WWE Royal Rumble Hits

Edge wins the Rumble: Sure, it was very similar to when John Cena made his return from the injured list and won the 2008 Royal Rumble, but no complaints. I wasn't nearly as surprised when Edge came out as I was when Cena caught everyone off guard, but I wasn't so confident that Edge was actually going to win the Rumble match when he came out at No. 29. It was a fun moment, and it's also cool to not know which title Edge will go after at WrestleMania. Heck, they could even build up a program between Edge and former tag partner Christian for the ECW Title if they want to go in that direction.

C.M. Punk: A great showing for Punk in the Rumble. Granted, he was out fairly early, but he was the story of the first-third of the Rumble match. WWE put the spotlight on Punk's savior character and he came through with a strong performance. I was also happy to see Serena replace Luke Gallows as Punk's primary sidekick.

Shawn Michaels: Another strong performance from HBK, who had the crowd with him in his quest to win the Rumble and secure the rematch with Undertaker at WrestleMania 26. This was the biggest story heading into the Rumble and Michaels did a great job of teasing near eliminations several times and eventually looking devastated once he really was knocked out of the match.

Beth Phoenix: A fun Rumble moment with Beth eliminating Great Khali.

Undertaker vs. Rey Mysterio: The best singles match of the night. My only complaint is that the finish was too similar to where they were going in their recent Smackdown match before Batista interfered. Rey did a nice job of popping the live crowd with his early flurry of offense, and he looked strong in defeat.

Sheamus vs. Randy Orton: I was intrigued by the heel vs. heel dynamic. They seemed to be testing the waters for an Orton babyface turn and the reaction was positive. It wasn't an overwhelming response for Randy, but it was significant enough that I got the feeling that Orton would be ridiculously over if the fans were given a reason to cheer him. I also got a kick out of Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes talking behind the backs of one another to increase the tension. ARe we headed for a Triple Threat match at WrestleMania 26?

Christian vs. Ezekiel Jackson: This isn't a match anyone will be talking about a week from now, but it exceeded my expectations and turned out to be a quality opener. Christian carried Zeke to a passable match, but Zeke held his own and didn't make any major mistakes.

Overall show: A strong and memorable show. The undercard wasn't filled with great matches, but there were no clunkers either. WWE creative took advantage of the Royal Rumble being the drawing card of the show by booking a babyface vs. babyface title match, and a heel vs. heel title match. The Rumble match was so much better than last year's version, which felt like a basic battle royal in that there were no major secondary stories and it turned out to be a bunch of guys standing around punching and kicking. The Rumble match wasn't filled with major surprises, but they delivered one big one in Edge, which has people talking today.

WWE Royal Rumble Misses

Mickie James vs. Michelle McCool: Most of the Divas get a pop when they come out and then the live crowd goes to sleep once their matches start. McCool is the exception, though, as the fans couldn't have cared less when she walked through the curtain. She scored some heat when she started her promo, but then it just went on and on and on. The fat suit stuff was silly and I hope this is the end of McCool and Layla living out their fantasy of being members of The Beautiful People from TNA.

The Miz vs. MVP: There was strong buildup on Raw for a match that WWE never bothered to advertise. My guess is that they added this match to the card late because the timing of the show came up short. Either way, it was disappointing to get strong buildup, yet no official announcement for their match, followed by a decent, yet forgettable seven-minute match. It was fun while it lasted, but these two needed more time. The continuation of their feud in the Rumble match was okay, but I was hoping we were going to get more Miz before MVP came out and eliminated him.

RECOMMEND THIS ARTICLE: