Mick Foley is worried about the Royal Rumble, not Roman Reigns

Considering his reaction to last year's Royal Rumble event and the fact that this year's show seemed to play out in much the same way, many have been waiting to hear from legendary former WWE star Mick Foley. Is he pissed that Daniel Bryan didn't win? Is he upset that Roman Reigns did? Is he ready to call out WWE once more?

Not quite.

He's on board with a Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar WrestleMania 31 main event, feeling as though Paul Heyman will steer the ship in the right direction and when the time comes, the two beasts will create some magic when they finally lock horns. So that's all good.

No, Foley came away from the Royal Rumble worried more about the Rumble match itself. He explains:

I wasn't mad after this year's Rumble. Instead, I was sad. Sad, because the Rumble, which has been one of the most entertaining ‪#‎WWE‬ events of the year for so long, might just be in danger of becoming "just another show", and going the way of "Survivor Series" as a good idea that runs it course and ceases to be relevant. I didn't see this year's Rumble, and with the exception of the final few minutes I caught on WWE Monday Night Raw, I don't envision myself doing so. But I didn't need to see the Rumble or know the outcome to know what a disappointment it was. All I had to do was watch the people. I dropped 3 of my kids off at the Wells Fargo Center at 6:30, and showed up on Broad Street, just a few blocks from the arena at 10:45, just as the crowd was letting out. No one saw me in my vehicle. But I saw them, and could tell, just by the way people were walking- by the way children were dragging their signs, and shuffling slowly, by the way adults held their heads down, with limited verbal interactions - that there was no joy in Philadelphia.

Let me quote a story I wrote about Zack Ryder - WWE Universe several months ago here on Facebook, and hope that the right people in WWE read it - because I think they are on the verge of losing some fans in the fallout of the Rumble. It wasn't just that one of their favorites didn't win - it was the brevity of their appearances, the lack of imagination in their involvement and the unceremonious way in which they were eliminated.

"Eventually people get tired of finding out that the WWE Superstars they have supported with their cheers, their purchases, their signs, their follows and their likes aren't real Superstars - and little by little, those fans lose interest in WWE, find other interests, and become former WWE fans."

I have no intention of becoming the "anti-WWE guy". I'm going to take a little break from ‪#‎Raw‬ and ‪#‎Smackdown‬ for the next couple of weeks, and see what the landscape looks like, heading into the next PPV. I really do think WWE is going to turn out a great Mania, and I'll be in the crowd watching. But I fear for the Rumble. What was once the start of "The Road to Wrestlemania" has now become a roadblock to the good will and excitement needed for a truly memorable Wrestlemania atmosphere.

While I disagree that the Royal Rumble is in danger of losing its luster as a must-see event on the WWE calendar, it's impossible to argue with the idea that this year's match featured some of the worst booking in its history. Bubba Ray Dudley received a strong pop for his surprise return and Bray Wyatt looked strong early but everyone else looked worse coming out than they did going in.

Here's to hoping they get it right next year. If they don't, Foley might really be on to something then.