Customer Reviews

WWE: Royal Rumble 2008

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The 21st edition of WWE's Royal Rumble takes place at Madison Square Garden this year, and there are a few questions that need to be answered. #1 Who is the better man JBL or Y2J? #2 Can the underdog Rey Mysterio beat Edge for smackdown's world title? #3 Can the risk taker Jeff Hardy take advantage of his WWE Title shot against the legend killer Randy Orton? and finally Who will win the rumble and go on to main event Wrestlemania 24?

Flair's Career On The Line
Ric Flair Vs. MVP
This was a pretty steady match considering how old Flair is now, it was an ok opening match but it doesnt come close to any classic Ric Flair match. Rating 3/5

JBL Vs. Chris Jericho
This match was ok it just wasnt long enough for me, all this match was used for was to further the storyline of jericho vs. jbl. I don't mind them trying to further the storyline but at one of your four biggest pay per views of the year that should not be the only concern you should also try to put on a entertaining match especially for the fans at home that paid to watch. Rating 2.5/5

World Heavyweight Championship
Rey Mysterio Vs. Edge (C)
Now this match was exciting although I think any world title match should be at least 20 minutes and I didn't really like the ending but it does set up another match between the 2. While this match is far from a classic it is also far from awful. Rating 4/5

WWE Championship
Jeff Hardy Vs. Randy Orton
Ok other than the actual rumble match this is the best of the night. These guys put on a good show, I think they should've been given a little more time but it was still a good solid title match. Rating 4/5

Royal Rumble Match
This was exciting as it is each year, and of course as many of you know John Cena made his surprise return to the WWE ahead of schedule as he was supposed to be out 6-8 months and he was only gone since october. I won't spoil anything else for whoever out there hasnt seen it yet but the dvd is worth owning if you love the rumble. Rating 5/5

Ric Flair vs. M.V.P. - It was a nice opening match that didn't bore me like their Vengeance match but past that, nothing really to mention here.

Chris Jericho vs. J.B.L. - The in-ring return of J.B.L. to PPV since Judgment Day 2006. I thought it was just me but by reading the other reviews, I'm not alone here in that they seemed to be somewhat off & lacking that "it" to make this just anything past an ok match. Maybe it was Bradshaw's ring rust but who really knows. The best part of the match was everything that happened afterwards.

World Champion Edge vs. Rey Mysterio - Before I get started, I liked the fact that Michael Cole didn't ignore history & put over the fact that they were former WWE Tag Team Champions together...and an interesting trivia note is that they lost those titles in the exact same arena, MSG. The match saw Edge (who had a heavy amount of fan support) target Mysterio's knee after the first couple of mins. resulting in Mysterio using other moves like him sliding under the bottom rope & hooking Edge for a DDT all in one motion. Edge won after a spear on Mysterio who was in the middle of a top rope springboard. The first "better than average" match of the night.

WWE Champion Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy - This match had a big match buildup & feel to it. They gave it their all here & showcased a performance that had the crowd going back & forth more than they had any other time of the night with Orton getting the victory after a RKO out of nowhere. Orton got the strong performance & CLEAN PPV victory he's been needing since becoming champion.

Royal Rumble Battle Royal - Before I get started again, that's was an awesome promotional "by the numbers" video WWE did on the match itself. Unfortunally, this Rumble fell kind of flat as it was really lacking standout Rumble moments with some questionable & poor booking...like Finlay being disqualified for using a weapon (yet the Rumble went hardcore in 2001 & 2003). Some things happened that got my attention like HBK, Taker, and to a lower extent Batista's long performances & the suprizes of Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka, and John Cena. Love or hate him, props to WWE for being able to keep that secret from leaking out. It wasn't as boring as previous Rumbles have been but it's not one I would put on my top list either.

DVD extras are a backstage confrontation between Cena & Triple H along with the huge swanton bomb Hardy did to Orton on RAW. As a side note, it would have been sweet if they had one of those "behind the scenes" of the commercial things because that was one of the most entertaining WWE PPV commercials in recent memory.

So overall, this Rumble didn't have a bad match but it didn't really have any that would blow you away either past the Orton/Hardy match. It was an average PPV that I recommend for a rental & see from there.

30 men, one ring, one night, one shot at greatness, its the Royal Rumble and this was a pretty good one compared to others.

-We get a good hype package showing the history of the Royal Rumble match from its infancy up to this one.

-From the World's Most Arena, Madison Square Garden we kick off the show with the Nature Boy himself.

-Career Threatening Match, Ric Flair vs. MVP: Even at this stage of his career Ric Flair could still put on a good performance and make someone look better than they really are, which he did here with MVP. Anyone who was anyone knew Flair wouldn't lose here and after some hard fought action, Flair pulled out a win locking on the figure four leg lock and MVP tapped out. 7/10.

-Vince McMahon is backstage with Hornswoggle as he basically talks him up about being in the Royal Rumble match and how he expects him to win (yeah right).

-Chris Jericho vs. JBL: This rivalry started a month ago at Armageddon when JBL cost Y2J the WWE Championship and this was a decent match but something just seemed off, like both didn't mesh well at all. The action initially was fine as Jericho took it to JBL early on but this may have been better suited being booked as a brawl. Both men do bleed pretty bad but the DQ finish ruined the halfway decent build-up. 6/10. The aftermath where Jericho uses a chair on JBL and a cable to choke him out was better than the match itself.

-There's a lame backstage thing with Ashley and Santino where Ashley tries to talk to Maria but he prevents it.

-World Heavyweight Championship Match, Edge (Champion) vs. Rey Mysterio: A good rivalry that was marred by the in bad taste storyline involving Vickie Guerrero. I do like how the vocal New York crowd booed Mysterio and cheered Edge. This was a good match as both men know each other from years back as a tag team and as opponents. The constant interference by Hawkins, Ryder and even Vickie brought the match down a bit. Rey did almost have the match won on a couple of occasions and there was a spot where he hit the 619 that Vickie shielded Edge from. Edge then hit a spear while Mysterio leapt from the top rope to make the pin and retain his title. 7/10.

-Mr. Kennedy confronts Ric Flair backstage basically eluding to challenging him to a match in the future. Shawn Michaels however interferes and Kennedy walks off. Michaels and Ric talks, which plants the seeds for their match at Wrestlemania. Batista and Triple H join the segment which turns out to be pretty good.

-We have the Maria Kiss Cam which turns into a segment where Maria says she'll pose for Playboy despite her on screen bf Santino's attempts to stop her.

-WWE Championship Match, Randy Orton (Champion) vs. Jeff Hardy: This was when they were starting to build Jeff up huge and he got his shot at the WWE title against the Legend Killer Randy Orton. Jeff was the Intercontinental Champion at the time so he had a chance to join an elite group by holding both titles. Their styles worked well together but despite Jeff's best attempts it was not to be as Randy countered a Twist of Fate into an RKO to retain his title. 8/10. This match served its purpose two-fold, it kept Randy's run as the heel champion going while continuing Jeff's push to main event status.

-Its now time for the Royal Rumble match and we have infamous announcer Michael Buffer doing the opening introductions. The first 2 are Undertaker and Shawn Michaels which was a great choice and this evolved into being a really rumble though not the greatest. I do love how the fans dumped on The Great Khali chanting "You Can't Wrestle" very loudly. John Cena appearing as the #30 entrant was a big shock given his injury he suffered a few months back and guess who won, who else, John Cena. But inspite of that it was a well paced Rumble that established many wrestlers and helped plant seeds for a couple of future rivalries. 9/10

-This is a great PPV as this proves having less matches can make a show better as each match was given time to tell a decent story, though the World Title match could've been a tad longer in my opinion. But its a great one to watch.

this was an awesome Royal Rumble..i was honored & lucky to have witnessed this live as i always do a WWE Event at the garden...all the matches were good...loved that Y2J & JBL had a blood bath..i loved it all...wished my Boy Triple H won..the John Cena 30th entrant surprise nobody expected...this is still 1 of the better royal rumbles..def worth the purchase

The 2008 edition of the Royal Rumble lacked something for me...Ric Flair defeated MVP in a match that was plodding and sedating to me as the watcher. The Savior Chris Jericho went bezerk on JBL with a chair as part of a fued that I don't recall going much of anywhere and even the Rumble match lacked a bit of star-power after the Undertaker-Shawn Michaels left. Although the crowd did seem reasonably excited for the showdown between Triple H and John Cena. The part of the Rumble with Piper and Snuka was kinda sad two guys nearing sixty staggering around the ring getting their licks in on guys half their age before they where mercilessly eliminated by Kane. Randy Orton and Edge retain championships as the Road to Wrestlemania begins.

If you own the complete box set of Royal Rumble then you know it only covers till the year 2007. The Royal Rumble 2008 will not disappoint if you add it on top of your collection. Even by itself this show is solid top to bottom with an exciting Royal Rumble match.

Career Threatening Match: MVP vs. Ric Flair

This match was fun. The special stipulation that Vince McMahon set up for all of Flair's matches in 2008 was that the first time he lost, it would be his retiring match. They played up the fact that MVP was disrespecting Flair and Flair well, plus the match was very well done, with a lot of back-and-forth action. Everything was fast-paced, and Flair even took some bumps, including a superplex and a sick big boot in the corner. The finish was swift and precise, and harkened back to earlier in the match when Flair locked in the Figure Four and had worked over MVP's leg. The only problem was the match was way too short. Match Rating: 4/5


Chris Jericho vs. JBL

There was actually a story behind this one. The month prior at Armageddon, JBL had cost Jericho the WWE Championship by getting Randy Orton disqualified when he intjerected himself into the match and nailed Jericho with a big boot while Jericho had Orton in the Walls of Jericho. JBL and Jericho then had a back-and-forth, very violent feud leading up to this match. The actual match was quite good, with Jericho and JBL nailing a lot of powerful moves with lots of excitement and counters thrown in. This match was also way too short and the ending, Jericho getting disqualified for smacking JBL with a chair, was just a bad idea. There was actually blood in this match though, a rare thing for WWE these days it seems, and the aftermath was pretty violent with Jericho smacking JBL with the chair again and choking the life out of him. Match Rating: 3/5


World Heavyweight Championship Match: Edge (champion) (w/ Vickie Guerrero, Curt Hawkins, and Zack Ryder) vs. Rey Mysterio

Holy damn. This match was fast-paced and pretty epic throughout the entire thing. Rey was particularly amazing, hitting all of the sweet spots and being very unorthodox and original. He nailed a tornado DDT on Edge on the outside of the ring, and he also took a few bumps. Edge worked over Rey's leg for a lot of the match and he tried to cheat a couple of times, and the finish was also pretty good. Vickie Guerrero took the blunt of the 619 for Edge, and when Ray went to hit the West Coast Pop regardless, Edge Speared him in mid-air. Fantastic match and a fantastic finish. Match Rating: 5/5


WWE Championship Match: Randy Orton (champion) vs. Jeff Hardy

Another great match. The crowd was really behind Jeff, and there was a lot of solid wrestling going on. Orton and Jeff took a few bumps, with Orton nailing the security barrier pretty damn hard at one point. There were a lot of near falls and Jeff nailed a sweet moonsault on the outside of the ring, though they messed up and only a tiny part of Jeff's leg actually hit Orton. The match did slow down at one point when the two men grappled in the center of the ring, which was disappointing since it's a Jeff Hardy match and it didn't really work well, but the finish was great. Jeff went for the Twist of Fate (after missing the Swanton Bomb), but Orton spun with it and nailed Hardy with the RKO to get the pinfall. Match Rating: 4/5


Royal Rumble Match

I was disappointed a little with this Rumble. There were no weapons or anything cool like that used throughout the whole thing, but there were quite a few highlights. Undertaker and HBK were the first two entrants, which was perfect considering they were the last two men in the ring at last year's Rumble. Shelton Benjamin leaping on top of the top turnbuckle was impressive, and the surprise appearances by Jimmy Snuka and Roddy Piper, as well as their mini-match, was also pretty cool. Undertaker went ballistic and leg dropped Snitsky through a table for really no reason, and the last three men, Batista, Triple H, and (surprise) John Cena, played their parts well. Triple H was the last man eliminated by John Cena nailing an FU to the outside of the ring as the two of them had a pretty impressive one on one battle for a while. Regardless of Cena's surprise appearance, Michaels and Undertaker really stole the show. Mick Foley being in a match without using any weapons was just sad, as well as the lack of hardcore action in general. Match Rating: 4/5


BACKSTAGE SHENANIGANS

There were some funny moments with Santino Marella, Ashley, and Maria. Santino is great on the mic and he deserves more attention. Also, Ric Flair, Mr. Kennedy, Shawn Michaels, and Batista shared an epic segment in the locker room. There is also a scene with Vince McMahon, Hornswoggle, and Finlay, continuing the storyline that states that Hornswoggle is Vince McMahon's son. Rating: 5/5


EXTRAS

The highlight of the Extras is really the Intercontinental Championship Match that took place between Orton and Hardy prior to the Rumble. Jeff's Swanton Bomb off the top of the Titan Tron was breathtaking and totally worth watching repeatedly. Extras Rating: 5/5

Ric Flair Vs. United States Champion M.V.P. - This was a good opener as it didn't bore the crowd. Flair looked a little off in the match but this is still better then their match from Vengeance. A nice opener but nothing really to mention here. 3/5

John "Bradshaw" Layfield Vs. Chris Jericho - Bradshaw's first in-ring PPV since Judgment Day of 2006. The match came off more of a brawling and slugfest type of bout as we see from J.B.L. rather then a technical masterpiece we see from Jericho. It ends when a bloody Chris Jericho gets himself disqualified after hitting J.B.L. with a steel chair and then proceeds to choke out Bradshaw with a camera cable. A good Rumble return for both Chris Jericho and J.B.L. but isn't their best match. 3.5/5

World Heavyweight Championship
Edge Vs. Rey Mysterio - Edge was the huge favorite in this match as he got more cheers from the NYC crowd then Mysterio got. Edge targets Mysterio's knee a few minutes into the match to allow Rey not able to use his high flying offense against Edge. Rey was able to pull out new moves out of his bag of tricks to counter Edge that includes Rey sliding out of the ring to score with a DDT to Edge on the floor. After an interference from Vickie Guerrero (who gets a 619 for her troubles), Edge hits Rey with a spear out of mid-air for the win. 4/5 (Also Available On "Edge: Decade Of Decadence")

WWE Championship
Randy Orton Vs. Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy - This match had a big time buildup and feel to it. Orton and Hardy gave a great performance out there and they produced a very good WWE Title Match. The MSG crowd was very electric in this match as Hardy and Orton went back and forth against one another. In the end, Randy Orton hits a RKO out of nowhere and since Survivor Series against Shawn Michaels, Orton getting a clean WWE Title win. 4.5/5

30 Man Royal Rumble Match
This Rumble Match, unfortunately, didn't stick out like previous Rumbles in the past has done. The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels has very good showings after entering at #1 and #2. Batista is another that has a long perfromance showing in the match after entering at #8. This Rumble Match has many surprise entrants in Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka, Mick Foley, and the biggest in John Cena. The HHH and Cena face off in this Rumble Match reminded me of the Hulk Hogan/Ultimate Warrior face off from the Royal Rumble in 1990. After the #29 entrant, things begin to pick up and get more interesting. Again, this isn't a bad Rumble Match but it isn't one of the top Royal Rumble Matches. 4.5/5

Overall, this a nice Royal Rumble PPV to see. None of the matches were bad but they aren't anything special that will blow you away (besides the Orton/Hardy WWE Title Match). The Royal Rumble Match is good but it isn't one of the bests.

2008 kicks off for the WWE with one of the biggest ppv's of the year: the Royal Rumble. As always, this show is billed as the place where we begin the "Road to Wrestlemania." The much anticipated Royal Rumble match will determine the main event for Wrestlemania. This DVD provides the show in full and has a bonus match from Raw.

THE SHOW
* Career Threatening Match: Ric Flair vs. MVP. Flair gives a good brief speech before the match, which gets the crowd fired up. These two give a better performance than their last meeting at Vengeance in June 2007. This is a good opener, with the hot New York crowd boosting this from a decent match to a good match.

* Mr. McMahon discusses the Rumble Match with Hornswoggle.

* Chris Jericho vs. JBL. These two give a good brawl. It is certainly not a wrestling match. JBL hasn't wrestled on ppv since Judgment Day of 2006, and he seems a bit rusty. However, the technical failings are covered up by some fun hardcore brutality. Jericho's big return seems to have fizzled quickly. :(

* Ashley tries to talk to Maria.

* World Championship: Edge (c) vs. Rey Mysterio. After winning the belt back last month at Armageddon, Edge defends his title against Mysterio. These two have always had good chemistry. Having been tag champs together, they know each other well. The match is enjoyable, but Edge never seems in danger of losing. The match ends with a cool looking spot.

* Ric Flair in his locker room. Good interactions with Kennedy, HBK, Batista, and Triple H.

* Maria's Kiss Cam. Ashley & Maria tease the annual Playboy shoot. This would be a failing boring segment if it weren't for Santino's humor. He's just really entertaining to watch.

* WWE Championship: Randy Orton (c) vs. Jeff Hardy. Following his upset victory at Armageddon, Jeff gets his first ppv title shot. The crowd is clearly behind him. Orton and Jeff were okay together, but seem to lack the strong energy needed to put on an amazing match. The suspense at the end is agonizing. There was a real feel that Jeff might actually win the title. The fans really wanted it, but they were denied.

* 2008 Royal Rumble match. This year's rumble was fun. The two to start it were the two that ended it last year. Throughout the match, we got a lot of good moments. The New York crowd really helped this match. There were some good surprise entrants, like Foley, Roddy Piper, and Jimmy Snuka. Now, the ending... despite how people complain about it now, just listen to the reaction when Cena arrives. It was easily the biggest surprise in ages, and the crowd's initial reaction tells it all. Its a lot of fun to watch the final three face off. This match had a good start and a good ending. The middle was a little slower this year, but certainly not bad.

EXTRAS
* Raw 1/14/08 - Intercontinental Championship: Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Randy Orton.

* Home Video Exclusive: Triple H talks to John Cena post Royal Rumble match.

Overall, this was a really fun show. The Rumble always adds some excitement to a show. Once again, some young wrestlers got to challenge for the World titles. Cena made a surprise return, and Jeff showed he had what it takes to be a main eventer.

This Royal Rumble was one of the best in the last 3 to 4 years only second in the last 10 years to the 2007 Royal so it is a have to buy for any person that watchers wrestling