Royal Rumble PPV Reax

-- Mike in Philadelphia (7.0): Best: Lesnar vs. Cena vs. Rollins. Worst: Rumble match. I was in attendance at the Rumble; to blame the crowd for the bringing the show down is comical. If the crowd ruined this, then why was #CancelWWENetwork trending for hours after the show ended? Every crowd would have booed and had the life sucked out of it after Daniel Bryan was eliminated in the manner he did. It didn't help the fact that after his elimination, the next couple of guys to come out were Goldust, New Day #1, Adam Rose, Roman Reigns (the now obvious winner who is "taking Bryan's spot"), New Day #2, and Jack Swagger. We weren't given a chance to get back into the match. Following Bryan's elimination, they should have sent Dolph Ziggler out there to at least calm the fans and give them someone to cheer and get behind. Then, to have a pair of guys in the twilight of their careers (Big Show & Kane) eliminate the supposed future of the company (Ziggler, Bray Wyatt, and Dean Ambrose) as easily and effortlessly as they did, was a giant F-U to everyone in attendance and watching at home. It was pathetic.

With all that said, the overall show was still a plus in my mind. The WWE Title match was worth the price of admission alone. It was amazing, start to finish. The big spots hit their marks perfectly and some of the nearfalls were very believable. Seth Rollins was the MVP of the match and of the night. Another Lesnar-Cena match could have been great, but there is no way it would have compared to this match. If there was any doubt that Rollins is a legit main-eventer, it was answered in this match. Lastly, the pre-show tag match was surprisingly very good. The crowd was very into Cesaro, even though he's Swiss, and the action was good all around. Easily the second-best match of the night.

-- Gregory Prytyka, Jr.: Let me be blunt. Last year I let my WWE Network subscription run out after Bryan was injured and Lesnar won the title. And, Sunday night is the reason why I haven't renewed it since then. I haven't missed watching WrestleMania since Mania 24 back in 2008 (although I wish I had skipped Manias 27 and 29), but this year may very well be the first one I purposefully miss out on. I hope Vince is happy.

-- Christopher Dugger (5.0): Best: Triple Threat title match. Worst: Ascension vs. Outlaws. Okay, I haven't ordered a PPV in seven-and-half years or subscribed to WWE Network. I ordered for the Rumble. Now i'm reminded why I waited and will be canceling . I was hoping Daniel Bryan would win, as I didn't think WWE was that stupid. Bray Wyatt was good, the ending was terrible, and I expected Rock to enter at #31 and win since Curtis Axel never entered and Erick Rowan wasn't official.

-- Derrick in Utah (7.0): The undercard was lame, the WWE Title match was great, and the Rumble was fun. Yes, Reigns won, but I still enjoyed the match and look forward to WrestleMania. This is not the end of the world for Daniel Bryan. He will still get a marquee match at Mania, which is fine with me. There were so many layers and phases to the title match. More than just heroes and villains, distinct characters locked in a fantastic story. Each man played his role perfectly. This style of match is where WWE really shines and in in doing so, the wrestlers shined as well. If there was any question beforehand, there is no doubt in my mind now - Rollins is the real deal.

As for the Rumble, the first half was notably the better half. Everyone was given the opportunity to shine (even Zack Ryder). DDP and Bubba Ray were both worthy additions. I wanted Bryan to win. He lost. Was I disappointed? Yes. Do I think this is the end of the world, or the demise of WrestleMania? Absolutely not. The crowd expressed their displeasure, and...I think they had fun doing so. People will complain excessively about this, but... they will enjoy critiquing and insulting the show. With Lesnar leaning face, having Reigns face him for the belt is intriguing.

Did you watch the Royal Rumble? Email your Reax, 0-10 Score, and Best/Worst match to pwtorch@gmail.com.

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