Coming off the always newsworthy – and in recent years, always controversial – Royal Rumble event, how would WWE set things up as we officially set off on the Road to WrestleMania?
The WrestleMania rumour mill has gone into overdrive this week as seemingly cemented matches have had spanners thrown into the works, making for an unpredictable, yet exciting, path to the biggest show of the year.
So, how are things looking now that the first pay-per-view of 2017 is in the books?
Is it looking good or bad?
#1 Bad – Reigns at #30
We have to start this week with Vince McMahon’s metaphorical kick in the balls to all WWE fans, when he decided in his infinite wisdom to have Roman Reigns come out at number 30 in this year’s Royal Rumble.
You could feel the enthusiasm drain out of the fans as soon as Reigns’ music hit, any hope of a Kurt Angle return or Samoa Joe debut were shot to pieces and the WWE universe were set for yet another underwhelming conclusion to a Royal Rumble match. Although Reigns did not win the match, he overshadowed Randy Orton’s already lacklustre victory, as fans were left baffled as to why Reigns was yet again heavily involved in a Royal Rumble finish that he should have been nowhere near.
Whatever WWE’s reasons were, it was the wrong decision. Either this was intentional trolling of the fans by Vince or it just goes to show how out of touch WWE’s decision makers are with their fans.
#2 Bad – Botched finish?
In a Royal Rumble rematch, Nia Jax would once again defeat Sasha Banks on this Monday’s Raw.
The finish to this match was quite bizarre, as the bell rang while Jax had Sasha in a submission despite Banks not tapping and the referee not calling for the bell. What followed was a few seconds of confusion as the performers didn’t know whether to carry on like nothing had happened or to go along with the events that had unfolded.
There was also confusion amongst the fans as they were unsure whether this was part of a storyline or a genuine botch, either way it certainly didn’t come across as WWE would have hoped and it just felt awkward.
#3 Bad – Aries the interviewer
I have been a big fan of Austin Aries’ work since he became a commentator for the Cruiserweight division, he has been a fresh, new voice and his heel antics have been very entertaining.
However, this week he was utilised as a post-match interviewer on a couple of occasions and it just didn’t work. His first interview was with Tony Nese on Raw, where Aries made fun of Nese by calling him boring. This got no reaction as it was one heel berating another, so it was unclear who the fans were meant to get behind.
Aries as an interviewer could work, but he needs to either insult the babyfaces or congratulate a heel for their underhanded tactics if he is to stay consistent with his character.
#4 Bad – Where is this going?
Yet again, Dolph Ziggler has made the ‘bad list’, although this week it is through no fault of his own.
Ziggler’s recent heel turn looked like it could reignite his career, but thus far it has been lacklustre to say the least. Having him feud with lower-card babyfaces in Kalisto and Apollo Crews, whom the fans don’t really care about, is not the way to establish Dolph as a serious heel.
The feud itself has been far from interesting and doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. This Tuesday saw Ziggler yet again attack Kalisto until Apollo made the save, as has happened most weeks since Dolph’s heel turn.
Something needs to change quickly for Ziggler or he will be stuck, floundering in the mid-card, as he has been for the majority of his career.
#5 Bad – Rollins injury
The worst piece of news to come out of WWE this week was undoubtedly the untimely injury to Seth Rollins which looks set to sideline him for the second WrestleMania in a row.
You’ve got to feel for Rollins, it was well documented in his ‘WWE 24’ special just how much hard work he put in to recover from his initial injury, and for him to re-injure his knee just a couple of months away from WrestleMania has got to be heart-breaking for him. We wish him a speedy recovery.
It will also be interesting to see how WWE’s plans change with the seemingly penned in Rollins vs Triple H match now off the table. Who will the ‘Cerebral Assassin’ face with Seth now out of the picture?
#1 Good – Samoa Joe finally arrives
The injury to Seth Rollins did unfortunately overshadow some good news that came from Monday Night Raw, the long-awaited main roster debut of Samoa Joe.
Many people had expected Joe to debut at the Royal Rumble, and let’s face it, he’d have been a better option for number 30 than Roman Reigns. But regardless, it’s great to see Joe finally arrive on WWE’s main roster.
The plan for Joe’s first feud is seemingly out of the window with Rollins’ injury, but surely WWE are going to do something big with him after his much anticipated debut. Some are already speculating that he may be the man to step up and face Triple H at WrestleMania.
#2 Good – Cena vs Styles
Although the Royal Rumble event ended on a sour note and left many fans disappointed, we did get to see another fantastic match between AJ Styles and John Cena.
These two men always seem to get the best out of each other and this past Sunday was no different.
The number of spectacular moves and false finishes had the fans on their feet for the majority of the match and their performance rivaled some of the other great matches that they have had in the last year.
The next few weeks for AJ & Cena are going to be very interesting to watch since neither man is expected to be in the WWE Title picture at WrestleMania.
#3 Good – “Yeah, but…”
Paul Heyman was at his brilliant best on this Monday’s Raw and cut a typically scintillating promo on behalf of his client, Brock Lesnar. Heyman says that every sporting great has that one opponent who has their number, and Lesnar has that in Goldberg. But Brock has the chance to rectify that by beating Goldberg at WrestleMania, should he accept the challenge put forward by ‘The Beast Incarnate’ this week on Raw.
I fully expect Goldberg to accept this challenge and for the two behemoths to face off one last time on the grandest stage of them all. For anyone not sold on this match, watch Heyman’s promo from Raw and see how he sells this match as only he can, and I guarantee you’ll be anticipating this bout more so than you were.
#4 Good – Harper face turn
Arguably, the most under-utilised talent in all of WWE in the last couple of years has been Luke Harper, but thankfully that looks like it may be about to change.
Harper is a unique talent and has shown that he can work well with anyone.
His recent banishment from the Wyatt Family has led to somewhat of a face turn and the fans were excited to see the new side of him this week. After attacking his former leader, Bray Wyatt, in the Royal Rumble match, Harper would then team up with John Cena to face Bray and Randy Orton on Smackdown Live.
If handled correctly, WWE could build a main event calibre babyface in Harper and he could finally fulfill the huge potential he has shown since arriving in the company.
#5 Good – NXT Generation
It’s been an interesting few months for NXT as they have looked to rebuild their brand after losing many of their top stars in 2016. However, I believe the NXT Takeover: San Antonio show this past Saturday exceeded expectations and has shown that the current crop of talent has more than enough to carry the brand into it’s next generation.
The women’s division in particular looked strong as Peyton Royce, Billie Kay and Nikki Cross all showed that they can hang with NXT Women’s Champion, Asuka. Plus, with Ember Moon waiting in the wings, there is certainly sufficient depth in this division to entertain fans over the next few months at least.
Add to that the great matches from Roderick Strong vs. Andrade Cien Almas and #DIY vs. Authors of Pain, not to mention the crowning of a new NXT Champion in Bobby Roode, and NXT has shown that they have plenty of talented and hungry performers who can lead the brand into the future.
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