WWE Royal Rumble 2011 Results: Destiny Fulfilled
The Royal Rumble is always one of the highlights of the wrestling year, and they don't disappoint.
With this event containing the biggest Royal Rumble in history (40 competitors), it continued to excite and thrill all.
Let's review the results and what this could mean for the rest of the Road to Wrestlemania.
Match 1: Edge Def. Dolph Ziggler To Retain World Heavyweight Championship
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The opening contest saw the Rated-R Superstar's defense against No. 1 contender Dolph Ziggler. With Vickie at ringside, she reminded everyone that if her ex-husband were to use the Spear at any time in this match, not only would he be disqualified, but he would lose the title.
After a heavy offense by Ziggler, Edge was able to mount a comeback. When Smackdown's Executive Consultant tried to interfere, Kelly Kelly charged down, knocking out the Interim GM and allowing Edge to hit a Spear with her and the referee down.
In the end, Edge sent a tribute to Captain Charisma by nailing his friend's Killswitch to retain the belt.
What This Means for the Road to WM XXVII:
Vickie will probably gripe and moan, try to take the belt away, but instead put the former Spirit Squad member into the Elimination Chamber to give him another chance.
Match 2: The Miz (w/ Alex Riley) Def. Randy Orton To Retain WWE Championship
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Back and forth match from the two, with the Miz on the offense the majority of the time, thanks in large part to Riley. As the match was nearing its end, the Nexus (minus CM Punk) made an appearance at ringside, but the Viper wasn't worried.
After attacking Riley, he threw him out of the ring, into the arms of the Nexus. He then managed to hit Miz with an RKO, but Punk came in from behind, hit the challenger with the GTS, and dragged Miz on top of the Legend Killer to keep the title around the waist of the self-proclaimed "Must-See Champion."
What This Means for the Road to WM XXVII:
Although he lost, Orton will most likely be in the RAW Chamber next month, which means no Riley, but the odds will be stacked against him. Miz will continue to get disrespect from the public.
He said before the match that everyone says he wouldn't have beaten Lawler without Cole, nor would he have beaten Orton with Riley. Now it'll be that he didn't beat Orton without Punk. See comments on final slide for more info.
Match 3: Eve Def. Natalya and LayCool To Win WWE Divas Championship
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Before the start of this bout, the GM chimed in, stating that the idea of co-holders of the belt was stupid (not his words, mine), and that the match would be changed to a Fatal Four-Way, throwing Eve into the mix.
LayCool spent their time attacking their opponents, with McCool beating on Natalya and Layla focusing on Eve. This match would end in controversial fashion as Eve took a page out of Lita's playbook with a moonsault.
Upon execution, Eve made the cover, but Michelle was behind the ref, covering the Champion at the same time. The ref made the 3-count, awarding the match to new champion Torres, much to the displeasure of the "Flawless" pair.
What This Means for the Road to WM XXVII:
McCool will gripe about the end, but it's probably going to result in another title match on RAW, possibly a Triple-Threat contest featuring Eve, Michelle, and Natalya (to get her rematch).
Honestly this match didn't do a lot for me, and even one of the commentators said he wasn't looking forward to it. Come Wrestlemania, I'm predicting Michelle taking on Natalya for the title, as Eve may drop it by Elimination Chamber.
Match 4: Alberto Del Rio (No. 38) Wins 2011 Royal Rumble
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In the biggest Rumble in WWE history, we saw huge surprises. We started off with CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, who finally started after the Nexus and Corre members brawled inside the ring.
Both competitors put on an amazing show, but as time went by, the Nexus outnumbered and overpowered everyone who tried to eliminate the Mansonian leader, even John Morrison, who created an unforgettable moment in Rumble history thanks to his parkour abilities.
With four of the five armband-wearing men in the ring, they would wait as competitors filed out, one at a time to try their luck. And one by one, they were dispatched, leaving Punk plenty of time to rest (much like last year's Rumble).
But it ended when his nemesis, John Cena, hit the ring. Cena continued his beatings of Nexus, allowing more stars to enter and even the odds a bit. The reactions from the WWE Universe were especially big when two former world champions in Booker T and Kevin Nash (dressed in his Diesel gear) appeared and showed that they still have it.
We fast forward to the end. Four men stand in the ring: Cena, Del Rio, Barrett, and Orton, still enraged about the circumstances of his loss that night.
With Miz at commentary during Riley's brief stint in the Rumble, he utilized a distraction from the Varsity henchman to sneak in the ring and toss Cena out, shutting the door to Wrestlemania's main event. Orton then proceeded to toss Barrett, but Del Rio capitalized by eliminating the Viper.
As Del Rio's music hit and Ricardo Rodriguez celebrated, the ref tried to cut the celebration. It turned out that Santino Marella, who entered at No. 37, rolled under the bottom rope, and therefore he was never eliminated.
He fired himself, up, brought out the Cobra, and when the cocky young star turned around, the Cobra struck! I honestly thought that Santino would actually win off that, and wondered how he went from the class clown to tag team champ to RR winner in one year.
However, as the Milan Miracle looked to win the match, Del Rio reversed a throw and eliminated Marella, fulfilling his destiny as the 2011 Royal Rumble winner.
What This Means for Road to WM XXVII:
I'm going with the safe bet that Alberto will challenge for the World Heavyweight title. With the bad blood between him and Christian, I expect Captain Charisma to play a part in this should Edge hold the belt going into Atlanta.
Miz's cowardly act on Cena could mean Cena will have his chance at Miz, and probably Punk, in the RAW Chamber along with Orton. If not then, then I see Miz/Cena or Miz/Orton as the RAW main event at Wrestlemania.
With those appearances by Nash and Booker, I wonder if they'll be doing more in WWE like Mr. Perfect did after his return. I would love to see those two back in a WWE ring doing what they do best.
So What Do You Think?
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With the Road to Wrestlemania XXVII now past its first leg, what do you expect the rest of the way?
What did you think of the Royal Rumble? Leave comments below, and thank you for reading.
