Opinion
WWE Week in Review: February 25-March 3, 2019
Tiffany breaks down the week that was for WWE. Do you agree with her assessment?
Tiffany breaks down the week that was for WWE. Do you agree with her assessment?
RAW
Roman Reigns: It’s been a LONG time since I’ve heard a pop THAT loud for any one superstar. The Big Dog was back after being gone for months due to a battle with leukemia and he brought the best news possible: The leukemia is in remission! Great start to RAW. Loved Seth coming out, a complete 180 from October 22. Welcome back, Big Dog!
Aleister Black and Ricochet vs Revival: This was a study in contrasts on several levels. It was a great match, but it doesn’t feel like the whole point is to showcase the individual NXT talents as members of the main roster so much as it is an ad for NXT.
Baron Corbin: I’m honestly not sure what someone felt the need to have Corbin do that interview and I don’t care. I muted it as soon as I heard his name.
Elias: I LOVED this segment and I love that Dean’s back and is funny again. Him planting Elias with Dirty Deeds just made me happy. The challenge to McIntyre is interesting after last week, but we’ll see how it goes.
Riott Squad vs Ronda Rousey and Nattie: This was a really good match, but it was also one we’ve seen too many times. Sarah Logan has really improved a lot and Riott was impressive, as always. The real story of this match was Becky Lynch beating the holy hell out of anyone within reach with her crutch. I’m a little curious as to why Lynch was in the same outfit she was arrested in at Elimination Chamber.
Ronda and Stephanie: This was a really cool segment. There had been speculation that Lynch would make an appearance at Ric Flair’s birthday party, but Rousey demanding that Lynch be added to WrestleMania and threatening to vacate the title if Stephanie refused was very interesting, but I hope they aren’t doing this to protect Rousey at the expense of the match.
Jinder Mahal vs Kurt Angle: I really enjoyed this match. A lot of people were getting frustrated with Kurt Angle’s booking lately and this match seemed like a way to right the ship somewhat, but it’s clear that the Wrestling Machine has gotten a little rusty over the years, but it was fun segment and sometimes that’s all that matters.
A Moment of Bliss: After a few weeks’ absence, the cringe-fest that is A Moment of Bliss is back. I loved Bliss’ little dig at Rousey’s segment. The interview with Balor was…interesting, though I’m not sure I WANT to know what Bliss was going to show him.
Rush’s inclusion was the most interesting part of the segment due to Rush’s performance. He didn’t have his usual fire and swagger and was playing it like he was being forced to go out there. Balor came across as a bit of a jerk, but that’s understandable, all things considered.
Balor vs Rush: This was SUCH a good match and it was fun to watch Rush perform without Lashley. Rush vs Balor for the IC title could be a show-stealer for WrestleMania.
Ascension and Heavy Machinery: This was a very random segment. The Ascension hasn’t exactly set the main roster on fire since their debut a few years ago, so I’m not sure what the point is. The whole segment was just very strange and not funny.
Rush and Lashley: I loved how this segment played out, you really felt bad for Rush getting berated by Lashley. I couldn’t have been the only one going ‘Go get your own title shot, dude!’ The look on Rush’s face implies that Lashley’s going to be sorry for treating Rush the way that he is.
Strowman vs Lashley: Apparently, someone in WWE has finally realized that Strowman can’t do long matches with people not named Roman Reigns, so they’re building him up by having super short matches that accomplish nothing and the match with Lashley was no exception. The most that can be said is that it added more to the Lashley vs Rush story when Rush dove out of the way of Strowman and let Lashley take the hit.
Seth Rollins: This was a good segment. It established how happy Seth is about Roman being back and that they’re celebrating. I did find it interesting that Ambrose wasn’t mentioned at all in the interview, nor was his absence explained.
Dean Ambrose vs Drew McIntyre: This was a much better match than the mess last week. Dean had a chance to get out of the box and the two belt thing was hilarious. I’ve said before that I don’t believe Ambrose is really leaving and the way he lost, which actually protected him by having McIntyre need help, solidified that feeling further.
The Reigns/Rollins run in was very intriguing because they ran in and saved Dean, but left him alone in the ring. Clearly, Seth brought Roman up to date on Dean’s shenanigans, but Roman didn’t want to leave Dean to suffer a 4-1 beatdown, despite what he’d done and said. This is an interesting and intriguing story and I’m fully invested.
Bayley vs Nia Jax: Before I talk about this match, I have a question: Why did Sasha look like a mid-2000s teenager last night? Anyone know? Anyone? Bueller? Seriously, I liked the look, but it was just so out of character for her that I had trouble getting my mind around it.
The match was really good. WWE seems to be very invested in building Sasha and Bayley as tag champions, which is always good thing. I’m not sure about Nia and Tamina as challengers, but we’ll see come Fastlane.
Ric Flair’s Birthday: Well, we all knew SOMETHING was going to happen at Ric Flair’s birthday party, especially with so many legends in the ring, but I don’t think any of us expected what happened. I think the going theory even as the segment started was that Becky and Charlotte were going to be involved, no one expected that Batista was going to turn heel by beating up Ric just to get Trips’ attention. Ric Flair might still call himself ‘The Man’, but his health scare a couple of years ago really aged him and seeing Batista beat up a 70 year old man was really disturbing, which was the point. Guess we’re getting Batista vs Triple H after all.
Thoughts: What a difference a bit of good news makes! RAW has been struggling to keep the fans involved and hearing that Reigns was returning seems to have woken everyone up.
Reigns’ triumphant return aside, WWE does seem to be building the Fastlane card with an eye toward WrestleMania on all fronts, which is nice.
I’m intrigued by the probability of another Shield reunion, and hope it means that Dean Ambrose will continue to hang his hat in WWE for the foreseeable future since it seems silly to tease a reunion storyline for the Shield if one-third of them is leaving. Again, I firmly believe that Ambrose isn’t leaving, but a little confirmation of that would be nice.
SmackDown
Daniel Bryan/Kofi Kingston Contract Signing: Okay, I think I can see where this storyline is going, but it still angers me that Kofi got screwed out of the title shot he earned fair and square for Kevin Owens just because Vince decided that three amazing performances in a week isn’t good enough. Logically, I know that this SHOULD mean that Kofi will get his shot at WrestleMania, but you never know with Vince.
Kevin Owens/Stephanie and Shane: This segment solidified another way this whole storyline could go, which is Shane, Stephanie, and Triple H doing a hostile takeover because they’re tired of Vince’s antics and him overruling them and making them look bad to the locker room.
The idea to put Kofi and Owens in a match as a team is really adding insult to injury on Kingston’s end because he’s being asked to be a good sport and team with the man who stole the opportunity he’d busted his ass to earn, which puts Owens firmly in the heel column.
The Bar vs The Hardy Boys: This match was supposed to be Johnny Gargano vs Cesaro, but that was changed for North Carolina’s own Hardy Boyz vs the Bar. It was great to see Matt Hardy back and healthy. Rumor is that WWE has decided to not pick Matt’s contract up for a third year, but we’ll have to see. If that was the last time we saw the Hardy Boyz, they went out with a victory.
Ricochet, Aleister Black, and Lana: I like that they’re starting to put the NXT guys with some of the more established talent on SmackDown, but they still haven’t gotten away from putting them with recent-ish NXT guys.
That said, this was a really good segment. Black and Ricochet’s reactions to Lana were funny. Good way to set up the tag match and let Black show off his promo skills.
United States Championship Match: This match was so much fun. R-Truth is such a fun character to watch, it’s hard to jibe that with his NWA-TNA persona. Him tagging Cena in his decision to do an Open Challenge and an Open Challenge Triple Threat is exactly something Cena would’ve done. I loved the interaction with Carmella and Vega and hope that leads to a feud down the road. I was a little surprised by Truth’s win, but very happy for him. Guess the Mysterio/Almas feud is continuing though.
Charlotte Flair: I’m going to get heat for this, but I don’t care: Charlotte Flair needs to be taken out of the RAW Women’s Triple Threat. She’s adding nothing to it. Her promo was the same tone deaf, entitled princess crap she’s been doing for months and I’m sick of it. Let her stay and suffocate the SmackDown Women’s Division like she’s suffocated every women’s division she’s been in and let Rousey and Becky steal the show at WrestleMania because Charlotte is an albatross in this and she’s not needed or welcomed.
Aleister Black and Ricochet vs Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev: I really enjoyed this match. It gave both teams a chance to get their games in order and gel. Plus, there seemed to be some dream matches in the offing a little. Nakamura vs Black was incredibly good and I hope we see some more of that down the road.
AJ Styles: This was a good, if slightly formulaic, promo for Styles. It hit all his usual talking points, except for the part about Reigns’ cancer being in remission. Randy Orton’s inclusion in the interview was interesting and sets up their feud, but it didn’t do more than that.
Kevin Owens and Kofi Kingston vs Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan: There’s a lot that can be said for the racial politics of making an African-American play the good sport and work with the white person that got the opportunity, just for showing up, that the African-American had to bust his ass for, but this isn’t the place for it. This was a really good match for everyone involved. The crowd was firmly in Kofi’s corner, though there were some cheers for Owens. Even though Owens ‘earned’ the match by pinning Bryan, I really wanted Kingston to snap and lay Owens out, but that will probably wait until Fastlane.
Thoughts: The questionable decision about Kofi Kingston aside, this was a very random feeling SmackDown. I think having the fans see Kingston get screwed over on the whims of Vince McMahon sucked a lot of life out of the crowd. Owens’ return was interesting, but it got overshadowed by the fan rage over Kofi.
205 Live
Tony Nese vs Kalisto: This was such a good match, I wish it could’ve gone longer. Nese and Kalisto are great athletes but that often gets overlooked by their gimmicks. I’m not surprised that Nese won, Kalisto’s been involved in several of these #1 Contender tournaments, so it was nice to see someone new in the pack. I am interested to see what will become of the Murphy/Nese friendship if Nese becomes #1 Contender.
Jack Gallagher and Humberto Carrillo: I’ve stated my opinion on this storyline before and I’m still uncomfortable with it, but they’re making it clear that Carrillo doesn’t want to give up what’s worked for him. Hopefully, we’ll get an actual match soon.
Drake Maverick’s Office: It seems that Mike Bennett might be turning tweener or face if the conversation in Drake Maverick’s office was anything to go by. Bennett had a legit complaint and it was basically dismissed, PLUS Maverick pulled a dingy trick by promising a match but not promising that it’s a tournament match. If they do it right, Bennett COULD fill the Mustafa Ali, super over underdog role that 205’s been desperately needing since Ali moved to SmackDown.
Drew Gulak vs Brian Kendrick: Well, I can’t say this pairing was a surprise, but I’m surprised by how much I didn’t like it. Given how nasty the rivalry between Gulak and Kendrick had been back in the fall, I expected more ‘oomph’ in this match and it didn’t happen. I’m also surprised that Gulak won, but they seem to be trying to include guys who HAVEN’T been Cruiserweight Champion, with the exception of Cedric Alexander.
NXT UK
Tyler Bate vs Jack Gallagher: This was a great match! Jack Gallagher hasn’t been featured on 205 all that much lately, so it was nice to see him get some time to shine away from Gulak and he did a great job doing that with Bate. I was a little disappointed that Gallagher lost, but that doesn’t take away from a great match. I also hope it means that Gallagher will be moving to NXT UK and establish himself separately from Gulak.
Nina Samuels: This was another ‘Huh?’ promo, at least in my opinion. Samuels is a great competitor but I can’t say she’s been a barn burner. I guess we’ll have to wait and see. The dance thing was nice though.
Eddie Dennis: It’s been awhile since we’ve heard from the Headmaster from Hell and there’s a reason for that: He tore his pectoral muscle (Ouch) and was unable to wrestle and feed his family. Part of me felt really bad for Dennis because torn pecs suck, but I had trouble buying that he couldn’t feed his family since WWE still pays their performers if the performer is injured. However, his threat to the NXT UK locker room sound real enough and he’s still creepy.
WALTER vs Kassius Ohno: I think I’ve said before that I don’t get the hype for Walter, who I still think looks like a character from an old WWII movie, and that sentiment still stands. I also don’t like Kassius Ohno, so this match, even though it was pretty good, was a big ‘Meh’ for me. WALTER won, of course, building him for a match with Pete Dunne, but Ohno gave him more of a fight than most of his opponents do, so there’s that.
El Ligero: I really liked Ligero’s promo, but it’s still disconcerting to hear a British accent coming out of a guy in a Luchador mask, but I’m getting past it. I really like this feud between Ligero and Joseph Conners, so I’m happy to see that getting continued.
Grizzled Young Veterans vs Lorcan and Burch: When it was announced that GYV would be taking on Lorcan and Burch, I think we all knew that this was going to be a fight between two very brawly teams and it was certainly that. Lorcan and Burch, or Burch at least, have been in the business for a long time, but they kept up with GYV and put on a hell of match. GYV may have won, but just barely and Burch and Lorcan looked really good.
NXT
DIY Reunion: Since this took up a couple of segments I’m just going to put them together. This was an interesting storyline because we didn’t get to hear who or what Gargano blamed for his lack of success in terms of titles in NXT. Since Ciampa interrupted him, I’m going to guess he was going to blame Ciampa. Ciampa was his manipulative best, but it was clear that Gargano knows he’s being manipulated, or I hope he does and he’s not truly that stupid and/or naïve.
My one genuine beef with this angle is Candice LeRae. I like Candice and she’s a good competitor, but it seems that Creative can’t think of anything to do with her besides being Gargano’s worried wife, which is a waste of her talents.
Taynara Conti and Xia Li vs Aliyah and Vanessa Borne: These were two seemingly random match ups that produced a surprisingly good match. Conti and Li have the technical backgrounds but Aliyah and Borne are nasty fighters and held their own. I’m glad to see Aliyah finally get some success in NXT have being cannon fodder for so long. If this was a proof of concept for an NXT Women’s Tag Division, they did a great job.
Velveteen Dream and Undisputed Era: This was an odd promo. I’m not sure why Cole thinks he still has a claim to the North American Championship or why he thinks he should get a match. Dream’s gimmick I don’t really get anyway, but they seemed to have laid the groundwork for an…interesting feud.
William Regal: Honestly, this segment was just for the Shirai/Belair argument. I’ve said before that I don’t like Belair, so her whining that she should get another shot before Shirai, who PINNED the NXT Women’s Championship falls on deaf ears with me. Belair got her chance and she lost, end of discussion. If Belair should get another shot because of what happened during her match, Kairi Sane should be getting another chance before anyone else.
Keith Lee vs Dominik Dijakovic: This was a really good, really physical match between these two behemoths. I’m not a fan of either guy, but it was a really great match for both of them and the Double Countout protects both of them until they can meet in NY (I assume).
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Brackets: As someone who comes from a state where basketball is king, I LOVE tournaments and I love brackets. The brackets for this look pretty good, but I was a little sorry to not see as many teams as I thought I would see. However, all the teams are good, so this should be a great tournament.
Boss-Hug Connection: I’ll admit that I wasn’t sure how this segment was going to go since Sasha and Bayley haven’t been in an NXT ring in nearly four years, as hard to believe as that is, but I LOVED the reaction they got. The NXT Universe hadn’t forgotten who the REAL Four Horsewomen of WWE were, rather than the MMA wannabes.
The promo was really good, Sasha and Bayley seemed genuinely touched that they’d gotten such a great reception, but I was a little disappointed that no one from the Women’s Division came out to challenge them, but Sasha and Bayley seem to be making good on their promise to defend their titles on all of WWE’s brands, except for 205, which doesn’t have a women’s division.
Shayna Baszler vs Mia Yim: After last week’s encounter, the fact that that this match got made so quickly was a surprise, but I’m glad it happened. I’ve become a big fan of Mia Yim and I was glad to see the HBIC get a title shot. It was a good match and Yim proved that she had what it took to hang in the title picture. I was disappointed at how she lost, but she gave Baszler quite a fight, so hopefully that’ll mean something down the road.
Overall thoughts: This was a really good week for WWE programming. The return of Roman Reigns seems to have been a shot in the arm for RAW. SmackDown struggled, but still managed to build storylines for Fastlane. The NXTs and 205 were really good. There were a few snags on each show but that’s to be expected. Since we’re still more than a month away from WrestleMania, WWE’s still playing it safe, but that’ll change once we get past Fastlane in a week or so.
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Opinion
Greg DeMarco’s 2024 WWE Royal Rumble Reaction
It’s the Royal Rumble! A favorite of many fans, the Rumble kicks off the Road To WrestleMania. Greg DeMarco is here with his live reactions to the event!
It’s the Royal Rumble! A favorite of many fans, the Rumble kicks off the Road To WrestleMania. Greg DeMarco is here with his live reactions to the event!
The WWE Royal Rumble is upon us, and while the Men’s Royal Rumble Match isn’t for the World Heavyweight Championship like I suggested, it’s still the most anticipated event of the year.
Why? The Unknown.
That’s right–in this age of the internet (usually incorrectly) telling us everything it possibly can about what is going to happen in the world of wrestling, the Royal Rumble stands out because despite what we’re told (or, more importantly, what we choose to listen to), the event is always full of fun and surprises.
BOLD Predictions for the #RoyalRumble
* Jimmy Uso #1, Jey Uso #2
* GUNTHER wins–twists & turns coming for the Road to WM
* Bron, Melo, Trick, Roxanne, Blair, Tiffany, Briggs are all in the Rumble.
* Rhea Ripley enters the Women's Rumble.
* Becky Lynch tosses Bayley to win.— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) January 27, 2024
Check out Steven Mitchell’s 2024 WWE Royal Rumble Results & Review!
Women’s Royal Rumble Match
- They really are driving home the “main event WrestleMania” point this year–strengthens my thought that women will main event Night 1. Triple H would catch a ton of heat if he keeps women out for the third straight year.
- NAOMI! Good to see her back, and the emotional response she had.
- Love Michael Cole calling out Naomi’s time in TNA, and recognizing her as a former Knockouts Champion.
- Entering #3 doesn’t bode well for Bayley. I honestly don’t think she is gonna win.
- JORDYNNE GRACE! I saw the reports earlier today. This is a much bigger deal than Mickie James, because Mickie was a returning legend.
- “TNA HAS A WEAPON!” So glad to have Pat McAfee on the call.
- Honestly, Jordynne Grace belongs in WWE.
Not gonna lie, Jordynne Grace isn't the least bit out of place in WWE. I have a feeling this won't be the last time we see her in a WWE ring.#RoyalRumble
— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) January 28, 2024
- Asuka comes in, and they sell the surprise of Bayley. STORYTELLING, people!
- Something tells me when we get Kairi Sane in there, The Kabuki Warriors will eliminate Bayley.
- Ivy Nile enters, and I immediately want to see her go toe-to-toe with Jordynne Grace.
- What if they pulled some crazy sh*t and had Jordynne Grace win???
- Just step through the ropes next time, Bianca.
- When I first saw the C4 clock, I thought I would get tired of it But I am already used to it.
- Here’s Kairi Sane, time to set the plan into motion!
- This crowd does not appear to like Tegan Nox.
- Welp, there goes my idea o Asuka and Kairi eliminating Bayley.
- That was a hell of a way for Jordynne Grace to go out.
I legit forgot Xia Li worked there.#RoyalRumble
— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) January 28, 2024
- I think Michael Cole secretly loves to call a Meteora.
- There’s a reason Maxxine Dupri doesn’t wrestle much.
- That tandem Code Red was very Young Buckish. And that’s not a compliment.
- Hair,…gear…this might be the messiest Royal Rumble yet.
- Ah, here comes the winner, Becky Lynch (I am calling Becky eliminates Bayley to win her second Royal Rumble).
- LOVE the scoreboard of time in the Rumble for selected wrestlers.
Why does everyone turn around after tossing someone, not seeing that they held onto the ropes?#RoyalRumble
— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) January 28, 2024
- R-TRUTH?!?! (Funny story, it was Truth’s spot that Nia Jax took in 2019.)
- If you push Mia Yim, she’ll take it further than you could imagine.
- “How is everybody the most athletic person on Earth?” – Pat McAfee
- Surprising that Roxanne Perez, at #27, is the first NXT entrant. I don’t think we’ll be seeing Tiffany Stratton of Blair Davenport since we only have 3 more to come.
- Amazing reaction for Jade Cargill. Give her time, she’s definitely going to be a huge star.
- JUST GIVE HER TIME.
- Seriously, Nia Jax had to help Jade eliminate her–A LOT.
#RoyalRumble pic.twitter.com/3N2xKku9sY
— Austin Creed (@AustinCreedWins) January 28, 2024
- Greg Was Wrong: It is indeed Tiffy Time in the Royal Rumble.
- Back to Jade–she is insanely over.
- I know it won’t be, but this should be Tiffany Stratton’s official main roster call-up.
- Liv Morgan returns at #30, and good for Liv. She nearly went wire-to-wire last year.
- Liv Morgan: “Thank you!” Pat McAfee: “No problem.”
- Tiffany Stratton eliminating Roxanne Perez is, to me, an invitation for a match with them on Raw this Monday.
- Still love the scoreboard as Naomi passes an hour.
- The camera is catching a lot of in-ring communications right now.
- And Jade Cargill eliminates my pick to win. Bye Becky.
- Jade Cargill in the final three of the Royal Rumble (with Liv Morgan and Bayley) is huge for her.
- Hell of a debut for Jade Cargill.
- And a huge win for Bayley.
Winner of the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble Match: Bayley (eliminating Liv Morgan to win)
Winners of the Women's Rumble:
TNA Wrestling – TNA chants at a WWE show is amazing
Jordynne Grace – WWE put her over despite not being their talent, I bet we see her in a WWE ring again
Jad Cargill – That pop was pretty special
Naomi – First night back and goes over 60 mins..— #1 Chairshot Villain (@WrestlngRealist) January 28, 2024
Poor Liv Morgan, runner-up two years in a row. I wonder if this is setting her up for the 2025 Rumble.#RoyalRumble
— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) January 28, 2024
Fatal 4-Way Match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Randy Orton vs AJ Styles vs. LA Knight vs. Roman Reigns (champion, with Paul Heyman)
Nothing says "Roman isn't losing" like putting his title match on second.#RoyalRumble
— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) January 28, 2024
- Glad to see AJ Styles got his tights back. Pants AJ Styles (but still with the football gloves) was not working. Not just bring the beard back to your face Allen–the think beard also ain’t working.
What would it cost me to have @SamanthaTheBomb announce "ROMAN…REIGNS!" in the same way she used to announce Chelsea Green? Because I might pay it. #RoyalRumble
— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) January 28, 2024
- Pat McAfee campaigning for Roman Reigns to be given at least a 26% chance is amazing.
- Say what you want about LA Knight, he’s a damn star and totally belongs in this match.
- Roman completely sandbagged Randy on the table drop. I don’t think it was on purpose, but he definitely didn’t jump.
- Roman Reigns is very much like Gunther in that he does the simple things SO WELL, like a jumping clothesline. That’s how you do it.
- Yes, I compared Roman Reigns to Gunther. Don’t @ me, I’m right.
Roman Reigns doesn't get enough credit for how he sells his ass off for his opponents.#RoyalRumble
— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) January 28, 2024
- RKO City, Bitch.
- Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand here’s Solo! (At some point, Solo will get tired of saving Roman’s ass.)
- Solo ’bout to go through that barricade.
- Solo indeed went through that barricade.
Roman waiting around for AJ's Phenomenal Forearm like he's in a Young Bucks match.#RoyalRumble
— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) January 28, 2024
- Yes, we had the Solo interference mid-match, but honestly in the end Roman won that clean.
Winner, #ANDSTILL your Undisputed WWE Universal Champion: Roman Reigns
WWE United States Championship: Kevin Owens vs. Logan Paul (champion)
- Kevin Owens wearing Zubaz shorts in the Performance Center fight makes me very happy.
- Logan Paul talking about a full time run, and now he’s putting on size.
- Logan’s headband didn’t list very long.
- I honestly hate it when modern-day wrestlers bust out a crotch chop.
- If you were watching the Royal Rumble and didn’t know who Logan Paul was, you’d just assume he was a pro wrestler. That says everything you need to know about how good he is at this.
- ANOTHER crotch chop. Now we’re at 2 too many.
The internet criticizes LA Knight for being a rip-off artist, when Kevin Owens does Crotch Chops and Stunners.#RoyalRumble
— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) January 28, 2024
- Cue the “Better Buckshot Than Hangman” tweets. But they might be right.
- I love the idea of a Logan Paul, Austin Theory, and Grayson Waller stable.
- C’mon, there’s NO WAY Ryan Tran could see the knucks on Kevin Owens’ hand given his placement. It’s the little things.
- Finish here tells me we’ll see KO vs. Logan Paul again. I’d guess on TV, if not in Australia.
Winner by disqualification, #ANDSTILL WWE United States Champion: Logan Paul
Men’s Royal Rumble Match
- Jey Uso coming at #1 was expected thanks to the internet reports. But I still think Jimmy should be #1 and Jey #2, for the reaction shots on Jimmy.
- Grayson Waller talking himself to the ring is perfect.
- “No Yeet!” Grayson is a brilliant performer. I’d make a Roddy Piper comparison here, but y’all would get at mad at me.
- Good to have Andrade back in WWE. Great reaction for him when the mask came off.
Now that is a look…#Andrade #RoyalRumble
— #1 Chairshot Villain (@WrestlngRealist) January 28, 2024
- SmackDown superstar Carmelo Hayes! I really really really hope Trick is also in this match, just for the chants.
- Melo pointed to the sign, C’mon, man.
- Do you send Andrade to Smackdown, or do you send him to Raw and let him do his own thing?
- Oh goody, Karrion Kross is here. Yay.
- (Yes, that’s sarcasm you read.)
- Dominik Mysterio is so good. Give him time, he’s going to be a huge star.
Sadly, this did not happen. #RoyalRumble https://t.co/ABNnP5D8Oq
— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) January 28, 2024
- The Royal Rumble was a great place for the Apple Spot.
- Here comes Bob Lashley–please just eliminate Karrion Kross.
- Lashley wearing the WrestleMania white gear more than 2 months early.
- Austin Theory still gets his concussion effect entrance, despite it being the Rumble.
- What if–hear me out now–Finn Balor wins the Royal Rumble to get the shot at Seth Rollins, and Priest uses his briefcase to make that match a triple threat at ‘Mania?
- I know he didn’t, but it sure looked like Jimmy was swerving while he drives in that interaction with Gunther.
- Kofi did tell us the Rumble Magic wasn’t happening anymore.
- Give me Ivar vs Gunther!
- Bron Breakker is a star. It’s inevitable.
- Of course Omos would be in the Rumble. Good to see MVP on my TV as well.
- “I didn’t know humans came that big!” – Pat McAfee
- I half think Pat McAfee didn’t know he was entering the Rumble.
- Nice moment for Bron Breakker eliminating Omos. WrestleMania match?
- R-Truth trying to get Dominik (Tom or Nick?) Mysterio to tag him in is brilliant.
- DOM MADE THE TAG!!!
- “And now R-Truth is the legal man.” – thank you Michael Cole.
- Michael Cole delivers multiple TNA references tonight, along with a Dolph Ziggler reference. God Bless Michael Cole.
- Imagine for a second that this was CM Punk’s actual WWE return.
- The reaction to Drew McIntyre’s entrance is a reminder that they don’t actually need him.
- Sami Zayn enters at #30, also known as “Not The Rock.”
Smackdown brand very well represented in this Final 4. (And the Final 6 as well.) #RoyalRumble
— Big Daddy Greg 🤡 (@gregdemarco44) January 28, 2024
- In the ring, Drew McIntyre is amazing. Just keep the microphone away from him. (And stop the damn counting!)
- And there goes my choice for the Men’s Rumble!
- Love having both Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins in the press boxes watching to see who wins.
- Punk kinda looks like Chris Jericho in there. Seriously.
- Between Punk and Cody, Cody is the right choice. I really don’t want to watch Punk right now–he needs to hit the cardio, and hard. Given Seth Rollins’ injury and Punk’s conditioning, WWE would be smart to make the World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania 40 a multi-man match.
Winner of the 2024 Men’s Royal Rumble: Cody Rhodes
Overall thoughts on the 2024 WWE Royal Rumble
For at least the second straight year, the Men’s Royal Rumble Match was kinda disappointing. Not the result–that’s fine. But the match itself. It just wasn’t nearly as exciting as the Women’s. Of the four matches, I would place it 4th in terms of enjoyment.
Great moments for both Bayley and Cody Rhodes. Logan Paul continually shows that he deserves to be considered a pro wrestler, not a celebrity who is wrestling. Pat McAfee is a joy on commentary. Jordynne Grace is a WWE Superstar, regardless of what company she is signed to. Bron Breakker is a star.CM Punk is very out of shape. Cody Rhodes is about to become THE guy, and he deserves it.
Overall I give the event a thumbs up, but they have to do something about the Men’s Royal Rumble Match moving forward.
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Opinion
WWE Raw Heads To Netflix: What Does It Mean?
Monumental news drops as WWE RAW is moving to Netflix. Is it truly a game changing move? Greg DeMarco analyzes this shift for the TV wrestling business.
Monumental news drops as WWE RAW is moving to Netflix. Is it truly a game changing move? Greg DeMarco analyzes this shift for the TV wrestling business.
Being a wee little kid in the 80s, I am “lucky enough” to remember having 3 TV channels, and my dad explaining what an 8-track is, how shocked I was when I say a laser disc for the first time, when I bought a 6 CD changer, installed my own car stereo, and all the way up to the fact that I have now been watching WWE pay-per-view/premium live events on the WWE Network and Peacock for 10 years. Hell, in the same month (February 2014) I signed up for the WWE Network, cut the cord to drop cable and got Sling TV. I have since moved onto YouTube TV which is highly recommended.
Over the last two years the NFL has put Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime, simulcast to various streaming services, and less than 2 weeks ago put a playoff game exclusively on streaming when a Wildcard Weekend showdown between the Chiefs and Dolphins was only shown on Peacock.
And now it’s fully permeated into pro wrestling.
WWE and AEW are both in the midst of a very important time on the business side, with all of their TV rights up for grabs. The first domino fell when SmackDown On FOX became SmackDown on USA Network, and soon after we learned that WWE NXT was moving to broadcast television and joining The CW (which is also rebranding, but just to CW).
The AEW suite of programming that includes Collision, Rampage, and their most successful show Dynamite is up for renewal with Warner Bros/Discovery, and Tony Khan has been optimistic about the relationship and potentially an increase in rights fees.
That brings us to Tuesday morning, and the likely groundbreaking WWE announcement that Raw is moving to Netflix, starting in January 2025. Triple H tweeted that they’re changing the game, and TKO President and COO Mark Shapiro (who knows a thing or two about shifts in media consumption) used the word “transformative” in his statement, and I really think he couldn’t be more right.
But what does it all mean?
Wrestling Remains A Strong Media Product
I have been claiming this for over a year now. As many online will cite a decline in TV viewership for both WWE and AEW, the TV product has been a strong value to networks. Even in dropping SmackDown, FOX themselves said they didn’t pump enough resources into the show, and that the advertising return wasn’t what they wanted. That doesn’t mean the product (TV value, we’re not talking about creative here) isn’t strong. It’s so strong that USA Network picked up SmackDown for $280 million per year, giving WWE an increase over the FOX deal. CW is paying $20-$25 million annually for NXT, and now Netflix is paying $500 million for RAW.
Why? Because wrestling isn’t just a strong media product, it’s consistent. And that is key.
Look at this quote from Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria:
“Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”
Now cross reference that with a comment from CW President Dennis Miller from back when the CW/NXT deal was announced:
“We are thrilled to welcome the WWE brand into the CW Sports portfolio as they play an integral role in our mission to bring live sporting events to the network year-round.”
What do those statements have in common? The year-round, 52-week nature of wrestling programming. It’s an unbeatable value for networks. It’s cheaper than a deal with a major sports league, and it’s not finite. Wrestling joins news, talk, and sports talk as the only year-round programming available to networks. And WWE and AEW have shows that essentially always land in the Top 5 after you factor out live sports. You can’t beat it.
What Does This Mean for Netflix?
Don’t get it twisted, this is also a huge leap for Netflix. Prior to the WWE Raw deal, Netflix has only experimented with live events, streaming the live Chris Rock “Selective Outrage” special, and showing The Netflix Cup live (a golf event featuring athletes from their F1 series “Drive To Survive” and their golf series “Full Swing).
WWE is the perfect partner for Netflix as it gets into live programming. It’s sports entertainment: sports like programming (which Netflix has done) that focuses on storytelling (which Netflix has obviously done). And no one does it better than WWE. It’s essentially plug-and-play for Netflix, the perfect solution for their live programming aspirations.
The perfect solution that they were willing to pay $5 billion for.
What Does This Mean for AEW?
The biggest risk to an AEW renewal with Warner Bros Discovery was WBD picking up WWE Raw–and that risk has been eliminated by Netflix. Don’t discount that fact–Netflix did Tony Khan a huge favor by throwing $500 million per at WWE. The path is clear for AEW to remain on the Turner networks.
But at what price?
I know I usually write as if I have all the answers, but I have zero idea either way on this one. WBD no longer has any other options if it wants to keep wrestling (except for TNA, who recently expressed a desire to be on a bigger network), and AEW (at least, Dynamite) is a weekly Top 5 program for them on Wednesdays, on cable.
On the other hand, AEW doesn’t exactly have another network begging for their services. The reason WWE could get a yearly increase for Raw, SmackDown, and NXT is because it was truly a bidding war. Unless Tony Khan gets another network involved, any threat of walking away from a deal doesn’t really hold water.
So if I were a betting man (and who would ever bet on this) I would expect an announcement of a renewal for AEW and WBD relatively soon. We may not know the terms of the deal, I will take a shot in the dark and say that AEW gets a small increase (not the “nearly double” that had been reported last year).
Regardless of the increase (or not), given AEW’s recent attendance challenges, this likely renewal would have to be viewed as a win for the company.
Personally, this is simply an amazing time to be a fan. We’ve seen WWE go from one live TV show per week with Monday Night Raw, through the Monday Night Wars, the addition of SmackDown and later NXT, to being this global juggernaut that is commanding half-a-billion dollars per year for Raw. I also think this makes Raw the flagship once again. All of this comes after Vince McMahon is largely out of power, Triple H has taken over creative (and holds a pretty good success rate so far), and the company was sold to Endeavor, and merged with the UFC as a business entity under the TKO banner.
If you know me, you know I am a huge follower of the business side of the wrestling business. I often care less about WHAT wrestling companies do, but HOW they do it. I have always gravitated towards that, since middle school. And for the past near 24 months, I have been like a kid in a candy store.
The Peacock deal for the WWE Network runs out in 2026, right? The fun never stops!
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