Because they did not care at all.

https://www.smarkdownsblog.com/worst-royal-rumble-match-wwe-history-1999

AAA On FOX
Date: January 31, 2026
Location: Gimnasio Olimpico Juan de la Barrera, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: John Bradshaw Layfield, Corey Graves, Rey Mysterio

It’s the third episode of this show and as announced last week, we’ll be seeing the first qualifying match for the Rey de Reyes tournament. That’s a big enough match in the first place, but it’s taken down a bit for a fairly dumb reason that we’ll get to after the match is over. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Opening recap, looking at Omos helping El Hijo del Vikingo be El Grande Americano last week.

Here is Dorian Roldan with Omos to get things going. Roldan (as translated by Rey Mysterio) talks about his family’s influence on wrestling and how they are leading things forward. El Ojo (the Eye, their group) has the greatest wrestler in the world right now so here is El Hijo del Vikingo.

Cue Vikingo, who brags about being the #1 contender and doesn’t understand why the people are supporting a false Mexican. The fans turned their backs on him so he’s turning his back on them. At Rey de Reyes, he’s getting the title back. Dominik Mysterio pops up on screen to say he’s keeping the title in Vikingo’s hometown. These guys could be a problem.

Video on the Rey de Reyes tournament.

We run down the card.

Chris Carter vs. Mini Vikingo vs. Elio LeFleur vs. TJP

For a Cruiserweight Title shot. Carter starts fast and knocks TJP down in the corner, followed by a hurricanrana to send LeFleur outside. Vikingo and Carter hit stereo running dives before trying dropkicks back inside. They shake hands but get jumped by TJP (JBL loves the punishment for stupidity), who charges into Carter’s boot in the corner.

TJP grabs a double submission on Carter and Vikingo before putting Vikingo in a surfboard. LeFleur breaks that up and the other three are sent outside, which of course means a springboard flip dive. Back in and TJP hits the Detonation Kick to Carter but gets dropped by LeFleur. Vikingo is back in to splash Carter but TJP steals the pin at 6:14.

Rating: B-. This was in the vein of “let’s take a bunch of people and let them fly all over the place for a few minutes”. TJP winning is as good as anyone else as he didn’t exactly stand out above the rest of the participants. The match had everything you could want out of the thing and it didn’t overstay its welcome so this was a nice opener.

Post match here is El Ojo to chase off TJP, with Omos destroying Mini Vikingo. El Hijo del Vikingo yells at Mini and it’s a second powerbomb to leave him laying.

We recap La Hiedra vs. Lola Vice, with Mr. Iguana in the middle. As luck would have it, he’s the guest referee for their match tonight.

The War Raiders are here in two weeks.

La Hiedra vs. Lola Vice

Mr. Iguana is guest referee and Las Toxicas are here with Hiedra. They shove each other to start and Vice runs her over for some dancing (Iguana approves). An exchange of rollups results in both women getting a bit closer to Iguana but Hiedra takes Vice down for some right hands.

Back up and Vice kicks her into the corner for…well even more kicking actually. The running hip attack misses though and it’s Hiedra hitting one of her own. Iguana doesn’t like Las Toxicas getting on the apron and throws them out, leaving Vice to reverse a rollup into a choke. Stereo faceplants leave both of them down and it’s Vice up first to knock her into the corner again.

Now the running hip attack connects, with Vice blowing Iguana a kiss before getting two. Hiedra sends her throat first into the ropes and gets two off a Downward Spiral. With nothing else working, Hiedra grabs the stuffed iguana, which is NOT ok with Mr. Iguana. Instead she grabs the trunks on a rollup but gets caught, allowing Vice to grab a rollup with trunks for the pin at 7:59.

Rating: C+. I don’t speak much Spanish, but this is a story you can understand just by watching what’s happening in front of you. That’s usually a sign that things are going well, as you should be able to tell a story with something other than words. It’s a simple story but it’s going well and Vice/Iguana should make a fun team.

Ethan Page and Chelsea Green want to face Lola Vice and Mr. Iguana, who are dancing in the ring, for the Mixed Tag Team Titles.

Santos Escobar flashes back over his career and now he wants the Latin American Title.

Rey de Reyes Qualifying Match: Aerostar vs. Apollo Crews vs. La Parka vs. Jack Cartwheel

Crews throws Cartwheel at Aerostar to start and it’s Parks slugging it out with Crews, including some dancing. Aerostar is back in but gets kicked in the face, only to send Crews outside. Crews gets dropped onto the apron, leaving Aerostar and Cartwheel to flip around a lot. Cartwheel clears the ring but Crews sends him outside and hits a big running flip dive onto all three.

Back in and Crews’ delayed vertical suplex drops Parka, who is back up with a Michinoku Driver. Cartwheel makes the save so Parka takes Crews and Cartwheel down. Parka frog splashes Cartwheel but Aerostar makes the save. Aerostar gets to knock everyone down until Cartwheel poisonranas Crews.

Cartwheel neckbreakers Parka and Aerostar and there’s the big flip dive onto the pile. Back in and a corkscrew shooting star press hits Parka but Crews powerbombs Cartwheel onto Parka. Aerostar is back in with a rolling cutter to Crews, only for Parka to catch Aerostar on top with a super Spanish Fly. The Thriller gives Parka the pin on Aerostar at 8:16.

Rating: B. This was the slightly extended version of the opener and it was more entertaining, with a bunch of people flying around. Some of the saves were rather good and Parka winning is a fine choice. Granted it’s also a spoiled choice as he was in the Royal Rumble this afternoon and Michael Cole spoiled the result. Nice job WWE.

Overall Rating: B-. As usual, this is an easy watch as it runs about an hour a week and features some pretty easy to understand angles. That being said, it’s still a pretty run of the mill show, with little in the way of in-depth stuff. This show feels more about fast paced, entertaining action and that’s a fine way to go. It’s also a nice place to send some other wrestlers for some reps, with people like Crews and the upcoming Raiders being good examples. Nice show here, though going beyond an hour a week would be asking a lot.

Results
TJP b. Chris Carter, Mini Vikingo and Elio LeFleur – Splash to Carter
Lola Vice b. La Hiedra – Rollup with trunks
La Parka b. Aerostar, Jack Cartwheel and Apollo Crews – Thriller to Aerostar

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Collision
Date: January 31, 2026
Location: eSports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

I believe this is the last show of the Arlington residency and hopefully that means we’re going out with a good one. Last week’s Collision was quite good and it would be great to see them match that here. Mark Briscoe is defending the TNT Title against Tommaso Ciampa, which should be interesting. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Darby Allin vs. Clark Connors

Connors jumps him from behind to start fast and it’s a powerslam for an early two. Allin strikes back and grabs a Code Red for two but gets knocked outside in a crash. The big whip sends Allin into the barricade and a running knee knocks him off the apron. Clark drops him onto the barricade and apron as we take a break.

We come back with Clark dropping an elbow for two and hitting a spear through the ropes to send him into the apron again. The steps are loaded up but Allin rakes the eyes and hits a running dropkick off of said steps. The suicide dive connects for Allin but Clark sunset bombs him into a spear for two of his own. A crossarm choke has Allin down again and something like a powerbomb gets two more. Allin is able to flip him forward into the Scorpion Death Drop, setting up the Scorpion Deathlock for the win at 11:51.

Rating: C+. This is where Allin loses me, as his matches are turning into “he gets beaten up a lot and should be broken in half but wins anyway”. I like him doing the Sting finishers as they fit him well and it’s one less big bump to not have the Coffin Drop, but I’ve kind of seen enough of him getting destroyed. That’s been done for years now and the charm is pretty lost.

Post match Allin talks about beating the Death Riders and now he wants to be atop AEW. Cue Gabe Kidd to jump him from behind and the big beating ensues. Allin is dropped onto the steps and the steps are then dropped onto him. Kidd says this isn’t Death Riders business and he’ll follow Allin to the ends of the earth to destroy him.

Video on the Babes Of Wrath vs. the Sisters Of Sin.

Jet Speed is ready to fight the Don Callis Family. They are officially dubbed Jet Set Rodeo, because Jet Speed And Hangman Page isn’t good enough.

Cru vs. Rascalz

That would be Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz for the Rascalz with Xavier and Rush fighting over a headlock to start. That goes nowhere as Xavier takes him down without much trouble, with Rush staggering into the wrong corner. Wentz comes in and hits a Bronco Buster so Andretti comes in for a double springboard armdrag. The spinning crossbody gets Wentz out of trouble and the big running dive takes Cru down as we take a break.

We come back with Xavier getting forearmed and kicked down for two as we get a countdown to the TNT Title match. Wentz kicks his way out and it’s off to Wentz for a German suplex to Andretti. Everything breaks down and Cru kicks them outside for the stereo suicide dives. Wentz is back in to clean house, followed by some running elbows to keep Cru in the corners. Hot Fire Flame (Wentz does a standing moonsault and Xavier shoves him through the air onto Andretti) for the pin at 11:46.

Rating: B-. It was nice to see the Rascalz win a match rather than losing their first several outings. That being said, maybe it’s not a great idea to have them out there against a team who wrestles a similar style. Cru being similar doesn’t make the Rascalz stand out but rather make the teams seem interchangeable. Maybe come up with something better?

Jamie Hayter and Alex Windsor think they can be a great team together.

Jon Moxley wants the best competition and he wants to beat Konosuke Takeshita to get his win back after Takeshita beat him in the Continental Classic. He doesn’t seem to like the Don Callis Family either.

Orange Cassidy/Toni Storm vs. Gino Medina/Lady Bird Monroe

The men start things off with Cassidy rolling backwards and putting his hands into his pockets. Monroe comes in and Cassidy does the lazy kicks until Storm comes in for the running dropkick. Storm beats Medina up too and the Orange Punch finishes him off at 1:47. Yeah that worked.

Post match Wheeler Yuta and Marina Shafir run in and beat down Cassidy and Storm. Yuta grabs the mic and interviews Cassidy, who Shafir has in a full nelson. Cassidy mocks Yuta’s hair and gets beaten down again. Yuta goes for some scissors to cut Cassidy’s hair but Storm makes the save. Storm wants hair vs. hair in two weeks.

Eddie Kingston/Ortiz and the Grizzled Young Veterans have another face to face meeting in the back and Kingston wants a parking lot fight. Big Bill and Bryan Keith run in to beat down Kingston and Ortiz, with the Veterans paying them off. The match is on, because Kingston beating them three times isn’t enough.

Video on Mark Briscoe vs. Tommaso Ciampa.

TNT Title: Tommaso Ciampa vs. Mark Briscoe

Briscoe is defending and we do get an intense handshake to start. Briscoe backs him into the corner to start and Ciampa does the same (with the roles reversed that is) so they can go to a test of strength. That doesn’t go anywhere so they trade shoulders and forearms. Briscoe knocks him outside for the running flip dive before they head to the apron for a chop off. An Air Raid Crash knocks Briscoe hard onto the apron and Ciampa applauds himself as we take a break.

We come back with Briscoe knocking him to the floor for the running Blockbuster off the apron. Back in and the Willow’s Bell (hanging elbow) gives Ciampa two but Briscoe knocks him right back down. The Froggy Bow gets two so Briscoe goes up again, with Ciampa hitting a super Air Raid Crash for two of his own.

Ciampa knees him out to the floor, where Briscoe loads up the table. Ciampa’s posing on the table takes too long and Briscoe gets up top for a Froggy Bow to a standing Ciampa through the table. Back in and Briscoe gets the better of the strike off, setting up another Froggy Bow. The Jay Driller is countered into a German suplex though and Ciampa hits the running knee for the pin and the title at 18:41.

Rating: B+. Well dang they actually did it. This was one of the better matches Collision has had in awhile and it made Ciampa feel like an instant star, which is the right idea. I was worried that he would lose and get lost in the midcard shuffle right off the bat. These guys beat the heck out of each other and it worked rather well. Heck of a match here and a great start for Ciampa.

Post match respect is shown again and Kyle Fletcher comes out to slowly applaud.

The Don Callis Family beats up more people while Josh Alexander talks about the team wanting various titles.

International Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. Adam Priest

Okada is defending and Rocky Romero is on commentary. A neckbreaker and slam put Priest down and he misses a charge in the corner. Okada follows him in but seems to hurt his knee, which is only a ruse so Romero can get in a cheap shot. We take a break and come back with Okada missing a charge and Priest striking away in the corner.

A neckbreaker gives Priest two and a German suplex out of the corner drops Okada again. Priest’s top rope legdrop gets two more and he grabs the Figure Four. Okada makes the rope and hits the dropkick and, after Priest grabs a rollup, hits the Rainmaker to retain at 10:16.

Rating: C+. Here’s the thing: it’s not a bad match, but I absolutely could not bring myself to believe that Priest was giving Okada this much trouble. Okada is one of the most successful stars in AEW history and he has trouble beating Adam Priest? I’m fine with Priest getting a better spot, but this was way too much of a leap. Cut the time down and let Priest get in some offense here and there, or give him a better opponent and it’s that much better.

The Rascalz think they should help Eddie Kingston in the parking lot. Kingston comes in and apparently it’s now an eight man parking lot fight. Sure.

We look at the World Title situation.

Tommaso Ciampa is happy to be here and respects Mark Briscoe. Now he’s ready to do something special as TNT Champion.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Sisters Of Sin vs. Babes Of Wrath

The Babes are defending. Hart and Cameron start things off with Hart knocking her to the floor early on. That means it’s off to Blue, who is knocked down for a double splash. Hart comes back in and gets rolled up for two before it’s back to Cameron for the rapid fire kicks. We take a break and come back with Cameron rolling Blue up for two. Nightingale comes in to clean house, including a big Pounce to Blue.

Hart is back in for an attempted Old School hurricanrana, with Nightingale falling down while trying to catch her (fair enough). The Babe With The Powerbomb is countered into an X Factor and the double superkick gets two, with Cameron making a save. More superkicks have the champions in trouble but Cameron is back with a DDT for two on Blue. Eat Defeat sends Blue into something like the Paige Turner to retain the titles at 11:23.

Rating: B-. It was a fine way to give the champions a title defense and that’s about all it needed to be. What mattered here was getting the Babes in the ring as the fans certainly seem to love them. That worked well enough and the Sisters can now get out of the way for Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford. Perfectly acceptable main event.

Post match the brawl stays on, with Thekla and Kris Statlander coming in. Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford run in and the champs are left laying.

Overall Rating: B-. Yeah it was ok, with the Ciampa vs. Briscoe match absolutely stealing the show. As usual, Collision only feels so important, with most of its appeal being setting up things for later. The closing segment is interesting, but Allin vs. Kidd doesn’t exactly do much for me, as it feels like just more of Allin vs. the Death Riders. Check out Briscoe vs. Ciampa, but the rest was the usual just ok Collision fare.

Results
Darby Allin b. Clark Connors – Scorpion Deathlock
Rascalz b. Cru – Hot Fire Flame to Andretti
Orange Cassidy/Toni Storm/Gino Medina/Lady Bird Monroe – Orange Punch to Medina
Tommaso Ciampa b. Mark Briscoe – Running knee
Kazuchika Okada b. Adam Priest – Rainmaker
Babes Of Wrath b. Sisters Of Sin – Paige Turner to Blue

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Royal Rumble 2026
Date: January 31, 2026
Location: Riyadh Season Stadium At KAFD, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Commentators: Wade Barrett,

We’re overseas for the show and that means it’s time for the Road To Wrestlemania to begin. I’m not sure what that is going to mean this year as the Rumbles are not feeling quite as important as years past. In addition though, Sami Zayn is challenging for the World Title and AJ Styles is facing Gunther in what might be Styles’ retirement match. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is narrated by HHH and talks about how people can move up the ladder in one night. This is a decision and it means going to Wrestlemania.

IMG Credit: WWE

Women’s Royal Rumble

90 second intervals, Charlotte is in at #1 and, surprise, Alexa Bliss is in at #2. They start tentatively until Bliss teases Sister Abigail. With that out of the way, the two of them pose together until Kiana James is in at #3. James gets double teamed down, including a spike DDT, and it’s Nia Jax in at #4. Jax wrecks both of them and James adds a double splash for some yelling. Ivy Nile is in at #5 and gets to suplex some people but can’t pick Jax up.

Lola Vice is in at #6 and kicks away, followed by the running hip attack in the corner. Jax cuts that off and does her own hip shake but everyone goes after Jax on the ropes. Candice LeRae is in at #7 and tornado DDTs Charlotte before helping Jax. The pile breaks up and it’s Jordynne Grace in at #8. Grace tosses Vice, Nile and LeRae in a hurry but gets taken into the corner by Jax. The Stinkface is on before Jax goes after Charlotte and Bliss. The two of them put Jax on the apron and Charlotte boots Jax out but Bliss is pulled out too. Bliss is distraught and Becky Lynch is in at #9.

Charlotte and Lynch slug it out and Charlotte’s missed big boot almost gets her eliminated. They fight to the floor (not eliminated) but get back inside as Sol Ruca is in at #10. That gives us Charlotte, James, Grace, Lynch and Ruca. A springboard double clothesline drops Charlotte and Lynch, with the latter getting up for a standoff. Roxanne Perez is in at #11 and gets to clean some house before slapping it out with Lynch. Maxxine Dupri is in at #12 and gets to kick away, even taking the straps down. A step up Fameasser hits James but Dupri stops to glare at the entrance…..and then Natalya is in at #13.

Natalya and Dupri strike it out until Lynch tosses Dupri, only to get eliminated by Natalya in something of an upset. Liv Morgan is in at #14 and hits a quick Oblivion. Things slow down a bit and it’s Lash Legend in at #15 for her own house cleaning. At least she gets in a point to the sign and actually tosses Grace. Zelina Vega is in at #16 and picks up the pace a bit, only to get dropped by Legend.

Raquel Rodriguez is in at #17, meaning all three women in the Judgment Day are now active. James is sent to the apron, with Perez and Morgan offering a distraction. Rodriguez adds a big boot for the elimination but the trio saves Charlotte for some reason. Chelsea Green is in at #18 and tries to team up with the Judgment Day. Alba Fyre (not an entrant) runs in for the save and is quickly clotheslined out. That leaves Green to get dropped on the top rope and Giulia is in at #19.

Green is sent over the top but lands on Fyre’s back, allowing Fyre to crawl her to safety. Iyo Sky is in at #20, giving us Charlotte, Ruca, Perez, Natalya, Morgan, Legend, Vega, Rodriguez, Green, Giulia and Sky. Asuka is in at #21 and takes her sweet time getting inside before teaming with Giulia to go after Sky. That doesn’t work as Asuka kicks Giulia by mistake and it’s Rhea Ripley in at #22.

Giulia gets rid of Vega and Ripley knocks out Green (and Fyre, again) before blocking Pop Rox. Perez is tossed with a Razor’s Edge and Bayley is in at #23. She trips Ruca up on the apron but Ruca does a handstand and then pulls herself up by the feet in a nice save. Bayley and Charlotte chop it out until NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne is in at #24. Jayne gets in more wrecking than most and Morgan eliminates Natalya. Nikki Bella is in at #25 to quite the reaction, with Cole explaining that she’s a part of pop culture.

Lyra Valkyria is in at #26 and kicks Morgan in the head before helping Bayley get rid of Giulia. Kelani Jordan (NXT) is in at #27 and hits a quick phoenix splash. Kairi Sane is in at #28 as the ring is WAY too full. Asuka has to grab Sane’s arms to save herself (with some painful looking contorting) but Sky knocks Sane into Asuka for the elimination. Sky knocks Sane out as well and it’s Brie Bella in at #29.

The kicks are fired off and Daniel Bryan is once again the most popular star in WWE. Tiffany Stratton is in at #30, giving us Charlotte, Ruca, Morgan, Legend, Nikki, Brie, Jayne, Jordan, Legend, Sky, Ripley, Stratton, Bayley, Rodriguez and Valkyria (I think). The Bellas send Rodriguez into the corner and we get a staredown with Bayley and Valkyria. Double hurricanranas get rid of Valkyria and Bayley to get us down to twelve. Jayne kicks Jordan out but gets caught with the Sol Snatcher so Ruca can dump her out as well.

Legend dumps both Bellas at once, with the fans NOT being pleased. Charlotte and Legend chop it out on the apron and Legend boots her out for quite the upset. We’re down to Sky, Ripley, Rodriguez, Morgan, Legend, Stratton and Ruca. Legend and Sky both go over but wind up on the apron, where Sky grabs a leglock of all things. One heck of a boot to the face gets rid of Sky and we’re down to six.

Ripley stares Legend down and they get in a slugout, with Legend actually kicking her to the mat. Rodriguez gets up for the staredown with Legend and knocks her into the ropes, where Ripley gets the big elimination (with Legend getting a huge pop). Rodriguez hits a SCARY Tejana Bomb to send Ripley onto the apron (cringe) for the elimination and Morgan dumps Rodriguez in quite the mean move.

We’re down to Stratton, Ruca and Morgan with Stratton hitting Morgan with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever. Morgan pops up to try Oblivion but Ruca gives them both a Sol Snatcher. They all crash over the top but manage a triple skinning the cat (cool) and land on the apron. The Sol Snatcher doesn’t work for Ruca and she’s out, followed by an Oblivion to give Morgan the win at 1:06:13.

Rating: B. This started really boring and then picked WAY up around Jordynne Grace’s entry. It got a lot better with a lot of hard work (albeit with some laying around, as is always the case) and I like Morgan getting the win. At some point you have to go there as she’s finished in second place time after time. Legend got the Diesel style run of smashing through a lot of people and that’s a very bright sign for her future. I was into this way more than I expected to be by the end so it was a nice job all around.

Post match the referee has to remind Morgan to point at the sign….and dang that looks like a lot of empty seats. I’m hoping that’s just a trick of the light or something because otherwise, dang that’s terrible.

We recap AJ Styles vs. Gunther. The idea is Styles is planning to retire this year, but Gunther cheated him out of a recent win. Therefore, Styles is putting his career on the line here against the man who has finished off Goldberg and John Cena in the last year.

AJ Styles vs. Gunther

Styles grabs a headlock to start and that goes absolutely nowhere. Some shots to the leg don’t slow Gunther down as he grabs his own headlock to grind away. A big boot puts Styles on the floor and Gunther sends him hard into the announcers’ table. Styles’ looks to be cut open and more chops have him in more trouble.

The Pele Kick puts Gunther down though and Styles’ fireman’s carry backbreaker gets two. One heck of a clothesline cuts Styles off again for two and Gunther blocks a Calf Crusher. The powerbomb gets two but Styles is back with the Calf Crusher in the middle of the ring. This time it’s countered with the sleeper but Styles reverses into one of his own. Gunther gets out to the floor and that means the slingshot forearm to put him down again.

Back in and the springboard 450 sets up the Styles Clash for two and Styles is stunned. They get back up and Gunther kicks him low, setting up the powerbomb for two. Gunther chops the living daylights out of him in the corner and Styles even goes down, only to pull himself up. Styles strikes away but gets pulled into the sleeper. He fights up and gets close…until he’s out and Gunther wins at 24:04.

Rating: B. Well, it’s interesting to see Gunther actually make someone retire, as the previous two instances were both him pinning someone who had already announced they were done anyway. It’s another case of Gunther calling his shot and then doing it, which is a good way to go, though I’m not sure what is next for him. You can only retire so many people before it needs to get you somewhere, and I don’t know where that goes. At least Gunther feels like a big villain though, and Styles got to go out with a good enough match.

Post match Styles gets the big sendoff of respect. He teases taking the gloves off but puts them back on for the pose instead.

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown World Title: Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn

McIntyre is defending and catches an early kick to the ribs. That means Zayn is shoved down and slowly stomped but manages to send McIntyre outside. The dive connects but Zayn bangs up his back, meaning McIntyre has an opening. Back in and McIntyre slowly starts working on the back, including taking Zayn up top.

That lets Zayn hit a sunset bomb to take McIntyre down but he can’t hit the Blue Thunder Bomb. Said Blue Thunder Bomb connects for two a few seconds later and McIntyre misses the Claymore. The super Air Raid Crash gets two so McIntyre grabs three straight Futureshocks for two.

Back up and Zayn misses a desperation Helluva Kick and gets Claymored for two more. The Helluva Kick does connect for a rather near fall, mainly due to the back giving out. They head outside with McIntyre dropping him onto the announcers’ table to wear the back out even more. Back in and Zayn somehow pulls himself up for a Helluva Kick, only to walk into a Claymore. One more Claymore retains the title at 16:09.

Rating: C+. I really wasn’t feeling this one as even Zayn’s hope spots didn’t feel huge. They just kind of came and went without much going on. The Helluva Kick got a decent near fall, but then McIntyre just beat him clean. I’m not saying Zayn should have won the title here, but I was hoping for something closer to Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy from 2008 rather than…this. It’s not a terrible match, though it certainly wasn’t living up to the hype.

Earlier today, Paul Heyman yelled at Adam Pearce for Bron Breakker being #2 in the Royal Rumble.

IMG Credit: WWE

Men’s Royal Rumble

90 second intervals and Oba Femi is in at #1 and Bron Breakker is in at #2. Hold on though as a hooded man jumps Breakker and gives him a Stomp on the floor. Breakker is sent inside and clotheslined out in about three seconds as the hooded man leaves. Solo Sikoa is in at #3 and Femi jumps him to start fast. The running uppercut connects in the corner but Femi is sent shoulder first into the post.

Rey Mysterio is in at #4 and can’t give Sikoa an early 619. Instead Femi boots Sikoa down with Mysterio crashing as well and Rusev is in at #5. Some dropkicks stagger Femi but Mysterio cuts him off. Femi knocks Rusev out and shrugs off a 619 before knocking Mysterio out. Matt Cardona is in at #6 and is out just as fast. Damian Priest is in at #7 and hits a running shoulder, only for Femi to knock him down. A superkick puts Femi into the corner, where he pulls Priest out of the air. Some spinning kicks rock Femi and a clothesline puts him down as Je’Von Evans is in at #8.

Evans’ OG Cutter is blocked by Femi but he’s back to kick Priest down. Mr. Iguana is in at #9 and takes Evans down, including some shots from the stuffed iguana. An enziguri just annoys Femi and Priest chokeslams Iguana and the iguana. Trick Williams is in at #10, giving us Femi, Priest, Evans, Iguana and Williams, the latter of whom eliminated Iguana/iguana.

The four in the ring pair off and it’s Cody Rhodes in at #11. House is quickly cleaned, including the Cody Cutter, and El Grande Americano is in at #12. The loaded mask takes Evans down….and the ORIGINAL El Grande Americano is in at #13. They do the staredown with Original tossing out the replacement and Williams dumping the Original. Rhodes gets rid of Williams and POWERHOUSE HOBBS…..whose name graphic changes to ROYCE KEYS is in at #14.

Keys gets rid of Priest almost immediately tosses Priest out for quite the debut. Austin Theory is in at #15 and starts slugging away, with Bronson Reed in at #16 to give him some backup. Ilja Dragunov is in at #17 and goes after Rhodes without getting very far. La Parka of all people is in at #18 and Cole reveals the result of a match he’s in which hasn’t aired yet so thanks for the spoiler. Dragon Lee is in at #19 and adds another body to the rapidly filling ring.

With nothing else going on, Logan Paul is in at #20, giving us Femi, Evans, Rhodes, Keys, Theory, Reed, Dragunov, Parka, Lee and Paul. The Vision gets together to toss Keys, Lee and Parka until LA Knight is in at #21. The Vision jumps him but Knight manages to get rid of Theory, followed by a BFT and clothesline to eliminate Reed. Brock Lesnar, with Paul Heyman, is in at #22 and it’s Suplex City time. Femi is the only one left standing…and Miz is in at #23.

More suplexes abound and Dragunov is out, leaving us with Femi vs. Lesnar again. They stare at each other some more until Rey Fenix is in at #24. Lesnar suplexes Femi and tosses Fenix before telling Femi to bring it again. Femi goes after Paul and gets tossed by Lesnar (no shame there), leaving Paul to get suplexed. Jey Uso is in at #25…and Rhodes and Knight toss Lesnar out. Huh. Uso comes in, hits a superkick, runs it back, and gets cut off by Roman Reigns being in at #26.

That means Uso tries to run it back AGAIN, thankfully earning himself a punch to the face. Reigns fires off the Superman Punches and spears Miz, followed by the elimination. Rhodes and Reigns have their big staredown and Jacob Fatu is in at #27. Rhodes teases a dive but gets punched in the face and beaten up on the floor before both of them get inside. Fatu gets punched down and Reigns/Uso give Rhodes a 1D.

Penta is in at #28 and kicks at Fatu but gets powerslammed by Knight. Rhodes Disaster Kicks Knight out and it’s Randy Orton in at #29. The snap powerslam hits Uso and the fans sing Orton’s song. The double hanging DDT drops Penta and Uso, followed by an RKO to Paul and Penta. The clock ticks down and it’s Gunther in at #30 to annoy the crowd all over again, though he does at least limp to the ring. That gives us a final grouping of Evans, Rhodes, Paul, Uso, Reigns, Fatu, Penta, Orton and Gunther.

Evans kicks away at Orton and dives into the RKO for the elimination. Penta does his handstand in the corner and gets tossed out by Gunther. That earns Gunther an RKO and it’s time for Rhodes and Orton to double team him. The Cody Cutter accidentally hits Orton so Rhodes is set over the top….and Drew McIntyre runs in to Claymore him out. Fatu is tossed but Uso spears Reigns down.

The elimination is reversed though and Uso is out, leaving us with Reigns, Orton, Paul and Gunther. Reigns dumps Paul and Gunther dumps Orton to get us down to two. Reigns backdrops Gunther to the apron but he blocks the Superman Punch and comes back in for the sleeper. That’s broken up and it’s a spear to send Reigns to Wrestlemania at

Rating: B-. It was ok, but they didn’t exactly stick the landing. There was some good stuff in the beginning with Femi looking dominant and then some big names coming in, but once Lesnar got eliminated, it felt like the top stars were just tossed one after another without much going on. I liked some of the surprises (Knight, the other Americano, Keys) though and they teased some interesting stuff. The problem here really came down to no one being a favorite and Reigns getting the win almost in a “well, let’s just go with him” way. Not a terrible Rumble, but a decent sized letdown in the end.

Reigns celebrates for awhile to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This felt like the “play it safe” Rumble, with the World Title match not meaning much, Gunther doing his same old (but good) stuff and Reigns getting back towards the main event scene. I do rather like Morgan winning though, as she has more than earned her spot at or near the top of the division. This wasn’t the worst Rumble by far, but it didn’t have anything you really need to see either. Hopefully they have something better for Wrestlemania though, because this level isn’t quite good enough for the biggest show of the year.

Results
Liv Morgan won the Women’s Royal Rumble last eliminating Tiffany Stratton
Gunther b. AJ Styles – Sleeper
Drew McIntyre b. Sami Zayn – Claymore
Roman Reigns won the Men’s Royal Rumble last eliminating Gunther

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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It’s that time of year again and…I’m really not sure how. This has been one of the most under the radar builds to the Royal Rumble that I can ever remember, as there is just not much in the way of hype. Neither Rumble really feels like it has a heavy favorite, which is odd as there is a pretty stacked field on the men’s side. That doesn’t mean the show will be bad, but it means they’re fighting an uphill battle. Let’s get to it.

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown World Title: Drew McIntyre(c) vs. Sami Zayn

This is an interesting way to start as it could go either way. Normally this would feel like the token title defense for the champion at the Royal Rumble, where titles rarely (but occasionally) change hands. However, we’re over in Saudi Arabia this year and that means we could be in for a surprise with Zayn. Throw in his all time horrible record against McIntyre and this has all of the makings.

That being said, I’m just not sure I can picture them actually going with the title change here. It would fee like something of a rush, as Zayn hasn’t been built up for that kind of a major title win. I’ll go with Zayn winning the match but not the title, likely through some kind of a DQ etc. Either that or McIntyre pins him and gets quite the heel reaction. I can’t picture Zayn winning the title, but we’ll say he does win the match without becoming champion.

Gunther vs. AJ Styles

Here we have what might be the hardest match to call on the whole show. The idea here is simple: Styles is putting his career on the line and Gunther has a history of ending legends’ careers. Gunther already cheated to beat Styles in a recent match and now we get to see what happens when he has to do it again with some bigger stakes. This is a situation that could go either way and that’s interesting.

Unfortunately I think I’ll take the safe route and say that Styles rides off into the sunset here. While I would like to see Styles get his big retirement year, there is something to be said about Gunther cutting his legs off and wrapping things up early instead. That’s so different than what we saw with John Cena last year and it could be a lot of fun to see Gunther take someone’s career away from them rather than wrapping up their career after they had announced their retirement. I would love to see Styles win, and he might, but I’ll go with Gunther here.

IMG Credit: WWE

Women’s Royal Rumble

And here we reach the point of “I have no idea”. Both of the Rumbles are wide open this year and that makes for an interesting situation. We could be in for something out of nowhere or it could be one of the relatively safe picks. At the same time, there is always the chance of someone returning as a surprise entrant, as there are only 17 names confirmed as of the day before the show. That’s a lot of options and I’m not sure where to go.

That being said, the other day someone suggested a name and it’s sounding more and more like a possibility: the returning Bianca Belair. She’s been out of action since last year’s WrestleMania (over nine months ago) but the good thing is she’s a big enough star that she could be dropped right back into this spot. While that would be similar to what Charlotte did last year, I’m not sure what better option there really is right now.

IMG Credit: WWE

Men’s Royal Rumble

We’ll wrap it up here and once again, heck if I know who to pick with this one. There are 18 entrants confirmed for this one and while you can write off a lot of them, none of the remaining options really feels like a surefire winner. That makes for a bit of a confusing match, but at the same time it’s what makes the Rumble feel that much more important. So who wins?

While there are options like Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, Cody Rhodes and (the likely) returning Chris Jericho, I’ll go with what feels like a safe pick and say Bron Breakker. He got the big title shot against CM Punk earlier this year and came up just short, so there is something to be said about giving him the big win at WrestleMania to really crown him as the next big thing. That might be what we are seeing, but I have pretty much no confidence in this one.

Overall Thoughts

This is a show that really could go either way and that’s making me nervous. You really could go in a bunch of different directions and that opens up options, but it makes me wonder just how bad those choices could be. Since there is no runaway option for either Rumble, it could make for what feels like a dumb result. Hopefully they make it work, because the build to this show certainly hasn’t felt great.

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Smackdown
Date: January 30, 2026
Location: Riyadh Season Stadium At KAFD, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole

It’s the go home show for the Royal Rumble and that means we should have a hot crowd. Since we have less than one day to go before the show, odds are we’ll get some more names added to the Rumbles. That’s on top of Sami Zayn officially being next in line for Drew McIntyre and the World Title. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Saturday Night’s Main Event recap.

Here is Cody Rhodes to get things going, with the fans being rather happy to see him. It’s the night before the Royal Rumble and he doesn’t think Drew McIntyre has gotten the point of being champion yet. It would make all the sense in the world for Rhodes to win the World Title for the third time and challenge McIntyre. Maybe it won’t even be McIntyre though, as Sami Zayn might win it anyway (ROAR). Or maybe he’ll challenge CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Title. He’s going into the field as a two time winner and that puts him in a unique spot.

Cue fellow two time winner Randy Orton to interrupt and yes they are singing along with the music. Orton sucks up to the crowd a bit before saying he and Rhodes are brothers. The thing to remember though is there is nothing more dangerous than a Viper searching for #15. Orton will throw anyone over the top, but here is Jey Uso to interrupt. Uso is ready to run it back and go on to Wrestlemania to get the World Heavyweight Title back. This brings out Sami Zayn to quite the reaction, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

After greeting the fans in Arabic, Zayn says he’s ready to win the title tomorrow night. He has never lost a match in Saudi Arabia and that’s going to continue as he beats Drew McIntyre for the first time. Cue the Vision to interrupt, with Paul Heyman saying he sees talent but no vision whatsoever. It will not be any of their nights, but it will be his night.

Heyman tells the people to shut up but realizes that was Spanish before saying tomorrow is Bron Breakker’s night. Orton tells the Vision to stop listening to Heyman and get in this ring for a fight. Nick Aldis, eight man tag, main event (though he does at least acknowledge that everyone knows where this is going).

IMG Credit: WWE

US Title: Carmelo Hayes vs. Rey Fenix

Hayes is defending in another open challenge. They start fast with Fenix sending him outside for an early corkscrew dive and we take a break. We come back with Fenix getting two off la majistral, followed by a springboard elbow for two. Hayes is able to get up top for a middle rope DDT (ouch) but the First 48 is countered into a rollup for two more. The MMB is countered into a small package to give Hayes two of his own and they knock each other down for another break.

We come back with both of them on the top rope and both facing the ring, with Fenix hitting a springboard stomp to the back of the head. A springboard moonsault press gets two but Hayes’ La Mistica gets the same. The springboard DDT gives Hayes two more so Fenix grabs a rolling DDT for two of his own. Fenix rolls into the First 48 though and Nothing But Net retains the title at 14:04.

Rating: B. As usual, it was a hard fought back and forth match with Hayes getting another win under his shiny belt, but there was no build to it and the match came and went. In theory the Miz will be the more traditional challenger, though it would be nice to get there. For now, I’ll take this as the latest edition of these only so interesting title matches.

Miz and Ilja Dragunov argue in the back, with Dragunov blaming him for the loss to Hayes last week. Tonight, Miz will pay.

Brock Lesnar called into the Pat McAfee Show to say he’s in the Royal Rumble.

R-Truth and Nick Aldis do their ball jokes when Damian Priest comes in to draw his number. It appears to be one of the earlier ones, with Truth apologizing, but Priest says it’s just more time for him to throw people out.

Drew McIntyre mocks Sami Zayn for getting in such a dangerous match the night before his title shot. He’ll do whatever it takes to beat Zayn at the Royal Rumble.

Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky say they’ll be friends after the Rumble but Giulia and Kiana James come in to say Ripley and Sky won’t win. Nia Jax and Lash Legend come in to say they’ll win the Rumble and the Tag Team Titles. Bickering ensues.

Here are Charlotte and Alexa Bliss for a chat. Charlotte says she’s going to win the Rumble, with Bliss saying the same, but with one slight change of winner. They bicker a bit and Bliss takes her hand, saying everything isn’t about her. After a tease of the two tossing each other out, here is the Judgment Day to say they’ll win. A match is teased and Nick Aldis comes out to make it happen.

Charlotte/Alexa Bliss vs. Judgment Day

Raquel Rodriguez is here with the villains. Perez avoids Charlotte to start and slaps her in the face, which doesn’t work well. Morgan comes in so Charlotte suplexes both of them at once. Bliss baseball slides them out to the floor but it’s Perez coming back in to stomp away in the corner. Morgan’s running knee gets two and Rodriguez cuts off a comeback attempt, allowing Morgan to get in a boot to the face. Perez comes in for some shots of her own before Morgan’s basement dropkick gets two.

We take a break and come back with Bliss fighting back and the two of them rolling around for a small package. Charlotte and Perez get tags with the former cleaning house in a hurry. The Buckshot Lariat drops Perez and a moonsault hits both Perez and Morgan for two. It’s back to Bliss, who gets caught in a Codebreaker into a Russian legsweep. Cue Stephanie Vaquer to cut off Rodriguez as Sister Abigail finishes Perez at 12:35.

Rating: B-. Pretty run of the mill tag match here but they did a nice job of tying a few stories into one display. Charlotte and Bliss teasing distention is normal for them but hopefully they aren’t split up anytime soon. On the other hand, Vaquer vs. Rodriguez should be a good title match for the Raw after the Rumble.

Jordynne Grace is ready to win the Royal Rumble but Jade Cargill runs in for the brawl.

Axiom vs. Johnny Gargano

Hold on though as Nick Aldis stops Gargano and Candice LeRae in the back to say that LeRae is barred from ringside. Also if Axiom wins, he gets his mask back. Nathan Frazer is here though as Gargano grabs a headlock to start. Axiom is knocked down and Gargano gets to pose a bit. The comeback is quickly cut off and Gargano is knocked to the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Axiom kicking him in the head, followed by a standing Spanish Fly for two. Gargano is sent outside for a moonsault from Axiom but Gargano manages a Deadeye for a breather. Back up and Gargano rips off the mask, which sends Axiom over to the corner for the stolen mask. That’s enough for Axiom to hit the Golden Ratio for the pin at 9:08.

Rating: B-. This is a way to wrap up the stuff with Fraxiom and the now non-existent DIY. Gargano can either move on to some solo efforts or find a new partner. Either way, there is something for him to do and having more of Candice LeRae around makes things a bit better for him. Fraxiom could be moved into the title picture, as there is always room for a high flying team.

Carmelo Hayes apologizes to Ilja Dragunov, who doesn’t seem to want to hear it. After this is over though, they’ll be fighting again.

Here is AJ Styles for a chat. The fans are rather happy to see him as he tries to explain that he has a big match tomorrow at the Royal Rumble. Don’t worry about him tomorrow because he’s going to beat Gunther and start the One More Time tour. That means matches with Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton and, as the fans request, CM Punk. Cue Gunther to interrupt, saying he’ll make Styles tap, which Styles says Gunther already did. The fight is teased but Gunther bails instead.

Trick Williams is ready to win the Royal Rumble.

Tama Tonga asks Shinsuke Nakamura what has happened to him. Maybe it’s time for Nakamura to start on his own retirement tour. Nakamura calls him a little boy and the match is set for next week.

IMG Credit: WWE

The Miz vs. Ilja Dragunov

Dragunov spins out of a wristlock to start and cranks on Miz’s arm, followed by a chop to blow Miz’s eyes out. A running boot sends Miz outside but he blocks the apron superplex. Instead Miz sends him crashing to the floor and we take a break. We come back with Dragunov fighting out of a chinlock so Miz gives him the reverse DDT backbreaker.

Back up and they strike it out, with Dragunov sending him into the corner. A chop in the corner just makes Dragunov mad and the Constantine Special drops Miz for two. The rolling German suplexes drop Miz but the H Bomb is countered into the short DDT. Miz’s running corner clothesline connects but Dragunov headbutts him out of the air. Now the H Bomb can finish Miz off at 11:40.

Rating: C+. As usual, Miz can make for some entertaining matches when he’s putting in additional effort, which was the case here. His usual stuff is fine but you can tell when he’s cranking it up a bit. Dragunov is likely coming for the US Title sooner than later, though I could go for Miz getting another reign with the belt.

Solo Sikoa, with the MFTs, brag about winning the Tag Team Titles but they’re for his family. Next up though: winning the Royal Rumble. The Wyatt Sicks hack the feed and promise to get the lantern back. Sikoa’s greed will be his downfall.

Royal Rumble rundown.

Oba Femi is coming at the Royal Rumble.

Vision vs. Randy Orton/Sami Zayn/Cody Rhodes/Jey Uso

Paul Heyman is here with the Vision, who jump the good guys before Rhodes is here. Rhodes sprints down the ring and the fight is on to start, with Zayn and Uso hitting running flip dives as we take a break. We come back with the match joined in progress and Rhodes working on Breakker’s arm. The tease of a tag to Orton takes too long though and Breakker runs Rhodes over. Theory comes in to hammer away and choke on the ropes, allowing Reed to knock Rhodes outside. A ram into the barricade has Rhodes in more trouble and we take a break.

We come back with Rhodes still in trouble as Reed elbows him to give Breakker two. Paul misses a charge into the corner but Reed is smart enough to knock Uso and Zayn off the apron. Unfortunately he leaves Orton on the apron though and Rhodes avoids an elbow and brings Orton in for the house cleaning.

Everything breaks down and we get a timely parade of people being thrown over the top. The RKO to Theory gets two with Paul making the save. Cross Rhodes drops Breakker so Reed runs in to drop Rhodes, earning a tornado DDT from Zayn. Cue Drew McIntyre to pull Zayn to the floor for the DQ at 16:30.

Rating: B-. This was a pretty standard house show style main event with the bigger names getting together to fight the evil group. That’s an idea that has worked since the days of the Horsemen and it worked again here. McIntyre running in at the end was a good thing as his match with Zayn could use a bit more focus. Given that the match is tomorrow, they didn’t have much of a better option.

Post match the beatdown is on but Jacob Fatu runs in to jump McIntyre. Rhodes takes Fatu out but gets decked by McIntyre, who eats a Helluva Kick from Zayn. He goes to pick up the title but Rhodes grabs it as well to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Well, the point of this show was one final push towards the Royal Rumble and that worked well enough, though it might be a bit too little too late. The good thing is that the Rumble has quite a built in energy so it doesn’t need the same kind of effort as other shows. Having people talk about wanting to win is a good thing, but this show only got so much accomplished. Hopefully tomorrow works, but it’s got a lot of work to do.

Results
Carmelo Hayes b. Rey Fenix – Nothing But Net
Charlotte/Alexa Bliss b. Judgment Day – Sister Abigail to Perez
Axiom b. Johnny Gargano – Golden Ratio
Ilja Dragunov b. The Miz – H Bomb
Cody Rhodes/Randy Orton/Jey Uso/Sami Zayn b. The Vision via DQ when Drew McIntyre interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

People remember the opener and the main event, but there is a lot of good in between.

https://411mania.com/wrestling/halls-wcw-superbrawl-ii-review/

Royal Rumble 2025
Date: February 1, 2025
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
Attendance: 70,343
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett, Pat McAfee

It’s time for the first ever February Royal Rumble and we’re in a stadium to make things even bigger. That makes things all the more interesting and the show definitely has a big time feeling. This will also mark John Cena’s final Royal so the stakes are even higher than usual. Let’s get to it.

I was in the stadium for this show, sitting in the upper deck with the entrance on my right.

Various people advertised for the show did in fact show up.

Stephanie McMahon joins us for a special welcome and tells us just how big this show really is.

The opening video is, shockingly enough, narrated by Pat McAfee, who praises Indianapolis for its heart and grit and sports legacy, which is now getting in on the Royal Rumble. This switches into the usual “this is about going to Wrestlemania” and it just feels awesome. We even get a brief intro to the Royal Rumble concept, which is a smart idea for new fans.

Women’s Royal Rumble

2 minute intervals and Iyo Sky is in at #1 and Liv Morgan is in at #2. This is also the debut of the AWESOME info graphics on the screen, which includes things like past winners, times, current people involved and what’s on the line etc. That is an OUTSTANDING addition, especially for a match this chaotic and gives it a “real sports feel”. Sky blocks an early Oblivion attempt and they fight up against the ropes to no avail. Roxanne Perez is in at #3 and manages to knock both of them down.

Lyra Valkyria is in at #4 (The graphics tell us that there are four active, zero eliminated and the next entrant will be #5. That is going to be VERY helpful when things get crazy and my goodness it’s awesome to see) and takes over on Perez but has to pause to fix her top. Morgan is smart enough to knock her down so the wardrobe can be fixed (with a referee running over to help). Chelsea Green is in at #5 to send Morgan to the apron and then points at the sign.

That earns her a big group beatdown and it’s B-Fab in at #6. Everyone goes up against the ropes to no avail and it’s Ivy Nile in at #7. Suplexes (and rhythmic YOU SUCK chants) ensue, including a double to Green and B-Fab. Zoey Stark is in at #8 and hits a top rope swinging neckbreaker to drop Perez. Morgan almost gets Green out but she hangs on despite a flurry of kicks.

Lash Legend is in at #9 and gets to clean house with the big power displays. Legend and B-Fab kick each other down at the same time and Green gets rid of B-Fab for the first elimination. Bianca Belair is in at #10, giving us a grouping of Sky, Morgan, Perez, Valkyria, Green, Nile, Stark, Legend and Belair. That means Belair gets to show off for a bit until Shayna Baszler is in at #11. Baszler gets to take out some arms until Valkyria kicks her in the head. Nile tosses Valkyria as we continue the tradition of midcard champions having less than great luck in these things.

Bayley is in at #12 and cleans a bit of house before getting into a staredown with Sky. They seem to decide to work together until Sonya Deville is in at #13. The Pure Fusion Collective (Deville/Stark/Baszler in case you’re not one of the 18 people who don’t remember them) starts taking over but doesn’t eliminate anyone. Maxxine Dupri is in at #14 and gets stared down by the Collective, who are taken down as well. Dupri German suplexes Nile and actually kicks her out to quite the reaction. The celebration takes too long though and the Collective gets rid of Dupri.

Naomi is in at #15 and Blockbusters Green before slowing down a bit. The Collective is tossed out in a row and the ring is cleared WAY out in a hurry. Jaida Parker is in at #16 and gets in a Tear Drop in the corner to crush Green. Parker, Legend, Naomi and Belair have a four way staredown so Green tries to get involved, which goes as badly as you would expect. Legend kicks Parker in the face and gets tossed by Green, only to run into Belair and Naomi.

Piper Niven is in at #16 and Green wants her help, meaning hiding behind Niven, who slams Naomi. Niven accidentally knocks Green out though and it’s time to scream a lot. Natalya is in at #17 and drops Perez but can’t get her out. Jordynne Grace is in at #18 to quite the reaction and gets sent to the apron but manages to get back inside and knock Parker out. Grace Death Valley Drivers Niven to a heck of a reaction and it’s time to have a staredown with Naomi (they have a history in TNA).

Instead they hug and start beating people up until Michin is in at #20. That gives us a grouping of Sky, Morgan, Perez, Belair, Bayley, Naomi, Niven, Natalya, Grace and Michin. Niven Piper Drivers Michin to knock her silly….and Alexa Bliss is back at #21 to a ROAR. This lets commentary get in a bunch of shots at dirt sheets, who swore that Bliss wasn’t going to be back. Bliss and Bayley have a big staredown and it’s Zelina Vega in at #22.

That means people can pair off again with little going on until Candice LeRae comes in at #23. Things slow down again and it’s Stephanie Vaquer in at #24 and feeling like she’s one of the biggest stars in the match the second she hits the ring. A springboard crossbody connects and the Devil’s Kiss makes it even better. Trish Stratus returns at #25 and gets to clean a bit of house before being knocked down.

Raquel Rodriguez is in at #26 and immediately helps her friend Morgan. That means a Codebreaker to get rid of Natalya, followed by another one to get rid of Bliss (the fans are NOT happy). Charlotte makes her big return at #27 (of course) and gets to clean house, including knocking out Michin. Charlotte manages to suplex Vaquer and Grace before dumping Niven (yep it’s happening) but gets dropped by Morgan and Rodriguez.

Giulia is in at #28 and headbutts Grace out as Nia Jax is in at #29. Jax immediately tosses Vega and LeRae is out too. Stratus slugs away at Jax, including the licking hand chop. Jax tosses her as well though and it’s Nikki Bella making the big return at #30. That gives us a final grouping of Sky, Morgan, Perez, Belair, Bayley, Naomi, Vaquer, Rodriguez, Charlotte, Giulia, Jax and Bella. Everyone gets together to go after Jax, who shoves them all away.

Vaquer has to hang on with her feet danging but Jax tosses Vaquer, Sky, Belair, Naomi, Rodriguez and Morgan in the span of about fifteen seconds. Bella hits a spear but can’t get rid of Giulia. Charlotte, Perez and Giulia fight on the apron with Perez knocking Giulia into the post for an elimination. Bella forearms Bayley out but gets tossed by Jax, leaving us with Charlotte, Jax and Perez. Charlotte and Perez go after Jax, who gets sent over the top and crashes out. A big boot is enough to get rid of Perez to give Charlotte the win at 1:10:16.

Rating: C. There were some fun moments in here, but this took WAY too long to really get going. There were a lot of times when there was nothing going on between the entrances and it was just sitting around waiting for the next big name to come in. Throw in the ridiculous “Jax eliminates a bunch of people” feeling like you’re having a battle royal with toys and it’s time to go to bed and this was a rough sit. It’s far from terrible, but rather dull and that’s not a great thing. Oh and well done Charlotte on coming back after over a year away and just beating the entire division in one match. That’s very nice of you.

Time to sign point!

Godfather, Mickie James and Kurt Angle are here.

We recap DIY vs. the Motor City Machine Guns. The Guns showed up and won the Tag Team Titles in their third match but DIY turned heel to cheat them out of the titles. Now it’s 2/3 falls for the titles.

Tag Team Titles: Motor City Machine Guns vs. DIY

The Guns are challenging in at 2/3 falls match. Ciampa and Sabin start things off with a Gargano distraction letting Ciampa grab an early Willow’s Bell for two. Gargano comes in to take over but Sabin knocks him away. Ciampa comes back in and gets kicked into the corner where….there is no tag but Gargano comes in anyway. Shelley goes after Gargano anyway and walks into a jumping knee from Ciampa for the first fall at 3:23 in a brilliant heel move.

The second fall starts with Shelley still in trouble and the champs taking turns beating him down. Shelley kicks his way out and goes over for a tag but Ciampa breaks it up in a great move. Back in and the tag does bring in Sabin but the referee doesn’t see it (that will always work). A Shatter Machine drops Shelley for two, who then cuts off the slingshot spear, allowing the tag to Sabin. Everything breaks down and Sabin hits a big springboard dive to take out the villains on the floor.

Back in and a tornado DDT drops Gargano, followed by Skull & Bones for the pin on Gargano at 9:09. Everything breaks down (again) and the Fairy Tale Ending/superkick combination gets two on Shelley. Sabin is back up with an assisted powerbomb/Sliced Bread combination for two on Ciampa, with Gargano shoving Sabin in for the save. Skull & Bones is loaded up but cue a masked man to distract the referee, allowing Angelo Dawkins to crutch Shelley in the back. Meet In The Middle retains the titles at 14:03 (as Gargano looks confused but he’ll take it).

Rating: B-. The action was good and I loved the ending to the first fall, but my goodness I felt bad for them out there. The fans just did not care and the match might as well have been a junior high dance recital. It was far from bad and the action was fine, but the ending was lame and the fans were just not interested whatsoever.

Post match Dawkins and the masked man (Angelo Dawkins of course) jump DIY.

We look at Pat McAfee’s NFL career in this building.

Some fans get special tickets.

Ron Simmons, Rick Steiner and Rob Van Dam are here.

We recap Cody Rhodes defending the Smackdown World Title against Kevin Owens. Rhodes teamed with Roman Reigns, which Owens saw as a betrayal after his war with Reigns and the Bloodline. Owens then attacked Randy Orton and put him on the shelf. Then Owens got cheated out of winning the title (allegedly) at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Owens then laid Rhodes out with a package piledriver and stole the Winged Eagle title. Therefore, it’s time for a ladder match for the title.

Smackdown World Title: Kevin Owens vs. Cody Rhodes

Owens is challenging in a ladder match and comes out wearing a “Canadian Dream, Son Of A Security Systems Technician” shirt because Owens is awesome. They start fast with the brawling and head outside, with Rhodes being sent into the ladder. Owens beats on him with a kendo stick and they fight into the crowd with Rhodes getting the better of things. They go back to ringside with Rhodes having to cut off a climb and sending Owens hard into the ladder.

Rhodes goes up but gets knocked down with a miniature ladder. Owens teases a splash off the mini ladder but gets back down, apparently not in the high risk business. Rhodes is up with the little ladder to the ribs, followed by a toss into the face. Rhodes drops him on the mini ladder and goes up, with Owens pulling him away to leave Rhodes hanging in the air. He gets back to the ladder but gets pulled down into a powerbomb for a hard crash.

They head outside with the big ladder being pulled out but Rhodes rips a rung off the bottom. That winds up going onto Rhodes’ head and Owens plants him again. The ladder is knocked down and turned on its side, where Owens loads up a package piledriver. Rhodes manages to avoid a bad case of death by countering into a backdrop and they’re both down. Back up and Owens sets up a bridged ladder but Rhodes catches him on top.

For some reason Rhodes tries a superplex and gets superplex onto the bridged ladder for the crazy landing. Cue a bunch of referees, plus Nick Aldis and Sami Zayn, to check on both of them. Owens is up first and goes after Rhodes, who sends him into the ladder to bust Owens open. Rhodes gets all fired up and they go outside, with Owens hitting him low for the save. Another package piledriver is loaded up but Rhodes reverses into the Alabama Slam through the bridged ladder. Owens is DONE and Rhodes retains the titles at 25:06.

Rating: B+ This felt like it was going to be a war and then that’s exactly what they delivered. These guys beat the living daylights out of each other and it felt like they were out for blood with the title just being a detail. That’s what makes a match feel great and they pulled it off here, with an absolute fight and one of the best matches Rhodes has ever had. Unfortunately this is the kind of match that ruined Owens’ neck over the years, but yeow it was entertaining in the process.

Rumble By The Numbers.

Men’s Royal Rumble

Two minute intervals with Rey Mysterio in at #1 and Penta in at #2. They stare at each other to start, with Penta doing CERO MIEDO. A running hurricanrana sends Penta to the apron but he gets back in with only one foot touching. They get back inside with Chad Gable in at #3 and suplexing Mysterio to the apron. The luchadors get together on Gable until Carmelo Hayes is in at #4. Hayes and Gable get together to fight back and take over until Santos Escobar is in at #5.

Escobar gives Mysterio a 619 but runs into Penta, who is quickly caught in a Canadian Destroyer. Mysterio is back up with a 619 to Escobar but can’t get him out. Everyone is down and it’s Otis in at #6 to clean house, but the Caterpillar is cut off by Gable’s ankle lock. One heck of a slap to the face rocks Gable, who manages a German suplex to Otis. Bron Breakker is in at #7 to quite the reaction.

The spear cuts Hayes in half and he’s out in a hurry, followed by the super Frankensteiner to Gable. Another spear hits Escobar and he’s out as well. Akira Tozawa is in at #8 but spends too much time posing and gets jumped by a departing Carmelo Hayes. Tozawa is taken to the back, where Triple H sends streamer IShowSpeed into the Rumble in his place, which is apparently something that he can just do. Speed actually eliminates Otis and then gets hit with a massive spear from Breakker. That’s it for Speed, even with Otis catching him on the way down.

Sheamus is in at #9 and forearms Gable and Breakker from the apron before he even gets inside. He does get inside and knocks Mysterio down as Jimmy Uso is in at #10. That gives us Mysterio, Penta, Gable, Breakker, Sheamus and Uso as the ring isn’t getting as clogged as it did in the women’s edition. Andrade is in at #11 and kicks away before going up top, where he is cut off by Penta.

Jacob Fatu is in at #12 and this is about to get violent. A double Samoan drop takes down Mysterio and Penta, with Gable, Mysterio and Andrade being tossed. Then it’s a Breakker vs. Fatu staredown, which has the fans rather interested. That’s broken up before anything can happen and it’s Ludwig Kaiser in at #13. And then he’s out in just a few seconds. Breakker manages to stay alive and Miz is in at #14.

Miz almost gets rid of Breakker but does manage to hit Penta with a super hurricanrana. Fatu shrugs off a kick to the head and counters Miz’s springboard (because Miz did a springboard) with a Samoan drop. TNA World Champion Joe Hendry is in at #15 and gives Miz the fall away slam. The Standing Ovation plants Miz again but Fatu runs Hendry over with a shoulder. And none of that matters as Roman Reigns is in at #16 and Miz and Sheamus are quickly out.

Hendry gets in a kick to the ribs but a single spear cuts him down and he’s out as well. Breakker is up with a spear to Reigns, though it’s way too early to dump him, as Reigns tosses Breakker instead. Uso is out as well and we get the Reigns vs. Fatu showdown. Reigns puts him down and Drew McIntyre is in at #17. McIntyre wins a slugout with Reigns and Fatu gets up to help with the stomping.

Finn Balor is in at #18 and gets taken down in the corner for a double teaming from Reigns and Penta of all people. Shinsuke Nakamura is in at #19 and gets in a staredown with Penta. That doesn’t go anywhere as Penta hits a running step up Canadian Destroyer on Fatu. Balor throws Penta out and it’s Jey Uso in at #20, giving us Fatu, Reigns, McIntyre, Balor, Nakamura and Uso. Nakamura is quickly tossed by Uso but replaced as AJ Styles is in at #21.

Styles drops Uso and it’s a staredown with Fatu, who has done quite a few of those so far. A big backdrop takes Styles down and McIntyre helps hammer on him until Braun Strowman is in at #22 (who was recently taken out by Fatu in a big beatdown). Strowman goes right at it with Fatu and actually throws him out, leaving Fatu to freak out at ringside. Back in and Strowman gets jumped by McIntyre and it’s John Cena in at #23 to really send the fans into a frenzy.

Fatu keeps glaring as he leaves and low bridges Strowman out. Balor is AA’d out and Reigns gives McIntyre a spear, allowing him to stare at Cena. The fans are definitely into that but CM Punk is in at #24. They stare at each other and nothing happens as Seth Rollins is in at #25. Rollins immediately goes after Punk before trying to clothesline McIntyre out. Punk breaks that up by going after Rollins and it’s Dominik Mysterio in at #26. Reigns isn’t having any of his nonsense and hits a Samoan drop, followed by some choking in the corner.

Sami Zayn is in at #27 and Helluva Kicks Zayn before switching off to Punk. Damian Priest is in at #28 and chokeslams the heck out of Mysterio, which is enough for the elimination. LA Knight is in at #29 and jumps over Styles for the elbow to Cena. A neckbreaker takes Styles down and Knight slugs it out with Uso. Knight hits a belly to back slam to put Uso down before McIntyre tries to toss Zayn. Uso’s superkick puts Zayn out by mistake and Uso actually takes the blame.

Logan Paul is in at #30, giving us a final grouping of Reigns, McIntyre, Uso, Styles, Cena, Punk, Rollins, Priest, Knight and Paul. The star power is certainly on display here. Priest knocks McIntyre out and Knight tries to get rid of Paul. Instead Paul jumps from the apron to the announcers’ table to save himself. Knight BFT’s Priest and throws him out, leaving us with eight.

Styles loads up the Phenomenal Forearm but Paul pulls him down and gets rid of him, leaving us with Reigns, Uso, Cena, Punk, Rollins and Paul. Rollins is up with a superkick to Punk and the Superman Punch into the Stomp plants Cena. That leaves us with the big Reigns vs. Rollins showdown and they…shove each other a lot. Reigns tries to clothesline Rollins out but Punk is up to toss both of then.

Paul sneaks up and throws Punk out, leaving us with a three way staredown on the floor. Rollins Stomps Reigns on the floor and then brawls with Punk until they’re separated. That’s fine with Rollins, who Stomps Reigns onto the steps for a bonus. That leaves us with Cena, Paul and Uso, who we suddenly remember are in the match. The double AA is broken up and it’s a superkick to knock Paul off Cena’s shoulders, allowing Cena to knock him out. That leaves us with Cena and Uso for quite the final two.

They stare each other down and then slug it out with Cena firing off the running shoulders. The ProtoBomb sets up the Shuffle but Uso is back up with a superkick. The spear drops Cena again but he’s able to knock Uso out to the apron. Cena joins him on the apron and a superkick has him very staggered. The AA is escaped though and Uso slips back inside to shove Cena out for the upset win at 1:20:10.

Rating: A-. This was all about the star power and the drama, which went along with one of the biggest surprise winners in Rumble history. That’s a great way to make someone into a bigger star and Uso has certainly earned the chance. The segment with Punk and Rollins and Reigns and Cena was outstanding and pure drama, leaving me wondering about where everything was going to go. That’s on top of the pretty great opening part to the match, which built up so well. I had a great time with this match and the hour and twenty minutes flew by. Great Rumble.

Post match Cena shows respect and leaves Uso to celebrate on his own to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show was a better Women’s Royal Rumble away from being great, but as it is, it’s just rather good. As usual, the Royal Rumble is all about the show’s namesake shows and the men’s version is more than enough to carry the night. The women’s version brings it down, with the ladder match being more than enough to pick up some slack. It’s a rather good show, but dang it could have been that much better.

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Royal Rumble 2024
Date: January 27, 2024
Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Attendance: 48,044
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s time for the look back at last year’s show which set up one of the biggest WWE events of all time. This show is designed to set up the main events of WrestleMania LX and that means it is time for Roman Reigns to get a new challenger. Speaking of Reigns, he is defending the title in a four way match. Let’s get to it.

Today, various people scheduled for the show did in fact come to the show.

Hulk Hogan narrates a video about how important this area is to wrestling. You have to be RUMBLE READY because it is time to start the Road To Wrestlemania.

Earlier today: even more people came to work.

Pat McAfee comes out for commentary, with Corey Graves going on a hilarious rant about how much he hates this happening two years in a row.

Women’s Royal Rumble

90 second intervals, Natalya is in at #1 and Naomi (in a surprise return) is in at #2. We get a handshake to start before Natalya takes her down, only to have the step over dropkick cut off. They hit stereo crossbodies and Bayley is in at #3. The Rear View puts Natalya down and Naomi drops Bayley, only to have them sit there so Natalya can hit a double basement dropkick (that looked awful). Candice LeRae is in at #4 and gets in a few shots to leave everyone down.

TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace is in at #5 and doesn’t get much of a reaction but she looks like a star. Grace cleans house and you can tell McAfee is impressed. We get a hug between Naomi and Grace (who beat Naomi to win the title) and the brawl is on. That doesn’t mean any eliminations yet though as Indi Hartwell is in at #6. LeRae and Hartwell team up as Cole says that we’ve never had two winners in a Royal Rumble, save for that time when we did.

Asuka is in at #7 and teams up with Bayley, who looks rather nervous. Hartwell and Asuka go to the apron with Bayley getting rid of Hartwell for the first elimination. Ivy Nile is in at #8 and impresses McAfee with her rather impressive strength. Katana Chance is in at #9 and anklescissors LeRae. Nile and Grace have a delayed suplex off before Nile hits a loud enziguri.

Bianca Belair is in at #10 and the place is rather impressed. We have Natalya, Naomi, Bayley, LeRae, Grace, Asuka, Nile, Chance and Belair, with the latter getting to clean some house, including a double Blockbuster to Bayley and Asuka. As usual, Belair gets to show off for a bit until Kairi Sane is in at #11 to give us three members of Damage CTRL. The three of them get to beat up various people but not actually toss anyone as the ring is getting way too full. LeRae sends Asuka and Sane to the apron, only to have Bayley make the save and toss LeRae in a big crash.

Tegan Nox is in at #12 and wrecks some people but Grace cuts her off. Natalya makes the save and gives Grace a discus lariat. Natalya goes to throw Nox out but gets tossed instead, with Bayley getting rid of Nox as well, leaving them both stunned on the floor. Katana Chance is in at #13 and is so distraught at losing the Women’s Tag Team Titles last night that she stops to dance.

Sane is sent over the top and one of her feet touches and she tries to hang on to the apron, only to fall down for the elimination (I’m not sure if that was the plan). Asuka is kicked out a few seconds later and Bayley yells at the rest of the team for being eliminated. Chelsea Green is in at #14 and is immediately sent to the apron twice in a row before hitting a Zig Zag on Belair. We get the Grace vs. Belair slugout and they go to the apron, where Belair hits a KOD for the elimination.

Piper Niven is in at #15 and catches Green as we get a set of nifty time counters for various entrants. A bunch of people get together to beat on Niven and it’s Xia Li in at #16. Li racks Green, who kicks at Niven by mistake for a not so great result. Zelina Vega is in at #17 and has what must be some weird cosplay deal. Vega gives Niven a tornado DDT as there are far too many people in there and the pace has slowed down a lot. Maxxine Dupri is in at #18 and does her SHOOSH before dropping to the mat to hide from Niven.

Vega and Belair team up for a Code Red to put Niven down. A bunch of people can’t get rid of Niven, who eliminates Carter. Nia Jax is in at #19 so Li goes after her, only to get knocked out in a hurry. Nile is out as well and Niven accidentally splashes Green. Jax does it in purpose and then gets rammed into Green in the corner for a funny bit. A bunch of people go after Jax, who then charges at Niven, with Green getting crushed between them. Naomi hits a springboard enziguri to Jax who, say it with me, falls onto Green as well.

Shotzi is in at #20, giving us Naomi, Bayley, Belair, Chance, Green, Niven, Vega, Dupri, Jax and Shotzi as the ring is WAY too full again. A bunch of people get together to go after Jax, who shrugs them off. Bayley gets rid of Dupri and Jax tosses Green and Niven. Chance is tossed out onto the pile as well and it’s Becky Lynch in at #21.

Lynch goes right after Jax and DDT’s Vega and Shotzi at the same time. She throws Jax into Bayley as Green is back in, apparently not being thrown out. Lynch knocks her out without much trouble so that was nothing, especially after her hilarious bit earlier. Alba Fyre is in at #22 and hits a double Gory Bomb on Shotzi and Vega. Ignore that Vega didn’t actually hit anything on the way down. With no one else out, Shayna Baszler is in at #23 to start going after arms.

Valhalla is in at #24….and here is R-Truth to take her place and enter the match by mistake. Jax throws him out anyway as Adam Pearce is here to say Valhalla is in and R-Truth is out. Then Jax throws Valhalla out without much trouble. Michin is in at #25 and goes after Fyre before Rock Bottoming Bayley onto Baszler. Naomi is up with a hanging Pedigree to get rid of Fyre as things slow down again.

Zoey Stark is in at #26 with a missile dropkick on Michin. The brawling continues, with Baszler blocking a hurricanrana fr Vega, who is kicked out in a heap. NXT’s Roxanne Perez is in at #27 and snaps off a headscissors on Stark. Bayley jumps Perez but can’t get rid of her as Jax throws out Baszler and Michin. Shotzi is tossed out and Jax is the only one left standing…..but Jade Cargill is in at #28. She gets one heck of a reaction and slugs it out with Jax, whom she picks up for a one armed Widowmaker. Cargill throws Jax out and even Lynch realizes that was awesome.

Cargill’s charge hits the post though and everyone is down as Tiffany Stratton is in at #29. She immediately flip dives onto a bunch of people and hits an Alabama Slam on Perez. The returning Liv Morgan is in at #30, giving us a final grouping of Naomi, Bayley, Belair, Vega, Lynch, Stark, Perez, Cargill, Stratton and Morgan. The pace is picked up until Stark kicks Morgan in the face, only to get knocked out without much trouble.

Stratton kicks Perez out so everyone surrounds her, only to split off and start the brawls. Cargill and Belair have stereo gorilla presses and then drop Morgan and Lynch for the mega showdown (the fans approve). Naomi gets spinebustered by Cargill, who tosses Lynch and Naomi in quite the moment.

Morgan and Belair are sent to the apron, with Stratton being pulled out with them. A Codebreaker staggers Stratton but she grabs Belair’s hair for the save. Bayley kicks both of them out, leaving us with Bayley, Cargill and Morgan. They all wind up on the apron and Morgan eliminates Cargill, only to get kicked out by Bayley for the win at 1:04:57.

Rating: C+. This was only so interesting as there isn’t quite enough depth to get all the way to thirty entrants in this kind of thing. The top spots were good with Bayley getting a long awaited win, but other than that there were some long stretches which were needing something better. Get rid of some of the dead spots in the middle and it’s better, but this only got so far.

Come to St. Petersburg!

We recap the four way for the Smackdown World Title. Roman Reigns pinned LA Knight about two years ago so now Knight, Randy Orton and AJ Styles want the title.

Smackdown World Title: Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles vs. LA Knight vs. Roman Reigns

Reigns, with Paul Heyman, is defending. We get a long staredown to start before all of the challengers go after Reigns in a smart move. Styles and Knight get in a fight of their own though, leaving Orton and Reigns to brawl out to the floor. Knight and Styles join them, with Knight sending Styles face first into the announcers’ table. Orton drops Reigns onto the same table and then goes after Knight as it’s time to switch off.

Knight gets the better of things, only to miss a charge and get dropped onto the table for a big crash. Orton takes Reigns back inside for the circle stomp before stopping to powerslam Styles. Knight is back in to stomp Orton down though as the back and forth start continues. Orton and Styles go outside, leaving Reigns to clothesline Knight in the corner. Reigns drops Styles as well and the fans certainly seem to approve.

It’s Knight getting back up with a DDT to Reigns and a slam to Orton, setting up a middle rope bulldog. The jumping superplex brings Styles back down and there’s the BFT to Reigns to get the crowd up again, only for Styles to make the save. Styles fights up and strikes away with the Styles Clash hitting Reigns for two and Knight making the save this time. Back up and Reigns tries the Superman Punch but Orton RKOs him out of the air in a sweet counter for another near fall, with Solo Sikoa pulling the referee out.

Sikoa isn’t done as he Samoan Spikes Orton and Knight before stacking Knight onto Orton (which doesn’t seem overly bright). The running Umaga Attack against the barricade misses Styles though and Sikoa is down. Styles comes back in with a Phenomenal Forearm to knock Reigns onto the other two before getting a triple cover for two, even though that normally means the first person getting a cover (Knight in this case) wins.

Styles grabs a chair and beats on Reigns, then does the same to Knight. Orton breaks that up with a low blow but gets speared out to the floor. Knight goes after Reigns but the BFT is broken up, which breaks up the Styles Clash as well. With Knight down, the spear to Styles retains the title at 19:24.

Rating: B. Rather nice stuff here with everyone going in there and trying hard, with the time flying by. Reigns winning wasn’t exactly in doubt with a milestone Wrestlemania on the horizon, but at least he had to put in the work to get there. If nothing else, it’s nice to see the other three getting a chance, as it has been awhile for most of them.

We recap Logan Paul defending the US Title against Kevin Owens. Paul is the rather braggadocios US Champion while Owens is here o shut him up. They’ve taken turns attacking each other and Paul has injured Owens’ hands.

United States Title: Kevin Owens vs. Logan Paul

Paul is defending and offers a handshake but Owens chops him down instead. They’re quickly on the floor and Owens sends him hard into the barricade. Back in and a rather big chop sets up a release German suplex, meaning it’s time to go back outside. Owens drops a backsplash but Paul gets smart by going after the bad hand. Back in again and a high crossbody takes Owens down.

An armbar goes on but Owens elbows his way out of an Octopus. With nothing else working, Paul goes simple by punching Owens’ bad hand. Paul misses a 619 though, allowing Owens to hit a hard clothesline. Another backsplash hits raised knees though, as I continue to love watching someone learn during a match. Back up and Owens stomps away in the corner, setting up a pair of Cannonballs. The frog splash connects but a Swanton hits Paul’s raised knees.

Paul misses a Swanton of his own though, only to hit a Buckshot Lariat. A frog splash gives Paul two but he tries a superplex, which you just do not do to Owens. The swinging superplex gives Owens two but the Stunner is blocked. Paul’s big right hand drops Owens for a near fall and now it’s Paul’s turn to be shocked.

One of Paul’s goons tries to bring in some brass knuckles but the referee cuts it off and has said goon ejected. Cue A-Town Down Under for a distraction though and Paul gets the brass knuckles…which Owens takes away and uses to knock Paul out. The referee sees said knuckles though (McAfee: Oh NOW the referee has 20/20!”) and that’s a DQ at 14:01.

Rating: B. It was a good fight and there is something to be said about a bit of a twist ending rather than Paul just getting the pin. If nothing else, Owens is at his best when he’s upset about something and the ending should fit in well. Paul gets to keep bragging about being champion too and that is good for just about everyone. Well mainly Paul but you get the idea.

Post match Owens puts Paul through the announcers’ table. Then he takes a cough drop.

Hulk Hogan really wants you to come to St. Petersburg.

Elimination Chamber is in Australia.

Wrestlemania is in 70 days.

The attendance is 48,044, a new stadium record. Uh, yay.

Rumble By The Numbers!

30 entrants
1,310 entrants
34 winners
2.6% have won
20 have gone on to win the title at Wrestlemania
1 woman to enter at #1 and win
20 eliminations for Ripley all time, a record
1:01:08, Ripley’s record time in the Rumble
1:11:40, Gunther’s record time in the Rumble
60% of the winners have come from the last ten entrants
#30 has produced the most winners (5)
3 who have won consecutive Royal Rumbles
3 wins for Steve Austin, a record
3rd time Tampa will host the Royal Rumble (1995/2021)
8 eliminations for Shayna Baszler, the most in a single women’s match
9 two time winners
13 eliminations in one men’s Rumble by Brock Lesnar
Natalya is one of four women to compete in all women’s Rumbles
45 eliminations by Kane over 18 Rumbles, both records
3,653 days since CM Punk has been in a Royal Rumble
34,000,000 social media engagements for the Logan Paul vs. Ricochet clip from last year
9 people have won their first World Title off a Royal Rumble win
60% of winners from the last five years have won the World Title at Wrestlemania

Men’s Royal Rumble

90 second intervals and Jey Uso is in at #1 and Jimmy Uso is in at #2. They stare each other down to start until Jimmy is punched out to the apron. That’s not enough for an elimination as Jimmy is back in to strike away, but the jumping enziguri misses. Jey superkicks Jimmy down but the Superfly Splash hits raised knees to leave them both needing a breather. Grayson Waller is in at #3 and naturally he runs his mouth about how awesome he is. Jey knocks him of the apron before he can get in, only to come in and team up with Jimmy for some double teaming.

Andrade returns at #4 and cleans house (or as much as you can with two heels in the ring) but can’t get rid of anyone. Carmelo Hayes is in at #5 and we get a three way staredown with Hayes, Andrade and Jey. That’s broken up and Hayes gets rid of Waller without much effort. Shinsuke Nakamura is in at #6 and the fans sing his song. Jimmy seems to approve and gets kicked in the head as a result. The freshly heel Santos Escobar is in at #7 and we get straight to a showdown with Andrade. They hug and pose but Andrade isn’t interested in a Legado del Fantasma pose.

Karrion Kross is in at #8 and everyone goes to the general brawling. With that not going anywhere, Dominik Mysterio is in at #9 and the fans are not happy. It takes a good while for him to get in and he is quickly taken into a corner for some not so near eliminations. Carlito is in at #10, giving us Jey, Jimmy, Andrade, Hayes, Nakamura, Escobar, Kross, Mysterio and Carlito at the one third mark. Carlito goes after Escobar who bails to the floor, leaving Carlito to load up the apple. Escobar gets it in the face and is then tossed out to clear some of the ring.

Bobby Lashley is in at #11 and starts throwing some not great looking spears. One of them is enough to get rid of Kross so here are the AOP for a distraction, allowing Kross to pull Lashley out for the elimination. The big bawl is on with the Street Profits running out to even things up. They all go up the aisle and brawl to the back as Ludwig Kaiser is in at #12. He goes after Dominik for a bit of a weird one and everyone pairs off until Austin Theory is in at #13. The flipping Downward Spiral plants Jey and more brawling ensues as we need someone to clear the ring a bit.

Finn Balor is in at #14 and Hayes is tossed in a hurry. Cody Rhodes is in at #15 and this should pick things up a bit. The Cody Cutter gets rid of Theory but Balor takes Rhodes down and they slug it out. Bronson Reed is in at #16 and gets rid of Andrade. Nakamura and Rhodes slug it out with Nakamura hitting a spinning kick to the face as Kofi Kingston is in at #17. A Disaster Kick and Cross Rhodes get rid of Nakamura and Kaiser is out shortly thereafter.

Gunther is in at #18 and chopping ensues, setting up the staredown with Gunther. That’s broken up and Kingston gets Gunther out to the apron, earning Kingston an elimination (no special save this time). Ivar is in a #19 and hits a powerslam, setting up the slugout with Reed. NXT’s Bron Breakker is in at #20, giving us Jey, Jimmy, Mysterio, Balor, Rhodes, Reed, Gunther, Ivar and Breakker.

A spear immediately hits Jimmy and a running clothesline gets rid of him. Another spear gets rid of Balor and it’s time for Gunther vs. Breakker, which has the fans’ interest. Gunther slips out of the gorilla press but Breakker gives him the spear to quite the reaction. Omos is in at #21 and takes his sweet time getting to the ring. House is quickly cleaned and Reed is knocked out with a big boot. Breakker spears a springboarding Ivar out of the air and gets rid of him before staring up at Omos.

Pat McAfee is in at #22 and looks more than a bit surprised at the news. He sees Omos and Breakker waiting on him and eliminates himself in a funny moment. McAfee has claimed that he didn’t know this was coming and I’d believe it. McAfee: “HOW BIG IS THAT THING IN THERE????” Breakker dumps Omos and Mysterio knocks Breakker out (after a star making performance), with Cole and Graves making up trash talk that Breakker said about Omos.

JD McDonagh is in at #23 and gets speared by Breakker on the floor before he can get in. Cody and Gunther fight some more as R-Truth is in at #24 (the same number he entered the women’s match in for a nice touch). He throws McDonagh in so McDonagh can be properly eliminated, only to stand on the apron or a tag to Mysterio. Naturally Mysterio tags him in (because) and he goes after Omos to little avail.

Miz is in at #25 for an Awesome Truth reunion but Truth saves Mysterio. Gunther breaks that up and Mysterio gives Miz a 619 as Damian Priest is in at #26. Truth is out in a hurry and Priest cleans house, including South Of Heaven to Gunther. CM Punk is in at #27 and gets to do a bunch of running knees in the corner. Mysterio is tossed but Priest decks Punk with a discus forearm.

Ricochet is in at #28 and gets to fly around a bit as Gunther tosses Miz. Drew McIntyre is in at #29 to make things a bit bigger. A bit of house is cleaned, including a heck of an overhead belly to belly to Ricochet. Jey superkicks Gunther almost to the apron but gets pulled out himself to end a rather long run. Sami Zayn is in at #30, giving us a final grouping of Rhodes, Gunther, Priest, Punk, Ricochet, McIntyre and Zayn. The pace picks up as Zayn goes after McIntyre, who recently beat him up pretty badly.

Priest avoids being tossed out but Ricochet can’t do the same as we’re down to six. A variety of suplexes and kicks ensue until Sami gets rid of Priest, only to be dumped by McIntyre. We’re down to Rhodes, Punk, Gunther and McIntyre and everyone needs a breather as Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns watch from a sky box. Gunther and Rhodes pair off as McIntyre chops away at Punk in the corner.

The Cody Cutter seems to wake Gunther up as he hits a hard clothesline to Rhodes. We get the McIntyre vs. Gunther staredown but they go back to what they were doing instead of fighting. A neckbreaker puts Punk down but the Claymore misses. The GTS is blocked and it’s the Glasgow Kiss to drop Punk again. Gunther sleepers Rhodes but gets Claymored by McIntyre. Another Claymore hits Rhodes and McIntyre is the only one standing.

There’s a Claymore to Punk to complete the set but McIntyre would rather yell at Punk than get him out. That’s enough for Punk to toss McIntyre, who looks absolutely crushed. Gunther dropkicks Punk and gives him a powerbomb before sending Rhodes to the apron. Rhodes pulls Gunther to the apron as well though and Gunther is out, leaving us with two. They slug it out and then slug it out some more with Punk getting the better of things.

Rhodes gets in a powerslam but the Cody Cutter is countered into some rolling German suplexes. That’s broken up but so is Cross Rhodes, allowing Punk to put him on the apron. Back in and Cross Rhodes connects, only for Punk to get in a desperation GTS. Punk gets him out to the apron but Rhodes is right back in, meaning it’s a Pedigree to take him down again. Another GTS is blocked though and Rhodes throws him out for the win at 1:08:16.

Rating: A-. This was a heck of a Rumble with some entertaining spots throughout and a bunch of good stuff. The last bit felt epic and, despite Punk’s big injury (as he tore his tricep while fighting McIntyre), the final two had a heck of a showdown. Cody winning is the right call as he is on the way to his destiny in Philadelphia and he had to get there from here. I liked this one a lot as they kept things moving and I wasn’t bored at all.

Rhodes celebrates for a good while and points at Roman Reigns in the sky box (yeah don’t bother teasing that Rollins stuff as there is zero point in this case). Reigns holds up the title and looks a bit nervous.

The big highlight package wraps us up.

Overall Rating: B+. The Women’s Royal Rumble was the only thing close to a weak spot and even then it was good enough. The rest of the show was one hit after another as we are starting to get exactly what we need out of WWE. I liked this a good bit and you can feel the energy around here, which is rather nice to see. Heck of a show here, with Wrestlemania on the horizon as the really big prize.

Ratings Comparison

Women’s Royal Rumble

Original: C+
Redo: C+

Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles vs. LA Knight vs. Randy Orton

Original: B-
Redo: B

Kevin Owens vs. Logan Paul

Original: B
Redo: B

Men’s Royal Rumble

Original: B-
Redo: A-

Overall Rating

Original: B-
Redo: B+

I totally shortchanged the Men’s Royal Rumble the first time around as it’s way better than that.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Impact Wrestling
Date: January 29, 2026
Location: Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s a big night as we have the unveiling of the Feast Or Fired briefcases. Therefore, three people are going to get title matches and a fourth is going to be fired. That can make for quite the dramatic moment and now we get to see who winds up getting what. In addition, Rich Swann and AJ Francis are facing off in a No DQ match. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is the new System for a chat. Brian Myers says it had to be done and Eddie Edwards says he’s going to break it all down for you. Moose used to be the most dominant star in all of wrestling but he is just selfish. All he cared about was himself rather than the team. Then you have JDC, who walked away from the team. This brings out Alisha Edwards, who gets in Eddie’s face and says he kept this from her. Her contract is coming up and maybe she doesn’t want to be part of the System. She walks away and Eddie isn’t happy.

BDE is ready to prove that he belongs here tonight.

Nic Nemeth, BDE

Nic Nemeth vs. BDE

Nemeth offers a handshake to start and then kicks him in the ribs to take over. A front facelock doesn’t work as well for Nemeth as BDE knocks him outside with a clothesline. The dive connects but the springboard elbow back inside doesn’t. We take a break and come back with BDE still in trouble with Nemeth sending him into the corner for some cocky forearming.

BDE manages to reverse a whip into the corner but a running knee is dropped with a clothesline. Back up and the running knee does connect for BDE and a frog splash gets two. BDE tries a springboard elbow but dives into the Danger Zone (that was nice) to give Nemeth the pin at 11:37.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t an all time classic or anything but it was a nice way to let BDE look good in the process. BDE can’t do much in the way of regular wrestling and is basically just a moves guy, but he’s likable enough and isn’t taking up any kind of major spot. Let him do what he can and have a veteran like Nemeth in there to walk him through the match. It worked well enough and I liked this.

Post match Ryan Nemeth comes out to celebrate with Nic before getting in the ring. He calls out Mara Sade, who he says has been assaulting him. Sade says Ryan got away with one at Genesis so he offers to let her give him a kiss. The ensuing superkick is blocked and a clothesline puts Sade down hard.

The Elegance Brand gives Ash By Elegance presents because she is officially medically cleared. Lei Ying Lee comes in to say she’s ready to defend anytime and here are Indi Hartwell and Xia Brookside to set up a six woman tag. Mr. Elegance seems to hit on Hartwell, who takes the champagne and says it’s not her kind of party before than leaving.

Stacks vs. Home Town Man

Non-title and Arianna Grace is here with Stacks, who holds up Man’s stolen mask. That means the brawl is on fast and Man stomps away in the corner, with the fans rather approving. They go outside with Stacks mocking a fan with the mask, which Man takes away and gives to said fan in a nice moment.

Back in and a corkscrew uppercut gives Stacks two and he grabs something like a half crab. That’s kicked away with Stacks crashing to the floor, allowing Man to hit a People’s Elbow. A crossbody gets two but Grace’s distraction….doesn’t really work. Instead Stacks goes to the eyes and grabs a rollup with feet on the ropes for the pin at 5:51.

Rating: C. Well, this match did in fact confirm that Stacks is in fact a wrestler and he is in fact just kind of there. That’s been my thoughts on Stacks for a long time now as there is nothing to him that really stands out. Yes he’s with Grace and that helps a bit, but there isn’t anything about Stacks alone to make him feel interesting or stand out. That’s not good and while there are worse options, I really don’t see it with him.

Post break Stacks says Grace didn’t help him and Santino Marella shows up. Grace seems to threaten both of them with making a mistake of her own.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Jason Hotch vs. Elijah

The rest of Order 4 is here with Hotch. Elijah takes him down by the arm to start and Hotch bails out to the floor. Back in and Elijah works on the arm, including Old School for two. Tasha Steelz has to offer a distraction and Hotch gets in a cheap shot to take over. Some stomping has Elijah down in the corner but he’s right back with a backdrop.

Hotch has to rake the eyes to get out of a fireman’s carry and another distraction lets him hit a Codebreaker onto the arm. The knees to the arm set up some cranking, with Elijah flipping out pretty quickly. A suplex neckbreaker gives Elijah two but Hotch is back with a superkick. The torture rack bomb gets two on Elijah, who is right back to knee Hotch out of the air. The Highwayman’s Farewell finishes Hotch at 7:58.

Rating: C+. Normally I would say that Hotch was a good hand but TNA has already beaten me to that one. This is a good way to keep the Elijah vs. Order 4/Mustafa Ali feud going, though it does make you wonder why that feud is continuing. Ali needs to move on to something bigger but maybe we’ll see it one more time and then they’ll move on for good.

Post match Order 4 jumps Elijah, with Ali grabbing the guitar. That’s enough for Elijah to fight back and use the guitar to clear the ring.

Post break Jada Stone is rather excited to be here but Order 4 comes in to yell at her. Tasha Steelz even slaps her down, with Elijah popping in to help her up like a gentleman.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Elayna Black vs. Ruthie Jay

Daria Rae is on commentary. Black jumps her to start and grabs a gutwrench suplex. The chinlock goes on but Jay is up for a running shoulder in the corner. Black isn’t having that though and grabs a swinging double underhook neckbreaker for the pin at 2:46. Pretty much a squash, as it should have been.

The Hardys are happy with how things have been going but the Righteous come in to talk about their Genesis match. They also seem to tease an alliance between the teams. Didn’t they do that before?

It’s time for the Feast Or Fired reveals. Trey Miguel is up first and gets…an International Title shot. Next is Eddie Edwards, who gets a World Title shot. That leaves Steve Maclin and Eric Young, with Maclin being fired and Young getting an X-Division Title shot.

Post break, Eddie Edwards and the System come up to threaten Mike Santana with a cash in. Santana glares back.

Commentary is depressed by Steve Maclin being fired.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Rich Swann, AJ Francis, First Class

AJ Francis vs. Rich Swann

Anything goes so Swann brings out a trashcan full of weapons (must be a Raven fan). Swann hits him with a baseball bat to start but Francis won’t let him bring in a table. The table is set up on the floor anyway but Francis kicks him down again. They head to the state where Swann slips out of attempts at a chokeslam and a Styles Clash. Instead Francis goes with a Pedigree and we take a break.

We come back with Francis sitting in a chair with his foot on Swann’s back. Swann fights up and sends him face first into the chair but an Air Raid Crash onto the chair gives Francis two. Back up and Swann is able to drop Francis face first onto the steps, followed by a handspring cutter for two more. Swann sets up another table on the floor and throws in a bunch of chairs, though he couldn’t keep Francis down for three.

Back in and a Pounce gives Francis two but Swann grabs a hurricanrana through the tables on the floor. The Phoenix splash hits Francis for two more and it’s time for the baseball bat again. Francis uses the delay to grab a chain and knock Swann silly with a right hand for two. Swann is put inside a trashcan and obliterated with a chair….for two. Francis tries to take him up top but gets hurricanranaed down onto the pile of chairs. That lets Swann unload with the chair, followed by a frog splash to pin Francis at 16:20.

Rating: B. This was a weapons filled and at times somewhat goofy brawl but it did feel like the big definitive ending for their feud. That’s what it needed to be as Swann needs to move on to something else. Swann is someone who could be a bigger deal around here so getting this kind of a win is a good sign for his future. Francis can go away for a few weeks and come back with one of those condescending promos of his and he’ll be fine.

Frankie Kazarian wants to talk to Daria Rae to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show felt like it was designed to get things ready for the next big stretch, with Feast Or Fired giving us three upcoming title matches. Hopefully Maclin leaving is just a head fake as TNA really doesn’t need to lose someone that good. Swann winning is a good thing to see and he won a big main event, though we’ll have to see where he goes. The Daria Rae stuff feels like it’s going to be the next big us vs. them story and…yeah that’s only so appealing after we just got done with the NXT invasion stuff. Just let Mike Santana be the focus maybe? The World Champion? Maybe?

Results
Nic Nemeth b. BDE – Danger Zone
Stacks b. Home Town Man – Rollup with feet on the ropes
Elijah b. Jason Hotch – Highwayman’s Farewell
Elayna Black b. Ruthie Jay – Swinging double underhook neckbreaker
Rich Swann b. AJ Francis – Frog splash

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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