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Post by Panda on Jan 20, 2009 13:35:52 GMT 1
New thread for the new year!
An eventful last Raw before the Royal Rumble.
Mr. McMahon returned and re-instated Chris Jericho, only to once again leave the ring on a stretcher, following a kick to the head from Randy Orton when he tried to fire him.
CM Punk finally won the Intercontinental title after beating William Regal in a No DQ match.
CM Punk has also been added to the Royal Rumble match and Chris Jericho is back in. There are still 11 places left in the Rumble.
Current Royal Rumble card:
30-man Royal Rumble match: Confirmed participants - CM Punk, R-Truth, Carlito, The Brian Kendrick, Triple H, Big Show, Vladimir Kozlov, Shelton Benjamin, Undertaker, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Kofi Kingston, Rey Mysterio, The Miz, John Morrison, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, Santino Marella, Kane
World Heavyweight title: John Cena v JBL (w/ Shawn Michaels)
WWE title: Jeff Hardy v Edge
ECW title: Jack Swagger v Matt Hardy
Women's title: Beth Phoenix v Melina
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Sauron
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Post by Sauron on Jan 20, 2009 14:39:36 GMT 1
Yay a new thread!
IMO Vince's return was a bit anti climatic. I guess he will be out for a few more months thanks to Orton's kick.
Speaking of Orton, after Raw this week I'm starting to think he will win the rumble. After his win in that over the top rope match.
And BOO at Regal not being IC champ.
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Post by Panda on Jan 20, 2009 19:00:03 GMT 1
Yay a new thread! IMO Vince's return was a bit anti climatic. I guess he will be out for a few more months thanks to Orton's kick. Speaking of Orton, after Raw this week I'm starting to think he will win the rumble. After his win in that over the top rope match. And BOO at Regal not being IC champ. I like to see Regal do well but there's no way I'm going to criticise the decision to put the title on Punk.
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Post by Panda on Jan 21, 2009 16:07:12 GMT 1
Finlay and Mark Henry have been confirmed for the Royal Rumble match.
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Sauron
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Post by Sauron on Jan 21, 2009 17:00:09 GMT 1
It will be interesting to see if someone from ECW ever wins the rumble.
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Post by Panda on Jan 21, 2009 17:17:23 GMT 1
It will be interesting to see if someone from ECW ever wins the rumble. I can't see it in the near future. Anyone who's going to main event Wrestlemania is already on Raw or Smackdown. It would be too big a jump up the card unless they significantly strengthen the ECW roster.
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Post by Panda on Jan 24, 2009 13:38:58 GMT 1
Royal Rumble predictions...
It's so tough to call the world title matches. World title changes at the Royal Rumble are very rare - only 1 this decade - but both could conceivably change hands tomorrow. I'm going to go for one title change, though. Wouldn't be at all surprised if I'm wrong on both.
World Heavyweight title: Cena WWE title: Edge ECW title: Swagger Women's title: Beth Royal Rumble match: Triple H (just because I'd settle for anyone but him winning.) He and Orton seem the obvious contenders, followed by the Undertaker. Barring a surprise entrant, I can't see the winner not being one of those three. I doubt Jericho will be back in the title picture so soon after being champion. CM Punk has an outside chance but I don't think they'd have put the Intercontinental title on him if he was going to be in the World title picture. Guys like Kane, Kozlov, Big Show and Khali will probably be dominant forces and one of them could be there at the end but none of them are likely winners. WWE.com still only has 21 entrants but I think Chavo Guerrero and The Great Khali are now in, and probably MVP as well. That leaves 6 spots still to be decided. I don't remember that many this close to the Rumble. I have a feeling Umaga will return. We'll probably see some legends make an appearance like Piper and Snuka last year (how about Dusty Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Sr?) We might also see appearances by current names not scheduled to be involved. Shawn Michaels, perhaps? Or maybe Jeff Hardy will find a way in if he loses his WWE title? Lots of questions, which given the predictable nature of the Rumble sometimes, has to be a good thing.
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Post by Panda on Jan 24, 2009 13:54:25 GMT 1
As things stand, only 4 of the scheduled Royal Rumble participants will be making their debut in the match.
Last year there were 7 debutants.
Raw superstars not currently in the Royal Rumble match: Batista (injured) Charlie Haas Dolph Ziggler Goldust Hacksaw Jim Duggan (winner of the first Royal Rumble) Jamie Noble JBL (in World title match) John Cena (in World title match) JTG (rumoured to be in but not confirmed) Manu Mike Knox Shad (see JTG) Shawn Michaels (in JBL corner for World title match) Sim Snuka William Regal
Smackdown superstars not in the Rumble: Curt Hawkins DH Smith Edge (in WWE title match) Ezekiel Jackson Festus Hurricane Helms Jeff Hardy (in WWE title match) Jesse Jimmy Wang Yang Kung Fu Naki MVP (rumoured to be in) Mr. Kennedy (due to return from injury soon) Primo Colon Ryan Braddock Scotty Goldman The Great Khali (rumoured to be in) Umaga (due to return from injury soon) Zack Ryder
ECW superstars not in the Rumble: Boogeyman Chavo Guerrero (rumoured to be in) DJ Gabriel Evan Bourne (injured) Hornswoggle Jack Swagger (in ECW title match) Matt Hardy (in ECW title match) Paul Burchill Ricky Ortiz Tommy Dreamer
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Post by -Big Dan- on Jan 24, 2009 16:14:30 GMT 1
I think Orton will win the Royal Rumble.
And what exactly is DH Smith doing at the moment? He hasn't made an appearance on Smackdown ever since the draft.
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Post by Panda on Jan 24, 2009 16:18:25 GMT 1
I think Orton will win the Royal Rumble. And what exactly is DH Smith doing at the moment? He hasn't made an appearance on Smackdown ever since the draft. He's been in the doghouse since getting suspended last year. However, there are rumours that he could be added to the Legacy line-up...
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Sauron
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Post by Sauron on Jan 24, 2009 18:11:00 GMT 1
My Predictions:
World Heavyweight title: JBL WWE title: Edge ECW title: Swagger Women's title: Beth Royal Rumble match: Orton or HHH (I can't decided between the two)
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Post by Panda on Jan 25, 2009 11:36:06 GMT 1
Some Royal Rumble history...
Past winners: 1988 - Hacksaw Jim Duggan 1989 - Big John Studd 1990 - Hulk Hogan 1991 - Hulk Hogan 1992 - Ric Flair 1993 - Yokozuna 1994 - Bret Hart & Lex Luger (joint winners) 1995 - Shawn Michaels 1996 - Shawn Michaels 1997 - Stone Cold Steve Austin 1998 - Stone Cold Steve Austin 1999 - Mr. McMahon 2000 - The Rock 2001 - Stone Cold Steve Austin 2002 - Triple H 2003 - Brock Lesnar 2004 - Chris Benoit 2005 - Batista 2006 - Rey Mysterio 2007 - Undertaker 2008 - John Cena
Last man eliminated: 1988 - One Man Gang 1989 - Million Dollar Man 1990 - Mr. Perfect 1991 - Earthquake 1992 - Sid Justice 1993 - Macho Man Randy Savage 1994 - Bret Hart & Lex Luger eliminated each other simultaneously 1995 - British Bulldog 1996 - Diesel 1997 - Bret Hart 1998 - The Rock 1999 - Stone Cold Steve Austin 2000 - Big Show 2001 - Kane 2002 - Kurt Angle 2003 - Undertaker 2004 - Big Show 2005 - John Cena 2006 - Randy Orton 2007 - Shawn Michaels 2008 - Triple H
#1 and #2 entrants: 1988: Bret Hart & Tito Santana 1989: Ax & Smash 1990: Million Dollar Man & Koko B Ware 1991: Bret Hart & Dino Bravo 1992: British Bulldog & Million Dollar Man 1993: Ric Flair & Bob Backlund 1994: Scott Steiner & Samu 1995: Shawn Michaels & British Bulldog 1996: Hunter Hearst Helmsley & Henry O. Godwinn 1997: Crush & Ahmed Johnson 1998: Cactus Jack & Chainsaw Charlie 1999: Stone Cold Steve Austin & Mr. McMahon 2000: D'Lo Brown & Grandmaster Sexay 2001: Jeff Hardy & Bull Buchanan 2002: Rikishi & Goldust 2003: Shawn Michaels & Chris Jericho 2004: Chris Benoit & Randy Orton 2005: Eddie Guerrero & Chris Benoit 2006: Triple H & Rey Mysterio 2007: Ric Flair & Finlay 2008: Undertaker & Shawn Michaels
#30 entrants: 1988: Junkyard Dog (#20) 1989: Million Dollar Man 1990: Mr. Perfect 1991: Tugboat 1992: Warlord 1993: Macho Man Randy Savage 1994: Adam Bomb 1995: Crush 1996: Duke "The Dumpster" Droese 1997: Undertaker 1998: Vader 1999: Chyna 2000: X-Pac 2001: Rikishi 2002: Booker T 2003: Undertaker 2004: Goldberg 2005: Ric Flair 2006: Randy Orton 2007: Undertaker 2008: John Cena
Longest runners: Rey Mysterio 62:12 (2006) Chris Benoit 61:35 (2004) Bob Backlund 61:12 (1993) Triple H 60:09 (2006) Ric Flair 59:29 (1992) Kane 53:43 (2001) Rick Martel 52:29 (1991) The Rock 51:32 (1998) Triple H 48:00 (1996) Chris Benoit 47:30 (2005)
Most Royal Rumble matches: 11 - Shawn Michaels 10 - Kane, Rikishi 9 - Undertaker, Viscera 7 - Billy Gunn, Hardcore Holly, Jake The Snake Roberts, Owen Hart, Rick Martel 6 - Booker T, British Bulldog, Goldust, Matt Hardy, Mick Foley, Randy Savage, Shelton Benjamin, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Tito Santana, Triple H 5 - Albert, Big Boss Man, Big Show, Bob Backlund, Bradshaw, Bret Hart, Edge, Faarooq, Mr. Perfect, Ric Flair, Rob Van Dam, Test
Glen Jacobs (Kane) has appeared in 12 matches, including his time as Isaac Yankem and the second version of Diesel. Charles Wright (Godfather) has appeared in 7 matches in his various guises.
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Post by -Big Dan- on Jan 25, 2009 19:23:18 GMT 1
My Predictions: World Heavyweight title: JBL WWE title: Edge ECW title: Swagger Women's title: Beth Royal Rumble match: Orton or HHH (I can't decided between the two) I agree with all of those, except that I think Orton will win the Rumble.
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Post by Panda on Jan 25, 2009 21:24:34 GMT 1
Bookies don't tend to take bets on wrestling but if they did, the odds for the Royal Rumble might look something like this...
4/1 Randy Orton 4/1 Triple H 6/1 Undertaker 8/1 Chris Jericho 10/1 CM Punk 12/1 The Great Khali 14/1 Big Show 14/1 Kane 16/1 Rey Mysterio 16/1 Vladimir Kozlov 25/1 Kofi Kingston 25/1 Mark Henry 33/1 Finlay 33/1 John Morrison 33/1 Shelton Benjamin 40/1 Cody Rhodes 40/1 Ted DiBiase 40/1 The Brian Kendrick 50/1 Chavo Guerrero 50/1 The Miz 66/1 Carlito 66/1 R-Truth 100/1 Santino Marella
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Sauron
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Posts: 9,296
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Post by Sauron on Jan 26, 2009 0:01:38 GMT 1
That's why I love the rumble. It's so unpredictable!
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Post by -Big Dan- on Jan 26, 2009 12:32:42 GMT 1
Royal Rumble results:
Jack Swagger bt. Matt Hardy to retain ECW Championship
Melina bt. Beth Phoenix to become new Women's Champion
John Cena bt. JBL to retain World Heavyweight Championship
Edge bt. Jeff Hardy to become new WWE Champion
Randy Orton won the Royal Rumble match
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Post by Panda on Jan 26, 2009 13:07:49 GMT 1
Solid PPV overall. The Rumble match itself was OK but not a classic. I'm not a big fan of Rumbles where the ring gets full early on and stays full until the end. It's all a bit messy. No surprises with the outcome, either. Just a shame we didn't get a one-on confrontation to finish the match. The effectively compromised the quality of the match for the sake of the storyline. I'm not sure that's the right thing to do...
With what happened with the Hardys, you do wonder what the plans are for Christian when he arrives...
Order of entry: 1. Rey Mysterio 2. John Morrison 3. Carlito 4. MVP 5. The Great Khali 6. Vladimir Kozlov 7. Triple H 8. Randy Orton 9. JTG 10. Ted DiBiase 11. Chris Jericho 12. Mike Knox 13. The Miz 14. Finlay 15. Cody Rhodes 16. Undertaker 17. Goldust 18. CM Punk 19. Mark Henry 20. Shelton Benjamin 21. William Regal 22. Kofi Kingston 23. Kane 24. R-Truth 25. Rob Van Dam 26. The Brian Kendrick 27. Dolph Ziggler 28. Santino Marella 29. Hacksaw Jim Duggan 30. Big Show
Order of elimination: 1. The Great Khali 2. MVP 3. Carlito 4. Vladimir Kozlov 5. The Miz 6. John Morrison 7. JTG 8. Goldust 9. Mark Henry 10. Shelton Benjamin 11. William Regal 12. Kofi Kingston 13. The Brian Kendrick 14. Dolph Ziggler 15. Santino Marella 16. Hacksaw Jim Duggan 17. R-Truth 18. CM Punk 19. Rey Mysterio 20. Mike Knox 21. Finlay 22. Rob Van Dam 23. Chris Jericho 24. Kane 25. Big Show 26. Undertaker 27. Ted DiBiase 28. Cody Rhodes 29. Triple H
Triple H becomes only the second person, after the Big Show, to be the last man eliminated in the Rumble. It was his 4th time in the final 4. It was Orton's 3rd time in the final 4.
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Post by -Big Dan- on Jan 26, 2009 13:28:25 GMT 1
And yay at RVD returning!
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Post by Panda on Jan 26, 2009 13:31:34 GMT 1
And yay at RVD returning! Yeah, it was a nice moment but I don't think he'll be back permanently. How great was Beth using Melina's own foot to kick her in the head?
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Sauron
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Post by Sauron on Jan 26, 2009 13:45:31 GMT 1
I thought it was a decent PPV to start off the year.
The ending of the rumble was a but annoying. I would have liked to see HHH and Orton gone one on one.
The rumble it self was OK. I started liking the fact that everyone were going over the top rope but getting back in again. But after a while I just wanted to see an elimination.
I actually thought the bit where Matt turned on Jeff quite shocking. I'm looking forward to seeing how that develops.
And I'm also looking forward to the Elimination chamber matches.
At the moment I think Jeff will win back the title at WM.
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