Kickoff Panel:  Renee Young, Booker., Big Show, & Alex Riley
Announcers:  Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, & Jerry Lawler
Spanish Announcers:  Carlos Cabrera & Marcelo Rodriguez
Ring Announcers:  Justin Roberts & Lillian Garcia
Social Media Lounge:  Tom Phillips
Interviewers:  Booker T. & Byron Saxton
Special Guest Commentators:  Florida Georgia Line
National Anthem:  Lillian Garcia

WWE Tag Team Championship Match -
Gold & Stardust defeated The Usos to win the WWE Tag Team Championship when Stardust landed the pinfall on Jey Uso
Referee:  John Cone

WWE United States Championship Match -
Sheamus defeated Cesaro via pinfall to retain the WWE United States Championship
Referee:  Darrick Moore

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match -
The Miz defeated Dolph Ziggler via pinfall to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship
Referee:  Jason Ayers

Seth Rollins defeated Roman Reigns via countout/forfeit
*Roman Reigns was not at the event due to emergency surgery
Referee:  Charles Robinson

Rusev defeated Mark Henry via submission
Referee:  Rod Zapata

Randy Orton defeated Chris Jericho via pinfall
Referee:  Mike Choida

Triple Threat Match -
WWE Divas Championship -
AJ Lee defeated Paige & Nikki Bella to win the WWE Divas Championship when she made Paige submit
Referee:  Ryan Tran

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match -
John Cena defeated Brock Lesnar via disqualification when Seth Rollins attached Cena
Referee:  Chad Patton

The next time we will be bringing you special event coverage will be on Sunday, October 26th for WWE Hell In A Cell.  Our coverage will begin at 7pm with a live preshow, followed by a live chat during the event, and at 11pm we hit the air again with a live post show recapping everything that went down.

Match results as they happen will be on Twitter @RantEMRadio

Preshow Panel:  Renee Young, Jason Alberts, & Alex Riley
Announcers:  Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, & Renee Young
Ring Announcer:  Jojo Offerman
Interviewer:  Renee Young

NXT Tag Team Championship Match -
Sin Cara & Kalisto defeated The Ascension to win the NXT Tag Team Championship when Kalisto landed the pinfall on Viktor
Referee:  Danilo Anfibio

Baron Corbin defeated CJ Parker via pinfall
Referee:  Shawn Bennett

Hair vs. Hair
Enzo Amore defeated Sylvester Lefort via pinfall
*Lefort ran off and Enzo Amore & Colin Cassidy poured the hair solution on Marcus Louis
Referee:  Drake Wuertz

Bull Dempsey defeated Mojo Rawley via pinfall
RefereeL  Ryan Tran

NXT Women's Championship Match -
Charlotte defeated Bayley via pinfall to retain the NXT Women's Championship
Referee:  Drake Wuertz

Fatal 4 Way Match -
NXT Championship -
Adrian Neville defeated Sami Zayn, Tyson Kidd, & Tyler Breeze via pinfall on Kidd to retain the NXT Championship
Referee:  Shawn Bennett

The next time we will be bringing you special event coverage will be on Sunday, September 21st for WWE Night of Champions.  Our coverage begins at 7pm with a live preshow, followed by a live chat, and when it's all said and done, we will hit the air live again at 11pm with our post show recapping everything that went down.

Match results can be found on Twitter @RantEMRadio

Kickoff Panel:  Renne Young, Booker T., Ric Flair, & Alex Riley
Announcers:  Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, & Jerry Lawler
Spanish Announcers:  Carlos Cabrera & Marcelo Rodriguez
German Announcers:  Holger Boschen, Sebastian Hackl, Berhard Wulff, & Carsten Schaefer
Ring Announcers:  Justin Roberts & Lillian Garcia
Interviewer:  Tom Phillips
Attendance:  17, 357

Kickoff Match -
Rob Vam Dam defeated Cesaro via pinfall
Referee:  Ryan Tran

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match -
Dolph Ziggler defeated The Miz via pinfall to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship
Referee:  Darrick Moore

WWE Divas Championship Match -
Paige defeated AJ Lee via pinall to win the WWE Divas Championship
Referee:  Matt Bennett

Flag Match -
Rusev defeated Jack Swagger when Swagger did not respond to the referees answer
Referee:  Chad Patton

Lumberjack Match -
Seth Rollins defeated Dean Ambrose via pinfall
Referee:  Ryan Tran

Bray Wyatt defeated Chris Jericho via pinfall
Referee:  Rod Zapata

Stephanie McMahon defeated Brie Bella via pinfall
Referee:  John Cone

Roman Reigns defeated Randy Orton via pinfall
Referee:  Mike Chioda

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match -
Brock Lesnar defeated John Cena via pinfall to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Referee:  Charles Robinson

The next time we will be bringing you special event coverage will be on Sunday, September 21st for WWE Night of Champions.  Our coverage will begin at 7pm with a live preshow.  Followed by a live chat during the event.  And when it's over we will hit the air one more time for a post show recapping everything that went down. 

Match results can be found on Twitter as they happen @RantEMRadio

Kickoff Panel:  Renee Young, Booker T., Alex Riley, & Christian
Announcers:  Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, & Jerry Lawler
Spanish Announcers:  Carlos Cabrera, Marcelo Rodriguez & Ricardo Rodriguez
Ring Announcers:  Justin Roberts & Lillian Garcia
Interviewer:  Tom Phillips

Kickoff Match -
Adam Rose defeated Fandango via pinfall
Referee:  Darrick Moore

Kickoff Divas Match -
Cameron defeated Naomi via pinfall
Referee:  Matt Bennett

2 Out of 3 Falls Match -
WWE Tag Team Championship -
Fall 1)  Luke Harper pinned Jimmy Usos
Fall 2)  Jey Uso pinned Luke Harper
Fall 3)  The Usos defeated Erick Rowan & Luke Harper when Jimmy Uso landed the pinfall on Harper to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship
Referee:  Ryan Tran

WWE Divas Championship Match -
AJ Lee defeated Paige via pinfall to retain the WWE Divas Championship
Referee:  Jason Ayers

Rusev defeated Jack Swagger via countout
Referee:  Rob Zapata

Seth Rollins defeated Dean Ambrose via forfeit
Referee:  John Cone

Chris Jericho defeated Bray Wyatt via pinfall
Referee:  Mike Chioda


Battleground Battle Royal -
WWE Intercontinental Championship -
Participants:
Big E, Alberto Del Rio, Cesaro, R-Truth, Ryback, Curtis Axel, Zack Ryder, Titus O'Neal, Damian Sandow, Heath Slater, Diego, Sin Cara, Xavier Woods, The Great Khali, Kofi Kingston, Bo Dallas, Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, & Sheamus
Order of Elimination:
1.  Xavier Woods
2.  Zack Ryder
3.  The Great Khali
4.  Sin Cara
5.  R-Truth
6.  Curtis Axel
7.  Damian Sandow
8.  Diego
9.  Ryback
10.  Titus O'Neal
11.  Alberto Del Rio
12.  Big E
13.  Kofi Kingston
14.  Cesaro by Heath Slater
15.  Heath Slater
16.  Bo Dallas
17.  Sheamus
18.  Dolph Ziggler
The Miz wins and is the new WWE Intercontinental Champion
Referees:  Jason Ayers, Matt Bennett, John Cone, & Darrick Moore

The next time we will be bringing you special event coverage will be on Sunday, August 17th for WWE SummerSlam.  We will have a live Pre-Show running down everything leading up to the event.  And you can chat with us during event in our network chat room.  Then at 11pm when the show is over, we will hit the air again live with a Post Show recapping everything that went down.

Match results can be found on Twitter @RantEMRadio

And don't forget to join us all week for a special week of programming beginning Monday with 7 Years of The Rant Marathon airs starting at 8am.  Then on Thursday, July 24th at 8pm The Rant will celebrate it's 7th Anniversary LIVE!

And from Friday to Sunday, Surfer and the gang will be bringing a full weekend of coverage of the San Diego Comic Con.  So you don't want to miss out on any of it.

Kick Off Panel:  Renee Young, Booker T., Christian, & Alex Riley
Announcers:  Michael Cole, John Bradhsaw Layfield, & Jerry Lawler
Spanish Announcers:  Marcelo Rodriguez, Carlos Cabrera, & Ricardo Rodriguez
Ring Announcers:  Justin Roberts & Lillian Garcia
Interviewerz:  Byron Saxton & Michael Cole
Social Media Lounge:  Tom Phillips
Attendance:  16,852

WWE Tag Team Championship Match -
The Usos defeated Erick Rowan & Luke Harper when Jey Usos landed the pinfall on Rowan to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship
Referee:  John Cone

WWE Divas Championship Match -
Paige defeated Naomi via pinfall to the WWE Divas Championship
Referee:  Jason Ayers

Adam Rose defeated Paul Revere(Damian Sandow) via pinfall
Referee:  Charles Robinson

Money In The Bank Ladder Match -
Seth Rollins defeated Dean Ambrose, Rob Van Dam, Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston, & Jack Swagger to become Mr. Money In The Bank
Referees:  Chad Patton, Rob Zapata, &  John Cone

Stardust & Goldust defeated Rybaxel after Stardust got the pinfall on Curtis Axel
Referee:  Chad Patton

Rusev defeated Big E via submission
Referee:  Matt Bennett

Layla defeated Summer Rae via pinfall
Referee:  Fandango

Money In The Bank Ladder Match -
For The Vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship -
John Cena defeated Kane, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, Cesaro, & Bray Wyatt to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion
Referees:  Charles Robinson & Mike Chioda

The next time we will be bringing you special event coverage will be on Sunday, June 20th for WWE Battleground.  Our coverage begins at 7pm with a live pre-show.  Then we will be chatting live during the event.  And when it's all over, we will hit the air again with a live post show recapping everything that went down. 

Match results will be posted as they happen on Twitter @RantEMRadio

By Double A....

It's been some time since I last wrote about the industry I love to watch so much.  But unfortunately, I am writing to you under not so great circumstances.  The industry I love watching has become difficult to watch for many many reasons.  If you see the picture to the left, it was taken during the last batch of TV tapings that TNA had at the Manhattan Center for Impact Wrestling.  These episodes are slated to air sometime at the end of July.  One of the things you will notice is that the six sided ring has returned.  According to officials with TNA, the decision to bring it back was voted upon by the fans.  Well that might be the case, I find it hard to believe that a majority of audience wanted it back.  The main reason being is that it adds nothing to the overall product.  But that is just one of many things to be upset about.

I am not going to single out TNA.  Because the WWE has been at fault on a lot of things since shortly after WrestleMania XXX to push the fans away.  Vince McMahon lost his grip on reality a long time ago.  But this is not a new statement.  What is different about Today is that he is focusing on other things that are not wrestling.  Mainly the WWE Network.  Granted, the WWE Network has been a great addition to the world of wrestling.  It gives an outlet to many fans to view many great programs once not available to view.  But this doesn't fix the product.  Starting with the WWE's flagship program, Monday Night RAW.  This past week show aired it's 1100th episode.  And it seems the last 20 or so episode haven't been terrible.  But they have been just outright boring.  We are seeing the same matches and scenarios week after week.  The Godfather is my favorite movie, but even I can only watch so many times before I say enough is enough.

Over in the land of Dixie, what do we see?  A lot of the same things we see over in the WWE.  Now of course this will be debated and refuted.  But what is separating TNA from the WWE?  Not much at all.  We see the same repeated matches and storylines.  And whatever is different, is executed terrible.  I don't care many WWE star's you sign to a contract, but you will not change my mind about TNA until you learn how to build your own stars and stop using others as crutches.  In regards to Bobby Lashley being the TNA World Heavyweight Champion, as Tony Schiavone once said, "That will put a lot of butts in the seats".

So this begs to ask the question, if I am so bitter why the hell am I still watching wrestling?  I will tell you why.  Because despite everything that is currently going on whether it is good or bad, I still love the experience of turning on my television on Monday Night and not know what can happen.  And with the help of the WWE Network, I can take a trip back in time and watch classic matches and moments that I remember fondly.  And also watch things that either I never saw or have forgotten.  And I learn appreciate what brought me here in the first place. 

So I continue to fight because I still see the positive in wrestling.  For that reason alone, the fight continues.  I will continue to come on the air on Tuesday Night's to bitch and moan about the bad things I see on a weekly basis.  You never know when the right person will be hearing what I am saying.  In the same light, you never know when and if the right person could be reading this.  If your reading this writing, you will stand up like I do and protest and fight for what truly is right and what needs to be done in wrestling. 

But I will say this in closing, a lot of you out there have horribly skewed views.  You really don't think things through clearly.  And you fight for the wrong things.  And because of that, you have both Dixie Carter and Vince McMahon doing the opposite of what is right.  I am not saying think you have to think like I do.  Absolutely not.  But please open your eyes and see the bigger picture and stop worrying about what is happening This Sunday at Money In The Bank or Next Week on Monday Night RAW. 

Thanks for reading.

Pre-Show Panel:  Renee Young, Christian, & Paul Heyman
Pre-Show Guests:  Cesaro
Announcers:  Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, & William Regal
Ring Announcer:  Eden Stiles

Adam Rose defeated Camacho via pinfall
Referee:  Darrick Moore

NXT Tag Team Championship Match -
The Ascension defeated El Local & Kalisto when Konnor landed the pinfall on El Local to retain the NXT Tag Team Championship
Referee:  Jason Ayers

To Determine The #1 Contender For The NXT Championship -
Tyler Breeze defeated Sami Zayn via pinfall to become the #1 Contender for the NXT Championship
Referee:  Dan Engler

Tournament Final For The NXT Women's Championship -
Charlotte defeated Natalya via pinfall to win the NXT Women's Championship
Referee:  Charles Robinson

NXT Championship Match -
Andrian Neville defeated Tyson Kidd via pinfall to retain the NXT Championship
Referee:  Matt Bennett

The next time we will be bringing you special event coverage will be This Sunday, June 1st for WWE Payback.  Our coverage begins at 7pm with our live pre-show running down everything on the card and giving our results.  Then we will be chatting live during the event.  And when everything is over, we will hit the air again at 11pm LIVE with a Post Show recapping everything that went down.

Match results as they happen can be found here on the website or on Twitter @RantEMRadio

Pre-Show Panel:  Renee Young, Bret Hart, Kevin Nash, & Paul HeymanAnnouncers:  Tom Phillips, William Regal, & Bryon Saxton
Ring Announcer:  Veronica Lane
Interviewers:  Tensai & Alex Riley

Cesaro defeated Sami Zayn via pinfall
Referee:  Jason Ayers

Mojo Rawley defeated CJ Parker via pinfall
Referee:  Shawn Bennett

NXT Tag Team Championship Match -
The Ascension defeated  Too Cool when Konnor landed the pinfall on Scotty 2 Hotty to retain the NXT Tag Team Championship
Referee:  Darrick Moore

NXT Womens Championship Match -
Paige defeated Emma via submission to retain the NXT Womens Championship
Referee:  John Cone

Xavier Woods and Tyler Breeze never got underway when Alexander Rusev attacked both Woods and Breeze
Referee:  Danilo Anfibio

Ladder Match -
NXT Championship -
Andrian Neville defeated Bo Dallas to win the NXT Championship
Referees:  Shawn Bennett, Jone Cone

Kick Off Panel:  Josh Matthews, Mark Henry, The Miz, & Rey Mysterio
Announcers:  Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, & John Bradshaw Layfield
Spanish Announcers:  Carlos Cabrera, Marcelo Rodriguez, & Ricardo Rodriguez
Ring Announcers:  Lillian Garcia & Justin Roberts
Social Media:  Renee Young
Interviewer:  Byron Saxton
Attendance:  14,101

Kickoff Match -
Cody Rhodes & Goldust defeated Curtis Axel & Ryback when Cody landed the pinfall on Axel
Referee:  John Cone

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match -
Big E defeated Jack Swagger via pinfall to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
Referee:  Rod Zapata

WWE Tag Team Championship Match -
New Age Outlaws defeated The Usos when Bad Ass Billy Gunn got the pinfall on Jimmy Usos to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship
Referee:  Charles Robinson

Titus O'Neal defeated Darren Young via pinfall
Referee:  Dan Engler

Six Man Tag Team Match -
The Wyatt Family defeats The Shield when Bray Wyatt gets in the pinfall on Roman Reigns
Referee:  Chad Patton

WWE Divas Championship Match -
Cameron defeats AJ Lee via disqualification
Referee:  Marc Harris

Batista defeats Alberto Del Rio via pinfall
Referee:  Jone Cone

Elimination Chamber Match -
WWE World Heavyweight Championship -

Randy Orton defeated Daniel Bryan, John Cena, Cesaro, Sheamus, & Christian to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Referee Inside:  Chad Patton
Referees Outside:  Dan Angler, Marc Harris, Charles Robinson, Rod Zapata, & John Cone

The next time we will be bringing you pay-per-view coverage will be on Sunday, March 9th for TNA Lockdown.  Out coverage begins at 7pm with a live preshow, followed by a chat during the event, and when it's all said and done, we will have a live post show recapping everything that went down.

By Lex Marston

The 2014 Royal Rumble could have been special. It wasn't. We could have seen the rise of a new mega-star in WWE. What we saw was a man past his prime (if he ever had one) get booed out of the building to end one of the biggest events of the wrestling year. That would have been fine and dandy if he were heel, but he wasn't. The story of the 2014 Royal Rumble could have been a joyful one. Instead, wrestling fans were left scratching their heads or underwhelmed. In the case of myself, both.

I woke up at 6:50am today, as I normally do on a weekday. My first thought? "How could Vince McMahon be THAT disconnected?" Yes, as much as I didn't want to think about WWE first thing in the morning, I did. Now, for those of you who don't know me personally, I stopped watching WWE a few years ago. I had come to the conclusion that the product WWE wanted to put on just wasn't for me and my personal interests. I got tired of asking "Why?" and rolling my eyes every time I watched. Understand that when I say that I stopped watching WWE, I don't mean wrestling in general. Some people are of the opinion that WWE is the be-all-end-all of professional wrestling. I am not one of those people. I love wrestling, and I don't think I could ever stop watching some form of wrestling straight up. Anyway, in an attempt to get back on the air and have fun with my podcasting mates again, I decided to begin watching Raw about two weeks ago. Now, although I haven't been watching WWE, I still know what goes on for the most part, thanks in part to the few WWE fans on my social media feeds.

What I saw last night during the Royal Rumble reminded me all too well of why I stopped giving energy to the WWE.

Let's take a trip back in time, almost a decade ago, to the 2005 Royal Rumble. Before last night's event, I spoke on the RantEM Rumble Pre-Show about how one of my favorite Rumble moments came at the 2005 Royal Rumble, when Vince McMahon blew out both quads trying to slide into the ring. But that's not what we're talking about today. I bring up the 2005 Royal Rumble for the winner of that event. After eliminating each other simultaneously, Batista threw John Cena to the outside to win a spot in the WrestleMania 21 main event. Imagine, if you will, that that didn't happen. Imagine if someone like Kurt Angle or Shawn Michaels won that Rumble. Would Batista or John Cena be as big of stars as they are now? I would think John Cena would, but I have my doubts about Batista. While the Rumble win wasn't what made Batista's rise to the top memorable (I attribute that to the Evolution storyline), imagine if Batista were just thrown in a match with Triple H at a random Raw, did the job to Triple H, and went down to the midcard at WM 21. "Ok, what's your point, Lex?"

My point is that WWE decided to make a star that night.

Now, my own personal feelings aside (Batista's a turd), WWE made money with Batista. Not anywhere near as much money they made with John Cena, but WWE did make money with Batista. WWE had a chance to make a lot of future earnings last night by putting Daniel Bryan over in a grandiose manner, but they didn't. They decided to go with the guy who won the event nearly a decade earlier.

The question is, "Why?"

Batista has a big role in an upcoming movie that looks to capitalize on the current comic book movie craze. Does Vince McMahon hope in his heart of hearts that Disney/Marvel Studios will promote Batista as a "WWE Superstar?" It's not as if Batista is the lead role, and I don't see an ensemble cast role leading to anything major. I can't say that I'm familiar with the Guardians of the Galaxy books, but I can't see Dave getting his own spinoff film. Even if all that were to happen, did Batista really need a Royal Rumble win? I don't think so.

Maybe it was in Batista's contract that, to return, he needed a Rumble win. If this is true, it would be in line with my personal feelings of the guy. And in case you have pleasant thoughts of how nice it would be to meet the former Leviathan in-person, there are several fans out there (including myself) that can tell you: you will probably be met with the ol' one-fingered salute.

Let's get to the last night's Royal Rumble now.

The night was off to a good start with two decent-to-good matches. The Tag Title switch surprised me that they would make a title change on a pre-show, but I'm told that's somewhat commonplace these days. Fair enough. Not a big deal. Then Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan opened the show with a match that exceeded everyone's expectations. "Bryan's working the first match so he can rest for the Rumble" I thought to myself. "Bryan lost the match so he can win something big at the end of the night, like Bret Hart at WM 10. Makes Bray look strong going into WM 30, too. This is pretty damn good booking right here." Hell, I even gave a nod to Lesnar/Big Show for making Lesnar look strong and (hopefully) taking Big Show out of the picture for a while. The crowd booed and jeered for Cena vs Orton, which was expected when you serve the same pile of grool for dinner as frequently as they do with Cena vs Orton. The match was nothing special, but what little air it had in it was deflated by the frustration of the crowd.

Things were zooming by at that point, and it was time for the big match. The 2014 Royal Rumble.

Now, I didn't think Bryan would make an appearance until #30. Wouldn't make sense to bring him out any earlier. "Hey, Lex! Bryan wasn't even advertised for the Royal Rumble match!" Neither was Kevin Nash, but that didn't stop his big, sandbaggin' ass from coming down to the ring. Oh, by the way, what a big surprise, eh? *Eye roll* <----See, there's the eye roll! Save that for future reference...

As we get closer to 30, it's obvious that Roman Reigns is getting a push in a strong direction. I personally don't see a whole lot in Reigns, but pushing new talent is definitely a good thing, so long as they aren't totally devoid of any upside.

Wait, here it is! #30! 10! 9! 8! 7! 6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1!.......

"What the hell is this?"

My face had a look like I just guzzled down a carton of sour milk.

I like Rey Mysterio. I don't have the disdain for him that many of my cohorts here at RantEM probably do. I enjoy his work. But boy, if I've ever seen anyone being fed to the wolves, this was it. Bryan didn't show up. Batista won the Rumble. Bray Wyatt moved on to John Cena. The hottest wrestler WWE has right now just did the job in the opening match on one of the biggest shows of the year.

Time for another analogy! Imagine you owned an Ice Cream Truck, and you parked at your usuall spot you do every day around noon. People like your ice cream. It's not always the best, but there's something about it that keeps them coming back. Maybe nostalgia. Yeah, probably nostalgia. And habit. Probably habit, too. Anyway, there's a long line at your truck as you're getting your ice cream prepared, and the line is chanting "MINT CHIP! MINT CHIP! MINT CHIP" All of 'em. Now let's say you look around in your truck, and you have a tub of Mint Chip sitting there, looking pristine and fresh. BUT, you also have a tub of Rocky Road sitting over there that's 10 years past it's expiration, and you REALLY like Rocky Road. Plus, you overpaid for this expired tub of... Rocky Road, so you have to get your money's worth. Then, when you open up shop, and the people are screaming for Mint Chip, you force the expired Rocky Road down their gullets. And as they're coughing up the soured goods, they're booing you all the while.

Now, there are a few things wrong with this analogy as it pertains to WWE, and these errors are what upset me most about wrestling fans in general.

1) If your favorite ice cream joint starts serving rotten desserts, you're going to go somewhere else. This is not the case with most WWE fans, including those boisterous fans in Pittsburgh and those demanding refunds for the PPV they purchased at home. These fans might even take a week off from Raw, but they'll surely be back the week after, posting their thoughts on the product all over their Twitter and Facebook pages, even though there's plenty of other wrestling out there to be taken in.

2) You don't usually pre-pay for ice cream without at least making sure you're getting what you expected. This is just the way it is. You spend $65 on a PPV, and as long as it goes from 8pm to 10:45pm uninteruppted, you have no grounds for demanding a refunded. This is even the case with advertising a certain wrestler to be at an event that doesn't show up, because the card is always subject to change. You got burned. Eat the $65 and don't spend another dime on WWE merchandise. But that seems to be something too difficult to do for most fans to follow through on. Even myself, who doesn't watch the product, spends time and energy reading stories and posts about the WWE. Paying attention is still paying something.

The outrage over the 2014 Royal Rumble, however, goes beyond fans. Check out this string of Tweets from Mick Foley; a guy who NEVER speaks ill of the WWE and is always putting a positive spin on the most questionable of situations:

Hell, even his kids got open on Twitter last night, and I know from following them that they're pretty big WWE fans. Foley went on to post a blog on his Facebook page. Go read it. It's great.

Last night, I watched my first WWE PPV in what seems like forever, but it induced the same reaction I used to have before I stopped watching. Me rolling my eyes and asking, "Why?"

So to bring this article to a close, I want you to think about this: The backlash last night was about business. We all want to see good wrestling succeed and make money. We all want to see good wrestlers and good people succeed and make money. Last night, we lost at both of those. WWE will do just fine come WrestleMania, financials-wise. And sure, they could do a "Microsoft" and flip the ship completely. But I'll always be wondering, "What if Daniel Bryan won the 2014 Royal Rumble..."

As for Batista... well, to a nicer guy, it should have happened.