Royal Rumble 2005
Edge vs Shawn Michaels
As of right now, this is a dream match to many, many people. I BELIEVE this is the first time that they ever locked up, and to be honest, I never knew what to think of this match. I believe that the two Street fight matches on raw are superior to this match, however I believe that this is a very solid encounter between two great workers. What I loved about this match was the sweet chin music reversal into the electric chair drop, and the few good false finishes it had. The climax of the match was very good and an indication of the great things to come between these two.
What I didn't like about this match was the slow build. It seemed to me that whenever this match began to gain momentum, we inevitably ended up back in a chinlock. I didn't know that Edge magically morphed into Randy Orton overnight? Sometimes a slow build can be awesome, but this match had a build that didn't really pay off. Overall this was a match with a great climax, good false finishes, and an overall good watch, just with a few flaws. Definitely worth a watch, and the absolute right choice for an opener.
*** 1/4
Casket Match: Undertaker vs Heidenreich
After their match at Survivor Series (Which I gave *** 1/4 I do believe) I was expecting a great gimmick match between these two. What we got however wasn't very great, due to one simple fact; Heidenreich fucking sucked in the ring. The fact that Undertaker was able to drag a great match out of him a few months prior is a MIRACLE, and as a matter of fact I believe that Mark Calloway should be given a fucking medal for achieving such a feat. This match was very sloppy and featured pointless run ins by both Gene Snitsky and Kane that made absolutely no sense whatsoever. The story was very cookie cutter (Heidenreich being afraid of caskets) and this match looked like it belonged in the mid 90s.
That being said, this match is a guilty pleasure of mine. These Undertaker casket matches may not be great in terms of star ratings, but if you can say you don't have a blast watching them, I truly do believe you don't love the WWE. Yes, the story was corny, and YES the run ins made no sense, but when Kane popped out of the Casket to help his brother I marked the fuck out. Undertaker was trying his best out there, but Heidenreich simply didn't cooperate. Still, a ton of fun, and I'd definitely watch again for that very reason. Actually DECENT.
**
WWE Championship: JBL vs The Big Show vs Kurt Angle
This has to be one of the most surprisingly good matches that I've ever seen in my entire life. This match dosen't look good on paper, but what we got in-ring was mostly JBL and Angle, with a little bit of Big Show on the side. The story here is simple: JBL and Angle are pricks, but the Big Show is so unstoppable that they need to band together to take him out. This match is all over the place with its action, as there are people getting put through announce tables, monitor shots, and chairshots that take place amongst all of this anarchy. Coupled with a great story and some good action, the psychology here works very well, as all three competitors sell extremely well.
To see both JBL's and Kurt Angle's entourages interfere made me laugh a little, as there were literally 7 people who interfered in this match, WTF. This is one time that interference actually works to develop the story even further. To make it even better, JBL weasles his way to retaining the title by capitalizing on Show's work. God JBL was so underrated as a worker in that time period. Just an awesome match with an awesome end spot, a near CLASSIC.
*** 3/4
World Title: Triple H vs Randy Orton
This was the 2nd match out of the 7459 matches that these two would have on PPV. Orton explodes right from the beginning with some swift offense, but in true HHH fashion, Trips decides to slow Orton down and work the knee. The psychology in this match is off the charts and Hunter spends a ton of time working the knee of Orton, to which Orton sells EXTREMELY well. The entire match is based on the fact that while Orton may have the energy advantage, HHH has enough brains to outsmart Orton and retain his title. No matter what Orton tries to do, Hunter always has an answer for it.
This continues until Orton hits his head and is somewhat dazed (the commentators say he has a concussion; Kayfabe) to which Triple H begins to take advantage of even more. This match has SO much of a better pace than their future encounters would have. The tradition Ref bump/Sledgehammer/Pedigree ends this match. HHH just makes this match click, period. I'm not just saying that because he's my all-time favorite, his leg work is just out of this world in this match. Orton's selling should also be applauded, a great match with great psychology.
*** 1/2
The Royal Rumble Match
This is one of my all-time favorite Rumbles, and for good reason; It was the first rumble tha I've ever seen. What I love the most about this Royal Rumble match is simple; the best workers in the match (Mysterio, Guerrero, Benoit, Edge, Benjamin, Etc), were in the ring/dominated for a VAST majority of the match, while scrubs like Kenzo Suzuki, Muhammad Hassan, and Daniel Puder were given maybe one minute of ring time combined. The beatdown on Puder is quite hilarious, as even Hardcore Holly is able to get a reaction out of the fans because of it. At some points in the match we have a revolving set of two-on-two matches that are just awesome, featuring the likes of HBK vs Jericho and Eddie vs Mysterio at the exact same time.
The technical prowess continues until the young guns (Cena and Batista) enter the equation and begin to dominate. This is still awesome however, as the veterans bump for these two like there's no tomorrow. The amount of individual angles being set up by this one match (HHH vs Batista, MITB, Angle vs Shawn) is actually mindblowing. The final four (Cena, Batista, Rey, Edge) couldn't be any better, as we have Cena vs Batista to finish this match off. I'm sure by now you all know the story about Vince coming out and tearing his ACL, and if you haven't heard the story, youtube Vince Mcmahon Royal Rumble 2005...It's worth a good laugh. Batista throws Cena out to end this awesome Rumble that had it all; Drama, excitement, comedy, and best of all, ACTUALLY GOOD WRESTLING. 2012 could learn something from this.
*** 3/4
Thoughts
Well lets see here, we have a solid opener, a fun casket match, two great championship encounters, and a fantastic Rumble match. What more can you ask for ? Nothing on this card was really CLASSIC material whatsoever, but I was never bored with this PPV and I was constantly entertained by the matches, hilarious backstage segments, etc. The WWE did a great job giving us some fresh faces in the main event, as the rumble match helped catapult many younger superstars to the next level. With NOTHING classic about this PPV, but NOTHING bad about it either, I definitely think you should check this show out sometime as it's a good way to pass away 3 hours, and a solid indication of what to expect from the WWE in the year 2005.
Oh yeah...It was a major improvement from NYR as well...
7.75/10(Nothing classic to take it to 8)