Royal Rumble thoughts
Oh, brother! The Hardy Boyz feud is on.
All of the speculation about the identity of Jeff Hardy’s stalker appears to have ended when Matt Hardy smashed his brother over the head with a chair to cost him the WWE title against Edge last night at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
As anyone who regularly reads this blog knows, I have been advocating a feud between Matt and Jeff Hardy almost since the inception of Ring Posts. And despite Internet reports last month that Christian Cage would be revealed as Jeff’s stalker, I always thought it made more sense business-wise to be Matt.
There were subtle hints for weeks that Matt was going to turn on his brother, and Matt’s look of frustration and disappointment as he sat on the ring steps after losing to Jack Swagger last night clinched it for me. His failure fanned the flames of his jealousy over his brother’s success and pushed him over the edge.
The other dramatic moment on the show occurred when Shawn Michaels was contemplating what to do after the referee was incapacitated during the John Cena-JBL world heavyweight title match. Michaels’ actions were ambiguous, so story line will continue. Tonight’s Raw should be interesting to say the least.
As expected, the Royal Rumble match came down to Randy Orton and Triple H, with Orton winning, which was absolutely the right call.
Here is a match-by-match look at last night’s show:
Randy Orton won the 30-man Royal Rumble match: As it almost always is, the Rumble was entertaining, even if it was a bit predictable. The story was that Ted DiBiase Jr. and Cody Rhodes were watching the back of Orton throughout the match. The final four were the three Legacy members and Triple H. It was fairly obvious what was going to happen, as Triple H managed to eliminate DiBiase and Rhodes before falling prey to Orton. Orton is the most compelling figure in wrestling right now, so it made sense for WWE to continue to ride the wave with him. As for Triple H, he looked very strong in defeat – as he always does. (For more on the Rumble match, check below).
Edge defeated Jeff Hardy to win the WWE title: Not surprisingly, this was the best match of the night. Hardy’s face paint reminded me of Vampiro. Before the match began, Smackdown general manager Vickie Guerrero announced that it would be no disqualification, which pretty much guaranteed that Jeff’s stalker would be interfering. There was some great back-and-forth action, including one spot in which Edge went for a spear but Hardy turned it into a Twist of Fate. After Vickie interfered a couple times, Matt Hardy came down to neutralize her. To paraphrase what Michael Corleone said to his brother Fredo in The Godfather Part II, “I know it was you, Matt.” Matt handed Jeff a chair and then grabbed one for himself. Just as the Hardys were about to deliver a conchairto to Edge, Matt hit his brother over the head. The crowd gasped. As Matt stood there glaring down at his fallen brother, Edge had a shocked look on his face as he covered Jeff for the win while keeping an eye on Matt. Edge is now a seven-time world champion, which places him behind only 12-time champion Triple H – Edge’s likely opponent at WrestleMania 25 – for most WWE world title reigns among active wrestlers.
World heavyweight champion John Cena defeated JBL: It seemed as if the camera was focused on Shawn Michaels as much as it was on Cena and JBL. Michaels had a great stoic look on his face throughout the match. The action in the ring was OK, but I got the feeling that everyone just wanted to get to the part where Michaels was going to get involved. After a ref bump and Cena and JBL hitting simultaneous clotheslines, Michaels entered the ring and waited for them to get to their feet. He hit JBL with a super-kick, which brought a smile to Cena’s face. A few seconds later, that smile was wiped off by a super-kick. Michaels then put JBL on top of Cena and walked out. A second referee entered the ring and made the count, but Cena kicked out at two and went on to win with his finisher (which WWE apparently is no longer calling the FU).
ECW champion Jack Swagger defeated Matt Hardy: This was a solid match and a good clean win for Swagger, who seems as if he is destined for big things. It will be interesting to see where Swagger is positioned on the card when next year’s Royal Rumble takes place. At one point in the match, Swagger gave Hardy a hard shove off the second rope onto the floor. It looked so reckless that I wondered if it was a receipt for Hardy’s offense being a little stiff.
Melina defeated Beth Phoenix to win the WWE women’s title: This was the most surprising result of the night. Not only did I think Phoenix would retain the title, but I also expected Rosa Mendes to get involved, and she was nowhere to be found. There were a few rough spots during the match, but they improvised well in trying to cover them up. The most memorable spot was when Phoenix had a hold on the left leg of Melina, who was flat on her stomach, and Phoenix bent her leg so far that she was hitting Melina in the head with her own foot. I’m betting that every red-blooded male had the same thought when witnessing Melina’s extraordinary flexibility.
More thoughts on the Rumble match: The lone surprise entrant was Rob Van Dam. Well, it was a surprise unless you read the spoiler that was on all the wrestling Web sites yesterday. I haven’t heard anything about RVD coming back fulltime, so I think this was a one-shot deal. I found it quite interesting that RVD was eliminated by Chris Jericho. RVD and Jericho had a minor war of words right here in Ring Posts last year. … It was a good night for DiBiase and Rhodes, who are getting a rub by being associated with Orton. … Rey Mysterio was the first entrant and he lasted the longest – 49 minutes. There was some good action early between him and the second entrant, John Morrison. … The losing streak gimmick seems to have gotten MVP over as a babyface. The crowd chanted for him when he came out and they booed when he was the second man eliminated. If WWE is actually going to give MVP a push, he should have lasted a lot longer. … Carlito showed once again that he can really bring it when he wants to. … Vladimir Kozlov came out fourth and immediately started tossing wrestlers out of the ring. Right after I wrote “Kozlov is being booked as a monster” in my notebook, Triple H entered the ring and quickly disposed of him. I couldn’t believe that one. … At one point, CM Punk hit the GTS on Triple H, but instead of following up and throwing him over the top rope, Punk inexplicably let him lay there as he turned his attention elsewhere. … When Santino Marella started walking down the aisle, I told my wife that he would be eliminated as soon as he entered the ring. She was impressed with my clairvoyance, but I think we all called that one. … The second-quickest elimination was The Brian Kendrick. I didn’t like that at all.
Here is the order of entrance for the Royal Rumble (order of elimination in parentheses):
1. Rey Mysterio (T-19)
2. John Morrison (T-5)
3. Carlito (3)
4. MVP (2)
5. The Great Khali (1)
6. Vladimir Kozlov (4)
7. Triple H (29)
8. Randy Orton (winner)
9. JTG (7)
10. Ted DiBiase Jr. (27)
11. Chris Jericho (23)
12. Mike Knox (T-19)
13. The Miz (T-5)
14. Fit Finlay (21)
15. Cody Rhodes (28)
16. The Undertaker (26)
17. Goldust (8)
18. CM Punk (18)
19. Mark Henry (9)
20. Shelton Benjamin (10)
21. William Regal (11)
22. Kofi Kingston (12)
23. Kane (24)
24. R-Truth (17)
25. Rob Van Dam (22)
26. The Brian Kendrick (13)
27. Dolph Ziggler (14)
28. Santino Marella (15)
29. Hacksaw Jim Duggan (16)
30. The Big Show (25)
Comments
I know that this wrasslin stuff is scripted..and from reading the blog I get some ideas from U and other readers about what might happen. But as I was watchin the Rumble with my brother there was still a little shcok on my face when Matt destroyed Jeff with that chair shot. I guess we both had the look of *how can a brother do something like taht to his brother* look on our faces. I can't wait to see how the HARDY's angle plays out. Over all I enjoyed the Rumble. And, yes.. I was thinking what most red -blooded men were thinking when Beth Phoenix was benind Melina's leg back like that..good lawd!!
Posted by: Michael | January 26, 2009 5:02 AM
It was predictable that Randy Orton would win the Royal Rumble also Kev you were right on the money with Matt Interfering in the match, will be interesting to see the brotherly feud in at Wrestlemania and I hope RVD gets a full time contract with WWE
Posted by: Zane | January 26, 2009 5:51 AM
So its Cena vs Orton for WHC at WM 25?? I just hope and pray that they don't repeat the same result like their previous one on one matches. Really wish that Orton would get the belt he won at Summerslam 04, back at WM 25. And I for one do not wish that Cena even be in the WM25 picture as a the holder. Any chance of Cena dropping the belt before WM25? Someone else vs Orton? What do you think, Kevin?
I also guess that Jeff's main event title matches are gonna have to take a break now. Maybe a WM 25 ladder match with Matt with the #1 contender spot on the line. Edge vs HHH it is, and again I hope that Edge wins for good. Cannot bear HHH again with the belt for the Nth time. Boring. Your thoughts?
Posted by: Bart | January 26, 2009 5:52 AM
Ok the Hardy feud should be good but I hate to see when title holders don't really get a chance for a rematch and that is what will happen with Jeff since NO Way Out is next. The rumble was good I just have one complaint and that was the elimination of Undertaker. Come on who can stumach when someone gets eliminated by someone already eliminated?
Posted by: Unilyte | January 26, 2009 6:11 AM
Wow triple H was in the final 3 again for the second strait year i guess that's what happens when ur married to the bosses daughter
Posted by: Anonymous | January 26, 2009 7:02 AM
Hi Kevin,
Given the huge response RVD recieved last night will WWE rethink the one time appearance?
Posted by: Andrew | January 26, 2009 8:40 AM
It was a good RR in my opinion, but two or three details were a bit disappointing. First, I found strange that the Undertaker joined the Big Show on the bad side of the ropes, he did not look forced to do that, and it was clearly leading to his elimination. By the way, the fact that the Bog Show eventually eliminated the Taker and ran from his wrath seems to be the start of another Taker - Big Show feud. Don't you see that happening at Mania, instead of Taker - Kozlov?
I loved the first part of the match, with all the high flyers in the ring, Mysterio and Morrison were fantastic as usual (and Mysterio running outside the ring on Miz and Morrison backs was hilarious).
Too bad that Kendrick did not last longer, I thought Ezekiel would have caught him in the air when he was thrown out, then put him back in the ring...
The ending was fine, and it's good that the Orton boys managed to stay with im until the end. But it would have made more sense if they had committed some kind of an ultimate sacrifice by getting eliminated while eliminating HHH: here, Orton basically did the old "I grab two opponents who are struggling and send them out", the fact that Rhodes was the one fighting with Triple H didn't change anything. Anyways, these are just details, and the Royal Rumble match was really fun as usual, with all these hanging on the third rope — event the Big Show did it!
I like a lot the HBK / JBL storyline, but it's kind of strange that Michaels hit the SCM on his boss before trying to get him the win nonetheless. I don't understand how they will manage to keep JBL from firing HBK after that — but if the end of their story was the whole idea, then why have Michaels hit Cena as well?
Posted by: Axl | January 26, 2009 9:05 AM
Well I wasn't disappointed in the Royal Rumble only from the possibilities of ramifications angles now open re: storylines. Overall I thought it was good entertainment.
JBL/Cena/Michaels -- I was wondering how that was going to play out, since if JBL won by Michaels interference, that led to disqualification, thus the belt couldn't change hands and Cena would retain. I had Cena winning the match and Michaels turning on JBL, thus no surprise at the sweet chin music to JBL, but it did surpise me that he then did it to Cena, and covered Cena by JBL... But that will lead to good story of JBL accusing Michaels of turning on him and letting Cena retain....So of course, he won't pay Michaels, etc., etc.
Jeff Hardy/Edge --- Guess I was holding out hope it wasn't Matt against his brother --- I was also hoping Jeff wouldn't lose it after how long he fault to get the championship. He only had it for 6 weeks :( - Anyway, my daughter thought it would be Christian to come in and interfere, but to help Jeff, as she thinks when Christian left, he and Edge were feuding (I didn't watch it then) --- but I was disappointed in the results there. Again, lots of potential storyline.
Melina/Beth Phoenix --- I'm glad Melina won - but I'm really surprised no interference from either Santino or Rosa, especially so Beth could retain.
The rumble itself --- loved Santino's quick exit, then him trying to justify he wasn't ready.... unlike you Kevin, loved Brian Kendrick's quick exit since I can't stand him. Think in some respects, it dragged some - but then they had to stretch it for the pay per view - there were times when Khali had the guys lifted over him and could have thrown them over the top rope but threw them on the floor instead. I was also surprised that one of the last few entrants wasn't either Christian or Michaels. Outcome of the Rumble --- I sort of thought Michaels would enter and win - but when I saw it was down to Orton, Triple H, Rhodes and DiBiase, I knew it would come down to HHH and Orton, as they wouldn't have HHH out and the 3 of them leftover (Orton and his yes-men) ---- But again storyline possibilities????? Orton - what ramifications after last week's punt to Mr. McMahon's head? Will Stephanie allow Orton to advance? Will Orton be punished and Triple H be allowed to advance??? Tune in tonight..... I think tonight will be a good RAW ---- bunch of possibilities.
OOPS - almost forgot - the Swagger/Matt Hardy match -- didn't really matter to me - was hoping Matt would get the belt back but since I think it was Swagger's first pay per view? and first since winning belt, I didn't expect him to lose.....
Posted by: Jeannette | January 26, 2009 9:23 AM
i'm suprised you didnt mention the big show nearly "skinning the cat" before being eliminated. he is still pretty agile for for a guy who at one time could perform a moonsault who has become a giant boheameth.
Posted by: Dan | January 26, 2009 9:34 AM
It amazes me that Santino continues to get over on his mic skills alone, as they continue to make him completely ineffective in the ring. Did you hear the big Santino chant during the Womens Title match? I'm a HUGE Santino fan, but how long do you think he can last being booked this way before he gets the eventual "wished well in his future endeavors".
Posted by: Red Sox | January 26, 2009 9:39 AM
Kevin, the PPV was very entertaining last nite , but my question is does Vince realy have a concussion and will Orton be at WM of be suspended. If its a storyline he still has to be suspended to make it more legit. The best part last nite was Matt hitting Jeff now which Hardy will be the heel, I say Jeff turns heel. The rest of RR was ok nice PPV with of plenty of Pace. My favoriate showed y he still has skills, glad to see Finaly last longer then anyother ECW star.
Posted by: bill | January 26, 2009 10:50 AM
good call on the Hardy storyline. And I agree that this will be an interesting feud and can't wait to see how it turns out towards Wrestlemania
Posted by: CD | January 26, 2009 11:02 AM
So where does this Royal Rumble result place Taker? Surely they can't be contemplating another Taker vs Edge main event at WM two years in a row. And I think it unlikely that the Dead Man is gonna square off against Shelton for the United States title. It's too lower-card! I suspect that the WWE championship is gonna change hands before WM 25 and I think it may be Shelton who will win it. He may or may not lose the US title. If Shelton is WWE champion, it would be Taker vs Shelton at WM 25.....for the WWE championship! Since the Taker streak is likely to continue, Taker will win the WWE championship at WM! Is Shelton too "low-pro" for this whole scenario to be plausible?
Posted by: Denver | January 26, 2009 11:08 AM
Well all of the action was entertaining, but all of the finishes were highly predictable. I've never been thrilled at the prospect of a Hardys feud, but I'll wait to see where it goes. Orton winning was the right call, and I can envision a WM with him being cheered more than Cena, who was loudly booed through much of his match. In addition to MVP not getting a push in the match, I was disappointed John Morrison didn't get more of a rub, he would have been benefitted much more than Mysterio by being the man who stayed in the Rumble the longest. I guess the only thing left now is HHH winning the elimination chamber match next month to set up both title matches.
Posted by: Joe Barber | January 26, 2009 11:17 AM
i cannot believe that matt did that to jeff i hope that jeff can win back the title from edge come no way out in febraruary or on this friday night smackdown i dont think that matt is jeffs stalker i think that it is edge and matt should not have done that
Posted by: amber | January 26, 2009 11:18 AM
And also, as I'm sure other people will mention this, but the WWE has "PG-tized" Cena's moves, the STFU is merely the STF now. I think Jim Ross mentioned the FU was going to be called the Throwback, but I've yet to hear it called that yet.
Posted by: Joe Barber | January 26, 2009 11:41 AM
To me, the Hardy/Edge match was the only thing that saved the show. I think the Hardyz could put on a great match at Wrestlemania, and hopefully they hold of on the match until then. The Rumble itself was pretty predictable with Orton and Triple H dominating. Seeing the return of RVD was a nice surprise, but I was disappointed that they didn't get at least one more surprise entrant.
Posted by: Papa Shango | January 26, 2009 11:46 AM
Hi Kevin,
a few weeks ago I asked you about the posiblity of once last championship ride for Shawn Michaels and you agreen on it. Looks like the time is coming, isn´t it?. So, when do you think it will be?, triple thread with cena and jbk in no way out, shawn wining and going to WM25 as champ against orton???
Posted by: Luis | January 26, 2009 12:56 PM
Do you think Swagger can overcome his speech impediment? Or maybe a better question, do you think Swagger can be a main event star despite the speech impediment?
Voice has so much to do with a wrestler's success. Listen to the "superstars" who dominate the top of the card - Orton, Cena, Edge, Triple H, HBK, JBL. Every one of them has a good to great speaking voice that matches and elevates his persona. (Jeff Hardy doesn't have a good speaking voice, but at least it matches his persona).
Listening to Swagger's lisp is painful to me, primarily because I've known people with speech impediments and have seen how tough it is to overcome.
But unless you're The Undertaker, a main event star will have to be able to capture a crowd for 10 minutes on the mic. Right now, I don't think Swagger can do it.
I'm rooting for him more than anybody because his look is great - reminds me of an arrogant lacrosse player.
Posted by: Cousin of Quin | January 26, 2009 1:06 PM
Hardy Boyz feud! YES! Will be brilliant. Wow was I estatic when RVD's music hit, couldnt believe it, I hope he gets a buzz from it and wants to return
Posted by: stan | January 26, 2009 1:07 PM
Kevin said, "I’m betting that every red-blooded male had the same thought when witnessing Melina’s extraordinary flexibility."
I was thinking, wow, that must hurt. What were you thinking...?
RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: Never mind.
Posted by: steve m. | January 26, 2009 1:21 PM
We really should stop counting title reigns at this point. It's a farce. Considering how often and nonchalantly titles are exchanged in the modern era, it really means very little to be a champion multiple times. Getting it at all is a feat unto itself, but once you're at that level it seems to be all politics after that.
They really should have held off on the Jeff title win and consequent Matt turn until the night of Wrestlemania. Now it will just run as an obvious, planned program.
The fact that WWE is now softening Cena's character even further by subtracting anything and everything even remotely adult about his character. With the removal of the name of his finisher he is now officially a cartoon. He may as well start dropping anvils on people or arrive in a box marked "ACME"... Give me a break.
I hope that Undertaker-HBK headlines Wrestlemania 26.
Posted by: JGavin | January 26, 2009 1:23 PM
It was definitely a nice surprise to see RVD in the Rumble and i definitely marked out for that. I was wondering has Christian officially signed a WWE contract?
Posted by: Geckle | January 26, 2009 1:42 PM
I was a little baffled by some of the eliminations/times people were in the Rumble. Guys like MVP, Benjamin, Kozlov, Carlito, Mark Henry, Kingston, and Kendrick should all be 10 minute guys at least. Some longer (Benjamin). Mike Knox was in for about 30 minutes too long (32 minutes total) and JTG was in it 11 minutes too long (12 minutes total). I also didn't like that they had HHH throw the world tag team champs out at the same time like they were nothing. It doesn't help your tag division when one guy can dominate the champs, I don't care who that one guy is. And why did Rey eliminate Mark Henry and not Mike Knox? Henry's 3 minutes in the Rumble and elimination by Rey should have been Knox's night. Some of the booking just didn't make sense to me. I could go on but I want to move on to other points.
I think they need to cut a match out of the show (ECW maybe) and bring it back to 2 minutes. The Rumble should be 75 - 90 minutes. I think that would make it more interesting and more realistic. I don't mind guys like Santino and Goldust getting eliminated quickly, because that it was their character calls for, but most wrestlers should get 8-10 minutes in there.
Why do you think JBL chose not to enter the Rumble? If he could guarantee HBK a spot had he helped him win the championship, why wouldn't he take the spot after losing the title match? Yes he just had a match, but a chance at a title shot is a chance at a title shot. He should have been in there.
Watching Hardy jump off that ladder made my heart skip a couple beats. What made him think he would be able to push off it? And while I'm talking about it, why did he do it to Chavo? He risks injuring himself seriously to take out a guy who isn't even his opponent. Just hit Chavo with a chair to get rid of him and do the spot on Edge.
Overall I thought the storylines in the championship matches were well done. I'm looking forward to seeing where they take us. I'm NOT looking forward to Swagger's inevitable title defense against Tommy Dreamer. Dreamer is boring.
Posted by: Mark K | January 26, 2009 2:21 PM
I cant believe Matt would do that to his own brother. As much as i hate to say it, i knew Matt was the stalker. I cant wait to see Jeff's reaction to it when he gets well. I'm with Jeff all the way!
Posted by: Ashley | January 26, 2009 2:53 PM
I'm not an RVD fan, so explain this to me if I'm missing something: It looked to me like he climbed the turnbuckle, did his cute little crowd taunt, jumped...and then aborted the move in midair for no apparent reason. To my eye, that was choreographed to be his "wow" moment of the Rumble (aside from his pop, obviously), and he completely botched it.
I wanted to see a few more Legends—and I expected to, since WWE is trying to hype the upcoming video game.
Overall, it was a good show. I usually dislike the Hardys but I thought the ECW title defense was the card's best match. The best drama was Shawn Michaels in JBL-Cena. That was well executed, both by Michaels and by the production crew.
RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I would have to see it again, but I think R-Truth might have been out of position for RVD's splash.
Posted by: Stephen | January 26, 2009 3:20 PM
Hey Kev,
What about the possibility of Jeff bringing in Christian to align against Matt/Edge?
Posted by: Bill G. | January 26, 2009 3:34 PM
Since everyone suspected either Matt or Christian as Jeff's stalker, the revelation was anti-climactic!
RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: It was for some, but I;m sure a lot of people were surprised. Not ever fan is into the insider stuff.
Posted by: Denver | January 26, 2009 3:48 PM
Do you think The Kendrick's quick elimination from the Rumble (in addition to his push out of the WWE title picture in recent months) has anything to do with his alleged accumulation of $1000 Wellness Policy fines?
Posted by: Chris Slater | January 26, 2009 3:54 PM
The Swagger Matt hardy match was okay, a decent enough warm up, its tuff fof a match like that to get going, very little build up and most people knowing matt is going to lose so to take up a new storline, mre focus was on his change than the belt. This became especialy clear when after the match, you could see through his jelousy what was planned.
Wow, OMG, Melina is so flexible! And I thought it couldnt get better than her entrance. yup I had the same thought as you Kev, but back of mind i did think ouch. Actualy was a great match I thought though, one of the best diva matches I've seen in a while, two real wrestlers, unlike most divas now, Melina has great talent, im really hoping Gail Kim will return to raw to feud with her, two of the best women wrestlers around at the moment. But during that match I was just waiting for Rosa Mendes to interfere, or Santino to mess up Beth's out come, but still great match
Cena vs JBL, yawn, Was compelling due to Shawn, I have to say im suprised he superkicked JBL, i would have thought this storyline needs a bit more time, I think wrong move Shawn turning now and pulling the plug on this angle...unless it continous some how on Raw, and I think Cena got louder boo's than JBL, if it is Cena vs Rany Orton at Wrestlemania WWE had better only sell tickets to under 12's or their "biggest asset" will be drowned with boo's, whilst Randy Orton will get more cheers than a melina close up...maybe time for this stale cena character to stop being force fed to us and turned heel?
Edge vs Jeff match was great, Jeff was top of his game and so was Edge, they have great compatability. I did wonder why he would sacrifice himself to take out Chavo though, not his oponent....great finish Matt played his role perfectly, good start, hopefuly WWE has good plans for this, Jeff sold looking shocked and hurt well too, hopefuly this is a unique rivalry that focuses on their strong points ie Matts stenght of character and Jeffs enigma
The royal rumble was great, right move making Randy Orton win, he cant be fired now as he has a garenteed shot at wrestlemania, im also expectng a Mcmahon in his corner in the not too long future, shane or Stephanie...Cordy Rhodes elminating Goldust really helped sell the legacy I felt, he is showing great potential, still waiting for Ted to do something though...Kozlov eliminating Khali really sold him to me, but HHH making light work of him ruined that...RVD returning was a highlight to me, fingers crossed one day he will sign again...the highflyers at the start where also highlights, Morrison should have taken Reys place, we've seen it from Rey before dont need to be sold anymore, but Morrison needs and deserves the push...was holding out for a Chrisian apperance to the end, wonder if he will return, im thinking if he was going to he has missed the best time to, hence suggesting he may not be :(
Posted by: stan | January 26, 2009 4:15 PM
i was there at the rumble and i have to say jeff has always been my fav but when matt took the chair to his head i felt so disapointed. i was actually waiting for christian cage to inturupt the match between jeff and edge but he didnt. it was kinda funny becuz matt had his match earlier and i wanted matt to win but when he took the blow to jeffs head i kept saying"i cant belive a rooted for u matt! how could u??" i think i will never be able to like matt again. but does that mean that matt is the one stalking jeff becuz people are saying that he was jealous of his brother for still having the wwe title becuz matt lost the ecw championship but when jeff was found in the stairwell matt still had his title. a crazy nite!!!
Posted by: D | January 26, 2009 4:16 PM
Another thing, as well as Christian not returning, I really believed Umage could return at Royal Rumble, heard he was backstage so wonder what WWE has planned for his return instead?
Posted by: stan | January 26, 2009 4:19 PM
Kevin, I bow down to your superior wrestling intellect. You called the Hardys feud much to my wishing it wouldn't happen. It became fairly obvious when they spent so much time on Matt's "agony of defeat" moment following the loss to Swagger. So I'm crushed that Jeff lost the title and equally depressing is the fact that Matt would turn on him in favor of Edge. We all know the sordid history between these two. I sincerely hope that Jeff does not get booted from main event status in favor of more HHH, JBL, Cena, and Edge banality. If Matt Hardy is going to make it as a heel, he'll need to do something other than the V1 gimmick. He's going to have to shed all pretty-boyness and really turn it up a notch. Meanwhile, I will sit quietly in the psychotic fringes with my colored armbands and face paint awaiting the return of the true champion.
I don't know...the only exciting thing about the rumble itself was when a new person came out. I don't find tons of guys crammed in a ring punching each other all that entertaining. There just didn't seem to be room for anyone to really do anything. The women's match was probably one of the better female matches I'd seen recently. When Beth hit Melina with her own foot, as a woman I was thinking, "That's different, but what's the big deal? I can do that."
Posted by: Lynelle | January 26, 2009 4:25 PM
Imagine if Matt coming out to attack Jeff was a cover up for the "real" attacker..starting a Matt&Christian vs Edge&Jeff feud :]. I wish :P But anyways I found the undertaker&shawn segmant, though short, entertaining. It surprised me, I though they used that segmant as a start of something, but it didnt look to lead anywhere. Unless it was for further down the line.
Posted by: Anna | January 26, 2009 4:27 PM
One moment I liked in the rumble was when the camera caught Jericho gloating after eliminating RVD, and then he realized the Undertaker was standing behind him and his smile slowly faded away before he even turned around. Great facial expressions from Jericho in that shot.
P.S. that spot where Beth Phoenix made Melina kick herself in the back of her own head was borrowed from independent wrestlers Cheerleader Melissa and MsChif - they've done that same spot in a lot of their matches, cause MsChif is super flexible and you can practically bend her in half. I know it's on one of the SHIMMER DVD from 2006, and it's probably on YouTube somewhere too.
Posted by: scott | January 26, 2009 4:59 PM
RVD should have a full wwe contract
Posted by: ryan turner | January 26, 2009 5:32 PM
I hope that Orton gets suspended and Triple H gets made the winner of the Rumble. I hate Orton!
And I was devastated by Matt hitting Jeff! But I'm kind of excited about the storyline too!
Posted by: rosie | January 26, 2009 5:33 PM
I know that HHH gets a lot of stick for being Steph's bloke and whatever, but he put a lot of guys over last night. Really didn't expect him to take a GTS!
There were some really great aerial spots too, that RKO on Rey (off the springboard) was immense.
Disappointed that Jeff dropped the belt, so soon after getting it. I really hope this doesn't end his push, he's getting such a pop from the crowd.
Shelton and MVP have to get serious pushes now. I hated MVP and yet this losing streak has made me quite like him and I actually cheered for him!
Posted by: Stuart Walton | January 26, 2009 5:48 PM
I loved the PPV. The Edge-Jeff Hardy match was, as I expected, by far the best match on the card. The revelation of Matt was well done, but I was a little disappointed at the lack of Christian on the card. Did you hear the "We want Christian" chant at the start of the match, though?
The Rumble match was entertaining, but several things irritated me. I think Orton winning was the right decision for the company as a whole, and it looks like they're serious about pushing the Legacy. However, Triple H was made to look way too strong. He really needs to put somebody else over strong, and elevate them. Imagine if CM Punk had eliminated him after the GTS. Punk would then hopefully get pushed hard, as opposed to being stuck in neutral like he is now.
Speaking of CM Punk, WWE really needs to start elevating their future main eventers. The Rumble is always a great place to do that, but with the possible exception of Punk and the Legacy, they missed a big opportunity.
Take John Morrison. If you asked me to point to one guy on the WWE roster right now without a single major world title reign who I thought deserved one, it would be Morrison. Morrison entered #2, and hit his Flying Chuck Norris on Triple H. He had some great action sequences with Rey Mysterio, and skinned the cat multiple times. But he was eliminated fifth. If he had hung in there, to be eliminated around the same time as Mysterio, that would have gotten him over huge, more than winning MITB and the world title did to CM Punk.
Brian Kendrick needed to last longer. What happened to this guy since September?
Shelton Benjamin did what he always does on the big stage: hit one big spot (Paydirt off the top rope on Chris Jericho and CM Punk at once) and otherwise be a non-factor. He is another guy WWE needs to push.
I have no idea what WWE is thinking with MVP's losing streak gimmick. He has not won clean in a singles match on PPV since... any guesses? The Great American Bash. In 2007. That's ridiculous. This guy is solid gold on the mic, excellent in the ring, and Vladimir Kozlov, who is neither, is getting pushed ahead of him? WHY?
I swear, if Triple H wins the elimination chamber match at No Way Out, I don't care if there's a TLC match between Matt and Jeff Hardy (which I would LOVE to see), I will not spend one penny on WrestleMania.
Posted by: James | January 26, 2009 7:03 PM
Kevin,
Do you think that Randy Orton will challenge for the WHC as obvious as that is or a swerve and challenge for the WWE title over on Smackdown and bring that to RAW. Just a suggestion.
Posted by: Daniel | January 26, 2009 7:03 PM
"Imagine if Matt coming out to attack Jeff was a cover up for the "real" attacker...."
I am thinking along those lines. Everyone is assuming that because Matt turned agaisnt Jeff, Matt must be the stalker. Admittedly, he probably is, but sometimes things are not as they seem, as evidenced by the hotel beatdown that got this storyline started, in the first place.
RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: The possibility does exist that Matt was working with someone.That's why I said in the Rumble recap that he "appears" to be the stalker.
Posted by: Christopher | January 26, 2009 7:27 PM
For those excited about the Hardyz fued you obviously don't remember some of the worst back and forth promos ever when they tried this before. Say what you want but neither has improved much so I look for some equally lame promos. I remember when Matt first came back to fued with Edge after real life issues with Lita and his promos were awful, I can only imagine how bad these worked ones will be.
RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: This is what I wrote on Dec. 15 about a potential Hardys feud:
"The biggest question is whether Matt would be able to step up his game on the microphone, because strong promos are a key component of any big-time feud."
We'll find out if he can pull it off.
Posted by: Kurt Royal | January 26, 2009 8:15 PM
seriously i always knew christian was not going back to wwe
Posted by: mo | January 26, 2009 9:41 PM
Taker and HBK at WM! That's the WM sized match the should be pushing.It's sad to think that UT might have to wrestle Koslov and HBK will probablly be wrestling JBL those two deserve better.Iwant to see the payoff with JBL and HBK but not at WM it's just not a big enough match in my view.Imagine Mr. WrestleMania vs. the WrestleMania undefeated streak!That's drama!!And those two would put on one hell of a match!!I can say for the first time in a long time I'm not that intrested in WM.Other than the Hardy's match which I've been wanting to see for a while now it looks like it's going to be same old ,same old.Anyway great Rumble as always, my favorite PPV of the year didn't dissapoint!
And on a side note to Lynelle who wrote "...what's the big deal I can do that!"
What's your number!?!
Posted by: Andre the Midget | January 26, 2009 9:51 PM
is it possible for HBK to get a shot at Orton's spot in WM? and face JBL who gets the title back? Orton and Cena would have to go somewhere of course, but could that happen?
and if it does, would Mr.WrestleMainia win, or does the Texan win in his home state?
Posted by: Anonymous | January 26, 2009 11:51 PM
Matt Hardy whacking Jeff on the head does not mean he was the stalker. If he were, then they would have not shown him contemplating his loss so much. That few seconds might mean that the interference was him getting finally fed up of his brother's success. It sure does not show him to be a scheming calculating person who would have carried off the past acidents.
RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: That's one school of thought. The other is that losing to Swagger was the final straw that pushed him over the edge.
Posted by: Dhananjay Mhatre | January 27, 2009 12:01 AM
Great Rumbleroosky! This was one of the best in recent memory. Thank God for no Drew Carey or aged Jimmy Snuka types. Pound for pound, this was one of the best Rumbles talent-wise in a number of years.
My favorite part of the Rumble match was when Goldust slapped DiBiase each time he came around.
You're right, my friend, about the Melina comment.
Posted by: Jimmy Bellamy | January 27, 2009 12:57 AM
but if it was losing to Swagger that pushed him over the edge, why would he have done the other attacks before losing? and even before jeff got the title?
I think matt was just upset after the loss, and was angry about jeffs success, but was not the stalker who attacked him the other times
RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: His motive was that he was always jealous of his brother's success and the fact that Jeff was more popular. Matt's ECW title win was overshadowed by Jeff's WWE title win. Matt has always been dependable while Jeff has been a screw-up and he gets more title shots, etc.
Posted by: Anonymous | January 27, 2009 12:58 AM
I totally forgot that Edge was a 7 times champion. Any chance he'll catch up to HHH?
RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: Only if Stephanie McMahon divorces Triple H and marries Edge.
Posted by: Jack Windham | January 27, 2009 1:12 AM
Unfortunately I missed the Royal Rumble.... living in Australia makes it hard to watch the PPV because they come on Monday morning...
Kev, a few questions...
1) Did Shelton Benjamin at least last a decent amount of time and look impressive doing it?
2) IS there any chance that they can work HBK vs John Cena at WM? Obviously there will be an HBK JBL match at some point, but it would be a waste of HBK to put him with JBL at WM. Possibly a triple threat match would be good.... don't know where Orton would play in though. Definetely don't want a fatal four way. I just don't think Orton vs Cena is a good idea. It's been done to death and their matches weren't very good.
I really hope they don't put Koslov against Undertaker. That would be worse than wasting HBK on JBL at the biggest show of the year.
Posted by: Rob | January 27, 2009 1:20 AM
RVD should have a full wwe contract
Posted by: ryan turner | January 26, 2009 5:32 PM
-------------------------
RVD has stated on numerous occasions that he has no desire or time to be a full time wrestler. Considering his much publicized reefer habit, it's probably for the best for all parties involved.
Posted by: Joe Barber | January 27, 2009 1:50 AM
I enjoyed the rumble but the outcome of all the matches was to predictable. Looking forward to Raw to see what happens between Vince and Randy
Posted by: Seamus | January 27, 2009 2:20 AM
I thought this was a good ppv if not predictable. It was obvious that Swagger would retain and that either HHH or Orotn would win the rumble. I was pretty disappointed that JBL didnt pick up the win though. That was truely a waste of a possible HBK heel turn. When the ref was KOd they really should have had Shane or Steph come out and name HBK special referee and so set up a Cena-HBK-JBL fued for the chamber at NWO. Jeff vs Edge could have been a much better match. Having the oh so predictable La Familia involvement is making Edge look extremely weak both as a wrestler and overall character. I know hes supposed to be a cowardly heel but come on I cant take him seriously as a 7 time champ
Posted by: Darren b | January 27, 2009 9:49 AM
Hey Kev, one question for you...
Was it just me or during the Edge/Hardy match did you hear a " We want Chriatian " chant when Jeff was trying to get a Hardy Chant going????hmmmm...
RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I heard it.
Posted by: Anonymous | January 28, 2009 9:46 AM
Why is it that Edge always winds up champion? Isn't the Edge/Vicky thing getting old and obvious? People want to see more of Triple H and Undertaker as champions. It makes me want to watch TNA!
Posted by: Daniel Furlin | January 29, 2009 3:28 PM
JR's blog was pretty interesting about the Jeff Hardy situation...
"Also at the Rumble, Jeff Hardy had a SmackDown administration stacked deck against him in his first PPV, a WWE Title defense against the husband of the SmackDown General Manager with the plan apparently to do all that could be done to make sure Jeff left without the title. That plan did not work, but who could have seen Jeff’s own brother doing the dirty deed with a steel chair in the No Disqualification Match? The whole scenario made me ill and the way Jeff Hardy was treated at the Royal Rumble was an embarrassment and uncalled for. Jeff is still likely the most popular superstar in WWE, whether the management of SmackDown wants to acknowledge it or not.
Bottom line, there wasn’t a champion in WWE hotter than Jeff Hardy before Jeff was robbed in Detroit."
JR doesn't seem to be happy with a decision that was made or perhaps he's trying to sell it as well.
Posted by: Gwen | January 29, 2009 7:41 PM
no it isnt matt hardy because he said that all the things that happened lead to the attack at the royal rumble im still ruting for the return of the brood christian did it
Posted by: Patch | January 31, 2009 1:52 AM