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Random Network Reviews: Royal Rumble 2010

May 20, 2015 | Posted by Kevin Pantoja
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Random Network Reviews: Royal Rumble 2010  

Royal Rumble 2010
January 31st, 2010 – Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia – Attendance: 16,697

The Royal Rumble is always one of the most fun events in the calendar year. I fondly remember the 2010 outing and will be watching it, in full, for the first time since it originally aired. Going into this Rumble, there were a few potential winners. John Cena is always a threat, Batista was in the midst of a fantastic heel run, Chris Jericho was a big time heel and Shawn Michaels was a man desperate to earn a World Title match against the man he came up short against at WrestleMania the previous year, the Undertaker. This made the Rumble better than usual because things were so unpredictable.

Our opening video package focuses on the WWE and World Heavyweight Title matches, as well as the Royal Rumble. The theme song for the show is “Hero” by Skillet, which I appreciate as they used to be the alarm clock on my phone. Commentary consists of Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler and Matt Striker.

ECW Championship
Christian (c) vs. Ezekiel Jackson w/ William Regal

Unfortunately, ECW only had about another month before it was replaced by NXT. William Regal failed to win the ECW Title from Christian during the fall of 2009 and decided to manage his Ruthless Roundtable stablemate instead. At the bell, Ezekiel Jackson uses his power but Christian knocks him outside with a nice dropkick. He then nails a dive outside and has the challenger reeling. Inside, Jackson continues to struggle until he slams Christian from the second rope. Regal, being the classic heel that he is, tries to get in a cheap shot but gets caught and is kicked out. Jackson tosses Christian into the steel steps and it looks like the tides have turned. Usually, the heel is in control until his manager is tossed so this is interesting. Jackson gets in some near falls but for a guy as big as him, his offense doesn’t seem too impactful. He shuts me up with a Chokeslam that looked stiff. He also hits a big clothesline to the back of the head. He tries to take Christian up top but eats a flying uppercut. Jackson goes for the Book of Ezekiel, Christian wriggles free, but runs into a backbreaker for two. Christian goes for the Killswitch, but Ezekiel gets out and hits a slam into the corner. Wise since the focus has been on the back. He goes for it again but Christian slides free, hits the Killswitch and wins from out of nowhere.

Winner and Still ECW Champion: Christian in 11:59
Nothing special here but it was well worked. Christian is a guy who doesn’t really have bad matches. Ezekiel Jackson worked the back throughout and focused on it late, and I’d like to commend Matt Striker for his job on commentary. ***

Smackdown GM Teddy Long, with his Bragging Rights trophy, is talking to ECW GM Tiffany in the back. Cryme Tyme comes in and say that they are “like zip-loc because they stay fresh.” They each want a spot in the Rumble and try to get Khali’s spot by offering a kiss to Tiffany. Ranjin Singh comes in, they talk and Khali impersonates Urkel. I can’t make this stuff up. Miz comes in and is his usual dick self so Teddy books him to defend his US Title right now.

Cody Rhodes tells Randy Orton that all Ted Dibiase is talking about is winning the Royal Rumble match and beating Randy for the WWE Championship even though they’re a unit. Ah, this was when they wanted Ted to be the breakout star.

WWE United States Championship
The Miz (c) vs. MVP

It’s always funny to hear the times that Michael Cole is not a total Miz mark because it’s totally the opposite of how he would be for about two years, non-stop. Matt Striker does a good job of bringing up MVP’s history with the United States Championship. Miz was not at all ready for this, leading to MVP being in control early on. Miz starts to wear down MVP but he comes back with the BALLIN’ elbow. He tries the Playmaker but Miz counters only to run into a big boot for two. Miz goes for a big knee, but misses and MVP nails the POUNCE…PERIOD! Some Monty Brown for you guys. He gets a near fall with that and attempts the Player’s Boot but Miz dodges. Skull Crushing Finale is countered into a rollup for two. A backslide from MVP and another rollup gets more near falls. Miz rolls outside for a breather and goads MVP into following him. When they go inside, Miz pulls him into a small package and gets the duke.

Winner and Still WWE United States Champion: The Miz in 7:30
Not much here. MVP can work a good match and Miz was just starting to hit his stride but something about this didn’t click very well. Everything about this was super basic though.

Miz, being the arrogant douche that he is, trash talks MVP so he eats a Playmaker post match. Surprisingly, the crowd boos this in a clear indicator that face MVP wasn’t working very well.

We go backstage to Big Show and Chris Jericho. Big Show says that he has more chemistry with his new partner, the Miz than he did when he was part of JeriShow. R-Truth interrupts this whole thing for some reason and says he’ll throw Jericho out if Big Show doesn’t. This was odd. Cutting away, Randy Orton is walking towards the arena for the WWE Championship match when Ted Dibiase says Cody Rhodes is plotting against him. Legacy would be a few months away from splitting.

WWE Championship
Sheamus (c) vs. Randy Orton

Both guys were heels coming into this, so it should be interesting for sure. Sheamus, a relative newcomer here, had just won the WWE Title in completely shocking fashion at TLC over John Cena. The crowd is pretty behind Randy Orton as there was a coolness about him, especially after a very good 2009. Lawler’s dynamite insight is that while both men are Caucasian, Orton is much tanner. They don’t stay in the ring long as they head out and Sheamus works Orton’s injured arm. Genius stuff as it prevents the RKO. Orton goes to work the leg, I guess taking away the Brogue Kick, though it may not have been his finisher here. Both guys trade work on those body parts throughout this match. Things are moving slowly, but at least they make sense. We go into a slugfest with the crowd booing Sheamus and cheering Orton. Irish Curse backbreaker from Sheamus gets two. Orton wriggles out of the Celtic Cross and kicks Sheamus outside. Rope hung DDT by the challenger, who pins and holds Sheamus’ arm so he doesn’t grab the ropes, but Sheamus ends up doing that anyway so that was strange. Orton preps for the Punt, but Sheamus exits and when things head outside, Orton’s injured arm goes into the corner. A wild Cody Rhodes appears and strikes Sheamus outside. The official argues with Cody as Orton strikes with the RKO but the disqualification is called.

Winner via disqualification: Sheamus in 12:24
This was slow but very mechanical. Sheamus had an idea to take the RKO away and focused on the arm the entire time. It made sense, was a bit dull, but overall enjoyable. The finish made sense in the Legacy break up angle as well. **¾

Randy Orton beats up Cody Rhodes, leading Ted Dibiase to come out and get taken out too. Sheamus feels lonely in all of this, so he stalks Orton and nails the Brogue Kick.

We move to the hype video for the WWE Women’s Championship match, which focused on LayCool making fun of Mickie James’ weight, even though she was nowhere near fat. I loved LayCool, but this was a rather controversial angle. The Michelle McCool had a farm segment, with Mickie’s head on a pig was particularly insulting, but the Jenny Craig gift certificate made me chuckle. All in all, some of the stuff was kind of hard to watch because you feel so bad for Mickie.

WWE Women’s Championship
Michelle McCool (c) w/ Layla vs. Mickie James

Michelle McCool cuts a pre-match promo about how Mickie James isn’t around. We get terrible music and out comes Layla dressed as Mickie in a HUGE fat suit. The real Mickie arrives and takes down Layla with a Lou Thez Press. RIGHT HANDS! RIGHT HANDS! THE RATTLESNAKE STRIKES! The bell rings, McCool accidentally hits Layla and eats a DDT. That’s all folks.

Winner and New WWE Women’s Champion: Mickie James in 0:21
Obviously this was very short but it was fine. The mean girls get their comeuppance, which is how it should be. NO RATING

Other divas come out with a cake and hold LayCool in place while Mickie drives it into their faces. The best part of the whole thing is Maria Kanellis. Good lord.

World Heavyweight Championship
The Undertaker (c) vs. Rey Mysterio

After heel/heel in the WWE Title match, we go face/face here. I could be wrong, but I believe this is a first time ever match. Undertaker just tosses Rey over the top like it’s the Rumble match and he lands hard on the floor. He goes for the guillotine leg drop, but Rey had it scouted, only for Undertaker to be ready and drop it anyway. He goes for the Chokeslam, but Rey counters into the hurricanrana. The 619 is blocked, and Undertaker pulls him out of the Tombstone but he kicks his way out of it. Rey goes to the leg to knock the Deadman outside. He leaps from the apron, but is nearly caught with the Last Ride. He gets free and connects on an Asai moonsault in a really cool spot. Undertaker is bleeding from the mouth or nose, but is able to dodge a baseball slide and slam Rey into the guardrail. Back inside, Undertaker is picking apart Rey. Rey goes back to the knee, knocking Undertaker to the mat. He sits up, which looks especially cool thanks to the blood, but goes back down with a dropkick. Rey hits a leg drop for two but eats a big clothesline. Last Ride attempt is reversed and Rey dials 619. He sends Undertaker into the ropes on the other side and connects on a second 619! His West Coast Pop is caught however with the Last Ride and that gets the 1-2-3.

Winner: The Undertaker in 11:07
Despite the clash of styles, I really liked this. Nobody bought Rey Mysterio as a threat to the title, but the blood and double 619s were really cool. Undertaker was nearing the end of his last actual run so he was slowing down but this was good. ***¼

Shawn Michaels is watching backstage when Kane comes up to him. He tells Shawn that his obsession with the Undertaker is unhealthy. He just says that a rematch at WrestleMania won’t end well for Shawn. Triple H enters after Kane leaves. They wish each other luck, but Shawn says his rematch with the Undertaker is meant to be.

Royal Rumble Match
Talk about a talented start to this thing. Entry one is Dolph Ziggler, a number he would have again in 2013, while number two is Evan Bourne. They get off to a fun start with cool offense and near eliminations. We even see the Zig Zag and AirBourne as #3, CM Punk arrives with Serena. He is in full Straight Edge Messiah mode. He disposes of both guys and gets a microphone from Serena. I’ve never seen this done in the Rumble and it probably won’t ever be done again. Punk will either eliminate people or save them. JTG is next, gets in a bit of offense and is dispatched. “As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted” continues CM Punk. This is gold. At five, the Great Khali arrives. He chops Punk because he doesn’t want to hear any of his offers. Vise grip by Khali until our sixth entrant, Beth Phoenix comes out. History here as she is now only the second woman to ever enter. Khali picks her up and puts her on the apron, so she plants a kiss on him and pulls him over and out! Awesome! She then clotheslines Punk and the crowd is popping. In a rare moment for the PG era, Punk hits her with the GTS and dumps her out. I believe they were dating here too. Lucky 7 is ECW’s Zack Ryder. Punk sees potential in Ryder, but he’s lying and just hits him with the mic and tosses him for his fifth elimination! “CM Punk” chants ring out. Things get serious as Triple H draws 8, but Punk just basically says “BRING IT!” At the time, this was new but over the next few years, Punk and Triple H would develop a rivalry that even spilled out of the ring. Drew McIntyre is nine, joining Ryder, Beth and Bourne as rookies. He didn’t have his amazing “Broken Dreams” theme yet, but was the Intercontinental Champion. He comes out slowly, so we get teases of the Pedigree and GTS until Tripe H eliminates Punk. That’s too bad as he was easily the best thing going. At ten, it’s the Marine, Ted Dibiase. It’s crazy to think that he was supposed to be the star of Legacy yet Cody Rhodes is so superior in every single way.

Our number eleven entry is the man that Drew McIntyre took the Intercontinental Title from, John Morrison. He does some of his fancy offense, including the Starship Pain. Dumb name. Kane draws number 12 in his 12th Royal Rumble. He immediately nails a flying clothesline on Triple H and gets in his offense on everyone, including a double Chokeslam on Morrison and McIntyre. Unlucky 13 goes to Cody Rhodes, who lasted just under 40 minutes last year. He saves Dibiase from elimination. MVP draws 14, but is attacked by Miz from behind. Halfway home as our 15th entrant, Carlito is here. He was still employed at this time? Morrison oversells a monkey flip from Carlito, who even gets in a Backstabber on Triple H. Triple H has always been good at allowing people to get their offense in on him during Rumble matches. At 16, Miz comes out and nails Carlito with the Skull Crushing Finale. MVP finally gets to the ring and takes himself and Miz over and out. I don’t think this feud went much further though. Matt Hardy draws 17 and gets in some offense. His gut is serious here. Kane is eliminated along with Matt Hardy during this interval and Hunter starts delivering spinebusters to everyone. Shawn Michaels is here at 18 and his run to the ring looks rough. It’s as if he can’t move, but once he gets in, he tosses Carlito and takes it to Legacy. Out goes Cody and Ted by him as he means business since he’s so desperate to face Undertaker at WrestleMania. If you don’t remember, he wanted a shot and Undertaker was like “nope.” Shawn dumps out Morrison, and DX throws out McIntyre together. DX is alone in the ring as our 19th entrant, John Cena comes in. Talk about a star studded ring. These three met just two months prior at Survivor Series. TEN KNUCKLE SHUFFLE onto DX! He nearly uses the AA to eliminate Shawn, but Triple H stops that and hits him with the Pedigree. Shawn thanks him with some Sweet Chin Music that eliminates the Game! Shelton Benjamin, the Gold Standard, draws 20. He does his athletic stuff, hits a German on Cena and drills HBK with Paydirt. He goes for it on Cena, but is instead tossed out.

Our third and final ECW entrant, Yoshi Tatsu, enters at 21. Shelton was the second since I didn’t mention it. I remember popping for Yoshi at the time because I loved ECW. Cena gets rid of him rather quickly. Shawn and Cena continue their duel until Big Show arrives at 22. We get near eliminations of each guy, including Shawn having to skin the cat fifteen years after he made it famous. Mark Henry, looking like the Kool-Aid man, is number 23. We get the big guys trading stuff with nothing of note really happening. Chris Masters draws 24 and sends Shawn in for his signature bump. He doesn’t last long after as Show dumps him. Henry is trying to eliminate Show as R-Truth comes out at 25 and surprises the FUCK out of everyone when he sends Henry and Show over together. Really? Of all people, R-Truth? Our 26th entrant is Jack Swagger, who comes out with a funny look on his face. He is also a Rumble rookie. He hits splashes on a few guys, coming in hot. Hell, he even nearly eliminates Michaels. The luckiest number in history, 27, goes to Kofi Kingston. I want to slap Michael Cole every time he says “control frenzy.” He does his thing and tosses Swagger. Truth is also eliminated as Chris Jericho comes in at 28. He takes down everyone but eats an AA. Shawn DDTs Cena and drops the elbow on Jericho. The band is tuning up but Kofi hits him with Trouble in Paradise, mid kick, only to be dumped out by Cena. Codebreaker from Jericho connects as we await 29. The roof nearly blows off of the arena for the return of Edge! I remember losing my mind with my friend Elvis as we were, and still are, enormous Edge fans. He Spears everyone in sight, and eliminates Jericho, who was his tag team partner before he got injured and badmouthed by Jericho.

Our final entrant is the recently heel turned Batista. Heeltista is still one of the greatest things in recent memory. He takes down everyone only to turn into a Spear. Edge is hit with the AA and everyone is down. Every guy in the ring has main evented WrestleMania in the past. Shawn works over Cena and Batista, dropping the elbow on both. Sweet Chin Music time for both Cena and Batista. Edge nearly clotheslines Shawn out but both guys hang on. Shawn hits Sweet Chin Music sending Edge back in, but Batista runs over and knocks Shawn off. The desperation in Shawn’s attempts to hang on tell a great story. He can’t believe it and take sit out on the officials. I don’t think there was ever a better storyteller in pro wrestling than Shawn Michaels. Cena sends Batista over and dodges a Spear. However, he charges at Cena and is sent over and out!

Winner: Edge in 49:24
Easily one of my favorite Royal Rumbles of all-time. You had the CM Punk dominance and mic work early on, history as Beth Phoenix participated, the amazing story of Shawn Michaels, Edge’s triumphant return and more. While the Rumble is always fun, this one told multiple stories very well and is severely underrated. ****½

8.0
The final score: review Very Good
The 411
One of the best Royal Rumble matches ever help boost this score. I’d say it’s probably my 3rd or 4th favorite ever. That being said, the rest of the show is still solid. The US and Women’s Title matches can be skipped, but the ECW Title and WWE Title matches are solid. Undertaker taking on Rey Mysterio is something you don’t see often and it was really good, so that’s cool. This show tends to get overlooked but it’s worth checking out.
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