I hope by now you’ve cooled down from Sunday’s Royal Rumble, which featured an early Daniel Bryan elimination (*IWC fist shake*) and threats of fans canceling the WWE Network.
Here’s my opinion on the event, which is undoubtedly going to infuriate some fans. You see, I believe Roman Reigns was not only the obvious winner going in, but he was the right choice to win the 30-man over-the-top-rope battle royal. I wrote this after SummerSlam:
“It also leads to the build of another big star. The person who finally defeats Lesnar will be pushed to the stratosphere. It can make or break a career, depending on what this person does with the momentum. I agree with many in that Reigns will be positioned as the eventual conqueror of The Beast. There’s no one else on the roster currently that can “touch” Lesnar.”
I felt that way then and I feel that way now. Lesnar has been booked as nearly unstoppable. He even overcame a “broken rib” and demolished Rollins and Cena after both had their fun while The Beast was incapacitated.
Cena said after “I don’t know who can stop Lesnar.” It can be and likely will be Reigns, who can stand up to Lesnar in stature and intensity. As much as people like the underdog story, there is NO amount of booking that can make it plausible for Bryan to beat Lesnar.
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I don’t get the sense WWE is sold on Bryan. That much was evident when he entered at No. 10 and was tossed out soon after. The elimination deflated the crowd, but anyone watching the past few months shouldn’t have been surprised by the outcome.
Bryan just came back from multiple surgeries. There was concern if he’d even come back. So why would you throw him into the title mix now if you aren’t sure he can be there for the long haul?
Exactly. You can’t do that. And before you jump on me, yes Reigns was injured, but it was a sports hernia and certainly not anything as dire as a neck injury.
Reigns may still be green, but at least WWE is giving a new guy a chance with the belt. Reigns is among the future of the business, and while I believe Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt have higher ceilings, you have to match up Lesnar with someone who we truly believe could beat him.
Reigns is that man right now. He has the look and he’s improved on the mic, as much as people want to deny that.
You just know a writer jokingly gave him the “suffering succotash” line in hopes he’d stumble all over it and he didn’t. In fact, Rollins, who’s universally regarded as much better on the mic, has made a few botches recently while Reigns has looked smooth.
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I get it. You aren’t happy your guy isn’t at the top, but you can’t try to make stars without giving them a chance. Reigns won’t be treated any differently. If he proves he can handle it then he’ll be given more opportunities and if he can’t they’ll go on to the next, just like I said in August. It’s his opportunity to make or break and WWE will do all it can to position Reigns as a threat, just like they tried to do before the injury, which stalled the momentum.
Don’t worry, Ambrose, Rollins, Wyatt and Bryan will get plenty of shots down the road. This is Reigns’ time now. You’ll just have to deal.
All that said, there are ways out of this for WWE should Reigns not look as imposing as they want or if ole Vince has second thoughts, which he is prone to do on many occasions. It happened last year when Bryan was written into the storyline for the title. I'm not saying that happens again, but there are other potential finishes.
You could do a cash in by Rollins, though I feel he'll hold off even longer on that. You could keep Lesnar the champion (as detailed below). You could add someone to the mix or you could go with Reigns and see if he falls flat, as I said previously.
Here are a few other quick thoughts on the Royal Rumble:
--- The title match was superb and while I agree Reigns needs the shot, it would have made for a spectacular WrestleMania main event. Lesnar’s contract is reportedly up after Mania, but this finish could have worked. You could have had Lesnar win and walk away since he has nothing left to prove. That would lead to a title tournament and a fresh approach and I think people would be happier about that.
In any case, the three men put on a great match, potentially the best they’ve performed in many months. They all looked strong at times and Rollins broke out some incredible and dangerous moves. You could watch the 480 moonsault on repeat for an hour and it wouldn’t get old...
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--- Three words: Bubba Ray Dudley. It's nice to see him back in WWE and he should put on some fine matches. He honed his craft in TNA (as well as his body) and could be a welcome addition to the roster if he is used frequently....
--- Wyatt looked strong, despite not winning. I liked the touch of grabbing the mic while he waited for the next victim. Some made the argument that Wyatt could also match up well with Lesnar, and while true, WWE wasn’t about to do a heel-heel title match at Mania...
--- The annual “How will Kofi not be eliminated” featured one spot, as he was tossed on top of the Rosebuds. He was eliminated quickly after being saved...
--- No, Curtis Axel isn’t still IN the Royal Rumble. You have to enter or else you’re not in it, but I bet they play that up on Raw before he’s squashed by Reigns. That said, it’s still true that Maven has never been eliminated after running from The Undertaker all those years ago. He has a legit beef more than Axel...