Lesnar, Cena and Rollins tear the house down in stunning title match
Monday 26 January 2015 07:53, UK
The 30-man melee’s iron man was Wyatt, who survived an outstanding 47 minutes and 10 seconds in his first Rumble in his current guise. It wasn’t only The Eater of Worlds’ longevity that stood out, however, as he also recorded the joint-most eliminations with six. There were many times in Sunday’s showpiece bout where Wyatt was on his tod in the ring having polished off opponents such as Sin Cara, Zack Ryder and The Boogeyman with ease. The Man of 1,000 Truths also ruthlessly dispatched his former Wyatt Family brethren Luke Harper, angered the fans in Philadelphia by removing Bubba Ray Dudley and then claimed the prize scalp of Daniel Bryan. It’s clear that the cryptic but captivating Superstar is now set for another big WrestleMania encounter.
After winning the Royal Rumble Match and securing a main-event bout at WrestleMania 31, Reigns cannot really be omitted from this list. The former Shield powerhouse entered the Rumble at No 19 and proceeded to last over 27 minutes and eliminate six of his rivals: Titus O’Neil in conjunction with Dean Ambrose, as well as Stardust, Goldust, Kane, Big Show and Rusev by himself. Reigns’ run wasn’t perhaps as eye-catching as last year when he expunged a record 12 Superstars but this time around he earned a WWE World Heavyweight Title Shot at the Show of Shows, against Brock Lesnar, not just recognition and pats on the back. Sure, he was helped late on by The Rock but that just proves it pays to have friends – or, in this case, family – in high places.
Rusev probably deserves a mention for his near-36-minute stint in the Rumble, not to mention his six victims, so there it is, but one of the most memorable sights was the return after a 10-year absence of Bubba Ray. The crowd lit up when the hardcore veteran emerged through the curtain, tinkered with his glasses and set about grappling with the first two entrants, The Miz and R-Truth. Dudley bellowed out his signature saying – “Get the Tables” – and bounded around the ring like a man possessed, even enlisting Truth as a pseudo D-Von to perform a Dudley Death Drop. Bubba expelled both Miz and Truth before Wyatt spoiled his party, but he showed in his five-minute cameo that he still has plenty left in the tank. Let’s hope that’s not the last we see of him.
Lesnar will get the props for dealing with a broken rib to retain his WWE World Heavyweight Championship but his opponents, John Cena and Seth Rollins, played their part in what, even in January, has Match of the Year written all over it. Sunday’s Triple Threat slobberknocker ebbed and flowed from one way to the next with Lesnar’s brutality, Cena’s strength and Rollins’ athleticism combining to stunning effect. Rollins’ elbow drop on Lesnar through the announce desk was picture perfect, while The Anomaly’s German suplex frenzy was simply stunning. There have been some excellent world title matches at Royal Rumbles in yesteryear – Edge v Rey Mysterio in 2008 and Edge v Dolph Ziggler in 2011 spring to mind – but can you name a better one than Lesnar-Cena-Rollins?
The People’s Champion did far less work than many on Royal Rumble night but still left a notable imprint on proceedings. The Rock had the world of social media abuzz when he Tweeted that he was in Philadelphia on Saturday night, leading to fans wondering when, if and how he would impact the Rumble. Would he clash with Lesnar? Would he enter the Rumble itself? Would he merely wow on the microphone. As it turned out, he united with his cousin Reigns, rolling out his patented moves on Big Show and Kane and giving the wannabe world champion a rub on his route to WrestleMania. Still it wasn’t all bad for Kane, who has now eliminated the most Superstars in Royal Rumble history (43) after seeing off Wyatt, O’Neil, Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler.
Missed WWE Royal Rumble? Catch a repeat all week long on Sky Sports Box Office.
WWE Royal Rumble will be repeated on Sky Sports Box Office (channel 743) BUT NOT Sky Sports HD Box Office (channel 752) until 9pm on Saturday, January 31.
Repeat showings will last for three hours, with the final showing BEGINNING at 9pm on Saturday, January 31.
The event is priced at £19.95 for UK customers, €24.95 for customers in the Republic of Ireland.
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