2014 WWE Royal Rumble PPV Reaction: WWE Created New Stars, While Killing Others

January 27, 2014

WWE Royal Rumble Reaction

Roman Reigns shined in the 2014 Royal Rumble. He, not Batista or any other members of The Shield, made that match memorable. What can you say about a guy like Roman Reigns? He is a beast, a natural athletic guy who has the perfect look for sports entertainment. He can actually wrestle and really hold his own against all shapes and sizes. He eliminated 12 guys, which will be a record held for a very long time. It came down to Reigns and Batista, which the crowd turned on Batista. Why is this? WWE fans are smarter than ever and bringing a 45 year old guy back to immediately main event WrestleMania is a slap in their face.

Batista is not The Rock. Batista is not John Cena or Triple H. Batista is a really good draw, sometimes. Batista can be used in many ways in WWE. He could work with his buddy, Triple H, and take down the "good guys." He could try and put young guys over, which is something I have yet to see from him. All in all, is there a reason that WWE brings a 45 year old guy back for a few years other than people used to care a lot about him? Batista has a look, but the fans simply do not care about looks anymore. This is not 2000. The year is 2014 and the fans are dictating who they want to see. Does it matter what the fans want to see? No, because they will tune in tonight to see what happens next with Batista, Daniel Bryan, John Cena and Roman Reigns.

WWE continued to create a superstar. That man is named Roman Reigns and he is going to be absolute money. Get used to him in a big picture for the next 5 years. The best is yet to come. I wish I could say the same about Batista. I hope I am proven wrong.

I find it amazing that a Pittsburgh crowd, not the usual hardcore fans like Philly, Chicago, New York or Los Angeles turned so quickly on the big names. We expect it from the bigger cities. I did not expect this, being born and raised in that city, for the majority of fans to turn on what WWE wants us to like. Usually, and I am speaking in generalities, Pittsburgh is more of a Cleveland or Baltimore crowd. There will be the usual fans that boo Cena and cheer Punk, but this was on a completely different level. Does that tell you that the product is getting too repetitive or is it saying that the crowd wants what they want. Everyone wants Bryan… right?

Score: WWE Royal Rumble Match 7/10

Josh controls most of the creative writing and ideas for the show on a weekly basis, as well as an on-air talent.

Aside from working with WrestleZone, Isenberg began his career in Broadcast Journalism interning at ESPN and worked with CBS Radio for three years. He has also had the opportunity to interview some of the best athletes and performers alive, including Andrew McCutchen, Ben Roethlisberger, Chris Jericho, Billy Gunn, Karl Anderson, Matt Hardy, Steven Strasburg and others.

Currently, Josh Isenberg works for Major League Baseball in their Advanced Media Productions. He grew up in Pittsburgh and went to Point Park University, which is where Chair Shot Reality is filmed each week.

His life outside of his obsession with wrestling include being a savant for Seinfeld, NFL, NBA, MLB and many television shows. He also has an undying love for musicals, which includes many shows he was a part of in high school. Some of his favorite wrestling moments can be linked to such superstars as Edge, The Rock, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and The Great Khali.