It’s perhaps best to make a couple of points clear right from the start.
1 – I’m a big Daniel Bryan fan and wholeheartedly wish that the WWE would give him a serious main event push. One where the babyface doesn’t fall at every hurdle. One where he lifts the World Title for more than five minutes and is allowed to do what he does best. I would have loved him to win the Rumble, go to WrestleMania XXX and lift the World Title.
2 – I like Mick Foley. I think he takes himself a little too seriously at times, but I was as ecstatic as anyone else watching that night all those many years ago when he defeated The Rock to claim the WWE Title for the first time. Even if I didn’t like him, his achievements in the world of wrestling would demand the highest respect.
But reading Mick Foley’s blog on the Royal Rumble finish certainly rubbed me up the wrong way.
He’s upset that Daniel Bryan didn’t win. I get that. But one of his points in particular just doesn’t withstand closer scrutiny.
He drops an F-Bomb to “emphasise how F’ing sad I am for the guys who bust their butts night in and night out” and yet didn’t get the chance to win the Rumble and headline WrestleMania. Now on one level he is perfectly correct. Indeed I would be a hypocrite to disagree with the sentiment considering I spent this time last year loudly wondering to anyone who would listen what exactly Chris Jericho’s return to the WWE did other than doing a full-timer out of a spot on the biggest show of the year.
But here’s the thing. I don’t recall this time last year Mick Foley making the same point about his old friend The Rock. I don’t recall Mick complaining that the part-time Rock was waltzing in to headline his second consecutive WrestleMania, depriving one of the full-time roster of that honour. Nor that house-show avoiding Rock was made the first ever “Via Satellite” champion.
Now it’s perfectly acceptable to reason that The Rock is a bigger star that Batista. It’s also perfect acceptable to “prefer” The Rock to Batista. But if you’re bringing in the idea that it didn’t matter a year ago because The Rock is a “bigger” star than Batista then you’re not railing against the system at all are you? You’re saying you don’t like Batista. You’re not saying the system is wrong, you’re just saying you don’t think the current beneficiary deserves it.
Similarly I don’t recall an outpouring of opprobrium from Foley when Chris Jericho returned to the WWE and was immediately put in a feud with CM Punk that included a World Title match at WrestleMania. And let’s be clear. Jericho is ten times the worker that Batista can ever hope to be, but Batista drew more in his World Title match at WrestleMania with Triple H than Jericho did with his. A crude statistic, perhaps, but inarguable.
Furthermore, Jericho’s returns over the past two years made little appreciable dent in TV ratings. Batista’s recent return to RAW was apparently the highest rated RAW segment in two years. But obviously Jericho’s superior “work-rate” counts for more than Batista being a bigger draw.
And whilst Foley’s returns at WrestleMania’s 20 and 22 commendably saw him put over younger talent (who were already “stars” anyway), did he not feel that he was taking the spot of a full-timer who had “worked his butt off” all year long? Or was that ok because he was losing and putting over younger talent? Is it not conceivable that Batista may do the same at some point over the coming months?
As I said, I actually understand Mick Foley’s point of view and sympathise with it. Many fans wanted Bryan to win and I would have had no problem with that outcome.
But to pretend that this was the night that revealed the way the WWE works is disingenuous. If fans weren’t upset that the likes of Chris Jericho and Rob Van Dam can return to the company and immediately chase the World Title you cannot be upset now that a much bigger draw like Batista has done the same.
If you’re that “disgusted” by the fact that a man not entered into the Royal Rumble match indeed didn’t take part in it and therefore didn’t win it, it suggests that you’ve either not been paying attention to the way that Daniel Bryan has been booked since the hype for SummerSlam began or that you’ve not been following the WWE’s practices in terms of booking “returning” stars for years.
Daniel Bryan, and his fans, deserve more. No question. But let’s not pretend that Vince and the WWE “ignoring” what the fans want is either shocking or new. And fans shouldn’t allow their “hatred” of Batista to forgive their previous acceptance of the WWE’s attitude.
– By Matthew Roberts
Have a strong opinion on Mick Foley’s comments about the Royal Rumble? Make sure to comment below!