WWE Newcastle Live: 12 Interesting Observations
Republished with photos from the show!
WWE's WrestleMania Revenge tour of the UK rumbled on with a show in Newcastle, England amidst a sea of controversy following The Undertaker's withdrawal from the event.
Taker was scheduled to be a part of Tuesday's SmackDown as well as last night's house show, with every bit of promotion centered around The Deadman being there.
Taker was on the tour, then off the tour, then back on the tour, and then was finally pulled for a final time last weekend. WWE had to pull something special out of the bag as a suitable replacement for a sold out Metro Radio Arena which they did in all fairness, as Triple H and Dean Ambrose were pitted against each other.
On top of that, Ryback challenged Kalisto for the United States Championship, Dolph Ziggler went after The Miz's Intercontinental Title, and Sami Zayn took on Kevin Owens less than two weeks before the pair's first big match as part of the main roster at Payback.
It was a house show that was entertaining in parts, but one that mainly went through the motions as there wasn't really anything that got you out of your seat. It's almost as if WWE have told their Superstars to reign it in a bit when the cameras aren't rolling off the back of an injury crisis or something... you really can't blame them at all.
Nevertheless, here are 10 interesting observations from WWE WrestleMania Revenge Tour: Newcastle ...
12. WWE Don't Cover Themselves In Glory With Taker's Situation
Let's be honest, WWE's handling of The Undertaker's non-appearance was nothing short of farcical.
As I explained in the intro, The Deadman was on the show, then off the show, then on the show again before finally being pulled from the show last weekend.
Now this is just from personal experience, but this wasn't officially announced by WWE nor the Metro Radio Arena - where the event took place.
While I found out via Twitter over the weekend that Taker wouldn't be on the show and had been replaced by Dean Ambrose and Triple H, the news was only confirmed via a brief email on the morning of the show.
We should have had something more substantial and sooner than that, surely.
On my way to the arena and while I was in my seat I heard countless children telling their parents how excited they were to see The Phenom, and countless parents not knowing what to say in response.
I know cards are always subject to change, but WWE should have done a better job with something as monumental as this.