Rumble definitely closed the show last year.

Edit: sorry, misread the year you referred to.

Sure. It happens with PPVs sometimes. All I'm saying is that they're operating at a high enough batting average that there's good reason to be hopeful when on paper it looks like it shoulud be at least pretty good if not better.

I'm actually going to be pretty bummed if Punk drops the belt tonight. WWE has done so well actually booking a long title reign that it will be a shame to see it end. Especially to Rock in the Bank.

Weed is bad.

Wally also opposes Advil.

Watching 08 RR, completely forgot UT and Shawn Michaels were #1 #2. Pretty cool, considering their future WM fights

JR said in his blog he expects Rock/Punk to close the show.

The year they were the last two left is the best final 2 segment of the Rumble ever imo, the 7 minutes they got together were perfect and showed they still had amazing chemistry and foreshadowed their future WM battles.

So the show is going to end with Cena coming out and him and Rock staring at each other and then at the WM sign back and forth for 5 minutes. Fantastic. At least I can go to bed a little earlier.

I know he was in the Rumble last year but I would be happy to see Ricardo in it again this year, not just for a comedy spot but to show off some of the moves he can actually do after he was allowed some offence against the Big Show. That doesn't seem like such a long shot now that ADR is a face.

The most obvious and basic rule when it comes to booking the end of a long reign is you then strap your next big star. Punk should be putting over a guy like Ziggler (but face) who will instantly gain from that rub and will give back to the company for years to come. Plan B is he is revealed as behind all the Shield and Maddox conspiracy stuff and Cena rises above it all and universe and other word salad promo bull****.

Rock gains nothing from the belt. Punk putting him over doesnt build the belt because he is losing to an actor who wont be around much now and wont be around at all in ~4 months. Rock should be putting over Punk who will be around longer and more often passing the torch to Punk, not the other way around.

Rock vs Cena doesnt need the strap. It is as big a draw as it needs. Its also a ****ty terrible story unless Rock turns heel.

Awesome, Phill is back

While I agree with pretty much your entire post, this is Vinnie Mac we're talking about; he doesn't give a crap about the most obvious and basic rules. Twice in a lifetime will most likely be for the strap.

If Dwayne wins what the hell do they do at EC? I can't see him wrestling again until WM and in kayfabe it makes no sense for the title to not be defended in the Chamber.

Refer to my previous post.

Pro move imo is to have Cena cost Dwayne the match (after failing to win the rumble obv) and turn heel for the WM match. They can always face turn him again right afterwards ala Dwayne/Hogan. Not gonna happen though.

would make even more sense (if it plays out like that) for someone like ADR to win the rumble and have the raw EC be a #1 contender match for the crock

How about with 6 left in the Rumble, the lights go out, the shield appear, cause all 6 to be thrown out, and those 6 have an EC to decide who faces Rock at Mania?

Yeah this, ignore my ott fantasy booking.

excited for tonight but uhhh yeah, what LordCC said, half-expecting blueboy's theme to be played 30 times.

show goes off the air with Rock on a turnbuckle with the belt pointing at the Wrestlemania sign as Cena limps out onto the stage and points as well.

The only problem I can see with this solution is that it makes waaay too much sense.

Meh just went to get some beer to try and salvage something for the night and the only shop open stopped selling alcohol 10 minutes before I got there. I bought a big juicy steak instead.

#soberroyalrumble

one dirtsheet implied he's almost a certainty for being in the EC whether champ or not.

this sounds like an incredibly bad idea

I would also argue it makes no sense in kayfabe that Dwayne doesn't even have like one warmup squash match or something. Clearly he has been "working out" a lot but lame.

EC is easy to book I think because you just leave Dwayne in his pod until last or 2nd to last and have him rampage until it is a 1-on-1 match that he wins in 12 minutes. Make sure he has minimal interaction with Cena, etc.

LOL, so much this.