BLAH

DATE	EVENT	TIME	TYPE	RATING	MOMENTUM	FINISH	COMMENTS
25Oct01	1SD	(06:48)	BattleRoyal No1CoWCWWdTitle	65	TooManyCompetitors/Shifts	Clothesline OverRope	slow at first, picked up at end, semi-good.
25Oct01	2SD	(02:56)	Singles	50	1-2-2-1-2-1	Spinning Arm Drag into Bulldog-Pin	short, to the point, fair efforts
25Oct01	3SD	(03:16)	Singles WCWUSTitleG2	70	2-1-2-2-1-1-2-E-2	Anklelock-Submission	good performance, end counters were nice
25Oct01	4SD	(04:36)	Singles WCWWorldTitleG1	70	2-2-1-1-E-2-1-2-1	GermanHold, PinWithBridge	a good effortful event, predictable finish
25Oct01	5SD	(01:53)	Singles	40	2-1-2-1	AlSnowSpinebuster-Pin	too short, simple, somewhat lacking
25Oct01	6SD	(04:23)	2v2Tag WCWTagTitlesG1	70	2-2-1-1-E-2-2-1	HighAngleDudley DeathDrop-Pin	constant action, title win off loss, odd
25Oct01	7SD	(11:07)	HCSingles WWFHardcoreTitleG3	80	2-1-E-1-2-1-1- 2*E-1-E*2*1	RollUp-Pin	nice action and interest for HC but too much interference.

MOMENTUM KEY: (*) Denotes Interference (E) Denotes Even Momentum ; numbers to reflect substantial momentum changes or consistencies.
FINISH: Final move/ incident (in favor of) brief comment.
RATINGS: The problem with most ratings is that despite efforts to be objective, they are all too arbitrary in the end. I can best explain by ratings system as a mix of the following; most of the weight falls on the substance of the match itself (including mechanics, basic ring psychology, the story it advances to an extent, the placement and execution of high spots). The other main component is the finish and sometimes the immediate aftermath. This tries to account for the questions: did it seem feasible? was it unexpected? did it in and of itself move along a story line? do the wrestler's execute well enough that regardless of who wins, the finish is enjoyable. Based on that it is apparent, perhaps painfully so that some wrestler mixes are bound for higher numbers while others will barely break mediocre numbers. This seems insufficient, so if I think of a better way to explain it, I will gladly do so.

COMPETITORS KEY:

	1SD 1. BookerT,Test,RVD,Raven,Dudleyz,Tazz,Credible,Kidman,Hurricane,Richards,
	       Storm,Morrus,Kanyon,Awesome,Dreamer,Guerrero 
	2SD 1. Trish Stratus				2. Mighty Molly 
	3SD 1. Christian				2. Kurt Angle 
	4SD 1. Booker T					2. Chris Jericho 
	5SD 1. Tazz					2. Al Snow 
	6SD 1. Dudley Boyz W Stacy Kiebler (DVon)	2. Hardy Boyz W Lita 
	7SD 1. Rob Van Dam				2. The Rock

Interpromotional Matches, 6; WCW/ECW wins (2, 0 by DQ); WWF wins (4, 0 by DQ); no contests (0). Personal Best Match of the night: 7 SD Rob Van Dam v. The Rock (80) Personal Worst Match of the night: 5 SD Tazz v. Al Snow (40) 5 Singles (3 Title Matches), 1 Tag (1 Title Match); 1 Battle Royal 3 instances of interference (1 meaningful , Booker T (7))
7 SD *Shane McMahon *Test *Booker T
Title Changes: 1
Dudley Boyz (New WCW Tag Team Champions) Turns: None
Show assessment: Good, watchable.

MATCH BY MATCH:

First Match: All such matches will tend to have convoluted action so that is forgivable. Seemed slow to start of put picked up with six remaining in the field. Some good high spots in the match like Dreamer going through the table. Would have liked to seen a little brawl or such between Test and Booker T before a finish. This WCW Royal Rumble was a fair deal.

Second Match: Trish's overall improvement showed for the second straight show. Mighty Molly gave a below average performance IMHO, but not by a great deal. Would have been nice to see Molly pick up the win to establish some momentum for the Alliance, however, it would not have provided a substantial bit of credible momentum, so no matter.

Third Match: That flurry of counters near the end of the match was a welcome bit. A pretty good performance from Christian on the other end. No laziness shown by either competitor. If there has to be a worst portion of this match its the fact that I couldn't see Christian getting the title from the start, but still a good actual match.

Fourth Match: Like the last match, there was no sight of Booker T taking the title from a red-hot title winning Jericho. Nice changes of momentum in this contest and the lack of interference (A.K.A. Shane McMahon) did surprise me. This match did not close by means of a finisher so that was a nice touch. Overall good performance.

Fifth Match: I gave this the benefit of the doubt and accepted the premise for this match. Either way, they should have been given more time to go at it. Though foreseeable, I would say the right person won. Not much light, that aside, in this match. Subpar. Stands as personal worst match of the night.

Sixth Match: We have seen this combo before, but this match still didn't disappoint overall. Weird to see a big title win coming immediately off a title loss but I guess some title(s) would be sacrificed after Monday's gold-slaughter of WCW by WWF. That high angle 3D was a nice spark to an already destructive finisher. Good action and effort.

Seventh Match: RVD sure knows how to work the Hardcore Match; for some reason, I see him reviving its credibility. A good match from both competitors and I expected one point of interference, but the three wrestler-contact interferences dropped this about ten points in my mind. Still this match makes personal best of the night.

CLOSING NOTES:
1. Where was DDP's motivation to raise up the Alliance in the beginning of the show?
2. That commissioner contrast is something alright; something borderline hilarious actually.
3. I can see where they come from with the Tough Enough premises they use; it still does nothing for me.
4. Stacy Keibler: Guaranteed distraction. Could make a business out of it that rivals the patronage of the APA.
5. More Jericho and Rock confrontation please; future explosions may rival Mount St. Helens.

Robert Ortega, Jr.
[slash] wrestling

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BLAH