(Author's note - each December, I mark the anniversary of the Counterfactual with a note of thanks (thanks) and a discussion of the future. Now that Vince is gone, I think I've got booking tenure, as this is my 17th anniversary here, and I've come to a decision.
There's a confluence of events in 2025 which make it the obvious time to wrap.
3 years from now is the 20th anniversary.
A few months prior, Summer Slam with be WWF 150, my 150th PPV. And just prior to that - Wrestlemania 40.
That feels pretty conclusive, right? Unless I'm going another decade to try to get to 50 Manias, this seems like an obvious end point.
And so it is -- my current plan is Summer Slam as the last event, then do a wrap up post each month until December to say goodbye. It could be I go to Survivor Series, the rationale being that Summer Slam is very often a limited roster, and I see a scenario where I want to do Mania my own way, and then it takes me both Summer Slam and Survivor Series to put the period at the end of the story.
So - that's it, there's still some time here, another 3 Manias to go - but that feels strongly to me like the right answer)
Royal Rumble 2022 is coming to you from St Louis.
It's a 12 match card.
1. WWF Title: Sami Zayn v. Kevin Steen
2. IC: Shinsuke Nakamura v. Tyler Black (Special Guest Referee - Prince Devitt)
3. Tag Title: Holy Roman Empire (Roman Reigns/Chad Gable) v. New Day (Kingston/Langston) - if New Day loses, they must break up forever.
4. Women's Title: Rhea Ripley v. Sasha Banks v. Bianca Belair
5. Brock Lesnar v. Matt Riddle (w/HBK)
6. AJ Styles v. Ricochet
7. Shayna Baszler v. Ronda Rousey (w/Heyman and Walter)
8. The Legendary Rey Mysterio v. Edge, The God of Carnage: Winner gets Spot at Legends Match at WM38.
9. Holy Roman Empire: (Lashley/McIntyre) v. Sheamus/Nick Nemeth
10. Bobby Roode v. Dominic Mysterio
11. 5 Minute Challenge: Fight Forever (Lynch/Flair) v. Mickie James/Natty Neidhart.
12. Defiance (Orton/Priest w/Crews) v. Street Profits
1. Zayn won the WWF Title at Survivor Series, that also nets him the Triple Crown, the coronation comes the following night at RAW when he receives the Triple Crown Cup in the traditional ceremony. There's an edge to the proceedings, although Zayn is a babyface, none of the other babyfaces are thrilled. Michaels, as a past Triple Crown winner, is at the ceremony, and he took a Steen superkick last night and perhaps holds a grudge at Zayn, who benefited. Gargano and Ciampa are there, both because they were once in the GDI stable with Zayn, and to deliver the Triple Crown Cup on behalf of its last recipient, the now departed Claudio. Steen sent Claudio packing last night in a loser leaves town - and when later that night he aided Zayn in winning the title, you could hardly blame them for thinking their might be some level of collusion.
Not unhappy at all - Steen, he is last to arrive, he is wearing a suit, it's a formal event after all - all eyes are on him as he approaches Zayn -- and extends his hand. Zayn doesn't accept - looking Steen dead in the face to tell him "I didn't need you last night."
And as he did last night - Steen shrugs his shoulders and exits.
Over the course of the build - the whispers "if Steen doesn't interfere, Zayn doesn't win...maybe they were in on it together" clearly eat away at Zayn - the red hair starts to grow out for the first time in the run, he's not playing paranoia for laughs - he is the babyface WWF Champion, he draws the houses, top of the call sheet - but week by week, you can see the voices start to chip away at his psyche (he goes over Gargano and Ciampa in the build) until finally, he challenges Steen for the title match at the Rumble.
Their feud was done - Zayn beat Steen in the Cell at Mania - that's 8 months ago - but Zayn can't fully embrace the moment, Zayn accuses Steen of doing this intentionally, he knew Sami was going to win the title - he knew he couldn't stop it - so the way to undermine Zayn was to interfere - it's diabolical.
Steen shrugs his shoulders. He doesn't feed any of this at all - but all that does is further intensify Zayn's paranoia until Zayn demands that Steen accept the title match at the Rumble.
Thats the build -- the value of the match, besides the obvious, is their singles match at Mania was a specialty match - with all the Cell bells and whistles - and this is just going to be wrestling, so the match is sold both as rivalry/grudge match/the longtime story continues -- but also as the Zayn/Steen match for the wrestling fans - it's a wrestling fans grudge match.
2. The Bullet Club alumni have controlled the IC title matchups since Mania, Nakamura won the four way at Survivor Series to take the belt from Styles - AJ moves out of this one - and Devitt moves to a referee slot - Nakamura and Black, who had the least strong bond in the Bullet Club worked together for much of the 4 way at Survivor Series - Devitt's a tweener (Nakamura a babyface, Black a heel) and there needed to be enough in that match at Survivor Series to establish a separate animosity from Devitt to both guys - so that as Devitt is made special guest referee here, that adds a wrinkle. The other wrinkle - Black continues his quest - and it's a full on quest at this point - to win that Triple Crown.
The Bullet Club talk - continues here, and by the end of the build the matter of its returning to WWF is raised -- but who would be in charge? Who? Who?
3/9/12 - Survivor Series saw Reigns consolidate his power with the formation of the Holy Roman Empire (McIntyre/Lashley/Gable) he defeated his rivals in the 4 way and, after months/ and months/and months of Reigns beating them, telling them he was beating them, and telling them the reason why he was beating them is they were being held down by their stablemates and needed to join his team (and it's very much his team) McIntyre and Lashley took him up on it, turning on their stablemates Sheamus and Nemeth. Gable came later - he won the elimination match to earn the tag title shot against the Usos, but his entire stable was gone, and so made a business decision, taking Reigns as his partner -- they defeated the shocked Usos as their family member and ally since entering the promotion Roman not only took their belts but directed a post match attack - that was joined by Gable as he fully turned.
Who did not take the deal was Langston - however, he didn't inform Kingston or Woods that the deal was in the offing, suggesting that he was at least considering taking the deal and leaving Woods in the dust (as opposed to leading him to safety) - that fracture in New Day is plastered over as they receive the title shot -- New Day and Usos are career long rivals and Roman turning on his own blood is taken personally by Kingston and Woods. Usos do not appear at all post Survivor Series and New Day is here to message the betrayal by proxy. New Day demands - and gets - the title shot - but Roman says he's putting the nail in the coffin of New Day - that Langston should have jumped when he had the chance - that he did not seals his partners fates. If New Day loses - they break up forever.
Not only that -- but Nemeth and Sheamus, who themselves were former stablemates, years before as the leaders of Underground - now team up to face their betrayors, McIntyre and Lashley. A couple of very personal tag team matchups here at the Rumble. Gable is essentially serving the IRL Zayn role here, there's less comedy, both because I like less comedy and because Zayn is a singular performer, but Gable as the square peg in a stable filled with round holes is the dynamic. There's some comedy here, they'll find the right tone - IRL Reigns is the Reigns that has been used here for a couple of years, he rules this stable with an iron fist. 2 very personal, very personal tag team matches here at the Rumble - when added to Steen/Zayn and the Bullet Club continued feud - you can see the theme developing.
Unrelated to these two matches is the opening tag - Defiance and Street Profits took each other out at the elimination tag at Survivor Series - they hook up here, but with wrinkle - we're headed to St Louis, hometown of Randy Orton.
7/4/11 Speaking of former stablemates going at it --- Ronda Rousey was last seen getting stretchered out when her stable turned against her, Rhea Ripley taking her spot in the Horsewomen. She returned last night to destroy Duke and cost Ripley/Baszler the tag tournament final against Fight Forever (Lynch/Flair).
In the aftermath, Baszler challenges her former friend/stablemate Rousey to meet at the Rumble - Rousey isn't present until the very end of the build - she's Lesnar, when you see her on TV it is an event and she is there to hurt someone. Rousey's contribution to the build are vignettes, largely clips of her destroying the women's division in her first run (which she did). The Horsewomen are now just Baszler/Ripley - but their strength in numbers history is still part of their promos.
There was an announcer shift after Survivor Series - not only was it Regal's last event as he left the promotion, it was Heyman's last event as an announcer, Nigel remains the Fight Night color man, but Wade Barrett returns after a long absence to the promotion in the RAW slot.
Where's Heyman?
We find out in the final Rousey vignette. She's not coming the Rumble alone. She's coming as part of a brand new alliance.
A Dangerous Alliance.
Into the frame step Heyman and the Dark Ride Champ, Walter. And that's the new act. Rousey's always framed as a big deal - a special attraction - she and Baszler were presented as longtime friends, allies, partners - like Flair and Arn level of friends - and so when Baszler turned on Rousey, stretchering her clean out of the promotion - that's a deep level of betrayal -- and the vignettes look to really hit those notes -- here are two dangerous women, violent women - meeting for the first time at the Rumble with the added wrinkle of Heyman and the Dark Ride Champ Walter now aligned with Rousey.
Ripley, meanwhile, will be defending the Women's Title in a 3 way - Banks and Belair were tagging in the tournament at Survivor Series but had a disagreement -- they tag again early in this build and the disagreement boils over into a fight -- that fissure grows over the build so there's no concern this is a handicap match, we have a 3 way (Triple Threat Rules, so it's one fall to the finish) for the belt.
Lynch/Flair have been unstoppable since teaming up in this run, in this build, they begin to challenge themselves by saying they not only can beat any two women in the world - they can beat any two women in the world in 5 minutes - and they began to do that, winning a series of matches very quickly.
That culminates in their being challenged by Neidhart - who says says she's bringing someone from another promotion - and a clip package supplied by Impact plays - it's Mickie James, Impact Women's Champion - the Forbidden Door is open - James coming to the Rumble to team with Neidhart in a 5 minute challenge.
5/6 Can I interest you in some high profile singles matches?
Brock returned for a Heyman Hustle at Survivor Series, when asked who he wanted to fight, he said there was a guy around here who is supposed to be some great MMA fighter - and Lesnar is already on that corner. Brock appears twice, once to F5 Riddle and Michaels - another to eat a Michaels superkick and get put in a submission hold by Riddle that is broken up by officials. Michaels was on the business end of F5s 20 years prior which is part of the build. If you think "that's a lot of physicality for Michaels, given his age - yeah, that feels right to me too, Rumble next year is San Antonio and I could see some physical angle then, but between now and then, this will be the end of that"
Styles/Ricochet is just for the workrate - all babyface matchup. Seriously, this is a good show. Workrate, deeply personal programs - Wrestlemania right around the corner -- this is the good stuff.
8/10 - The Mysterios are here -- we get the Triple Crown matchup - Edge and Rey - the winner heading to Mania for the Legends Match. And young masked Dom, super green, coming back out of developmental to take on the veteran Roode.
That is a good show. Zayn and Steen, best of friends turned most bitter of enemies, with another chapter, Nakamura and Black, also former stablemates with another of their old comrades, Devitt, as the referee. Roman Reigns puts his stamp on the Rumble - he and Gable look to make the sun go down on the New Day while former stablemates collide when McIntyre and Lashley take on Sheamus and Nemeth.
How about these matchups -- Styles v. Ricochet, Edge v. Rey, Brock v. Riddle?
The return of Rousey, Ripley defending against both Belair and Banks. Randy Orton in St Louis - the Impact Women's Champ comes to the Rumble - It Is Going to Be a Happening! Coming live in January
