JT's Replay: 2010 Royal Rumble Match

Royal Rumble Match 
January 31, 2010
Atlanta, GA
Announcers: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler & Matt Striker

- Justin Roberts reads the rules and then introduces the first entrant...Dolph Ziggler...Matt Striker talks about Dolph's issues with Kane and then makes a good point about number two being at the same disadvantage as number one...Evan Bourne is out second and we are under way...announcers talk about Bourne being at a disadvantage based on style, which isn't conducive to the Rumble...Bourne hits Air Bourne as the Straight Edge Savior, CM Punk arrives third...he is accompanied by Serena...Punk dumps both men to some boos...Striker hopes we get a Punk sermon, and we do as he grabs a mic and thanks the fans in joining him for this historic night for the SES...he is interrupted by entrant four, JTG, so it's "clobbering time"...they brawl a bit until Punk dumps him...Punk gets his mic back and rants some more as the crowd is booing him...great stuff here...Punk says not everyone can be saved because they don't have it in them to follow Punk...Great Khali is out at number five to a nice pop...Cole is giving Rumble stats left and right, which is cool...Punk tries to reason with Khali, offering to save him...he asks Khali to raise his right hand and take the SES pledge, but Khali just chops him instead and locks on the head vice...Beth Phoenix is out at six, the second woman entrant in Rumble history...everyone is shocked as she hits the ring...Khali puts Beth on the apron, but she pulls him in for a big kiss and then yanks him over the top to the floor for the elimination...she attacks Punk and has him on the run until Punk is able to hit the GTS and toss her...Zack Ryder is in at seven...Punk grabs the mic and tells Ryder that he has potential...he starts to offer a SES spot, but attacks Zack instead...the crowd is now behind Punk as he dumps Ryder...back to the mic and Punk gloats some more...but business picks up as Triple H marches out at number eight...Cole reminds us that it was in this building eight years ago that Triple H last won the Rumble...good buzz as Punk and the Game square off...IC Champ Drew McIntyre comes out at number nine, taking his time to get into the ring...he brawls with Hunter as Punk recovers...Striker mocks Cole's use of "Vintage"...Hunter blocks the GTS and tosses Punk out of the ring, ending his Reign of Terror a bit too early for my liking...Ted DiBiase is in at ten and Cole wonders where his mindset is at after his issues with Randy Orton from earlier in the night

- Things slow down a bit now, a third of the way through...the commentary team is actually pretty impressive when it comes to stats, strategy and storytelling and they are adding to the match, which is a nice change...John Morrison is out at number eleven...Cole talks about Morrison's issues with McIntyre, and he guns right for him...JoMo hits Starship Pain as the Big Red Machine enters his twelfth Rumble at number twelve...Striker chooses Kane as his favorite...he wipes out McIntyre and Morrison with a double chokeslam, cleaning house in the ring...it's a new day as Cody Rhodes is in at thirteen, immediately saving DiBiase from elimination...Legacy works as a team here, but Cole doesn't think that may last as each guy said he is in it to win it...Striker calls Rhodes the "Seed of a Dream" which is pretty disturbing...he makes up for it by explaining logically why Hunter would save Kane from elimination, because he has so much aggression against Legacy that he is blinded...MVP in out at fourteen, but Miz attacks him in the aisle before he can enter...MVP is brought to the back by officials, so he doesn't enter...Carlito brings us to the halfway point of the match at fifteen...he zeroes in on DiBiase as Striker wonders if Carlito being lefthanded will cause issues for other combatants...Striker was great before the producer bug in the ear ruined him...it's been a while since we have had an elimination...Carlito hits a series of Backstabbers as Miz comes in at sixteen...Miz takes down Carlito and goes after JoMo, but MVP charges the ring and eliminates both Miz and himself...they brawl around the ring afterwards...Hunter is still hanging in there, the long man in at this point...Matt Hardy charges out at seventeen but he is quickly dumped...Hunter dumps Kane and he is now Striker's favorite...Drew takes out Hunter's knee...and the crowd pops big time as Shawn Michaels comes down at eighteen...Cole reminds us that Undertaker retained his World Title earlier in the night, so the pressure is on Michaels to win the Rumble if he wants his Mania rematch...Shawn starts cleaning house and dumps Carlito, Cody, DiBiase and Morrison to the floor, looking for his third Rumble win...DX were the Unified tag champs at this point...they dump McIntyre and are left to face off alone, but nothing happens before John Cena enters at nineteen...great booking here to have these three lined up alone...the crowd is hot as the three brawl and Cole spews more history...Cena hits a double Five Knuckle Shuffle and the crowd is split as always...Hunter saves Shawn and drops Cena with a Pedigree...Shawn pays Hunter back by drilling him with Sweet Chin Music and eliminating him from the match in a shocking moment...Shelton Benjamin is in next at twenty

- We are now two-thirds through as Shelton is making his eighth straight Rumble appearance...that run is short-lived as Cena tosses Shelton...we are down to Shawn and Cena, with ten left...Yoshi Tatsu makes his Rumble debut at twenty-one...Cole and Striker put over the young, emerging ECW talent...Cena couldn't care less about that as he dumps Tatsu...as Cena and Michaels struggle to their feet, Big Show is in at twenty-two...the announcers talk about how hard it could be to eliminate Show...he tries to dump Cena, but is not able to get him out...and the ring is going to get a bit more full as Mark Henry enters at twenty-three...Show and Henry have a face-to-face staredown and start slugging away at each other...Henry tries to lift Show, but he can't do it...Cena battles his way back to his feet but Show won't go down...Henry finally gets him to fall...Chris Masters is out at twenty-four, having earned a slot in a Superstars triple threat match...Masters is quickly tossed...Show and Henry continue to beat on each other...R-Truth raps his way to the ring at twenty-five...he makes an immediate mark, tossing Show and Henry, who were battling on the ropes...we are back to Cena, Michaels and Truth now...Jack Swagger is in at twenty-six...he almost gets Michaels out, but Shawn hangs on...time for a cup of Kofi Kingston as he enters at twenty-seven...Striker says he may be the new favorite because of the history of the twenty-seventh entry slot...Kofi dumps Swagger and Truth...Chris Jericho is in at twenty-eight to some good heat...Cena drops Jericho with an AA...Shawn drops an elbow and Jericho and tunes up the band, but Kofi drills him with Trouble in Paradise before he can land it...Cena tosses Kofi...Edge shocks the world and makes his surprise return at twenty-nine...the crowd goes banana as the Rated-R Superstar cleans house with spears...he quickly tosses Jericho...Striker is shocked Edge is back so soon from his injury...Batista is in at thirty to close out the entry field

- We are down to the final four...Edge, Cena, Michaels & Batista...great final four for sure...Edge is still wiping guys out with spears...Michaels is hanging in and starts to take advantage, trying to fulfill his promise to face Taker at Mania again...he cracks Cena and Batista with SCM but Edge almost dumps him...Shawn lands SCM on Edge, but Batista ends the dream by tossing Michaels, who is heartbroken at ringside...the crowd did not like that one...great storytelling...the referees try to get Shawn to leave, but he can't believe it...he tosses a ref and gets back in the ring, where he drills Charles Robinson with SCM...Shawn finally leaves, dejected...Cole refocuses us as we are down to three now...Cena dumps Batista and we are down to two...Cena avoids a spear, but Edge recovers and tosses Cena out to win his first Royal Rumble match...Edge goes to Wrestlemania...he celebrates to a nice ovation and shock from our announcers

- I loved the match structure for this Rumble as it was very unique...the ring never got too full, the match was loaded with talent and there lots of great stories woven throughout, especially with Shawn Michaels and the surprise return of Edge...the finish was strong, with an excpetional final four...very fun Rumble and probably one of the best ever all things considered

Review Date: February 2012