LAND, Fla. -- On Sunday night, for the first time ever, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship was defended in the annual Royal Rumble match. The Authority ended up getting the last laugh, as their revenge on Roman Reigns ended up precisely according to plan.
As is the custom for the Royal Rumble, there were surprises galore, some welcome returns and lots of pointing at the WrestleMania sign. I was lucky enough to be in the building for the event, so here's everything that went down in the Amway Center on Sunday night and what it all means for the WWE as they steamroll their way toward WrestleMania, which is a scant 69 days away.
Fatal 4-Way Kickoff Match to qualify for the Royal Rumble Match: Mark Henry & Jack Swagger def. Darren Young & Damien Sandow, The Dudley Boyz and The Ascension
The opening match on the Kickoff Show was a tag team battle for the right to earn two spots in the Royal Rumble match later in the evening. Mark Henry and Jack Swagger managed to get the win when Henry pinned Viktor of the Ascension.
What we learned: This match sure didn't end up having much of an impact on the Rumble, as Henry got tossed by three members of the Wyatt Family shortly after entering, and Swagger got F5'd and tossed in mere seconds by Brock Lesnar after his number came up.
The other notable thing about the match was just how much rabid support Damien Sandow has from the WWE fans. He's been mostly off television for months and the crowd was still dying for his team to win, boisterously calling for him to get into the match and going nuts for anything he did. I can't imagine anything will come of it, but it was sure nice to hear and see. Even better was Sandow being completely unable to contain his glee at being the most beloved person in the match.
WWE Intercontinental Championship Last Man Standing Match: Dean Ambrose (c) def. Kevin Owens
The pay-per-view proper opened with a hellacious Last Man Standing match between new and wonderful blood rivals Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens. Ambrose got the win when Owens toppled through a two-table stack of his own design and was unable to answer the 10-count.
What we learned: Both men looked great in this match, which was just as good as anticipated. Owens looked tough as nails in defeat and this was just the start of a big night for these two. More on that when we get to the Royal Rumble match later.
WWE Tag Team Championship Match: The New Day (c) def. The Usos
The reigning, defending champions were able to squeak out a win when Big E snatched one of the Usos clean out of the air and planted him with the Big Ending.
What we learned: There is a new trombone! After a moment of silence for dear, departed Francesca, Xavier Woods debuted Francesca II. He has needs, you know.
The Amway Center crowd, while not really indicative of most WWE crowds (due to Royal Rumble being a "destination" event, like SummerSlam and WrestleMania), seemed to have had enough of the Usos' antics and was quite vocally behind the New Day throughout. Combined with some very subtle heelish antics from Jimmy and Jey during the match, it's entirely possible a double turn could be on the way for these two teams.
Failing that, it's hard to see how this feud can continue. But given the way the tag team division has operated over the past year, that won't stop WWE from booking these two in a rematch at next month's Fastlane pay-per-view.
WWE United States Championship Match: Kalisto def. Alberto Del Rio (c)
In a do-over from two weeks ago, Kalisto once again captured the U.S. title from Del Rio after hitting a Salida Del Sol. Hopefully he'll get to keep it longer than a day this time.
What we learned: While there's been much grousing (and rightly so) about WWE cutting Kalisto's legs from under him by hotshotting the title back to Del Rio the day after he won it, the pop for Kalisto's win at the Rumble on Sunday was among the three or four loudest of the night. The crowd was definitely into Kalisto and his victory, so there's still hope that he can continue to climb the ladder from here. Still waiting for someone to reinstate the United States Open Challenge, though.
WWE Divas Championship Match: Charlotte (c) vs. Becky Lynch
Becky looked to have the match well in hand (in arm?) when who else but Charlotte's father, Ric Flair, got involved. Charlotte used chicanery and dirty tricks to retain her title, as per usual.
What we learned: The real revelation here was after the match, as Becky nursed her wounds and Charlotte gloated. Sasha Banks' music hit to a thunderous ovation and the Boss herself made her return and strode to the ring. She booted Becky out of the ring, then appeared to make a pact with her old NXT BFF, Charlotte. When Charlotte turned to go, however, Banks attacked her, hitting a backstabber (appropriately enough) floated into her finisher, the Banks Statement. Charlotte was left laying as Sasha posed with her title and Flair fumed.
So this is what everyone has been waiting for in the Divas division: Sasha Banks challenging for the title as the Road to WrestleMania approaches. It seems likely that there will be a three-way match between Charlotte, Becky and Sasha at Fastlane, but after that, we're primed for Sasha or Becky to experience their first WrestleMania moment.
Triple H won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the 2016 Royal Rumble match
As many suspected, Triple H made his big return, entering the Rumble at No. 30 and winning the whole thing by last eliminating Dean Ambrose. Roman Reigns, who entered at No. 1 and was defending his championship, spent much of the match backstage after being taken out by coordinated attack from the League of Nations. He made his return when the No. 29 participant, Sheamus, was making his entrance, but was the second-to-last wrestler eliminated, courtesy of Triple H.
What we learned: Whew, there was a lot here. Let's do this bullet point style:
- AJ Styles made his much-rumored and highly-anticipated WWE debut, entering at No. 3 to a thunderous ovation. He remained in the match for more than 27 minutes and got a thorough showcase, highlighting his talents before getting tossed by Kevin Owens. He got another sustained ovation after being eliminated and drank in the crowd's love before heading to the back. He will likely be positioned as a serious player and could have a built-in feud with Owens.
- Bray Wyatt and his Wyatt Family fell short of their goal of winning the Rumble, but made good on their threat to eliminate Brock Lesnar. A staredown between Bray and Brock was passionately well-received by the arena. You can all but carve Wyatt vs. Lesnar in stone for WrestleMania. (In other Wyatt Family news, Braun Strowman singlehandedly eliminated both Kane and Big Show, which puts him in rarified air as far as big men go.)
- Kofi Kingston evaded elimination for as long as possible while sitting on the shoulders of Big E, but eventually got eliminated by Chris Jericho. The New Day vs. Jericho beef looks to continue. Jericho was also given a real showcase on Sunday, staying in the Rumble for 50 minutes, longer than anyone but Reigns. (Of course, Jericho was actually in the ring that whole time, unlike Reigns.)
- The key comedy spot in the match went to R-Truth, who is still working his dynamite absentminded wrestler gimmick. He raced to the ring, retrieved a ladder from underneath it, set it up in the ring and started climbing. When he found no Money in the Bank briefcase at the top, he suddenly realized he was in the Royal Rumble and was sent packing shortly thereafter.
- The big NXT debut was Sami Zayn, making only his second-ever appearance on a main roster show since his match against John Cena on May 4 of last year, when he suffered an injury that kept him out of action until December. He went straight for Kevin Owens and the two lifelong best friends and rivals went at it like nobody's business. Zayn eliminated Owens, so these two might be destined for a program against each other heading into WrestleMania. (Of course, Zayn still has unfinished business in NXT and if there's any feud that can be left to simmer, it's this one.) Owens continued to look like a tough-as-hell monster, limping out to the Rumble after having gone through hell earlier in the evening.
- Ambrose also looked terrific, not only winning his Last Man Standing Match and going nearly 30 minutes in the Rumble, but also being the runner-up and coming a hair's breadth from winning the whole thing. He has a legitimate claim to a title shot ... which just might be enough incentive for him to turn towards an alliance with the Authority and away from his friendship with Reigns.
- Of course, the biggest happening was Triple H winning his first world title in just under seven years (and 14th overall). The Authority's revenge on Reigns is complete and Triple H is set to hold the belt heading into WrestleMania. Of course, no matter who is holding the title when April rolls around, we will see Triple H vs. Roman Reigns in a singles match at WrestleMania.
There's bound to be plenty of fallout on RAW Monday night, but the Royal Rumble was nothing if not eventful. We learned a lot, but there are a lot more pieces that have yet to fall in place. The Road to WrestleMania has begun and it looks like it will be a wild ride.
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