WWE Royal Rumble 2014 Review

Match 1: Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan
The pop that Bryan receives is so overwhelmingly awesome. Dude is over, no question. This was somewhat of an odd storyline with Bryan joining the Wyatt family before turning on Bray in a steel cage on an edition of Raw. Referee is sure to kick out Wyatt's family early on in the match so it is definitely between Wyatt and Bryan. Wyatt makes sure to focus on the head of Bryan which could lead way to a nasty Sister Abigail. Wyatt was in control for a better part of the contest but things started picking up when Bryan fought back on all cylinders as the crowd was hot on his side. He even managed to lock in the Yes Lock before Wyatt escaped by biting him. Gotta love Wyatt sometimes, a fresh persona with an unorthodox style, doing whatever it takes to separate himself from the pack. Bryan continues to build momentum as he tries to fly out of the ring into Wyatt but Wyatt catches him and lands a sick Sister Abigail into the barricade. He then carries Bryan into the ring and hits him with another for the win. Cool finish with heavy emphasis on Bryan's head. Wyatt looked like a beast and maybe even so much that Bryan comes out weaker than he did coming in. Bryan is ridiculously over but a clean loss here doesn't really help him on his road to the big show. Great opening bout that just barely misses four stars. But everyone is going to have a different outlook on this match. The beauty of this sport, everyone has a different opinion.
Winner: Bray Wyatt
Rating: ***3/4

Match 2: The Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar
This is a match we have seen more than twelve years ago, hard to believe we are seeing it again in 2014 but on a different level. Lesnar enters the ring and practically destroys Show before the bell gets rung by mounting him, pounding him, and beating him with a chair. The match finally starts and Show hits a Knockout Punch upon Lesnar! Lesnar is dazed but isn't phased by The Big Show. Lesnar gets back on the horse and ends the match quickly by hitting an awesome F5. Lesnar then destroys Show again with a steel chair after the match. Lesnar is hot right now, probably the most entertaining guy on the roster. His fire and his style is so fresh and so fun to watch. The match wasn't anything special, but it was still great to put Lesnar even more over before WrestleMania.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Rating: *

Match 3: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena
If we could get a count of how many times these two have competed against each other on a PPV match, that would be great. The crowd is crapping all over this one and the commentators have no choice but to acknowledge them and refer to the chants as a way for the WWE Universe to get in the head of Orton. Okay. This was, however, one of the better matches between the two. The chemistry they have isn't the best but they have wrestled each other so many times that they're pretty much bound to have at least a good one. It's hard to separate each match from each other but this one was pretty interesting with the crowd crapping all over it and each wrestler hitting their opponent's finisher. Cena locks Orton in the STF only for the Wyatts to appear out of nowhere which caused a big opening for Orton to hit an RKO for the victory. Hopefully, this is the last we see of these guys going against each other on PPV although it was a pretty damn good match. Interesting finish that leads for a Cena vs. Bray Wyatt match in New Orleans.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***

Match 4: 2014 Royal Rumble
I want to mention that this crowd is super hot. But constantly chanting for Daniel Bryan has got to be the most annoying thing ever. Enjoy who is wrestling in the ring because the show isn't just about one person. With that being said, CM Punk and Seth Rollins open up the 2014 edition of the Royal Rumble. Great call, you want two guys who can go the distance to start the match and these two are perfect. For me, a great Rumble match will have surprises, ups, downs, and star-making performances. This one had it and as a result, was one of my favorite Rumbles in recent memory. Pacing is key for this match and never once did I felt like it dragged, there was enough star power scattered throughout with guys like The Shield coming in and looking like animals. Also, Kofi did another memorable Rumble moment as he jumped back into the ring from the barricade. Crowd ate it up. I enjoy when the Rumble tosses in a couple comedy moments. I think people take things way too seriously and forget to enjoy wrestling. El Torito coming in and eliminating Fandango was hilarious. As was JBL, who was an entrant and the crowd went nuts! He got in the ring and Roman Reigns quickly made work of him. It was still really cool to see him act like a douche and enter the Rumble casually, though. Speaking of Reigns, he was the man in this Rumble. But first, I want to talk more of the match itself. Sheamus coming back from his injury was another bright spot, crowd popped big and he looked like he hadn't lost a step. Let's not forget about a missed opportunity in Dolph Ziggler, they had Jim Duggan put him over earlier before the match and Ziggler received an enormous ovation. However, he was disposed pretty quickly and didn't get a chance to leave an imprint. The Wyatt Family should have done more and should have been more dominant, especially considering they were part of the previous match helping Orton beat Cena. They got a few eliminations but they never sank their teeth into the match. The final four consisted of CM Punk, Roman Reigns, Sheamus, and Batista. Punk was eliminated when Corporate Kane arrived out of nowhere and tossed Punk out of the ring and through the announcers table. We're down to three. Crowd still chanting for Bryan. Sheamus and Batista go at it as Batista flings Sheamus over the top rope where a running Roman Reigns rams into Sheamus for Reigns' 12th elimination, beating Kane's record of 11. It's now between Reigns and Batista. Crowd is crapping all over Batista as Reigns looks to hit Batista with a Superman Punch! Batista counters and hits a Spear! Crowd hates it, I love it! Then Reigns turns the tables and hits a Spear of his own! But out of nowhere, Batista tosses Reigns outside and wins! Batista has won the rumble twice and is going to WrestleMania XXX! What a Rumble and what a performance for Reigns. I've been reading so many bad reviews of the match but I loved it. I enjoyed it from top to bottom and while in the minority, I enjoyed the ending.
Winner: Batista
Rating: ****1/2

Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Much better effort this year than the last. The matches all did their parts and the Rumble was one of my personal favorites. Crowd chanting for Bryan only raises questions concerning his role at WrestleMania. Should be interesting. 
Rating: 8/10