Royal Rumble Thoughts

Edge vs Shawn Michaels

Even with the cheap victory, this was the kind of match Edge needed to get ahead. Michaels sold like a pro, and more importantly, Edge looked intelligent in there. I don't know where this puts Edge now for Mania -- perhaps a face version of Christian?

The Undertaker vs Heidenreich

Ugh. At least they kept it short, I guess. But Taker was just hideous in there, blowing several spots. Don't even put the blame on Heidenreich for this. It's just time for Taker to retire already. The Kane-SHNITSKY stuff everyone saw a mile away, so there's no point in acting shocked. Live Audio Wrestling's Dan Lovranski put it best tonight when he said "At least this puts these four in the same match at WrestleMania, instead of screwing up other people's matches."

JBL vs Kurt Angle vs Big Show

Not as bad as it could have been, this one was kept brief as well. Bradshaw actually looked decent in there, especially with the final clothesline on Angle.

Triple H vs Randy Orton

ORTON, ORTON, BAH GAWD ORTON looked goofy in there by the end -- moreso than normal. Perhaps this will end once and for all the notion that this guy should be main-eventing ANYTHING, though I suspect I'm wrong. It wasn't a terrible match or anything, but I do think it went on a bit long....

I should also point out somewhere here that ALL of the backstage vignettes were just top-notch. Flair and Guerrero, Christian and Cena, Evolution, the Eugene WrestleMania promo. Well done!

Royal Rumble

So much to say here. I picked Guerrero and Benoit to start (well, just before the PPV started) and was not let down. Paul London took the bump of the night, and if that doesn't give him some more attention, I don't know what will. Bischoff and Long coming down to ringside was a nice, understated touch. The Hassan spot was really the only one that rubbed me the wrong way. I understand he is a hated heel, but by having faces and heels from opposing brands gang up on him is just WRONG. If he was playing a terrorist character, fine, but he's not. I can't tell you how much that bugged me. Mysterio was probably the standout of the night, making terrific mini-matches with everyone in the bout. Edge was great too. I wasn't thrilled with the Batista-Cena finish (although McMahon injuring himself on his way to the ring was priceless), because I had predicted Cena winning, and honestly, I think Cena needed the win more here. But that said, it was a terrific match with very little to complain about.

Overall, a tremendous event that, once again, lived up to his hype.