WWE Royal Rumble 2015 Discussion Thread - January 25, 2015 from Philadelphia, PA

[Guest John Hancock]

I think they would have rallied behind Batista for the sake of just being subversive. I genuinely don't think they were booing Reigns, as a guy, they were booing his terrible, terrible main event push, and the ridiculous choice to have him win in the first place when there was just no fan interest in it. Batista would have at least been surprising, and I really think he turned a lot of people around after his last heel turn. People had a lot of fun with the Boo-tista thing, and Blue-tista, and I think people generally enjoy heel Batista. There doesn't seem to be that sam sense of fun with Reigns, mostly because they haven't turned him. There's still that frustration that no one in the office is really listening to the paying customers, that this is the real economic result of monopolies; just a complete death of effort or urgency. I think the 2013 Rumble, the reaction had a little more fun to it, and little more subversion, although a lot of that was also down to how well WWE handled the problem compared to now. 2014, to me anyway, had a much bigger air of genuine animosity, of genuine frustration, and I think anything other than what absolutely everyone expected (the people who didn't vote for Reigns in the poll have to have been joking, hoping, or just insane) and absolutely no one wanted would have been cheered. Batista would have been cheered, Cena would have been cheered, Vince Russo would have been cheered, Hitler would have been cheered, a local, active, unrepentant, un-captured pedophile would have been cheered.

[Guest bigmatt]

and I think anything other than what absolutely everyone expected (the people who didn't vote for Reigns in the poll have to have been joking, hoping, or just insane)

 

If I'm remembering correctly, Dave Meltzer in one of the post-Rumble radio shows said he expected Daniel Bryan to win in the end. Obviously it was the plan all along for Reigns and they've been aiming for that for months and months but you could see in the run-up to the Rumble they were changing things on the fly and there was some uncertainty there because of Reigns' faltering push.

[Guest]

Oh damn, I meant to say this but just remembered through Botchamania. Anyone find it hilarious after Bryan was eliminated and then it cut to the titantron with "Shattered Dreams?

[dsrchris 190]

Yeah, somebody backstage is very pleased with themselves for doing that. :lol

[Omega 354]

I don't think the crowd would have been that quick to be honest, plus it;s fun to boo Batista.

 

Also the weirdest thing is that now Batista is actually beyond the WWE right now so...