William Regal vs. Test
European Championship
It's too bad Regal's feud with Austin was aborted recently.. I was really getting a kick out of it. Still, it wasn't really correct to have the European champ feuding with someone as high on the card as Austin, and I'm sure one day they'll have another go in the ring.. with the stakes that much higher. Regal is still just arriving on the WWF scene, ready to take the next step up already. The same could be said, in a way, of Test. He's no stranger to fame, after working through the surprisingly successful marriage angle with Stephanie, but his rocketship to stardom inexplicably ran out of fuel before arriving at its destination. For over a year, Test has been floating in virtual limbo while life in general went on without him. Now that the long-rumored T&A split is behind him, Test has become a strong face once again and I've found myself more open to his re-elevation. This feud with the British goodwill ambassador hasn't even begun yet, and I think it'll be a couple months before we see a winner. That's why, for right now, I'm taking Regal to retain. Sunday's really just a feeling out process to see how these guys relate on the mat. Next month is when the fireworks could start.
Winner: William Regal
Ivory vs. Chyna
Women's Championship
Not my first choice for a curtain jerker, but it should serve to wake the crowd up a bit. Chyna's a big hit with fans, whether I like it or not, and the storyline she's currently running with Ivory and the RTC is red hot. Though the match itself won't be much to speak of, it will do wonders for the Women's division and the heat will likely be tremendous throughout. There isn't much more to say, except I think Ivory's gonna sneak through with a big upset, raising her credibility tremendously.
Winner: Ivory
Edge & Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz
Tag Team Championship
Edge and Christian are back on top, holding the belts they owned through 2000 and building a hot feud with the Dudleys with less than five minutes of camera time. These guys are good. Unfortunately, there isn't much we can see in the ring from these four that we haven't seen before. E&C have been heels for a full year, and the Dudleys have been face for even longer. They've run through their repertoire multiple times, and there really isn't that much more they can do with the same formula. Sure, the crowd will be hot for the "whassaah" spot, as well as for the teasing of the tables, but how many more times can we see the same thing before it gets annoying? Somebody needs to turn, and I think it's the Dudleys. Perhaps they were testing the waters a bit with that teased RTC run? Unless one of the four busts his ass and breaks out a whole new moveset, I wouldn't expect this to do anything revolutionary. It's good stuff, but it's getting monotonous. E&C retain.
Winners: Edge and Christian
Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho
Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship
To be honest, when I first realized they were running with this ball again, I wasn't that excited. It hasn't been long enough between Benoit and Jericho's last feud to really build another good one, and I thought of this as going to the well once too often. The added ladder match stipulation, though, has really gone and spun my opinion a good 180 degrees on the subject. With Benoit and Jericho promoting the match as intensely as the have been over the last couple programs, audiences are really starting to take notice... setting the stage for something big to go down Sunday night. If there ever was a time for Benoit and Jericho to put on the show of a lifetime, it would be at the 2001 Royal Rumble. With the fans' curiosity piqued, the #2 slot on the third largest show of the year, the second most prestigious gold in the land on the line and one of the WWF's traditionally most entertaining gimmicks, these two have the best opportunity they'll ever find to get themselves noticed.
Every time these two have met over the past six months, I've seen it as a sort of foreshadowing event. Remember the feeling you got in the late 80s, watching Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart face off in tag matches or later for Hart's newly-earned WWF Title? How about the battles in the late 90s between a charismatic Intercontinental champion named Rocky and his rival, a guy going by the name Triple H? There was something there, even years before they made it, that said these two would be meeting again in the main event. I get that same feeling with Benoit and Jericho. It wouldn't surprise me at all if five years down the road these two were colliding again with the WWF Title at stake, while two new midcarders fight a similar fight for the Intercontinental strap.. setting up a future main event run of their own. Benoit and Jericho have chemistry, talent and attention. Let's just hope they can reach the potential we all know they've got here. Jericho goes over.
Winner: Chris Jericho
Kurt Angle vs. Triple H
WWF Heavyweight Championship
This one's about four months too late. The WWF had caught the proverbial lightning in a bottle midway through 2000, when they first teased a HHH / Angle matchup with the affections of Stephanie at stake. Fans absolutely loved it, the matches were bound to be excellent and the intensity was the stuff of legends. It was a Flair / Steamboat for the sports entertainment era, and the WWF decided to pass. Now fans are no longer anticipating the match. Both men are heels, making for an awkward collision at best, and Stephanie's almost become a non-factor now that Trish is in Angle's corner. The crowds are now looking for HHH / Austin, a collision I'm betting we'll see at Wrestlemania, and the WWF is once again not delivering. Strange business methods for the number one name in the game.
Still, despite the lost momentum and almost complete lack of build, this should be a strong match.. easily credible as a battle for the World Championship. The Trish / Steph feud is likely to play a big part in this one, with both men keeping one eye trained on the activities outside the ring throughout. If the game is truly ready to play and Angle's feeling up to it, we'll get a good, solid matchup at best. It's really disappointing too, considering how much potential these two had earlier on. I suppose one can't change history, though, a sentiment I'm sure Kurt Angle will be echoing when he drops the gold here. Austin / HHH at Wrestlemania, and the build starts here.
Winner: HHH
Thirty Man Royal Rumble Match
Participants include Rikishi, Undertaker, Kane, The Rock, Steve Austin, Faarooq, Bradshaw, Steve Blackman, K-Kwik, Billy Gunn, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Hardcore Holly plus 19 other superstars
In a day that's seen the rediscovery and eventual oversaturation of the gimmicked match, the WWF's Royal Rumble still stands out from the crowd. There's a certain mystique, an electricity, that links itself with this match. No matter who the last man to enter the ring was, be it Shawn Michaels or Judy Bagwell, fans were intrigued to see who was next. There was always a fresh face waiting in the wings, and that's what separated the Royal Rumble from other battle royals, what made it special. What began as just another ego boost for the "immortal" Hulk Hogan has since transcended him and taken a spot as one of the most important matches on the wrestling calendar. There's more at stake here than a shot at the World Wrestling Federation title.. a man's career can be made or broken with this match and the crowd's reaction to his work. Through the Royal Rumble we watched Shawn Michaels become a man. We saw the progression of a man named Foley from the depths of the undercard to the highest honor the federation can present. And we watched the "fake" Diesel and Razor Ramon vanish from the pages of history in less than a year.
Following up one of only two Rumbles that didn't end with a clear cut winner, the WWF has, in my opinion, a step or two to take towards rediscovering the formula that made this great match work in the past. While the majority of the 2000 Rumble was excellent and well performed by the athletes, the finish left something of a bad taste in my mouth and the four way for the title at Wrestlemania took away from the importance of this annual January event, as well. For the first time in years, the WWF has a roster large enough to fill an entire Rumble without any unnecessary additions or questionable selections. That, along with the presence of undeniable talents like Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn, Chris Benoit and Raven should make this year's brawl something to remember. This will likely be as pretty a battle royal as you're ever gonna see. And, while I'd absolutely love to see a big surprise victory for someone like an Eddy Guerrero or Taka Michinoku, the fact of the matter is that would send the fans home extremely unhappy. This one goes down by the books, with Steve Austin standing alone in the ring when the dust settles.
Winner: Steve Austin
In Closing...
Just a tremendously balanced card, worthy to follow in the footsteps of the greatest PPV 2000 had to offer. While some matches are disjointed and others are bordering on monotony, the right ingredients are still in the mix, and the finished product should be something worth getting excited over. From a technical standpoint, this card is going to be outstanding. The WWF has truly given us a full serving of their best, living up to the tradition of a "Big 5" PPV. There's a sort of 'calm before the storm' feel about things, though, like something huge is about to go on and I'm missing all the clues.
until next time, i remain
drq
drq
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