WWE Royal Rumble Results: 20 Most Memorable Highlights of the PPV Event

We are all now trying to make sense of the first pay-per-view of 2011, the Royal Rumble.

With just four matches on the night, there wasn't a whole lot to expect or even predict. Even what we thought we could predict was mostly out of the window. As WWE tried to start the year off with a bang, it sent many wrestling fans on a roller coaster ride of emotions throughout the evening.

So as we attempt to catch our breath, here are 20 moments that helped to define what the night will be remembered for.

This attempts to follow the events as they unfolded over the course of the night, though some of the moments here are simply reflections at a certain point within the night. If there are any moments that you liked better, feel free to voice your opinions.

Edge's Pyro Doesn't Go Off

From the very beginning, we are treated to a moment that may not have decided anything in the match but was just kind of funny to see.

Edge's pyro display failed to go off, forcing producers to awkwardly switch to the commentary team. It was a minor blip in the story of Sunday night's pay-per-view, but it will certainly be shown on YouTube like every other time that someone tries to cue their pyro to no avail.

It's much funnier when it is Kane, but Edge's face when it didn't happen was a funny thing to see.

Ziggler's Leg Drop Countered into a Powerbomb

Dolph Ziggler's moveset, as effective as it is, is plain and generic. It's no wonder then that his leg drop bulldog is compared to the finishing move of Billy Gunn, the Fameasser. This move is typically countered by simply getting out of the way, but Edge may have had the counter of the night by turning the move into a powerbomb. I thought it may have been the coolest spot of the night, until I was corrected later.

Edge's Submission Move

It's called the Edgecator for those who did not know.

Edge hasn't used many submission moves over the years and hasn't used this pretty looking thing in a long time. However, with the lack of a Spear at his disposal, Edge dusted this one off and made some of us reminisce of the good old days. Hopefully, this isn't a one-time thing and Edge can use it regularly until he decides to hang it up.

Also, it was cool to see Edge end the match with a Killswitch. Wrestlers typically like to tip off the return of superstars to fans by using a signature move from that wrestler. I thought this might have meant that Christian was in the Royal Rumble match, but I was mistaken.

A Kelly Kelly Sighting?

Kelly Kelly also got to cut herself a paycheck on Sunday, showing up and beating up Vickie Guerrero randomly. Why Kelly Kelly, though?

Hopefully this leads to Drew McIntyre getting into the world title picture due to Kelly Kelly's inclusion. Perhaps McIntyre gets himself into the Elimination Chamber this way.

By the way, nice buttcrack, Kelly.... what?... like I was the only one thinking it when it happened live? They also showed it blatantly in the replay.

New Nexus's Interference

The New Nexus got to make their impact felt in the WWE Championship match, distracting Randy Orton and literally planning The Miz to retain. The Miz seemed to return the favor later on by eliminating John Cena from the Royal Rumble, but I have to believe that it might be more of an agreement than that. Besides, by the time that Randy Orton entered the Royal Rumble, the New Nexus was already gone, which is for another slide.

Alex Riley Flies

Alex Riley's career on pay-per-view included him being used as a battering ram in a table match and now includes flying over the ropes. It was the most graceful that Riley was all night long. Something tells me that he lost his footing during the Rumble match and wasn't supposed to lose right that moment.

Cody Rhodes Makes a Statement

It wasn't the statement I was hoping from The Dashing One but it gave us an excuse to not see Rhodes in the Rumble. At least he got his spot taken away from him with some explanation. Isn't that right, Darren Young?

Eve Is Not Beth Phoenix Or Awesome Kong

When the Divas Title match was becoming a Fatal 4-Way, I nearly contemplated not using the match as a bathroom break. The sheer idea of Natalya facing a strong women like Beth Phoenix or the debut of Awesome Kong on a big stage made me excited about Divas matches.

Then I heard Eve's music.

I'll be in the bathroom...

Controversial Divas Match Ending?

The ending of the Fatal 4-Way was designed to seem like a controversial ending. It was supposed to be sold as a double pin attempt, meaning that Michelle McCool's pin on Natalya had equal weight to Eve's pinfall on Layla. However, instant replay shows that Eve went for the cover slightly earlier than McCool. The referee was positioned to only see Eve and Michelle even watched as Eve won the title. There is no controversial ending. Lay-Cool has no case, but don't expect that to stop WWE from selling this as a dead tie.

The Bellas Vs Gail Kim Round II

There were 40 men in the Royal Rumble this year. It was often reported that one of the reasons had something to do with the monetary losses by WWE this year and that those who will be leaving the company in the coming months, be it retirement or release, had their one last pay-per-view paycheck on Sunday. The same can likely be said for The Bella Twins or Gail Kim. In fact, let me go on record by saying that either Gail Kim or both Bella Twins will be released by the summer.

John Morrison = Incredible

Royal Rumble matches never disappoint in showing you something that you have never seen before. John Morrison made it no different by jumping onto the guardrail and saving himself in the Royal Rumble match. I can't think of another person, let alone another wrestler, who could do what he did there. Even the top of the walls are padded, making it even more likely to slip and fall accidentally. John Morrison has officially made the Royal Rumble his match in the way that only Shawn Michaels did the exact same thing.

Zack Ryder Gets Some Offense In

I love Zack Ryder, but I knew he wasn't going to last very long. So, I counted the seconds out loud. I was surprised when I stopped counting and realized that I had counted about thirty seconds more than I thought I would be. Ryder also got some good amounts of offense in on the competition at the time. Ryder's showing represents those in the Rumble who will likely be gone in the next few months. Take out Ryder's name and insert any of the following for a similar outcome:

William Regal

Chavo Guerrero

Hornswoggle (which went way too long. I said repeatedly afterwards that if Hornswoggle isn't fired by the middle of April, I will stop watching wrestling)

Yoshi Tatsu

JTG

Tyler Reks

New Nexus Vs The Corre

This was the main storyline going into the Royal Rumble match. These two groups had a lot of personal history between one another and nearly made up one-fourth of the entire field on Sunday. However, outside of an altercation in the beginning, there was nothing else made of the two groups against each other. Personally speaking, I think that The Corre coming out like that would have been great to see if one of the members had drawn No. 2.

Nobody was certain which was the entry at that time and the other three could only be there to lead their friend to the ring. Much like Finlay a few years ago, all of the New Nexus and The Corre sans CM Punk could have been eliminated for jumping the gun had Daniel Bryan (the real No. 2) made it to the ring already. He didn't so the match didn't start at the time, saving them all for the time being.

Booker T Returns

I knew that this was happening only because of a headline I read by mistake. Regardless, it was still a thrill to see Booker T in a WWE ring again, especially with all of the Main Event Mafia rumblings at TNA. Booker had a good showing and I will be interested to see if it was squarely for the Hall of Fame or if Booker T will actually have regular wrestling matches again.

The Great Khali Is Back

This one actually shocked me the most. The Great Khali is going through some personal stuff in his native country of India. We also have not seen him since he was almost in the main event of SummerSlam with Team Cena. It was nice to see Khali back, even if I think that his talent is minimal at best.

Diesel Returns to WWE

I've just mentioned the surprise of Booker T with the shock and painful sight of The Great Khali in the Royal Rumble. Combine those two emotions and you get how I felt when Diesel came back to WWE. Stating that Kevin Nash cannot move very well anymore is the definition of an understatement. Thankfully, Diesel didn't last too long.

World Title Match Losers In Rumble Match

Historically speaking, those who are within world title matches are not within the Royal Rumble. However, both losing challengers to world titles earlier in the night were also slated into the Rumble. Ziggler's place makes sense due to Vickie Guerrero and her power to do whatever she likes. However, Orton has no business within the Royal Rumble. Lick your wounds and get ready for the Elimination Chamber.

New Nexus Gone Early

Of the 40 men in the match, CM Punk was the last of the New Nexus to be eliminated. He was the 21 man eliminated. Basically, one of the strongest factions in recent memory, which has been built to be unstoppable, was built up in 30 minutes and torn apart in 30 seconds. One of the big favorites to win the match was not only placed at No. 1 but was also out halfway through the match. Real smart.

Santino Is Still In?

As the final few men were facing off, I saw the face of a referee that I thought was Santino Marella. It then occurred to me that the Italian was still in the match, hiding at ringside. Here I was yelling in public about the idea of Orton vs Cena for the 1,483rd time when I had forgotten about this comic relief character.

Then Santino emerged as one of the final two men in the match. The largest Royal Rumble in history comes down to a rookie in the event and arguably the worst man ever in the match's history. Before you ask, yes; I believe that even Drew Carey could have taken down Santino Marella.

Alberto Del Rio Wins

He said he was going to do it and he did. In a world of wrestling where chances for people to make a name for themselves is being taken over by those already at the top, it was nice to see fresh blood win this time around. You can't give a two-time world champion the King of the Ring title and say it turns people into stars. At least the Royal Rumble stuck to the script. It was good to see Alberto Del Rio get the respect he deserves and now, he gets the shot that many will believe he deserves.