What never was- WWE's Main Event Mafia.

In the year 2010, Raw had a pretty amazing and star-studded roster for the first time in years. Batista, John Cena, Chris Jericho ,Edge, Randy Orton, Sheamus(not that I consider him that big of a star, but still). Usually, we rarely see multiple men competing for a Raw title, unless if it's the Elimination Chamber. But in 2010, we got 2 big matches for the WWE title on account of this extra star-power. Fatal-4-way pay-per-view had John Cena, Randy Orton, Edge, and Sheamus battle for the WWE title, and few months later at Night of Champions, these 4 men combined with Chris Jericho and Wade Barrett battled in a six-pack challenge(somewhat of a rarity nowadays).

Overall, 2010 was a very flawed year for the WWE post-Wrestlemania because Shawn Michaels and HHH would retire permanently as regular active competitors and Undertaker would soon follow suit after his very underwhelming and untimly feud with Kane which never quite felt as epic and grand as it should have, considering they battled in not just the HIAC, but a buried alive match as well. WWE also lost for 4 years , a decent established star and world title contender in Batista. Chris Jericho's 2nd coming ended, and we saw him gone in September, and Edge was traded to Smackdown against CM Punk. And all of this happened within a mere six month stretch!

For what was gone was replaced by what was coming, in The Nexus gave us a handful of stars that we're used to right now, in Daniel Bryan, Wade Barrett, and Ryback, then known as Skip Sheffield, as well as Heath Slater and Darren Young.  But the year 2010 in close will seem nothing but Wrestlers leaving or retiring as active performers, and big changes coming, and a lot of WWE's storyline was inconsistent. The WWE championship on Raw was traded between John Cena, Sheamus , Randy Orton, and finally in what was a huge abomination to anyone that had been a world champion, The Miz.

I'm not sure if someone else will agree, but the two big multi-man matches, despite involving stellar performers such as Edge and Chris Jericho never quite felt epic, and John Cena was playing his own role, Sheamus was once again despised as a heel champion, and Randy Orton as a face feuding with him in a series of matches including a HIAC never quite felt timely. Add to that, the fact that John Cena was feuding with an overrated rookie by the name of Wade Barrett. Before August 2010 , Nobody quite knew  Wade Barrett. After being defeated at Summerslam, nobody quite knew Wade Barrett. And yet Wade Barrett was soon inserted into another untimely, ill-fated WWE  title picture involving an awkward threesome between Randy Orton, John Cena, and Wade Barett. At least it'd have been a delectable threesome if the third man had been Shawn Michaels.

All of this seems like a clusterfuck and the only explanation is untimely departures(Jericho, Batista) and retirements(HHH, Shawn Michaels), as well as poorly written Raw episodes, no long-term direction or planning , and nonexistent foresight. It's one thing to make Sheamus the WWE champion at TLC '09, but The Miz??? Raw with Miz as champion was the biggest abomination to Wrestling after Rey mysterio as WHC and the fingerpoke of doom.

What I'd like to propose now is:- What if.
TNA(I know it just doesn't feel right to include TNA in such a humongous thread) had a storyline/faction where virtually all of its stars aligned in what looked on paper to be a very awesome/great assemblage of wrestlers together and truly the "main event" mafia.
Sting-Do I even need to say anything?
Kurt Angle-Do I even need to say anything?
Booker T, Kevin Nash, and Scott Steiner- all WCW mainstays and former being a huge success in the WWE as well.

The WWE's way of doing things over the years has been nothing short of retarded and absurd. If you want a group of angry young men, a new breed, or the Nexus to invade you, then what do you do? Clusterfuck a bunch of wrestlers together, call them Team WWE , and have them battle together in 7-on-7 awkward bothfest featuring rookies at Summerslam. Sure,  the WWE was trying to shake things up with the big Nexus angle, blah blah but like that? It ruined everything , the WWE title pic, Chris Jericho, Edge. It ruined what could've been potentially a very amazing year for Raw but Raw in 2010 was anything but amazing. Sheamus-Orton feud, Cena-Barrett feud, and the closing of the year with MIZ as champion?? Seriously.

Had the WWE had even little foresight, they could've made the Nexus angle huge, and the entire angle huge. What TNA looks great on paper but fails to produce on TV, WWE could've done it with tenfold impact. How?

First, why the fuck someone would include Bret Hart, a non-wrestler in a match featuring 7 hungry dangerous rookies? Anyways, and R-truth and John fucking Morrison? A heel Chris Jericho with the American Hero John Cena? and Rated-R Superstar  Edge?? What a clusterfuck of a team.

WWE should've united the most unique temporarily organized faction in years. Studded with stars. John Cena, Randy Orton, Edge, and Chris Jericho.  Have sheamus be champion of not. But imagine those 4 in the ring, or even the 3 minus Cena, as the WWE 's Main Event Mafia, or call them what you will. Edge and Jericho uniting again would've been shocking. Randy Orton, again shocking. Maybe add some decent mid-carder or tag-team of beefed-up idiot to it. It'd still have been main-event mafia for containing within it Randy Orton, Edge, and Chris Jericho. Nexus can still invade. But as faces. As "little boys". Have heel edge, jericho and Orton make fun of them. Call them short, fat, misfits.

John Cena would've aligned himself with the Nexus. Either ways done right , WWE would've given us an year of a two-faction war and it wouldn't have gotten boring until Survivor Series. What had instead happened was an abomination of a year and very boring Raws. After  the likes of Batista, Edge , Jericho left Raw, look at what happened. The likes of John Morrison, R-truth and Miz were in the main events. It is no one but CM Punk who saved Raw for a very bleak time for the WWE in 2011. Imagine what would've happened without the Summer of Punk? John Cena would still be defending the title against the likes of R-truth. or John Morrison. or Miz. or Zack Ryder.

We'll never get to see something of a main-event mafia in the WWE. Without stars like Edge, Jericho, Orton(which was only possible in 2010 when they all had already been established as bonafide main-eventers), it can't be. You can't create a main event mafia using Wade Barrett or Damien Sandow. Why did TNA fail? It's main event mafia really looked gigantic and awesome. Kurt Angle, Sting, Booker T, Kevin Nash, and Scott Steiner in the same ring! TNA should've been a lot more today. Unfortunately, WWE will never have it.

Randy Orton and Evolution 2.0, or The New Evolution.

When Stone Cold Steve Austin turned heel at Wrestlemania 17, in one of the biggest and most shocking turns ever, aligning himself with the Devil himself- Mr. Mcmahon, what followed was quite engrossing TV. Two-man power trip with Austin and HHH being the top dogs against Kane and The Undertaker, with amazing wrestlers and mid-card talents Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit in the mix had us see some of the most amazing and novel TV Episodes on Raw and Smackdown. With The Rock injured, HHH and Chris Benoit's injury and subsequent departure in June, the only way WWF(then) could be saved was by the infusion and advent of former ECW and WCW wrestlers  and the subsequent Invasion Angle.

Austin wasn't just an everyday heel. He was vicious, he was cowardly, he inspired you to loathe him, his sneers, his contempt of Debra's cookies,  the scenes in Mcmahon's office, the hilarity and hatred of it all, everything was truly classic.

Contrast that with Randy Orton's heel turn from Summerslam 2013 and the subsequent stories and rivalries. I opine that the attention or spotlight and highlight of the show since Summerslam has been ANYONE but Orton. Example, Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan.

At this juncture of Orton's career, having done almost all there is to do, and having defeated everyone there is to defeat(HHH, Batista, Cena, Rob Van Dam, Benoit, Angle, etc. the list is endless), having protracted his feuds with HHH, Cena, and now Batista, beyond the limits of protraction, Randy Orton exclaims of absolute BOREDOM. At least I think that  .And besides, what we, the IWC had been complaining for almost two years from 2011-2013, an Orton heel turn, had been accomplished, and now  almost 9 months later, there's no way to describe it but, Blank, Lacklustre, Boring, Crappy .

The reasons for this are obvious. HHH and Stephanie, the so-called Authority and the Creative have failed to make Orton compelling in the audience's perspective, and thus the audience's perception of Orton is anything but compelling or must-see. He can neither cause you to loathe and abhor him(unlike Austin) nor can he inspire hilarious TV  segments(Unlike Austin). Heck, the conspicuous proof to it is Bryan and Roman Reigns getting bigger reactions. The creative hasn't booked Orton as the Vicious, Smirking, Sneering heel that was Austin and that should be Orton. He doesn't hit you with chairs from behind, he doesn't drop an RKO on fan-favourites out of nowhere. He does NOTHING, but complain the "Authority" who treat him like a subservient quasi-face of the WWE. Nor has he been a full-fledged heel but the mixture of The Authority(ambivalent) and Randy Orton(Ambivalent) has given us tenfold ambivalence.

Has Randy Orton been done? Has he lost it? How many more monotonous matches and promos? How many more Heel or Face turns? The last thing remaining for Orton to do(and that's not losing and regaining the WWE WHC) is a giant stride, a big leap, a paradigm shift in his TV character/role. Surprisingly, I'm of the opinion that he needs it much more than John Cena, to save his career. Because it has only been a given that he be inserted in main events by virtue of having been and done things a decade ago.

Here's is my solution:- (And no, I do not wish WWE creative writers to note this down, and execute it)

Combine Randy Orton's expertise and veteranship with potential relatively young(late 20s to early 30s) superstars, bring back  Ric Flair(or some other legend who can talk and walk like Flair) and there you have it .Renaissance of Evolution. or Revolution. (Hope there hasn't really been a big faction called Revolution, not Re+Evolution anyways). I would include Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow. Randy Orton is today's HHH. Ric Flair is still Ric Flair. The potential this new faction or 4-superstar group could have is hardly imaginable or describable. Imagine a face Roman Reigns going after Orton and  subsequent 3-on-1 beatdowns. I can already imagine Rhodes and Sandow.

Some would say Rhodes is too good to unite once again with Randy Orton and that he's paid his dues quite enough in the last 7 years. But, the last time it was a jaded faction, though enjoyable and entertaining at times. This would be a Revolution. Sandow's character and mic skills are pleasurable. All 3 would look good together, and the 4th member could either be another young future star, or a legend with mic skills. Because somebody's got to be the talker. Sandow and Rhodes can be tag champs for a while, then chase singles titles. The group needn't last 4 yrs, nor 2. A year would be good.  At least for a Randy Orton who has seemed to everlastingly be devoid of any light.

The fate of a Quaternion.

In the year 2004, Raw had the most promising echelon of established and potential superstars (In the brand extension era) . Four of them were Randy Orton, Batista, Edge, Chris Jericho. With the exception of Jericho(first undisputed champion), and yet including him, all four waited to be the champion and lead their respective brand in the future as champion. Jericho was 33, Edge was 30, Batista was 35, Orton was 24. With the exception of Orton, all of them shared an age group.

Throughout Raw in 2004, Edge wrestled Batista and Chris Jericho, and also feuded with Orton for the intercontinental title. When Randy Orton became the youngest world heavyweight champion at Summerslam, these three wrestled for the Intercontinental Championship.

Edge and Chris Jericho had wrestled for 5-7 years before either of Randy Orton and Batista laced the boots and wrestled on Raw. Both were excellent performers in the mid-card, both had spent years training and perfecting their art, though Chris Jericho is the one with far wider an experience(ECW, WCW, Mexico, Japan). Nonetheless, they represented, and still did until 2010, a "dying breed of performers" who lived it, breathed it, slept it, and had seen many come and leave during their extensive tenures. Both specialized in a wide range of matches and wrestled excellent technical matches with the best in the business (Flair, Guerrero , Angle, Shawn Michaels, Benoit) and funnily, both shared a tag-team partner in Christian. The most amazing tag-team, IC title, and money in the bank Ladder matches feature Edge and Chris Jericho. They've both had storied, unsurpassed and exclusive rivalries. Whereas Jericho did with Shawn Michaels, Edge had his with The Undertaker, Eddie Guerrero and Kurt Angle(something Jericho will never be able to boast of, sadly due to being on different brands and the opportunity or storyline for a big feud with them never happening. Sadly, we'll never get to see a series of pay-per-view classics between Jericho and Angle or Jericho and Guerrero, but I digress). They were both a part of the best 5 wrestlers from the Ruthless Aggression(Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero and themselves).

Randy Orton and Batista were handpicked to be mentored by Ric Flair and HHH in evolution. Both are considered(largely and justifiably) to be unidimensional and often stale and boring, and have wrestled a large chunk(especially Batista) only for the WHC or WWE titles. As of 2014, Batista has returned after a 4-year absence, won the royal rumble and will in all likelihood face Randy Orton for the WWE WHC, though both of them have formerly battled for both WHC and the WWE championship for about a dozen times on pay per view and television.

A Goatface and a Lionheart on an Island of Misfits.

As Mark Madden rightly puts it, Wrestling has always been and will always be an island of misfits(or misfit toys or whatever). Consider two immensely talented wrestlers from two entirely different generations.

On one hand, you have Chris Jericho, who inspires nothing but trust, wisdom, knowledge, passion, and enthusiasm in everything he does. He is not just a talented wrestler, but a decent rock singer(yes, decent here is a euphemism for mediocre), author, and more. He has lived, breathed, and consumed pro wrestling for two decades. Some will say he's amusing, funny, entertaining, and possesses a refinement in his overall bearing outside the ring., despite all his accomplishments. He's a likeable guy.

On the other hand, there's Daniel Bryan, with the same amount of exemplary passion and knowledge in pro wrestling, has quite a diverse independent scene and ROH experience (though it cannot be compared to the one Jericho had, travelling to Japan, Mexico , ECW, WCW, that cannot be duplicated or attained today, for no amount of money). One could say he's a good wrestler. He may or may not be as multi-talented and possessing refinement and finesse as characteristic of an extremely charismatic, talented and intelligent person ouside the ring as Chris Jericho. But they're both great wrestlers with a largely similar size.

Consider Bryan as an extension of Chris Jericho, or the 2010s version of Chris Jericho with a different gimmick. 

Some speculate that in 2002, Chris Jericho was slowly buried into the obscurity of mid-card and tag-teaming with Christian because of one HHH. It is pretty obvious that for "paying his dues" and "mastering his craft" and being the best over-all wrestler/performer on Raw in 2002, next only to Shawn Michaels, Jericho's career was a downward trajectory. It is not great success to spend 8 months on Raw tag-teaming with Christian and facing the likes of Goldust and Booker T on a weekly basis. That's Dudley Bums' or Hardy Bums' forte. And then elevated to feud with Shawn Michaels. Once again dropped to the mid-card, fighting for the IC title and feuding with Christian the remainder of 2003 and all of 2004. Before getting his only one-on-one championship match against John Cena at Summerslam 2005, Chris Jericho was used largely to feud for the IC title, money in the bank, etc. elevating others such as Shelton Benjamin(lost to him cleanly on two pay-per-views, Taboo Tuesday '04, Backlash '05). It is no wonder Chris Jericho decided to focus much more on Fozzy and quit the company in the Summer of 2005.

Consider Sheamus as the modern-day HHH. (at least in HHH's eyes). Consider Sheamus(but it's HHH all along) scoffing and thinking someone like Daniel Bryan being the WHC(it is Chris Jericho really), and then burying him at WM (just how the management/HHH bid it to be). In Chris Jericho's case, there certainly weren't any arenawide YES chants to redeem him. He had to simply accept his fate and role as a supporting talent at best and he played that role as well he could from 2002-2005 and as JR would say "By God" he played that role to perfection. But Bryan had and still has the support of the WWE Universe. However, despite his few classic matches with C M Punk in 2012(on Raw and on pay-per-view), Daniel Bryan's career was no different than Jericho's as he spent almost a year tag-teaming with Kane , again, a very small supporting role.

Fast forward to 2013, Daniel Bryan beats John Cena, but once again HHH decides to suppress him(in storyline, it was overt , but how much of HHH scoffs and mocks Daniel Bryan, like he would, if the WWE universe had wanted Jericho as champion back from 2002-2005?) Once again, Randy Orton is the new HHH, Daniel Bryan is the new Chris Jericho, only much more popular despite not being as good as Jericho in terms of charisma or mic work(but then, the chant). 

Other smaller but technically flawless and impressive wrestlers chose other means for a sense of satisfaction. Drugs, Painkillers, Alcohol Abuse are like the three mistresses of pro wrestlers and pro wrestling. Those three also have their three equivalents in three of the most awesome in-ring competitors to ever wrestle in Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, and Kurt Angle. The former two lost their lives, tragically too. The latter has been a physical and neurochemical fuck-up for quite some time now, but God Forbid danger should overlap him anytime soon because Kurt Angle is simply the greatest technical and over-all wrestler of all time, nothing more, nothing less.

When far more talented wrestlers have to make a name for themselves, they wrestle tremendous and demanding matches on a nightly basis- house shows, television, pay-per-views. That is surely eventually going to take a toll on the fragile structure of flesh and bone that is the human body. Ask Kurt Angle. That leads to creative and personal frustration. It is hard to imagine for a non-wrestler, leave aside a non-great wrestler to imagine playing a subservient role to John Cena. Ask C.M. Punk. 

Is it much wonder that Pro Wrestling truly looks like an island of egos and misfits. Chris Jericho has had an immense career. He is the one exception to what has been a Wrestling Rule of becoming another mental, physical and neurochemical fuck-up. Maybe that's because he's a man of multitudinous passions and hobbies. His rock and roll stints with Fozzy might provide a vent to an otherwise repetitive and creatively frustrating working environment that is Pro wrestling. C.M. Punk doesn't have that. Nor did Kurt Angle. Chris Jericho is a genius , and a star. He has managed to remain healthy, focused, stable, creative, contented, and most importantly "sane" after having wrestled all around the world for two decades. What will Daniel Bryan's fate be?

The Wrestlemania XXX Dream

Grand daddy of them all. Biggest ppv of the year. Biggest wrestlemania of all time. The superbowl of professional wrestling.

Every year, no matter how lacklustre the WWE roster might be, they will invariably dub that year's wrestlemania as the greatest wrestlemania of all time. While some wrestlemanias (such as 18) do seem to be legitimately greatest, they do get surpassed by some other dream wrestlemania.

Wrestlemania 18 had an array of spectacular performers and big-name superstars from the past(Hall, Nash, Hogan, Flair), but it failed to be a show loaded with spectacular athleticism and long-culminating feuds. Here's the best from that WM:-

1)The Rock defeated Hogan in the biggest match of that year's WM.

2)HHH beat Jericho to win the Undisputed Championship.

3)The Undertaker beat Ric Flair to become 10-0.

Apart from these matches, the card resembled an array of performers mismatched and those matches lacked to be Wrestlemania-calibre too :-

Kurt Angle vs Kane(could've been  a WM classic had they given it some time)

Edge vs Booker T

Austin Vs Hall(obviously a let down due to Hall's sub-par performing capacity)

DDP Vs Christian(?)

Maven vs Goldust(better if it'd have been a Sunday night HEAT Main Event?)

Rob Van Dam vs William Regal [once again, this should've been given 20 minutes, with some sort of a gimmick, submission match, hardcore, 2-out-of-3-falls, or Champion(Hardcore) vs Champion(IC) ] With the contrasting calibres of Rob Van Dam and William Regal combating on the big  stage, it would've been another classic. Yet WM never allows it.

In contast, Wrestlemania 19 was far more superior in terms of quality, athleticism, and spectacle.

1) HBK vs Jericho was a show-stealer is something which shouldn't be spoken.

2) Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle was the greatest one-on-one WWE title match in the history of WM, ever. Anybody who disagrees is wrong. Nobody in the history of WWE were more agile, powerful, intense, and amazing together than these two. (Except for maybe Bret Hart and HBK, but neither were as superlative in in-ring technicality as Kurt Angle, nor legitimate beasts with godly wrestling skills as Lesnar).

3)The Rock vs Austin was an intense match and a star-lit spectacle that no Wrestlemania match(from WM 20 onwards) has surpassed so far. Greatest two stars of the Attitude Era. Will never be replaced.

4)Three most amazing and technically spectacular tag-teams(except for Rhyno part of the Benoit equation) to ever compete in a triple threat faced each other on this grand stage:-

Team Angle(Haas and Benjamin) vs Los Guerreros vs Chris Benoit  and Rhyno

The mediocre matches were:-

HHH vs Booker T

Mcmahon vs Hogan

Mysterio vs Matt Hardy

Undertaker vs Big Show and A-train.

Contrast all of this with this year's Wrestlemania. Even though infused with part-timers, this year's Wrestlemania legitimately seems to be something that can be "biggest" of all time. 

Consider what the card could potentially look like:-

1) Undertaker vs Brock Lesnar

2) Batista vs Randy Orton for the WWE WHC

3) John Cena vs Bray Wyatt

4) Shawn Michaels vs Daniel Bryan

                   OR 

    HHH vs Daniel Bryan

                   OR 

    Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan

In case Michaels doesn't return(he must, but in all likelihood he won't) for this match, and in case either of HHH or Sheamus don't face Bryan, it leaves a void for one performer, and yet this is just half the card which has a whole lot of potential.

In case Bryan is inserted into the WWE WHC match(which he shouldn't be), that could give us a match far more desirable and magnificient in:-

1)HHH vs Roman Reigns

2) Randy Orton vs Batista vs Daniel Bryan for the WWE WHC

3) The Undertaker vs Brock Lesnar

4) John Cena vs Bray Wyatt

With either of these two blockbuster cards, it's hard to imagine what would or could be the fate of a multitude of amazing performers currently stationed in the WWE Roster.

Cody Rhodes and Goldust, The Shield, Wyatts, Sheamus(in case he doesn't face Bryan), Cesaro, Swagger, Alberto Del Rio, Rey Mysterio, Christian, Dolph Ziggler,  Damien Sandow , Wade Barret and Kane. 

There're also a few not-so-spectacular performers(In my opinion) whose likelihood of a Wrestlemania participation seems to hang in the balance at this juncture. Including- The Miz, Fandango, Big E Langston, The Big Show, and quite a few tag teams such as R-Truth and Xavier Woods( I'll be damned if they're featured on the card), Old-Aged New Age Outlaws(I'll be redamned), among others.

The only way most of these mid-carders could be stuffed into an already loaded wrestlemania (Notwithstanding non-wrestling appearances by Flair, Hogan, etc.)  could and should be a money-in-the-bank ladder match. Imagine the glory and spectacle if Rob Van Dam and Chris Jericho return for one night to hold their own on this grand stage to compete 

5) Money in the bank Ladder match:-
Christian vs Chris Jericho vs Van Dam vs Dolph Ziggler vs Damien Sandow vs Wade Barret.

That still leaves stellar performers Cesaro and Swagger still out of this match. One could well conceive Shield members Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins competing in this match.

Time will only tell how well the WWE creative creates what could potentially be a dream Wrestlemania card which will be in a long time, an event complete in ceremony, pomp, grandeur of athleticism, and a showcase of the immortals.

The Royal Rumble Disgrace

I just finished watching Rey Mysterio's 30th entrance at this year's Royal Rumble. Needless to say, the shower of boos wasn't instantaneous. There was a five second lag between the entrance and mysterio getting into the ring. That's exactly when the boos begun, thus signifying that the audience's dismay was in no way directed at Mysterio the person, but at their despair of not having seen Daniel Bryan compete in the rumble. Rey Mysterio was the wrong man at the wrong time. From then on, the only sounds that pervaded the air in the arena were of , "You didn't give us Bryan. Hence, we fuck and shit all over your Rumble. " The last 5-7 minutes(the most significant/important part) of the Rumble was a pissfest and poofest of boos. The stupid "NO" chants did not stop for a moment.

The final three combatants were  Sheamus, a down and out Reigns and Batista. The entire 2-minute duration of Batista-Sheamus encounter was filled with  emphatic and resounding "NO" chants. After Batista eliminates Sheamus, the rainfall of lamenting-boos seemed to only just have begun, and at one point as Reigns prepares to Spear Batista, the arena erupts with resounding "Roman Reigns" chants too eager to transform back to emphatic boos. The arena erupted again as Reigns spears Batista but finally in a reversal of bodies and fortunes, Reigns is turned and thrown full-force over the top rope for Batista's victory .

The Royal Rumble was never meant to be won by significantly or noticeably tiny men(both stature and size). Not Rey Mysterio, Not Eddie Guerrero, and certainly not Daniel Bryan. The only exception to this rule would be combatants of the size/physique of Kurt Angle,   Chris Benoit, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart. That's based on several factors such as a minimum believable height(5'11 at least), charisma, long-term performance track-record, physique, mic skills, etc. C M Punk eliminating Kane, Roman Reigns, John Cena, or Batista and winning the Royal Rumble is believable. Punk might not be as ripped as Hart, Benoit , and Angle, but his stature and overall intensity/presence can still make him credible. But over all, the most dominating and intense superstars in history have been the victors of the Royal Rumble- From Stone Cold Steve Austin to  The Rock to HHH, Randy Orton, Batista, Undertaker, and Brock Lesnar. Rey Mysterio winning the royal rumble was a disgrace to wrestling, and him ever holding the WHC was a disgrace to guys like Sting, Goldberg and Ric Flair. No offence to mysterio, but that wasn't a cruiserweight royal rumble, and if a man's tiny and not a heavyweight, then that is what nature had for them. 

And then there is Daniel Bryan. Bryan might be a good wrestler, but in terms of over-all intensity, charisma, athleticism, mic skills, he gets nowhere close to  being a Kurt Angle, or Chris Benoit(average mic skills, was never a talker. But his machine-like speed and agility remains unrivalled to this day) or Bret Hart(same as Benoit). Heck, he is 5 fucking foot 8. Since when did the WWE Universe want a tiny little man who's not even chiseled and intense to win the Royal Rumble and headline Wrestlemania? What a damn disgrace. In an era of far better performers such as Antonio Cesaro, Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler(Who's a perfect 5'11, if I'm not mistaken) , Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Rollins, and the HHH/WWE favourites Sheamus , Batista and Orton, why the heck does a mediocre combatant cause the Royal Rumble to leave such a distastefulness?

The YES and NO chants are the most stupid recurring phenomenon ever since 2012. It's one thing to make  Zack Ryder the US champion because he was a goofball with an internet show, and another to create discord and disharmony in the entire WWE product by those stupid chants month after month. Goddamnit look at Randy Orton. Sure he's bland and boring at times. But he's tall, he's chiseled, and he can wrestler. And certainly doesn't bombard us with YES and NO chants like a fucking retard.
And the Austin "What!?" chants? They were disturbingly unpleasant at times . It's a fucking Undertaker or Ric Flair promo, and the crowd wouldn't stop saying "What?". Then says The Undertaker "What if I slept with your sister or momma". That was badass. But at least Austin was a phenomenon and those What chants were amusing too, only insofar as Austin was involved in the said segment/promo.

I see a lot of physical similarity between Bryan and Guerrero(though he was much more ripped.). But ultimately, a great in-ring technician with a lot of passion and some demons to conquer, Eddie Guerrero was simply not a long-term main eventer. One of the reasons for that was his stature. Sure, he had his run with the WWE title, thanks to Mcmahon, and he deserved it too. But, think for a minute how he was booked to win that title. It took Goldberg to run in and spear Brock Lesnar, for him to hit the frog splash (which was only half as powerful as Rob Van Dam's  five star. What a frog splash!) to win the title. It'd have been a damn disgrace if Guerrero would've been booked to cleanly (no steel chair) and single-handedly pin Brock Lesnar. Guerrero just didn't have the credible size or intensity(unlike Kurt Angle, who has suplexed big show and lesnar countless times), but what he did have was fiery passion, and fervent promos. Guerrero could talk! And talk like a Ric Flair too, with his own lovable little accent. On an apex of credibility believability, Chris Jericho will always overshadow and surpass Eddie Guerrero and Daniel Bryan. (Simply because he's 5'10 or more, thus rendering his presence at least a little more believable, next to combatants like HHH and John Cena). Even then, Jericho was never quite the man. But he became one of the biggest and most decorated stars. And unlike some, he never caused a ridiculous one-word chant to allow him to get over and deserve a Royal Rumble victory.

After seeing how the Rumble ended, I have more sympathy for Vince Mcmahon than ever. I bet his reactions to the Daniel Bryan retarded chants phenomenon are more full of agitations than mine, or his kayfabe displays in the past. Well, good for a fucking T-shirt with a beard if it gets them some money. But to want or desire a tiny shabby combatant to win the Rumble and headline Wrestlemania over Batista, John Cena, Swagger, Cesaro ,Christian, Ziggler, Orton, Roman Reigns, Jericho, or Punk is beyond me.
Had they foreseen how the #30 entrant was going to be reacted to, The one way I can think of how Mcmahon would want to screw the WWE Universe(in typical Mcmahon fashion) would be to have Santino Marella's music play instead. (Imagine the hilarity, that music combined with the crowd reaction). Out comes Marella, walking like a faggot, power walk, or whatever he calls it.  Cobras everybody in the ring. Even Roman Reigns. That'd have brought some justice to the disgrace that was Royal Rumble 2014.

Now, obviously something is wrong with the WWE universe. No matter what they get, they always whine and show dismay. It's one thing for WWE to bombard our TV screens with age-old main-events like Randy Orton vs John Cena, or The Rock main eventing Wrestlemania twice in a row, and another thing for a pathetic arena crowd to defecate all over a perfectly athletic and intense Royal Rumble contest. When more deserving men like Chris Jericho did not win it (in 2012) and someone far less deserving as Sheamus did, where was this audience?


[On a side note, Roman Reigns is amazingly, ridiculously sexy. The long hair, the part-blankness part-fury emitting from his countenance and eyes, the stature, the valour  itself was more reason to like the Rumble than any long-bearded goof's absence. Roman Reigns is amazing.