The Royal Rumble, the official kickoff to Wrestlemania season, took place Saturday afternoon, a stark contrast to the traditional prime time position of Sunday night that we saw in prior years. Beyond just the advancements in technology that allow for immediate replay or starting the show from the beginning when it’s already in progress, the bottom line is, when the Saudis pay $50 million for The Rumble, it will take place on their time. It might sound harsh for some of the traditionalist or longtime fans, but it’s a whole new era for the WWE under the TKO banner, and cash is king, even more so than it was under Vince McMahon, a ruthless businessman in his own right. Vince, as deviant as he probably was in his personal life, and as vicious as he was in his professional role, kept with many of the old school wrestling tropes. All bets are off under the TKO banner, the events and terms of those shows go to the highest bidder.
I say that to say this, with the nearly ten years that the Saudi government has paid WWE tens of millions of dollars per show, the Royal Rumble, and the purchase of Wrestlemania next year for a rumored $100 million, I don’t think it’s a stretch to consider that these might all be steps toward the Saudi government purchasing the WWE from Endeavor within the next decade. The corruption, controversy, and sleazy scenario of western sports being bought for Saudi propaganda is simply moot when you take into account the astounding amount of money involved. Everyone has a price, and the Saudi oil money has bought a lot of star power across the board for sports stars and celebrities to shill the narrative of the supposedly modern Saudi society that the government tries to sell to the rest of the world.
Keep those evolving narratives in mind when the performers in the women’s Rumble have to wear full-length Power Ranger suits while the men get to wear their regular ring attire. The corrupt and oppressive history of the Saudi government being ignored for the right price is sleazy even by pro wrestling standards,which is saying something. However, as mentioned, this is the reality of the TKO corporation, the almighty dollar dictates direction, and professional wrestling isn’t exactly known for its ethics and moral standards so maybe none of this should be too surprising.
It should be noted that this pay-per-view revealed the scope of just how much cash the Saudis are willing to put behind the WWE agreement, as the country built an entirely new stadium within the span of just a few weeks to be able to host the event in the new venue. I could be wrong, but if the Sports Authority is willing to build a stadium in under a month for a WWE event, I’d say that there’s undoubtedly more planning than just hosting events, which could fuel theories of potential ownership in the future.
With the north east still frozen and mounds of snow from last weekend’s major storm that left almost a foot of snow on the region, I tuned into The Rumble live at 2 PM on the east coast, and I have to say, it’s just not the same watching one of the “big four” PPVs in the afternoon. But again, this is the reality of the WWE product of today.
As with any time there are two of the same gimmick matches on the same card, this show had the bookend at the start and at the conclusion of the card with the Rumble matches. It makes sense, especially because with only four matches scheduled, there was no reason to have two Rumble matches in a row. The women’s rumble match itself until the final sequence was mostly much ado about nothing. The bout wasn’t structured in any way that had any peaks or valleys. There wasn’t a build or any type of drama until the finish, rendering the hour prior to that skippable. The action was either overly choreographed or very sloppy, there was very little middle ground in this segment. There was a spot where Jordynne Grace ran toward the corner and seemed to stop when she got there because she was either unsure or what to do or her opponent wasn’t in the right place. Overall, the ring got crowded and seemed to make the overall presentation more convoluted than it had to be. Of course, it didn’t help when the women had to wear Power Ranger suits, many that looked very similar, so it was sometimes difficult to keep track of everyone. I’ve said this before, and I will continue to say it as long as this is the case for these Saudi shows, when the female wrestlers have to dress like this, it’s more proof that this is nothing more than an expensive propaganda campaign paid for by oil money since it’s proof that importing western entertainment is propaganda, not progress. The reason for it is simple, the men on the card can wear their regular gear. There were a few interactions based on the current storylines, but there weren’t really moments that truly spotlighted specific competitors. This segment didn’t have substance since it didn’t set anything up, and it didn’t have the sizzle since it was a rather flat presentation. In fact, the biggest reaction of the entire match was Brie Bella’s return, and that was more based on her association with Bryan Danielson than anything else. As mentioned, the conclusion had some drama and the three competitors worked well to make it a spot that built toward the finish. It made sense for Liv Morgan to get the victory since she has momentum from when she returned from injury in December. Considering that Liv is a heel, I’d guess that she will challenge Stephanie Vaquer at Wrestlemania.
Speaking of drama, the AJ Styles/Gunther bout built very well toward its conclusion, especially with the struggle of the submission. The match was a physical, hard-hitting segment that made Gunther look like a vicious heel, while AJ looked like the courageous baby face. This was a 25-minute bout that had a narrative that justified the time that it was given on the broadcast. That being said, I don’t think this is the end of Styles’ career. even if it was the finish of his WWE tenure. The main reason being that he didn’t leave the gloves in the ring, which could leave the door open for a short run elsewhere on the technicality that he ended his career in the WWE, not the sport. I could be wrong, but this just doesn’t seem like enough, either with gravitas or the monetization to be the retirement of someone with such a revolutionary career. AJ Styles was the wrestler of the first decade of the 2000s and influenced an entire generation. Given his lineage in TNA, it would be apropos if he had his final match in that organization. Obviously, it’s possible that Tony Khan could offer him a number that he can’t say no to, and it would probably be something that even WWE management would understand if he made that decision. At 48, Styles is near the end of his in-ring tenure, and if he can make seven figures to work a limited run in AEW, he should take the cash. Regardless, it’s wild to take into account that this was the end of his tenure in WWE and that he was in the company almost as long as his original run in TNA.
By the time Drew McIntyre and Sami Zayn got in the ring, it was two hours and twenty minutes into the show with just two matches done. This is where the limited line-up and thus no actual pacing on the card makes a difference. I found that this was the point of the broadcast that it hit a wall so to speak. The action was solid and the match was very well done, but all of the emotion had already been drained with the apparent retirement of AJ Styles. There just wasn’t enough energy left immediately after that to muster up the drama for the potential underdog win for Sami Zayn. The finish of the main event probably revealed why Drew retained, but there was still a case to be made for Sami to get the wholesome win. McIntyre retained, setting up for a WM bout against Rhodes since he eliminated Cody in the Rumble, but I’m not sure if there’s enough meat on the bone for that to seem like a major WM title match since this would be the fourth of fifth Drew/Cody title match in a six month span.
The men’s Royal Rumble match was fun, albeit somewhat underwhelming, at least in my opinion. The reason being that Bron Breakker, who I thought should’ve been a potential winner, especially if Sami would’ve won the WWE championship, was taken out before the match started. The implication was that Seth Rollins was the one under the mask, which makes sense, given how he was kicked out of The Vision stable. Assuming that Rollins will be healthy in time for WM, Breakker/Rollins could be a very solid addition to the card. However, and this might be the bigger point than just the decisions made for this segment, we’ve seen several of the aging stars wrap up their careers in recent years, when is the next generation going to truly move up the ladder?
At 28, Breakker is a tremendous athlete in the prime of his career that seems to have all the tools to be a main event guy, what exactly is management waiting for? I’d ask the same question for Jacob Fatu, he’s an incredible athlete that has an authenticity that very few in the business have, why not take a chance on putting him in a main event spot? Oba Femi was made to look like an absolute monster, and while time will tell if he can get over on the main roster, the potential is undeniable. Brock Lesnar was in the match, but this looked to be a one-off, as she was eliminated during Jey Uso’s entrance and it wasn’t really emphasized as much as you’d think it would be for someone of Brock’s star power. Jey Uso’s involvement was minimal and almost proved the criticism that his theme music is the most over part of his entire act. Austin Theory looked like the create-a-wrestler before you make any customization in video games. Paul Heyman is the best talker in the business, but I don’t think even the wise man could get Theory over. Trick Williams had a solid showing. Powerhouse Hobbs made his WWE debut, and the way it was done with his former name on the screen before he was announced as Royce Keys was very clever. As I wrote before, I think Hobbs could be a major star for the WWE.
Roman Reigns returned to the company and won the match, presumably setting up Reigns/CM Punk for the title at Wrestlemania. I understand that they have history to borrow from as far back as when Punk left the company in 2014 and appeared on a podcast that resulted in a lawsuit. “You gotta make Roman look really strong” might’ve been topical a decade ago when he flopped as a baby face, but if the office is going to try to use that history to draw for a main event in 2026, the effectiveness is doubtful. Reigns evolved into the top guy the office hoped that he would be during Punk’s absence from the organization so what’s the premise for a Roman/Punk feud today? Sure, the dozens of writers on the creative team will decide a direction to get to the destination, but I really see the decision to book Roman to win the Rumble as a rather lazy option. This is actually meant as a compliment for Reigns, he was the champion for more than four years, he’s as over as he’s going to be, and quite frankly, he doesn’t need the championship.He has surpassed the concept of another title run because it’s not going to be comparable to the record-setting reign. The justification for Roman to win is that he’s a top star so of course he can main event Wrestlemania, but that’s rather superficial.
All things considered, at least based on how things look right now, I’m not sure that there’s any anticipation for Wrestlemania at the kickoff of WM season. The office has almost three months to try to build a hype for the two-night event, but the product might go on autopilot with the notion that the brand sells itself. Drew vs. Cody for the title is a match that we’ve already seen a few times, and Roman back in the main event picture to challenge CM Punk seems like a retread to avoid the task of trying to make a new star to main event the biggest event of the year.
What do you think? Share your thoughts, opinions, feedback, and anything else that was raised on Twitter @PWMania and Facebook.com/PWMania.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
Email [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
