WWE Fast Lane 2016

Are you excited for Wrestlemania? That has been the question on most wrestling fan’s lips since Fast Lane took place and events unfolded on the following evening’s episode of Raw. By the end of the Monday night show, WWE Had significantly shaped this year’s ‘Showcase of the Immortals’ by announcing the three headlining matches- the first of these was confirmed at the pay-per-view when Roman Reigns overcame Dean Ambrose and Brock Lesnar in the main event and booked his place in the WWE Title match versus Triple H. Ambrose vs. Lesnar and Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon were then confirmed the following night. Whatever your thoughts on that line up (and don’t worry, I’ll be getting to that later on in this piece) WWE at least went some way to beginning to generate some buzz around Wrestlemania over the course of the 2 nights. Shane McMahon returned to the company after a 5 year absence and was immediately positioned in one of the main spots going into the big event, Lesnar and The Undertaker’s roles at the big one became a little clearer and Triple H and Roman Reigns, two men who have been on a collision course for months, finally stepped up their feud with a trademark Triple H attack and the addition of Reigns spilling some crimson. Wrestlemania season had finally arrived.

WWE Royal Rumble 2012

It’s not very often that a Royal Rumble event comes across as not being of any real significance when you look back at it. Given what is at stake in the main event of the show each year, its status as the most commercially successful gimmick match in pro wrestling and its position in the calendar coming just a couple of months prior to Wrestlemania, the Royal Rumble usually has a major part to play in the shaping of the year ahead- whether it be for the better or worse. In 2012 however, WWE was entering the finishing straight of a 1 year build to the main event of Wrestlemania 28 between John Cena and The Rock and as a consequence, the Rumble would play little, or no part in shaping the match between the two. Of course, there was still the small matter of two World Title matches to take place, and the rumble match itself which would determine a challenger for one of those belts at ‘Mania, but the Rumble’s abiding value was already being undermined by the coming Cena/Rock contest as it was clear that this year’s winner would not be earning themselves a main event spot at ‘The Showcase of the Immortals’.  What’s more, a cursory glance through the field of potential participants for the Rumble exposed just how low on likely winners the match was.

WWE Royal Rumble 2016

It’s difficult to know what was more critical about this year’s Royal Rumble- that we were provided with a much needed boost to WWE’s narrative as we enter Wrestlemania season, or that the Rumble’s reputation was restored with an exciting and satisfying 30-man over the top rope main event. With so many injured superstars who would have no doubt played a part in the key matches at ‘Mania were it not for their respective ailments, WWE’s approach to the Rumble was vitally important- deliver here and it would be a good omen for a period that the company are hoping will lead to the biggest show in their history in Texas, fail to deliver and watch as Raw’s record-low autumn/winter TV ratings evolve into a catastrophe during the normally lucrative January-April season. As important, though less immediately, is that the last few years have seen the Royal Rumble brand take a bit of a pasting- since 2011 the Rumble match, for years the most anticipated contest in WWE’s calendar, has seen a dire mixture of uninspiring victors, lazy booking, poor execution and unpopular decisions. The last 2 in particular have seen mass rejections of the winners, Batista in 2014 and Roman Reigns in 2015- thanks in part to fans preference for the super-over and continuously overlooked Daniel Bryan, but also due to neither man’s suitability as the babyface mega star they were being portrayed as.