Ranking The Rumbles: 2015

2015: The BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO The 2014 Royal Runble’s crowd turned toxic because Daniel Bryan, the fan favorite of this era, was not entered into the match. One year later, WWE decided to put Daniel Bryan in the Rumble, so that would certainly turn out better, right? Participants 1. The Miz2. R-Truth3. Bubba Ray Dudley4. Luke Harper5. Bray Wyatt (this gets called his first Rumble ever, which … Continue reading Ranking The Rumbles: 2015

AP Productions: Formerly Known as Brain Boy#13

The Mine Shaft part 2 In the 90s, the Brain Boy cartoon featured an assortment of characters that were not in Ryan’s life, including a rat sidekick named Labrat. As the show (and Ryan by proxy) became popular, Craig Levison approached Ryan about possibly creating Labrat “for real”. Levison obviously knew a wise-cracking, pizza-loving rat on a skateboard wasn’t feasible but he felt an approximation … Continue reading AP Productions: Formerly Known as Brain Boy#13

Ranking The Rumbles: 2012

2012: Shades of 1995 Hmmmm. Sometimes Royal Rumbles are negligible. Even when the ultimate outcome is indirectly very important, sometimes the Rumble itself is reduced to filler. Say, for instance, you could adjacently link one Royal Rumble to the creation of the Yes Movement, which was a yearlong storyline that culminated in one of the best WrestleManias ever. You’d think that Rumble would have to … Continue reading Ranking The Rumbles: 2012

Ranking The Rumbles: 2011

2011: The Reminder That Randy Savage, Eddie Guerrero, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Rob Van Dam, and Daniel Bryan Have All Never Won A Royal Rumble After two+ decades, even really good ideas can need a good shaking up. And while my viewings for this series has shown me that the Royal Rumble is nothing if not inconsistent, sometimes you need something more, something … Continue reading Ranking The Rumbles: 2011

Ranking The Rumbles: 2010

2010: The Drama The very best Rumbles are the ones that have at least one marquee tale to tell and handle it deftly. Both 2004 and 1992 told the story of an underdog’s journey to a championship. Other great Rumbles can be fluidly broken down into story-telling segments where noteworthy events come one after another, not unlike the 2001 iteration that stands as my lone … Continue reading Ranking The Rumbles: 2010

AP Productions: Formerly Known as Brain Boy #12

The Mine Shaft part 1 The soldier disappeared in a cloud of sand and dust once the IED went off and as it settled, the smell of burning flesh was ripe in the air; the Afghani heat didn’t help to remove the putrid smell, either. The platoon came down from a nearby hill to the sandy patch below to bear witness to the charred remains … Continue reading AP Productions: Formerly Known as Brain Boy #12

Ranking The Rumbles: 2009

2009: The Teamwork, Finally! Oh, 2009. The year of WrestleMania 25. Such a high/low ‘Mania. And of course, the first stop on the road there is the Royal Rumble. At this point in WWE history, Randy Orton had formed the Legacy stable, and they were the focal point of the Raw brand heading into the Rumble. The Participants 1. Rey Mysterio2. John Morrison3. Carlito4. MVP5. … Continue reading Ranking The Rumbles: 2009

Ranking The Rumbles: 2008

2008: The Six For the first time since 2000, the Royal Rumble returned to Madison Square Garden. And that show had a great lineup of matches and an absolutely pitiful Rumble, with a crowd who all seemed to be auditioning for the title role in Weekend At Bernie’s 3. How will this Rumble look in comparison?  The Participants 1. The Undertaker2. Shawn Michaels3. Santino Marella4. … Continue reading Ranking The Rumbles: 2008