Thoughts about #RoyalRumble

 I wasn't able to watch the PPV err Premium Live Event before the Women's Royal Rumble though I saw enough live on Peacock The mens Royal Rumble kicked off  Saturday nite's festivities with Cody Rhodes punching his ticket to a WrestleMania main event.

Then I saw that interesting match between Bray Wyatt and LA Knight in a Mountain Dew Lights Out match. And then seeing Uncle Howdy take a dive over Bray Wyatt - wait isn't that his brother Bo Dallas?

Then Bianca Bel Air defended her RAW women's championship successfully against Alexis Bliss who witnessed a video that probably harkens back to the not so distance past when she herself was aligned with Bray Wyatt aka The Fiend. And then not long after that time for the Women's Royal Rumble.

Let's say in both Royal Rumbles there were no real surprise entrants. Brock Lesnar got knocked out early and then Bobby Lashley - they're in a current feud. It seemed that Edge and his wife Beth Phoenix got some measure of payback against Judgement Day. Logan Paul had some good spots in this. Walter err Gunther lasted most of this match until Cody Rhodes knocked him out of the ring.

Same for the women, there weren't many surprise entrants. Rhea Ripley who got speared early on by Beth Phoenix lasted the whole match coming in at No. 1 and survived. It was a surprise that Becky Lynch got knocked out early and Auska who made her return was among the last three in the ring, all the competitors had fear in the faces when she arrived. Oh yeah the most surprise entrant is Nia Jax who had been released from WWE last year - at least not that long before Vince McMahon had to briefly retire.

Now the WWE Title match. I'm a fan of Roman Reigns as a heel, leader of a faction known as the Bloodline. Hell, he is the Tribal Chief or The Head of the Table. I really do admire the character he's developed over the last couple of years. He defeated Kevin Owens remain champion for roughly the last three years.

And the Bloodline has quite a lineup with Reigns, his wiseman Paul E Danger....Heyman, his cousins The Usos, Solo Sikoa, and Sami Zayn..... Really Sami Zayn? I haven't really been watching wrestling for a while but I did think it was a strange addition to the group. With the exception of Heyman, every one in the Bloodline is family. It was an interesting dynamic that I found very entertaining and it seems Jey Uso really considers Zayn as part of the family.

However, the ending after Kevin Owens took the pin has me wondering if Reigns had finally gone too far. Up until this evening even Zayn was selling that the beatdown of KO had gone too far to the point where Reigns took a chairshot. Jey Uso walked out of the ring as Zayn got a beatdown for his chairshot. I'd be very curious where the story of these events means for the future of the Bloodline.

It would be unfair for me to rate this PLE. I don't much have anything bad to say about them since I've started watching them. This one was pretty decent, as far as I know from the dirt sheets Vince McMahon hasn't returned to controlling WWE creative which is currently in Triple H's hands who has done a decent job in his role. We know who gets a title shot at WrestleMania, what will Triple H come up with by April?

Vince McMahon sells WWE???

 

[VIDEO] I wrote this before googling for any new news stories on this. TMZ says WWE has not been sold. Perhaps Oli from WrestleTalk might be finding news stories about this himself. However, the rest of this post assumed that the Saudi deal for WWE is done.

Vince returns to the company he takes on the role of Executive Chairman and restructures the board of directions. His daughter and big time heel Stephanie McMahaon steps away from the company again as Chairwoman and Co-CEO. Then Mr. McMahon seemingly very promptly sells the company to the Saudi Arabia Investment Fund.

As Oli from WrestleTalk discusses this deal had to have been in the works for months long before this month. Perhaps it was ongoing long before McMahon has initially retired from WWE in the summer of 2022.

IMHO, I can't believe Vince McMahon is taking the company away from his family's hands. The Saudis will infuse their funds - likely oil money - into WWE allowing it to once again go private. Before 1999, WWE was known as Titan Sports. Currently WWE is a publicly traded company and whenever this sale closes - I'm using what happened with Twitter as a guide - it won't be long before there will be no more shares of WWE stock to be traded in the stock market.

Anyway I can't believe that McMahon would give his company away without having his own hands on it. And of course what's noted was the moral ambiguity of Saudi Arabia. This deal is bound to be controversial. And another story of McMahon's return is the effect of morale on WWE superstars under the creative direction of Triple H.

Vince McMahon is back! #NewYearsEvil

 

[VIDEO] Late late year Vince McMahon was talking about a comeback. In the summer of 2022 Vince McMahon the longtime Chairman and CEO and longtime creative head of WWE was forced to retire. There was a scandal that involved hush money to women whom he was carrying on affairs. So Vince's last tweet for 2022 was him saying it was time for him to retire.

Then again most of us who have figured McMahon out as a personality is, he's not gone. He'll be back in some capacity and besides it's his baby. He's not going to let it go that easy and earlier this month he made his move. He still owns voting shares of WWE, a controlling interest. He used that leverage to make his comeback.

That means three directors have taken the place of three directors who lost their seats on WWE board. It means current Chair and Co-CEO Stephanie McMahon has not only relinquished her role she's also left the company. And remember before Vince McMahon stepped away she was on leave anyway. And Vince as head of creative well that was taken over by Triple H and we're not sure what that looks like for now.

So the Chairman, Mr. McMahon has his baby back! WWE is a different company with him away, the question here is whether or not he might undo some of Triple H's creative decisions if McMahon decides he wants control of creative once again.