Royal Rumble 2011

The build is here.

Royal Rumble 2011 is from Boston.

(Dark: Black d. Sydal

            Smith d. Barrett)

                Last show with the crazy announce – Joey and Striker are the lead team, Striker leaves for the semi-main, replaced by Josh, and JR and Lawler do the main event.

Throughout the show are backstage shots of Danielson and Mysterio each warming up for the match; like Low Ki at Survivor Series, Danielson/Rey is presented as a special attraction, a never before seen/perhaps never again to be seen match, and the talk of the wrestling world; so we repeatedly see each guy, see clips of the video packages put together in the build.   

1. Zach Ryder (w/Douchebags) d. Yoshi Tatsu (w/Cole)

Unannounced match to open up the Rumble; the explanation given is that Alex Riley, scheduled to open against John Cena is unaccounted for. Riley doesn’t come to the ring, the announce speculates on what might have happened to him – here is his big opportunity, to defend the honor of GDI on PPV, and he isn’t here, something must be up.  So – a match scheduled to be on the pre-show opens the card.  This has been a TV program, a way to push Underground, specifically the Douchebags, as they’ve been programmed against Tatsu.   The story is they keep beating him in singles, as they use their numbers to cheat while Michael Cole, Tatsu’s manager, is ineffective in stopping them – Tatsu grows a little angrier at Cole with each offense.

Here, same – Ryder goes over with outside aid – Cole can’t stop it – Tatsu fumes .

2. Mark Henry d. John Cena

Announce says Riley still hasn’t been found but he’s been replaced by Henry.  There’s speculation if maybe he had something to do with Riley’s mysterious absence.     Henry cuts promo after he comes to the ring.
          

Henry says he doesn’t know or care where Alex Riley is, but he’s been waiting more than a decade to kick somebody’s ass at the Royal Rumble – and John Cena’s the unlucky victim. 

Cena tells the timekeeper to ring the bell; Henry tells Cena to hit him with the light tube.  Cena complies.

It’s essentially a squash, Henry no sells the light tube, screams at Cena, gets a quick pinfall and stands over the body.  Announce puts over Henry’s resurgence, he is a WWF veteran kept down for years – and now he’s on quite the hot streak.

3. Number One Contender Elimination Tag: Empire d. D1/Rotunda & Hennig/Hooligans

-Hooligans are out quickly, eliminated by D1.  McIntyre gets pinned by Nemeth; this sequence establishes that D1 still has it, despite wrestling as singles most of the year, and that Hooligans are off their game, they lost Fit in this build and lack focus.  Rotunda/Hennig go next, eliminated by Empire, Barrett pinning Hennig; there’s a long sequence with Swagger (with knee brace) in the ring against Empire – when he’s finally able to make the hot tag to Nemeth – Nick’s pulled off the apron by someone from underneath the ring. 

It’s Alex Riley.

Swagger’s caught by a double team that targets his injured knee – he’s pinned by Barrett and surprisingly – Empire is headed to Wrestlemania.  Nemeth doesn’t have time to deal with Riley as he and Kelly both move to aid Swagger from the ring and back up the ramp – Riley hits the ring and unzips his varsity letterman jacket to reveal an Empire t-shirt.

Alex Riley has left GDI and moved Underground.

As Regal will make clear and Bret will accept, Riley is part of Empire and all three men can be used interchangeably.  Empire will go to Wrestlemania 27.

4.The Miz (w/Natty) d. Diesel Kevin Nash

-Nash is the Mystery Clique Opponent in this match.  Miz is a chickenshit heel (as opposed to a guy who punishes people); he cheats, he preens, he begs off and goes low – Nitro is the superathletic cocky guy, Natty is the enforcer, the Chyna in the act (Natty wouldn’t be cutting weight in this world, wouldn’t be attempting to get prettier, here, she looks to bulk up; there have been no women’s PPV matches in the Counterfactual; in my head, Natty and Kong are going to work at Wrestlemania 30.  Maybe Kong isn’t around then; maybe she can’t work anymore if/when she returns; I don’t want two divas just for the sake of being divas – but if I can keep Natty in some type of enforcer role for the next 3 years, I’d like to put her in a match at 30) and Miz is the chickenshit heel.  It’s the Clique; it’s a good act.  I’m pleased they’re together.

Why are you looking at me like that?  Do you know something?

Anyway, I assume this is Nash’s last match, he gets in some big guy spot and then Miz is able to weasel his way to the pinfall win. 

5.  Dos Caras, Jr. (w/Ricardo and Vicki) d. Chavo Guerrero

This wraps up Chavo, who had a helluva Counterfactual WWF run.  IC Champ, Tag Champ, he was a Horseman, he main evented a PPV, he had high profile Mania matches.

Nonetheless, the story here is that he’s broke, or if not broke, doesn’t have enough money to take care of Vicki.  It serves to portray the Guerreros as a typical wrestling family, dysfunctional, unable to maintain their money – the opposite of the Dos Caras family lineage.

The thing you expect to happen is what happens, Dos Caras is a fairly broad wrestling character, this is a wrestling angle.  Sheepish Vicki, the downtrodden widow of Eddy Guerrero, turns heel; Chavo loses clean to Caras, and in his attempt to apologize to Vicki she slaps him.  Vicki then makes out with Dos Caras as they are now a couple.  She joins the act – Dos Caras, nephew of Mil Mascaras, arguing his is the greatest wrestling family of all time, and his wealth and success in comparison to other second/third generation wrestlers is the evidence of that – adds Eddy Guerrero’s widow as his new girlfriend.  The shame forces Chavo from the company.

6. CM Punk d. Steve Regal (DQ)

-I’d assume I get to use Regal again, but as I’m not using him at Mania, I don’t know that I will.  So, I’m taking this opportunity for a sprint – they go as hard as they can until they blow up, and when that happens, with Punk establishing that he is about to win, Regal blatantly cheats.  It’s a Cobra Kai situation – Regal fishhooks Punk, gouges an eye, rabbit punches him – and then finally draws the DQ with a low blow that Punk sells like he’s been shot in the face.

And then Punk is swarmed – Douchebags hit the ring (there are like five guys in the Douchebags) and they stomp out Punk – they’re then fought off by Tyler Black, who pauses for a moment at the top of the ramp – it’s a thing that someone from GDI is saving Punk, there’s a page turning here.  Black hits the ring and then Sydal joins him, the three men get the advantage briefly – but Empire then hits the ring – and now it’s 10 vs. 3. 

As Underground gets the advantage there’s a backstage shot of Danielson; he shakes his head, then turns away from the monitor and resumes readying himself for the match.

Punk/Black/Sydal are left laying; Black’s going to be injured enough here that he won’t be able to work Mania.  Sydal has been out with injury; he was injured in his IC loss to Nitro, but that injury was furthered during the first GDI/Underground scuffle, in the stands during the Low Ki/Rey Fight Night match.  It’s Douchebags who account for that injury – and they target him again here. 

As the three men are laid out, Regal leads a chant of all the men in the ring that has only been Underground to this point, that means only on the website, not ever used in any of the tv clips that WWF shows of developmental.  Regal ends a training session by yelling “Whose House?”  And the response by the trainees is “Our House.”  It was a chant first started by the original WWFU trainer Taz, then continued by Mike Rotunda, and finally Regal, the current trainer – but never before shown on WWF television, so it’s just been for the Underground hardcores, the ones who watch online.

“Whose house?”

“OUR HOUSE.”

As Douchebags and Empire stand over Punk/Black/Sydal – Regal leads the chant.

“Whose house?”

“OUR HOUSE!”

"Whose house?"

"OUR HOUSE!"

Let's see if we can get that over.  

7. WWF Tag Titles: Defiance d. Young Money

-Orton wins his second tag title and Defiance finally gets gold, Orton hitting the RKO on Kingston for the fall. 

Killings blows off Kingston postmatch, not waiting for him to recover, instead heading back up the ring.  Announce speculates that the distance we’ve seen between the now former tag champs build during their reign may have led to their loss here against the clearly cohesive Defiance. 

8. IC: Johnny Nitro (w/Natty) d. Tyson Kidd (w/Harry)

-This is the sleeper match; you know Danielson/Rey will be really good, and Punk/Regal will be good as long as it goes and the angle postmatch is hot, but what this show needs to really be good is this match to hit that next level.  My expectation is high. 

Kidd can’t earn redemption here; Harry’s able to carry Natty from ringside, making it one on one and looking for a moment like Tyson might take the strap; but Miz runs in for some quick interference that turns the tide.  Nitro gets the fall and keeps his title. 

9. Rey Mysterio d. Bryan Danielson

-Rey’s a 2 time WWF Champion, a Triple Crown winner, he beat Chris Benoit in the main event of Wrestlemania – a show on which he is undefeated – and now, he beats Bryan Danielson clean as a sheet. 

It’s the very best match they can have and that’s all that it is at least for tonight. 

10.WWF Title: Edge d. Booker T

-Edge goes over clean.  Postmatch, he stands alone holding the belt aloft – at the end of Survivor Series, Punk returned from several months away and came to the ring for a nose to nose – here Edge taunts the crowd who chants for Punk – Punk was of course beaten down by Underground earlier in the evening – so he won’t be coming out to challenge Edge, and Edge smirks in that way that he has…

Except here comes Punk.

Slowly, holding his ribs, resolutely, indomitably, CM Punk walks to the ring.

Edge flips out – starts pulling at his hair, Edge points at his belt as security prevents Punk from getting to the ring, “You’ll never get this – You don’t get a shot – You’ll never get me – You’ll never get me.”

And that’s how the show ends.

Build to Mania is in February.  Mania will be posted Mania weekend. 

Road to Royal Rumble 2011

Survivor Series 2010 is here.

Royal Rumble 2011 is in January, from Boston.

WWF Title: Edge v. Booker T

The road to Rumble 2K11 starts the night after Survivor Series when Bret (that’s Bret Hart, WWF Commissioner) hits the ring to open RAW, the announce telling us that he’s going to name Edge’s Rumble opponent. 

Bret announces first some good news – he has signed an extension to his agreement with WWF; he will be staying on as commissioner past WM, all the way until Survivor Series 2011, which will be held at Madison Square Garden.

Second, he says he received a phone call last night after Survivor Series; it was from a former WWF Champion who works for another promotion.  The caller said he was retiring from wrestling – but wanted one final match, and there’s no one in life Bret respects more than the fraternity of men who have held the WWF Title.  Only 30 men in all the world have ever been World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Champion; it is an elite group.  It is a brotherhood.  And Bret understands wanting one last match – he wanted one last match against Shawn Michaels, and got it at Mania.  So when a former WWF Champion says he’s willing to leave his promotion and hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table to come back to WWF for one last match, that’s a conversation Bret has to take seriously.

They then play Booker Ts highlight package, the NWA career, his WWF tag title run with Bradshaw, and his beating Lashley to become the first ever African-American World Heavyweight Champion. 

Bret says at the Rumble – Book will take on Edge; if he wins, he will vacate the belt the next night – and Mania will be a one night 8 man tournament for the WWF Title.

Book’s not around for the build – so he’ll get pushed by announce in contrast to Swagger – why did Swagger lose at Survivor Series? – inexperience, specifically, Edge’s experience advantage, and advantage he won’t have over the crafty, veteran Booker T. 

Edge will just be Edge – Rated R, will bang your girl, can’t trust him – he’s in the Harts and the Clique, not a friend or a care in the world – Edge. 

There can also be some excitement about the possibility of Wrestlemania being a tournament – that would be a fun, never before seen twist on Wrestlemania – there would be speculation on who the 8 men might be in such a tournament.

                CM Punk v. Steve Regal

Who is less interested in Booker v. Edge is Punk.  He sufficiently disapproves that at RAW’s close the night after Survivor Series, Joey tells us that Punk will appear on RAW next week – and he’s going to talk.

This is a big deal, Punk promos have been few and far between for over a year.   He had been gone since losing to Danielson at Summer Slam, but returned postmatch last night to freak Edge out – Punk’s hair and beard are uncut and unkempt – what looks like permanent tattoos of Edge’s name are all over his body.

He hits the ring and sits down Indian style. 

Punk brings the mic to his mouth as if he’ll speak – but doesn’t – he repeats that a couple of times until Bret enters.

Bret asks what he wants.

Punk points to the video wall, which plays Bret naming Booker to be Edge’s opponent at the Rumble.

Bret says Booker is a former WWF Champion and deserves that respect.

Punk stands and gets in Bret’s face and tells him he’s full of shit.  Punk says he’s a two time WWF Champion, he never got a rematch, he has been chasing Edge for a year since he killed Maria, and Bret keeps protecting him.

Punk says first he thought it was just to save Edge’s ass because they’re both Hart Foundation – but really, really it’s about that belt – Punk’s won it twice and the only men in WWF history who ever won it three times are named Hart. 

Punk says that’s what its about – its about protecting your family legacy.

Now Bret – who is slow to anger, gets in Punk’s face – at Survivor Series 4 years ago Punk threw the belt down, Punk’s girlfriend spit on the belt – Bret doesn’t give a damn what Edge did to her, she deserved it.

And what Punk deserves is nothing – maybe the fans have forgotten – but Bret hasn’t forgotten, better men than Punk have spent their whole careers chasing the WWF Title and never achieving it, Bret says Arn Anderson is in the back right now, and if Punk ever looked at Double A the wrong way he’d find out what those men think of him.

Bret says as long as he has anything to say about it – Punk will never get close to the WWF Title.

Bret says Punk will be working at the Rumble – however –

And the music for Underground hits – and out comes Regal, flanked by Empire and the Douchebags.

They get in the ring and surround Punk as Bret exists – Punk attacks some of the flanking wrestlers, but they get control and get a quick beating in. 

Regal will carry the vocal end of this program – it’s the head trainer of Underground vs. the founder of GDI as far as he’s concerned, Regal says he’s there to prove supremacy of his style of wrestling and way of life.

The next step in that program actually involves Tyler Black.

Black joins GDI after Survivor Series in Low Ki’s exit program; that was referenced in the Survivor Series post.   He’s a Punk fan, and is willing to say it despite Danielson’s blanket opposition to all matters Punk.

He’s also a fan of Fight Night – and after he ends Low Ki’s run, he rips off the number 6 on the giant sheets of paper that signify GDI matches they can request as part of the Steamboat settlement (only 5 matches left) and says he wants Fit Finlay.

Fit’s physical altercation with Young Money after they defeated Hooligans at Survivor Series apparently triggers his return to active status – Fit and his trainer Malenko were the face of Fight Night back when it first launched as the new NWA – and Black says he was glued to it every Friday.

We get one last “Fit and Regal sit alone in an empty arena and talk shop” promo as part of the build – Regal’s taking on Punk at the Rumble, Fit’s taking on this GDI kid Black – they get all grizzled and whatnot – leaving with a handshake.

Black goes over Fit on Fight Night – and as he exits he’s passed in the aisle by Punk.

Black looks back at him, a little wide eyed, as Punk gets in the ring and ends Fit’s WWF run in the same way he ended Matt Hardy’s – with a series of Go To Sleeps that only ends when he’s pulled off – here, its by Hooligans, Sheamus and Drew, they tend to their battered trainer as Punk exits.

That adds some steam to Punk/Regal, Steve’s got blood in his eye now as he talks about vengeance at the Rumble.

                   Glass Light Tube Match: John Cena v. Alex Riley

Oddly, it’s Alex Riley, enhancement talent in GDI, who pulls the number 5 off the sheets of paper (4 matches left) to challenge Cena in his hometown.

After Black’s win over Fit he is about to pull the sheet to request a match at the Rumble when he’s stopped by Riley – Riley says he respects all that Black’s done, but Riley’s been busting his ass in GDI, losing mainly, he admits, but getting better and trying real hard.  Riley says he wants one match with Black for the right to go to Rumble.

Black says of course, they do a slip on the banana peel finish and Riley gets the shocking upset.  He immediately pulls the sheet and calls out Cena.

At the number one contender battle royal, Cena slammed a light tube over Danielson’s head – Danielson told the GDI locker room to ignore it, there were bigger battles to be fought – but Riley can’t – WWF can’t think they can push around GDI – GDI is his family, even though they mainly kick his ass, and at the Rumble, he’s going to grab a light tube and crush Cena’s WWF face with it.

Who that particularly bothers is Mark Henry.

Henry’s been enhancement for years; really his only role in his career was as NOD bodyguard, if he’s had a PPV match I can’t recall it.  But seemingly out of nowhere he incapacitates both members of DMW  (note that real world Show is now wearing a WMD shirt, I keep trying to tell him that Batista/Cena were WMD, that he was DMW) and starts cutting angry promos.   He focuses his anger on Riley, some scrub who doesn’t even work at WWF getting a match at the Rumble.

Henry says he doesn’t have a match at the Rumble.  Like every year.  But that doesn’t mean he isn’t going to Boston.

                             Rey Mysterio v. Bryan Danielson

One more GDI match; it’s just for the workrate.  Danielson continues his “best wrestler in the world” gimmick – he beat Punk, he beat Low Ki – Rey also beat Low Ki and Rey has been on a roll, beating Nemeth in back to back PPVs coming out of Mania where he stayed undefeated.

Danielson rips the sheet (3 matches left for GDI) and challenged Rey.  Like the previous Danielson matches, this draws the “dream match, never before on PPV, maybe never again” talk designed to get PPV buys from people who are me.

That’s half the card; here’s one more:

                           Tag Titles: Young Money v. Defiance

That was set up at Survivor Series; a Young Money win and they will go into Mania as champs for a full year, there has not been a year long tag title run since the Steiners almost 20 years ago.  Killings is a heel, or at least heelish, where he's headed is a Ron Artest type heel, he's going to wind up changing his name to some version of Metta World Peace, but not yet. Kingston's a face and the "he takes it seriously, Killings goofs around" split gets furthered over Kingston's desire to hold the tag belts for a year - he really feels the historic importance of the Rumble match.  Killings belches in his face, thrusts his pelvis, goes out for a smoke. 

Defiance is Defiance.  

                          

         Winners go to Mania: D1 v. Hooligans v. Empire v. Rotunda/Hennig

It's been a lost year for D1, at least as a unit; Swagger won the battle royal and challenged for the WWF Title; Nemeth has been obsessed with Mysterio (he expected a third shot at the Rumble and is steamed that Danielson is getting the match; Swagger tries to get him back on track for this match, with the winners going to Mania to challenge for the straps) but now they get back together to try to win this elimination match.  Swagger's health has been an issue all year, and he noticeably sports a kneebrace.

Hooligans lost at Survivor Series, and then lose Fit as part of the build to the Rumble - what mental state will they be in for this matchup?

Empire's waving the Underground flag; with Regal's program specifically Underground based, Empire's presence in this match adds to the Underground flavor in the card.  And Rotunda and Hennig round out the elimination match.  Winners go to Mania.  

3 left:

IC: Johnny Nitro (w/Natty) v. Tyson Kidd (w/Harry)

-Bret calls the Clique to the ring, says he's tried to avoid an appearance of impropriety when taking this job; he knew all the knives would be out if he looked to harshly at the Clique.  So he bit his tongue as they undertook the kind of juvenile idiocy that the Clique has always been known for.  But when they tried to humiliate Linda McMahon the week before the Senate election. that was a step too far.

So its time for some Harts v. Clique, 2011 version.

Tyson and Harry attack - and we're on.  Tyson/Nitro is going to be a helluva match, particuarly given the backstory with Nitro's tormenting the Hart kids when they were the Flock and Natty jumping to the Clique.

Miz winds up definitively going over Harry in the build; Bret gives him what he wants - a singles match at the Rumble - his opponent:

Miz v. Mystery Clique Opponent

Bret says another member of the Clique will be taking on the Miz at the Rumble - who could it be goes the speculation?  Michaels?  Waltman?  Billy Gunn?  

And finally:

Chavo Guerrero v. Dos Caras, Jr. (w/Ricardo and Vicki Guerrero)

We welcome Vicki to the show.

She's Eddy's widow, left destitute by the Guerrero family's spending; so when Caras, whose gimmick is he is wildly wealthy because his family is the greatest wrestling dynasty ever, pulls her out of the limo in this build - it's to demonstrate to Chavo the shambles of his family legacy.

Vicki doesn't want to be with Dos Caras - but he's taking care of her.

If Chavo wins - Dos Caras pays all of the Guerrero family debt.  If Chavo wins, then Vicki will have to admit that Dos Caras is the heir to the greatest wrestling family of all time.  You get this program - Vicki is miserable, Dos Caras is smarmy, Chavo is prideful.  It's a wrestling angle.

That's the Rumble.

WWF Title: Edge v. Booker T

Rey Mysterio v. Bryan Danielson

IC: Johnny Nitro v. Tyson Kidd

Tags: Young Money v. Defiance

CM Punk v. Steve Regal

Chavo Guerrero v. Dos Caras, Jr.

Miz v. Mystery Clique Opponent

D1 v. Hooligans v. Empire v. Rotunda/Hennig

John Cena v. Alex Riley

Coming in January