Why Isn't The 2014 Royal Rumble Match Worse Than 2015?

[The Trashman]

I don't remember 2 jobbers past their prime dumping guys out of the Rumble in 2014.

[1 Free Moon-Down with Burger]

And people are actually cool with Batista winning this year’s Rumble now.

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

Jan 14, 2018 18:01:56 GMT -5 The Trashman said:

I don't remember 2 jobbers past their prime dumping guys out of the Rumble in 2014.

No kidding, Kane’s win/loss record in early-mid 2015 was HIDEOUS, only winning three TV matches by the start of June. Curt Hawkins could have beaten him if he was in those black slacks. Big Show’s was a bit more respectable over the same period, but the resentment was still valid (especially since he won the Andre Battle Royal over Sandow).

[pegasuswarrior]

I can’t really say on the poll, but I appreciate the sentiment. 2014 seems to be forgotten, but it is abysmal by its own right. 2015 is just more fresh in people’s mind. Batista with the win makes me so beyond furious. He was always gosh awful, but — paradoxically speaking — he was a harmless guy on the roster until he wasn’t. He last couple of years/his last year easily vaults him into the Top 5 my most hated people they’ve ever had on the roster. What a complete tool of a “superstar.”

[thelonewolf527]

2014 was only not horribly received because for some reasons the fans decided to ignore reality and everything that had happened and thought Bryan was going to win the Rumble, even though he said THE RAW BEFORE THAT HE WASN'T IN THE MATCH

[hbkid718]

I get everyone's issues but to me I can still enjoy a Rumble. I could care less who wins. The Rumble is my favorite match of the year. I guess I'm in the minority.

[eJm]

Jan 14, 2018 18:49:51 GMT -5 thelonewolf527 said:

2014 was only not horribly received because for some reasons the fans decided to ignore reality and everything that had happened and thought Bryan was going to win the Rumble, even though he said THE RAW BEFORE THAT HE WASN'T IN THE MATCH

He said the family would be distracted by the Rumble so Wyatt would be on his own for the match. That wouldn’t have meant he couldn’t have been in the match since there’s a billion presedence for this sort of thing.

Heck, you could have at least done a segment on the show where Bryan was trying to get into the Rumble but was told he was in no condition after the Wyatt match. Or, if Bryan won, have the Wyatts take him out before he enters. Just something to make it different compared to how almost every championship match loser gets in the damn thing.

[thelonewolf527]

Jan 14, 2018 20:50:01 GMT -5 eJm said:

Jan 14, 2018 18:49:51 GMT -5 thelonewolf527 said:

2014 was only not horribly received because for some reasons the fans decided to ignore reality and everything that had happened and thought Bryan was going to win the Rumble, even though he said THE RAW BEFORE THAT HE WASN'T IN THE MATCH

He said the family would be distracted by the Rumble so Wyatt would be on his own for the match. That wouldn’t have meant he couldn’t have been in the match since there’s a billion presedence for this sort of thing.

Heck, you could have at least done a segment on the show where Bryan was trying to get into the Rumble but was told he was in no condition after the Wyatt match. Or, if Bryan won, have the Wyatts take him out before he enters. Just something to make it different compared to how almost every championship match loser gets in the damn thing.

He said something along the lines of "They'll be busy in the Rumble, which leaves you and I to face each other one on one."

It was clear to me at the time that he was saying "They're in the Rumble, we aren't, so we're facing each other" which is what happened.

[Pierre the Renaissance Man]

I wonder what the reaction would have been if Bryan made it close to the end in 2015. Would that have made it better or worse?

[Sponsored by Groose Wipes]

2015 is the only rumble I felt like WWE truly hated the fans.

[Allie Kitsune]

On the one hand, Vince is a senile, out-of-touch idiot.

On the other, he's enough of an evil Mastermind to engineer the "Shattered Dreams" thing.

Which is it?

[This Player Hating Mothman]

It's simple math. RR '14 was one mistake. RR '15 was a whole bunch of mistakes coming one after another to show that WWE hadn't learned shit from the year before and in some ways was actually really f***ing spiteful and bitter about the year before and looking to put the fans in their place.

[Blindkarevik]

In 2014, it was assumed Batista would win, but there was an assumption Bryan would be in the match and that created enough hope to keep watching. Once Rey Mysterio came out and that idea went out the window, the crowd boo'ed again. However, with Roman Reigns and The Shield being on a hot streak at the time, putting him and Batista together at the end.... there was JUST enough doubt there that Batista wouldn't win. Even so, The Shield were basically faces at this point (not officially, but fans had decided to support The Shield over The Wyatts in their feud) so there was someone for the crowd to cheer for at the end.

2015 saw the final three being Kane, The Big Show and Roman Reigns. There was nobody for the crowd to get excited about at all. While it's not always fair to judge an entire match by how it ended... a good match builds TO the ending. The most drama should happen towards the end so when a finish occurs, it's surprising, or at least exciting. Granted, this isn't the case in 100% of matches and it doesn't need to be, because there is merit to storyline-driven outcomes, but it seems like a Royal Rumble would be stupidly easy to book for drama. Especially when the outcome is obvious and the crowd WILL shit on it. At least make the final two Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens or something... that way, while the crowd knows Roman's gonna win, they can at least cheer for Owens in the meantime, even if they're only cheering Owens to show how much they hate Reigns. At least the crowd's cheering SOMEONE, the end of that Rumble was just flat boo-ing until the broadcast ended.

To be honest, boos that loud should only end a RAW or Smackdown with the commentators screaming about "What's going to happen next week?" Not ending of one of the big four PPVs, and especially not the one that starts the build towards Wrestlemania.

[Nic Nemeth]

2015 is worst and it's not even debatable.

2014 was at least a good match, Punk had a strong run til the end, The Shield came off looking strong and aside from no Bryan, the whole match told a good story.

2015 was literally just them finding out ways to piss off the crowd from start to finish, hell the only good spot I remember is Bubba giving Miz the Dudley Death Drop. The other spots in the match you remember are your favorites being cleared out by the Local Men, Roman eliminating both at once then ruining Rusev while he was at it and of course Bryan being eliminated in under five minutes.

[This Player Hating Mothman]

Jan 14, 2018 23:19:03 GMT -5 Allie Kitsune said:

On the one hand, Vince is a senile, out-of-touch idiot.

On the other, he's enough of an evil Mastermind to engineer the "Shattered Dreams" thing.

Which is it?

I don't see how it can't be both, honestly. He can both a) not know people were going to reject Roman and b) still be bitter enough about the last year's Bryan thing to time things out with the perfect self-indulgent middle finger to the audience. A nothing elimination right before the words "Shattered dreams" showed up. In his mind, Roman playing conquering hero would make all that better, and it didn't.

[A Platypus Rave]

Jan 14, 2018 17:42:22 GMT -5 eJm said:

2015 took all pretence of the Rumble being a way of jump starting feuds, making talent look good and putting its best foot forward on the Road to WrestleMania and threw all of it under the bus to put over Roman Reigns.

AND THEY DIDN’T EVEN HAVE ROMAN LOOK GOOD IN VICTORY! So they didn’t even do THAT right!

Like...man, I genuinely feel a lot of the really recent problems about them being able to put over new talent and making new stars started right here.

As I said this.

2015 started no feuds.

No storylines that were running before hand connected into the rumble.

nothing hinted in the rumble led to a Mania match...

It was just one of the worst booked rumbles they have ever done.

[xxshoyuweeniexx]

2015 sucked so hard it’s not even funny.

At least the 2014 Rumble was fun and interesting, even if Bryan didn’t come out and win, it was a good match.

2015 was just “this is who WE like and if you don’t then go f*** yourself”. Tossing out favorites in hopes that Roman would avenge his “little buddies” was insufferable.

Oh! And let’s not forget the build to Roman vs Brock that year was him beating up Bryan and old people who went “you the man now, dog” as his buildup. Cause you know, that’s how you build the guy you want carrying your company for the next 10 years..shitty lip service and a shitty tug of war.

[AlexaBliss4Life]

Even if Punk doesnt win the Rumble, let him be in the last 2. Don't let it be Dave in my opinion. Maybe this leads to him staying somehow.

[Ludwig Kaiser’s Walk]

Yeah, 14 was fine overall. I think most of us knew Punk leaving was only a matter of time, so to me, his stuff after was whatever. And I got a gigantic belly laugh out of the crowd shitting on Mysterio being #30 since he was pushed heavily in the promos and it was obvious that he was left.

2015 was terrible. Forget Bryan being way too early and dumped way too easily and it is still horrible. Roman looked like a lucky bum and all of the fan favorites being literally tossed aside by the Locals was an embarrassment.

[Ludwig Kaiser’s Walk]

Jan 15, 2018 0:22:28 GMT -5 AlexaBliss4Life said:

Even if Punk doesnt win the Rumble, let him be in the last 2. Don't let it be Dave in my opinion. Maybe this leads to him staying somehow.

He's in the Final 2 and they tell him the next night that he's going to fight Trips at Mania and he still walks. Dude was so disillusioned at that time that he was leaving soon unless he was the main event of Mania and even then, he may have walked.