WEBVTT - Royal Rumble Recap 0:00:00.280 --> 0:00:02.840 Hey, this is Brian Alvarez and this is today's edition 0:00:02.840 --> 0:00:09.120 of the Wrestling Observer Daily podcast on the eight Side Network. Ready, Ready, 0:00:09.800 --> 0:00:14.760 let's get it all. How's it going, everybody? Brian Alvarez 0:00:14.960 --> 0:00:17.920 here on Wrestling Observer Live. We are here every day 0:00:18.040 --> 0:00:21.279 Monday through Friday. Now Pacific three Eastern Sunday three Pacific, 0:00:21.280 --> 0:00:23.959 sixth Eastern. It is Monday on this program. You know 0:00:24.040 --> 0:00:30.120 that means it is time to talk about the Royal Rumble. 0:00:31.200 --> 0:00:33.640 What do you think of the show? Everybody? Mixed reviews. 0:00:33.960 --> 0:00:37.199 I heard about the Royal Rumble, but we're gonna talk 0:00:37.200 --> 0:00:41.040 about it here today very quickly. The results of the show, 0:00:41.080 --> 0:00:44.960 seth Rawlins beat Roman Reigns in the Universal Championship match 0:00:45.080 --> 0:00:52.080 via disqualification when he refused to break a guillotine after 0:00:52.159 --> 0:00:55.360 seth Rawlins had his hand dropped on the rope by 0:00:55.400 --> 0:00:58.880 the referee, and so seth Rawlins wins v d Q 0:00:59.040 --> 0:01:01.120 and then got absolutely the lies afterwards. So I don't 0:01:01.160 --> 0:01:02.800 even know if they're going to rematch. One would think 0:01:02.800 --> 0:01:06.119 that they would be, but I can't guarantee that Women's 0:01:06.280 --> 0:01:12.080 Royal Rumble won by the returning Ronda Rousey, which will 0:01:12.120 --> 0:01:15.480 be setting up Rhonda Rousey and Charlotte Flair at this 0:01:15.520 --> 0:01:19.600 year's WrestleMania. Can talk about that. Becky Lynch versus Do 0:01:19.800 --> 0:01:22.880 Drop for the Raw title. Becky Lynch One with the 0:01:22.880 --> 0:01:27.160 man Handle slam off the middle rope, Bobby Lashley and 0:01:27.360 --> 0:01:33.119 brock Lesner. Bobby Lashly one the title after Paul Hayman 0:01:33.319 --> 0:01:38.840 turned on brock Lessner gave the championship belt a Roman Reigns, 0:01:38.840 --> 0:01:41.119 who at Lessner with it. Bobby Lashly wins the title. 0:01:41.520 --> 0:01:45.440 Lessner loses the title, but fear not, brock Lessner goes 0:01:45.480 --> 0:01:50.440 on to win the Men's Royal Rumble, eliminating Drew mcautyre. 0:01:50.480 --> 0:01:53.480 Brock Lessner will now be facing Roman Reigns for the 0:01:53.480 --> 0:01:57.920 title at WrestleMania, and in no surprise, Edge and Beth 0:01:57.960 --> 0:02:02.360 Feedings defeated The Maurice them Is the Maurice and them 0:02:02.440 --> 0:02:07.360 Is in the mixed tag match double glam Slam finish. 0:02:07.440 --> 0:02:10.880 It was a very hit and misshow opening match was great, 0:02:10.960 --> 0:02:14.440 finished sucked Women's Battle Royal. Some of it was good, 0:02:14.480 --> 0:02:18.680 some of it was atrocious. Lynch and Dewdrop good wrestling, 0:02:18.680 --> 0:02:23.640 no heat, Lashly and Lessner, w w E booking and 0:02:23.919 --> 0:02:27.080 uh Lessner winning the Rumble's boring Rumble for the most part. 0:02:27.120 --> 0:02:30.840 A couple of notable exceptions, including Drew's return, Bad Bunny 0:02:30.840 --> 0:02:33.079 and more we'll talk about after the break. Observer Live. 0:02:42.520 --> 0:02:51.079 Thank you were listening to Wrestling Observer Live with Brian 0:02:51.160 --> 0:02:55.440 Alvarez and Mike Semper viv on the Sports Byline Broadcasting Network. 0:02:58.880 --> 0:03:01.520 Back in the show right, Albert is here Wrestling Observer 0:03:01.800 --> 0:03:05.000 Alive Miximburviva, also Wrestling Observer dot Com. We got a 0:03:05.000 --> 0:03:08.440 lot to talk about today. I got fifty thousand things 0:03:08.480 --> 0:03:11.200 to discuss, but I wanted to start off. Best wishes 0:03:11.240 --> 0:03:16.799 to Vince McMahon. His mother, Vicky, passed away one hundred 0:03:16.840 --> 0:03:22.000 and one years old. An obituary for Vicky escuwe stated 0:03:22.040 --> 0:03:24.720 she caught passed away quietly of natural causes in her 0:03:24.760 --> 0:03:30.960 sleep at home in the Woodlands, Texas, on January. Funeral 0:03:31.000 --> 0:03:33.200 services were held on January twenty. It will be a 0:03:33.240 --> 0:03:38.160 private burial in Evansburg, Pennsylvania at a later a day 0:03:38.240 --> 0:03:42.440 she died. The one year anniversary of Rod At McMahon's passing, 0:03:42.880 --> 0:03:47.680 who was Vince McMahon's brother. Provided by one son, for grandchildren, 0:03:47.720 --> 0:03:52.200 twelve great grandchildren, her husband, Harold, died in She was 0:03:52.240 --> 0:03:56.720 an avid tennis player. The Evansburg Tennis Center in Pennsylvania 0:03:57.160 --> 0:03:59.640 was dedicated to her after Vince McMahon and the McMahon 0:03:59.680 --> 0:04:02.640 Family Foundation donated two and a half million to build 0:04:02.680 --> 0:04:06.360 the facility. The idea for the tennis center originated from 0:04:06.400 --> 0:04:09.480 Harold Aske calling Vince after being concerned that Vicky had 0:04:09.480 --> 0:04:12.400 to drive twenty two miles in the winter to play 0:04:12.440 --> 0:04:16.640 tennis in Altuna. The center opened in a two thousand 0:04:16.839 --> 0:04:25.000 and seven, So it is twenty twenty two minus two 0:04:25.000 --> 0:04:28.960 thousand seven. That was fifteen years ago. She was one 0:04:28.960 --> 0:04:34.880 oh one, so at eighties six years old she was 0:04:34.960 --> 0:04:39.200 driving to play tennis twenty two miles both ways in 0:04:39.240 --> 0:04:44.320 the snow. Eighty six years old, so condolences to Vince, 0:04:44.440 --> 0:04:48.680 but hundred and one years old. Mike, what do you 0:04:48.680 --> 0:04:53.880 think it is? Royal rumble? I thought it existed, you know, 0:04:54.360 --> 0:04:58.800 it certainly existed, and uh interesting that I didn't hear 0:04:58.839 --> 0:05:01.159 you note this, which probably didn't see the pre show, 0:05:01.200 --> 0:05:03.719 and I'm not sure how many people that did since 0:05:03.760 --> 0:05:06.000 there were no wrestling matches on it. Put book or 0:05:06.080 --> 0:05:10.880 t is running down the odds on who could possibly 0:05:10.920 --> 0:05:15.279 win the thing, and he mentions brock Lesner's name and 0:05:15.400 --> 0:05:17.800 mentions that, hey, you know, he'd be one of my 0:05:17.880 --> 0:05:20.159 bets as well too, and it's like, well, wait a second, 0:05:20.680 --> 0:05:23.159 I know there's still spots that are available in this thing, 0:05:23.200 --> 0:05:25.440 but did you really want to mention that brock Lessner 0:05:25.560 --> 0:05:27.560 was going to come out and be the surprise? But 0:05:28.520 --> 0:05:30.839 he he was, and he he won the thing, and 0:05:30.920 --> 0:05:34.600 ron A Rousing obviously won the women's uh side. So 0:05:35.760 --> 0:05:38.760 you know, the night itself, it was okay. You know, 0:05:38.880 --> 0:05:41.440 I was online mostly kind of bantering about and having 0:05:41.480 --> 0:05:43.320 fun with it, so I was in a good mood. 0:05:43.880 --> 0:05:46.000 Uh So a lot of the nonsense just kind of 0:05:46.320 --> 0:05:48.360 you know, went over my head. You know, I wasn't 0:05:48.400 --> 0:05:50.479 even too concerned with it because I figured we'll talk 0:05:50.480 --> 0:05:53.279 about it today and rant about it today. So in 0:05:53.320 --> 0:05:55.600 the moment, I was fine with watching it. But it's like, 0:05:55.680 --> 0:05:58.640 the best match on the show was Roman Rains and 0:05:58.680 --> 0:06:01.279 Seth Rollins, and then they had that type of ending 0:06:01.360 --> 0:06:04.720 for it, which I mean, it's understandable, but I didn't 0:06:04.720 --> 0:06:06.360 think it was very good, and I think it took 0:06:06.400 --> 0:06:07.960 a lot of the steam out of the start of 0:06:07.960 --> 0:06:10.400 the show, and he kind of went on from there. 0:06:10.520 --> 0:06:14.279 I mean with the Rumble, I'm not sure when you 0:06:14.320 --> 0:06:16.599 try to bring back names. And it was nice to 0:06:16.600 --> 0:06:19.120 see Molina in some array, and it was nice to 0:06:19.120 --> 0:06:21.640 see some names that I hadn't seen in a long time. 0:06:21.720 --> 0:06:24.320 But there's no shot of any of these people winning 0:06:24.400 --> 0:06:26.600 if their name wasn't Ronda Rousey. So there's only so 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:29.000 much drama you can add. And the fact of the 0:06:29.040 --> 0:06:31.520 matter is, unfortunately a lot of these folks they bring 0:06:31.560 --> 0:06:35.360 back they treated as mid cards or jokes or you know, 0:06:35.440 --> 0:06:38.680 whoever it is and whatever it is anyway, so you know, 0:06:38.720 --> 0:06:40.720 how much impact do they really have when you bring 0:06:40.760 --> 0:06:43.800 back somebody from the past and and there's no impact there. 0:06:44.240 --> 0:06:47.239 This isn't like when you know, Kurt Henning and Dustin 0:06:47.360 --> 0:06:49.479 Rhodes is gold dust and that was a big deal 0:06:49.520 --> 0:06:51.520 in two thousand two or whatever it was. When they 0:06:51.520 --> 0:06:54.400 brought those people back, it provided some you know, some 0:06:54.400 --> 0:06:57.039 some surprise where they brought that Kurt Hending, It's like, 0:06:57.080 --> 0:07:00.240 could this guy actually win? There was nobody like that 0:07:00.440 --> 0:07:05.000 in the Unfortunately, in the Rumble, again, nobody angle was winning. 0:07:05.120 --> 0:07:07.160 KURTA hen It was winning that Royal Roam. Yeah, but 0:07:07.200 --> 0:07:09.200 at least they bring him in, but there's only four left. 0:07:09.200 --> 0:07:11.560 They provide some drama their since he was at least 0:07:11.560 --> 0:07:13.520 the main eventor and it was at least a star 0:07:13.600 --> 0:07:15.520 when people were there. Look at some of the names 0:07:15.520 --> 0:07:17.720 that were brought back for these two Royal Rumbles, and 0:07:17.760 --> 0:07:20.760 it's like they're not even stars, you know, And that's 0:07:21.160 --> 0:07:23.440 that's unfortunate. And that's what they're gonna have to deal with. 0:07:23.480 --> 0:07:25.160 Two is they go down the line here when they 0:07:25.200 --> 0:07:28.480 continue to bring names back ten years from now, it's like, 0:07:28.960 --> 0:07:30.680 you know, what are you going to be bringing back 0:07:30.720 --> 0:07:32.760 at that point. Here's the thing with book Or t 0:07:32.960 --> 0:07:36.360 everybody years and years and years ago, this would have 0:07:36.400 --> 0:07:38.680 been around I think it was actually the ninety seven Rumble. 0:07:39.680 --> 0:07:43.120 Bret Hart was scheduled to win the Rumble and they 0:07:43.120 --> 0:07:46.760 did this this deal with Vince Russo and and Vince 0:07:46.840 --> 0:07:50.080 Russo predicted that Bret Hart would win the Royal Rumble 0:07:50.760 --> 0:07:56.080 because Vince Russo knew and he wanted to get himself over. Okay, 0:07:56.320 --> 0:07:58.920 I don't believe for one second the book Or actually 0:07:59.000 --> 0:08:01.600 knew who was going to win the Royal Rumble this year. 0:08:02.040 --> 0:08:06.160 And apparently the the segment he actually was looking through 0:08:06.440 --> 0:08:09.680 what the odds makers had predicted as the winner of 0:08:09.680 --> 0:08:13.040 the Royal Rumble, and the odds makers had brock Lesner 0:08:13.200 --> 0:08:15.640 as one of the favorites for the Royal Rumble during 0:08:15.640 --> 0:08:18.880 the pre show, which was the main reason he brought 0:08:18.880 --> 0:08:24.120 that up. But here's the thing with this show. His 0:08:24.200 --> 0:08:26.200 job to go ahead and do that. Is that what 0:08:26.360 --> 0:08:28.440 exactly they wanted? And is that the hand that they 0:08:28.480 --> 0:08:33.760 wanted to tip? I don't know. I uh. I thought 0:08:33.800 --> 0:08:37.000 the show was all right, and I've gotten criticism for that. 0:08:37.080 --> 0:08:40.320 But you know, somebody actually made a point Ada when 0:08:40.400 --> 0:08:42.360 when you know, people make a good point about me, 0:08:42.440 --> 0:08:45.400 I didn't think about. But the point was, it is 0:08:45.679 --> 0:08:48.880 true most of you listening to this right now. I 0:08:48.920 --> 0:08:50.640 shouldn't say mostly, because I don't know how many, but 0:08:50.760 --> 0:08:52.280 there's a fair amount of you that you don't watch 0:08:52.480 --> 0:08:55.959 Raw and you don't watch SmackDown, but you watch the 0:08:56.040 --> 0:09:00.720 Royal Rumble and you were disappointed. Okay, bro I watched 0:09:00.840 --> 0:09:05.520 Raw and I watched SmackDown. Okay, and uh, given the Raw, 0:09:05.840 --> 0:09:08.520 the three hour raws and Smackdowns that I watched on 0:09:08.520 --> 0:09:11.800 a weekly basis, the show is alright. Okay. If you 0:09:12.040 --> 0:09:14.960 don't watch those shows and you watched this one and 0:09:15.000 --> 0:09:18.800 you're like, cow Lee, bro, you don't know what you're missing. Clearly, 0:09:19.400 --> 0:09:22.160 was this show great? No, this show wasn't great. The 0:09:22.160 --> 0:09:26.679 men watching Men's No, No, you knew what you didn't 0:09:26.679 --> 0:09:28.400 like when you stopped watching, but you don't know what 0:09:28.440 --> 0:09:32.640 you're missing now. The Men's Rumble listen, it was boring, okay. 0:09:32.760 --> 0:09:35.880 The highlights were the return of Drew mcattire, bad Bunny 0:09:35.920 --> 0:09:39.040 doing a bunch of flips, Johnny Knoxville out working, you know, 0:09:39.120 --> 0:09:42.240 half the outsiders, and uh, that was it. That was 0:09:42.400 --> 0:09:45.200 That was the men's Rumble. It wasn't horrible. There wasn't 0:09:45.240 --> 0:09:48.760 like bad work. But it's like Bobby Rude comes out, 0:09:49.640 --> 0:09:52.160 Bobby Roode, ain't gonna win, he does some spots, he 0:09:52.200 --> 0:09:56.560 gets thrown out. Whoever, Dolph Ziggler comes out, he ain't 0:09:56.559 --> 0:09:59.199 gonna win. He does some didn't even do that. You're like, oh, 0:09:59.240 --> 0:10:01.319 Bobby Ruder and wild and then you got a limit. 0:10:01.360 --> 0:10:03.360 Nothing like that. It's just like they did some moves 0:10:03.480 --> 0:10:07.600 and then got thrown out. The Women's Rumble. Listen. The 0:10:07.640 --> 0:10:12.200 Women's Rumble. There was some bad wrestling, okay, but you 0:10:12.200 --> 0:10:14.960 know what I I was, I'll have me put it 0:10:15.000 --> 0:10:17.840 this way. I was never bored, not for one second, 0:10:18.160 --> 0:10:21.480 and that women's rumble was I bored. There was Molina 0:10:21.559 --> 0:10:24.680 coming out and just like the worst elimination you ever saw. 0:10:24.760 --> 0:10:26.959 And then she responds by just bouncing in the splits 0:10:26.960 --> 0:10:29.240 on the outside. She's so mad, she's gonna do the splits. 0:10:29.520 --> 0:10:31.480 There's Alicia Fox hit in the ring and like shooting 0:10:31.480 --> 0:10:34.280 on everybody. She injured like three people in the span 0:10:34.360 --> 0:10:36.240 of three seconds, which you know that should be in 0:10:36.280 --> 0:10:39.079 the Guinness bookle World records how many legitimate injuries have 0:10:39.120 --> 0:10:40.800 occurred in the w w E ring in the shortest 0:10:40.800 --> 0:10:44.280 amount of time. She kicks live Morgan straight in the face. 0:10:44.520 --> 0:10:46.679 She acts kicks I can't remember. It looked like she 0:10:46.720 --> 0:10:49.560 almost killed her. She like, I think headbutted or something. 0:10:49.640 --> 0:10:52.920 Natty Natty has got a haymatomo like this big. I'm like, dude, 0:10:53.320 --> 0:10:56.000 somebody get the fire department in there, get her out 0:10:56.000 --> 0:11:00.520 of there, the baby lee and you know, then whoever 0:11:00.679 --> 0:11:03.240 comes out and whatever. I mean, it wasn't boring and 0:11:03.280 --> 0:11:05.480 there was some decent stuff in there, and you know 0:11:05.520 --> 0:11:12.280 Ivory and by the way, by the way, I don't 0:11:12.320 --> 0:11:16.319 know this for sure, Okay. I don't know this for sure, 0:11:16.920 --> 0:11:20.959 but there is I would I would go as so 0:11:21.040 --> 0:11:22.840 far as to say, from what I was told, a 0:11:22.920 --> 0:11:26.280 pretty good possibility. Did you remember when Ivory came out 0:11:26.679 --> 0:11:28.720 and just look great and I tweeted that she was 0:11:28.800 --> 0:11:31.319 sixty and everybody was like out of their minds and 0:11:31.360 --> 0:11:33.400 they couldn't believe it. In there's no way in blah 0:11:33.400 --> 0:11:40.560 blah blah, she actually maybe sixty three. Dude, I'm not kidding. 0:11:41.000 --> 0:11:43.840 On my Twitter, I sent out shots of from her 0:11:43.880 --> 0:11:48.200 from Glow as Tina Ferrari in five eighties six. Whatever 0:11:48.240 --> 0:11:50.920 it is, she looks pretty much exactly the same. You 0:11:50.960 --> 0:11:52.880 look at her body, and I don't know what it 0:11:52.920 --> 0:11:55.960 looks like underneath that right to sense her gear that 0:11:56.040 --> 0:11:58.040 she had on, but I could bet you she could 0:11:58.040 --> 0:12:01.120 throw still probably throw some gear on and do a 0:12:01.200 --> 0:12:05.160 fine ten minute job in the ring without breaking a 0:12:05.240 --> 0:12:07.040 sweat with any of the women on the main roster. 0:12:07.320 --> 0:12:11.120 She's an amazing, amazing woman. And listen Brock and Lashly. 0:12:11.200 --> 0:12:13.360 I mean, was it a one of the better Brock 0:12:13.440 --> 0:12:16.600 five minutes sprints? No? But I mean they supplex each 0:12:16.640 --> 0:12:19.440 other all over, and you know, Lashly took some bad 0:12:19.440 --> 0:12:20.960 bumps because you want to land on his head for 0:12:21.000 --> 0:12:23.360 the eighth time. And you know it was a w 0:12:23.679 --> 0:12:25.720 e finish. I got a big reaction when Haymond gave 0:12:25.800 --> 0:12:27.680 the guy the belt, Like that's the point, right to 0:12:27.679 --> 0:12:29.600 get the big reaction for the big spot in the 0:12:29.640 --> 0:12:33.520 match Becky and and do drop. The wrestling was good, 0:12:34.000 --> 0:12:36.240 I mean not there. I mean it's Becky's fault. Nobody 0:12:36.280 --> 0:12:38.320 cares because she is determined to be a heel. But 0:12:38.920 --> 0:12:41.040 I mean I thought the show was all right. Talk 0:12:41.080 --> 0:12:52.720 more after the breakups over live back in the show 0:12:52.760 --> 0:12:55.839 right nowver is here Wrestling Observer Live Mix, super viv 0:12:55.960 --> 0:13:01.920 also Wrestling Observe dot Com. So uh bad. Apparently the 0:13:01.960 --> 0:13:06.240 spot with Natty was they did the deal where her 0:13:06.320 --> 0:13:09.360 Alicia running each other Gonnay grab each other's hair and 0:13:09.480 --> 0:13:16.040 helicopter in midair and clonged heads, which actually, when you 0:13:16.040 --> 0:13:18.040 think about it, is like this is no joke. Like 0:13:18.160 --> 0:13:22.440 Natty's lucky she didn't get shabbatted because that clunking headbuts 0:13:22.440 --> 0:13:25.840 what did him in? And uh dude, that lump on 0:13:25.880 --> 0:13:27.880 her head if you go and look on her social media, 0:13:27.880 --> 0:13:30.319 I swear to god, the lumps that big right on 0:13:30.360 --> 0:13:33.880 her head. Well you're you're right. Look, we gotta always 0:13:33.880 --> 0:13:35.840 be careful about they see him boxing all the time 0:13:35.880 --> 0:13:39.800 though where I mean, Hassin Rockman had that famous shot 0:13:39.840 --> 0:13:42.280 where he had such a hematoma his head looked like 0:13:42.320 --> 0:13:44.680 it was growing another head. So you gotta you gotta 0:13:44.720 --> 0:13:47.520 watch that at all times. But you know, it happens. 0:13:47.679 --> 0:13:50.880 It happens more than a lot of people think, because 0:13:50.920 --> 0:13:54.000 sometimes these things aren't visual because somebody's got an egg 0:13:54.040 --> 0:13:56.520 on the back of their head that's grown and it's 0:13:56.520 --> 0:13:59.280 not as pronounced as what Natalia has got. But yeah, 0:13:59.280 --> 0:14:01.680 it was a it was a nasty thing. Look look 0:14:01.679 --> 0:14:04.120 at how Kelly Kelly you know, hit the matt and 0:14:04.160 --> 0:14:07.080 Sasha you know, pushed her out and she basically fell 0:14:07.120 --> 0:14:09.480 off the apron and went like flat faced and just 0:14:09.520 --> 0:14:13.240 splatted on the uh on the mats outside. So you know, 0:14:13.280 --> 0:14:15.680 there's there's always a risk, especially when you bring back 0:14:15.720 --> 0:14:19.120 people that have not worked for a long time, who unfortunately, 0:14:19.480 --> 0:14:21.800 we're not exactly the best workers in the world kind 0:14:21.800 --> 0:14:24.720 of going in there, but two people who are good workers, 0:14:24.760 --> 0:14:29.680 Becky Lynch and and do Drop Piper niven I viper 0:14:30.480 --> 0:14:33.280 I thought that match was really good and unfortunately it 0:14:33.320 --> 0:14:35.720 didn't mean anything, as you you know, as you kind 0:14:35.720 --> 0:14:37.480 of mentioned as well too, you know, because of the 0:14:37.480 --> 0:14:40.600 crowd heat, because of a lot of disadvantages that they 0:14:40.640 --> 0:14:43.320 have built in for themselves for that. But you know, 0:14:43.400 --> 0:14:45.560 you gotta give it to do drop. She I think 0:14:45.560 --> 0:14:48.880 did the best she could verbally leading into the thing. 0:14:49.000 --> 0:14:51.120 I thought the attack on Becky, you know, it was 0:14:51.160 --> 0:14:53.800 probably too little, too late as far as trying to 0:14:53.840 --> 0:14:55.720 bring the thing up. And you know, it was all 0:14:55.800 --> 0:14:59.240 like homicide and Moxley, where I don't think anybody there, 0:14:59.320 --> 0:15:01.160 even if you were the biggest fan in the world, 0:15:01.160 --> 0:15:03.360 thought on the side was gonna win that match. This 0:15:03.400 --> 0:15:04.880 was kind of the same way would do a drop 0:15:04.920 --> 0:15:07.960 in Becky Lynch, except he had even less he going 0:15:07.960 --> 0:15:09.880 into it because he had no drama at all. Because 0:15:09.920 --> 0:15:12.960 I don't think anybody, not one person thought Becky was 0:15:13.000 --> 0:15:16.760 gonna lose that match, And unfortunately, you know, for the 0:15:16.880 --> 0:15:19.440 situations that they're in, character wise, there's a lot of 0:15:19.480 --> 0:15:21.360 people who thought Becky was the big baby face in 0:15:21.400 --> 0:15:25.040 that match. Alright, So if you have not seen the 0:15:25.080 --> 0:15:29.760 new article I have written for Sports Illustrated, so on 0:15:29.840 --> 0:15:34.080 my Twitter right now at Brian Alvarez. So the point 0:15:34.120 --> 0:15:36.640 of it is where we going for WrestleMania. Well, it 0:15:36.760 --> 0:15:40.440 is Brock lessner Roman reigns for the title. And my 0:15:40.480 --> 0:15:45.280 presumption is that the story will be Brock must choose 0:15:45.520 --> 0:15:49.080 once and for all who he's going to go with, 0:15:49.200 --> 0:15:51.920 since uh, you know, he was with Brock forever, then 0:15:51.920 --> 0:15:54.720 he went with Roman, then he allegedly left Roman for 0:15:54.760 --> 0:15:56.880 Brock again, and then it was a swerve and now 0:15:56.880 --> 0:16:00.200 he's back with Roman. So will he make a final 0:16:00.240 --> 0:16:04.720 decision WrestleMania. That is the that's the main event. The 0:16:04.760 --> 0:16:08.720 women's match is at this point. Plans could change, but 0:16:08.760 --> 0:16:14.800 I don't think they're going to Rhonda Rousey and Charlotte Flair. 0:16:15.840 --> 0:16:18.840 Do you guys remember? Of course you remember because I 0:16:18.840 --> 0:16:20.440 had to hear about it for three years. Now do 0:16:20.520 --> 0:16:24.880 you guys remember WrestleMania? I do because I was there 0:16:24.880 --> 0:16:27.400 at twelve fifteen when the show ended a m and 0:16:27.400 --> 0:16:30.160 that took me five hours to get home. Anyway, So 0:16:30.400 --> 0:16:32.800 the main event was a three way. It was Rhonda 0:16:33.240 --> 0:16:37.920 and Charlotte and uh Becky and uh oh Man. Those 0:16:37.920 --> 0:16:41.080 fans wanted that one on one match, but w w's 0:16:41.520 --> 0:16:46.160 decision was, well, it is the main event. It's closing WrestleMania, 0:16:46.360 --> 0:16:51.520 and let's get two seasoned great workers in there with Rhonda, 0:16:52.080 --> 0:16:54.160 and the match is going to be better. That's what 0:16:54.200 --> 0:16:57.320 they thought, and I also thought it would be better 0:16:57.480 --> 0:17:00.400 as a three way and looks like I'll find out 0:17:00.440 --> 0:17:04.480 eventually anyway, So, uh, they did the match, and what 0:17:04.640 --> 0:17:10.800 happened was Becky didn't pin Ronda for the wind because 0:17:11.040 --> 0:17:15.480 Ronda's shoulder came up, but Becky was given the pin 0:17:15.880 --> 0:17:19.800 and the two titles. Anyway, it was a botch okay, 0:17:19.840 --> 0:17:21.679 and that was the last thing we saw of Rhonda. 0:17:22.720 --> 0:17:27.400 So knowing that Rhonda comes back here and she wins 0:17:27.480 --> 0:17:31.640 the Royal Rumble, and to me and everyone else with 0:17:31.920 --> 0:17:35.639 you know, two functioning brain cells, there's exactly one obvious 0:17:35.680 --> 0:17:41.119 match and that is Rhonda Rousey versus Becky Lynch. Because 0:17:41.200 --> 0:17:45.639 Becky took her title but her shoulder wasn't down. You 0:17:45.680 --> 0:17:47.600 can't even argue that he wants she wants Charlotte because 0:17:47.640 --> 0:17:48.960 she held the other She didn't hold the other title. 0:17:49.000 --> 0:17:51.040 She held the title that Becky has right now. So 0:17:51.080 --> 0:17:54.560 there's like no logical scenario that anyone can come up 0:17:54.600 --> 0:17:58.119 with for why Rhonda which use Charlotte, especially because she 0:17:58.240 --> 0:18:01.800 just eliminated Charlotte from the rumble, but I'm sure they've 0:18:01.840 --> 0:18:07.560 got some plan and it will be Ronda versus Charlotte. 0:18:07.600 --> 0:18:09.280 Now in real life, why are they doing this match 0:18:09.280 --> 0:18:15.120 and not Rondon Becky? Well, because Ronda is here through 0:18:15.280 --> 0:18:20.480 at least next year's WrestleMania and perhaps from there she'll 0:18:20.480 --> 0:18:23.440 continue on. But she's signed from now through next year's WrestleMania. 0:18:23.840 --> 0:18:27.360 And so clearly the idea is the two biggest matches 0:18:27.400 --> 0:18:30.120 that we can do with Ronda Rousey are Ronda versus 0:18:30.200 --> 0:18:34.800 Charlotte and Ronda versus Becky. And Ronda versus Becky is 0:18:35.000 --> 0:18:38.720 the bigger match, and so Ronda will I'm sure, beat 0:18:38.800 --> 0:18:41.600 Charlotte and WrestleMania this year to take the title, and 0:18:41.640 --> 0:18:45.240 then we'll go on to next year's WrestleMania and it 0:18:45.280 --> 0:18:48.800 will be Ronda Rowsy versus Becky Lynch for either both 0:18:48.800 --> 0:18:51.359 titles or whatever title or whatever, and that will be 0:18:51.400 --> 0:18:54.400 the big match a year from now. So that appears 0:18:54.400 --> 0:18:56.159 to be where they're going. And now I can hear 0:18:56.200 --> 0:18:59.520 everyone complain about it for the next eighteen months or whatever, 0:19:01.880 --> 0:19:04.399 and they probably will because I'll have reason to complain 0:19:04.520 --> 0:19:08.200 about it. It's, uh, you know, for me, I hope 0:19:08.240 --> 0:19:10.679 at some point during this run, because why do you 0:19:10.760 --> 0:19:12.439 bring in a round a rousing. You bring her in 0:19:12.480 --> 0:19:15.080 to take advantage of her name and her hype and 0:19:15.119 --> 0:19:19.600 her appeal. But you're eventually you want to use somebody 0:19:19.640 --> 0:19:23.080 from the outside to make stars and to put over 0:19:23.280 --> 0:19:28.720 people into elevate folks who are on the cusp. And 0:19:30.040 --> 0:19:32.480 you know, we'll see how it goes. But there's all 0:19:32.520 --> 0:19:35.359 those matches that we've already seen. The one I'm really 0:19:35.400 --> 0:19:38.480 interested in down the line is Rhonda and Bianca bell 0:19:38.560 --> 0:19:43.440 Air because Ronda's name could do a lot for Bianca 0:19:43.520 --> 0:19:48.800 bell Air. Bianca is obviously a athlete that's incredibly special. 0:19:48.880 --> 0:19:53.920 There she's got again for they haven't ruined her anything 0:19:53.960 --> 0:19:56.679 like that. Have they been perfect with her? No? You 0:19:56.720 --> 0:19:58.600 know what I have had her lose the belt to 0:19:58.640 --> 0:20:00.399 Becky in the way that she did and lead to 0:20:00.440 --> 0:20:03.840 all that sort of stuff. No, but that's what they 0:20:03.880 --> 0:20:07.280 do and you have to suffer through it. So for me, 0:20:08.880 --> 0:20:13.639 that's the one because Sasha is already a star, you know, 0:20:13.880 --> 0:20:17.080 Charlotte's already a star, Becky Lynch is already a star. 0:20:17.359 --> 0:20:21.320 Now where they're how brightly their stars are shining. All 0:20:21.359 --> 0:20:23.560 depends on the moment in time with w w E. 0:20:23.760 --> 0:20:26.720 But they're all stars already beyond as the star too. 0:20:26.880 --> 0:20:30.160 But you know, she hasn't, to me, hit that crossover 0:20:30.240 --> 0:20:32.600 level yet. They haven't put that rocket behind her, that 0:20:32.640 --> 0:20:35.199 push behind her to kind of make her, you know, 0:20:35.359 --> 0:20:38.200 bigger than than anyone else. And I think Ronda Rousing 0:20:38.240 --> 0:20:40.760 can really do that physically. With these two working with 0:20:40.840 --> 0:20:44.240 each other, you know, it's an exciting prop you know, 0:20:44.320 --> 0:20:46.760 proposition there. So we're gonna have what we're having going 0:20:46.760 --> 0:20:49.840 through WrestleMania. But I think the big news is that 0:20:50.040 --> 0:20:51.919 Ronda is gonna be around. And if Ronda is going 0:20:52.000 --> 0:20:53.800 to be around, there's a lot of people that you know, 0:20:53.880 --> 0:20:55.840 she can work with and in Bianca is a big 0:20:55.840 --> 0:20:58.760 glowing person on that list. Here listen to everybody. First off, 0:20:59.240 --> 0:21:01.920 the idea that to Ronda and Charlotte, fans are gonna 0:21:01.960 --> 0:21:05.159 hate both of them. Maybe maybe the fans will, But 0:21:06.040 --> 0:21:08.479 if you didn't see the Rumble last night, run Rousy 0:21:08.680 --> 0:21:12.440 got a massive baby face pop when she came out 0:21:12.440 --> 0:21:15.160 in the Rumble, and she got a massive baby face 0:21:15.200 --> 0:21:18.240 pop when she eliminated Charlotte Flair. I realized that she 0:21:18.400 --> 0:21:22.600 was booed three years ago, but it's three years later. 0:21:22.840 --> 0:21:24.400 You know what else I remember from three years ago, 0:21:24.560 --> 0:21:27.000 fans absolutely never wanted to see a Roman rains Brock 0:21:27.040 --> 0:21:29.840 Listener match again, And now I don't know about how 0:21:29.880 --> 0:21:32.520 they maybe not, you know, after what happened there, but 0:21:32.680 --> 0:21:34.400 they were totally into that match when it was gonna 0:21:34.440 --> 0:21:37.520 take place at day one, So like things can change, 0:21:37.600 --> 0:21:40.760 and Charlotte, I'm I'm pretty sure it's going to be 0:21:40.800 --> 0:21:44.400 an effective, dislikable heel, so I don't think there's any 0:21:44.400 --> 0:21:48.080 guarantee whatsoever that Ronda is gonna be booed facing Charlotte 0:21:48.400 --> 0:21:52.880 at WrestleMania. Furthermore, if you're also unhappy about the fact 0:21:52.920 --> 0:21:56.119 that it's not round Ronda Rousey versus Becky Lynch, this 0:21:56.280 --> 0:21:59.879 does open the door for Becky Lynch versus Bianca be 0:22:00.080 --> 0:22:03.200 Lair and Bianca Bell are getting her revenge and WrestleMania 0:22:03.280 --> 0:22:05.920 and beating Becky for that title, which I actually think 0:22:06.000 --> 0:22:09.280 is what they're going to do, but we will. I 0:22:09.280 --> 0:22:13.000 don't want to say, well, it's like what else would 0:22:13.040 --> 0:22:15.439 you do? Because on page of course I would do 0:22:15.480 --> 0:22:17.320 that whole thing. It's like, what else are you going 0:22:17.400 --> 0:22:20.000 to do, so, I mean, I'm you know, unfortunately for 0:22:20.680 --> 0:22:22.919 you know, we'll see what they do. But you know, 0:22:23.040 --> 0:22:28.320 there's on paper, there's that's a no brainer. So alright, 0:22:28.680 --> 0:22:31.800 let's see what else we have got here. I think 0:22:31.800 --> 0:22:33.760 it's pretty much all of the biggest news coming out 0:22:33.800 --> 0:22:35.520 of the rumble. Ronda is gonna be on Raw tonight, 0:22:35.960 --> 0:22:38.560 Rock is gonna be on Raw tonight. Ronda is going 0:22:38.640 --> 0:22:42.840