Posted in: PPV WWE Royal Rumble Results 1/25/09
By Skaos
Jan 25, 2009 - 11:15:03 PM
Great video package airs to open the show. It recaps all the winners from previous years, complete with their respective theme music. We get Mysterio, Cena, Triple H and company and then slows down to an eerie promo with Randy Orton and his music. Stephanie slaps Orton and Orton's promo to Vince and the subsequent attack is shown. No one does video packages quite like WWE. Then we fade to the show...
Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler do the mournful pose at the commentary table, stating that McMahon has a concussion and that Randy will face yet unnamed repercussions for his actions. Kevin Rudolph's surprisingly catchy tune takes us into the obligatory Rumble title sequence and some pyro goes off.
We are in Detroit Michigan for tonight and we are about to kick off with ECW action The former ECW Champion Matt Hardy emerges from the double screened entrance ramp as Todd Grisham and Matt Strike assume the commentary position. The ECW Champion Jack Swagger comes out and enters the ring. Crowd is hot for this so far as Tony Chimel does the announcements. Hardy is announced first, then Swagger to a chorus of boos. Huge Hardy chants as the bell rings.
ECW Championship
Jack Swagger(c) v Matt Hardy
Lock up to start, followed by a corner back up and a referee break. Swagger aims low as the two lock up again, with more Hardy chants. Matt knocks Swagger back with a right hand, and as Swagger backs off Hardy clocks him again. Swagger bails to the outside and Hardy promptly follows and knocks him into the ring post before throwing him back in. Swagger takes some more punishment before bailing to the outside again. Swagger looks frustrated as Matt awaits his foe in the ring. Slow pace to start, but methodical from Hardy.
Swagger reneters and takes Matt down with a waistlock. He locks Matts arm in a wrist lock. Matt comes from the mat and tries to reverse the wrist lock but fails and Swagger takes Matt back down again. He reapplies the wrist lock. Matt elbows out of the wrist lock, kicks Swagger in the gut and attempts the Twist of Fate. Swagger backs into the corner and Hardy follows with a dropkick. Hardy with a clothesline and a bulldog for a two count. Hardy climbs the ropes after a failed irish whip from Swagger. Swagger pushes Hardy off the ropes to the outside. Swagger follows Hardy after flexing his arm and throws Hardy back into the ring. Swagger applies a rist lock again and irish whips Hardy for a shoulder block. Hardy is down now. Swagger applies a key lock with a bicep huddle. Swagger hits Hardy into the corner, wraps his arm around the ropes and despite takng some stiff shots from Hardy, wrings Hardy's arm around the rope.
Hardy kicks Swagger and delivers a big boot for a near two count. Swagger is stalking Hardy now. He reapplies the key lock from before,working on Hardy's arm. He lifts Hardy off the mat to increase the pain. and rolls Matt onto his stomach. Swagger has control but the crowd are supplyng the "Lets Go Hardy" chants. Hardy breaks away from Swagger with a series of clotheslines and a modified side effect, with the injured arm. Matt scores a near fall. Hardy swings Swagger into the corner and clotheslines him again, before hitting a bulldog. Matt climbs the ropes, signalling for the elbow to the head. He hits and scores a two count. Matt signals the Twist of Fate but walks into a belly to belly suplex. Swagger with a two count. Swagger lifts Hardy up for a suplex but gets punched in the gut. Hardy looks to come back and falls into an armbreaker. Swagger looks frustrated again. Swagger is working on the arm. He lifts Hardy onto the top turnbuckle and attempts a super back suplex but Hardy elbows himself out of it and moonsaults on top of the ECW Champion. Close count there, fans are into this contest now! Matt fails with the Twist of Fate AND the Side Effect, before Swagger throws Hardy into the ring post shoulder first. Hardy looks out of it and Swagger hits the Swagger bomb for the win.
Jack Swagger wins in 10.45 to retain the ECW Championship.
Randy Orton is walking backstage, with many faces looking at him. He has a stern reception on his arrival. Silence is the word of the moment.
We are back in the arena but not before a beautiful shot of Detroit from the sky. Melinas music hit and the paparazzi and cameras welcome her into the arena. Melina does her entrance to the crowds joy and awaits her opponent. Beth walks out looking dominant. Santino follows with his new tee shirt, sporting a Ferrari motif. They enter the ring.
WWE Women's Championship
Melina v Beth Phoenix (c)
Beth circles the ring and locks up with her foe, throwing her to the mat immediately. Melina locks in a headlock which Beth breaks easily. She slams Melina down and applies a reverse bear hug. Melina elbows out and runs the ropes with a stiff shot to Beth's face. On a second attempt Beth knocks her opponent down. Beth whips Melina off the ropes and attempts a sidewalk slam but Beth rolls around and applies an armlock. After a moment, Beth picks Melina up in a show of brute strength and slams her down. Melina falls off her back backwards. Beth boots Melina in the face. She then applies a modified ankle lock on Melinas surgically healed ankle. Melina is near the centre of the ring, and as she reaches the ropes Beth pulls her back and contorts the move more, bending Melina nearly in two. Melina screams in pain, and the referee has to pull Beth off. Melina kicks Beth and walks into a sidewalk slam. Beth scores the first near fall. Melina backs into the corner and Beth lifts her into a gorilla press slam before Melina reverses it into a botched roll up. Melina kicks Beth away and punches Beth in the face. Melina reverses a spinebuster for a two count, then drop toe holds Beth onto the ropes. Melina knees Beth in the back of the head as Austin would be proud before Beth reverses her into the corner again. Melina kicks Beth before attempting a sit-down senton. Melina goes for the split leg sit down face buster but misses. Beth attempts a hip toss but Melina rolls through and pins Beth. New Women's Champion. Beth looks shocked, annoyed and outright angry...
Melina wins at 6.11 to become the new WWE Women's Champion.
We go to Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler who introduce us to the Raw main event of JBL v John Cena. HBK will obviously be the wild card in this match. A video package highlighst HBK and his debt, downfall and employment at the hands of JBL. As always, a great video package. JBL speaks to HBK backstage before The Undertaker walks in. He offers some friendly advice. Tease!!!!
JBL comes to the ring with HBK. The crowd seems pro Cena tonight. HBK just looks lost standing next to JBL. Cena comes out to a huge pop. He enters the ring. Lillian Garcia makes the announcements. The referee pads tem down and here we go.
World Heavyweight Championship
John Cena(c) v John Bradshaw Layfield
Cena applies an armlock early and grounds JBL. JBL rises up into a headlock and JBL applies a headlock of his own. Cena runs JBL off the ropes who knocks Cena down with a shoulder block. JBL runs again and Cena leapfrogs JBL before elbowing him down for a two count. JBL takes a breather outside. Cena is being booed now. JBL mouths something to HBK before locking up in the ring again. JBL goes to work on Cena with some haymakers and a stiff boot before picking him up for a whip to the corner which Cena reverses and bounces off the ropes with a bulldog. He hits the flipping facebuster (formerly the throwback) and gets a near fall before JBL bails again. Cena follows, ducks a JBL clothesline and nearly hits HBK. JBL takes the iopportunity to hit Cena from behind. He rolls him into the ring and gets a near fall. More haymakers from Layfield. One short arm clothesline and JBL gains another near fall. A series of elbows onto Cena and yet another near fall. Cole and Lawler play up Shawn Michaels at ringside. Snapmare by JBL followed by a twisted crossface over Cena. "Lets Go Cena, Cena Sucks" chants all around the arena. JBL hits an elevated sideslam. Cena rolls to the ropes and JBL hits him again. He shoulders JBL to the floor outside. The referee counts.
JBL brings Cena into the ring but not before running him into the steps. Referee restarts his count. Cena is placed in the ring and is counted for two. JBL backs Cena into a corner and goes to work on Cena. Cena flops down to the mat. Hoisting Cena up to the ropes, JBL keeps hitting the Champion. Cena looks half conscious. JBL attempts a superplex but knocks JBL off the ropes. Cena regains his momentum on the ropes slowly. Cena hits the leg drop onto JBL's head. Cena scores a near fall. Cena was too slow to capitilize. JBL boots Cena. JBL comes off the ropes and Cena tackles him sloppily before slamming his head into two different turnbuckles. He hits two shoulder blocks, his sidewalk powerbomb and signals for the five knuckle shuffle. YOU CAN'T SEE ME! and Cena hits JBL with his fist. Heavy emphasis on HBK now. Attempt at the Throwback (formerly the FU) and JBL elbows out of it. JBL misses a shot and falls to the mat. Cena applies the STF right in front of Michaels. Michaels grabs the rope and Cena breaks the hold and kicks his arm away. Cena goes to the outside and argues with Cena. Cena climbs back into the ring and gets nailed with the Clothesline from Hell. 1, 2, near fall!!! Cena kicks out. Cena lifts JBL for the Throwback and a referee bump puts Mike Chioda down. Both men down and HBK approaches the ring steps...
HBK enters the ring. What will he do? Both men down, will he defend his employer and cost Cena the belt or attack his employer. Michaels plays this to perfection as always. Both men are up and HBK KICKS JBL!!!! Crowd go crazy!!!! Cena smiles! HBK looks redeemed a little. HBK KICKS CENA!!!!! Both men down, HBK shows no remorse! HBK places JBL on Cena. He teases leaving the ring, then...actually does. Boos fill the arena as HBK walks up the ramp. The crowd and commentators alike are indifferent to what they just witnessed. They are confused like we all are at home. Chioda is up. 1, 2, CENA KICKS OUT!!! The match continues. Cena is still down. JBL groggily climbs to his feet. He brings Cena with him and misses the Clotheline from Hell and walks straight into the Throwback. 1, 2, 3. Cena is still champion!!!
John Cena wins in 16.09 to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.
We go straight to Tazz and J.R at the commentary table for Smackdown's main event match. A video package airs of Jeff Hardy finally grabbing the golden ring and becoming WWE Champion. The incidents marring Hardy's win (the hit and run, and the pyro fragging) are detailed. Hardy, even though he is Champion, comes out first. After his entrance Vickie Guerrero comes down to the stage. EXCUSE ME, boos! The match is now announced as a No DQ match. Vickie introduces our "next WWE Champion", her husband Edge. Edge walks out with Chavo Guerrero. This match juat got a tad more interesting...
WWE Championship
Edge v Jeff Hardy (c)
Hardy guns for Edge immediately. WE WANT CHRISTIAN is the first chant out of the fans mouths. Jeff looks angry and is fully clothed tonight. Jeff hits Edge early with some fists and a flying forearm. Edge bails outside the ring and past Chavo. Jeff grabs a chair. and Edge kicks him below the ropes. Jeff climbs in again and Edge takes control. An irish whip doesn't work and Jeff clothelines Edge to the mat and makes a near fall. Jeff stamps Edge and looks at the crowd. Edge hits Hardy abnd rallies him into the corner. Irish whip by Edge leaves Hardy rolling out of the ring and then baseball slidng Edge. He then feigns a springboard onto Edge, but Edge moves and Hardy jumps on Edge from the apron. Back in the ring, Hardy attempts another springboard and is booted in the face. Hardy is eyed by Chavo. Hardy is selling an nijury outside the ring. Edge gloats a little before launching Hardy into the guardrail. Edge is taking his time here. Grabbing Hardy by the hair, Edge throws him into the announce table (the Smackdown one of course) followed by the Raw table and the ECW table. A tri branded head bash as J.R so nicely put it. Edge throws his arms up in the air to boos. Hardy is incapicitated right now. Edge is toying with Jeff. He boots Jeff in the ribs. Edge gloats once more. A right hand puts Hardy into the corner and Edge gives him a mini spear. EDGE chant now. Edge is still toying with Hardy and whips him to the corner but Hardy rebounds with a sunset flip and scores a near fall. Two count for Hardy and Edge boots him in the face. Two count for Edge.
Edge applies the nominated resthold of a waistlock. Hardy starts to get claps from the fans. Edge throws Hardy down by the hair. Hardy comes back with a forearm and goes up to the top rope. Edge comes up to and Jeff pushes him off. Hardy finds his feet and misses a cross body, blocked by Edge's dropkick. Two count for Edge. Edge goes outside for a set of chairs. Do we feel conchairto here? Hardy spears Edge off the apron to give himself some time. Hardy springboards after some time on the mat and knocks Edge down. Both men down outside the ring. They slowly climb into the ring. Hardy hits a Twist of Fate on the ring apron. Stiff! Hardy has regained control. He picks Edge up and throws him into the announce tables, one by one then unveils the Raw table for a spot. Removal of the monitors and then Hardy brings out a ladder, a TALL ladder from the ring. He lays Edge on the table. Hardy climbs the ladder for a possible legdrop? Chavo climbs the ladder to distract Jeff. Jeff drops off the ladder with Chavo in tow and sends Edge into the ring post. Chavo goes onto the table next...and Hardy loses his footing but still hits a splash onto Chavo. That looked painful.
All men down now, where is this going? Hardy finds Edge and throws him into the ring. He hits a top rope cross body for a two count. Hardy throws Edge off the ropes and Edge retaliates with a clothesline. Edge is back in control and unwraps the corner pad. Edge is limping badly but he misses throwing Hardy into the exposed buckle. Hardy hits the Whisper in the Wind for a two count. Edge then reverses a Twist of Fate and hits an Edgecution. Two count for Edge. Awesome match so far, Edge signals the Spear! Then goes up top for a elbow. Hardy sticks a foot up but Edge avoids it, but Hardy rolls him up fo a two. Hardy hits Edge with a facebuster suplex and goes up top. Edge moves and Hardy gets down to hit a dropkick. Edge is below the steel ring and drops Hardy into it for a near fall. Edge signals the Spear and misses it. Jeff turns the Spear into a Twist of Fate and is unable to captilize. Climbing up top, Hardy knocks an interfering Vickie Guerrero aside and hits the Swanton Bomb. 1, 2...Vickie pulls the referee out. Matt Hardy comes down to the ring and....hands Jeff a chair. Signalling a conchairto, Matt HITS JEFF WITH THE CHAIR!!! OMG!!!!! Booooos fill the arena and Matt just stands there as Edge makes the cover. 1, 2, 3. We have a new WWE Champion.
Edge wins in 17.15 to become the new WWE Champion.
The fallout from the shocking events is taking the fans by storm. Hardy sells the hell out of his chair shot and leaves slowly. The commentators sell the events as ground breaking which added to the awe that was already emblazoned by the silent crowd.
Orton is backstage with Todd Grisham and had just heard he has legal action awaiting him on Raw the following night. He says he has not heard from the McMahons. Grisham leaves as Jericho walks in and says hewill ally with Orton tonight. Orton accuses Jericho of mind games. Jericho says he thinks Orton is on his last legs as a WWE employee. Orton leaves and we are granted to a video of the Rumble facts that has played on Raw and Smackdown in the past few weeks. The Rumble...is next... and I got a temporary fault, but it sorted straight away. Phew!!!
The Royal Rumble 2009
The first entrant is Rey Mysterio. Justin Roberts is doing the announcing for this one. John Morrison is second. They go at it. Rey is on the outside early and springboards Morrison before a spinning head scissor flips Morrison. Morrison is nearly eliminated and skins the cat on the count for the third entrant.
Carlito is the third entrant and attacks Morrison first. He spits apple on Morrison and spins Rey down to the canvas with a neckbreaker. Morrison tries to eliminate Csrlito and gets a springbroad moonsault from Carlito himself. Carlito goes for Rey and Rey backs off. Morrison takes advantage and knocks Carlito down and tries grinding Mysterio into the canvas.
MVP is the fourth entrant. He goes straight for Carlito and hits Rey and Morrison in turn. Running slam to Morrison and he signals for the Ballin' elbow but flips a running Rey over instead. MVP is on fire!! He backs Morrison into a corner before being whipped into the buckles himself. Morrison misses MVP with a springboard kick but hits Calito. MVP goes for Rey and Rey flips MVP over with a head scissors.
The Great Khali is fifth. Most men are down and ALL of them look at Khali in fear. Khali throws Rey down easily then Morrison. Each man takes a turn to be annihilated by Khali before he cheers. Rey hits a huge top rope dropkick...with no effect. Khali no sells a back stabber and chokeslams everyone.
Vladimir Kozlov is out next. Oh My!!!! Kozlov and Khali lock up. Bodys litter the ring. Kozlov eliminates Khali. On his own. Everyone gangs up on Kozlov and MVP goes to town. MVP misses the player boot in the corner and Kozlov flips him over the ropes. MVP eliminated. Carlito gets caught in a springboard and is spinebusted by Kozlov who then throws him out. Carlito eliminated. Rey is next but ducks a boot and is scooped up easily but gets a headbutt for his troubles.
Triple H is next at number 7! Kozlov and Triple H lock up. Mysterio and Morrison are still down. Brawl mid ring, punches fly before Kozlov nails Trips with a headbutt. Kozlov misses a clothesline in the corner and Triple H hits a face buster on his knee. Triple H eliminates Kozlov. Morrison weighs in on Triple H. Putting the boots in, the Shamen of Sexy has the upper hand before Triple H hits a flying knee.
Randy Orton is out next. This is going to be good. They throw punches as Morrison skins the cat once again. Orton hits his inverted backbreaker and signals for the RKO. Triple H blocks and Morrison denies him with a springboard kick. Rey hits a senton on Orton and hits the 619 on a fallen Morrison. Bodies litter the ring again. Triple H picks up Morrison.
JTG it out at number 9. Silence from the crowd. JTG goes for Triple H and tries to eliminate him. Orton stamps on Mysterio in the corner. Orton hoists Mysterio up and Triple H nails JTG with a fist. Triple H tries to eliminate Morrison now. Man these minutes are going very quick. Out comes...
Ted Dibiase is next. Straight for JTG and we may see Priceless link up here. He nails Mysterio as Morrison and JTG double team Orton...then turn on one another. Dibiase nearly eliminates JTG and Morrison who BOTH skin the cat. Rey flips Dibiase over the rope and they both skin the cat too. Exciting stuff! Rey kicks Dibiase in the crotch and Orton and Triple H battle it out in the corner.
Pyros explode! Not Kane but Chris Jericho comes out and goes straight for Randy Orton. So much for the alliance eh? Jericho goes to stamp on JTG as Dibiase works on Mysterio. Jericho hits the bulldog on Triple H and misses a Lionsault. Triple H attempts the Pedigree and Jericho reverses into the Walls of Jericho. Triple H kicks Jericho off. He then stamps on him. Orton and Dibiase double team Morrison.
Mike Knox is out next. That is number 12 now, this match is going very quick. Knox goes straight for Mysterio and crushes him with a boot. He clothelines JTG and flips Morrison over with a stiff clothesline. Everyone is in a corner now. Orton and Dibiase are on JTG now with boots. Triple H and Knox link up and throw each other about as Mysterio takes a breather. Morrison attacks JTG.
The Miz is next! He goes straight to JTG as Jericho has Mysterio on the ropes. Dibiase is working on Jericho after that and The Miz goes for Orton. Knox is stomping Triple H in the corner. Orton hits the RKO on Morrison, then JTG. Triple H hits the pedigree on Orton and Triple H eliminates Morrison and The Miz TOGETHER! The Miz and Morrison eliminated.
Finlay comes out next and nails everyone in sight. He tries to eliminate Jericho with a hand from Rey as Dibiase, Orton, JTG are on the ground. Knox stamps on Orton and then attacks Finlay. Finlay is dominant now. He stamps on JTG, there is a lot of stamping going on! Jericho works on Rey...
Cody Rhodes is number 15. He slaps Dibiase awake and starts a unification on JTG with The Legacy and then Triple H. The Legacy work their way around the ring and find Mike Knox. Rey flies at Orton and a mid air RKO happens. Awesome! Jericho and Finlay battle in the corner as JTG strikes Jericho from the side and Dibiase helps Orton up.
Undertaker is next. Oh my!!! The entrance is every bit as suspenseful as always. EVERYONE in the ring takes notice. Legacy go first as Undertaker attacks everyone in striking distance. He eliminates JTG easily before smacking Cody Rhodes and Dibaise. Triple H is next for Taker as the bodies once again, litter the ring. Undertaker chant now. Taker stands alone as...
Goldust enters at number 17. Finlay attacks Rey as Goldust goes for Dibiase. Rhodes and Goldust square off. They battle one another, with slaps to the faces. Goldust nearly eliminates Rhodes but is unsuccessful. Goldust tries again and fails again. Orton squares up Goldust with an RKO and nails it. Rhodes eliminates his brother at the instruction of Orton. Goldust eliminated!
CM Punk is out at 18. Huge pop for the straight edged one! Punk flips into the ring and takes out both Dibiase and Rhodes in a row! He hits a knee and a bulldog on Jericho and gives Triple H the GTS! That was huge! Punk squares off against Undertaker but gets a boot for his troubles. Finlay takes over from Punk as Knox tries to eliminate Mysterio.
Mark Henry is next. Henry takes on everyone and knocks them down with a flurry of fists and a huge headbutt on Orton. Henry leaves people laying on the canvas and heads for CM Punk. He stands on Punk in the corner as Triple H comes up behind him. Jericho stands on Dibiase as Henry slams Triple H. Orton tries to eliminate Finlay.
Shelton Benjamin is out next. We have 10 people left now. Shelton comes in and goes for Dibiase then Rey. Orton is stamping on Finlay. Jericho and Punk are on the tope rope...as Mysterio flies up in the air from a back drop by Shelton. Shelton then DOUBLE DDT on Punk and Jericho from the top rope. TOP SPOT! Everyone is standing now.
William Regal is out next. Regal goes straight for Punk and nails him with a sick suplex. Undertaker nails Shelton in the corner. Legacy saunter around the ring picking up the scraps as they find Triple H again and bury him in the corner. Finlay is stamping on Knox. Mark Henry is thrown out by Rey Mysterio! Well, he pulled down the rope. Mark Henry is eliminated. Regal and Finlay exchange blows.
Kofi Kingston is at 22. He nails Shelton with a dropkick and a neckbreaker on Knox followed by a boom boom legdrop. Knox pushes Undertaker into the corner. Rey is going off on one at Dibiase as Jericho sags on the ropes. Shelton misses Undertaker with a shot and is eliminated by Undertaker. Shelton Benjamin is eliminated. Legacy rally one another round.
Kane is next. Finlay saves Rey from Jericho as Kane enters and chokeslams Knox. He nails Cody and sideslams Dibiase. Kane and Taker face off to HUGE CHEERS! Double chokeslam on Dibiase, as Kane chokeslams Kofi and Jericho eats ringpost. Rey nails Knox in the corner as Punk eliminates Regal. William Regal eliminated. Orton tees off on Kofi on the ground as Undertaker throws Rey down.
R-Truth is number 24. He tees off on Rhodes as he nails Punk and flies at Triple H with a spinning forearm. Orton is working on Kane as Jericho nails Truth and Finlay attacks Knox. Legacy attempt to attack Kane and Undertaker but to no avail. Knox has Triple H over the ropes as the 25th entrants is...
RVD! Unpredictable as Lawler said it. RVD nails Kane with a flying kick off the ropes and the hometoiwn hero goes to work on Jericho, Kofi and Rhodes. He then nails Knox and Punk. His feet are flying! Rey and Van Dam team up. RVD attempts a frog splash on Truth, jumps over Triple H and nails both Triple H and Truth with the rolling thunder.
The Brian Kendrick comes into the ring at number 26. Kofi leaps onto Knox as Kendrick throws him out. Kofi Kingston eliminated. Triple H throws Kendrick out. The Brian Kendrick eliminated. Knox stamps on Truth as Punk skins the cat. That is six skin the cats now. Legacy work on Undertaker as Jericho stamps on RVD.
Dolph Ziggler is out now. He attacks Dibiase and shakes Kane's hand. Kane throws him out. Dolph Ziggler eliminated. Rey is choking Didaise on the ropes. Rey has been in for 42 minutes now. Legacy work on RVD now as Dibiase takes a breather on the mat. Taker and Triple H are trading blows.
Santino Marella is next. He is in...and out by Kane. Santino Marella is eliminated. He broke Warlords record. That is one second folks! Triple H and Undertaker still rally on one another. Jericho attacks Taker as RVD and Truth try to eliminate Kane. ane neaerly eliminates Kane.
Hacksaw Jim Duggan is next. What! Duggan attacks Jericho and nails everyone with a stiff fist. People drop like flies from his fists. Jericho nails Triple H in the corner as Orton stalks Truth and Dibiase follows suit. Mysterio has been in for 45 minutes. The final entrant is up next...
It's the Big Show. That is it, all the entrants. He has it easy surely? Undertaker is first to size up to him as everyone backs off. Kane sideswipes Big Show for his big brother. The ring is full of bodies right now. Hacksaw tries throwing out Show and takes a stiff shot and is promptly eliminated. Jim Duggan eliminated. Jericho slaps a sleeper on Show and is thrown down. Punk goes close to elimination as Legacy work on Kane. Undertaker finds his way to Orton now as Knox beats down Rey and Triple H gasps for air on the ropes. Big Show launches R-Truth over the ropes with a gorilla slam. R-Truth eliminated. Rhodes skins the cat. Show tries to eliminate Punk who comes in and kicks the hell out of Show. Show tries again and again Punk comes back but takes a knockout punch and falls off the apron. CM Punk eliminated.
Mike Knox and Rey Mysterio go out together by Big Show. Almost instantly Hornswoggle makes an appearance. It distracts Finlay somewhat as Finlay is thrown out by Kane. Finlay eliminated, Rey Mysterio and Mike Knox eliminated. Orton hits his spike DDT on Triple H. Everyone is down except Undertaker and Big Show. They trade blows. Orton and Jericho get knocked down when they try to interfere, RVD hits a frog splash on Orton and is thrown out by Jericho. RVD eliminated. Undertaker is behind Jericho to OOOOOOs by the crowd. After a couple of irish whips, Taker eliminates Jericho. Chris Jericho eliminated. Kane squares off on Orton as Legacy sneak up behind him and they eliminate Kane as a whole. That is team work. Kane eliminated.
Triple H, Big Show, Legacy amd Undertaker remain. Triple H squares off on Show as Legacy attack Undertaker. Show chokeslams Triple H. Legacy toy wih Taker, taking turns to punch him. Taker springs off the ropes and takes down both Dibiase and Rhodes. A chokeslam to both men. The ring is littered with bodies again. Show and Taker square off once again. Trading blows, both men look exhausted as Taker is whipped into the corner and comes back out, off the ropes with a stiff clothesline. Big Show SKINS THE CAT! WOW! Taker and the crowd cannot believe it. RKO attempt is blocked by Taker. Show pulls Taker over the rope, so both men are on the apron now. RKO on Show by Orton who eliminates Show. Dibiase and Rhodes tease a double chokeslam as Show brings Undertaker down to the floor. Undertaker and Big Show eliminated.
We are down to Legacy and Triple H. Triple H is outnumbered and nails Rhodes and Dibiase before Orton takes control. Orton directs traffic. The beatdown is officially on now. Orton orders Rhodes and Dibiase to pick Triple H up. Orton mocks Triple H from above as his partners hold him. Orton slaps Triple H. RKO countered by Triple H as Triple H hits the facebuster on Rhodes and spinebusts Dibiase. Triple H thinks he eliminated Orton as he throws out Rhodes and Dibiase and Orton sneaks up behind Orton and throws out Triple H. Randy Orton is your winner.
Randy Orton wins the Royal Rumble at 58.14.
That is it. Stay tuned for my thoughts on this PPV.
My Thoughts
Well, as my first time reviewing a PPV this one left a funny feeling with me. I never realized how difficult it was to analyze a PPV live but in another stance it made my opinions form a lot quicker too. Here are my thoughts on a pretty solid PPV.
Matt Hardy turning heel was the highlight of the night for me. I saw this coming a few months ago, and have voiced it on the forums. However, this is good for one reason. The Hardys made their name on Wrestlemania some many years ago and having the brothers face off at Mania will be a fitting tribute. If Christian does indeed return, having Jeff & Christian team against Matt & Edge will certainly be interesting. Seeing Matt be jealous of Jeff for his rise, despite his problems is a typical storyline for WWE to pick up on. So much in fact I expect Lita to make her way back into this storyline too. Awesome booking.
Orton winning the Rumble sits well with me. The moment he booted Vince in the head last week, you automatically knew he was going to be the victor. It offers so much potential for his future, and it has been a very long time since WWE has had a very popular heel. The cheer when he won was the icing on the cake. I look forward to Cena v Orton a match we were robbed of months back. However, with the rumoured double Elimination Chamber at No Way Out, I see a huge rift in the title scene for the coming weeks. Raw is certainly much more interesting under the reigns of Stephanie McMahon. And besides, she is third generation...
HBK kicked JBL! Wow, I didn't see this coming at all, well, not this soon anyway. I expected it as a missed effort at Cena. However, having it as intentional will certainly make JBL-HBK tomorrow night a very interesting segment. HBK deserves an oscar for his acting, and I have said this for many years, he deserves one final title run. Could this be the doorway to such a booking? Here is hoping. Mind you, the Taker-HBK tease was a little thing I almost forgot to mention. It looks as if WWE have put the wheels in motion here. Either way, HBK could make this Wrestlemania very iconic, and may possibly top last years effort against Ric Flair.
As for the matches themselves. WWE have adopted a very sound wrestling aspproach in the past few months. The past three or four PPVs have been chock full of matches that would normally garner a boring chant from any fans, but it seems WWE have found a fine line between the wrestling and entertainment that they hold so dear. As a whole this PPV was booked in such a way that there were no major surprises and the one they did have was spoilt on LOP. Maybe this was intentional. It seems shock has gone in favour of storyline. Orton, Cena, HBK, JBL, Edge, Jeff and Matt Hardy have all the storylines that WWE need to build towards a huge Wrestlemania. The undercard also got a huge boost this week. Kendrick eliminating Kofi and Regal v Punk are more then enough to start the MITB match this year. Jericho and Triple H locking up is a tease too, with Edge and Christian surely earmarked for the WWE Championship at Mania. Khali v Kozlov looks to be a monster match and Tag Team unification took a tease too with Carlito and Morrison locking up.
Swagger looked strong in his match. Winning the title in a dubious fashion was cliche but the norm for a heel. However, having Swagger win clean here was a good idea because it firmly pushes Hardy for a move to Smackdown and Swagger for a feud with a retiring Tommy Dreamer. Michael Cole saying Swagger was undefeated 2 weeks after a tag team loss was a major error though. However, if anything was also proven, it is that Matt Hardy is a solid performer and can carry a decent match with men of all sizes. It also stands him in stead for a decent push against his brother. What with carrying the ECW Championship for so long, it is no more then he deserves.
Melina winning the belt was a complete shock. I did not expect her to win the title this quick. It would have made better sense to have her win at Mania really, but it seems WWE has better plans for the title. What with Rosa's absence at Beth's side this week, it does tease the prospect of Melina facing her recent enemy in a title match at some point. It was a solid match from the two, again proving that they are the two best Divas on Raw. Melina likes to bend in all sorts of ways and it works for Beth's moveset. Beth truly does look dominant, something that makes Melina look strong when she can handle the pain and come through regardless. Like the other matches this one seems interesting going forward. I expect a Glamarella split soon...
John Cena and JBL finally had a good match. I will be honest I was not a fan of their previous efforts (on four occasions I believe) but this match stood out. Maybe it was the HBK factor, maybe it was because they finally found a foil that worked. Whichever it was, it made for interesting viewing. A few sloppy spots were not enough to detract from another superb wrestling match. Cena retaining is the best idea I feel because it leaves so many routes open for his belt. He could face anyone of HBK, Orton, JBL again or even Dibiase, Kane and Batista on his return from injury. As good as the match was, the question is always going to be, what was HBK doing? Kicking JBL was expected, but kicking Cena as well? Well, Cena will not like that at all. However with the quality exchanges between the two on Raw these past weeks, this will surely make for great viewing.
Jeff Hardy is a transitional champion. The second Matt smacked his brother with that chair, that was the first thing going through my mind. Jeff had two whole matches in his WWE Championship stint. The rest of the time he was advancing his storylne with his mysterious attacker. Well, at least we know who did it now. Like I mentioned this was the most shocking moment for me. Even though I saw this coming a long time ago, this was still brilliantly executed. The Christian teases were sublime! It still leaves the door open for Christian's return but even this may trump HBK-JBL at the moment. A Hardy's match contested with TLC rules would be epic. It just remains to see if Edge faces Triple H or someone else at Wrestlemania. This will probably remain open until No Way Out...but the trip will be damn interesting.
The Rumble itself...the worst match of the night for me. This isn't to say it was not good, because it was, it just seemed rushed. It just seemed to pass so quickly at nearly 20 minutes less then normal. It didn't even reach an hour this year. That being said, it did perfectly in building for the undercard at Mania. Like I already mentioned huge steps were made for the MITB Ladder match. Punk v Big Show is a possibility for Battle Of The Brands, John Morrison and Carlito showed that they deserve a Winner Takes All Tag Team Championship match and Khali and Kozlov could have probably sowed the seeds for a monster match up. Jericho v Triple H is a mouth watering contest too. Each wrestler (except Santino, Dolph and Hacksaw) looked strong in their showings. Legacy also cemented theirselves as future main eventers. When was the last time a Tag Team was in the final six of the Rumble? People say they bring Orton down, but I do not think so, if anything it adds credibility to his character. The next few weeks will definately be very interesting.
This has been my first PPV review. I will be back tomorrow with the Raw report as well and in February with No Way Out. If you wish to leave me feedback, feel free to do so here. Until then...Ciao!
