LIVE Royal Rumble thoughts - January 26, 2014

10:45 - Oh, and just to recap....Daniel Bryan lost clean in the opening match to someone who will just be fed to Cena AND didn't even appear in the Rumble.

10:41 - To make matters worse, I believe that was the EXACT ending we saw at last year's Royal Rumble as well.  Notice the close views we're getting of Batista.  No shots of the crowd whatsoever.

10:35 - I was JUST about to write "Unless CM Punk wins this, the crowd is going to tear apart the end of this Rumble."  And look what just happened.

10:32 - WWE just lost the fans' interest in this match, and they have nobody to blame but themselves.

10:30 - I can't imagine they're booting Mysterio, since he appeared in the pre-match interviews.  But they're in for a rude awakening if he doesn't.  They're already booing Batista because they think he's going to win.

10:24 - That's your mystery man, provided WWE's list is accurate.  I'm thinking there's a chance Woods gets booted, but Batista, Del Rio, Langston, and Mysterio are definitely in.  IF they boot Woods, that could be Bryan's chance.

10:20 - We have 7 more entries, and the confirmed ones that remain are Batista, Del Rio, Mysterio, Rowan, Big E Langston, and Xavier Woods.  One open spot, provided they are all in it.  Is that Daniel Bryan?

10:19 - Cool looking save from Roman Reigns.

10:15 - Another "DANIEL BRYAN" chant.

10:11 - Goldust eliminates Cody....perhaps we will see them fight at Mania.  Also, as predicted, Sheamus is back.  Nice looking gear, too.  New color scheme.

10:08 - Loved Reigns' entrance and how he saved Rollins BEFORE entering.  YOU rarely ever see people enter strategically like that.  They just come in at the part of the ring facing the aisle.  Also love how they established Kofi as an "impossible" guy to get rid of, only for Reigns to pull it off.

10:05 - I had heard rumors of Nash being in the Rumble but I resisted guessing him.  Any chance that we get some closure with the Punk storyline?

10:02 - Ziggler got one of the biggest reactions since the Rumble has started.  And I think he's the only guy, thus far, who has gotten a chant.

10:01 - Those Kofi eliminations are always amazing.  No room for error!

9:58 - I'm guessing they're waiting for Roman Reigns, who will clear the ring of everybody but Punk and Rollins (and this is where Kofi's near elimination and then elimination will come).

9:54 - Announcers referring to Swagger and the NXT rookie as "two big guys" -- completely ignoring the Real American/Foreigner connection.

Kofi Kingston now appaers in some pretty cool Joker attire.  Let's see what he surprises us with this year.

9:51 - Nice touch that went unnoticed by the announcers:  Seth Rollins (who is an unofficial stooge of the Authority) held Punk's leg when Kane made his entrance.

9:49 - Cody gets half credit.  He DID go the Randy Savage route by wearing new attire in his multiple appearances.  But neither is new, though.  Also....kinda surprised Sandow was the first eliminated, considering his semi-strong push over the past few months.

9:47 - Sandow in at #3.  No new gear for him, either.

9:45 - I was THIS CLOSE!  My guess was that Dean Ambrose would be #2.  It was Rollins instead.

9:43 - Double disappointment with Punk:  He's still rocking the Wolverine look, and he doesn't have new gear.  Disappointment.  I'm guessing Punk gets the marathon run and lasts longer than anybody else.

9:40 - Love the old school feeling of these pre-Rumble interviews.

9:29 - Wow, I guess this Bray Wyatt/John Cena thing might actually happen.  But I'm wondering....did we see Bryan get sacrificed in order for Cena to overcome them?

9:27 - Second admission:  I'm a sucker for people using their opponent's finisher.

9:25 - Add to the chants:  "WE WANT REFUNDS" and "THIS IS AWFUL."  I will admit, though, that I'm getting a kick out of Orton putting his arms up in that arrogant fashion whenever they chant something nasty.

9:22 - I was actually just thinking, it's been a really long time since we've seen a ref bump.  And by the way, with chants like "BORING" and "YOU BOTH SUCK" and "END THIS MATCH" I hope WWE is taking note.  No other match got this reaction.

9:12 - Now I think the fans are actually hurting the cause.  They're all over the place.  Gives skeptics in the front office reason to say "they'll chant anything."

9:08 - And the "DANIEL BRYAN" chants start.

9:06 - I still get a kick out of the fact that Cena gets a new Titan Tron video every time he gets a new t-shirt.  And speaking of t-shirts, this is sorta odd timing, isn't it?  Why not wait a couple of months and just debut the new color scheme at WrestleMania?  Instead of a random Raw before Royal Rumble.

8:49 - The chairs actually physically breaking are a great visual.

8:42 - I'm a little confused as to why the match wasn't started when Lesnar make the initial attack.  Both guys were in the ring and the ref was right there.  Most of the time, when these pre-match attacks happen, it's outside the ring.

8:37 - Put me in the camp of one of the people that don't understand why one of Brock's matches is being wasted on Big Show.

8:30 - Awesome match and an incredible performance from both guys.  While this win DOES seem to indicate that Bryan could have his REAL heroic moment later in the night, I still don't agree with the booking.  I would have gone with a Bryan victory or at least a cheap ending.  In the end, Wyatt ended up winning pretty damn cleanly and decisively.

8:22 - That crabwalk thing Wyatt does is an awesome visual.  This guy does a GREAT job with his character.

8:08 - A LOT of people are saying "give the win to Bray, have Bryan win the Rumble" in order to keep both people strong.  NO!  This is one instance where they SHOULD put all of their eggs in one basket.  Wyatt is a heel and Bryan is the most over guy on the roster right now.  It's okay for him to lose.  Bryan, meanwhile, needs to be pushed as hard as possible.  Give him a loss/give him a win is the definition of 50/50 booking.  Yes, Bryan's eventual win will mean more than his first loss....but imagine how much bigger it would be if he won BOTH matches?

8:03 - Fun opening video, but the specific promotion for Batista does remind me of a few years ago when Randy Orton won....and the hype video focused almost exclusively around him.

7:59 - Daniel Bryan opening the show is an encouraging sign.  Gives him enough time to rest up before a Rumble appearance.

HOWEVER....  Daniel, please bring back your ring jackets!

7:52 - Wow, pretty surprised by that result.  Unless they're going through with a Cody vs. Goldust match at WrestleMania, I figured the Brotherhood would hold onto the titles until then.

7:48 - I love Cody, but I hate when he wears the green vest with the black/red trunks.  Also, last year Cody wore one pair of trunks for his tag team match, and another for his Rumble appearance.  Let's see if he does that again.

7:43 - Oh thank goodness.  In my LIVE Raw thoughts, I noted how lame the New Age Outlaws looked wearing the DX shirts, and that they should just wear some retro New Age Outlaws shirt instead.  And lo and behold, here they come doing that exact thing!

7:40 - Initial thoughts on the pre-show, in particular the backstage segment where various Superstars selected their numbers.  You had the Real Americans, R-Truth, Kofi Kingston, the Great Khali, and......Alberto Del Rio.  Haha, how the mighty have fallen....