WWE Royal Rumble 2011 Review
Edge(c) def. Dolph Ziggler(20:44)
Thoughts: I was definitely looking forward to seeing how well Ziggler could deliver when challenging for a world championship and my interest in this match only grew when Edge’s Spear was banned. Now I loved the WWE Championship Match between Randy Orton and Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series 2007 when HBK’s Sweet Chin Music was banned and he utilized some of his most famous opponents’ finishers including the Sharpshooter, the Crippler Crossface, the Ankle Lock and the Figure Four Leg Lock. I suspected that Edge might use a similar strategy in this match, but instead he focused on finding innovate ways to counter Ziggler’s offensive maneuvers into offensive maneuvers of his own. I’m not sure we’ve ever seen that particular story told in the ring and I’ll always mark for matches that give us something new. Ziggler looked strong throughout and there were at least three different moments throughout the match when I honestly thought that Ziggler had just won the title. In the end, Edge did hit the Spear when neither the referee nor Vickie Guerrero were watching and I loved his homage to Eddie Guerrero directly afterward. Edge won the match with Christian’s Killswitch, but Ziggler’s performance in this match may have been more valuable to his career than a title win. Overall, highly entertaining opener. Ziggler looked right at home in the main event, which makes you wonder why he still isn't there!
Rating: ***3/4
The Miz(c) def. Randy Orton(19:48)
Thoughts: Most bizarre sign reference I’ve ever seen in wrestling: “Peter Kurten.” Oh and to whoever wrote the “Who farted?” sign: what's wrong with you? Anyway, this match was just difficult to get into for me. I enjoyed the last 4 or 5 minutes of it, but it was too plodding throughout. The Miz and Randy Orton are great characters in wrestling, but they need the right opponents to put on a great match. One another aren’t the right opponent. However, after Miz hit his backbreaker/neckbreaker combo, I enjoyed the wrestling in the match. Despite a bit of a drag in the middle and Orton’s lack of respect for anything Miz did, this turned out okay and Miz looked right at home in the main event, which might explain why he held onto the title after Mania.
Rating: **3/4
WWE Divas Championship
Eve Torres def. Natalya(c), Michelle McCool and Layla(5:12)
Thoughts: Now let's be honest here: When the anonymous Raw GM changed this from a handicap match to a Fatal 4-Way, you were hoping that the mystery diva was Kong, weren't you? Come on, be honest. I certainly was, but it was Eve Torres, which I have no problem with. This was clearly the weakest match on the show. There’s simply no way to deny that fact. However, it would be unfair to say that this was a bad match. More importantly, the match served an important purpose on the card. It was the “breather” between the two world championship matches and the Royal Rumble Match, and it played that role without being silly or pointless. We could have easily wasted five minutes with a throw-away comedy match, but instead we got a decent Divas Championship Match that saw the title change hands. Natalya’s Sharpshooter was way cool to see and for a Divas match, it could've been much worse.
Rating: **
Alberto Del Rio def. 39 other competitors; last eliminating Santino Marella(1:09:52)
Thoughts: This match was all over the place, but almost all of it was all over the place in a good way. Punk and Bryan starting was so great, especially if you were a fan of ROH when the two were there since they rarely crossed paths over there. New Nexus’ early domination clearly showed that the faction(whether lead by Wade Barrett or CM Punk) was better than people gave it credit for. John Morrison may have had the single most impressive non-elimination in the history of the Royal Rumble. However, my one complaint about that incredibly impressive spot is that it telegraphed the fact that Morrison would not be winning the match. I don’t think he was ever a favorite to win the Rumble, but there was certainly the possibility of it happening. However, the fact that he was allowed to attempt a spot with a good 80% chance of him falling on his ass outside the ring was a pretty clear message that he wouldn’t be around at the end. I'm sure some people hate the Hornswoggle shenanigans near the middle of the match, but I thought it was a fun little break that gave a bit of variety to a very long match. As for the two big surprise entrants, it was nice to see Booker T and be treated to a Spinaroonie after not having seen on in WWE for 3 and a half years, but what we’ll all remember is the crowd’s thunderous response to Diesel. Boston was on FIRE for Big Sexy and he clearly had the highest Pop / Mobility ratio of any performer in the history of the industry. I really only have two complaints about the match. First, while I liked New Nexus’ string of dominant eliminations, I thought their storyline peaked a bit early. It would have been more impressive if they had gone on the same run thirty minutes later. Second, I certainly expected Triple H to make his long-awaited return here and I know I wasn’t alone. After thirty-nine other men entered the ring, you'd think that they would save the best for last. And then he wasn’t and I felt more than a bit deflated for a few minutes. The action in the ring picked up and everything was eventually right with the world, but I was still disappointed. I'm also pretty sure this was the longest match in WWE history. Overall, the Rumble was incredibly fun to watch with a little bit of everything for everybody. It didn’t need forty guys, but it hardly felt like overkill. I’m in line with most everyone’s thinking that it hit the narrative wall right about the time Cena eliminated Punk. After that it was “pop for the entrance, bored for the match.” I did love the ending sequence as Del Rio pissed the crowd off with the win, then they gave them a little hope with Santino and then Del Rio robbed the innocents of their souls as he tossed Santino to win officially. At the time, I wasn't completely sold that ADR was the right choice since he was still developing a half Guerrero/JBL gimmick, but when I saw his 2 out of 3 falls match with Rey Mysterio from earlier in 2011 on YouTube, my opinions changed. Just good stuff all around.
Rating: ****
Final Rating:
3.13 out of 5
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