Bastion Blogger has returned to bumwinebob.com after a 4 year absence! I don't remember why he left us the last time, but he's BACK and better than ever! For those of you that don't know Bastion Blogger, he has been going back and taking a look at every WWE PPV event since the first WrestleMania on his website. We welcomed him to Bumming with Bobcat back in 2015 with his Survivor Series 1995 post, but lost contact with him soon after. He's been going strong since then and has made his way to the year 2011 where we will catch back up with him. Crack open a cold one and check it out! Cheers!
|Date: January 30, 2011
|Venue: TD Garden |City: Boston, Massachusetts
|Attendance: 15,113 |Buys: 446,000
|Brands: Raw & Smackdown
|tweet me: @BastionBlogger
The Biggest Royal Rumble In History! This years edition will feature forty men (presumably men) in what is the biggest Royal Rumble match in history, up from 30. It’s actually double the size of the first Royal Rumble match back in 1988. Pretty much the entire roster will feature and there are plenty of big names. Alberto Del Rio has been saying that it is his destiny to win. John Cena will be in the match, Wade Barrett and his new group The Corre, CM Punk and Nexus will be involved, Sheamus, R-Truth, John Morrison, Kane, Jack Swagger, Big Show and Kofi Kingston will also be amongst the favourites. It’s my favourite match of the year and I’m looking forward to seeing how this one goes.
As well as the Royal rumble match itself, both World titles will be on the line. The Miz will be defending the WWE Championship against Randy Orton who defeated Sheamus and Wade Barrett in a triple threat cage match to earn his opportunity. Orton was hard done by at TLC when Miz knocked Alex Riley in to Orton to put the viper through a table and win the match. Tonight these two meet again in what could be Orton’s final shot at the gold. Edge will be putting his World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler lost his Intercontinental Championship to Kofi Kingston but Zigglers girlfriend immediately inserted Ziggler into a fatal four way match with Big Show, Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes for number one contendership and Ziggler won. Vickie Guerrero has since banned Edge’s use of the spear for this match to put her ex-husband at a disadvantage.
Also tonight Natalya has been forced to defend her WWE Divas Championship in a handicap match against former co-champions Michelle McCool and Layla.
In a dark match prior to the event R-Truth defeated Curt Hawkins.
A video package kicks us off letting us know that we are on the road to Wrestlemania and shows some pictures from Royal Rumble matches gone by. Who will be the one?
Michael Cole quickly welcomes us to the show but we are straight into our opening contest!
Edge (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler – World Heavyweight Championship match
This is a first ever singles match between these two men on pay per view. Dolph is accompanied by his girlfriend Vickie Guerrero. Edge’s spear is banned tonight. This is Dolph’s third Royal Rumble appearance, his previous two were both in Royal Rumble matches which he did not win. Edge won the Royal Rumble match last year and won singles matches in 2009 and 2008. Vickie Guerrero reminds Edge that if he uses the spear tonight then he will lose the World Heavyweight Championship. The Royal Rumble has always traditionally given upper-mid card guys title shots, those such as Mr Kennedy, Jeff Hardy and Umaga have had shots in the past. Edge gets the first shot in but Dolph soon takes the advantage, hammering away at Edge. Edge hits a hard Irish whip and a multiple knee drops before getting a one count. Edge hits a gutbuster for the first near fall of the night.
Edge hits a knee for a two count as Edge’s ex-wife looks on. Edge hits more right hands sending Ziggler to the apron before Edge slides out and drops Ziggler on the side of the ring before throwing him into the barricade. Edge then drops Dolph on the barricade before rolling him back into the ring. Dolph boots Edge as he gets back into the ring and then hits him with a hangmans neckbreaker for a two count. Dolph then lays in some stomps and elbows. Dolph applies a chinlock as the crowd get behind Edge. Edge breaks the hold and catapults Ziggler into the ringpost for a two count. Dolph then gets a quick shot in on Edge’s knee before dropping him with a neckbreaker for a two count. Ziggler goes back to the chinlock which Edge gets out of but Dolph sends Edge to the outside but Edge gets back in and the two men cross body each other. Edge is up first and Ziggler attempts a splash in the corner but Edge gets out of the way.
Michael Cole uses some commentary that we usually hear from Matt Striker about the distance for the spear. Edge hits a flapjack, a flying forearm, a clothesline and a bulldog for a two count. Dolph hits a jawbreaker from nowhere for a near fall and then looks for a fame-asser but Edge counters it with a powerbomb for a near fall. Edge heads to the top, which is unusual for Edge, but Ziggler goes up with him, headbutting the World Heavyweight Champion. Dolph looks for a superplex but Edge counters, sends Ziggler to the canvas and then dives off with a cross body but Dolph rolls through for a two count. Ziggler hits a dropkick for a two count and then looks for the zigzag but Edge holds on to the ropes and then locks on a modified sharpshooter but Dolph gets to the bottom rope. Edge looks for a cross body to Dolph on the middle rope but Ziggler avoids it and then hits a fame-asser for a near fall.
Edge hits a big boot and then positions himself as if he is to hit a spear but then decides against it. Ziggler attempts to lock on a sleeper but Edge counters it and hits Ziggler with the impaler DDT for a two count. Vickie Guerrero actually pulled the referee out of the ring! Guerrero gets up on the apron and actually slaps Edge! Surely a disqualification? Ziggler attempts to attack Edge form behind but Edge moves and then rolls Ziggler up for a two count. Vickie then slaps Edge a few more times! Randomly Kelly Kelly then comes out and pulls Vickie off the apron before laying into her. I have no idea why. Ziggler then hits the zigzag on Edge but only for a near fall! Ziggler then locks on a sleeper! Edge swings around with Dolph on his back and knocks over the referee! Edge then hits a jawbreaker to break the sleeper and with Vickie and the referee down Edge motions for a spear!
Edge hits a spear in the middle of the ring but the referee doesn’t see it! Edge hits the unprettier on Ziggler which is enough for the three! Edge retains his World Heavyweight Championship tonight using Christians finisher! Great match to kick things off with.
Rating: 7.75/10
There’s a video package next showing the recent history between The Miz and Randy Orton.
Josh Mathews is backstage with The Miz and Alex Riley. The Miz says that there is a reason that he is WWE Champion. Alex Riley backs him up.
The Miz (c) vs. Randy Orton – WWE Championship match
This is the second PPV match between these two men. Miz beat Randy at TLC last month. The Miz is accompanied by Alex Riley. This is Randy Orton’s 30th consecutive PPV. Only Kurt Angle has wrestled on more consecutive PPV’s, he has the record with 34. Orton knocks down Miz early with a right hand and then lays in a few more. Orton throws Miz out of the ring before following him out and throwing him into the barricade a couple of times and then knocking him down with a clothesline. Back in the ring and Orton gets a two count. Randy lays in some kicks and then slingshots Miz into the bottom rope for a two count. Orton hits some uppercuts and an Irish whip but then runs into an elbow. Randy practically no sells and then lays in some right hands. The Miz was second on the billing in the last years Royal Rumble event where he beat MVP. It doesn’t take long for Alex Riley to get involved, he drops Orton on the top rope behind the referees back.
Miz hits an Irish whip but Orton explodes out of the corner with a clothesline. Randy looks for a second but Alex Riley pulls Miz out of the way. Miz hits his trademark clothesline in the corner for a two count. Alex Riley gets involved again with a right hand to Orton. The Miz locks on a chinlock but Orton powers out of it with a headbutt. Miz hits a knee for a one count and then hits a running boot for a two count. Miz lays Orton down on the apron and then hits him with a running knee for a two count before going back to the chinlock. Orton gets out of it and hits a side suplex but Miz is up first and hits a big boot for a two count. Miz goes to the top but Orton crotches him and takes the World Heavyweight Champion down with a superplex for a two count. The two men exchange kicks but Randy takes the advantage with clotheslines and a backbreaker. Orton then looks for the hangmans DDT but Miz back body drops him out of the ring. Alex Riley then lays in some stomps outside the ring.
The Miz charges Orton into the barricade and then into the ring apron. Back in the ring and Miz gets a two count. Miz then heads to the top and hits a double axe handle for a two count. The Miz applies a camel clutch but Orton gets out of it. The two men battle to the outside where Miz slingshots Orton into the ringpost and Orton nearly gets counted out but slides back in. Randy hits a Lou Thesz press and then a couple of clotheslines and a powerslam. Orton lays in some stomps and then hits a lovely kneedrop for a two count. Orton gets distracted by Alex Riley which allows Miz to ht a neckbreaker and backbreaker combo for a two count. Orton sidesteps Miz and looks for an RKO but Miz counters and looks for a skull-crushing finale but Orton counters and hits an Angle slam for a two count. The Miz exits the ring and grabs the WWE Championship but Orton knocks him down with a clothesline and rolls him into the ring.
Orton intimidates Alex Riley and then gets back in the ring but Miz is already up and he drops Orton. Orton avoids a running boot and rolls Miz up for a two count. Randy then hits the hangmans DDT and motions for the RKO! The Nexus then walk out from the back! Minus their leader, CM Punk. Mason Ryan, Michael McGillicutty, David Otunga and Husky Harrie all walk down to the ring which distracts the referee. Alex Riley gets in the ring but Orton throws Riley out into The Nexus! The Miz then looks for a skull-crushing finale on Orton but Orton counters it and hits the RKO! CM Punk then arrives from nowhere and hits Orton with the go to sleep! Punk rolls Miz on top of Orton and the referee counts the three! The Miz retains the WWE Championship! With a lot of help from The Nexus. Good match from these two.
Rating: 7/10
Todd Grisham is backstage with a letter form Cody Rhodes saying that Rey Mysterio shattered his face and has cost him his place in the Wrestlemania main event.
There’s some vox pops from crowd members with their predictions for the 2011 Royal Rumble match. John Cena, Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, Big Show, Wade Barrett, CM Punk, Rey Mysterio, Santino, Drew McIntyre and Kofi Kingston are the picks.
Natalya (c) vs. Michelle McCool & Layla – Handicap match for the WWE Divas Championship
This is the second time this handicap match has happened. Natalya beat McCool and Layla in a handicap match at Survivor Series to win the Divas Championship for the first time. As the three competitors stand in the ring ready for the bell to ring Michael Cole receives an email form the anonymous Raw General Manager. Michael Cole reads out the email which states that this match is not a handicap match but instead a fatal four way match.
Natalya (c) vs. Michelle McCool vs. Layla vs. Eve – Fatal four way match for the WWE Divas Championship
Michelle McCool is the only diva in this match to have wrestled at a Royal Rumble event before, she lost to Mickie James last year. LayCool start by double teaming both Natalya and then Eve, hitting Eve with a modified double side Russian leg sweep. Lay-Cool dump Eve out of the ring and then double team Natalya. Natalya manages to catapult Layla into Michelle and then pins Layla but Michelle pulls Natalya out of the ring. Michelle and Layla are the two divas left in the ring and they look at one another with a sad look on their faces. Before anything can happen Natalya pulls Layla out of the ring. Eve rolls Michelle up for a two count. Natalya and Eve are left in the ring and Natalya looks for a sharpshooter on Eve but in comes Layla and Natalya locks a sharpshooter on both Eve and Layla! Michelle breaks it up.
Layla hits a neckbreaker on Eve and then baseball slides her out of the ring. Natalya clotheslines Lay-Cool down and then powerslams McCool. Layla and Natalya get into it and Natalya forces Layla into the corner. Natalya hits a spinning clothesline on Layla and then scoops her up but Michelle hits a running boot and accidentally nails Layla! Natalya rolls Michelle up for a two count and then forces her out of the ring. Eve then throws Natalya out of the ring and goes up top, hitting a moonsault on Layla! Eve pins Layla and at the time Michelle rolls up Natalya but the referee doesn’t see it! Eve is announced as the winner! Eve is the new Divas Champion! An enjoyable enough match but could’ve been given more time and structure.
Rating: 4/10
Daniel Bryan is backstage with his girlfriend Gail Kim. Josh Mathews asks Bryan about him winning the Royal Rumble match and Daniel says it would be pretty cool. The Bellas then show up and apologise to Daniel and Gail for walking in on them kissing on Raw. They say that Daniel and Gail are in the same league and the girls end up going at it.
There’s a VT about the Royal Rumble numbers.
The 2011 Royal Rumble match
My favourite match of the year! And this time it’s the biggest Royal Rumble match ever with 40 men! Or maybe some women? My pick to win is Alberto Del Rio, he’s been pushing the match for a few weeks now. Here we go. #1 is CM Punk and #2 is well I’m not sure. All of The Corre come out! Wade Barrett, Ezekiel Jackson, Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel all come out. All four men lay into CM Punk but out come the rest of the Nexus! All nine men go at it inside the ring and outside! The email alert goes off and Michael Cole asks everyone to stop fighting. Cole reads the email and says that everybody must return to the locker room besides CM Punk or they will all be thrown out of the Royal Rumble match. Finally #2 is revealed as Daniel Bryan. Two internet darlings starting off this match and what a way to start. Punk starts the match with a headlock and then takes Punk down. Bryan hits a dropkick and a clothesline and then looks to scoop Punk over but can’t.
Lots of quick action in the beginning of this match. Bryan hits a missile dropkick on Punk but misses with a running dropkick after. #3 is Justin Gabriel who goes right for CM Punk. Gabriel represents The Corre who chose to join Wade Barrett on Smackdown as a apart of the group. Punk and Bryan take each other down with clotheslines and Gabriel goes up to the top and looks for a 450 splash on Punk but Punk moves out of the way. Daniel Bryan then eliminates Justin Gabriel from the match. #4 is Zack Ryder who goes to work on Daniel Bryan, hitting him with a running boot. Ryder hits a running boot on Punk but Daniel Bryan goes to work on Ryder. Ryder hits the rough-Ryder on Punk but Daniel Bryan eliminates Zack Ryder from the match. So we’re back down to Daniel Bryan and CM Punk. #5 is William Regal who is respected by both Daniel Bryan and CM Punk. Regal hits a big throw on Bryan and a forearm and throw on Punk. Regal hits a running knee on Punk.
Regal and Bryan exchange forearms and Punk hits Regal with a kick. Bryan then drops Punk with a kick before hitting Regal with a big kick to the face. #6 is Ted DiBiase Jr who is accompanied by Maryse. DiBiase hits Bryan and Regal with dropkicks and then takes CM Punk down with a clothesline. DiBiase looks to eliminate CM Punk but Punk wraps himself up around the ropes. Bryan hits Regal with kicks and then looks to eliminate DiBiase but can’t quite do it. #7 is John Morrison who gets a huge pop. Morrison takes down everybody with kicks and clotheslines. He hits the flash kick on CM Punk snd then a C4 on Daniel Bryan. Ted DiBiase looks to eliminate Morrison but Morrison lands on the apron. Regal then knocks Morrison to the outside but Morrison lands on the barricade! Ted DiBiase eliminates William Regal. Morrison climbs along the barricade and leaps on to the ring steps before getting back into the ring! Morrison and Dibiase go at it whilst CM Punk and Daniel Bryan go at it on the other side of the ring.
#8 is Yoshi Tatsu who is making his second Royal Rumble appearance. Tatsu goes after Ted DiBiase. So far only one Smackdown wrestler has entered, Justin Gabriel, and he is out. DiBiase lays into Yoshi Tatsu which Punk, Bryan and Morrison exchange blows. Punk and Morrison double team Daniel Bryan and Yoshi tries to eliminate DiBiase. #9 is Husky Harris who is making his PPV debut tonight. Matt Striker tells us that he is the youngest member of the Royal Rumble at 23. Harris protects CM Punk but Morrison and Bryan double team Harris. Husky and CM Punk then double team Morrison as Tatsu and Daniel Bryan double team Ted DiBiase. #10 is Chavo Guerrero who hasn’t had much on-screen time recently. Chavo takes down CM Punk and then hits the three amigos on Ted DiBiase. Well, he tries to, CM Punk breaks it up. Chavo then hits the three amigos on CM Punk! Well, again two of them as John Morrison breaks it up. Chavo hits two on Morrison where it gets broken up by Daniel Bryan. Chavo this time hits the three amigos on Daniel Bryan.
Husky Harris and Chavo Guerrero go at it. #11 is Mark Henry who has lots of royal Rumble experience. Henry flattens DiBiase and, Yoshi Tatsu and Husky Harris. Chavo then comes off the second rope but Henry catches him and eliminates Chavo from the match. Mark Henry then eliminates Yoshi Tatsu. CM Punk attacks Henry, taking him down to his knee. #12 is JTG who doesn’t stand a chance of winning. JTG takes shots at everyone until he gets into it with Husky Harris. Morrison takes DiBiase down with a clothesline and then pops him on the top. #13 is Michael McGillicutty. That’s three members of The Nexus in there now. It’s also a PPV debut for McGillicutty. McGillicutty eliminates JTG. Daniel Bryan hits a running dropkick on CM Punk as McGillicutty and Harris double team Ted DiBiase. Mark Henry stomps away at CM Punk. McGillicutty and Harris eliminate Ted DiBiase. #14 is Chris Masters who actually gets a bit of a pop. Masters lays into Husky Harris and then McGillicutty, dropping him with a spinebuster.
Masters locks on the Masterlock on CM Punk and gets him over the top rope but Punk hangs on. McGillicutty makes the save and lays into Masters. Morrison hits a big kick on Husky Harris. #15 is David Otunga as the ring starts to fill up with Nexus members. Otunga who is sporting a new haircut goes after Morrison. CM Punk eliminates Daniel Bryan which gets a few boos. CM Punk eliminates Chris Masters. The Nexus eliminate John Morrison. All four members of The Nexus go after Mark Henry now and eliminate him from the match. The ring is now just full of four members of The Nexus. #16 is Tyler Reks but he just gets pounded on by all four members of The Nexus. CM Punk hits Reks with a big kick and then eliminates Tyler Reks from the match. #17 is Vladimir Kozlov who sprints down to the ring and gets a few blows in early but again the numbers are too much. Kozlov is one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions.
CM Punk holds Kozlov for Husky Harris to hit a running senton. CM Punk eliminates Vladimir Kozlov. So we’re back to the four members of The Nexus. #18 is R-Truth who runs down to the ring and gets jumped on immediately. Harris takes R-Truth down and the other Nexus members lay in kicks. CM Punk hits a running knee on Truth in the corner snd then hits trademark bulldog. CM Punk then eliminates R-Truth. #19 is The Great Khali who is joined by his brother Ranjin Singh. Khali fights off everyone one by one. The Great Khali eliminates Husky Harris! There re now just three members of The Nexus. Khali lays into CM Punk. #20 is Mason Ryan, the newest member of The Nexus. Khali and Ryan go at it and Khali knocks down the Welshman. Mason ducks a clothesline and then eliminates The Great Khali from the match! So we are back to four members of The Nexus standing tall. Mason Ryan is the spit of Batista. We are half way through this match now.
#21 is Booker T! Booker T is back and he gets a huge pop! Matt Striker goes mental and says that he is marking out. Booker hits a big kick on Mason Ryan and then the axe kick on David Otunga! Booker then hits the Book end on Michael McGillicutty! Everybody is down which can only mean one thing! Spin-a-roonie! CM Punk attempts to eliminate Booker but Booker reverses it. Mason Ryan attacks Booker from behind and then eliminates Booker T from behind! Once again we are back to four members of The Nexus. #22 is John Cena just as Michael Cole says that nobody will stop CM Punk and the new Nexus. Cena runs to the ring and takes shots at everybody! He takes Otunga down with a bulldog and then McGillicutty with a suplex! Cena then eliminates Mason Ryan, Michael McGillicutty and David Otunga! We’re down to John Cena and CM Punk. The crowd are going mad for Cena. Punk avoids a clothesline and looks for the go to sleep but Cena slips down and both men take each other down with clotheslines.
#23 is Hornswoggle! Hornswoggle eyes up both men as CM Punk gets up to his feet. Punk takes Hornswoggle down with a spinning kick. Punk then goes back to work on Cena and scoops him up but Cena counters it and scoops CM Punk up before eliminating CM Punk from the match! John Cena and Hornswoggle are left standing. #24 is Tyson Kidd who gets double teamed by Cena and Hornswoggle. Hornswoggle hits a tilt-a-whirl head scissors and Cena nails Kidd with the attitude adjustment. Hornswoggle then wants Tyson Kidd and hits him with the attitude adjustment! John Cena then eliminates Tyson Kidd. Cena and Hornswoggle have an alliance as they wait for the next entrant. #25 is Heath Slater. Cena hits Slater with shoulder charges and Hornswoggle hits Slater with a stunner! Cena hits Slater with a side suplex and then both Cena and Hornswoggle hit a double five knuckle shuffle! Hornswoggle then hits the tadpole splash and Cena eliminates Heath Slater from the match.
This match has gone really quickly so far but they have been coming in every 90 seconds. #26 is Kofi Kingston. Current Intercontinental Champion. Another fan favourite to join Cena and Hornswoggle. The two men go face to face and then look at the Wrestlemania sign. Usually the number 26 would signify the beginning of the end of the match but we have a long way to go yet. Kingston takes the advantage and hits Cena with right hands. #27 is Jack Swagger who enters at the number that has more winners than ever. Swagger hits a Vader bomb on Swagger and then one for Kingston. Swagger hits another Vader bomb on Cena and Hornswoggle then takes a shot at Swagger. Kingston comes off the top and hits a cross body on Swagger. Kofi and Hornswoggle then hit a double boom drop on Swagger! #28 is Sheamus. The big names are showing up now. Sheamus takes shots at everyone. He hits Cena with a backbreaker. Sheamus and Hornswoggle then go toe to toe and Sheamus smashes Hornswoggle into the mat.
Hornswoggle motions for sweet shin music and hits it on Sheamus. Sheamus pops Hornswoggle on the top but Cena hits Sheamus with a side suplex. Swagger then takes out Cena. Sheamus hits Hornswoggle, who is perched on the top, with a brogue kick which eliminates Hornswoggle from the match. #29 is Rey Mysterio who hits a hurricanrana on Swagger and then a tilt-a-whirl headscissors on Sheamus. Mysterio looks for a 619 on Swagger but sheamus drops Rey with a clothesline. Kofi hits trouble in paradise on Sheamus. Swagger takes down Kofi. Rey then hits an inverted 619 on Jack Swagger which eliminates Jack Swagger from the match. #30 is Wade Barrett. Barrett joins John Cena, Rey Mysterio, Sheamus and Kofi Kingston. A nice line-up in the ring. Barrett takes shots at everyone, looks for wasteland on Kingston but Rey takes out Wade with a dropkick. Barrett hits a sidewalk slam on Cena. Kingston hits Barrett with kicks.
#31 is Dolph Ziggler who lost in his World Heavyweight Championship match earlier. Ziggler goes right for Kingston and then drops Cena with a dropkick. Ziggler hits Sheamus with right hands, choking him with his boot. Mysterio, Cena and Kingston triple team Barrett but can’t eliminate him. Barrett and Ziggler then double team Cena but Mysterio makes the save. #32 is Diesel! Big Daddy Cool is back and the crowd go nuts. Diesel dominated in 1994. Diesel takes out Barrett, Mysterio, Sheamus and Kingston. Diesel hits forearms and clotheslines on anyone standing. #33 is Drew McIntyre. McIntyre goes right after Diesel. McIntyre and Sheamus double team Diesel. The crowd chant for Diesel. Mysterio hits the 619 on Diesel and gets boo’d. Sheamus and McIntyre double team Cena now. Diesel goes after Barrett. #34 is Alex Riley who is accompanied by The Miz. This is a PPV debut for Alex Riley who runs right into John Cena. Wade Barrett eliminates Diesel. That gets boo’d.
Alex Riley and Rey Mysterio go at it as Barrett lays into Kingston. Sheamus and Drew McIntyre then double team John Cena. #35 is The Big Show. Decent pop for Big Show. Big Show and Diesel go eye to eye as Diesel heads to the back. Sheamus and Drew McIntyre go right to work on Big Show but he throws them both away. Big Show chokeslams Wade Barrett but then runs into the boot of Sheamus. Cena and Kofi double team Alex Riley. Big Show eliminates Dolph Ziggler. John Cena and Kofi Kingston then eliminate Alex Riley! That was not supposed to happen. #36 is Ezekiel Jackson. Big Show eliminates Drew McIntyre. Jackson takes down Big Show and Kingston. Ezekiel Jackson eliminates The Big Show! Jackson takes down Cena and Kingston. The commentators pick up on the fact that they can’t see Alex Riley. Sheamus and Barrett go at it. #37 is Santino who gets a good pop. Santino goes right to work on Sheamus and then Ezekiel Jackson but Santino gets wiped out by Sheamus. Santino rolls out of the ring under the bottom rope.
The Miz has gone very quiet. Kingston lays into Barrett as Jackson and Cena go at it. Rey Mysterio stomps away at Sheamus. as Jackson tries to eliminate Cena. #38 is Alberto Del Rio who arrives in a Bentley. Ricardo Rodriguez announces Del Rio to the ring. Rey Mysterio waits for him in the ring, they have had a big rivalry recently. Matt Striker finally announces that Alex Riley has been eliminated. Oops. Sheamus attacks Mysterio. Del Rio hasn’t even got to the ring and the next entrant attacks him from behind. #39 is Randy Orton. Orton throws Del Rio into the ring steps and then rolls him into the ring. Orton hits Del Rio with an RKO and then one for Sheamus! Randy RKO’s Kofi Kingston and then eliminates Kofi Kingston and Sheamus from the match. Orton and Cena are the only men left standing and circle on another with the Wrestlemania sign between them. #40, the final entrant is Kane.
We are down to John Cena, Randy Orton, Kane, Alberto Del Rio, Rey Mysterio, Wade Barrett and Ezekiel Jackson. Kane goes after anyone standing and then slugs it out with Randy Orton. Kane hits Orton with a sidewalk slam but Ezekiel Jackson takes Kane down with a clothesline. Kane then eliminates Ezekiel Jackson from the match. Kane lays into Wade Barrett and gives John Cena an uppercut for good measure. Mysterio boots Kane and then hurricanrana’s Kane over the top eliminating Kane form the match. Wade Barrett then eliminates Rey Mysterio! The final four are John Cena, Randy Orton, Alberto Del Rio and Wade Barrett. Barrett tries to eliminate Cena which Orton has Alberto Del Rio teetering. Cena fights back and hits a gut-wrench suplex on Wade Barrett. Orton lays into Del Rio. Cena and Orton then go toe to toe and exchange right hands. Both men go for their finishers unsuccessfully. The Miz is still at ringside by the commentators. Del Rio hits Cena with right hands.
The final four continue to go at it. Del Rio and Cena are paired off, Orton and Barrett are. Cena hits the attitude adjustment on Alberto Del Rio! Alex Riley then comes back but Cena hammers him off the apron! The Miz then jumps in the ring and eliminates John Cena from the match! Cena is not happy and mouths off at Michael Cole. Randy Orton, Wade Barrett and Alberto Del Rio are left in the ring. Del Rio and Barrett double team Randy Orton, stomping him down to the mat. Orton takes both men down with clotheslines and then a powerslam for Barrett. Orton hits Del Rio with a backbreaker and then motions for an RKO. Randy Orton eliminates Wade Barrett and Alberto Del Rio eliminates Randy Orton! Del Rio’s music hits and Ricardo Rodriguez announces Del Rio as the winner but Santino gets in the ring! Santino was never eliminated! Santino hits Alberto with the cobra! Santino is going crazy! He scoops Del Rio up and looks to throw him out but Del Rio counters it and eliminates Santino!
Alberto Del Rio now officially wins the match! It was a fantastic Royal Rumble match, the biggest of all time and it means that Alberto Del Rio is going to the Wrestlemania 27 main event!
Rating: 8/10
And that was the 2011 Royal Rumble event. It felt like a really solid event. The Royal Rumble match and the two world title matches were great, the women’s match wasn’t bad but below average. Edge won the opener cleanly enough, using Christians finisher which was a nice nod to him. This match was a lot of fun. Really solid way to open the show, a nice defence for Edge who I think will go on to face the winner of the Royal Rumble match which I will get to shortly. The Miz then beat Randy Orton to retain the WWE Championship with a lot of help from CM Punk. This has got Randy Orton vs. CM Punk at Wrestlemania written all over it. It takes Orton away from the main event and I’m guessing he’ll be replaced by John Cena. Good match from these two though.
Eve then randomly won the Divas Championship after being added to the match at the last minute. This seems pretty random and I’m not sure what the thinking behind it is unless they see money in Eve vs. Michelle McCool in the long term. The match was alright, it was watchable but nothing amazing, they were given just over five minutes.
And then came the Royal Rumble match. The first half of this match was all about The Nexus. I liked the beginning with CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, that was an internet wet dream. Then came The Nexus one by one and they dominated. They cleared the ring of what was mostly jobbers but did include Daniel Bryan and John Morrison. Booker T was a great surprise entry. Matt Striker marked out and was never seen on commentary again. Super Cena entered at 22 and cleared the ring. Cena and Hornswoggle would have a bit of fun until we got to the conclusion of the match. Alex Riley was supposed to be in until the end but accidentally got eliminated so they had to come up with something on the fly to eliminate Cena. Alberto Del Rio won the match, despite Santino’s best efforts and Del Rio goes to Wrestlemania. Surely against Edge? And then Miz against Cena? It was a great rumble anyway, a lot of fun.
Overall Rating: 66.8/100 (ranked 28th out of 261)
Match Of The Night: The 2011 Royal Rumble match
Worst Match Of The Night: Natalya vs. Eve vs. Layla vs. Michelle McCool
Surprise Of The Night: The returns of Booker T & Diesel
Worst Booking Of The Night: Eve winning the Divas Championship?
Superstar Of The Night: Alberto Del Rio
Royal Rumble 2011 Will Be Remembered For: Alberto Del Rio winning the biggest Royal Rumble ever