Battle royals just never quite have the same feeling as the rumble match at each year’s Royal Rumble PPV. Perhaps it is because they don’t have a grand prize in line for the winner like headlining WrestleMania. Perhaps it is because every man starts off in the ring together making it one huge clusterfu…err, mess instead of an organized event. My thoughts are that battle royals are missing the awesome countdown clock that gets the crowd truly involved in everything that is going on in front of their eyes. It’s just a really fun time when the Royal Rumble rolls around each January because it is the true precursor to the grandest stage of them all and it lets fans sit in total anticipation at who may get thrown over the top rope next. So without further ado, let’s get ready to…….write this review. What? What else did you think I was going to say there.
On January 31, 2010 in the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, the superstars from Raw, SmackDown, and ECW vied to see who from their prospective brand would end up as the last man standing. Besides the rumble match itself, five titles would also be on the line as well. First up was the ECW Champion Christian successfully defending against the big bruiser Ezekiel Jackson. It is evident that Jackson wasn’t very polished here which is funny considering he’s advanced by leaps and bounds in just a few short months. Nothing special can be said about The Miz duking it out with MVP for the U.S. Title as it seemed like it was just too short and never got much of a chance to get rolling. Sadly these two could have put on a much better showing if even given the time that Christian and Jackson got. The Women’s Championship lasted less than half a minute and was a total waste so I won’t even go near that one.
Sheamus has really advanced up the ladder rather quickly since he burst onto the scene and proved it after capturing the WWE Title from John Cena back in December of last year. Holding his own against the man known as “the viper” though would be a different story. The match wasn’t awful but then storyline advancement purposes came into play and caused for a screwy finish that made Orton almost a certified face and let Sheamus keep his heat. Bah! Luckily everything was made up when Undertaker put his World Heavyweight Title on the line against Rey Mysterio in an excellent match. What did I just say? An excellent Mysterio match? He actually is an incredibly talented wrestler; he just gets on my nerves and doesn’t really entertain me. This match was a great big man versus little man contest that was fast-paced and had an ending that is out of this world. Not a bad collection of extra matches to go along with the rumble match which is surprising because usually the undercard is rather underwhelming.
As for the rumble match itself? It is really hard for me to describe it in any way but simply fantastic because it was almost perfect. There is a lot of tension and anxiety as you never know who may go out next and a series of big spots that keep things at a great and action-packed pace. You can’t forget either that the Royal Rumble gives new meaning every single year to the phrase, “every man for himself.” You must see this match to get the full enjoyment from it that I did and just let it unfold before your eyes. Great stuff by all of those involved as it made for a really good PPV to start off 2010.
~ ECW Championship Match: Christian (c) Vs. Ezekiel Jackson
~ United States Championship Match: The Miz (c) Vs. MVP
~ WWE Championship Match: Sheamus (c) Vs. Randy Orton
~ Women’s Championship Match: Michelle McCool (c) Vs. Mickie James
~ World Heavyweight Championship Match: Undertaker (c) Vs. Rey Mysterio
~ 30-Man Royal Rumble Match
The event is shown in 1.33:1 Full Screen format and all is good and well here as the team at WWE does it again. Colors are clear and bright with no problems as far as compression or pixilation to be found.
The Royal Rumble is heard in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and it’s really wonderful how fantastic all the sound and commentary from the event comes through. Every word of dialogue is loud and clear through the center speaker while the noise of the crowd and wrestling on the mat surrounds the room.
Monday Night Raw – February 1, 2010: Bret “Hit Man” Hart Confronts Mr. McMahon – Could have been better but it is a timeless moment after almost thirteen years in the making.
Besides the traditional elimination style tag matches from the Survivor Series, the Royal Rumble match itself is by far my favorite of each year. It is full of unexpected moments and usually some pretty decent spots that make for a handful of “oohs” and “ahhs.” This year’s match is no exception as it actually is one of the best rumble matches I’ve seen in a very long time. The rest of the card is hit or miss with a surprisingly good Rey Mysterio match but also a women’s match getting less than a minute of precious PPV time. Pick this one up for your collection because there is enough on it worth watching a few times over and well worth the rumbling and bumbling.
WWE Home Video presents Royal Rumble 2010. Featuring: Sheamus, Randy Orton, Christian, The Miz, MVP, Undertaker, Ezekiel Jackson, and many more. Running time: 180 minutes. Rating: PG. Released on DVD: March 2, 2010. Available at Amazon.com
