The 2012 edition of the Royal Rumble was a major disappointment in my eyes — even with the fact that I was there live. I think the negative response from the IWC is certainly justified, if only because Jericho uttered that one line the previous Monday. It was unnecessary and gave fans false hope.
Jericho can tweet as much as he wants about fans whining, but the fact is we have a reason to bitch and moan. The tactic WWE and Chris Jericho used to sell the Royal Rumble just six days earlier is something I expect TNA to do. Not WWE. Promising something that is supposed to “change the landscape of the business forever” or in this case, be the “end of the world as we know it” is bush league. UNLESS you deliver. WWE didn’t. Jericho didn’t. Fans have every reason to whine.
The fact that Chris Jericho did not follow through on his promise is the ONLY reason I feel fans are reacting the way they are toward the Rumble as a whole. If something “bigger” would have happened that made sense of Jericho’s promo, a lot would have been forgiven in regard to the rest of the pay per view. The fact that it didn’t is why fans are lashing out so harshly.
Quick aside to the commentators that sat behind me at the Rumble: You aren’t funny, you aren’t as smart about wrestling as you think you are, and at the end of the day, you just spent $100 like the rest of us to attend a live wrestling event. The only difference is that your loud, obnoxious wisecracks during EVERY match and segment didn’t make me look and sound stupid. You were annoying to everyone within reach and took away from an otherwise enjoyable experience.
And to those of you who will try and use that paragraph against me, there is a major difference. You can shut me out with a click of a button (or better yet, by NOT clicking a button in the first place). I had no way of muting or blocking him out. Not without getting arrested, that is.
Chris Cash can be reached via email at wzchriscash@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter @RealityofChris.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
