might be a bit minimalistic, but that doesn‘t mean they can‘t think of ways to make it memorable.
I‘m also predicting that they bought every single firecracker in Saudi Arabia, if the firing of yet another fireworks show during Cena‘s entrance is any indication.
It starts evenly matched but after a classic show of strength Hunter low blows him and now it‘s Triple but goes immediately back to an equal exchange of power. The in match story is that both of them are titans. Triple H mocks Cena throughout.
It‘s a slower and methodical pace, but that‘s probably because Triple H is leading so far.
That‘s just how he wrestles.
And whenever Cena fights back it picks up the pace.
Triple H has to be brutal and relentless.
The last act was really fun! A close call for Cena is followed by one for Triple H in which he actually performs the Five Knuckle Shuffle on Cena himself! I just love it whenever wrestlers use their opponents moves.
They brawl a bit on the outside and Cena jumps on H from the top rope, Spine Buster to Cena and plants him in the middle of the ring! He still kicks out!
Wow! This is really picking up now! Just two legends fighting it out!
They exchange some submissions and close calls. Triple H just clubbers Cena in the corner. Cena fights out! Five Knuckle Shuffle, AA, pin and… Triple H kicks out! Wow!
Cena looks serious now. He tries another AA but triple H counters with a Pedigree, which Cena also kicks out off. This is already exhausting!
Another quick move exchange is followed by an STF and Hunter fights out and counters with a Crossface of his own. Wow! Cena puts him on his shoulders, AA and then slingshot in the corner and then yet another AA and then finally! He wins! Cena wins!
Holy crap, this was fun!
Yeah, I really liked this match! An incredible start! My rating is a 4 out of 5.
Cena grabs the mic and says that it‘s an honor to be a part of tonight. He was not going to miss it. He thanks the kingdom of Saudi Arabia for it‘s hospitality, but more than anything, thanks to the fans for allowing him to be a part of the evening.
I just love John.
The speech sounded a bit disingenuous, but I‘m sure that‘s just because he just went through a grueling match and is just pretty winded.
They transition with the co branded pay per view Music Video Promo and I‘m already getting sick of it. Why does the WWE always have to overdo things?
02: Cruiserweight Title Match: Kalisto vs. Cedric Alexander:
We continue with the explosive action! Cruiserweights will burn the house down!
I like me some Cruiserweight Action!
Cedric deserves the title but I still think Kalisto will win this one.
I‘m okay with him as well.
Wow! They sure jump around a lot! Kalisto off the top rope and down goes Alexander. Breathe, breathe, this is too much fun!
Kalisto is outside the ring and Cedric jumps out at him. This leads to him locking his opponent in a grip. A submission in a Cruiserweight match is always… Dropkick by Alexander followed by a cover and Kalisto kicks out!
Okay, no I‘m not trying the play by play here, this is too much to describe.
Cedric is trying to ground Kalisto through submissiobns which makes it really strategic.
A beautiful Crossbody by Kalisto follows. Kalisto does some more flippy floppy and pins him, but Cedric kicks out.
Oh, they just said that Rey Mysterio will be in the Rumble match. Nice. I like him a lot.
The match continues to be an explosive back and fourth. How does the Indy chant go again?
This is Wretling!
A seated springboard Spanish Fly by Kalisto! What the hell was that! That needs to be framed in an art gallery! Woe that was beautiful!
Lumbar Check and Cedric retains! What the heck! This match was insane!
Breathtaking, for sure! I had a hard time keeping up with it.
Beautiful.
I give it a well earned 4 out of 5.
03: Raw Tag titles Match: Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt vs. the Bar:
The Bar will classify themselves as obsolete! This match will be wonderful!
I‘m just so in love with the team up of Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt. WWE seems to be too, so there‘s no way Sheamus and partner even stand a chance.
50 minutes in and we‘re already at the third match. They have a nice tempo going. I dig it.
Wow, there are a lot of fireflies in Saudi Arabia! The entrance looks magnificent.
Oh, god, the woken gimmick is just so good! Enough gushing about the broken brilliance that is Matt Hardy, let‘s get to the match already!
Both Hardy and Cesaro start this by showing their hand logos a bunch and then Matt tags in Bray. Sheamus is tagged in as well.
I hate to repeat myself, but this match is also a lot of fun!A nice back and fourth by both teams, but it‘s clear who the favorites are here.
Yeah it‘s not as fun as it goes on. I think the idea of this match was better than the end result.
Cesaro wrestles his ass off but it doesn‘t really look impressive against Hardy. The bar are now leading. Can Matt get back to Bray? Side Effect to Cesaro and he tags in Wyatt, who immediately attacks Sheamus on the ring pole. Collission to Cesaro. What an impact that was!
Sheamus broke it up and they try to pin Bray after a double team and Hardy is involved again! Twist Of Faith to Sheamus and then he throws Hardy out of the ring. Wyatt lands Sister Abigail on Cesaro who tags in Sheamus. And Sheamus gets deleted by an elevated Twist Of Faith.
Hm. The deleter of worlds win.
This was underwhelming even though the end result wasn‘t.
2 out of 5.
04: United States Title Match: Jinder Mahal vs. Jeff Hardy:
No, I‘m not gonna say that this match is gonna be fun, because I have a feeling it won‘t. It‘s just interesting that they put both Hardy‘s matches right after each other.
The match could be fun, but I‘m not sure it will be better than the match they had on Raw, which was admittedly really good and better than I had expected.
The commentary team mentions before the match that Jeff‘s knee was tweaked a few weeks ago, which surely means they will have Jinder work on his knee throughout the match.
Jeff Hardy starts the match off really explosive and even jumps off the top of the barricade. And now Singh tries to grab his leg. Jinder is now in charge because of this.
I like his methodical hard hitting wrestling. He needs to just be a brutal heel. Ruthless works for him.
Jeff is finally able to fight back and he almost got a Twist Of Fate in, but Jinder counters. Nice exchange of countered moves follow. Hardy tries the Whisper In The Wind but he doesn‘t hit Jinder. I‘m not sure, but I think this was a botch and he was supposed to hit it.
Mahal is out after a Cardiac Arrest (weird move name) in the corner and Sunil intervenes again. Strong back and forth exchange. Twist Of Faith enables Jeff to land a Swanton Bomb on Jinder and he pins him. 1.2.3.
Jeff retains!
Okay, I gotta say, this match was not bad, not bad at all.
2.5 out of 5.
Intermissions:
So far I‘m really digging this event. The only thing that annoys me are the commercials they air after each match. But I guess it‘s better than the elongated Wrestlemanias they usually put out nowadays.
Saxton is gone and he‘s back on the Kickoff Panel. They apparently recap the show so far and talk about what‘s still to come. How do you spell padding?
Why is this a part of the show? Probably because they show a promo about Saudi Arabia.
Ah, that sweet sweet propaganda.
Women are allowed to drive now! Woohooo! I don‘t know how i feel about this propaganda piece… Okay.
I‘m not gonna talk about this anymore.
I‘m waiting for wrestling. Not gonna say another word until they wrestle some more.
Does an interview with Chris Jericho count? Oh my gosh he‘s so great! It‘s good to see him back! He talks a bit about who will be in the Rumble. Oh, he‘s so incredibly energetic! He even mistakes Mike‘s name for Tom. But he‘s not having it, his name‘s Tom not Mike. Oh god this is funny! Don‘t try to fool him Tom, Jericho says.
Tom (meaning mike) just made the list! So do the camera man and the sound guy as well as everyone else in the Rumble.
Wow, how much fun he is!
A Danial Bryan interview is next. Being away was tough but it just showed him how much he loved wrestling. Every match he‘ll wrestle from now on is a privilege. He screams Yes!
Yeah, he‘s my pick to win.
05: SmackDown Live Tag Titles Match: The Usos vs. The Bludgeon Brothers:
I wasn‘t down since the day one was h. As a matter of fact, I hated the Usos, but since they turned heel I‘m all for them! They are game changers! The Bludgeon Brothers are also really fun! Just a really great big guy dominates little guy by violence team.
This one is probably also gonna be a brutal match.
Jey and Rowan start.
Brutality from the get go!
Jey is just helpless against them. Harper and Rowan tag out repeatedly. Big splash from Rowan. Cover and Jey manages to kick out.
Dang, the Usos make the Bludgeon Brothers look like a million bucks!
The question here is, will Jey manage to get to his brother! The Bludgeons really isolated him and are just straight up beating him up.
Jey manages to dug away as Harper falls to the floor and now he gets to his brother and tags him in!
Now it‘s Jimmy‘s turn to dominate!
This is such a competitive fight now! Another tag to Jey. Double team by the Usos. And a few more double team assaults. They isolated Harper and he‘s now in the middle and they pin him, but no! He kicks out and now the Bludgeons are back in the game again!
A quick double team ending on… Jimmy? Jey? They look the same. And the Bludgeon Brothers win.
They had to win. hm, it could‘ve gotten a bit longer for my taste. It was barely a match.
However, what was there was really good.
I was hesitant cause of the length but I think I‘m giving it a 2.5 out of 5. Yes, I thought it was better than the Raw Tag Title match.
06: Intercontinental Title Four Men Ladder Match:
I like each of the four men involved in this. Miz will not win this cause he switched brands. Same goes for Joe, although either of those would actually be my dream pick.
But well, Seth is gonna retain, i have no friggin doubt about that!
I think the one Superstar I care the least about is actually Finn Balor. Sorry, I just don‘t like his main roster run so far. He was way better in NXT.
I really like ladder matches though. I‘m sure this will be insanely fun!
Crap, I jinxed it, haven‘t I?
But no!
Immediately this is a war! Each man wants the title! A ladder is introduced early on and Joe uses it to his advantage. He tries to set it up, but Seth interrupts him. He gets a landing on the ladder face first for his troubles. and now Finn is Samoa‘s next victim. Finn counters and Joe lands spine first on the ladder! He‘s now climbing the ladder, but Miz comes from behind. Seth interrupts him and Miz lands face first on the ladder. Seth looks up at the title and places the ladder. A few more interruptions and Balor and Seth are now fighting on the top of the ladder! Joe and Miz topple the ladder and they have a stare off. Miz tries to form an alliance with Joe, and he even shakes his hand but Joe‘s not having it and clubbers him instead. And now he goes on a laddering campaign. Finn gets the ladder! Rollins gets the Ladder and the Miz also gets the ladder! Everyone gets the ladder!
Now Finn and him fight for a while and I‘m getting NXT flashbacks. Wow! The ladder lands on Joe, and Balor attempts the Coup de Grace onto the ladder but Seth interrupts him and so does Miz and now a double suplex by Joe! Wow!
Joe is just killing it!
Skull-crushing finale onto the Ladder by Miz to Joe! Holy hell, this looked brutal!
Mike is all alone with the ladder now. Will he become a nine time Intercontinental champ? No, as he climbs up the ladder Seth interjects and they fight on the ladder.
He knocks Seth off but Balor climbs after him. Miz falls off the ladder ans pulls Balor off. Seth is on the ladder now but again Miz is furious and tries his best! The Miz is also on fire! (figuratively of course)
Ladder to Seth and ladder to Balor just to be sure. Second time to each of them and down are both of them. Balor on top and Coup de Grace to miz on the ladder!
Now it could be his moment! No, Joe is back and wow I need a break… Overhead kick by Balor! He climbs onto the ladder but it‘s now time for the Coquina Clutch which gets countered and Finn tries to climb the ladder one more time!
Joe takes Balor on his Shoulders! Uranage by Joe and another ladder attempt. This time by Joe. This is exhausting! Finn topples the ladder. What the hell! Not so fast! I can‘t keep up! Rollins quickly climbs the ladder and before Balor can even realize it he can unhook the title. He just retained!
What on eatrth was this! This was so insane!
So far this one‘s the best match of the night! 4.5 out of 5.
Balor even has a bloody face! This was so… they burned it down! Yes they did!
Intermission Number Two:
WWE Performance Ceenter in Saudi Arabia tryout promo next. It‘s cool to see those overseas trypouts.
Mike the annuncer guy who talked to Jericho earlier is in the ring and introduces the four people who succedded in the tryouts.
Ariya Daivari and his Brother interrupt them, waving the Iranian flag.
Of course they earn thunderous boos.
Ariya asks if this is what they call athletes in Saudi Arabia. They are pathetic!
Real athletes come from Iran! His words not mine.
His brother now cuts a promo in his native tongue.
One of the trainees confronts him and shoves Ariya. All four of them now beat them up.
This is pandering to Saudi Arabia, I know that, but it was a pretty nice segment for what it was.
Celebrate your country changing. Good.
07: World Title Match: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. A.J. Styles:
From dream match to rematch.
Will this one be better than their Mania match? I hope so, cause that match was truly underwhelming. Of course we got the Shinsuke heel turn out of it, so it was still all good in the end.
I love heel shinsuke so dang much! I like A.J. too, but heel Nakamura is just sooooooooooooooooooo much fun!
And his theme is way better now as well 😛
Yeah, the match already starts better than their mania encounter.
Quick exchanges follow each other.
Shinsuke retreats to the outside. Back in the ring they lock up again. A.J. is just angry! The story is evident on their faces! This is a close quarters affair! There‘s a lot of close body grappling. Nakamura mocks Styles with the usual head bop on stomach and the Come On! yell. A.J. fires back!
And now it‘s all A.J..
He‘s just letting off steam now! All the pent up emotions of Shinsuke‘s betrayal are coming out now. Shinsuke fights back. Cheap shot to the back of Style‘s injured knee and now Styles gets a knee to the chin while he‘s lying on the apron.
Nakumara is just killing Styles, but he still kicks out two times! He‘s not giving up!
Shinsuke is so angry and getting desperate!
He locks the champion into a submission and Styles counters. Shots to the stomach by Styles and face first goes Shinsuke!
Both men are out now!
Styles has found his steam again and there‘s a nice back and forth. He pins Nakamura, but there‘s a kick out at two.
Shit, it‘s another great match!
Styles is trying to get the Styles Clash in, but Nakamura won‘t have it!
Knee to face as Styles is lying unconscious. Shinsuke throws him in the ring and now he tries to hit him with a Kinshasa but A.J. counters! Calf Crusher and Nakamura has no way to escape!
He crawls towards the rope and gets to the rope! Rope Break. Oh, good. A breather.
Not for long cause this is followed by an insane kick to A.J.‘s head. he picks him up and throws him onto the ring post.
Shinsuke is once again the dominating force!
Both are on the ring post and styles slips out underneath. Another breather. This is followed by a typical japanese strong style elbow exchange. This is the stuff! Better than crack! Quick exchanges end in Nakamura hooking the armbar on A.J..
Styles rolls up and forces the break. Pele Kick to Nakamura. Styles tries a phenomenal forearm but Nakamura ducks out and he hits the referee instead which results in a low blow by Nakamura but it‘s still not enough to win the title. He attempts the knee to face but Styles counters with an insane kick, or was it a punch? Both superstars now on the announce table. They battle outside the ring while the count-out is underway and… 10!
Styles retains by count-out, but it‘s not over just yet! Styles is continuing to beat Nakamura up violently! Chair to the back of Shinsuke! He throws Nakamura back into the ring but Shinsuke rolls out. Styles launches a phenomenal forearm at Nakamura on the outside.
5 out of 5. This was insane!
The Psychology and storytelling was just off the charts! I don‘t mind the ending cause it‘s not gonna be the end of the rivalry. Wow, to think that this was only the second act. there‘s still a third one coming. Oh.My.God.I.Can‘t.Wait.
08: Casket Match: Rusev vs. The Undertaker:
It was nice to see Undertaker back at Mania, but I personally thought that the buildup for that match was way better than the match itself.
And I‘m also all about Rusev Day!
So, I‘m rooting for my boy Rusev, but I‘m certain he has no chance of winning. Unfortunate.
It‘s also probably gonna be a rather short match just like Undertaker‘s Mania appearance.
Not even gonna mention how good his entrance still is. Ooops.
At the start Taker glances at the casket and it‘s gonna be opened. Rusev leaves the ring frightened!
He gets back in and then thinks better of it.
Taker follows him and clobbers him. And now there‘s actually a match! Rusev gets some offense in. Taker throws him into the corner and lands some punches. Taker dominates!
Undertaker climbs up the rope! Old School Rope Action! Rusev falls on top of the closed casket and he starts to get back onto the ramp.
Aiden convinces him to get back! Rusev‘s not giving up!
Now they are fighting on the outside and Taker bounces his head off the announce table. And now the classic leg drop on the throat at the edge of the apron. He rolls Rusev into the casket but Aiden English holds it open and does not allow him to close the lit.
Rusev escapes and attacks now. He gets a lot of stomps in .Exchange of blows in the middle of the ring and Rusev finally drops to the ground. Taker is too winded to pin him. He head butts rusev.
Spinning heel kick to Taker‘s face by Rusev! And now he attempts to put him into the casket, but gets a few more attacks in first, including the Accolade! Taker is unconscious, but he sits up and takes him by the throat, but Rusev counters.
And now a choke slam to Rusev!
Taker throws him into the casket. English attacks him and gets chokeslammed.
Followed by a Tomb Stone Pile Driver to English. He rolls him into the casket as well and closes the lid.
This was way less one-sided than I thought it was gonna be! Sure, Rusev lost, but he got way more attacks in than I fought! Aiden even ate the Tombstone instead of him. I think all things considered Rusev looked really good in defeat.
It was also way longer than i thought.
Oh, and miles better than the Mania match! I‘m impressed!
4 out of 5!
09: Steel Cage Match for the Universal Title: Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar:
Let‘s lighten the mood with a joke. I modified this one that Mick Foley told on his Comedy Special and I think it just fits Roman perfectly.
What‘s the difference between Roman Reigns and the Hundred Year War?
At one point the hundred year war was over.
Okay, I gotta say that I actually like Roman Reigns. He‘s great in the ring, they just book him really weirdly.
This is the Wrestlemania rematch and I have to tell you something that‘s considered an unpopular opoinion: I actually liked the Mania Main Event.
And I‘m also actually looking forward to this match as well.
Lol, Roman is still getting booed in Saudi Arabia. Some things never change.
The question is, will it be brutal to the point of blood? Probably not.
It starts with a stare-down. No one wants to get the first punch in and then there‘s the first Suplex by Brock! Two! Three! That didn‘t take long, did it?
Fourth Suplex to Roman!
First F 5. Is this gonna be all this match is gonna be?
As he attempts the second F 5 Roman jumps down and hits three Superman punches! Lesnar catches him and Reigns attempts to escape the cage, but Lesnar drags him back in. Lesnar is now the one trying to escape.
Reigns now the one grabbing Lesnar and trying to get him back to the ring.
Reigns with a Powerbomb to Lesnar! That looked good! Good looking Powerbomb! They show Joe watching the match backstage.
Reigns is now dominating. He uses the cage to his advantage.
Spear by Reigns!
Another one! And this is actually good. Sure, it‘s a bit slow, but for a Lesnar match this is great. Oh, third spear to Reigns! He covers him but Brock kicks out.
Roman tries to escape the cage through the door., but Paul shuts it on his face and another F 5 to Reigns who kicks out again.
Paul throws a steel chair into the cage.
This is truly getting interesting.
Lesnar takes off his wrist braces. He‘s serious now. As he picks up the chair Roman gets a fourth spear in!
Now it‘s Roman‘s turn to beat up Lesnar with the chair. Yes! That‘s what I like!
This is just a brutal fight with everyone giving their all. Another Superman punch to Brock.
One sided much?
What!!!!!!! REIGNS SPEARED LESNAR THROUGH THE CAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Who wins the match? Okay, they announce that it‘s Brock Lesnar cause his feet were on the floor before Roman. oh my gosh! This was so satisfying!
Good cage match, but I liked their encounter at Mania better.
3.5 out of 5.
Intermission Three:
Before the last one happens they announce a few matches for Backlash and the most interesting ones are Shinsuke and A.J. round three and Miz getting another opportunity at the Intercontinental Title.
Only one week of waiting until Backlash!
10: Greatest Royal Rumble Match:
One more to go.
So far it has been an insane evening! It‘s gonna get even better, isn‘t it?
Okay, so they just announced that they will also award the winner with a beautiful looking belt. What exactly it is, I have no idea yet, but that certainly does make it a bit more interesting. Will it be a legit title? Yes, the Greates Royal Rumble Champion Title! Does this mean this is gonna be a yearly event now?
The first ever 50 men Royal Rumble match, and this time a new Superstar will ome out every 90 seconds.
Who‘s number one you ask?
Daniel Bryan, who else! Did you seriously think they were gonna pick anyone else?
Number two is Dolph Ziggler and I can think of a worse starting match up.
The match starts really competitively and Bryan immediately starts to try and throw Ziggler out, and then Ziggler does the same.
They now fight properly for a bit and it a;most looks as if Daniel will be eliminated, but he can slip back underneath the rope.
Three is Sin Cara. I‘m indifferent towards him, actually.
But he flys right off the bat and Powerbombs Ziggler. He then takes down Daniel.
Sin Cara is outside the apron and now he lands on Daniel. Ziggler fights him next.
Superkick to the chin and he eliminates Sin Cara! Daniel then tries to elimanate Ziggler, but he can hang on. Curtis Axel is number four.
At this point I‘m realizing that it could get a bit repetitive, and be nothing more than me counting who comes out. Oh well, I‘ll try my best to make it interesting! It‘s just the nature of the match type. There‘s so much happening and you don‘t really know what you should pay attention to.
Axel beats up both of the other competitors. He actually looks pretty strong.
Oh and yet another Superstar already! Mark Henry! Someone‘s gonna get their ass kicked!
This progresses quickly.
Mark tries to eliminate Axel and succeeds. Ziggler and Daniel work together and try to throw Mark out but don‘t succeed.
Mike Kanellis is number 6.
And gets eliminated immediately by Henry.
All three fight a bit before the seventh one comes out. And it‘s Hiroki Sumi. I don‘t know who that is. Ah, the announcers fill us in that it‘s a sumo wrestler from japan and he squares off with Mark Henry.
And Mark actually manages to eliminate the sumo wrestler and then gets immediately eliminated by Bryan and Ziggler. A nice send up for the worlds strongest man! I like it!
Viktor from the Ascension is number 8
Ziggler has a near elimination. He had a few of those so far. It‘s just incredible how he always manages to hold on to the bottom rope and avoid elimination! Really impressive!
Bryan is on the apron and he eliminates Viktor.
Daniel and Dolph get a few shots into each other when the 9th one comes out. Kofi Kingston immediately fires on all cylinders!
Number 10 is Tony Neese from 205. Nice! I was wondering if they would have anyone from that brand in this match.
Tony and Kofi fight each other. He tries to eliminate Kingston but gets stopped by Daniel.
All four wrestlers brawl a bit.
Time for 11, Dash Wilder from the Revival and he immediately tries his hand at eliminating Tony Neese.
Dolph is just barely hanging on again when Kingston tries an elimination.
It‘s crazy how Ziggler is just surviving!
12! Hornswoggle! Oh my god! This is great! He helped eliminate Dash Wilder and now he‘s in the ring and kicks Kofi and actually puts him up on his shoulders!!!!! Followed by a Swoggle Drop! He climbs to the top rope. Superkick to Hornswoogle by Ziggler and he manages to hold on. Tony Neese eliminates him.
Primo is entrant number 13.
Who cares…
He fights with Tony Neese.
Daniel and Dolph fight a bit more.
And there‘s another near elimination for Dolph! He still hangs on yet again! Someone give that dude a medal! Xavier Woods is next!
He immediately teams up with his Tag partner. Kofi is in trouble but he jumps onto Woods.
Primo is trying to get him off the ropes. Xavier climbs to the top with Kingston on his back and he takes out Primo, Dolph and Bryan!
Tony Neese celebrates with them and it‘s just a funny moment. But the moment is over and they carry Neese out of the ring.
Bo Dallas is number 15.
It‘s getting to the point when there‘s enough Wrestlers in the ring for it to get a bit brawly.
Number 16: Kurt Angle!
You suck! You suck!
He immediately goes to work and eliminates Bo and then Primo!
And then he actually eliminates Dolph Ziggler! Can someone give him a medal now, at least? this was a bonkers performance by the show off!
New day team up against Daniel and Kurt. This is just beautiful.
Scott Dawson comes out and decks Xavier in the corner.
And now he fights with Kurt Angle.
I find it really hard to recap this kind of match.
18 is Goldust. See what I mean? Everything happens so fast that it just basically boils down to telling you who is coming out.
Goldust tries to eliminate Daniel who just barely hangs on to the rope and we get the second Ascension member, Konnor.
He goes after Kofi but Xavier saves him.
Number 20 is Elias and he comes out with his guitar! Cole marks out immensely! It‘s so great that he plays it as if he‘s a big fan of him. Never stop doing that Cole!
While he slowly walks to the ring everyone else brawls a bit. Elias runs in and eliminates Xavier, Kofi and Konnor!
Wow!
Luke Gallows‘ time to enter now.
He goes immediately after the Revival guy and while that happens we get Daniel versus Kurt in the middle of the ring. This is beautiful!
Angle Slam to Daniel! And Elias eliminates Kurt!
Gallows delivers a few harsh looking blows!
22 stands for Rhyno!
Daniel has already been in this match for 30 minutes!
He‘s so gonna win!
Drew Gulak enters next. Oh, god I love him!
Gulak rains down kicks onto Daniel Bryan.
And he also now fights Dawson. Goldust and Elias fight in the corner.
We‘re almost half way there! 24! Tucker Knight from Heavy Machinery! Yes please!
He eliminates Drew Gulak. And Gallows now fights him.
Number 25 is glorious! Bobby Roode time!
Glorious half time celebration!
He goes to town on whoever attacks him. Elimation to Goldust.
Now he tries to eliminate Dawson as well, and he succeeds. Although it looks as if he eliminated himself by accident.
Fandango!!!!!!!!!!!!
He fights Tucker Knight and this is yet another beautiful moment. And now Rhyno and Gallows team up against him.
Elias is nearly eliminated.
Chad Gable is number 27.
He picks up Tucker Knight which is impressive!
Daniel and Chad square off!
Booyakah Booyakah! 619! Booyakah!
He‘s here! Rey is here!
Everyone stops fighting and he‘s on fire and eliminates the good brother. Glorious 619 attempt but he gets intercepted. Wow this is just so great!
He‘s truly one of the greatest wrestlers of all time!
Mojo Rawley is the next Superstar and eliminates Fandango. How could he!
30: Tyler Breeze.
Fandango is still at ringside and talks to his partner. Tyler is saved by jumping on the arms of Fandango but then he‘s quickly eliminated afterwards.
A few separate fights are underway now.
Jadda doesn‘t dare to be sour, cause Big E is the next number!
One more chance for the new day? Will three times be the charm?
He squares off with Tucker Knight.
Big Ending to tucker and he‘s eliminated.
The second half of the Club enters and fights Daniel a bit. Spine Buster to Roode. Anderson is fired up!
Hanging on, as Big E tries to eliminate him!
It‘s seriously getting crowded now!
619 from Rey and I‘ve missed it, lol.
Apollo Crews eliminates Chad Gable upon entering and he hit the floor hard.
Everyone is trying to eliminate someone right now.
Roderick Strong is number 34! Heel Roderick, I might add!
Dropkick to Elias, Backbreaker to Roode. Backbreaker to Rey, he drops Big E and eliminates him.
And now he fights with Daniel.
And someone‘s hearing voices, cause Randy Orton enters next.
Wow, quick maneuvers by him! RKO out of nowhere as Apollo tries to jump on him. Anderson eliminmated. Mojo Rowley as well and so is Apollo. Orton‘s going back and forth with Rey as Heath Slater enters the Rumble.
Randy‘s got Bryan on the top and Daniel is in trouble but can hang on. Slater attempts an elimination on Elias, which fails.
Rey now in trouble! And he can hang on.
Who‘s next?
Babatande from NXT. I don‘t recognize him, but he‘s a big man. He dishes out punches to pretty much everyone. are they filling the ring with big men for a reason?
Baron Corbin lone wolfs his way into the Rumble now.
Elias brutally falls into the steps, but not from the top rope so he‘s still in the match. Wow! Deep Six to Rey Mysterio! Insane!
Corbin eliminates Roode! And I think someone else. But it‘s moving so quickly now.
Titus O‘Neil runs in next…. and he actually trips and lands face first under the apron! Wow! That was just the best moment ever! It was not planned, but that‘s why it‘s so good! 40 is Dan Matha from NXT and I don‘t recognize him either.
Apparently he‘s new.
God I‘m still laughing about Titus O‘Neil. Just so funny. I can‘t right now. This is too much. Stop replaying this moment! xD
Okay, Braun is next!!!!!!!! Yes!!!!!!!!!! Braun!!!!!!!!!!!
Cole says that Titus will wish he stayed underneath the ring… they aren‘t letting this go are they?
Braun and Brabatande stare off and Braun eliminates him and the other NXT guy. As weell as Big E and Heath Slater.
The other Stars team up on Braun as the perfect ten Tye Dillinger comes in at 42. No entry at ten for him this time. He also helps to try and eliminate Strowman, but Braun fights out of it and eliminates Titus.
And then he eliminate Dillinger. Front kick by Orton…. 619 to Strowman and then an RKO! another attack by Mysterio and corbin eliminates Rey who gets eliminated by orton who gets eliminated by Elias who… is eliminated by Braun Strowman I think? Curt Hawkins enters next and he tries to escape but Strowman gets him back to the ring to eliminate him. his loosing streak continues! No, Elias is still in the match, as well as Daniel Bryan. This is all that‘s left now I think.
Elias fights with Braun.
Bobby Lashley enters at 44. Braun‘s team member from the previous Raw. Lashley and Elias fight.
it‘s a good micro match.
Knee to Lashley‘s face. and Lashley eliminates Elias!
Nice.
Lashley and Braun now have a stare off and just lay into each other. Bryan is back in the ring and kicks the both of them!
Entry number 45 is the Great Khali. Okay.
He slowly limbs down the ramp.
Khali goes after Lashley, Daniel and then Strowman, and Daniel again. Braun attacks Khali and with the help of Lashley he eliminates the Great Khali.
And we get another confrontation of Lashley versus Braun. Daniel is still in this thing! Let him win, please god!
YES! Kevin Owens! It‘s the Kevin Owens Rumble! He dishes out a few cannonballs and fights Daniel Bryan now, who has just set the record for longest time in a rumble match!
And now the money comes! Shane O‘ Mac!
Kevin is obviously afraid!
Shane immediately attacks Kevin and it‘s just beautiful.
He stomps Lashley and Kevin intercepts. Now he fights with Shane again. And now Shane and Daniel stare at each other. Daniel looks really bruised!
They team up against Kevin and just dish out Yes Kicks to Owens. Number 48 is gonna be Sami, right? No, it‘s Shelton Benjamin.
He immediately takes down Shane.and then Daniel as well!
Attacks the others also. Kevin is screaming that they have to team up against Braun Strowman, which they actually do. 49 is Big Cass. He‘s gonna attack Daniel immediately, isn‘t he? Daniel is ready for it! And he is immediately attacked by him.
Boot to Strowman and they are attacking Braun again. Coast to coast to Braun by Shane! Wow! He goes underneath the rope. Not eliminated but outside for now.
Number 50 is not Sami but Chris Jericho! Perfect storytelling! Instead of the best friend it‘s the bitter enemy! I forgot all about him! Kevin‘s face goes stone cold. Jericho‘s scarf looks like a christmas tree. Kevin starts screaming at Jericho and they fight inside the ring. Lionsault by Jericho.
And now he tries to eliminate a few others and eliminates Benjamin. Walls of Jericho to Owens! He taps out but it won‘t help him. Big Boot by Cass to the face of Jericho and Lashley is now fighting him.
Daniel suplexes K.O. and yes kicks him at ring side. Him and Shane attack him a bit but Strowman throws Shane through the announcers desk before he can land a Coast to Coast on Kevin.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW! What an incredible spot!
Jericho eliminated. Owens eliminated. Daniel tries to eliminate him and…… Big Cass eliminates Bryan! What the hell! This means Braun and Cass are the last two.
Now they fight each other. Cass lands on the top rope. And he is eliminated by Braun Strowman!
And I need new hands. I wrote way too much today. Wow!
Celebration time for Strowman as he gets presented with his prices and fireworks go off.
Can‘t complain about the winner. I love Braun, but Daniel would have been that much sweeter.
4 out of 5 for this Rumble.
I need to take a break, but when I come back I‘ll provide an overall rating and rank all of the matches.
Overall Rating:
So, I‘m back after a much needed break. It was getting late here in Germany, so I actually went to sleep and it‘s Saturday morning now.
Production wise the event looked a bit sparse, especially the stage was a bit bland and barren. It was a really big house show in that regard, but I feel that they actually made it work. So many fireworks!
The matches however were far more than just regular house show matches.
The overall quality was nuts if you ask me.
The Tag matches were a bit lacking and the United States title match between Hardy and Jinder was also nothing special. But that‘s only three out of ten matches and although they weren‘t particularly great they were still immensely enjoyable to watch.
The rest of the card was exceptional! Shinsuke and Styles just killed it and the two none title matches were a lot of fun as well.
And don‘t get me started on the Intercontinental Title Ladder match!
And I even enjoyed the cage match.
Huge probs even go out to Kalisto and Cedric Alexander for giving it their all early on in the evening.
And now I have to talk about the Royal Rumble match itself.
What can I say, really? It was just a lot of fun! You could see however that they were fishing for Superstars a bit, cause some of the entry choices, especially those unknown big guys from NXT, were a bit weird.
They told a great story with Daniel Bryan and Kevin Owens had a lot of good moments as well.
It was nice to see Hornswoggle in a WWE ring again, actually.
There‘s just too many fun moments to count here.
Maybe it would have been a bit easier to keep track of everything with only 40 Superstars instead of 50, but I‘m not complaining too much.
The whole event was just a lot of fun.
I don‘t think it was necessarily better than Wrestlemania, cause there‘s just this certain kind of atmosphere that just elevates Mania each year, but to me, this was exactly as good as Wrestlemania 34, which I actually really really liked. I know, I‘m the only person in the world who liked it.
So, I‘m giving this event a rather high rating, because I just had so much fun.
4.5 out of 5.
And now, before we go, let‘s quickly rank the matches:
01 World Title Match: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. A.J. Styles
02 Intercontinental Title Ladder Match
03 Cruiserweight Title Match: Kalisto vs. Cedric Alexander
04 Greatest Royal Rumble match
05 John Cena vs. Triple H
06 Casket match: Rusev vs. The Undertaker
07 Universal Title Match: Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar
08 Smackdown Tag Titles Match: The Usos vs. The Bludgeon Brothers
09 United States Title Match: Jinder Mahal vs. Jeff Hardy
10 Raw Tag Titles match: The Bar vs. Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy