Welcome to the 2025 Royal Rumble Pre-Show!
Greetings one and all, and welcome to our LIVE results coverage of tonight's Royal Rumble event! Our show has a special start time of 6pm Eastern and airs live from Lucas Oil Stadium in beautiful Indianapolis, home of Pat McAfee. Before I go any further, I want to share some unfortunate news. It is with a broken heart that I have to announce the passing of one of our longest, and much-beloved, readers, Mr. Awesome. I will say more on this great person at our Ten Bell Salute tribute later in our results this evening. You will always be OG Bloodline, Awesome, and we're pouring a whole case out for you tonight.
Regarding tonight's annual event, there are four matches on tap for tonight. Expect a lot of returns and cameos, as is customary for the Rumble. We'll have both a men's and women's Royal Rumble (sorry, NB's, maybe next year). #DIY will battle the Motor City Machine Guns in a two-out-of-three falls match for the WWE Tag Team championships. And Kevin Owens challenges Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE championship in a ladder match.
Our results thread is up early so feel free to weigh in below with your picks for tonight's winners, or surprise entrants--or tell us about your favorite hyperfocused hobby. You're one of us, so join our community below! Live results will begin when he show does, and we'll update with any relevant news throughout the day ahead of tonight's premium live event.
Weigh in, stay safe, and see you all tonight for the Royal Rumble! As of 5:06pm--less than an hour until the start of our premium live event--there's been no change or relevant news impacting tonight's card. Get ready, folks, we start at the top of the hour!
Welcome to the 2025 Royal Rumble!
After a lengthy pre-show filled with hype, we get our Star Spangled Banner. It's showtime, folks! We get video of several Superstars either backstage or arriving. We cut to the ring where Stephanie McMahon comes out to a good pop. She plays up the crowd for the obligatory cheap pop. Steph then thanks the fans for paying severely-overpriced tickets and making it the biggest Rumble in history and, like the sheep we all are, they pop for it. She then welcomes us to the 2025 Royal Rumble and pyro goes off. We then get a video from Pat McAfee, a cold opening they're calling in, in which he quickly praises Indianapolis before crash-coursing us on the history of the Royal Rumble.
Women's Royal Rumble Match
Alicia Taylor is out at 6:09pm EST to give a quick summary of how the Women's Royal Rumble works. The crowd pops the instructions. Iyo Sky is first out, participating in her third Rumble. Liv Morgan is out second. We're reminded that she's participated in every Women's Royal Rumble to date and has finished second-place for the last two years, I believe. We get our first bell of the night at 6:14pm EST! We're off! Liv and Iyo circle, getting the crowd behind them before locking up. Michael Cole & Wade Barrett start their commentary off early with stats and Wade's advice on what to do to survive as a starting participant in a Rumble. Pat McAfee is also on commentary. Iyo takes Liv down early, popping the crowd. They battle in the corner, with Liv popping Iyo over the top rope. They battle on the apron, with Iyo hanging on to Liv's leg. Iyo finally gains some separation and enters the ring. Liv looks for ObLIVion but Iyo counters. Iyo dumps Liv over the top but fails to eliminate her. They battle the final seconds on the apron. Roxanne Perez is out third. She enters the fray, sparring with each of the two individually. After a small eternity, Women's Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria is out fourth!
Lyra hits the ring and without seconds has a wardrobe malfunction. Iyo, Roxanne and Liv spar on the far side of the camera and Lyra is thankfully off camera attending to things. After a few moments, Valkyria is back in it and all four women battle at the ropes. Iyo is dumped over the top but hangs on desperately. Women's United States Chelsea Green is out fifth. She takes her time making her way out to the ring as the other four women battle in the ring. It is a rather lengthy ramp and she's not rushing. As soon as she enters the ring, she slaps the heck out of Roxanne Perez and Liv Morgan. Iyo is once again dumped over the ropes, as is Lyra, but both hang on. Chelsea continues to dump Superstars over the rope without eliminating them, eventually sending all four over the ropes. She celebrates preemptively. All other four women beat her down into the canvas. Out sixth is B-Fab. She his the ring and begins to battle with various Superstars. B-Fab with a scoop slam on Liv, onto Lyra. B-Fab and Iyo battle in the middle of the ring, with the Fabulous one dropping Sky. B-Fab continues to work over Sky in the corner, trying to eliminate her. Morgan and Valkyria battle in one corner, while Chelsea and Rox battle in a third. No eliminations yet as Ivy Nile is out seventh.
As of 6:25pm, no one's been eliminated. Out eighth is Zoey Stark, aka "the Sniper" from Pure Fusion Collective. She jogs to the ring and joins the fray. Liv tries to attack her right away but Stark stops her with a shoulder thrust. Stark with a suplex toss on Iyo Sky, then drops Ivy Nile and B-Fab with kicks. Chelsea Green throws Stark over the top rope but Zoey fires off a kick and enters the ring. Stark attempts to eliminate Iyo Sky, dumping her over the top, but Sky tries to hang on. Poor Sky will win the award for most near-eliminations tonight. Multiple women attempt multiple eliminations but everyone hangs on. Lash Legend is our #9 entrant. Every move she does, they add the word "legend" before it. Very annoying. We still have zero eliminations at the 6:30pm EST mark. B-Fab attacks Lash Legend from behind and talks trash, leading to the two brawling in the middle of the ring. Both drop each other with a jumping kick. Chelsea Green scores the first elimination of the night when she tosses out B-Fab. After a few moments and many cheers, we get our tenth entrant, Bianca Belair!
We still have 9 participants, with only 1 elimination. Bianca Belair dominates everyone until Shayna Baszler is out at #11. She and Zoey Star are part of Pure Fusion Collective. Baszler shares the record for most eliminations at 21. Baszler begins to clean house. Lyra Valkyria drops Baszler. Stark recovers in time to save Baszler, and the duo begin to double-team Lyra. They both throw Lyra over the top rope but she hangs on, battling back. Ivy Nile tosses her over the top. Lyra Valkyria has been eliminated. Ivy celebrates briefly before Bayley is out at #12. Bayley ends up squaring off with Iyo Sky and the crowd pops. They have words but before they can do much, Pure Fusion Collective attacks them from behind. Bayley tries to eliminate Stark but Baszler tries to make the save. Baszler & Stark are both on the apron as Sonya Deville enters at #13--giving Pure Fusion Collective their third and final member in the Rumble tonight. She hits the ring quick to try to save her teammates, attacking Bayley and Iyo Sky. PFC dominate until Maxxine Dupri is out at #14. Ivy Nile shoves Maxxine, who shoves her back. The two lockup. Dupri with a Fisherman's Suplex to a good pop. She turns and finds PFC staring her down. The faces in the match rally and all six women clash. Dupri with a suplex on Nile, followed by a kip-up and again she plays up to the crowd. Dupri with a reverse Caterpillar and an elbow drop! Maxxine eliminates Ivy Nile and celebrates--then is eliminated herself by PFC! Finally we get another entrant--Naomi is #15. We're halfway through, folks!
Chaos ensues in the ring for several moments. We do get a nifty tracker that shows we've 11 active Superstars, with 4 eliminations thus far. Cool. Good grief, this is a really long period. Zoey Stark, Shayna Baszler, and Sonya Deville are all eliminated within seconds. Out at #16 is Jaida Parker. Bianca Belair, Naomi, Jaida Parker and Lash Legend try to temporarily ally against Chelsea Green to loud boos. Green survives to eliminate Lash Legend to a pop. The crowd then cheers for Chelsea! Piper Niven is out at #17, giving Green some backup. Green stupidly gets on the apron, yelling at Piper to hurry--and the other Superstars stare at her in disbelief instead of eliminating her immediately. Piper enters, making the save temporarily. Green remains on the apron as Piper works on cleaning house. Piper hits a huge sit-down Urinage on a charging Sky, then works with Green to try to clear the ring. Chelsea Green is eliminated to loud boos when she again goes on the apron and is knocked off, accidentally, by Piper Niven. Natalya Neidhart is out at #18 and we're reminded that she and Liv are the only women to participate in all eight Women's Royal Rumble. No one is eliminated during this period, and Jordynne Grace is out at #19! She's making her WWE debut!
Grace fights off multiple Superstars, starting strong just as she did last year. She quickly eliminates Jaida Parker. She celebrates and chooses her next target, hoisting Piper Niven up on her shoulders for a Death Valley Driver! The crowd pops huge and rips off a "holy shit" chant. Naomi and Grace hug--they've got plenty of history in TNA. Belair pulls them apart, says "uh uh" and tries to eliminate Grace! She then talks to Belair and they start to double team Niven as Grace recovers. Michin is out at #20. She takes it to Niven, then Natalya, and we get replays of Grace hitting the DVD before mediocrity ensues. To the BIGGEST pop of the night, Alexa Bliss makes her return at #21! She gets a massive ovation, wearing her dark Lily-inspired outfit. Bliss takes down everyone who isn't down, and the crowd rips off a very loud and lengthy "welcome back" chant. She plays up the crowd huge until Natalya attempts to eliminate her; Bliss hangs on as the timer counts down. Out at #22 is Zelina Vega. Chaos resumes now that the Bliss has worn off temporarily. Vega looks to eliminate Grace but instead hits a Code Red to a pop in the ring. We're reminded that her cousin is the Amazing Red. Bliss and Bayley battle in the corner before Natalya butts in, attempting once again to eliminate Bliss. Bliss hangs on. Our first three--Liv, Iyo and Roxanne--are still in this match. Candice LeRae is out at #23 and kills the crowd. Yikes. It gets boring, folks, hang in there. To a big pop, Stephanie Vaquer is out at #24.
Stephanie V hits the ring and clears house, dominating until Hall of Famer Trish Stratus is out at #25! She gets a big pop and hits the ring, taking it right to Natalya. They battle it out until Trish hits a Lou Thesz Press to drop her. Trish turns her attention to Grace, but regrets it. The crowd rips off a "this is awesome" chant. Trish with a double Bulldog on LeRae & Grace. Trish drops Natalya. Piper Niven charges over, shoulder-thrusting Trish across the ring. Piper looks to eliminate Stratus but the HoF'er hangs on, battling back. Raquel Rodriguez is out at #26, giving Liv Morgan some much-needed help. Morgan's been in for a very long time now. Raquel makes the save for Morgan, and throws Natalya down. Raquel with a Big Boot to Natalya. She powerbombs Liv onto Natalya. Liv and Natalya both wind up on the apron, battling out until Morgan uses a Code Breaker to eliminate Natalya. She celebrates until Alexa Bliss attacks her--but it backfires as Liv Morgan hits a Code Red, eliminating Alexa Bliss to huge boos.
Charlotte Flair makes her return at #27. She gets a solid return pop, but nothing like Bliss. The pace has slowed to a crawl in the ring as everyone gives Flair ample time to make her very lengthy entrance. In the ring, various Superstars use working holds or generally eat up time. Finally she hits the ring and begins to clothesline and chop everyone. The fans woo accordingly. She fires off probably four dozen Flair chops as her first minute of offense. She's entered the Brock Lesnar era of her career where she'll do just 3-5 moves. Flair eliminates Michin. Vaquer & Grace double-team Flair with a lengthy stalling suplex, giving her time to counter with a double-DDT. She kips up to a big pop and I'm already sick of her. Flair looks for a Big Boot Niven but Piper ducks under and they battle at the ropes. Flair eliminates Piper Niven. After a quick ten-count, we get the entrance for NXT Women's Champion Giulia at #28. All hell breaks loose and the NXT champ goes on a flurry of offense until she eliminates Jordynne Grace. The remaining Superstars all begin to slug it out until Nia Jax enters at #29.
The pace picks up after Jax enters the ring. Superstars pair off and change sparring partners frequently, leading to quick eliminations. Stratus bravely takes on Jax but ends up eliminated despite her best efforts. We get our final entrant tonight--Nikki Bella. Fucking kill me. I hate this job. Bella gets an okay reaction by the retards in attendance. Bella does her thing, and the talented athletes in the ring pretend Nikki Bella even deserves to be in the same ring as them. Shit happens. Vaqeur, a whole bunch of Superstars end up battling on the ropes/hanging over them until Nia Jax comes in. Jax picks up the pace, eliminating Naomi. We have 6 left in the ring after that chaos--Nia Jax Giulia, Charlotte Flair, Bayley, Roxanne Perez, and Nikki Bella. Flair clears house; Bella hits a cheap Spear on Flair. Bella looks to eliminate Giulia but she fights it. Perez and Giulia battle on the ropes and onto the apron, with Giulia shoved off by Perez. Bayley is eliminated by Bella, who is then eliminated by Jax. Our final three: Charlotte, Nia, and Roxanne. All three battle at the ropes, with Flair dumping Jax over the top for the elimination. Flair has Perez on the apron and they battle until a Big Boot sends Perez off, eliminating her. Ugh. We get a rather lengthy celebration for Flair, which was probably in her rider. Prepare yourselves for 12-16 minutes of filler vignettes, ads, and other crap.
Your Winner, Charlotte Flair!
WWE Tag Team Championship 2-out-of-3 Falls Match: #DIY(c) vs Motor City Machine Guns
I was wrong on that time estimate. So very, very wrong. We're treated to glimpses of Mickie James, the Godfather, and Kurt Angle (with his daughter) in attendance. We see also Stephen Amell (make another season of Heels, damnit) and, yeah. Lots, upon lots, of filler. Finally, the Motor City Machine Guns are out first to a solid pop. Our WWE Tag Team Champions, #DIY, are out next and we get our bell at 7:43pm EST. Chris Sabin & Tomaso Ciampa start us off. Quick tag by the MCMG leading to an early lead. Gargano enters but they quickly send him back out. MCMG use quick tags to set a fast, double-team offense early on. Huge running attack by Sabin to the outside to wipe out the champs. Sabin with a big right to Gargano outside, then enters the read and eats a DDT from Ciampa. Ciampa grounds Sabin and begins to use working holds as we start to keep the action one-on-one in the ring. Ciampa tags in and the champs continue to double-team Sabin. Wade Barrett gives us tips on 2/3 falls matches. Alex Shelley tags in; Gargano attempts to make a tag but misses. Shelley doesn't notice this and focuses on Gargano, not Ciampa. Ciampa with a running high knee strike to cover. First fall, #DIY.
Ciampa quickly slaps a neck hold on Shelley as commentary rehash what just happened--the apparently fake tag that by Gargano that led to Shelley eating a pin in confusion. Gargano tags in legally. Shelley tries to fight off both members of #DIY but can't. Gargano looks for a second fall but Shelley hangs on. The champs maintain control, keeping Shelley in the ring for several minutes as they continue to wear him down. Ciampa tries to pull Sabin off the apron so he can't tag in; the ref comes over to warn him. As the ref is out of position, he doesn't see Sabin tag in legally. Gargano continues to work over Shelley as the champs resort to heel tactics to keep Sabin, the fresher challenger, out of the ring. Gargano plays to the crowd before charging Shelley in the corner. Shelley blocks a Gargano Spear with a side kick that drops Gargano. Shelley makes the hot tag to Chris Sabin, who takes it to Gargano with fists. Sabin with a clothesline that drops Gargano. Sabin with a running punt kick to both champs while they're standing ringside. Sabin with a running springboard corner dive off to the outside to wipe out the champs once again. Sabin with a Tornado DDT on Gargano, then tags in Shelley. They hit their Skull & Bones tag team finisher to pick up a fall of their own. Falls tied 1-1, next fall is champion.
The ref gives a lot of lateral with the rules a the four Superstars begin to fight regardless of who's legal. Ciampa looks for a Project Ciampa but Sabin endures. Ciampa positions Sabin on the top turnbuckle and chops him hard. Ciampa climbs the middle rope and pulls Sabin up into a backpack position. Sabin floats over and looks for a counter, but Ciampa rains fists down on his face. They continue to battle in the corner, with Sabin getting Ciampa in a Tree of Woe Gargano makes the save. Sabin whips Gargano into Shelley, who back tosses Gargano onto Ciampa in the Tree of Woe in the corner! The challengers set Ciampa up in the corner for a double-team move and hit it, covering for a two--Gargano makes the save just in time. Ciampa and Gargano rally in their corner as MCMG do the same in theirs. Gargano looks for a Superkick on Sabin but he moves and Gargano hits Ciampa! MCMG switch to high gear, dropping Gargano. Angelo Dawkins hops on the apron, distracting the challengers and ref--and Montez Ford attacks the MCMG with a crutch behind the ref's back! #DIY capitalize, covering and picking up the third fall and the win at 7:57pm! After the match, the Street Profits attack #DIY and Michael Cole explains to us that the Profits attacked MCMG to keep the titles on #DIY as the Profits have a vendetta against #DIY Just typing up what Cole said.
Your Winners AND STILL WWE Tag Team Champions, #DIY!
Undisputed WWE Championship Ladder Match: Cody Rhodes(c) vs Kevin Owens(c?)
At 8:11pm, Kevin Owens makes his way out sporting the Winged Eagle championship and his "The Canadian Dream Son of a Security Systems Technician" shirt to rib the champ. The crowd welcomes him pretty well, but also boos him more often. Out next is the disputed Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes. He does his "whoa" and the crowd eats it up. We get official announcements before the titles are placed on the hook and hoisted up. Our bell comes at 8:20pm. The crowd's hot for this one. Cody jaws off at KO to start the match. Cody Tear Tracker: Cody has not cried. Yet. The crowd rips off dueling cheers that quickly turn to Cody cheers. We're about a minute into this match before a single fist is thrown. Both men unload with rights, battling around the ring Owens takes an early control, stomping the champ into the mat before taking him into the corner. The challenger unloads with fists and the action spills outside. Cody looks to retrieve a ladder but Owens battles him on the ramp, ultimately slamming Rhodes onto the ladder/in between its legs, breaking the middle support bars. Ladder Casualty Counter: 1.
The action returns to the ringside area, but spills out into the crowd. Owens and Rhodes slug it out back and forth in the crowd, grabbing drinks from the audience to use as weapons. Owens strings Rhodes up on the barricade after a lengthy crowd fight, and takes it back to the ringside area. Owens pulls a ladder out from the ring and leans it against the side of the ring. KO sends Rhodes onto and across it. Owens takes the ladder inside the ring and begins to set it up. Rhodes enters the ring and brawls with Owens, then gets sent back outside. Owens starts to climb but Rhodes enters the ring again and stops him. Rhodes sends Owens into the ladder the hard way, knocking it over. Owens pulls Rhodes outside and they battle by the commentary tables. Owens begins to clear the broadcast table, using the top cover to smack Rhodes. Owens pulls another ladder out from under the ring, using it bridge from the commentary table to the ring. Owens grabs Rhodes and pulls him to the ladder bridge. Cody Rhodes fights back and takes it back into the ring. He sets up a ladder. Owens enters with a step ladder and uses it to batter the champ, also dropping another larger ladder. (Ladder Casualty Counter: 2)
Cody retrieves the little step ladder and uses it on KO. KO retrieves it and uses it on Rhodes. (They use it, then do nothing beneficial until the other guy's recovered). Monotony ensues as both men use the little ladder to drop their opponent then fail to capitalize on it. Finally Cody whips KO into the taller ladder, knocking it over. Cody sets the ladder back up and climbs it. KO grabs Rhodes' foot and pulls Rhodes off the ladder. Cody hangs on to the belts until he can reclaim his footing. KO again grabs Cody's foot and eventually tugs him off the ladder. Cody looks to audible into a Hurricanrana but KO avoids that, bombing Rhodes down hard! The action continues on for over five minutes, with three other ladders falling during the lengthy and slow battle. Owens looks for a Package Piledriver, but Cody counters with a backdrop that sends Owens crashing through another ladder. (Ladder Casualty Counter: 5). Owens, for the most part, maintains control throughout the lengthy period. Multiple ladders are strewn about in the ring and outside it. Owens begins to ascend a ladder at 8:38pm but Cody again stops him. Owens sends Cody into the corner and sets up a ladder from the bottom rope to the bottom stop of the ladder standing in middle of the ring. Owens battles Rhodes around the ring, setting him up on the ladder "table." Owens yells "I didn't want to have to do this" as he climbs up the turnbuckles. Cody rallies, avoiding a possible splash, and battles Owens up the turnbuckles.
Owens and Rhodes battle until Owens hits a Fisherman's Buster off the turnbuckles and through the ladder at 8:40pm! The crowd rips off a loud "holy shit" chant as some life is finally shown--though not in the champ, as Cody is down. The ref checks on Cody and several officials come out, including Nick Aldis. Owens is down, and both Superstars are being attended to. Sami Zayn comes to the ringside and checks on both KO and Cody. Wade Barrett says "I smell a fix. I don't like this at all." Zayn again returns to check on Kevin Owens, who's struggling to get to his feet but ultimately does. KO rips a ladder out of the way and moves in on Cody. This match will continue! Cody gets his second wind and hits a Cody Cutter on KO out of nowhere! The action spills outside, where the champ goes on the offensive and bloodies Owens. Cody with fists targeting the wound on KO's head, yelling at him "that's what you want? That's what you want?" Rhodes roars at KO and approaches the ladder-bridge connecting commentary to the ringside apron still. Owens with a low-blow! Low-blow right in Cody's Rhodes!
KO looks for a Package Piledriver on the commentary but Cody counters, hitting an Alabama Slam through the ladder to the hard, hard floor! Kevin Owens is down! Cody quickly enters the ring and repositions the ladder. Cody climbs unabated, reaching the belts at 8:44pm. KO has not moved and Cody removes his title. Cody removes the Smoking Skull belt and picks up the win! Cody's place as the Undisputed champion is no longer under dispute! WHOA-OH!
Your Winner AND STILL Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes!
Ten-Bell Salute to Mr. Awesome
As mentioned earlier, long-time reader and fellow Rajahmanaic Mr. Awesome passed away recently. There's too much to say, yet not enough time to say half of it, so I'll leave it at this: we love you, we miss you, and we will never forget you, Josh. After a brief pause, we get the ten-bell Rajah.com salute as a fictitious vignette highlights fond memories for some of us, followed by a glimpse at the Awesome One before cameras fade to black. 40 years of Awesome wasn't enough by far. Goodbye, my brother.
Men's Royal Rumble Main Event Match
After much ado about nothing, or whatever the Bard said, we get our first entrance as Rey Mysterio is out at #1 at 9:00pm EST. The king of cruiserweights gets a great welcome from the Indianapolis crowd. We're reminded that Rey's first Rumble was back in 2003, as well as the fact that in 2006 Rey entered at #2 and went on to win the Rumble. At 9:03pm, we get our next entrance--this time for Penta at #2! Looks like we're going to have a helluva start, folks! We get our bell at 9:05pm and we're off! Rey and Penta slowly approach, talking to each other while the crowd pops. Rey and Penta both play up to the crowd, soaking in the moment. Rey offers his hand and Penta shakes it to a huge pop. You gotta love seeing so much respect between the two. Rey goes to pull back but Penta won't let him. Penta tells him "I'm sorry" then yells Cero Miedo with the crowd. Rey nods, gets the crowd to yell "6-1-9" with him and they begin to fight. Penta nearly eliminates Rey right out the gate. Rey charges Penta in the corner; Penta pops him up and kicks him right in the face. They battle and go over the ropes and it looks like Penta's feet touch the floor on accident! The ref "consults" someone and he's apparently good. Rey and and Penta clash and battle until Chad Gable comes out at #3.
Penta and Gable exchange blows as Rey recovers on the apron. Gable attempts to eliminate Penta but he hangs on. Gable moves to Rey, also on an apron, and Mysterio fights his way back in with a Sunset flip. Gable looks to slingshot Mysterio and back-drops Penta as he charges in. Gable slingshots Rey out of the ring, but Rey skins the cat and hangs on! Gable and Rey continue to battle until Penta kicks Gable in the back, slowing his roll. Bulldog from Penta to Gable and the luchadores are in control of the ring. Penta and Rey work together for some good spots. Carmelo Hayes is our fourth entrant. He hits the ring and immediately takes out Penta, then shoves Mysterio down on his ass! Rey quite visibly is upset and yells "fuck you, man." Haha! Hayes continues to take it to Rey, hitting a reverse DDT. Gable and Melo decide to team up against Rey & Penta. Melo and Gable work together to springboard clothesline Penta right back into a German Suplex. They continue to work together, keeping Mysterio and Penta grounded. Great teamwork from these two until Hayes attempts to throw Gable out! Gable and Melo battle it out; Gable counters a cutter attempt into a beautiful German Suplex that'd make Benoit proud! Santos Escobar is out at #5!. Luchas, luchas everywhere!
All five Superstars begin to exchange blows in the ring, each scoring gasps from the crowd. They consume the entire period until Otis is out at #6! Otis gets a nice pop as he hustles down to the ring. He immediately takes on Escobar, dropping him with a single-handed chokeslam. Otis dances and does the Caterpillar--only for Chad Gable to interrupt it with an ankle lock! Otis recovers and slaps Chad Gable. Gable is shocked, incensed, and pulls down his straps. Otis and Chad begin to slug it out, ignoring all others. Gable with a huge German Suplex on the big man! Impressive! Otis rallies immediately, however, and puts Gable in the Torture Rack! Shades of Lex Luger! Gable and Carmelo Hayes try to eliminate Otis together but he fights back. Penta and Rey double-team Santos while Melo & Gable double-team Otis. Intercontinental Champion Bronn Breakker is out at #7. Breakker gets a good welcome and rushes the ring, immediately making an impact. Breakker eliminates Hayes! Breakker with a Frankeinsteiner on Rey I believe, then backdrops Otis with ease! Breakker posts up in the corner, waits for Escobar to hoist up Penta, and spears him nearly in half! The crowd barks in pleasure. Breakker eliminates Santos Escobar. Otis attacks him from behind and they battle in the corner.
Akira Tozawa is out at #8 but is attacked on the ramp by Carmelo Hayes. He's taken to the back and Triple H is forced to pick a replacement--and goes with ISHOWSPEED. Hey, Gen Z? This is why I didn't try to save the Earth for you. I knew you tools would make YouTube asshats popular enough to be in my wrasslin. Enjoy your burning Earth. Ishowspeed hits the ring and gets a few quick pops. Thankfully, Bron Breakker quickly hits him with a Spear to shut that sit down. Breakker throws Speed out of the ring, and Otis catches him--temporarily, then goes ahead and tosses him back in a Fallaway Slam across the commentary table, eliminating Ishowspeed. What a wasted slot that could have gone to literally any athlete on their expanded roster. Sheamus enters at #9.
Sheamus takes control briefly, moving from Superstar to Superstar, in a boring period. Jimmy Uso is out at #10. Jimmy does hit a corkscrew moonsault on Penta, then slows the pace again with kicks and attacks on various Superstars. Jimmy draws from the playbook of his father, Rikishi, with several running hip attacks in the corner. Sheamus drops Jimmy and slows the pace again. Andrade is out at #11. Unlike his wife, Charlotte, Andrade makes his way to the ring in rather quick fashion. Andrade does what seems to be the norm tonight--new person hits ring, new person attacks everyone to slow the pace, new person uses working holds or taunts to slow the pace more, until next new person comes out. Finally to save the day is Jacob Fatu at #12! The Samoan Werewolf hits the ring and smacks down Gable. Pop-up Samoan drop on Andrade! Fatu and Penta face off in the middle of the ring to a huge pop. Penta says he has zero fear, and Fatu smacks him, dropping him! Rey tries a crossbody and Fatu catches him! Penta lunges at him, ends up stacked on Rey, and Fatu hits a double Samoan Drop! Fatu eliminates Rey Mysterio! Fatu turns, sees Andrade, and clotheslines him over the top, eliminating Andrade! Bron Breakker stalks Fatu but before they can clash, Ludwig Kaiser is out at 13! Kaiser's smart and slows as he approaches the ring, waiting smartly to get in. He, unfortunately, decides to enter the ring--and is immediately eliminated. Michael Cole checks to verify that Santino does, in fact, still hold the record for fastest elimination.
The Miz is out at #14 and know who's awesome? Motherfuckin' Josh. That's who! The Miz makes his sixteenth appearance, now tied for second all-time in appearances. The Miz attempts to eliminate Breakker but he holds on on the apron. Penta drops the Miz with kicks and a Hurricanrana. The Miz blocks a charge with a boot to the fast. The Miz with a Hurricanrana of his own on Penta! The Miz makes the mistake of slapping Jacob Fatu. Fatu chases him across the ring and throws him over the top rope, but the Miz hangs on. Fatu counters a springboard crossbody by the Miz into a Samoan Drop! The crowd rips off a loud Fatu chant. Jacob stalks the Miz as TNA Wrestling Champion Joe Hendry is out at #15! I believe in Joe Hendry! The crowd eats it up as he makes his way to the ring. Joe drops the Miz, Penta, Jimmy with successive clotheslines. Joe Hendry with a Fallaway Slam on the Miz to a huge pop. Hendry with a Chokeslam on the Miz, very well done. Jacob Fatu smacks Hendry, stopping him, and Sheamus yells "why'd you do that? I was enjoying that!"
And out at #16 is Roman Reigns to a massive pop! Paul Heyman walks him out and they raise their fingers in acknowledgement as 70,000 fans acknowledge our Tribal Chief! Roman power walks down to the ring for his first Royal Rumble in five years--as Cole points out, the last several years, Roman was the Champ. Roman goes on a warpath, eliminating the Miz after a huge spear, then eliminating Sheamus after another huge spear. Joe Hendry stands up to the Tribal Chief for a huge pop and kicks him in the gut. Hendry whips Roman into the ropes but Reigns counters with a spear! Roman eliminates Joe Hendry! Bron Breakker is up and nearly cuts Roman in half with a spear to a huge pop, but Roman recovers and eliminates Bron Breakker! Jimmy Uso offers Roman a hand up to his feet to a pop, but Jacob Fatu Superkicks Jimmy! Fatu eliminates Jimmy Uso leaving just Bron, Roman and Penta down in the corner! The crowd roars as Fatu and Reigns prepare to slug it out. A loud "holy shit" chant from Indianapolis tonight as Cole exclaims we're looking at a future WrestleMania main event.
Roman and Fatu begin to engage, exchange powerful, slow rights. The crowd cheers for every single hit. Fatu drops Roman with a headbutt, and another after Roman just started to pull head. Fatu whips Roman into the ropes and Roman spears him across the chest on the rebound! Drew McIntyre is out at #17 and the Tribal Chief's enemies are starting to pile up! Drew enters the ring and yells at Roman that this began with Roman and will end with Roman. Drew lays into Reigns, dropping him down with a brutal assault. Fatu assists. McIntyre and Fatu stare each other down, then decide to stomp Roman Reigns together. Drew continues to yell taunts at Roman as he pounds away at him. Fatu keeps Penta locked down in the corner. Finn Balor is out at #18 with music that's at least new to me and the crowd, as none of us had any clue who the hell it was. Finn hits the ring and tries to decide if he should get involved. He begins to stomp away at Roman Reigns, working with Drew McIntyre.
Penta recovers and drops Fatu, temporarily, turning his attention to Finn Balor. The two battle it out. Balor sends Penta to the apron, then quickly turns on Drew, attacking him from behind. Fatu turns his attention to McIntyre until a recovering Reigns attacks Fatu. Roman stomps Fatu in one corner, then Drew in another corner. Penta works with Roman to double-team Finn Balor. United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura is #19. Nakamura enters the ring as and attacks Roman Reigns as Fatu works over Penta. Penta rises and gets in Nakamura's face, but winds up back on the canvas pretty. Finn & Fatu double-team Penta while Drew & Nakamura double-team Reigns, slowing the pace enough even Wade Barrett comments on it. Penta with a Mexican Destroyer on Jacob Fatu outta nowhere! Penta charges Balor, who pops him up and eliminates Penta at 9:48pm. Penta lasted over forty minutes! Out next is Jey Uso at #20! 70,000-plus fans Yeet him all the way to the ring in style. Crowds LOVE them some Jey!
Uso and Nakamura begin to battle it out, seemingly equally matched. Both drop the other with high-impact strikes and kicks. Shinsuke charges Jey and is popped over the top. Nakamura has been eliminated. Finn & Drew battle in one corner as Roman & Fatu battle in another. Jey gives Roman some help, taking it to Fatu. AJ Styles is out at #21 to a nice pop. AJ Styles shows no ring-rust and wastes no time, immediately taking down Drew McIntyre, then Jey Uso, then Roman Reigns. The crowd's loudly on their feet as he begins to face off with Fatu. Styles with multiple rights to Fatu, followed by a Pele Kick. Styles with a charge but Fatu pops him up, dropping him to the canvas with a brutal back drop. Drew lays into AJ Styles, assisting Fatu. Braun Strowman is #22 and the crowd roars with the Monster Among Monsters. We're reminded that Fatu beat Strowman's ass this past Saturday. Strowman enters the ring and calls out Fatu immediately. The crowd pops as the two monsters circle.
Strowman and Fatu battle, with Strowman hitting a running crossbody on Fatu. Strowman scoop slams Fatu out of the ring! Jacob Fatu has been eliminated at 9:54pm! Jacob begins to destroy the commentary area in anger. Finn Balor, Drew McIntyre, and AJ Styles all triple-team Strowman now. John Cena is out at #23 to a huge pop! Cena immediately looks for an Attitude Adjuster on Strowman; Braun wiggles free and charges, but Cena dumps him over the top, eliminating Braun! Cena drops everyone and faces off with Roman Reigns--just as the period expires. CM Punk is out at #24! The crowd is eating this all up, and sings Punk down to the ring! Punk, Reigns and Cena all stare each other down. A lengthy time passes as the crowd soaks it all up. Punk plays up to the crowd for a pop. Cena is fired up, trying to decide who to lock up with. Seth Rollins is out at #25--and nope, not a single blow was thrown after Punk entered! Rollins hits the ring and immediately tackles Punk; Roman goes after Cena in the corner. AJ Styles pairs up with Jey Uso and Drew McIntyre sort of floats about hitting everyone.
The action resumes as chaotic as usual and the crowd's even more exciting for our next entrant. Speaking of, it's Dominik Mysterio at #26 to loud boos. Again, new music (to me and the crowd I'd assume as they didn't know who it was, either.) Dom takes his sweet time coming to the ring and the action inside the ring stays at a slow pace as we build towards our ending. Dom uses a springboard frog splash to enter the ring, attacking Cena. He attempts to do the Eddie shuffle-into-3-Amigos on Roman but Reigns isn't having any of it and shuts it down. Sami Zayn is out at #27. The action continues at a slow pace for this period; the crowd needed a low after the emotional high of the early 20's entrants. Sami, Roman and Jey support each other. Damian Priest is out at #28. Priest attacks Drew as soon as he gets to the ring, battling his way into the ring. Damian hits his own version of the Taker's Old School move. Dominik attacks Priest from behind, and Damian chokeslams Dom before eliminating Mysterio by throwing him over the top rope at 10:06pm EST.
The Superstars continue to pair off in the ring. LA Knight is out at #29. LA Knight takes it to Cena, then Styles, then begins to slug it out with Jey Uso. The crowd's hot behind Knight & Uso slugging it out. Knight takes control ultimately with a slam. We've got our final entrant on their way in a few moments. Sami Zayn offers Roman Reigns a hand up. Drew attacks Reigns from behind, then tries to eliminate Sami Zayn. Jey Uso makes the save--but when he goes to Superkick Drew, he misses and hits Sami Zayn. Zayn has been eliminated. Drew with a Glasgow Kiss headbutt to Jey to drop him to his feet. Logan Paul is out at #30 to massive, massive boos. There are still ten Superstars still active in this. Drew McIntyre is eliminated by Damian Priest, leaving us with nine. Seth Rollins and CM Punk each take turns stomping away at Logan Paul. AJ Styles, then LA Knight, join the line and begin to stomp away on Logan Paul. LA Knight attempts to eliminate Paul. Paul dives off, landing on the announce table without touching the floor.
The crowd boos this. In the ring, Knight hits a BFT on Priest and eliminates Damian Priest with a clothesline over the top. Knight stomps away at Seth Rollins in the corner as Logan Paul is tossed a Prime from the crowd. AJ Styles eliminates LA Knight suddenly. Logan Paul is still trying to navigate a way to the ring. AJ Styles and Seth Rollins battle. Styles looks for a Styles Clash but Paul trips him up, eliminating Styles! Paul is now on the apron and enters the ring. We have six people left--Logan Paul, John Cena, Roman Reigns, AJ Styles, CM Punk, and Seth Rollins. Reigns hits a Superman Punch on Cena; Rollins hits a Stomp on Cena, then one on Punk.
Roman rises and stalks Rollins, and the two stare each other down as commentary rehashes, lightly, their extensive history. Rollins and Reigns talk off-mic as they slowly approach. "You understand? You ain't getting another WrestleMania main event," Rollins tells Reigns. They continue to jaw, then begin to poke each other, then finally slug it out. Both former Shield brothers slug it out as everyone else stays down or gives them space. Rollins looks for a Stomp but Reigns avoids; Reigns looks for a Superman Punch but Rollins ducks. Rollins goes for a Pedigree but Roman battles out, Seth on his shoulders, and they fight at the ropes. Rollins recovers and hits a pair of Superkicks on Reigns. Rollins looks for a clothesline; Roman ducks under and tries to clothesline Seth over the top!
Seth hangs on--and CM Punk comes up from behind, eliminating both Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins! He wastes too much time admiring his work and iseliminated by Logan Paul. Outside the ring, Seth Rollins and CM Punk begin to brawl, leading to multiple refs coming out. Both John Cena, Jey Uso and Logan Paul are down in the ring. Rollins stalks Paul Heyman outside the ring as ref yells at him. He flips off Paul Heyman then, upon seeing Roman using the stairs to recover, hits a Stomp on Roman Reigns on the steel steps! Seth goes back to brawling with Punk at the ringside area. Punk finally turns his attention to Roman Reigns, who's down by the steel steps with Paul Heyman checking on him. He finally walks off.
We're down to our final three: John Cena, Jey Uso, and Logan Paul. Paul and Uso begin to slug it out, with the crowd Yeeting everything Uso does. Jey picks up the pace and drops Uso with a kick to the face. Cena rises and whips Paul into Jey in the corner. Super Cena is back as he hoists them both up on his shoulders for a double-Attitude Adjuster attempt! Uso slips off, superkicks Paul in the face, and John Cena eliminates Logan Paul with a clothesline! We're down to Jey Uso and John Cena and the crowd is going wild! Cena and Uso face off, staring across the ring as the crowd loudly roars. The two exchange a few words and the crowd rips off a VERY loud "let's go Cena" chant. Uso and Cena begin to exchange blows, alternating slow strikes to fire up the crowd. Cena with a running shoulder tackle--and another, he's doing his comeback sequence!
Cena yells "for the last time" at the crowd and fires them up. He hoists his hand and 70,000 people scream with him "you can't see me!" Five knuckle shuffle! Cena hoists Uso up for an AA but Uso escapes and hits a Superkick. Uso tries to eliminate John but Cena holds on! Another Superkick to Cena! Again, Uso tries to eliminate Cena but can't. Jey with a spear outta nowhere and both men are down at 10:24pm! John Cena whips Jey into the ropes and over, starting to celebrate--but Jey's in this! Cena charges him and Uso pulls the rope down, dropping Cena onto the apron. Both men rise and begin to slowly attach each other on the apron. Jey with a Superkick that nearly eliminates Cena. Cena calls for an AA but Jey wiggles free, into the ring, and shoves Cena off! John Cena is eliminated at 10:26pm. After the match, Cena hugs Uso, turns his back to the camera and gives him some private words and praise, gesturing at the crowd. Jey gets a lengthy time celebrating his win with the crowd, pyro, and enough yeets to fill a yeetbox. Michael Cole is in tears on commentary, no cap.
Your Winner and Going to WrestleMania, Jey Uso!
In Closing
Thanks everyone for spending four and a half hours of your Saturday night with us! We hope you enjoy what remains of your weekend and we'll see you all Monday for Raw. Be safe, be warm, and tell those you love that you love 'em--ain't nobody promised tomorrow.
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