At Royal Rumble, Edge and Bianca Belair each outlasted 29 other Superstars to win their respective Royal Rumble Matches, Universal Champion Roman Reigns scored a controversial victory over Kevin Owens in a Last Man Standing Match, WWE Champion Drew McIntyre overcame Goldberg, Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax reclaimed the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship from Charlotte Flair & Asuka, and SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks conquered Carmella.
WWE Women's Tag Team Championship: Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler defeated WWE WOMEN'S TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS, Charlotte Flair & RAW Women's Champion, Asuka.
Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler upended Charlotte Flair & Raw Women’s Champion Asuka to regain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles on the Royal Rumble Kickoff, but the record books will show the match was anything but a fair fight.
Jax & Baszler went for a divide-and-conquer strategy, trying to eliminate Asuka from the equation while focusing a steely attack on The Queen. Despite the considerable headwinds, The Queen turned the tide by taking out both challengers with a huge moonsault to the floor before cinching a Figure-Eight Leglock on Baszler.
With Charlotte on the verge of a submission victory, Ric Flair and Lacey Evans entered the arena, setting off a series of costly distractions that culminated with Flair slipping Evans a foreign object. Evans then blasted Charlotte with her fortified Woman’s Right behind the referee’s back, leaving Charlotte easy prey for a Jax leg drop and the 1-2-3.
Although Charlotte vowed prior to the match that her ongoing issues with her dad and Lacey wouldn’t diminish her focus on the Women’s Tag Team Titles, the latest onslaught proves that some obstacles lay even outside The Queen’s domain. (Via WWE.com)
Jax & Baszler went for a divide-and-conquer strategy, trying to eliminate Asuka from the equation while focusing a steely attack on The Queen. Despite the considerable headwinds, The Queen turned the tide by taking out both challengers with a huge moonsault to the floor before cinching a Figure-Eight Leglock on Baszler.
With Charlotte on the verge of a submission victory, Ric Flair and Lacey Evans entered the arena, setting off a series of costly distractions that culminated with Flair slipping Evans a foreign object. Evans then blasted Charlotte with her fortified Woman’s Right behind the referee’s back, leaving Charlotte easy prey for a Jax leg drop and the 1-2-3.
Although Charlotte vowed prior to the match that her ongoing issues with her dad and Lacey wouldn’t diminish her focus on the Women’s Tag Team Titles, the latest onslaught proves that some obstacles lay even outside The Queen’s domain. (Via WWE.com)
WWE Championship: WWE CHAMPION, Drew McIntyre defeated WWE Hall of Famer, Goldberg.
Goldberg’s streak of dethroning World Champions in emphatic fashion has come to an end at the hands of Drew McIntyre.
Pre-match jaw-jacking led to McIntyre headbutting and Spearing Goldberg to the floor, and Goldberg quickly returned the favor by Spearing The Scottish Warrior through the ringside barricade.
Clutching his ribs, McIntyre reentered the ring and angrily demanded that the ref start the match. Once the bell rang, Goldberg charged for another Spear but was met by a Claymore Kick, which shockingly yielded only a two-count. The WWE Hall of Famer avoided a second Claymore and nailed two more Spears and a Jackhammer, but it wasn’t enough to keep the champion down.
Goldberg charged once more, but McIntyre avoided the impact and returned fire with another Claymore Kick, this one cementing the pinfall.
With the win, McIntyre not only denied the WWE Hall of Famer his opportunity to claim the one title that has eluded him in his career, but he also accomplished a feat that not even The Fiend nor Brock Lesnar before him could do: Stop Goldberg in his first attempt.
After the match, Goldberg made clear that McIntyre had passed his test, and the two gladiators shook hands in a show of mutual respect.
The showdown didn’t last long, but it was every bit the battle of alpha heavyweights that McIntyre promised it would be. (Via WWE.com)
Pre-match jaw-jacking led to McIntyre headbutting and Spearing Goldberg to the floor, and Goldberg quickly returned the favor by Spearing The Scottish Warrior through the ringside barricade.
Clutching his ribs, McIntyre reentered the ring and angrily demanded that the ref start the match. Once the bell rang, Goldberg charged for another Spear but was met by a Claymore Kick, which shockingly yielded only a two-count. The WWE Hall of Famer avoided a second Claymore and nailed two more Spears and a Jackhammer, but it wasn’t enough to keep the champion down.
Goldberg charged once more, but McIntyre avoided the impact and returned fire with another Claymore Kick, this one cementing the pinfall.
With the win, McIntyre not only denied the WWE Hall of Famer his opportunity to claim the one title that has eluded him in his career, but he also accomplished a feat that not even The Fiend nor Brock Lesnar before him could do: Stop Goldberg in his first attempt.
After the match, Goldberg made clear that McIntyre had passed his test, and the two gladiators shook hands in a show of mutual respect.
The showdown didn’t last long, but it was every bit the battle of alpha heavyweights that McIntyre promised it would be. (Via WWE.com)
SmackDown Women's Championship: SMACKDOWN WOMEN'S CHAMPION, Sasha Banks defeated Carmella (with Reginald) by submission.
Like a corked bottle of champagne that’s been left out for too long, Carmella fell flat in her attempt to dethrone SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks at Royal Rumble.
That’s not to say The Legit Boss had an easy path to victory. Carmella’s sommelier, Reginald, provided a timely distraction that turned the match in his employer’s favor. Carmella then exploited the advantage with her own cruel tactics, tying Banks’s hair around the bottom rope and stomping her viciously.
At a critical juncture in the match, Carmella flung Sasha to the floor and into Reginald’s waiting arms. The Boss deftly spun “Reggie” head over heels with a headscissors takedown, and not long after, the referee, having had enough of Reginald’s antics, ejected him from ringside.
Despite the loss of her sommelier, Carmella continued taking the fight Banks, leveling her with a high-risk dive to the floor and gaining a near-fall off a pair of pinpoint-accurate superkicks. Nonetheless, Sasha managed to stay alive and snap on the Bank Statement, forcing a tapout.
While the result leaves Carmella in search of a palate-cleanser, The Blueprint will now be keeping close tabs on tonight’s Royal Rumble Match, which may well determine her opponent at WrestleMania 37. (Via WWE.com)
That’s not to say The Legit Boss had an easy path to victory. Carmella’s sommelier, Reginald, provided a timely distraction that turned the match in his employer’s favor. Carmella then exploited the advantage with her own cruel tactics, tying Banks’s hair around the bottom rope and stomping her viciously.
At a critical juncture in the match, Carmella flung Sasha to the floor and into Reginald’s waiting arms. The Boss deftly spun “Reggie” head over heels with a headscissors takedown, and not long after, the referee, having had enough of Reginald’s antics, ejected him from ringside.
Despite the loss of her sommelier, Carmella continued taking the fight Banks, leveling her with a high-risk dive to the floor and gaining a near-fall off a pair of pinpoint-accurate superkicks. Nonetheless, Sasha managed to stay alive and snap on the Bank Statement, forcing a tapout.
While the result leaves Carmella in search of a palate-cleanser, The Blueprint will now be keeping close tabs on tonight’s Royal Rumble Match, which may well determine her opponent at WrestleMania 37. (Via WWE.com)
Bianca Belair won the 2021 Royal Rumble Match by last elimination Rhea Ripley.
The EST of WWE Is headed to WrestleMania.
In only her second appearance in WWE’s annual over-the-top-rope melee, Bianca Belair outlasted a Superstar-studded field to win the 2021 Royal Rumble Match. Making the feat more remarkable was the way she did it: entering at No. 3 and lasting more than 56 minutes, setting a record among female Rumblers.
Preceding Belair in the fray were her recent rival, Bayley (No. 1), and the returning Naomi (No. 2), both of whom gave a good accounting of themselves before being eliminated (Bayley at the hands of Belair around the 30-minute mark, and Naomi by Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler after more than 47 minutes).
With a new entrant arriving every 90 seconds, the action never let up, except, perhaps, for Billie Kay (No. 4), who split her time between joining commentators at the announce desk and propositioning other entrants to be her teammate before entering the ring. (Kay’s overtures were rejected by everyone until former Divas Champion Jillian Hall agreed to form a short-lived “Billie & Jillie” union.)
Hall was only one of several surprise entrants, ranging from two-time Women’s Champion Victoria and WWE Hall of Famer Torrie Wilson, to NXT Superstars like Toni Storm and Ember Moon, to the returning Lana, not seen since being taken out by Jax last month. Former Divas Champion Alicia Fox not only saw action, but even won championship gold, albeit briefly, by pinning 24/7 Champion R-Truth, who mistakenly thought he was entering the night’s other Royal Rumble Match. (Truth regained the title moments later before being chased away from ringside by a swarm of would-be contenders.)
Several Superstars threatened to change the complexion of the Royal Rumble in the blink of an eye. Jax and Baszler teamed up to run roughshod for a period of time, until Jax, underscoring the every-Superstar-for-herself dynamic of the match, sent Baszler flying. (In a fateful twist, Jax was later disposed of by Lana — payback, no doubt, for Jax’s many beatdowns of Lana in the past.)
The ominous arrival of Alexa Bliss (No. 27) drew the attention of all the other competitors, who quickly piled on Bliss. Just as she was about to metamorphize into her sinister alter-ego, however, Rhea Ripley upended her.
The Nightmare eliminated the most Superstars of the match, tossing seven in total. She very nearly went the distance, too, ending up in the final four alongside Belair, last year’s Royal Rumble Match winner Charlotte Flair (No. 15) and the final entrant, Natalya.
Ripley dumped Natalya and, after a tense back-and-forth, joined forces with The EST of WWE to ditch Flair. With a prized match at WrestleMania hanging in the balance, Ripley and Belair traded one big move after another until Belair clotheslined The Nightmare out of the ring to claim the monumental, career-changing win. (Via WWE.com)
In only her second appearance in WWE’s annual over-the-top-rope melee, Bianca Belair outlasted a Superstar-studded field to win the 2021 Royal Rumble Match. Making the feat more remarkable was the way she did it: entering at No. 3 and lasting more than 56 minutes, setting a record among female Rumblers.
Preceding Belair in the fray were her recent rival, Bayley (No. 1), and the returning Naomi (No. 2), both of whom gave a good accounting of themselves before being eliminated (Bayley at the hands of Belair around the 30-minute mark, and Naomi by Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler after more than 47 minutes).
With a new entrant arriving every 90 seconds, the action never let up, except, perhaps, for Billie Kay (No. 4), who split her time between joining commentators at the announce desk and propositioning other entrants to be her teammate before entering the ring. (Kay’s overtures were rejected by everyone until former Divas Champion Jillian Hall agreed to form a short-lived “Billie & Jillie” union.)
Hall was only one of several surprise entrants, ranging from two-time Women’s Champion Victoria and WWE Hall of Famer Torrie Wilson, to NXT Superstars like Toni Storm and Ember Moon, to the returning Lana, not seen since being taken out by Jax last month. Former Divas Champion Alicia Fox not only saw action, but even won championship gold, albeit briefly, by pinning 24/7 Champion R-Truth, who mistakenly thought he was entering the night’s other Royal Rumble Match. (Truth regained the title moments later before being chased away from ringside by a swarm of would-be contenders.)
Several Superstars threatened to change the complexion of the Royal Rumble in the blink of an eye. Jax and Baszler teamed up to run roughshod for a period of time, until Jax, underscoring the every-Superstar-for-herself dynamic of the match, sent Baszler flying. (In a fateful twist, Jax was later disposed of by Lana — payback, no doubt, for Jax’s many beatdowns of Lana in the past.)
The ominous arrival of Alexa Bliss (No. 27) drew the attention of all the other competitors, who quickly piled on Bliss. Just as she was about to metamorphize into her sinister alter-ego, however, Rhea Ripley upended her.
The Nightmare eliminated the most Superstars of the match, tossing seven in total. She very nearly went the distance, too, ending up in the final four alongside Belair, last year’s Royal Rumble Match winner Charlotte Flair (No. 15) and the final entrant, Natalya.
Ripley dumped Natalya and, after a tense back-and-forth, joined forces with The EST of WWE to ditch Flair. With a prized match at WrestleMania hanging in the balance, Ripley and Belair traded one big move after another until Belair clotheslined The Nightmare out of the ring to claim the monumental, career-changing win. (Via WWE.com)
WWE Universal Championship: WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPION, Roman Reigns (with Paul Heyman) defeated Kevin Owens. (Last Man Standing match)
Since the start of his rivalry with Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns has thrown KO from the rafters of the ThunderDome and beaten him in a TLC Match. Despite all this, Owens refused to quit his campaign against the brash Universal Champion.
Yet, after the thrashing he and The Big Dog put each other through in their barbaric Last Man Standing Match at Royal Rumble, KO simply had no choice but to finally stay down.
Both Superstars landed huge hits in the early goings, with Owens landing the Pop-up Powerbomb and Reigns uncorking a Superman Punch. Under normal circumstances, either impact would likely be enough to end a match, but a Last Man Standing Match — in which the only way to win is by incapacitating your opponent for a count of 10 — is anything but normal.
The risks grew higher and higher as the brawl sprawled throughout the WWE ThunderDome. In one of the more terrifying scenes, Reigns launched KO off a high staging area through a table, but Owens got to his feet in the nick of time. Moments later, as Owens staggered into the backstage area, Reigns drove into him with a golf cart, sending Owens crashing through the plexiglass windshield. Still, Owens fought on.
When Reigns took the opportunity to mock Owens’ grandfather, as he did two nights ago on SmackDown, it awoke a new fighting spirit in the challenger, and Owens launched a revised attack that culminated with a senton off the top of a forklift through a table. Barely, Reigns regained his vertical base.
The battle then returned to the arena, where Reigns Speared Owens through the LED screens. Battered and beaten, Owens nonetheless had the wherewithal to roll off the stage and onto his feet. The Head of the Table later emerged with a pair of handcuffs, but Owens cleverly turned the tables and cuffed Reigns to a lighting rig. The referee nearly counted to 10, but Reigns stopped the count by pulling the official head-first into the steel structure.
Reigns followed with a low blow on Owens and, once freed from the handcuffs by Paul Heyman, locked on the Guillotine, rendering Owens unconscious and unable to answer the count of a replacement official.
Rarely has the WWE Universe borne witness to a fight as grueling and deeply personal as this. (Via WWE.com)
Yet, after the thrashing he and The Big Dog put each other through in their barbaric Last Man Standing Match at Royal Rumble, KO simply had no choice but to finally stay down.
Both Superstars landed huge hits in the early goings, with Owens landing the Pop-up Powerbomb and Reigns uncorking a Superman Punch. Under normal circumstances, either impact would likely be enough to end a match, but a Last Man Standing Match — in which the only way to win is by incapacitating your opponent for a count of 10 — is anything but normal.
The risks grew higher and higher as the brawl sprawled throughout the WWE ThunderDome. In one of the more terrifying scenes, Reigns launched KO off a high staging area through a table, but Owens got to his feet in the nick of time. Moments later, as Owens staggered into the backstage area, Reigns drove into him with a golf cart, sending Owens crashing through the plexiglass windshield. Still, Owens fought on.
When Reigns took the opportunity to mock Owens’ grandfather, as he did two nights ago on SmackDown, it awoke a new fighting spirit in the challenger, and Owens launched a revised attack that culminated with a senton off the top of a forklift through a table. Barely, Reigns regained his vertical base.
The battle then returned to the arena, where Reigns Speared Owens through the LED screens. Battered and beaten, Owens nonetheless had the wherewithal to roll off the stage and onto his feet. The Head of the Table later emerged with a pair of handcuffs, but Owens cleverly turned the tables and cuffed Reigns to a lighting rig. The referee nearly counted to 10, but Reigns stopped the count by pulling the official head-first into the steel structure.
Reigns followed with a low blow on Owens and, once freed from the handcuffs by Paul Heyman, locked on the Guillotine, rendering Owens unconscious and unable to answer the count of a replacement official.
Rarely has the WWE Universe borne witness to a fight as grueling and deeply personal as this. (Via WWE.com)
WWE Hall of Famer, Edge won the 2021 Men's Royal Rumble Match by last eliminating Randy Orton.
Ten years after winning the 2011 Royal Rumble Match, Edge once again returned to the mountaintop, prevailing in the 2021 Royal Rumble Match and writing a remarkable new chapter in the most improbable of comeback stories.
That The Rated-R Superstar was the last Superstar standing wasn’t only impressive — it was practically unfathomable. Not only was it the WWE Hall of Famer’s first match since tearing his triceps against Randy Orton seven months ago, but Edge was also operating from the extreme disadvantage of entering at No. 1.
Intent on settling score with The Viper, Edge walloped Orton with a steel chair during the match’s chaotic opening minutes. The attack left Orton limping and seemingly unable to continue, as referees assisted him to the locker room, where he was tended to by WWE’s medical team.
With The Apex Predator thought to be out of the picture, the carnage continued inside the ring. Surprise entrants included former NXT North American Champion Damian Priest and the most dominant competitor in Royal Rumble Match history, Kane. Perhaps the biggest shocker of all was the arrival of former World Heavyweight Champion Christian at No. 24. Competing in his first true match since 2014, Christian was greeted with a hug by Edge, his best friend and longtime teammate. Seth Rollins, meanwhile, returned to action for the first time since Survivor Series, entering second to last.
Although not an official entrant, Bad Bunny, who performed his hit song “Booker T” earlier in the night, also made his presence felt, distracting The Miz and John Morrison long enough for Damian Priest to eliminate them, a bit of payback for The Miz having destroyed Bad Bunny’s turntables.
AJ Styles benefited from the presence of Omos at ringside, as the gigantic Superstar not only helped eliminate Superstars like Big E and Rey Mysterio, but also kept The Phenomenal One from being tossed. That is, until Braun Strowman finally tossed Styles out of the ring, away from Omos’ long reach.
The field boiled down to Rollins, Strowman, Christian and Edge, with Christian and Strowman eliminated simultaneously by Rollins, who snuck up from behind to toss them both to the ringside floor. The Messiah tried to Stomp Edge, but The Rated-R Superstar sidestepped the attack and threw out Rollins. Still, Edge evidently had one more obstacle to overcome, as Orton reappeared out of the blue to deliver an RKO. Ever the ring veteran, Edge reversed Orton’s subsequent elimination attempt and sent The Legend Killer tumbling to the floor.
Now, only one question remains: Which champion will Edge choose to challenge at The Showcase of the Immortals? (Via WWE.com)
That The Rated-R Superstar was the last Superstar standing wasn’t only impressive — it was practically unfathomable. Not only was it the WWE Hall of Famer’s first match since tearing his triceps against Randy Orton seven months ago, but Edge was also operating from the extreme disadvantage of entering at No. 1.
Intent on settling score with The Viper, Edge walloped Orton with a steel chair during the match’s chaotic opening minutes. The attack left Orton limping and seemingly unable to continue, as referees assisted him to the locker room, where he was tended to by WWE’s medical team.
With The Apex Predator thought to be out of the picture, the carnage continued inside the ring. Surprise entrants included former NXT North American Champion Damian Priest and the most dominant competitor in Royal Rumble Match history, Kane. Perhaps the biggest shocker of all was the arrival of former World Heavyweight Champion Christian at No. 24. Competing in his first true match since 2014, Christian was greeted with a hug by Edge, his best friend and longtime teammate. Seth Rollins, meanwhile, returned to action for the first time since Survivor Series, entering second to last.
Although not an official entrant, Bad Bunny, who performed his hit song “Booker T” earlier in the night, also made his presence felt, distracting The Miz and John Morrison long enough for Damian Priest to eliminate them, a bit of payback for The Miz having destroyed Bad Bunny’s turntables.
AJ Styles benefited from the presence of Omos at ringside, as the gigantic Superstar not only helped eliminate Superstars like Big E and Rey Mysterio, but also kept The Phenomenal One from being tossed. That is, until Braun Strowman finally tossed Styles out of the ring, away from Omos’ long reach.
The field boiled down to Rollins, Strowman, Christian and Edge, with Christian and Strowman eliminated simultaneously by Rollins, who snuck up from behind to toss them both to the ringside floor. The Messiah tried to Stomp Edge, but The Rated-R Superstar sidestepped the attack and threw out Rollins. Still, Edge evidently had one more obstacle to overcome, as Orton reappeared out of the blue to deliver an RKO. Ever the ring veteran, Edge reversed Orton’s subsequent elimination attempt and sent The Legend Killer tumbling to the floor.
Now, only one question remains: Which champion will Edge choose to challenge at The Showcase of the Immortals? (Via WWE.com)