Royal Disappointment
Every year the Royal Rumble features one or two surprise entrants. Usually the surprise superstar is exciting, like John Cena in 2008, Rob Van Dam in 2009, and Edge in 2010. This year’s surprises: Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Kharma, Road Dog, and Great Khali. The returns of Kharma and Road Dog were certainly exciting, the others were just disappointing.
Great Khali is a giant slug. The only thing he knows how to do is smack people with his hand. When he debuted he was a fearsome foe to stars like The Undertaker and John Cena. But, lately, he’s become someone who’s used to make other superstars look good. Superstars such as Dolph Ziggler in 2009, Mark Henry last year, and, I suspect, Jinder Mahal in 2012.
Hacksaw Jim Duggan’s repertoire of moves is slightly longer than Khali’s (not much, though), but he still can’t put together a decent match. He was never a major star. He never even competed for a major championship during his original run in WWF. Now he’s nearly 60 years old. I hardly see much reason to bring him back.
Then there’s Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler. When will WWE realize fans do not want to see these two wrestle anymore. Lawler was once the king of Memphis wrestling. But, now, he’s 62 years old. He’s long since retired from active competition and is a full-time announcer. Michael Cole is not a wrestler. I’d be willing to bet he has never even seen the inside of a gym. Why WWE insists on putting these two in the ring is beyond my understanding. Every major wrestling publication has listed their feud as the worst of 2011. There is only one good thing about Michael Cole wrestling is that we don’t have to listen to him.
Take those disappointing surprise superstars and add to that Alex Riley (who has only wrestled three televised matches in four months (two battle royals and a squash match against Brodus Clay), and Jimmy and Jey Uso (who haven’t won a televised match in six months), and you’ve got an dull Royal Rumble lineup. While last year’s Rumble also had quite a few jobbers, many of them were in the Nexus, and their alliance with leader CM Punk made the match interesting.
Cena’s Got Balls
On the February 20 edition of Raw, John Cena cut a tremendous promo on The Rock. He made mention of the fact that The Rock returns to WWE to promote movies and then goes back to Hollywood. Jim Ross blogged that Cena’s promo was the best of his career. I have to agree and add the thought that Cena’s promo was the best promo from any superstar since CM Punk’s memorable promo last summer. The Rock referred to John Cena as having a “mangina” not long ago. After that promo, Cena proved to me that he has balls. Now the question is, how will The Rock respond?
The Streak Matters
The Undertaker enters WrestleMania XXVIII looking to go 20-0 at the biggest event of the year. There is always a lot of talk about when and to whom the streak will end. But why does the streak have to end? Why can’t The Undertaker retire unbeaten at WrestleMania? Last year the Green Bay Packers went 15-1. Five years from now, will anyone remember that? Will anyone care? If they had gone 16-0 people would remember that. The Undertaker is wrestling on borrowed time. The Undertaker shouldn’t end his career the same way Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair did with a loss at WrestleMania. It seems as though in recent years, The Undertaker character has become more of a mystique and less human. But, the fact that he is still human was shown last year when after a win over Triple H, he was unable to walk, or even stand on his own. The Undertaker should announce that next year’s WrestleMania will be his last. That match should be the headliner of the show. He should win that match and then retire unbeaten at the show of shows.
But if The Undertaker were to lose at WrestleMania…
If The Undertaker were to lose at WrestleMania, it should be to someone who will greatly benefit from the win. As far as career accomplishments go, Triple H is certainly on a level equal to The Undertaker. Couple that with the fact that the Game is not much of an active competitor anymore, and he really doesn’t need to beat the dead man. If The Undertaker did lose at WrestleMania it should be to someone who is already a main-eventer and former World Champion and will become one of WWE’s elite and a certain future Hall of Famer. He would also have to be someone who WWE can put a lot of money into and who will bring a lot of money into WWE. It would also be best if this superstar was a heel or ready to become a heel who will brag about ending the streak. The best candidates in WWE right now would probably be Sheamus and The Miz, but given the right push, it could also go to Wade Barrett or Daniel Bryan.
Random Thoughts…
*Why isn’t WWE inducting The Rock into the Hall of Fame this year?
*WWE recently pulled Brotus Clay from TV for his lack of in-ring ability. They should do the same with Aksana.
*Daniel Bryan vs Sheamus at WrestleMania XXVII: dark match turned Battle Royal. Daniel Bryan vs Sheamus at WrestleMania XXVIII: World Heavyweight Championship match. Looks like 2012 is starting off a lot better than 2011 for both men.
*Coming soon to Archangel’s Wrestling Blog: WrestleMania XXVIII preview.
