January 26, 2015
After fans in Pittsburgh left last year’s Royal Rumble more than a little upset, fans in Philadelphia expected more from WWE this time around.
Boy, were they wrong.
Many felt that Daniel Bryan would win -- or at least that’s what they wanted to see happen. In the end, however, there was more heartbreak … and a lot more booing as Roman Reigns took home the title of Royal Rumble champ.
Not even The Rock, who ruined his surprise appearance by posting a photo at Geno’s Steaks on Saturday night, could prevent fans from showering Reigns with boos as he held his hand up in victory.
The biggest star maybe in all of entertainment was brought in to LITERALLY hold someone's hand so he wouldn't get booed and it didn't work.
— Human individual (@JoeySplashwater) January 26, 2015
But it wasn’t just a PR hit on Twitter for WWE. It got so bad that fans all over the country were complaining that the page to unsubscribe from WWE Network, their digital-only platform that launched last year, had crashed, presumably from higher than normal traffic.
The unsubscribe page for #WWENetwork has crashed. I blame #WWE Fast Lane, not The #RoyalRumble.
— Big Nasty (@ThisIsNasty) January 26, 2015
Bray Wyatt, the No. 5 entry, was owning the match early on, eliminating at least six other wrestlers by my count, including crowd favorite Daniel Bryan, before being tossed out of the ring by Kane and The Big Show.
Once Daniel Bryan had been eliminated, especially so quickly, there was no saving the eventual winner from the wrath of the fans.
Rusev, from the No. 15 spot, owned the middle of the match.
He, along with The Big Show and Kane, were the others in there at the end, and while any of them would have gotten a better reception than Reigns, it still would’ve been underwhelming.
In the end, however, it was the hand-picked Roman Reigns that was the last man standing. And that’s when the wrestling world went crazy.
300 emails in 15 minutes? You ain't gotta get hot about it... #RoyalRumble #steveaustinshow
— Steve Austin (@steveaustinBSR) January 26, 2015
The Royal Rumble is supposed to JUMP START subscriptions for WM, Vince has done the exact opposite.
— Robert Littal (@BSO) January 26, 2015
The city of Philly just tipped over the Roman Reigns bandwagon and set it on fire.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) January 26, 2015
Man, it's going to be tough for WWE to smooth this one over. #RoyalRumble
— Vaughn Johnson (@VaughnMJohnson) January 26, 2015
The crowd chanted “Bulls—-t! Bulls—-t! Bulls—-t!” as The Rock, who received a hell of an ovation in his return despite only spending a few minutes in the ring, paraded Reigns around the ring.
Now, after the second subpar Rumble in as many years, Vince McMahon is going to have to make things right at Wrestlemania, just like last year.
Poor Roman Reigns. This is not his fault. This is on @VinceMcMahon and @WWE for refusing to listen to its fans.
— Cageside Seats (@cagesideseats) January 26, 2015
Watching the WWE is like watching the Flyers. You have glimpses, but ultimately old ownership is stuck in the past and falls short.
— Jesus Zoidberg (@JesusZoidberg) January 26, 2015
And here’s the order in which they were eliminated (and who eliminated them):
