Watry Q&A: Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, & WrestleMania 34 Concerns

“I have been reading your stuff on 411mania and nodq.com for the longest time now and I have never felt inclined to email in. The general consensus of you not being most popular is harsh at times but also can be well-founded too. But I still read your stuff because I do enjoy your articles and find your perspective interesting most of the time.

That said, your article about your friend Megan and trip to Wrestlemania was the greatest thing you have ever wrote. Forget about the predictions you brag about getting right. This is your crowning piece. Maybe it is because I can relate as going to Wrestlemania is my ultimate dream and it will be happening next year. But I genuinely loved your article.

Thank you for the great stuff.”

– Jay’s Ways reader

Backstory

Once a month, I reply to the comment section. These comments are from my February 2018 columns. No cuss words or insults allowed.

ROWDY Royal Rumble 2018 Review

Rowlf: Who’s been saying Asuka has been buried on Raw and Vince McMahon hates her? She’s been booked incredibly strongly, and I haven’t seen anybody dispute that.

Nope, Asuka had trouble beating Emma in her Raw debut last October. Clearly doomed from the start. Ruined right away like dumb WWE Creative always does. Duh. Oh, and Vince McMahon definitely, definitely hates all Japanese talent he didn’t create. Just ask the internet; they will tell you.

President_Trump: Not that I pay attention, but outside of Yahoo News, I did not hear anything about the “historic” Rumble and Rousey.

I am not sure why we should or have to be excited? Maybe I missed the part where we must care. I guess much like basketball, it’s all about the fundamentals(Shout out to Futurama fans)?

You said it – you aren’t paying attention. The Ronda Rousey/WWE news was everywhere. It takes all of ten seconds to type her name into a Google search to see all the media attention. Plus, there was all the ESPN/sports coverage on television the next day. On a side note, I’d stay away from Yahoo News. Not going to get much there. FAKE NEWS Mr. President.

Sorry, never seen Futurama…

Eric Thomas: Does ANYONE care about Ziggler at this point?

I care when I have a reason to. Him coming back after relinquishing the IC Title at number thirty in the Royal Rumble was expected but also pretty cool. I cared. Him doing nothing and then continuing to do nothing on Smackdown LIVE two days later was not cool. Back to not caring!

Team J-Rod: Soooo, I couldn’t tell…was the NXT Takeover review on this, or another website……………?

Another website.

NT86: Anyone notice how quiet it got for Bayley? One of the 4HW but her stock’s really fallen in the company. Crickets were only for the Riott Squad members and Tamina. So for Bayley to come out to such a meh response, she’s lost her spark. Even Dana Brooke is more interesting than her now. She actually has some charisma.

Yep, one of my disappointments from 2017. Bayley has all the tools and talent to be the female version of John Cena. Heck, I wrote in the past that she could be THE John Cena for the next generation of fans. Man or woman. Hopefully, WWE finally pulls the trigger on her feud with Sasha Banks, and we get some compelling TV for WrestleMania 34. Long overdue.

Ken Wood: I know. As long as I’ve been reading his articles I’m pretty sure he’s never been a fan.

You’re better than this Ken. I have defended and praised New Day on multiple occasions. The columns are all there in my backlog to read. It just hasn’t been anytime recent, and I don’t think I’m alone in that opinion. A needed refresh is an understatement for these three guys. No doubt a bright future for them – just not by throwing pancakes and prancing around. We’re beyond that.

VinnyMacDaddyBaby!: Amazing how Watry ALWAYS predicts the right outcome for every single match on another website or his Twitter! I may ask him to pick my lottery numbers for me this week

If you followed me on Twitter or read my other columns (on another website), you would know I am not lying. No reason for sarcasm. As for the lottery, go with 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42. I haven’t lost with those numbers yet…

Fact Or Fiction

Kouvre: Can you PLEASE give us a break from Watry in FoF? I really don’t want to have to stop reading this feature like I did when he was writing Ask 411.

Don’t blame me. I was a last minute replacement because of yet another cancellation/no show. The bossman knows I am reliable and will be more than happy to fill in, so he asked me. Somebody else’s loss is my gain. As for my Ask 411 run, the numbers tell the story there. Trust me, I won.

JSawyer80: Watry – why do you think so lowly of Borash as a human being? If you dislike his commentary, so be it, but what’s he done otherwise to be tagged in such a way? I’m truly curious, because I’ve not heard many negative things about him, if any, that aren’t related to his on-screen doings.

Honestly, I should have just ignored the topic completely and not answered. My mistake for sure. We’ll leave it at that…for now…

KH1-Yup: I think Rousey’s arrival to the ring was like a “hey ladies I’m here”. Then the walk up to Steph was a “see you at WM”. Steph’s look was a good play off of the WM angle from a couple years ago.

That is a good analogy. There were FOUR ready made opponents for her all out there at the same time. Just a quick “Hello” to the wrestlers and then a “Remember me?” to the authority figure she womanhandled in 2015. All the while, doing some expert level WrestleMania sign pointing!

People can laugh at @RondaRousey all they want, but it is pretty cool pointing at WrestleMania… #WWE #ontheroad pic.twitter.com/scV0dsnH3N

— Justin Watry (@JustinWatry) February 1, 2018

Mark of Excellence: I dont think there is any question about EC3 making the main roster. Is Lashley signed? If so, Id bring em up together as a team.

Both are kinda beyond the point of a team. Lashley can be a star on his own, as can EC3. A pairing would feel like holding them back. For one offs or a quick Rated RKO style run? Sure. Full-time or as some kind of stable? No thanks.

Previous Q&A

Aneesh Raikundalia: People calling out Watry for phoning it in don’t know how tough the job is…if he gets to you that’s either a gimmick he plays (which is cool considering very few writers engage their readers positively or negatively) or its just he has different tastes and it’s high time we accept it…

Thanks man. Hey, if anybody wants to do what I have done for the past ten years, go right ahead. Always accepting applications. See how long you last.

Benjamin J: Quantity does not equal quality. You are a towering example of that. Any single one of the handful of articles Len Archibald has written for this site in the past two years is better written, better structured, better researched, and more insightful and thought provoking without being intentionally antagonistic than your entire collective output in the same period of time.

I don’t know who that is, so I can’t comment on the first part. I said quantity AND quality and stand by that. The second part can simply be pointed at my columns (on another website) and ten plus years of columns. Your name kinda seems familiar, so my guess is I will still be writing in a few years, and you will still be in the comment section reading.

Reality4U: IMHO, the womens royal rumble would have been the main event because it was the politically correct thing to do, even if Rousey wasn’t involved.

Disagree on both points. I wrote a full length column on this subject two weeks ago on BodySlam.net – another website you can add to my resume! References your comment specifically and expands from there.

WrestleMania 34 Build

KH1-Yup: Why is everyone focused on reigns fighting lesnar at WM? People have been saying it for months now.

Because it is a rematch to one of the best WrestleMania main events ever? One that never got a finish and features the two top stars currently on RAW? Gee, I wonder why fans are focusing on the bout so much…

Radcliffe: I thought it was about Sarson vinegar. (Is that just a UK thing, do you guys get it in the States?)

No clue what that is.

Jeff Jarrett/WWE HOF 2018

loineli: Long career with 4 world championships (during WCW’s dark days but still), multiple IC championships and built a place for people to work and develop in. I’m fine with this.

I am fine with it. Not because of his WWE run or even his WCW/TNA run. I am fine with it because of everything else, combined with his wrestling days. Obviously not a headling act or main event draw but as the fourth act announced for the 2018 Class, it works.

Ken Wood: Every year there’s at least one or two people inducted whom I don’t really care about. So far, he’s the one this year. Good for him though.

Pretty much. You are not going to find any columns of mine from the past decade saying many nice things about Jeff Jarrett. Career or off camera. Still, this feels like a good story with a WWE Hall of Fame induction payoff for him and his fans. Nothing to complain about.

WrestleMania 34 Sign: Instead of being angry at Watry, you all could use that energy to point at me. It’s a far more rewarding feeling.

It really does feel good. Here, I will post this again…

People can laugh at @RondaRousey all they want, but it is pretty cool pointing at WrestleMania… #WWE #ontheroad pic.twitter.com/scV0dsnH3N

— Justin Watry (@JustinWatry) February 1, 2018

Mark Schoeman: “Sorry to beat this drum again; it needs to be repeated though as some fans are STILL under the impression WWE cares about them. They don’t.”

But they did and that’s still only slowly changing. Until Impact is as freely referenced on TV the way ROH and NJPW is, that means there’s still that fraction of doubt that Impact could return to it’s Spike days level of exposure plus budget…but far enough away that WWE is fine elevating talent associated with the TNA brand.

Good stuff as usual Mark. Re-thinking your position about not writing columns? I’d actually read those.

Disagree with you here though. My theory has always been that WWE is too embarrassed by TNA being in the same business as them to even mention the name. The few times Vince McMahon has publicly discussed Impact Wrestling include a stock holder’s meeting and joking buying them out as the rest of the investors laughed at Dixie Carter. Then there was the memorable “tawdry” remark. Other than that, there have been the rare stuff on WWE Network but honestly, it is not even worth it for the $2.8 billion company. No different than why NFL doesn’t promote some garbage local football league. They aren’t scared. It just isn’t worth their time or energy.

Radcliffe: Just been reading his review of Mania 33 again, you know he never once mentions his friends name. Is Megan mentioned in a different article?

Is reading really that difficult? Geez. Let’s try this once more…

Firstly, the much hyped up column about Megan is “My Journey To Orlando.” Google it. Secondly, that is NOT my WrestleMania 33 review. In fact, the wrestling event has very little to do with the story. Thirdly, she is not my friend and never really was. You have to read the column to get the full scoop. Fourthly, yes, it is on another website as noted a million times. Sheesh.

Carl Rood: I’ve always been lukewarm on Jarrett, but I agree his cumulative resume does make him worthy. He’s always had a lot of talent, but was rarely original as a performer. It’s one thing to borrow from others, but he never really put his own stamp on any of the character traits. He always looked like a guy imitating Flair or The Honky Tonk Man.

However, he was skilled and knowledgeable in the ring and proved he could promote and run an organization. TNA’s flaws were usually about expectations rather than viability. Somewhere along the way, they decided to kick to the finish when there were still several laps to go. That was way more on Dixie than Jeff.

Jarrett was always a guy who seemed to be reaching well past where reality was telling him to. He may have been unrealistic at times, but I have to admit that also takes more guts than most of us have. He’s not afraid to try and possibly fail.

You said it much better than I did, haha. Hope all is well Carl.

WWE Elimination Chamber 2018 Review

Yoni Marlow: No issues with reigns winning (aside from the fact it’s not what the fans want). But Braun should have lost differently

I would have preferred the entire Chamber structure crumbling after a big spot personally. As for the first part, um, WWE is now valued at $2.94 BILLION. What “fans” are you referring to exactly? I have been wanting to see Roman Reigns/Brock Lesnar end in a decisive manner for close to three years now. At last check, I am a fan.

TBP82: (aside from the fact it’s not what the fans want) Im a fan and its what I want so that alone proves that statement false.

Yeah. Two top guys on Raw battling for the top title on the brand who have been kept apart for the better part of three years. Is that not what WrestleMania is supposed to be?

R Contini: on the contrary. considering how many aholes there were in the crowd, she recovered well and found composure where 99% would not have done.

The Las Vegas live crowd was more than ready to tear Ronda Rousey apart when tat segment started. You could just sense. Within 30 seconds though, she had them hook, line, and sinker. True professional. I write about her promo more on BodySlam.net and re-iterated a point many wrestling fans don’t seem to grasp. Just like those who didn’t immediately recognize Bad Reputation by Joan Jett at the Royal Rumble even she has been using that music for years. Kinda exposed a lot of folks in my mind who supposedly ‘followed’ her MMA career. My point was Rousey has never been an “in your face aggressive” kind of promo. Her death stare and monotone threats have always been her bread and butter. Anybody shocked by the Chamber or didn’t know her theme music..it has to be your first time watching Rousey because this is nothing new.

AG Awesome: Question. Since you predicted all these outcomes what did you win? I’m assuming you’re bragging because there was a prize of some sort?

Not a very awesome comment this time around man. You’ve been on this for years. The “prize” is proving myself and showing repeatedly that maybe I do know what I am talking about. As noted before, my track record is way more hit than miss for nearly a decade, yet the insults and troll accusations continue. It makes no sense. Think about THAT. I’m going to have fun at Raw this Monday night in Milwaukee…

Cheap Plugs

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