RoyalRumble - Full Results

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Naomi, Nikki Bella & Becky Lynch def. SmackDown Women's Champion Alexa Bliss, Mickie James & Natalya



SAN ANTONIO – Alexa Bliss is now feeling the heat — and, dare we say, the glow — courtesy of a breakout performance from Naomi on the Royal Rumble Kickoff.

Long pegged by the WWE Universe as a champion-in-waiting, the Total Divas star made her biggest statement yet in the Six-Woman Tag Team Match that opened the Kickoff portion.

The bout, a conflagration of SmackDown LIVE’s various rivalries, started off in fairly-expected fashion with Natalya going nose-to-nose with a newly raven-haired Nikki Bella.

Yet things quickly got mixed-and-matched when Becky Lynch, Nikki and Naomi joined forces for a triple suplex of Bliss, Natalya & Mickie James.

Naomi then delivered the first big solo moment of the match, executing a cross body to all three of her team’s foes on the outside.

James, making her WWE pay-per-view return, helped to neutralize Lynch following Naomi’s acrobatics.

She set Becky up for a Dungeon-style submission onslaught from Natalya, then booting her from behind the ref’s back when Alexa tagged in to play cleanup.

Thanks to some strategy from Natalya that took Naomi and Nikki off the apron, The Irish Lass Kicker soon found herself stranded and at Bliss’ mercy … until she managed to tag in a fresh Naomi.

The onetime Funkadactyl immediately took flight. With a timely assist from her teammates — a Bexploder Suplex to Mickie and a Bella spear to Natalya — she finally capped off the effort with a split-legged moonsault to Bliss, leaving her team to bask in the glow while Alexa found herself looking up at the lights.

Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson def. Cesaro & Sheamus to win the Raw Tag Team Championships



SAN ANTONIO – The Royal Rumble 2017 Kickoff proved ”Too Sweet” for the duo of Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson.

The good brothers laid claim to the Raw Tag Team Championship after laying waste to reigning champions Cesaro & Sheamus.

The victory marks the first-ever tag team title reign in WWE for the bruisers in black.
Though, to be fair, it certainly didn’t come easy. The duo’s recent run-in with The Swiss Superman and The Celtic Warrior on Raw Jan. 16 showcased just how unruly and contentious their rivalry had grown.

After Sheamus accidentally knocked out the match’s referee, John Cone, a second referee entered to administer the three-count.

Unfortunately for Gallows & Anderson, Cone regained consciousness and ruled the championship match a disqualification, thus denying Gallows & Anderson the titles.

As a result of the chaos, two referees were assigned to the Raw Tag Team Championship Match at the Royal Rumble Kickoff. Good thing, too, as it didn’t take long for the pandemonium to set in.

The Swiss Superman leveled Anderson with an uppercut and nearly ended the match early before his opponent kicked out at two.

Cesaro then executed a Swiss-One-Nine for another opportunity to retain, only to have Anderson kick out once again at two.

In a strange twist, history nearly repeated itself when Sheamus again accidentally knocked referee John Cone from the ring.

Luckily, the second official, Darrick Moore, was quick on his feet; he leaped into the ring to oversee the match just in time to witness Gallows & Anderson hit The Celtic Warrior with the Magic Killer.

Though Cesaro clotheslined Gallows out of the ring before he could pin the Irishman, the move left The Swiss Superman vulnerable.

Anderson took advantage, rolling up Cesaro and grabbing a handful of tights for the three-count.
As a result, Cesaro & Sheamus’ 42-day reign came to an abrupt end.

And though the reign of Raw Tag Team Champions Gallows & Anderson may have just begun, their attitude of “being mean and making green” continues with no sign of letting up.

Nia Jax def. Sasha Banks



SAN ANTONIO — Since Nia Jax exacerbated Sasha Banks’ knee injury before Raw two weeks ago, The Boss has owed her attacker no small amount of payback.

Yet, despite her intense desire for retribution, Banks succumbed to the raw power of Jax during the Royal Rumble Kickoff.

Neutralizing the intense athleticism of her smaller opponent, the ruthless Nia kept The Boss on the defensive for much of the bout, targeting her injured left knee and tossing Banks around the ring like a ragdoll.

Despite Sasha’s multiple attempts to mount an offensive comeback, Nia ultimately scored a pinfall after dazing The Boss with a vicious Samoan drop.

After suffering an unexpectedly swift defeat at the hands of one of the most dangerous Superstars in Team Red’s Women’s division, can Banks bounce back?

Raw Women's Champion Charlotte Flair def. Bayley



SAN ANTONIO — Bayley came to the Alamodome with designs on Charlotte Flair’s Raw Women’s Championship at Royal Rumble.

However, in the end, more than 52,000 in attendance watched as “The Queen of Pay-Per-View” merely adjusted her crown.

The latest victory for the Flair heiress in her ever-expanding pay-per-view win streak (she now sits at 16 straight victories in pay-per-view title matches) did not come as easily as she predicted — it would be fair to call Bayley’s effort one of the grittier among the fallen — but come it did, ensuring that Charlotte begins The Road to WrestleMania with her most precious jewel intact.

Befitting of her wheelin’-dealin’ lineage, Charlotte took advantage early on by ramming Bayley head-first into the rock-hard ring apron.

That took the wind out of The Huggable One’s sails for minutes on end, until a double-clothesline put The Queen on her heels.

As Charlotte stumbled, Bayley began a massive comeback, nearly caving in Charlotte’s sternum with a pitch-perfect, Randy Savage-like elbow drop.

Battered and bruised from Bayley’s offense, Charlotte attempted to connive her way to victory again with a rope-assisted Figure-Eight Leglock.

The official managed to break up the illegal maneuver, but not before significant damage had been done to The Huggable One’s knee.

Bayley’s injury only worsened when she used her knees to block a moonsault from Charlotte, and when her last-ditch effort fell short, the champion capitalized with Natural Selection onto the ring apron to deny Bayley her dream.

While The Huggable One returns to the drawing board, Charlotte marches along a gilded path that is beginning to look more and more like destiny.

WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens def. Roman Reigns (No Disqualification Match, with Chris Jericho suspended above the ring in a shark cage)



SAN ANTONIO — Thanks to Braun Strowman’s destructive invasion, WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens proved his doubters wrong yet again, walking out of Royal Rumble and his No Disqualification Match against Roman Reigns with Raw’s top prize.

WWE’s prizefighter and Chris Jericho did their best to take advantage of the contest’s No Disqualification stipulation, initially delivering a 2-on-1 assault against The Big Dog before the bell sounded.

Reigns battled back, however, allowing the timekeeper to start the match and the United States Champion to be hoisted above the squared circle, trapped inside a locked shark cage.

The titleholder and his challenger wasted no time getting down to business, fighting through the crowd and outside the ring.

Both KO and “The Guy” took full advantage of the contest’s unruly proviso, while The Ayatollah of Rock ‘n’ Rolla could do nothing but cheer his best friend on from his steel surroundings above the ring.

Reigns looked to be in control of the contest before Owens delivered a Frog Splash off the top rope onto the black-clad Superstar, who was strewn on top of a table outside the ring.

Amazingly, the resilient Reigns managed to kick out, but continued to receive a brutal beating from KO.

As if Reigns going face-first into a steel chair wasn’t enough, Jericho dropped brass knuckles from his perch above the ring to Owens.

Wearing the foreign object around his hand, KO would ultimately connect with his own version of the Superman Punch on Reigns.

The former WWE Champion would not be kept down, though, once again battling back and throttling Owens with a wicked Samoan drop onto a steel chair.

As the two foes continued their epic fight, more than 52,000 fans in attendance at the Alamodome erupted into a frenzy when Owens countered Reigns’ Spear, hitting a Stunner on his opponent.

The instant classic moved to the corner of the ring, where Reigns delivered a brutal Superman Punch on The Prizefighter.

KO fell from the top rope, crashing down through a pyramid of steel chairs that had been set up outside the ring.

Jericho could do nothing but watch in horror from above as Reigns went a step further and powerbombed an embattled Owens through one of the announce tables.

Reigns then set up the titleholder for some finishing touches, but just as the challenger aimed to strike with a potential championship-clinching Spear, Braun Strowman suddenly emerged and pulled Reigns from the ring.

After throwing the No. 1 contender into the steel post, The Monster Among Men viciously chokeslammed him on top of another announce table.

Strowman then finished the job, drilling Reigns with a running powerslam through a table set up in the corner of the ring.

A barely-recovered Owens then proceeded to crawl on top of a motionless Reigns, picking up the pinfall victory.

Thanks to another opportunistic victory, The Kevin Owens Show will be front and center as The Road to WrestleMania 33 kicks into high gear.

Yet it also begs the question: As The Show of Shows nears, where will Braun Strowman ultimately fit in?

Neville def. Rich Swann to win the WWE Cruiserweight Championship



Live in front of 52,020 WWE Universe members packed inside the Alamodome, Neville grounded the high-flying Rich Swann to become WWE Cruiserweight Champion at Royal Rumble.

Neville’s new, ruthless attitude was on full display in San Antonio, where he combined aerial attacks and vicious strikes to put Swann — Neville’s former friend and apprentice in Japan — on the defensive in the bout’s early goings.

The merciless challenger was methodical in his assault, a stark contract from the explosive arsenal of the defending champion, but the battle-weary Swann’s brief bursts of offense just weren’t enough to keep Neville down long enough for the three-count.

Absorbing a swift kick to the skull from Swann, the resilient Neville nearly suffered defeat before wisely putting his foot on the bottom rope to break the count.

As Swann ascended to the top rope to finish off his foe shortly after that debilitating strike, Neville stunned Swann with a superplex, then made the champion pass out to the Rings of Saturn submission maneuver.

Now that The King of the Cruiserweights has finally become the ruler of the Cruiserweight division on both Raw and WWE Network’s 205 Live, what can we expect from the outspoken Englishman?

John Cena def. AJ Styles to win the WWE Championship



SAN ANTONIO – It’s official! At Royal Rumble 2017, John Cena did the impossible: He tied Ric Flair’s hallowed record of 16 World Title wins after defeating AJ Styles in an emotional match witnessed by 52,020 frenzied fans inside the Alamodome.

For years, it seemed inconceivable that any Superstar could approach Flair’s record, let alone match it.

Year after year, however, The Champ continued his hard work and determination, relentless in his drive to elevate himself.

And though he captured the United States Championship just 14 months ago, he hadn’t won a World Title since June 29, 2014.

That perseverance, however, would pay hefty dividends at Royal Rumble in his pursuit of the WWE Championship.

The record-breaking victory was far from guaranteed. After all, Styles, who debuted at Royal Rumble 2016, has enjoyed what has been, arguably, the most impressive rookie year in WWE history.

Not only did he defeat Cena at SummerSlam, he also captured the WWE Championship a month later at Backlash.

And one month after that, The Phenomenal One successfully defended his title against Cena and Dean Ambrose in a Triple Threat Match at WWE No Mercy.

Styles wanted desperately to keep that momentum racing into his Royal Rumble bout.
Early in the historic match, Styles hoisted his opponent upon his shoulders for an Argentine Backbreaker, then transitioned into a Spinning Powerbomb before covering Cena, who managed to kick out at two.

The two competitors would trade punishing maneuvers as Cena leveled his opponent with an Attitude Adjustment.

After kicking out at a heart-stopping two-count, Styles would soon take to the air, raining down on Cena with a Phenomenal Elbow.

After trading a ferocious series of blows, The Champ, perhaps in an homage to the man whose record he was chasing, snapped on Flair’s signature Figure-Four Leglock, but Styles powered out and countered with a cross armbreaker.

As the chants from the WWE Universe grew louder, The Phenomenal One flattened Cena with the Styles Clash.

Unbelievably, it would not be enough. Cena would fight back, even climbing to the second rope before heaving Styles onto the canvas with an Attitude Adjustment.

Styles would, somehow, some way, kick out at two and later pummel Cena with a second Styles Clash.

The Cenation Leader refused to let the record slip between his fingers, though.
Instead, he pushed The Phenomenal One over the edge with, not one, but two more Attitude Adjustments.

This time, there was nowhere to go for Styles, who had finally failed to escape the match-ending pin.

The emotion of his milestone was nearly overwhelming for Cena as the crowd showered The Champ with reverential applause, and soaked up a moment that will forever live in WWE history.

Randy Orton won the 30-Superstar Royal Rumble Match



SAN ANTONIO – The Wyatt Family is headed to the main event of WrestleMania 33, but not the member you might expect.

In front of 52,020 WWE fans at the Alamodome, recently converted Wyatt acolyte Randy Orton won his second Royal Rumble Match and punched his ticket to the main event of WrestleMania 33.

The Viper’s victory was the capper to a Rumble Match that had no shortage of delights, shocks and surprise entrants, and truly made good on the promise of “Friend vs. Friend, Foe vs. Foe, Every Man for Himself.”

Don’t believe us? Let’s review:

•  The question of “Who can eliminate Braun Strowman?” was answered, emphatically — Baron Corbin, with an assist
...from Dean Ambrose and Sami Zayn

•  Goldberg obliterated Brock Lesnar again, eliminating him almost immediately after he entered the match, and The
...Undertaker did the same to Goldberg

•  Kofi Kingston staved off elimination in spectacular fashion

•  Beloved NXT Superstar Tye Dillinger entered at — yep — No. 10

•  Jack Gallagher repped the Cruiserweights by hitting Chris Jericho in the crotch with William the Umbrella

•  After Cesaro & Sheamus eliminated all of The New Day, The Celtic Warrior tried to toss out his own partner, and a
...face-to-face ensued after Jericho dumped them both

•  The WWE Universe was treated to not only five big-man showdowns – Braun Strowman vs. Mark Henry, Strowman vs.
...Big Show, Goldberg vs. Lesnar, Goldberg vs. The Undertaker, and The Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns – but also the
...surreal (and short) sight of Enzo Amore vs. The Beast Incarnate

However, once The Wyatts entered the match — Bray himself was the first at No. 21 — the complexion of the melee changed almost instantly.

Orton RKO’d everyone in sight after his own entrance, seemingly clearing the way for the ultimate triumph of The New Face of Fear.

The on-the-outs Luke Harper seemed as though he was on a mission to re-earn Wyatt’s trust at No. 25, but then he went and clobbered the patriarch himself with a discus clothesline.

He would have also administered Sister Abigail had Orton not stopped the betrayal with an RKO.
(Goldberg later eliminated Harper.)

The other, complexion-changing moment of the match was the unexpected arrival of Roman Reigns at No. 30, just hours after losing his bid for the WWE Universal Championship against Kevin Owens.

Not only did The Big Dog eliminate The Undertaker, he cleaned house of several stragglers to bring the bout to a 1-on-2 confrontation with Wyatt and Orton.

Gunning hard for his second Royal Rumble Match win, Reigns managed to power his way out of the Sister Abigail-RKO combo and eliminate The Eater of Worlds.

The Apex Predator struck Reigns quickly thereafter, administering an RKO and tossing the former WWE Champion over the ropes to secure his main-event ticket to The Showcase of the Immortals.

They say that anything can happen in WWE, and although there are some who may claim Orton, as a veteran, was a favorite to win, consider the idea that, should he challenge for the WWE Championship, the champion himself may not be who it is right now after WWE Elimination Chamber.

Added the variable of how Wyatt will respond to his lieutenant achieving a goal he badly wanted for himself, and it’s truly anyone’s guess as to what happens next.

Rumble Match Statistics

Full list of Royal Rumble Match participants and eliminations

...No.... --------	...Name... -------------------------------------	Eliminated -------------------------------------------------	Eliminated By ------------------------------------------------	Time ---------
1	Big Cass		Strowman	9:57
2	Chris Jericho	Sheamus - Cesaro	Reigns	1:00:13
3	Kalisto		Strowman	8:17
4	Mojo Rawley		Strowman	6:16
5	Jack Gallagher		Henry	3:20
6	Mark Henry	Gallagher	Strowman	3:17
7	Braun Strowman	Big Show - Ellsworth - Henry Kalisto - Dillinger - Big Cass Rawley	Corbin	13:11
8	Sami Zayn		Undertaker	46:55
9	Big Show		Strowman	1:42
10	Tye Dillinger		Strowman	5:27
11	James Ellsworth		Strowman	0:15
12	Dean Ambrose		Lesnar	26:55
13	Baron Corbin	Strowman	Undertaker	32:39
14	Kofi Kingston		Sheamus - Cesaro	16:13
15	The Miz		Undertaker	32:44
16	Sheamus	Woods - Kingston - Big E	Jericho	12:13
17	Big E		Sheamus - Cesaro	9:46
18	Rusev		Goldberg	22:31
19	Cesaro	Woods - Kingston - Big E	Jericho	6:44
20	Xavier Woods		Sheamus - Cesaro	4:47
21	Bray Wyatt		Reigns	24:11
22	Apollo Crews		Harper	5:46
23	Randy Orton	Reigns	WINNER	20:52
24	Dolph Ziggler		Lesnar	4:21
25	Luke Harper	Crews	Goldberg	9:56
26	Brock Lesnar	Enzo - Ambrose - Ziggler	Goldberg	4:30
27	Enzo Amore		Lesnar	0:18
28	Goldberg	Lesnar - Rusev - Harper	Undertaker	3:21
29	The Undertaker	Corbin - Goldberg - Miz - Zayn	Reigns	8:46
30	Roman Reigns	Undertaker - Jericho - Wyatt	Orton	5:05

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Total match time 1:02:06