Match 1: Ric Flair and Batista defeated The Dudley Boys in a table match to retain Tag Titles. This was a very mediocre & short bout which almost appeared as if it was 100% ad lib. It gave the impression that there was no planning to it at all. Furthermore, there wasn't much intensity in the ring, despite it being a decent feud. The abrupt ending just topped it off!! 4/10
Match 2: Rey Mysterio defeated Jamie Noble to retain CW Title. Man, if I called the last match short, then this one didn't exist. I think it lasted less than 4 minutes!!! What more can I say, everything that happened in the 4 minutes was fast-paced & crisp, while there was some decent storytelling involved with Nidia & the ending to the bout. 4/10
Match 3: Eddie Guerrero defeated Chavo Guerrero: I suppose Eddie didn't dominate, but the fact that Chavo never really looked like winning definitely surprised me. The beatdown after the match also had me scratching my forehead... Were the WWE testing reaction to an Eddie heel turn? 6/10
Match 4: Brock Lesnar defeated Hardcore Holly to retain Smackdown World Title: Acceptable time-passer, although I think most know my opinion on the existence of this match on a major ppv card. The feud has been good, and I like the way the psychology aspect of it was used in the match. I even agreed with the reasoning behind Lesnar tying Holly up & grounding him. But my goodness, was it overdone... and badly at that!!! There was way too many boring spots for a match that hardly travelled 10 minutes, and I think the rear gut-wrench/bearhug that Lesnar applied more than once, was quite possibly the weakest looking move I've seen this decade!!! 5/10
Match 5: Triple H and HBK wreslted to a draw in a Last Man Standing Match: I think I have had trouble rating every single match on this card. This was no exception. While it was entertaining & generated some excitement at various stages of the match, there is something about the way that this bout was structured that had me a little underwhelmed. After the first 3 minutes, the 2 wrestlers basically just took turns in beating on each other for a short spurt, until the one that was taking the beating got up somewhere between a 7 and 9 count. I think that's why I have never really liked 'Last Man Standing' matches; They are all fairly similar. While I wasn't super impressed with the result, the ending didn't bother me too much. 6/10.
Match 6: He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named won the Royal Rumble.
The match was entertaining. I didn't have too many problems with when wrestlers entered, and when they were eliminated (although, I thought Goldberg should have lasted another 2-3 minutes before Lesnar ran in). There were also some nice touches, such as The Undertaker's gong, Mick Foley's brilliant & intense appearance, and the excellently booked & performed ending involving Benoit & The Big Show. All in all, these Rumble matches are always great viewing & a good reminder of the depth of the talent roster at a point in time. This one was no exception. 8/10
Overall: 5.5/10
