El-P Posted January 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 Also, nuclear take: this show as a whole was better than TakeOver Philly Agreed. Both Rumble were just too damn good and felt special at the end. Add in Rousey showing up. Yep, Best WWE "PPV" in forever (although the undercard was pretty forgetable) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Childs Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 Gargano-Almas was an all-time WWE match. Nothing on the Rumble approached it. But you have to give them huge credit for pulling off two memorable Rumble matches and a big show-ending angle. They have not hit the big picture this well in awhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 I would have rather Asuka fought off both Bellas as opposed to having Nikki eliminate Brie. Especially so soon after the really great Natalya turn on a crying Beth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammerva Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 To me this is the equivalent to Tyson showing up at WM in 1998. Both of them were still huge names but realistically at down parts of their career. Rousey much more than Tyson. But they were at such an amazingly high level that it could be a while before they hit low. Now Rousey as a pro wrestler could really suck because as anyone who watched the UFC she was basically one dimmensional. Granted it might be because of awful coaching which shouldn't be an issue in the WWE. But her marketability will more than compensate for shitty matches in the beginning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kronos Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 LOL at the commenters on the ESPN article about Ronda - hating on her. It's true that she's a couple of years too late, probably, to make any kind of cultural impact. But I like her, and I am glad she's on board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Childs Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 I know it's a big deal because the numbers say so, and that's great for Wrestlemania. It obviously is a big deal. But I've asked quite a few people I know who aren't wrestling fans if they know who Ronda Rousey is. The answer has been no every time. That has surprised me some. Did she crossover beyond just UFC fans, or was she just very popular in UFC?Were they sports fans? I feel like most mid-level sports fans would know who she is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 Another nitpick/missed opportunity: Alexa tripping Naomi off the chair as she passed by to eliminate her would have been so much better than Nia catching her and tossing her out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 Some yes, some no. Most just in the sense of following their home team or alma mater. This sounds like I'm downplaying. I'm actually not. What I want to understand is who the "get" is with her coming in. Is it just UFC fans? Or are there other places she has a friendly audience that she can promote Wrestlemania too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FMKK Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 I know it's a big deal because the numbers say so, and that's great for Wrestlemania. It obviously is a big deal. But I've asked quite a few people I know who aren't wrestling fans if they know who Ronda Rousey is. The answer has been no every time. That has surprised me some. Did she crossover beyond just UFC fans, or was she just very popular in UFC? Dave talked about her as if she crossed over when he was reporting in her UFC run. I know anecdotally of some people having heard of her that I wouldn't have expected, but that's in Ireland where there might be more awareness due to McGregor? Or less cause all the top matches or at like 5am. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammerva Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 Well given how ESPN is spending a lot of time tonight talking about this, that is the "get". I don't think we will see a reverse of Brock Lesnar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Childs Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 To me this is the equivalent to Tyson showing up at WM in 1998. Both of them were still huge names but realistically at down parts of their career. Rousey much more than Tyson. But they were at such an amazingly high level that it could be a while before they hit low. Now Rousey as a pro wrestler could really suck because as anyone who watched the UFC she was basically one dimmensional. Granted it might be because of awful coaching which shouldn't be an issue in the WWE. But her marketability will more than compensate for shitty matches in the beginning Tyson was a much, much bigger sports star than Rousey. She could be a great asset in a different, long-term way. But for a one-time publicity pop, he was a bigger deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 The Mickie/Trish stuff was great too. They packed a ton into that Women's rumble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Dragon Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 To me this is the equivalent to Tyson showing up at WM in 1998. Both of them were still huge names but realistically at down parts of their career. Rousey much more than Tyson. But they were at such an amazingly high level that it could be a while before they hit low. Now Rousey as a pro wrestler could really suck because as anyone who watched the UFC she was basically one dimmensional. Granted it might be because of awful coaching which shouldn't be an issue in the WWE. But her marketability will more than compensate for shitty matches in the beginning Tyson was a much, much bigger sports star than Rousey. She could be a great asset in a different, long-term way. But for a one-time publicity pop, he was a bigger deal. The key thing here is, once more, it's not a one-time publicity thing. It's apparently Rousey signing a contract to be a full-time wrestler. That isn't a small thing. The Tyson comparison would be more Mayweather vs. Big Show, imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZThomas Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 They have to have at least 8-10 call ups and new women on the roster between now and next year because how many more surprise legends and this current roster is going to make this less predictable. How much different in terms of the participants can you get for the next few years as far as the women, The Mens Rumble shouldve closed it but I get it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwide Schrude Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 Some yes, some no. Most just in the sense of following their home team or alma mater. This sounds like I'm downplaying. I'm actually not. What I want to understand is who the "get" is with her coming in. Is it just UFC fans? Or are there other places she has a friendly audience that she can promote Wrestlemania too? She was in some pop-culture movies like the Fast and the Furious and the Expendables. Comes from the UFC, yes, but one of the few fighters from the UFC that crossed over into pop culture. Made appearances on late night talk shows and shows like Ellen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Jackson Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 Great show. Great weekend. 2018 has been pretty fucking cool so far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmmnx Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 My favorite part of the women's match was getting a glimpse of NXT heel ace Sasha again. The crowd popping for the Ember/Asuka standoff was great too. Trish looked really good in this as in one of the top 5 in the match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KawadaSmile Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 Basically everyone in the Women's Rumble not named Bayley had a shining moment. Honestly, there are so many positives in this PPV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strummer Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 welcome to the family Ronda... https://twitter.com/ramonashelburne/status/957834260496441344/photo/1 anyone think they go the free agent route with her so she can be on both shows? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eduardo Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 I know it's a big deal because the numbers say so, and that's great for Wrestlemania. It obviously is a big deal. But I've asked quite a few people I know who aren't wrestling fans if they know who Ronda Rousey is. The answer has been no every time. That has surprised me some. Did she crossover beyond just UFC fans, or was she just very popular in UFC? Almost all the people in my circles, from the ages of early 20s to early 30s, know who Ronda Rousey is, more so than even Conor McGregor. And most of the people in my circle don't even care for sports. The only time any of my women and gender non conforming friends had any get-together over a combat sport was during Ronda Rousey's fights. Some of the popularity and charm has been lost over time, for several reasons, but she's still very popular, and this felt like a major deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmare007 Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 I give to you the best pic ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NintendoLogic Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 I kind of wish Ronda had chosen a different theme. I just can't view Bad Reputation as a badass anthem anymore. All I can think of is that scene from Shrek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianB Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 Some yes, some no. Most just in the sense of following their home team or alma mater. This sounds like I'm downplaying. I'm actually not. What I want to understand is who the "get" is with her coming in. Is it just UFC fans? Or are there other places she has a friendly audience that she can promote Wrestlemania too? She's bringing a different audience than the Brock Lesnar era UFC audience. Many of those era's fans we're talking every UFC PPV would get a floor of 300k PPVs, and usually 400k+ . Ronda boomed in the area where the floor collapsed but she could still regularly hit around that 1 million rate after her first few fights. She brought that mainstream media type attention and related audience to UFC, which is why a number of her fights, e.g. McMann, Bethe, Holm, and even Nunes, outperformed what most mma prognosticators would've given you coming in. My sense is that, and this may vary some depending on how WWE presents her and how well or (esp.) poorly Ronda presents herself, Ronda's success, at least within these first 6 months or whatever, will boil down to whether she's still a bit like Mr. T pre-WM1 or whether she's like Mr. T post-WM2. My own suspiscion is that as long as WWE doesn't Bret Hart return her, there will be interest in her first WWE match at WM, and then that will crater because I'm skeptical of her performer long-term potential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fakeplastictrees Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 The one time I actually want Stephanie to run her straw feminist gimmick...she disappoints. JFC! Stephanie, you had one job tonight. Just enter The Rumble and make HISTORY~! Eliminate Sasha, Bayley, and Asuka only to setup Charlotte/Stephanie McMahon at WM for the Women's title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffey Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 Also, nuclear take: this show as a whole was better than TakeOver Philly Certainly a bad take, anyway. Y'all are fucking nuts if you thought tonight was better than Saturday. Every match on Saturday was good and the main event was great. Tonight both Rumbles were fun & every non-Rumble match was trash. And the women's Rumble was sloppy. But whatever... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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