-- WWE Royal Rumble Reax 1/29

Joey B. in N.J. (7.5): It's been a long time since I ordered a WWE PPV, but the build-up lured me in. I thought Funkasaurus (the wrong gimmick for Clay) vs. McIntyre should've been the opener, as the three-way World Title match was a let-down. I'm old-school - a cage match used to be so dramatic and have such meaning, but this was the opener and felt like it... The Divas match was good because it was more wrestling than gimmicks, and Beth looked badass... Cena-Kane suffered from the same thing Punk-Ziggler did: over-exposure the past 2-3 weeks on Raw, causing the matches to lose an edge. And, Kane just walks out? No pin? No going after Eve somehow? And, the announcers's "serious voice" has become comical. I'm not sure where they're going with this, so it works to keep me mildly interested... I thought Punk-Ziggler was the best match. They've had the best matches on Raw recently, which I enjoyed tremendously, but, again, it took the edge off things. The Laurinaitis angle still has steam and it's offbeat and intriguing... The Rumble is always fun to watch. It allows WWE to mix in athleticism, comedy, nostalgia, and anticipation into one match. All the previous matches felt a bit rushed to make time for it. Cody got a push here, but nothing dramatic. Ricardo was a riot! And, Kofi's handstand walk got the pop of the night from my guests! I'm not sure about the outcome, but I guess they wanted to get some direction for Sheamus. Overall, a good show, but it came dangerously close to a hot Raw than a $45 pay-per-view.

Doug Hall of Rochester, N.Y. (1.0): I can't really say what the best match was, but the worst match was definitely the Royal Rumble itself. I would have been more excited to see the Brooklyn Brawler than half of the people who were in the Rumble. I have never seen a more diluted Rumble than on last night's PPV. And, what was with Dolph Ziggler losing over and over last night? He was squashed in Punk's match (besides the Rumble itself, I thought this would be the match to watch) and to make matters worse, he was lost again in the Rumble via a returning Kharma. For me, the 2012 Rumble will be remembered for being filled with a lot of jobbers and disappointment.

Jamie Cartwright of Birmingham, U.K. (6.0): Best Match: Punk vs. Ziggler. Worst Match: Divas. Okay, the undercard really underwhelmed, so I will just speak about the Rumble itself. First, there were six non-Superstars in the event, which is too many for what is regarded as one of the biggest matches of the year. And, the big returns were limited to Khali and Kharma. In my opinion, I was not excited since I knew they would not be headlining WrestleMania. The thing about Rumble comebacks is a wrestler can return and wrestle fairly safely, knowing he or she doesn't need to take a bump. Were there really no others who were fit enough to give a two-minute showing and create intrigue that they may win? Also, there were ten wrestlers who ply their trade on Superstars/NXT. This left 11 spots for anyone who had a remote chance of winning. Too, few in my opinion. Also, in the U.K., we have to stay up until 4:00 a.m. to watch the end of a PPV. At least give me a little more. WWE gets a 6.0 solely because the Rumble is a great match in itself. MUCH TRY HARDER.

Chris Wang in Atlanta, VIP Member, Teacher/Counselor (7.0): Best Match: C.M. Punk vs. Dolph Ziggler. Worst Match: Brodus Clay vs. Drew McIntyre. I thought the Rumble match itself was very entertaining. For the guys complaining about the thin roster, I don't mind seeing Road Dogg entertain vs. Mason Ryan corner-punching for five minutes before being eliminated. The announcers entering the Rumble was hilarious, getting up from the table with their gear under their clothes. But, entertaining spot of the night still goes to Ricardo. I expected Alberto Del Rio to make a comeback, so that was a nice comedic spot. Sure, Sheamus winning the Rumble leaves less to be desired at WrestleMania, but what if the World Title match is a Fatal Four-Way with Sheamus, Orton, Barrett, and Daniel Bryan? That would be just fine, and it gets those guys in a good match at Mania. Also, I believe Rumble PPVs are judged by the Rumble match, not the undercard. The cage match was what it was, and the feud isn't over. What else did people expect from Cena-Kane? Brodus-Drew was just to get those guys on the show and add a point of rest leading to the WWE Title match. I'm glad WWE gave eight gals some PPV time. Kudos to Kelly Kelly for a high spot, and Beth Phoenix's finisher is mean. With Kharma back, maybe the Divas division can get another story going... In my opinion, there's not much to complain about. Jericho could be leading to a program with Undertaker and didn't need to win the Rumble. WrestleMania season is on us, and I'm looking forward to how it unfolds. THEN, we can look at the Rumble results with better perspective. But, for now, I thought it was a very entertaining show that will be easy to watch in five years.

Conor Leaden of Dublin, Ireland (6.5): Best Match: Rumble. Worst Match: Divas Match. I was surprised that Jericho or Orion didn't win the Rumble, but I think giving it to Sheamus was the right call. There are a lot of ways to get to Punk-Jericho at WrestleMania without having Jericho win the Rumble. As for Orton, I don't feel he needs to be in a title match to get on the Mania card, so having him win the Rumble would have been pointless. I think Sheamus-Bryan or Sheamus-Henry will be great at Mania. As for the Rumble match, I don't think there was a lack of star power; I think they could have spread out the stars more evenly. At my count, there were nine guys in the Rumble that realistically could have won and seven entered in the second-half of the match. Not to mention that not a single realistic winner entered from Cody Rhodes at #4 to Dolph Ziggler at #18. I also wasn't happy that Jericho get so involved in the match without actually winning it. It just didn't suit the character he has been portraying lately. As for the rest of the card, everything was decent-to-good, with the exception of the Divas match. I also would have liked to have seen Brodus in the Rumble and given Punk-Ziggler five more minutes.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "WWE PPV Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on the PPV, click here or email us at pwtorch@gmail.com.

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

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