It was the 2011 Royal Rumble when the yearly battle royal began being used to push some of the upper mid-card superstars, rather than centered around true main event feuds. The World Heavyweight Championship was without question a secondary title in WWE by this point and the winner of the 2011 Royal Rumble challenged for this title instead of making it to the real main event of WrestleMania. Instead of CM Punk, Randy Orton, or John Cena walking away as the winner, it was WWE newcomer Alberto Del Rio that was given the win. Del Rio was pushed heavily upon his debut in June 2010, but was forced into the main event scene and wasn't truly over when he won the Royal Rumble. This became even more apparent when, at WrestleMania XXVII, Del Rio was put in the opening contest, not exactly the position that winning the coveted battle royal promised. The previous three years' Rumble winners were not successful in their claims to capture their respective world championships at WrestleMania, but it was arguably Del Rio's victory in 2011 that sent the Royal Rumble Match into a downward spiral as it started to lose some of its prestige.
A former stuntman for Paramount Pictures, Matt enjoys sports, water skiing, driving fast, the beach, professional wrestling,
technology, and scotch. At the same time, whenever possible.
Having attended many famous (and infamous) shows including WrestleMania XV, In Your House: Mind Games, and the 1995 King of the Ring, Matt has been a lifelong professional sports and wrestling fan. Matt's been mentioned in numerous wrestling podcasts including the Steve Austin Show: Unleashed, Talk Is Jericho, and Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard.
As a former countywide performer, Matt has been referred to as Mr. 300 for his amazing accomplishments in the world of amateur bowling. He is also the only man on record to have pitched back-to-back no hitters in the Veterans Stadium Wiffle Ball League of 2003.
