WWE Royal Rumble 2009 Review

Match 1: ECW Championship - Jack Swagger (c) vs. Matt Hardy
The hype behind Jack Swagger when he debuted was nuts. He was pretty damn awful on the mic but the WWE insisted on pushing this guy to the moon. Just a few months into his debut with ECW, he beat Matt Hardy for the ECW Championship and he finds himself defending the belt against Hardy in the opening match at the Royal Rumble PPV. How could any of this go wrong? Even for the opener, I just couldn't really feel the energy for this one. It almost felt like the winner was so drawn out from the start that the push behind the match was just lost in the process. Hardy definitely carried Swagger throughout the match but there was nothing that really stood out. Swagger was able to hit his finisher pretty early on in the match to secure the win. Take it for what it was worth. If anything, this was really the only spot on the card it could have.
Winner: Jack Swagger
Rating: **3/4

Match 2: Women's Championship - Beth Phoenix (c) vs. Melina
Am I the only one who can't understand how these two get so overlooked when talking about the best female wrestlers in the WWE? Is it because they don't hype up the division like no tomorrow like they do in 2016? Yes, there was definitely a ton of trash wrestling with the Divas around this time but every now and then, there was a pretty damn good match like this one. Innovative moves and you could really see the passion and effort in their work. While Beth Phoenix controlled the better part of the match, Melina was able to roll up Phoenix to score the win and her third championship reign. Phoenix is in disbelief as Santino Marella does his best to comfort her. Give these ladies more time in the ring and I guarantee you that they could have a really special match.
Winner: Melina
Rating: **1/2

Match 3: World Heavyweight Championship - John Cena (c) vs. JBL
Is there a count for how many times we have seen John Cena vs. JBL? Feels like this match has been rehashed so many times. To close out 2008, Shawn Michaels announced that the recession had hit him hard and accepted an offer from JBL that he couldn't refuse to help him score the World Heavyweight Championship. For all the flack the story got, I thought it worked as both JBL and Michaels played their roles perfectly. It was a nice way for Michaels to begin his feud against The Undertaker after feuding with Chris Jericho for so long. This match was definitely one of their better performances. They have wrestled against each other so many times and they wanted to do something a little bit different this time around. The focus on Michaels was great and it didn't detract too much from the action in the ring. The referee bump ignited the fire to the match as Michaels dramatically hit a Sweet Chin Music to both men before laying JBL's unconscious body over Cena's unconscious body. However, after a kick out, Cena was able to hit an Attitude Adjustment to seal the win. While this may definitely sound like a lot on paper, they really did make it work out for the better and the crowd reacted nicely to the drama.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ***1/4

Match 4: WWE Championship - No Disqualification - Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Edge
Jeff Hardy's roller coaster year of 2008 culminated with him winning the WWE Championship as his first title defense on PPV is against Edge. Like the previous match, I can't help but wonder how many times these two have faced off against each other on PPV. Whenever Jeff Hardy or Edge are involved in a match, you can bet your house it is going to deliver. Crowd was hot for both guys as the top dogs on Smackdown battle it out for the richest prize in the game. Before the match, Vickie Guerrero comes out and changes the match to a no disqualification match. Really good stuff here from two veterans who just know how to appease the crowd and escalate the excitement throughout the match. Cool spot came when Hardy jumped off the top of a ladder and splashed through Chavo Guerrero on the announcers table. Hardy looked to seal the deal as a Swanton Bomb was sure to help him retain his title until Guerrero came out and pulled the referee. Matt Hardy came for the save until he rammed Jeff in the head with a steel chair. Edge covered and wins another championship. Really good and like the previous match, hectic. But just like the previous match, it worked and sets up lots of good questions heading into WrestleMania. Matt's turn at the end came off as very predictable but it still came off really good. Jim Ross on the call was just as great. Good stuff all around.
Winner: Edge
Rating: ****

Match 5: 2009 Royal Rumble
The hype around this match was basically around one person, Randy Orton. Basically, this made for one of the most predictable Royal Rumble matches of all time. Rey Mysterio opened up the match against John Morrison to set the pace but the pace of the match just stayed in one spot throughout until the very end. Also, the entrants weren't as shocking or surprising this time around aside from maybe Rob Van Dam who made for a fun surprise. I question why they chose to have Jim Duggan as #29 in the match. While I am dismissive of having the entire match revolve around strictly Orton, I liked how much attention was also pointed to both Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase Jr. who were great in their roles of protecting their leader. The match came down to Orton & his team, Triple H, The Undertaker and The Big Show. Big Show was eliminated first before eliminating The Undertaker from the outside. This finally led to a showdown between Triple H against Orton & his guys. Despite Triple H's best efforts, Orton last eliminated Triple H to score his spot at WrestleMania. I liked the ending and if they plan was to have Orton win, this was a great way to do it. Especially since these two would later face off at WrestleMania in the main event. The shot of the deviant Orton pointing at the WrestleMania logo to close the show was a cool sight.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***1/4

Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
While the World Heavyweight Championship and WWE Championship matches delivered, I felt like everything else was just kind of there. The Royal Rumble match itself was predictable from the start and it felt like we were just waiting for a big entrant to come in and win the match before Randy Orton finally won. However, the seeds have definitely began to sprout for WrestleMania and the story progression was on the dot.
Rating: 6.5/10

WWE Royal Rumble 2007 Review

Match 1: MNM vs. The Hardys
These two teams met at ECW's infamous December to Dismember PPV and once more at Armageddon in a TLC match that saw Joey Mercury shatter his face. They kick off the night as the San Antonio crowd gives The Hardys a huge pop. Fun exchanges between the two teams as expected with Melina screaming for her team in the background. Jeff Hardy was able to tag himself into the match and close things out with a Swanton Bomb to seal another big win for himself and his brother. Good match for what it was but nothing out of the ordinary that we haven't seen between the two teams in their past matches. Still a nice way to open up the show and lead into the main events.
Winners: The Hardys
Rating: **3/4

Match 2: ECW Championship - Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Test
Was Test really the best option to face Bobby Lashley for the ECW Championship for this show? It's no secret, I was and still am a Bobby Lashley fan and am proud to say that I was one of the few that supported him through his ECW tenure. Unfortunately, his match here against Test just didn't click. Test didn't necessarily have the funnest style of wrestling to watch and the crowd just could not get into it. What made matters worse was the ending that saw Lashley clothesline Test out of the ring before the referee counted him out. Seriously, why couldn't Lashley just couldn't get the win? Was the ECW Championship just not important enough for Test to win that he decided to walk away? Lashley runs up the ramp to toss Test around the ring. Am I watching TNA?
Winner: Bobby Lashley
Rating: *3/4

Match 3: World Heavyweight Championship - Batista (c) vs. Mr. Kennedy
After Mr. Kennedy beat out everyone in a beat the clock sprint on SmackDown, he was finally awarded his shot at gold against Batista here tonight. If there was any doubt if Kennedy was a main event star or not, I think this match right here should have the answers. The crowd reacted well to him and he was so slimy in working Batista's leg. There's a reason why the company had high hopes for this guy and a reason why he won Money in the Bank at WrestleMania. Credit to Batista, always unselfish and did a great job of selling Kennedy's offense. Batista was able to look like his normal self but also let Kennedy display his own dominance, too. They even added a bump with the referee to give Kennedy an out for his loss after Batista nailed a Batista Bomb. Great match here with Kennedy desperately giving everything he had to win the match and unlike the previous match, it just showed how important it was for him to win the title. But one Batista Bomb changed all his plans.
Winner: Batista
Rating: ***1/2

Match 4: WWE Championship - Last Man Standing - John Cena (c) vs. Umaga
If there is one match that stood out in the career of Umaga, it's this one right here against John Cena. Umaga was one of the most agile big men you will ever see step in the ring and also one of the most underrated performers. Thankfully, this match has always gotten critical acclaim and is a shining spot in his career that ended too soon. The intensity that this match held right from the start was just something else. Umaga was so good in coming off as a beast and everything Cena pulled out of the hat just didn't seem like enough. This match was brutal, Cena looked so desperate in trying to tame the beast but Umaga just kept coming back. Cena tossed the steep steps at Umaga, slammed a television monitor into him and even had him crash through the announcers table. The match definitely turned a notch higher when the blood started to pour profusely out of the skull of Cena. I would be lying if I said I didn't miss seeing blood. Crowd was eating up every second of it. Finally, the match came to an end when Cena choked out Umaga with an STF using a ring rope. The image of blood pouring down the face of Cena while he chokes out the beast was certainly a sight to see. What a match, they definitely brought the goods here and this definitely goes down as one of the best matches in the career of both.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ****3/4

Match 5: 2007 Royal Rumble
After the incredible Last Man Standing match to help boost our appetite, it's finally time for the main event. Loved how they started this match with the two veterans in Ric Flair and Finlay. A different start to this match than what we have become so accustomed to seeing. This Royal Rumble match was pretty straight to the point, focus on the big stars and make any of those guys look like they have legitimate chances at winning. Some may like this and some may not, but I really felt like it made this Rumble match more unpredictable because there really was no way a guy like CM Punk or an MVP had enough steam behind them to actually win it all. It was either Edge, Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels or The Undertaker as these guys ended up being the last four. This Rumble match also had lots of cool spots that saw Kane Chokeslam the hell out of Sabu through a table and even seeing The Great Khali impose his will before meeting The Undertaker was cool. Nothing was as epic as seeing The Undertaker go against Shawn Michaels in the final part of the match. JBL's commentary added more to the mix. They gave the two a good amount of time to close the show as the drama kept the fans on their toes. Finally, Undertaker tosses Michaels out and punches himself a ticket to WrestleMania 23. What a finish. The first half was good but the second half of this match really kicked things up to a different level.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ****1/2

Overall Show Thoughts and Rating
I liked the formatting of the show, kicking it off with the special tag match before leading into the championship matches before finally closing with an epic Royal Rumble match. Despite a slow start to the show with the first two matches, the following three matches closed the show on a very high note. It was more than enough to make me forget about the bland open to the night. That Last Man Standing match was insane while The Undertaker last eliminating Shawn Michaels was as cool as it gets.
Rating: 8/10

WWE Roadblock 2016 Review

Match 1: WWE Tag Team Championships - The New Day (c) vs. League of Nations
Big pop for The New Day as the champs come out to open up Saturday night's special. King Barrett & Sheamus are the representatives of League of Nations and look to dethrone the champs. Bit of a short opener but a good one to get our mouths wet before they clash again at WrestleMania. New Day score the win after Xavier Woods distracts the referee which allowed Big E to hit his Big Ending finisher. Good action as both sides managed to get in a good amount of offense and keep the match going on a nice flow. Not a fan of New Day winning with Woods being a distraction, isn't this the type of stuff people normally boo about? Regardless, nice opener with a very hot crowd.
Winners: The New Day
Rating: **3/4

Match 2: Chris Jericho vs. Jack Swagger
Before the match, Chris Jericho comes out and denounces the city of Toronto for not having his back. He also referenced how they cheered for Jack Swagger when he beat Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship to which the crowd popped in laughs and in confusion because oh yeah, that actually happened in 2010. Like the last match, this was fairly short and while the action wasn't amazing, the crowd was definitely vocal and made things easier to get into it. However, the CM Punk chants get pretty damn annoying at times. Jericho gets the easy win by submitting Swagger with the Walls of Jericho.
Winner: Chris Jericho
Rating: **1/4

Match 3: NXT Tag Team Championships - The Revival (c) vs. Enzo Amore & Colin Cassidy
Love the fact that some NXT guys are getting a little bit of a rub by being placed on a big card like this one. Feel like they should do this more often. The Toronto crowd were receptive of both teams as the fandom of NXT continues to grow and grow. You could just tell how hungry these guys looked in there. Pulling out all the marquee moves in their arsenal and this was fun to watch. Love their enthusiasm they show throughout the match and love the chemistry the teams have with each other. The Rival retain the gold after hitting their sweet finisher on Colin Cassidy outside the ring and following it with another one to Enzo Amore in the ring. Good stuff and nice to hear the big crowd reactions.
Winners: The Revival
Rating: ***1/4

Match 4: Divas Championship - Charlotte (c) vs. Natalya
Before the match, Natalya convinces Charlotte to turn this match into a Divas Championship match after she called the Flair family cowards. Is it always that easy to get a title shot? Regardless, Charlotte comes down to the ring with Ric Flair and the ovation for the two is big. These two ladies have fought against each other before including a match where the NXT Women's Championship was up for grabs. Fine match here that fell a tad bit short of what we have become accustomed to seeing from these two. The emotion just wasn't all there and with Ric Flair becoming a main reason to why Charlotte keeps winning, everything just gets so repetitive. Charlotte gets the pin to retain her title all the way to WrestleMania in Texas.
Winner: Charlotte
Rating: ***

Match 5: The Wyatt Family vs. Brock Lesnar
After The Wyatt Family eliminated Brock Lesnar from the Royal Rumble along with his chance at headlining the event, he was seeking for some revenge. Bray Wyatt came out along with Luke Harper and declared that the two would take out Lesnar. While the match was officially The Wyatt Family vs. Brock Lesnar, it was really just Luke Harper vs. Brock Lesnar. Harper was able to put on his best offense against Lesnar who ended up sucking it all in before beating the life out of Harper and ending his misery with an F5. They wanted to protect Bray and they wanted to give Brock the win, this was their way of doing it and it was fine for what it was. Nothing we haven't seen and gets a *1/2 for the spectacle in all of it.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Rating: *1/2

Match 6: Sami Zayn vs. Stardust
Didn't realize how over Sami Zayn was until I heard the pop the Canadian crowd gave him. Shame I can't say the same about Stardust and his lame gimmick. As big of a pop they gave Zayn, the crowd just absolutely could not get into any part of this match. I'm not really sure what it was. Was it the placement of this match on the card? Was it Stardust? Was the match just too slow for the audience after watching Brock Lesnar toss The Wyatt Family around? Or was it simply a combination of all three? Whatever it was, the crowd was bored out of their minds for the better part of the match and it really sucked the life out of things. And that's unfortunate because the action in the ring was pretty good. Just wasn't as fast or exciting as the crowd was hoping for between these two. Zayn scores the win after hitting his Helluva Kick in the corner. Time for the main event!
Winner: Sami Zayn
Rating: **3/4

Match 7: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Triple H (c) vs. Dean Ambrose
Lots of implications on the line for this one. If Triple H wins, his bout against Roman Reigns stays puts at WrestleMania and Dean Ambrose's match against Brock Lesnar is made official. However, Ambrose winning could turn everything into turmoil. Triple H's entrance never gets old, definitely a spectacle and also really cool to see the crowd react to the sound of Motorhead echoing throughout the arena. Lots of cheers for both men in this one as Triple H was seemingly making Ambrose look like an amateur early on as the crowd grew restless. But the pace definitely picked up fast and they never looked back from that. Ambrose turned the tides against The Game and when it looked like he had the win, the referee waved off his count after seeing that Ambrose had his feet under the bottom rope for a pin. The intensity of the match picked up from there and Ambrose then tried to take out Triple H through the announcers table before crashing through it as Triple H rolled out of the way. Ambrose beat the count back into the ring only to run into a Pedigree from Triple H. Normally not a fan of fishy finishes like the referee taking back Ambrose's pin but it worked here and the crowd really reacted in turn. However, I think a Lesnar appearance for this match would have made more sense than just Triple H beating Ambrose clean. Still a great match as the main event for WrestleMania is now set in stone.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: ****1/4

Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Like I've said before, I am definitely a sucker for these live event specials on WWE Network and this one was no different. They all offer a different feel and a different ambiance from all the other PPVs and shows we have become so accustomed to seeing. The card itself didn't necessarily deliver on all cylinders and that's likely because of the very slim roster. But the matches served their purposes and the main event was great. Match quality isn't always everything. A nice appetizer to WrestleMania 32.
Rating: 6.75/10

WWE TLC 2010 Review

Match 1: Intercontinental Championship - Ladder - Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Jack Swagger

The misuse of these three guys in the next following years became pretty alarming considering how much they were hyping these guys back in 2010. It's definitely cool to see the guys bringing something different to a Ladder match when taking into consideration how repetitive these matches tend to get. Loved the action here and loved the cool spots they did including Kofi Kingston launching himself and kneeing Jack Swagger through a ladder. Let's not forget Vickie Guerrero, always does a fantastic job in her role and seeing her climb up the ladder before Kingston threatened to dump her was a hilarious spot. However, the finish of the match was the most questionable part of the match. Ziggler and Swagger fight atop the ladder before the belt falls down to the canvas as Ziggler quickly grabs the belt and wins the match. Crowd disliked the finish and it just came off as a confusing and odd way to finish the match. Felt like I was watching something from TNA. Even with that, I definitely enjoyed the match and this was a great opener for the night. Also, should be noted that  Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler did a good job of keeping their feud at a minimum.

Winner: Dolph Ziggler

Rating: ***1/2

Match 2: Tables - LayCool vs. Beth Phoenix & Natalya

This is the first time the Divas are competing in a Tables match and while the story behind any of LayCool's matches are pretty odd, they always seem to get the job done in the ring. Let me just add that the pink table they are using for this match is just so cringe-worthy. Some good action here that even had the crowd actually vesting their time into it with Beth Phoenix taking a couple nasty bumps including one that saw her straight up fall on her head to the outside. LayCool had the match in their hands when they were double teaming Natalya on the top rope before Natalya was able to push them off as LayCool landed atop the table that didn't break. But Natalya made sure to end the match right then and there with a sweet dive through LayCool and the table. Fun Divas match here that didn't go too long and didn't feel rushed.

Winners: Beth Phoenix & Natalya

Rating: **

Match 3: WWE Tag Team Championships - Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov (c) vs. Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel

Hard to believe that Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov were the champs this late in 2010. Also hard to believe that Heath Slater would become Tag Team Champions with Rhyno six years later. What a world. Anyway, the match was nothing special as Nexus interference called for a disqualification. Wade Barrett would later come out and lay down the law with a steel chair. More of an angle than anything. Plus, Nexus was really starting to fade at this point. Just strange that they didn't bother to give them the titles here and keep them on a comedy team, even if they were about to disband.

Winners: Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov

Rating: 3/4*

Match 4: Ladder - Sheamus vs. John Morrison

This is a #1 contender's match with the winner scoring a shot at the WWE Championship against either The Miz or Randy Orton. Anyone remember King Sheamus? Can we put down Sheamus as one of the most accomplished superstars of all time? He's won nearly every title, the Money in the Bank, King of the Ring and even the Royal Rumble. Hard to believe how his credentials somewhat go unnoticed. Also crazy how hyped John Morrison was around this time before falling off the face of the planet a year or so later. Always felt like these two had great chemistry from their King of the Ring match to this one here. They did a great job of selling Morrison's knee injury throughout the match and definitely bringing something different to the table from the earlier Ladder match. Loved the spot where they spot fell off the ladder as Sheamus crashed through a ladder outside the ring. A sick spot before Morrison landed one final kick to Sheamus before grabbing the contract and securing the win. Great match here that managed to squeeze out a **** score.

Winner: John Morrison

Rating: ****

Match 5: WWE Championship - Tables - The Miz (c) vs. Randy Orton

The Miz truly had a storybook year in 2010 and he closes it out here against the man he dethroned as champion, Randy Orton. Never felt like their styles meshed well together as the action was fairly dull in the beginning and the crowd wasn't feeling it too much. This definitely did not feel like a match with high stakes involved. Things really picked up for the closing sequences as Orton drove Alex Riley through a table before Miz nails a Skull-Crushing Finale on Orton. Miz noticed the referee was down so he moved Riley's unconscious body out of the way and placed Orton over the broken table as the referee called for the bell. Upon noticing what had happened, the referee restarted the match but only for Miz to score the definitive win after shoving Riley into Orton and through a table. Loved how they restarted the match after the false finish and again having another fishy finish. Lets Miz score the win and protects Orton while not making things seem completely like a TNA match. Aside from a pretty dull first half, things definitely got going in the second half and the crowd really got into it from there.

Winner: The Miz

Rating: **1/2

Match 6: World Heavyweight Championship - TLC - Kane (c) vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Edge

This match right here may go down in history as one of the more overlooked TLC matches. It's likely so forgotten about since Edge would end up retiring a few months later and the show itself was overshadowed with all that Nexus jazz. This is also the very beginning of Alberto Del Rio's quick rise to glory in the WWE. He definitely held his own in there and really proved why he belonged in the main event scene. So much action stuffed into this match and they did a great job of keeping Kane as a monster while putting an emphasis on Rey Mysterio's beef with Del Rio. Lots of cool spots like the one that saw Mysterio dive off a prop table from the stage and Del Rio's huge fall from a ladder through a table to the outside. Crowd was definitely alive after the pretty quiet WWE Championship match. Edge was able to escape the match with the gold and for the tenth time in his career, is a world champion as this would go on to be his final reign before retiring. Shame this match just doesn't get the respect it deserves because it more than deserves to be talked about with some of the best. What a way for Edge to go out in his last TLC match.

Winner: Edge

Rating: ****1/4

Match 7: Chairs - Wade Barrett vs. John Cena
The huge Nexus against John Cena angle was about to conclude as its leader takes on the face of the WWE in a Chairs match. The entire Nexus was taken out by Cena before the match so no outside interference would come into effect here. Before the match starts, CM Punk comes out to do commentary. His commentary in late 2010 was brilliant but for this match, his constant rants against Cena were distracting and at times, annoying. I get that they were trying to plant the seeds for a future feud but this was ridiculous. The match itself fell flat, nothing to me that screamed like a main event, let alone the end to a long feud. While the crowd was certainly vocal for Cena, it just wasn't enough for me to really get into the action. The match ended when Cena hit Wade Barrett with an Attitude Adjustment through chairs. Afterwards, Cena takes Barrett to the front of the stage and drops the chairs hanging from the top of the titantron as they all fell down on Barrett who was covered under a wooden pallet. Just a cherry on top to send the fans home happy.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: **

Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
With a few good matches here and a couple **** ones, I still didn't think it was enough for me to really warrant this show another view. The main event was just lacking something and felt like a cheap ending to the long feud. If there was a saving grace, it was certainly the TLC match.
Rating: 6.25/10