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Jon Gargis of Cartersville, Ga. (7.0): Tonight was a night of improbable coincidences. The first happened when Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker - the final two men in last year's Rumble match - were the first ones in this year's match. The second was John Cena making his return to WWE in the no. 30 spot. And the third was Cena becoming the second man to win the Rumble from the no. 30 spot, the first being Undertaker in last year's Rumble. Maybe all this is why we never saw any superstars draw their numbers? Can we make the seemingly "random" drawing at least appear so? Cena's return was a surprise, though, and his return along with Big Show's impending return brings some intrigue. I do wonder if the boos to Cena versus the cheers for Triple H will continue in non-New York arenas, and if so, I wonder if Cena might finally turn heel (though it's a long shot). Though Jericho and JBL are good talkers, there was definitely some ring rust between them tonight. And though we're a few months removed from the Chris Benoit murders, there ought not to be any choking in the JBL-Jericho program or any other one. Both title matches were nearly great but will need something more than typical follow-up rematches if the match-ups are to continue. Finally, the addition of Mike Adamle adds some credibility to WWE programming, but I hope his Jeff "Harvey" slip won't convince the higher-ups to sending him packing.

Joe Daoud, Torch reader (8.5): The Royal Rumble was amazing. I watched the event at a local bar owned by Scott D'Amore. The event was packed with great events. Any person says that this event was horrible and the undercard was terrible is trying to nitpick and show off. The only disappointment was that Hardy didn't win the title. The JBL vs. Chris Jericho match was pretty good. The chair shot at the end, which led to a DQ, should not be shunned. The reason is that the shot wasn't used just as a spot, but the end of the match. It made a point. The Edge vs. Mysterio match was pretty good, especially the ending with the spear while Mysterio was flying through the air. That got a pop from the bar. The opening match between Ric Flair and MVP was good too. I loved the reversal from Flair into the figure four for the win. The Royal Rumble was great. Undertaker and Shawn Michaels number 1 and 2 was great! The surprise entrance of Cena made it a great PPV. I never would have thought that. Out of everyone, Cena returned. Hopefully they never rushed him back. All in all a great PPV that must be seen.

Andre Polizzi of San Jose, Calif. (8.5): Best match: Royal Rumble match. Least of the other matches: JBL vs. Chris Jericho. This was my first paid-for PPV-TV event since last WrestleMania, not counting being at Great American Bash live. It was definitely worth the 40 bones. The Rumble was outstanding; definitely ****. I enjoyed the action and most of the spots sprinkled throughout. When Triple H got the number 29 slot, I was sure Big Show was no. 30 and it would come down to Triple H, Batista, and Show with Hunter winning. Great shocker that Cena has healed and comes back to win. He completely fooled me and everyone else with his recent interviews. Now, THAT is how you reward your PPV buyers and spring a surprise. Both title matches were *** in my opinion. I was expecting Orton to win clean with an RKO. Both men performed well, with a nice surprise that the RKO came out of nowhere. Guess tomorrow Cena calls out and challenges Orton with a Hunter interruption to open Raw. Edge vs. Rey was also pretty good. Above average wrestling with a well-written storyline including the ending. The "backwards" fan response also added to the storyline. Flair vs. MVP was decent. Nice to see Flair get the clean win in MSG and on a PPV. Let me add to the chorus: Coach is terrible on color commentary. I suggest immediate demotion to ECW color, and a return to Smackdown for Tazz. JBL vs. Jericho was ok. I have to admit I am grading this match on the curve. Both men are incredibly rusty. JBL being so is not surprising. Jericho should be less so at this point and it's disappointing that he's not. This feud has potential though, so I will expect much more from these two next time. Finally, kudos to the writing team for picking the two best skits out of however many they wrote, and using only those two. The Santino vs. Ashley feud should be entertaining based on the first couple chapters. The other one - Kennedy vs. Flair setup, best man will win Rumble, and Michaels's shill job - was amusing. A satisfying, well-booked PPV that gets me excited for Raw tomorrow. The only question left is: Why can't WWE make me feel this way six to eight times in a year instead of twice in ten months?

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