John Cena vs Umaga - Royal Rumble 2007
Added 2025-02-28 17:00:15 +0000 UTCWatch: https://streamable.com/50ap9l
Comments
Watched your reaction a second time today. This match moves up my all time ranking every time I see it. Umaga is so underrated, he should be remembered as the Yoko of his era.
CG
2025-03-02 20:02:31 +0000 UTCThe military look of Cena is just related to the movie, he was never in the military.
Karen
2025-03-01 22:03:16 +0000 UTCAlso, I think this match is going to be in Bloodline’s Showcase!
Kam
2025-03-01 21:23:10 +0000 UTCTo answer your question about the army persona, yes. They were already trying to move away from the Doc of Thuganomics in ‘05 to make him more marketable to a younger audience. After Cena played a marine in WWE’s ‘06 film “The Marine” he came back as this military character. I think the plan at first was just to wear military-like attire to market the movie, but it stuck lol.
Kam
2025-03-01 21:13:08 +0000 UTCI like the AJ Rumble match better, but I think i could safely agree that this is Cena’s best gimmick match ever in my opinion.
Ian Hernandez
2025-03-01 12:46:17 +0000 UTCLove that someone finally submitted this banger. One of Cena's more gruesome matches. He definitely had more technical masterpieces from 2015-2017, but he had tons of matches from 2005-2008 that were absolutely gruesome. 2008-2015 Cena was more storytelling era of Cena, but also when his winning became even more noticeable then it was before, I think in like eight years he only lost like one or two matches clean which is unheard of.
Flynn Vicci
2025-03-01 09:34:42 +0000 UTCDefinitely in my top 5 Cena singles matches ever. This pre-colored shirt babyface Cena is probably my favorite version of Cena, and veteran Cena is #2.
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2025-03-01 06:36:47 +0000 UTCGreat Khali lol And green I thought always meant loads of potential that hasn't been fully realized Umaga was not green for very long this was a shell breaking performance for him As a character tho Umaga was new and thus he had to get used to it
Paul Watson
2025-03-01 06:33:28 +0000 UTCYeah I wouldn't say you can be green forever at all. Green means someone who is in the early stages of their development as a wrestler and should therefore be given more leniency and charitability.
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2025-03-01 06:31:33 +0000 UTC2006 and 2009 the WWE Title changed hands as well. Cena won it in 06 and Edge in 09. Sgt Slaughter also notably won the title from Ultimate Warrior in 1991.
Steamed Ham Champion Dillon Haggett
2025-03-01 04:24:18 +0000 UTCThis is from the first WWE PPV I ever saw, or at least partially saw. I watched the 07 Rumble match. Literally, the day before this show I saw a replay of SmackDown where Undertaker beat up a bunch of people and I’ve been a fan ever since. This is also now the third time a content creator I follow has watched this match, as The Attitude Era Podcast reviewed the Rumble 07 late last year and Wrestling With Wregret reviewed it earlier in the year as well. Umaga didn’t talk in the promo, that was his manager Armando Estrada. Don’t worry Tally, Cena hit above Umagas head with the monitor.
Steamed Ham Champion Dillon Haggett
2025-03-01 04:23:01 +0000 UTCGreen is not the right word to use. He was an excellent worker by this point with tons of experience on TV and around the world already.
Harjiv Singh
2025-02-28 22:01:06 +0000 UTCthis is Cena’s best match ever, what an incredible performance from both guys. Umaga was just amazing man
Harjiv Singh
2025-02-28 19:57:33 +0000 UTCYes the title has changed at the rumble before. Main one I remember vividly is punk vs the rock 2013. They put the title on the rock just so he can drop it to cena in their mania rematch.
Jayshawn Robinson
2025-02-28 19:08:17 +0000 UTCthis week has to be up there for the best week on this patreon, cena umaga kenny okada kenny danielson kenny ospreay and pete dunne vs walter all in the same week ?!
Dre Mercy
2025-02-28 18:29:02 +0000 UTCCompletely fair! And what I meant by carried was the concept of the match It was something that could've only worked with Cena And like I said he absolutely did his part here lol
Paul Watson
2025-02-28 18:13:44 +0000 UTCFair, I agree someone can be green their whole career. I personally disagree he was carried through this match.
Dylan Thomas Banks
2025-02-28 18:12:17 +0000 UTCHe may have been more experienced didn't mean he wasn't green You can technically be green your whole career Also he was getting used to playing Umaga the character Had to adjust
Paul Watson
2025-02-28 18:05:09 +0000 UTCJust a heads up Umaga had been wrestling from 1995, so he was more experienced than Cena.
Dylan Thomas Banks
2025-02-28 18:04:01 +0000 UTCOkay just finished so giving my full thoughts So here's the thing obviously Cena gets alot of flack by online communities(and by me when I was an idiotic 9 yr old) but the dude from 2006 and beyond is one of the the greatest and most underrated I've ever seen Yeah he got overpushed which is why so few people see the vision that he was more than a phenomenal company man He was also a phenomenal wrestler This match is more proof of that concept Umaga was still green and Cena carried him to a match I'd consider top 30 in the companies history He did this ofc by selling his ass off(btw while it does look goofy the point of taping ribs is the same concept as the wrist it avoids further injury just a heads up) with more subtle selling like gasping for breath or struggling to walk upwards due to so much pain when he stands regularly...and by bleeding because Cena is a legendary bleeder when Vince would allow it And then storytelling He is a changed man here his face after that match is a face of utter survival He is scarred because his babyface instincts had to be put aside to survive Phenomenal Now this is not to knock Umaga as he did his fucking part here He's not asked to do as much as Cena had to here but as a monster who has to convey not only utter dominance but also play a wounded monster? He is brilliant here Especially at the end As JR put it while Cena was choking the life out of Umaga "even a Monsters gotta breath" Yeah I know I'm a bit of a nerd ranting but I love this match lmao Can't wait for more Cena!(pretty sure there's another rumble match in the submissions batch that fell on the same weekend as Omega/Okada 1)
Paul Watson
2025-02-28 17:44:52 +0000 UTCSo glad you guys enjoyed my tally tier! its matches like this where cena proved he could carry the company. and to answer your question, yes the wwe title changed hands at the rumble before, rock vs mankind in that brutal i quit match in 1999, but a world title changing hands at the rumble is very rare. ill start cooking up another suggestion for you both to enjoy!
Craig Lozo
2025-02-28 17:28:05 +0000 UTCOh hell yeah lmao Greatest Babyface performance in WWE History
Paul Watson
2025-02-28 17:01:47 +0000 UTC
