Airdate: Sunday, January 29th, 2012 (Pay-Per-View)
Location: The Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri
Results by WZRONLINE.COM
“Yes, sir, we promised you a great main event…”
Royal Rumble Opener:
We open with a video package highlighting the Rumble (of course) and the fact that the winner heads to WrestleMania for a main event match of their choosing.
The pyro hits and Michael Cole welcomes us to the Pay-Per-View. Cole lets us know that the Steel Cage match for the World Heavyweight Championship will be kicking things off tonight.
World Heavyweight Championship
Triple Threat Steel Cage Match
Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Mark Henry vs Big Show
We go to the cage and out first comes the World Heavyweight Champion. Out next comes Mark Henry followed by Big Show.
The cage door is locked, and the bell rings. Bryan goes to climb the cage immediately but Henry pulls him down and Show spears him. Show goes for the cover but Henry stops it. Show hits Henry with a couple of big rights before taking him down with a running shoulder block. Henry rolls to the apron and stands up. Show splashes Henry against the cage wall, then does it again and a third time. Bryan goes to escape again but Henry pulls him down and slams him to the mat.
Show hits Bryan with a couple of punches to the gut. Bryan tries to escape again, but Show pulls him down and hits him with a huge chop. Bryan tries to chop Show, but Show shrugs it off and throws him into the cage. Show goes for the WMD but Bryan ducks and Show connects with the cage wall. Bryan kicks at Show’s knees but he’s taken right back down to the mat. Show tosses Bryan into the corner and splashes him, but Bryan comes right back with a huge low dropkick to Show’s knee, then one to Henry’s face. Bryan lays into Henry with some stiff kicks to the chest and then a big one to the head. Bryan then hits Show with a low dropkick to the face.
Bryan goes for the door but he’s stopped by Henry, who hits him with a big clubbing blow across the back. Henry rakes Bryan’s face across the cage wall before slingshotting him hard into the cage. Henry turns around into a big kick to the face from Show. Show turns his attention to Bryan and tosses him into the cage wall. Bryan goes to escape, but Show pulls him down and slams him into the cage wall again.
Show beats Bryan down to the mat repeatedly, then slams him into the wall again. Show slams Bryan down to the mat hard and stares down at him.
Show picks Bryan up only to punch him right back down to the mat. Henry is up and he hits Show with a couple of big rights before taking the giant down with a right hand. Henry stomps at Bryan before standing on his chest. Henry picks Bryan up and throws him into the cage wall and the crowd is getting behind the champ. Bryan ducks a charging Henry and Henry flies right into the cage. Bryan goes for the pin but only gets two. Bryan gets up and he’s thrown from side to side by Big Show repeatedly into cage walls. Show calls for the chokeslam, but Bryan kicks it off. Bryan goes to the top and connects with a big tornado DDT. Bryan goes for the pin but he only gets a two count. Bryan locks in the LaBell lock on Show.
Henry is able to break up the submission attempt. Henry picks Bryan up to his feet and throws him into the cage wall again before picking him up. Show connects with the WMD on Henry and Henry drops Bryan. Show goes for the pin but Bryan breaks it up. Bryan goes to escape the cage but Show is up in the corner to stop him. Bryan is hanging over the cage but Show has him by the neck. Show pulls him back to the top of the cage but Bryan fights Show off with rights to the head. Bryan goes further down but Show straddles the top of the cage. Show has Bryan by the wrist and Bryan is dangling over the floor. Show drops Bryan and the champ falls to the floor to retain.
Winner and STILL World Heavyweight Champion: Daniel Bryan
Bryan celebrates with his title on the outside after the match. He’s up pretty quickly after splatting down on that mat on the floor. The crowd has a pretty mixed reaction toward Bryan winning.
- Cole says that if Bryan survives Elimination Chamber next month, he could main event WrestleMania. This leads us right into and Elimination Chamber promo.
- We get a bit of hype for John Cena vs. The Rock, since the Road to WrestleMania has begun tonight. This leads us into a (too long) video package letting us know a little bit more about this mystery man John Cena, who really is an enigma.
All joking aside, the package is really well put together, and an interesting look at fans talking about why they like or dislike Cena. It’s also mixed with footage of a young Cena. For filler, it’s pretty good, and I would expect they’ll play a similar package about the Rock later in the show. The crowd boos at the end of the video.
Beth Phoenix, Natalya and The Bella Twins vs. Kelly Kelly, Tamina, Alicia Fox and Eve Torres
We go to the ring and out comes the team of WWE Divas Champion Beth Phoenix, Natalya and The Bella Twins. Out next comes Kelly Kelly, Tamina, Alicia Fox and Eve Torres.
Natalya and Tamina start things off going at it. They trade slaps before Tamina chops her and headbutts her for a 2 count. Tamina tags in Eve and in she comes with the booty pop and moonsault for 2. Natalya rams Eve back in the corner and tags in Beth. Beth goes back and forth with Eve. Eve connects with a kick and a clothesline. She goes for a back splash and Beth puts her knees up.
Beth works over Eve some more for another 2 count. One of the Bellas come in and choke Eve on the ropes. Eve gets kicked in the face and covered for another pin attempt. Bella with a chinlock now. Eve comes back and tags in Alicia. Alicia comes in with a clothesline and a pair... (Continues on next page)
Reporter's Link:
What Happened *AFTER* WWE Royal Rumble - HUGE SEGMENT w/ The nWo (WALTMAN/ROAD DOGG/HHH/NASH)!