Royal Ramblings: WWE Live In London

Comedy, drama, glorious aesthetics, crowd interaction and celebrity power. The WWE live show had it all. The thousands in attendance went home happy and that is why the company will keep on drawing British fans to its events.

Remember, Remember the fifth of November - we will, thanks to WWE. If you've never been to a WWE Live show, you're missing out. The company has been in the UK over the past week and has a few more dates across the country (tickets here) before returning to the UK in April. If you didn't make it this time be prepared for the return leg. For those of us that did, you'll have seen children and adults alike in fancy dress, heard "whoos" and "YES!" chants reverberating through the night and felt the buzz as John Cena's music hit before the man himself entered Wembley arena.

The London show on this latest tour was not for television and so fans in attendance knew they were getting something special and unique. A short introductory video from authority figure and current TV baddie Triple H ignited the crowd who were then treated to local legend Sheamus (whom we interviewed earlier in the day) defeating the hyper-arrogant Miz with his signature Brogue kick. For better or worse, the in-ring action was a sideshow as most eyes were firmly focussed on the excellent Damian Sandow (now under the moniker "Mizdow") mirroring his master's moves to magnificent comedic effect at ringside.

A second video, this time from Triple H's father-in-law and line manager Vince McMahon, constituted an apology to us Brits for the delay in deploying WWE's Network in the UK this month as promised. It was a savvy move by the veteran businessman and fans will no doubt forgive him so long as the product is worth the wait.

WWE always look to engage the crowd at their shows and London was no exception. Offering the audience the opportunity to vote for either a "dance-off" or a match between Los Matadores and Slater Gator, the fans sensibly chose the latter. This match embodied the family-friendly approach that WWE have sought in recent years with Los Matadores' mascot El Torito tormenting his rival Hornswaggle and stealing the win for his team.

It wasn't all fun, especially not for Xavier Woods whom took serious punishment from the veteran Mark Henry. Henry's sheer power was enjoyable to watch and Woods was simply another addition to Henry's "Hall of Pain".

WWE is a global company and as such, it is no surprise that UK talent features in their shows across the country. For London, the immensely talented Paige was on show and received a homecoming cheer. Sadly she didn't score a win as the TV rivalry between her teammate Nikki Bella and sister Brie Bella continued off camera, allowing opponent AJ Lee to retain her UK title. It was a strong match though, helping to showcase a skilled and impressive set of women.

Fresh from defeating Sheamus for the US title on the WWE Network was Rusev. It was the battle of the behemoths as he faced the 7-foot Big Show. Again, crowd interaction was key with the Big Show shushing the fans before letting his chest slaps echo across the arena. Rusev quickly rebounded and impressed with his brutal strength, joining the very small list of athletes to have superplexed the Big Show. The match ended with Rusev's disqualification for use of a foreign object but Big Show fans won't have been disappointed as his in-ring recovery coincided with a return to the squared circle for Mark Henry who got to experience the Show's "Weapon of Mass Destruction".

There was a second opportunity to see Mizdow, this time facing man of the people, Jack Swagger. Again, the crowd was treated to Mizdow's comedic genius including humorous appeals to the referee for imaginary fouls perpetrated by Swagger whilst his back was turned. Swagger won the match but Mizdow certainly won over the fans.

In the penultimate match-up, high-flyer Kofi Kingston and strongman Big E faced the spooky Eric Rowan and Luke Harper. The visual spectacle of the latter team entering the darkened arena illuminated only by mobile phones was spectacular. Equally impressive was the strength and athleticism of all four men. This was a match of the night contender with the crowd "popping" regularly.

However, for the wow factor, it's difficult to beat John Cena. WWE's Most Valued Player has earned his reputation for a reason. Cena had fans eating out of his hand within minutes, going on the record for a second time in favour of a London based Wrestlemania. Seth Rollins was the perfect Ying to Cena's Yang, cutting promos throughout the match and ensuring those gathered loved to hate him. An athletic bout ended with Cena delivering his "Attitude Adjustment" to Rollins through a table, from the second rope.

Comedy, drama, glorious aesthetics, crowd interaction and celebrity power. The WWE live show had it all. The thousands in attendance went home happy and that is why the company will keep on drawing British fans to its events. Tickets for their April tour go on sale soon, make sure not to miss it.

Above: The Royal Ramblings team prepares to take on Dean Ambrose

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