The King of Kings made an emphatic return after being put on the sidelines for several weeks at the hands of a beatdown from Reigns, getting ample revenge on the Authority's arch rival when he showed up as the 30th and final entrant in the match.
Triple H would eliminate Ambrose to claim his 14th World Championship having dispatched of Reigns moments before on a night which also saw the return of AJ Styles among more with the path to WrestleMania 32 nicely setting up.
Picking up from where they left off in last year's match, Roman Reigns shared the ring with Rusev but with his championship on the line the ex-Shield member was determined to make quick work of the Bulgarian Brute. After crashing thorugh to the outside through the middle rope, Reigns took advantage of Rusev's distraction to land a spear and eventually throw the European to the outside.
What happened next was a moment many wrestling fans had yearned for, AJ Styles made an appearance in a WWE ring to bring all rumours into fruition. A shocked Reigns watched on and prepared to do battle as Roman really felt that the deck was stacked against him.
Tyler Breeze would enter at number 4, doing well to thwart the other two combatants early before AJ Styles disposed of his chances quicker than the time to take a selfie. Then, the Social Outcasts' very own Curtis Axel would this time get in to the Rumble match compared to last year when he was attacked on the ramp. Unfortunately for him, Reigns and Styles were in no playful mood and made sure him and his partners had no further impact in the match.
Veterans in Jericho, Kane and Goldust would maek up the sixth, sventh and eighth entrances with the ring vastly filling up, before Ryback's power brought another layer into the game. Titus O'Neil then dispatched of Goldust by buzz-sawing through the face-painted one hot on his arrival to the match.
There was now a comedic additive to the action with The New Day's Kofi Kingston and then another R-Truth mishap, bringing a ladder into the ring to take the title. Kofi's annual stunt would this time involve his New Day partners, landing on the shoulders of Big E when Kane tried to eliminate him and celebrating after doing so.
But attention would turn to the outside of the ring when the League of Nations would drag him out the ring and beat him to a pulp as Vince McMahon was there to bark orders. Reigns would need medical attention as Rusev crashed him through the announcer's desk; and that looked like the end of the road for the champion - even though he wasn't techically eliminated.
Big Show then cleaned up some of the remaining participants by throwing out O'Neil and Ryback in quick succession, before Neville made his Rumble debut and flew around the ring to amaze all the fans in attendance. Speaking of Rumble debuts, the Wyatt Family's "Black Sheep" Braun Strowman made a pretty good first impression when he got rid of the other two big men in the match, easily getting rid of Kane, then choking Big Show unconscious before tossing his lifeless carcus over the top rope.
Kevin Owens then somehow dragged himself to the squared circle and battled with his well known nemesis from the independent circuit AJ Styles, before welcoming him to the WWE with a Royal Rumble elimination. But the wrestling standard would only increase when Sami Zayn returned to take on the man who injured him, Kevin Owens, eventually topping him with an elimination.
But the mood around the Amway Center would quickly turn to concern when Erick Rowan joined Harper and Strowman in helping The Wyatt Family decimate opposition, first putting away Neville with a thunderous clothesline of the apron then getting rid of Stardust.
Looking to challenge the sheer mass of humanity came a man who perhaps came closest to dwarfing said memebrs of The Wyatt Family. Mark Henry, who was successful in the kickoff show to earn a spot in the match, ran straight into the dominant Wyatt family and was soon easily eliminated, before Sami Zayn suffered similar fate and was dumped out.
But the only way to stop the Wyatt's destruction would be to unleash a Beast. Enter Brock Lesnar. Orlando turned into Suplex City as Lesnar took the fight to the three big men as he dispatched Rowan and ended Swagger's dreams early within 10 seconds. The Miz clearly didn't want anything to do with Lesnar, and instead of walking into the ring when he entered at number #25, he went to the commenary table and scouted the opposition. Lesnar would then eliminate Harpe rafter unleashing some brutal suplexes all over the ring before finally wiping out Strowman and hence the bulk of the Wyatt Family.
One Wyatt, however did remain. And that was Bray Wyatt, who entered the ring and stood toe to toe with Brock Lesnar. It wouldn't be the typical one on one however, as Wyatt turned to his already eliminated brothers to help him out in the battle, eventually teaming up to screw Brock Lesnar out of the title and set up something big for the future.
Dolph Ziggler entered at 28 while Sheamus' followed but the Irishman's entrance was cut short as Reigns attacked him from behind on course to re-entering the match. Del Rio and Miz soon crashed out, leaving just one final participant to enter.
That final participant was none other than Triple H. The Amway Center exploded as the King of Kings made his way to the ring and looked straight into the eyes of a livid Roman Reigns. The two would dispatch of others to make their mark with Reigns eliminating Wyatt while Ziggler came close to dispatching Triple H.
Chris Jericho's incredible showing would come to an end at the hands of Dean Ambrose leaving four men: Triple H, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Sheamus.
Ambrose took the fight to Sheamus and eventually left the Irishman on the edge of the apron for Reigns to finish with a superman punch, but out of nowhere Triple H would end Reigns' title hopes by eliminating him swiftly. It was down to Ambrose and the Game to finish things off. Ambrose appeared to be on the verge of victory when he had HHH reeling on the apron, but an experienced counter would mean that Triple H crowned himself the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
Ambrose outlasts Owens in brutal war
The Road to WrestleMania began in the most brutal fashion possible as Dean Ambrose kept his Intercontinental Championship reign in tact after waging an enthralling war with Kevin Owens, eventually walking out the Last Man Standing after near a half-hour of chaos in Florida.
Image: WWE.com |
Tumbling through two tables from the top turnbuckle would be the end of the road for The Prizefighter, who was countered just as he set up to potentially cripple the champion by laying him out on a sequence of steel chairs.
Things are getting PHYSICAL in this #LastManStanding Match LIVE on @WWENetwork! #RoyalRumble pic.twitter.com/kkYzajjZZR— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) January 25, 2016
Tables and chairs weren't the only instruments brought into battle - Michael Cole himself wasn't immune; crashing off his chair after Owens stumbled out of control following a Suicide Dive through the middle rope from his opponent.
Those were just a handful of reasons why the crowd were in full voice chanting expletives, "holy s***" with repetitive passion. A cannonball through the barricade, Dirty Deeds on to an unforgiving steel chair, and constant battering of one another made the referee's counts all the more intriguing. Eventually, Owens would succumb, and was unable to answer the ten-count keeping Ambrose in possession of his gold.THROUGH THE TABLE!!! #RoyalRumble #LastManStanding @FightOwensFight @TheDeanAmbrose pic.twitter.com/plOn6odyeR— WWE (@WWE) January 25, 2016
Images: WWE.com |
A New Day continues
The New Day would make sure that there certainly wasn't a new tag team champion after the Intercontinental chaos, as Big E and Kofi Kingston's antics outwitted the Uso Twins to give the trio more opportunities to blow their own trumpet, literally.
After what's become the usual now with the unicorn-sporting and eccentrically-geared dancing their way down to the ring, they found themselves in some early trouble at the hands of the Samoan duo.
The referee's distracted? Hit a #TornadoDDT off the barricade! #RoyalRumble #TagTeamTitles @XavierWoodsPhD pic.twitter.com/e1PuShUQ98— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) January 25, 2016
It remained a puzzling concoction for the challengers to solve; Xavier Woods acted as a very adequate third part to keep them grounded but it looked like those tactics were set to wear off when a Samoan Splash landed clean only for great ring awareness to keep Kofi Kingston in the equation.
On the next time of asking, a subtle tag in for Big E would open the advantage. He would catch one of the Usos mid flight and an emphatic Big Ending kept things alive for another day, along with more trumpet playing in order.
Hahaha, #AndStill your @WWE Tag Champs! THE NEW... DAY! One more match for your boys later tonight! #RoyalRumble pic.twitter.com/4v7viCElg8— The New Day (@TheNewDayWWE) January 25, 2016
Kalisto regains star spangled prize
In the title rubber match between the two, Kalisto came out on top to reclaim the United States Championship, outlasting Alberto Del Rio sans his League of Nations brothers.
Far from plain sailing, however, Kalisto was subject to plenty of early punishment from The Mexican Aristocrat, the recipient of some hard strikes, a backbreaker and uncontrollably sliding and crashing on to the apron from the canvas.
But when momentum went Kalisto's way, he took it with both hands and really went all in to capture the gold. A perfectly timed Salida del Sol to follow up Del Rio landing face first on to the exposed metal turnbuckle would prove the effective ingredient to put the champion away and give Kalisto a perhaps longer reign as United States Champion.
Charlotte plays dirty, but unexpected Bank Statement seizes opportunity
Former friends would go at it once again as Charlotte put her Divas' Championship on the line against Becky Lynch, with the daughter of the legendary Ric Flair living up to her father's reputation with some underhand tactics throughout the bout.
But well experienced to the kind of opposition that Charlotte would use to stack the deck against her Irish opponent, Lynch was on hand to make both Flairs pay for their actions, with Charlotte accidentally landing a Baseball Slide on her father, but Ric would gain revenge.
Just as the Disarmour was locked in, Ric Flair scurried up to the apron and threw his jacket on to Becky's face, proving enough of a distraction for Charlotte to land the spear and subsequently win the belt. But her jobs were not done there.
Followed by an incredible reception from the WWE Universe in attendance, Sasha Banks came out to the ring and confronted the champion, before tricking her into showing allegiance by attacking Lynch, waiting for the moment to lock a submission on Charlotte and set her sights on the title.
Ahhhh, that NEW championship feeling... #RoyalRumble #USTitle @KalistoWWE pic.twitter.com/zw0Vs7xp65— WWE (@WWE) January 25, 2016
Charlotte plays dirty, but unexpected Bank Statement seizes opportunity
Former friends would go at it once again as Charlotte put her Divas' Championship on the line against Becky Lynch, with the daughter of the legendary Ric Flair living up to her father's reputation with some underhand tactics throughout the bout.
But well experienced to the kind of opposition that Charlotte would use to stack the deck against her Irish opponent, Lynch was on hand to make both Flairs pay for their actions, with Charlotte accidentally landing a Baseball Slide on her father, but Ric would gain revenge.
Just as the Disarmour was locked in, Ric Flair scurried up to the apron and threw his jacket on to Becky's face, proving enough of a distraction for Charlotte to land the spear and subsequently win the belt. But her jobs were not done there.
Followed by an incredible reception from the WWE Universe in attendance, Sasha Banks came out to the ring and confronted the champion, before tricking her into showing allegiance by attacking Lynch, waiting for the moment to lock a submission on Charlotte and set her sights on the title.
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