{"id":9002,"date":"2016-01-25T11:00:45","date_gmt":"2016-01-25T17:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=9002"},"modified":"2016-01-25T11:00:45","modified_gmt":"2016-01-25T17:00:45","slug":"9002","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2016\/01\/25\/9002\/","title":{"rendered":"Kyght&#8217;s PPV Evaluation &#8211; Royal Rumble: Best\/Worst, Memorable, 2016 PPV Rankings"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-3474302413\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p>The road to WrestleMania begins in earnest! Welcome back, and thanks for reading as we go over the good, the not so good, and the Triple H\u2019iness that was this year\u2019s Royal Rumble. All in all I thought it was a very good show, and sets up quite a few intriguing possibilities as we head towards Dallas and the biggest show of the year. Random thought from my fianc\u00e9 during the show: \u201cWhy is it so easy to throw guys over the top rope in matches usually, but so hard here?\u201d\u00a0Don\u2019t worry about it.<\/p>\n<p>All right. Let\u2019s go.<\/p>\n<p>BEST MATCH \u2013 DEAN AMBROSE VS. KEVIN OWENS<\/p>\n<p>An unusual choice for an opening match, but nonetheless a match that stole the show. Both men looked great and worked really hard, and had the benefit of having a crowd that was behind them the entire way. I didn\u2019t think that WWE would have Ambrose retain (although it added to the credibility of his threat somewhat when he made it to the final two in the Rumble later), but at least they had what was presumably an excellent blow-off to their feud, and both men are free to start anew. Ambrose vs. Jericho and Owens vs. Styles perhaps? Hope so.<\/p>\n<p>WORST MATCH \u2013 CHARLOTTE VS. BECKY LYNCH<\/p>\n<p>Not a bad match by any means, but the weakest of the show in my opinion. This is a feud that (due to good booking and the always plus of having 100 percent more Ric Flair than other feuds) is really clicking for me. It seemed to resonate with the live crowd as well. A nice match, followed by a strong post-match angle with Sasha Banks as she (I assume) gets ready to go for the gold at Mania. Again, I thought this was the \u2018worst match\u2019 on the show, but it certainly doesn\u2019t deserve the connotations that implies.<\/p>\n<p>BIGGEST SURPRISE \u2013 A.J. STYLES!<\/p>\n<p>Well, maybe not a surprise after weeks of speculation and WWE even joining in on the fun and having their Superstars openly allude to the possibility, but a fun moment nonetheless. A.J. looked awesome (always does), and had a good showing before getting tossed by Kevin Owens (feud now, fellas). I\u2019m excited to see where he goes from here, and the potential \u201cdream matches\u201d are in no shortage.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2094283674\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>BIGGEST LETDOWN \u2013 NONE<\/p>\n<p>The show was a bit predictable, but when you\u2019re booking towards what will be the biggest WrestleMania ever, that\u2019s not a bad thing. There was nothing on this show that I didn\u2019t enjoy.<\/p>\n<p>BEST QUOTE \u2013 VINCE MCMAHON<\/p>\n<p>Who doesn\u2019t enjoy on screen Vince? And his quote at the beginning of the show was hilarious:\u00a0\u201cI love this idea. Almost as much as I love me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m totally using that at work.<\/p>\n<p>BEST MOVE \u2013 KEVIN OWENS<\/p>\n<p>In a match full of exciting spots, Kevin Owens\u2019s flip fall from the top rope through two tables stacked on the arena floor was a highlight-reel moment. And, it was actually the finish!<\/p>\n<p>BEST MATCH FINISH \u2013 ROYAL RUMBLE<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-993384109\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>For the second year in a row, I liked how this all went down. If Triple H vs. Roman Reigns is indeed our WrestleMania main event, it works much better to have Reigns chasing the title rather than defending it. And of course, say what you want about Triple H, but there`s a guy that does not half-ass it in a match, especially in what will most likely be the main event on April 3. I&#8217;m looking forward to this build. How does Reigns get his number #1 contender spot? In a match with Lesnar at Fastlane perhaps?<\/p>\n<p>OTHER THOUGHTS<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Alberto Del Rio and Kalisto had a fun match. Not sure if I like the idea of flipping the title back and forth so much, but the effort was indisputable. It seems like this wasn\u2019t the end, so we\u2019ll see what\u2019s in store for Fastlane.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; So, Bray Wyatt vs. Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania? An interesting choice.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; No Undertaker. Huh. I thought he\u2019d be a surprise entrant for sure. Chris Jericho vs. Undertaker at WrestleMania?<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; I like that WWE is still acknowledging the Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens rivalry. These two could tear the house down at WrestleMania if that\u2019s the direction.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The Usos and New Day had a good tag match. I\u2019m tired of seeing these two teams, but nothing wrong with the match at all.<\/p>\n<p>WHAT IT\u2019LL BE REMEMBERED FOR<\/p>\n<p>Starting the build to WWE\u2019s biggest show ever. A lot of interesting ideas are in play. Let\u2019s see how it all unfolds\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Follow me <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/nathankyght\" target=\"_blank\">@nathankyght<\/a>. Seriously. Let&#8217;s be friends.<\/p>\n<p><strong>UPDATED 2016 PPV EVALUATION RANKINGS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1 \u2013 WWE ROYAL RUMBLE (2016-01-24)<br \/>\n2 \u2013 TNA ONE NIGHT ONLY LIVE! (2016-01-08)<\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-3011545689\"><div id=\"pwtor-3714069990\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>The road to WrestleMania begins in earnest! Welcome back, and thanks for reading as we go over the good, the not so good, and the Triple H\u2019iness that was this year\u2019s Royal Rumble. All in <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2016\/01\/25\/9002\/\" title=\"Kyght&#8217;s PPV Evaluation &#8211; Royal Rumble: Best\/Worst, Memorable, 2016 PPV Rankings\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6223,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1518,27],"tags":[1519,1584,693,1460],"class_list":["post-9002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ppv-evaluation","category-specialists","tag-nathan-kyght","tag-ppv-evaluation","tag-royal-rumble","tag-wwe-royal-rumble"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/RoyalRumble2016Gray_3x2.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9002","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9002"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9002\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9003,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9002\/revisions\/9003"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}