The Pro Wrasslin' Thread (WWE, WWF, WCW, TNA, ROH, NWA, NJPW, etc)

[Jumpin]

JWeinCom said:

Jumpin said:

I’m perfectly fine with the women’s Royal rumble and men’s Royal rumble matches taking the main event slots, even if they don’t end up being the biggest matches on the card. During the late 90s and early 2000s, about half the time the biggest match was not the main event. Tiffany Stratton vs Charlotte Flair could have been built up better. But, I wish they’d stick to their guns and at least try to push these ones as the biggest matches on the cards.

1997 - Bret vs Austin was much bigger match than Undertaker vs Sid
2000 - The Four corners was an unpopular choice, and the Triangle Ladder Match stole the show.
2002 - Rock vs Hogan was way bigger than Triple H vs Jericho.
2003 - a weird one because Rock vs Austin was bigger than Angle vs Brock, but Angle vs Brock stole the show in the last minute with Brock’s… shooting star headbutt to the the mat.

Three big reasons I think led to the different emphasis:
1. WWE trying to use the titles as a way to build new top stars rather than showcase the actual top stars.
2. Stacked cards, there are so many big wrestlers right now that it’s much more likely others are going to steal spotlight, and WWE writing adapted to this.
3. And this might be the biggest reason: Extra long Wrestlemania season. Wrestlemania should have happened this weekend, or one of the last two weekends. But it’s happening in late April. There’s still 3 weeks left, and so the buzz from the Rumble is wearing off quickly.

Just because WWE made bad booking decisions in the past doesn't mean they should make them again. Rock vs Hogan absolutely should have main evented. Ric Flair vs Michaels and Michaels vs Taker. Plenty of times WWE has done stupid things for one reason or another. 

2003 is a good example of when to break the rule. Brock and Angle probably wasn't the biggest match on paper, but it was close. And they had confidence that the two could put on a great match that could follow anything.

With Jey Uso vs Gunther? I just don't see that. Jey is a guy that has a great connection with the crowd, but he's not an elite worker. I've seen them together twice this year, and I honestly can't remember a single moment of either match.

I'd send them out night 1, first match. When the crowd is at their most energetic and just dying to be part of the show. Give Jey a cool entrance, have him win, and the crowd will make him seem like a mega star. If you put him on last, I think you get a less energetic crowd. They won't turn on him or anything like that, but after a few hours I don't think you're going to get the same excitement. 

I agree with you that the booking was bad, but disagree on what's wrong or how to fix it. Switching the Royal Rumble winner away from the main event is lazy and damaging. Each time they do that diminishes the value of the Royal Rumble. All that stupid pointing at the WrestleMania sign becomes even more pointless since they're no longer winning the Wrestlemania main event, and are rather, just earning another title shot for a lesser slot.

Saying that Jey is "not an elite worker" isn't saying anything to your argument when you're praising Hogan and Flair in the same post. Hogan and Flair complete trash when it comes to working in the ring and are less articulate than a brain damaged crackhead on the mic. It was the writing and marketing that made those two pieces of monkey feces as big as they were. Jey is a vastly superior worker to either of them in the ring.

There are plenty of things WWE could have done to make Jey vs Gunther bigger. First, build Imperium back up a little, and push the bloodline into the Jey angle. Make their match more of a focal point of a much wider part of the show. Austin vs Rock, the reason why the first two of these matches were so big was because they were the main battle of a war - Austin vs McMahon, Rock vs the McMahon faction, Austin vs The Corporation and that belt meaning something to these wars going on. The problem isn't booking Jey vs Gunther, both of them have done an excellent job - no one right now is able to rouse the crowd has hot as Jey can - the problem is how little effort they put into making that match and that belt feel as big as it should. Almost every other wrestler in WWE, outside of Jimmy, doesn't seem to have any interest in the title belt or anything surrounding it. That's where the mistake is. There's no war, no stakes, and ultimately no Royal Rumble winner in the main event of Wrestlemania.

Anyway, I hate playing backseat booker. I personally just prefer watching and enjoying the show, and not thinking too much about the backstage stuff. If I enjoy it, I enjoy it, if I don't then I don't. But I'd rather they'd have the Royal Rumble winner main eventing Wrestlemania, regardless of whether or not it's the biggest match on the card - and if they want it to be the biggest, they shouldn't shuffle the card making the Royal Rumble winner lose the spot they're supposed to have, they should make that title match the biggest.