-[crowd cheering] -["Von Dutch" playing]
[Cole] This is Indianapolis, a WWE hotbed, and tonight marks the 8th time
a WWE premium live event has come to this city, WrestleMania, SummerSlam,
Survivor Series and now the Royal Rumble.
For the first time, the home of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts,
Lucas Oil Stadium hosts a WWE live event,
the 38th annual Royal Rumble.
Most important title matchup of his reign, The American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes
in a ladder match tonight with the undisputed WWE championship on the line.
Against this man arriving in style.
Kevin Owens, delusional yet dangerous.
Kevin Owens in possession of the Winged Eagle championship,
despite the fact he's not a champion,
will battle Rhodes for the WWE title tonight.
The winner of the Royal Rumble match may choose this man
to face for the world title on WrestleMania.
He's Gunther, the world champion from Monday Night Raw.
Will this man finally realize his dream of winning the Royal Rumble match
and finally main eventing WrestleMania?
CM Punk is here live.
In 2019, that man, the visionary Seth Rollins won the Royal Rumble.
There's a lot of history for Seth Rollins in the city of Indianapolis.
We'll get into it in the show here tonight.
Last year, Bayley set a record lasting longer than any woman
in the history of the Royal Rumble, one hour, three minutes and one second.
Bayley wants to become just the fifth superstar in history
to win back-to-back Royal Rumbles.
The tag team champions, Bianca Belair and Naomi.
Belair won this Royal Rumble a few years ago.
Naomi had a breakout year, lasted over an hour last year.
Will one of these women win the Rumble tonight?
And for the first time in 5 years,
Roman Reigns is in a Royal Rumble match,
that's because he was the undisputed champion for the other 4 years,
accompanied by his wise man.
Can Roman Reigns repeat what he did in 2015?
And that is win the Royal Rumble match.
[music ends]
[Taylor] Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome
Stephanie McMahon.
♪ Style and grace I'm never gonna be done ♪
♪ Lean on in now Welcome to the Queendom ♪
♪ The Queendom, where the kings bow down ♪
♪ Then relinquish your crown ♪
♪ Y'all gonna hate me now I'll just turn that around ♪
♪ And make you Love me, love me, love me ♪
♪ The Queendom, where the kings bow down ♪
♪ Then relinquish your crown ♪
♪ Y'all gonna hate me now I'll just turn that around ♪
♪ And make you Love me, love me, love me ♪
♪ Look at that girl there Hips, lips, hair ♪
♪ Walks with a flair Like she just don't care ♪
[music ends]
It is an incredible honor to be here
in the amazing city of Indianapolis.
And on Netflix around the world simultaneously,
bringing the WWE universe together as never before.
WWE grows because of you.
Thank you for making this the biggest Rumble in history.
And without further ado,
welcome
to the 2025 Royal Rumble.
♪ It's okay to just admit That you're jealous of me ♪
♪ You're obsessin' Just confess it 'cause it's obvious ♪
♪ I'm your number one, I'm your… ♪
This great state.
This legendary stadium.
[crowd cheering]
This undeniably incredible, incomparable Indianapolis city.
This town Has more heart, more grit, and more determination
than just about anywhere else on planet Earth.
Now,
I know what you're thinking.
"Oh, Pat McAfee, he's an Indy guy. Yeah, super orig.
I'm sure he'd nail a hot cold open video program hubbly bubbly.
How you doing?"
Well, you know what?
You're damn right.
And in case you've been living in a space station for the last 37 years
and are somehow unaware of WWE's Royal Rumble event.
-[crowd] Three…two… -[McAfee] Allow me…
-[McAfee] …to educate you real quick. -[crowd] …one.
[buzzer sounds]
Thirty men,
30 women are gonna come barreling down this glorious entrance ramp
into the ring and, spoiler alert, they aren't looking to hug it out.
It's full send
until there is only one left standing.
All the passion,
all the [bleep] talking, all the history,
everything on the line.
Nothing fires me up more than wrestling in the great state of Indiana.
Let me hear you, Indy.
Let the world hear you, Indy.
And welcome, everybody,
to the 2025 Royal Rumble.
Let's go.
[buzzer sounds]
[narrator] And now WWE presents the Royal Rumble.
[Cole] You are looking live at a sold-out Lucas Oil Stadium.
70,000 WWE fans are here tonight where stars will be made.
Careers will be taken to a new level,
and the road to WrestleMania begins.
Welcome to the 38th Royal Rumble. Hello again, everybody.
For the 28th time, I welcome you to the Royal Rumble.
My partner Wade Barrett and Mr. Indianapolis, Pat McAfee.
Thank you, Cole. It's going to be an honor to work with you, Wade.
There's already been way too much of me tonight because it's not about me,
it's about this city.
It's about these opportunities.
It's about the biggest Royal Rumble ever, and, uh, I'm lucky to be doing it.
I'm thankful to be here with you guys.
If it's the biggest Royal Rumble ever, we need the greatest ring announcer
at WWE today.
Let's head over to Alicia Taylor.
[bell dings]
The following
is the women's
Royal Rumble match.
Two superstars will start inside the ring.
Every two minutes, another superstar will enter the match.
Eliminations will occur when a superstar is thrown over the top rope
with two feet hitting the floor.
The last remaining superstar will be declared the winner
and will go on to main event
WrestleMania.
["Tokyo Shock" playing]
[Taylor] Introducing entrant number one from Tokyo, Japan,
representing Damage Control,
Iyo Sky.
[Cole] The Genius of the Sky,
kicking us off in the women's Royal Rumble match tonight, Wade Barrett.
It is not impossible to run the gauntlet like Bayley did last year
and win the Rumble, but it's damn difficult.
[Barrett] Well, say hello to the unluckiest woman
on planet Earth tonight, Iyo Sky.
Damn, you're right, Cole, it's not impossible, but likely hell no.
And if you drew Iyo Sky in your own little lottery
that you're playing at home,
I'm afraid I got some bad news.
You drew a very, very bad number there.
Poor you.
[Cole] I agree with you, Wade,
and, uh, you know, Iyo Sky is definitely built for it.
She can definitely go on a run.
She has everything you could possibly need, especially a main veteran
in WrestleMania,
but it's going to be a long road here in Indianapolis for Iyo Sky.
[Wade] Yeah.
["Tokyo Shock" continues]
[McAfee] Michael Cole loves meat sticks.
[Cole] Best thing ever.
[Barrett] He's been chomping them all weekend here in Indianapolis.
-[Cole] Housing meat sticks. -[Barrett chuckles]
One after another after another.
-[Cole] A lot of protein. -[McAfee] Absolutely.
[Barrett] Insatiable appetite, Michael Cole.
[Cole] So Iyo Sky, who will she faceoff against in the first few minutes
of this Royal Rumble match?
["Liv Gone Mad" playing]
♪ Watch me ♪
[Taylor] Next, from Elmwood Park, New Jersey,
representing The Judgment Day,
Liv Morgan.
[Cole] Liv Morgan, only one of two women in the history of WWE
who have participated in every single women's Royal Rumble match.
For Liv Morgan, will the third time be a charm?
Wade Barrett, in the last two years,
Liv Morgan finished runner up in this match.
[Barrett] Well, I take back what I said about Iyo Sky.
I think number two is even more unlucky than number one,
because if you do in fact pull off the unthinkable,
run the table, win this whole thing,
you don't even get the glory of being able to say you did it from number one.
But the task is just as difficult.
Bad luck, Liv Morgan.
[Cole] So, Pat, uh, Liv Morgan-- I've said this on a number of occasions.
I really believe that she was the female superstar of the year in 2024,
an incredible year for the former world champ.
[McAfee] Absolutely. Coming back from an injury
and accomplishing every dream that she set out.
And she said it yesterday on the kickoff to the Royal Rumble weekend,
her and Nattie are the only two women to be in every single Royal Rumble
that has happened here at the WWE,
has all the experience to make a long run from number two, not number one,
but still a long night if she wants to earn the one-way trip to Mania.
[Cole] And, Wade, she does have the endurance.
Two years ago, Liv Morgan lasted one minute, eight seconds in this matchup.
-[bell dings] -[McAfee] One minute?
One minute, eight seconds?
[Cole] I'm sorry, one hour, one minute, eight seconds.
[Barrett] That's Michael Cole endurance, one minute, eight seconds.
Of course, Liv is absolutely one of the finest on the planet,
bell to bell, as is Iyo Sky,
but I am surprised by the smiles on their faces as they came out
because, personally, I'd have had a face like thunder if I got this unlucky.
[Cole] Liv Morgan, of course, the Crown Jewel Champion.
Iyo Sky, former Miss Money in the Bank, former Women's World Champ as well.
And Morgan starts things off with Iyo Sky.
Wade, strategy. You've been in Rumble matches.
When you start off early, what do you need to do?
[Barrett] Well, quite simply, there's nowhere to hide when you're one and two,
because it's essentially a one-on-one matchup at this point.
You've just got to live long enough to go and hide at some point in the matchup,
stay small and try and conserve as much energy as you can.
Right now though, it's going to be a war between these two.
[McAfee] Normally you want to maybe end it quick so you can get a rest,
but there's no end in sight here.
So conserving energy here early is a massive ordeal.
[Cole] And Iyo Sky putting on a show
that she wants the World Championship back.
[Barrett] Eliminate somebody incredibly fast, then it's-- Oh.
[Cole] Uh-oh, out to the apron now.
Liv looking to eliminate Iyo early.
Might be a short Royal Rumble match for the Genius of the Sky,
who's now trying to hang on.
[Barrett] Well, what a shocker this would be.
Iyo Sky normally the favorite to win every single match she's ever in
just because of the size of the résumé this woman has built up over the years.
Although from number one, certainly not the favorite.
[Cole] See, you know, Wade, so much-- Uh-oh.
Liv was going for oblivion, blocked by Iyo Sky
and now, looking to dump Liv Morgan out of the ring and eliminate.
Liv was just hanging on.
Remember, both feet must hit the floor to be eliminated
after you go over the top rope.
[Barrett] These women are crazy.
Absolutely no thought to conserving energy at all.
They are dropping the heavy artillery from the off.
-[McAfee] Just going for it, Wade. -[Barrett] All the acrobatics.
They're going for glory.
[Cole] And Liv caught Iyo with a knee.
Next, entrant number three will come in in, uh, six seconds.
[crowd] …five, four, three, two, one.
[McAfee] Iyo Sky's only dominant on the top rope.
[buzzer sounds]
["All Fall Down (Remix 2024)" playing]
[Cole] Ladies and gentlemen, for the third time in her career,
NXT superstar Roxanne Perez enters the Royal Rumble match.
She is the former NXT Women's Champion
and what a tremendous reign, Wade, she had as the NXT champ.
[Barrett] Yeah, absolutely incredible performer.
Once a little young and naive, she's turned rather bitter and vindictive,
as this industry has a tendency to do to young superstars,
but she is improving with every single match,
and surely it's not long before Raw or SmackDown come knocking for this woman.
[McAfee] Yeah, I'm saying she's the future of this industry.
[Cole] She's got a beef with Bayley going on right now and, of course,
the current NXT Women's Champion, Julia.
You know, you made a point before, Pat.
You know, Iyo is the Genius of the Sky,
but you don't want to be working off the ropes for this type of matchup.
[McAfee] Yeah, it takes away one of her massive advantages normally in fights,
but she'll have to figure out a new strategy.
Use it sparingly.
[Cole] And Perez uses Liv Morgan to her advantage.
What makes Perez so dangerous, Wade?
[Barrett] Well, it's the speed of movement, first of all,
that we're seeing from her training with Booker T
and of course extended that one in NXT,
and what a way to announce yourself here
in this Royal Rumble from the Prodigy, Roxanne.
[Cole] Yeah, so many people have said she had all the tools and she's really
put it together over the past couple of years.
I remember-- Oh, and Liv now over the top rope.
Roxanne looking to eliminate Morgan and what a feather that would be
in Roxanne Perez's cap.
Liv trying to hang on.
[Barrett] She's take out one of the absolute favorites, former world champ.
[Cole] Iyo Sky now dumping Roxanne over the top rope.
Will be a short trip for Roxanne? Maybe it'll be a short trip for Iyo.
[McAfee] Look at the power.
-[Cole] And what a rana by Roxanne. -[McAfee] Roxanne.
[Barrett] They're blown away by how Roxanne Perez
-has been dominating. -[Cole] Codebreaker.
[Barrett] But welcome back to the Liv Morgan World Domination Tour.
-[crowd] …five, four, three, two, one. -[Cole] Number four coming in.
[buzzer sounds]
["Triumph" playing]
[Cole] Wade, you gonna "whoo" or not?
[Barrett] That's your job, Pat.
[McAfee] I think you should "whoo."
For the first time in her career,
the first ever Women's Intercontinental Champion,
Lyra Valkyria.
[McAfee] Whoo!
[Barrett, Cole] Whoo.
[McAfee, Cole] Whoo.
-[Cole chuckles] Terrible. Just terrible. -[Barrett] Whoo.
[Cole] And now Valkyria into the ring and at once takes out Liv Morgan.
And now with a big kick as well to Roxanne Perez.
Lyra Valkyria, a joy to watch.
She says she feels so good. It makes her alive when she can fly.
[McAfee] She got called up and she was immediately confident and comfortable
because she is the real deal.
[Cole] Yeah, went to the finals of the Queen of the Ring tournament last year.
And look at this. Looking for a fisherman's suplex delivered by Lyra.
Remember, no pinfalls in this matchup. Now here's the other thing about Lyra.
Remember, not only did she go to the finals
of the Queen of the Ring tournament,
she beat Becky Lynch for the NXT Women's Championship.
[Barrett] We got a wardrobe malfunction going on in the ring right now.
Poor Lyra Valkyria having some major issues,
and you cannot blame Liv Morgan for taking full advantage
of the inaugural Women's Intercontinental champion.
[Cole] That's why you're the best color analyst in the game.
-[Barrett] I spot the big stuff. -[McAfee chuckles]
[Cole] Iyo trying to hang on now, on the apron.
[McAfee] Little chaos here early.
Exactly what we expect out of a Royal Rumble.
[Barrett] And this is the part of the problem.
When you look at Liv Morgan and Iyo Sky especially,
they've burned a lot of energy in the early goings here,
and it's not surprising they're starting to look a little raggedy.
-Thankfully, Lyra-- -[Cole] Oh, wait a minute.
-Looking to eliminate Iyo here. -[McAfee] Hanging on.
[Cole] Roxanne looking to eliminate Liv Morgan.
[crowd] …seven, six…
[Cole] Entrant number 5 is about to come into the ring.
-Iyo trying to hang on. -[crowd] …three, two, one.
[buzzer sounds]
-[McAfee] She stayed up. -["Hot Mess" playing]
♪ It's Chelsea Green ♪
[Cole] Oh, no.
[McAfee] This is your champion, Cole.
[Cole] The first ever United States champion.
Chelsea Green, who calls herself Miss America
despite the fact she's from Canada.
Chelsea entering her 4th Rumble match in her career.
Two years ago, she became the fastest ever eliminated in the women's Rumble.
She lasted 5 seconds.
[Barrett] When you are the inaugural women's United States champ,
you can call yourself whatever you want, and yes,
she's a pest, she's an annoyance, she has a grating personality,
but from bell to bell, Chelsea Green is A-plus.
[Cole] Why is she dressed like she's going to the prom?
[McAfee] Uh, probably…
She probably thinks this is a celebration of her this evening, so…
And she should. She's the United States champion.
[Cole] She's been insufferable as a champ.
Imagine if she wins the Royal Rumble match.
And Chelsea now with a big slap to Roxanne Perez
and one to Liv Morgan as well.
[Barrett] Now, Chelsea Green is normally hyperaggressive
when she's backed up by her personal secret service, Piper Niven.
[Cole] Yeah, but Piper's in this match at some point.
[McAfee] Chelsea thinking she's eliminating everybody.
[Cole] Uh, not quite. Roxanne hangs on.
[Barrett] You get the job finished.
[Cole] Liv Morgan up over the top, and Liv able to grab the ropes,
and Chelsea Green celebrating.
[crowd cheering]
[McAfee] Nobody got eliminated.
[Cole] By the way, she was just pointing at the WrestleMania sign.
You've got to win this match actually to have the opportunity to point at the sign.
[McAfee] She did get, you know, at first down at least.
Maybe not a touchdown, got everybody over the top.
[Cole] Yeah, well now look at what's happening to her.
[Barrett] The least popular member of the women's locker room…
[crowd booing]
…is getting a beatdown at the hands of every single woman
in the matchup thus far.
And that was a short burst for Chelsea Green.
[Cole] And number 6 is about to enter the match now.
No eliminations thus far.
[crowd] …three, two, one.
[buzzer sounds]
[hip-hop music playing on speakers]
[Cole] B-Fab who got involved last night on Friday Night SmackDown, Wade.
[Barrett] Yes, she did, and spent a lot of time looking on from the sidelines
over the past 12 months.
Opportunities are not given at this level. They have to be taken.
And B-Fab, over the past several weeks, has stepped up huge on SmackDown.
[Cole] This is her second Rumble appearance.
Pat, anyone you talk to in the back, including the coaches,
who say that B-Fab has so much untapped potential.
[McAfee] Absolutely, opportunity through the roof for her tonight.
-[Cole chuckles] Oh! -All of it.
[Barrett] Legs for days, and this woman knows how to use them.
[Cole] And of course B-Fab has had an issue with both Chelsea and Piper,
as she's aligned herself with Michin.
[Barrett] Well B-Fab's a top rapper, but make no mistake,
this woman is double tough,
grew up fighting on the streets of Medellín, Colombia.
[Cole] Yeah, she was teaching me some bars earlier.
-[McAfee] I bet. -[Barrett] We gotta hear this.
-[Cole] Oh! -[McAfee] I bet. Let's hear that.
[Cole] Not now. And here we go. Wait a minute.
Thought Iyo might go for a cover there and obviously there are none
in a Rumble match.
And B-Fab now showing off her power.
-[McAfee] Okay, B-Fab. -Wow.
[McAfee] Okay.
[Barrett] Twisted suplex from the growing repertoire of moves that belong to B-Fab.
Can she score the first elimination in this matchup?
[Cole] If B-Fab wins, B-Fab's in.
[McAfee] I mean tonight change… That's okay. I get it.
[Barrett] That was the wrap.
[Cole] Yeah, that was it right there.
[Barrett] Good grief. Never do that again, Cole.
-There's people listening to this. -[McAfee] Every week, Wade.
[Barrett] You have my deepest sympathies.
[Cole] No eliminations yet.
[McAfee] The trajectory of her entire career.
Chelsea Green now celebrating being the United States champion and your champion.
[Cole] The officials working this matchup on the outside,
of course they are there to make sure feet touch the floor.
Number eight about to enter the Rumble.
No eliminations yet.
[crowd] …two, one.
[buzzer sounds]
Entry #7. I misspoke, got ahead of myself.
From American Made, the pit bull, Ivy Nile.
[McAfee] I used to watch American Gladiators growing up.
We're the biggest, strongest, fastest.
We become these gladiators and take on average Joes.
Ivy Nile is an American gladiator.
An absolute physical specimen athletically.
[Cole] There's the power now of Nile.
Nile had a breakout year in the Rumble last year.
-She lasted over 23 minutes in her debut. -[Barrett] Yeah, well guess what?
She's even better now, Michael Cole, 12 months more experience,
especially under the tutelage of Master Chad Gable,
an American Made, Ivy Nile pit bull going from strength to strength.
[Cole] Wade, did you see that standing switch into a German suplex?
Did it once again there to Morgan.
[McAfee] She's good enough. She needs to leave Chad Gable. Stat.
Chelsea looking for the unpretty her.
And now trying to hang on to Roxanne Perez.
Ivy Nile, look at that!
The power! A double German suplex by Nile.
[Barrett] What a relentless superstar, sheer power comes in a small package
when it comes to the pit bull, Ivy Nile.
This is a woman with one of the brightest futures
in the women's locker room.
[McAfee] I mean her power, her stature, gonna be tough to eliminate.
I think all of a sudden a favorite in some people's betting eyes.
[Barrett] Also helps when you got a low center of gravity like Ivy Nile.
[Cole] Seven women in the ring. Nobody's been eliminated.
Thus far.
[McAfee] B-Fab. Precarious position here from #1 and #2.
[Barrett] And this might be close to a record
in terms of no one being eliminated thus far.
-And we're about to get number 8. -[buzzer sounds]
[McAfee] Exhaustion has to show up, right?
[Cole] The sniper, Zoey Stark from Pure Fusion Collective.
I'll tell you, Zoey Stark, her 3rd Rumble appearance last year she was
eliminated by the eventual runner up Liv Morgan.
2 years ago, Wade, she lasted nearly a half hour in the Rumble.
[Barrett] Fierce aggression, remorseless attitude
and a mindset like a kid who just loves breaking the toys of others.
Zoey Stark's about as dangerous as they come.
[Cole] Oh, what a throw by Stark.
Now Iyo Sky, former tag team partner of Zoey Stark.
They were once NXT tag champs together.
[Barrett] It's rare I get excited about a dropkick, but Zoey Stark had a dropkick
on Smackdown about a week ago on poor Dakota Kai
like I have never seen before.
[Cole] And now up over to the apron, Chelsea Green trying to eliminate Zoey.
Zoey kicks her… catches her with a kick.
[Barrett] There is a certain explosivity in Zoey's start that every woman…
-[Cole] Wow, what a neck-breaker. -…needs to be terrified of.
[McAfee] It's so rare, this explosivity that she has.
Out of nowhere can jump out of a pool.
[Cole] Iyo Sky and Liv Morgan have been in this matchup
well over 13 minutes thus far.
The #1 and 2 entrants.
Iyo Sky now trying to hang on. Dangerous situation for Sky here.
[Barrett] You've basically done a marathon at this point if you are Iyo Sky.
And you're not even 1/3 of the way into winning this matchup.
[McAfee] A lot of minutes already on a lot of people,
[Barrett] A lot of miles on the clock
of some of these women and they are just racking up higher
and higher by the second, and Chelsea…
[Cole] Chelsea trying to hang on.
Liv Morgan trying to eliminate the current United States champion.
Chelsea was close.
[McAfee] Might have to review that.
[Cole] Referee Eddie Orengo was right there as we now await entry number nine.
[crowd] …three, two, one.
[buzzer sounds]
You want to talk about power.
[Cole] For the first time in her career, Lash Legend from NXT
enters the Royal Rumble match.
[Barrett] All 5'11" of her.
Part of the meta girls in NXT alongside Jakara Jackson.
[Cole] Oh, it just… Oh, right hand to Iyo.
[Barrett] Pole hammer.
[Cole] And then a big kick.
[Barrett] Legendary pump kick.
-[McAfee] Legendary right hand. -[Cole] Legendary backbreaker slam.
And now Lyra Valkyria. Lash Legend is cleaning house.
[McAfee] Welcome to the Royal Rumble, Lash.
Everyone else, welcome to Lash Legend.
[McAfee] And then a deadlift.
[Cole] Vertical suplex.
[McAfee] And up, are you kidding me?
[Barrett] Former WNBA superstar Lash is the real deal.
[McAfee] Holy hell.
Yeah, I think so.
[Cole] Maybe you should bring her to Indiana. Team up with Caitlin.
-[McAfee] Get her on the Fever. -[Cole] And here we go now.
Ivy Nile not quite sure what she was trying to do there.
[Barrett] Lash is just too big and too strong.
[Cole] And using Ivy as a weapon.
[McAfee] Like a battering ram, she's swinging around the rink.
[Barrett] What a game changing superstar Lash Legend truly is
as the pit bull, Ivy Nile, tries and fails to pull out something.
[Cole] Now B-Fab from behind and…
B-Fab trash talk with Lash Legend and now B-Fab and Lash Legend exchanging blows.
[McAfee] Lash Legend said let's go ahead and do this.
So did B-Fab.
[Barrett] B-Fab has turned this into a street fight, just how she likes it,
but the bougie bully Lash Legend, oh!
[Cole] Both women down.
[Barrett] Finally someone knocking the stuffing out of Lash,
but what an entrance that was.
[Cole] And Chelsea looking to eliminate B-Fab… And does!
First elimination of the night, Chelsea Green celebrating the elimination
of one of her enemies, B-Fab.
[Barrett] Celebrating might not be the right act at this point
in the Royal Rumble.
There's a lot more people that need to be eliminated
before you can start celebrations and Lash is teetering on the brink.
[McAfee] Michael Cole's white suit almost got ruined.
-[buzzer sounds] -B-Fab frustrated.
[Cole] Number 10, we're 1/3 of the way through.
The EST. Bianca Belair.
[Barrett] Position one is terrible.
Position 10 is slightly better, but if anybody can do it, it is the EST.
[Cole] In 2021, Wade, Bianca Belair won the Royal Rumble
when she lasted 56 minutes and 52 seconds,
entering at number 3.
[Barrett] We'll put a table together of the best women performances
over the past 5 years, and Bianca Belair is right there at the top.
This has been the woman in WWE. Will she be the woman tonight?
[Cole] And Bianca Belair has spent more time in the Royal Rumble than any woman.
Over 3 hours in this match.
She's number 5 all-time with 14 eliminations.
[Barrett] Here's part of the problem. When the ring is this full…
You just saw Bianca Belair throw 3 women to the apron and couldn't finish the job
because there's so many women coming to attack her as soon as she does it.
[McAfee] Certainly a lot of traffic.
Bianca Belair used to that championship pedigree.
As Indianapolis, Indiana says, welcome to the Royal Rumble.
Backflip, no problem.
[Cole] Uber athleticism by Bianca Belair, one of the women's tag team champions.
[Barrett speaks indistinctly]
[McAfee] Eyes on the back of her head.
[Barrett] Talk about showing up and showing out,
that has been the Bianca Belair story from the beginning.
[Cole] And you know Wade, you talked about… And look at this.
Into the corner.
You talk about the ring filling up with people it allows those like Liv Morgan
to catch your breath who entered number 2.
She's hanging out in the corner as Bianca Belair now hammers away at everybody.
[McAfee] Bianca Belair has stacked 4 participants on top of each other.
Make it five!
[Cole] Oh, right to the mid-section of Liv.
[Barrett] All right, Bianca Belair is too good. This is a cheat code.
It's unfair to the other 29 women in this match.
[McAfee] Oh, you're talking about the EST win.
Wow, the best, the quickest, the fiercest, the smartest.
[Cole] Bianca just having fun out there as she dominates.
And runs into Iyo. They've got a history.
Number 11 about to enter as Bianca looks to eliminate Iyo
-who's hanging on now. -[buzzer sounds]
[Barrett] One of the favorites almost out.
[Cole] Zoey Stark has backup.
Shayna Baszler from Pure Fusion Collective,
one of the most prolific competitors in Royal global history.
She is historic at the Rumble.
She is tied for most eliminations in a single Rumble with 8 in 2021,
tied with both Bianca and Nia.
[Barrett] And it's never just about sporting competition
when it comes to Baszler
who injured numerous women in the locker room, the likes of Vega,
Carter and Chance, Dakota Kai, and most recently Kairi Sane, and yes…
-[McAfee] Watch this! -…add to that list right here.
[Cole] The submission magician.
And Liv Morgan.
[McAfee] Trying to make people snap, tap, on track.
[Barrett] Oh, God. The arm of Iyo Sky there just bended
in completely the wrong direction.
[McAfee] Everybody beat down. It was great for Shayna at the beginning.
[Cole] Lyra Valkyria has had issues with that group as well.
[Cole] Zoey Stark slipped off the top rope. Still able to recover.
That is tremendous athleticism. Do what Zoey just did.
[Barrett] Yeah, it should be illegal to have that kind of movement,
but Zoey Stark has got it and she's got a nasty,
remorseless attitude to go with it.
That is why she is so dangerous.
[McAfee] It's the awareness right there to be able to transition.
[Cole] Trying to hang on. We talk about it's every woman for themselves,
but you got teammates now working together to try to eliminate the field
and Stark and Baszler.
[Barrett] It's about the best thing Stark and Baszler can do right now,
gang up on every single woman in this matchup.
[Cole] That double missile into a kippa.
[McAfee] Unless you're both gonna get your ass kicked by Lyra.
[Barrett] And now Ivy Nile gonna eliminate the…
[Cole] And it does! The pit bull with an elimination of the champ.
And Ivy saying I'm coming after your title.
We await number 12.
[McAfee] Got a couple of eliminations, who will join the fight?
[buzzer sounds]
[crowd cheers]
[Cole] Listen to these names.
Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin,
Sean Michaels, Cody Rhodes.
The only people in the history of the Rumble to go back to back.
Bayley could join that illustrious crowd if she wins the Rumble tonight.
Last year set a record 1 hour, 3 minutes, one second to win the Rumble
and go on to win a world title at WrestleMania.
[Barrett] What happened to you, Michael Cole?
You have been trash talking Bayley for the best part of the last 4 years,
and suddenly you're being Mr. Nice about her.
[Cole] Oh, she's a Hall of Famer.
[McAfee] She's been so good he has to respect her, Wade.
That's where we're at right now with Bayley.
[Barrett] He should have respected her five years ago.
-I don't get the sudden change. -[McAfee] Agreed, agreed.
[Cole] Roxanne Perez and Bayley going at it.
Remember, Wade, what's going to happen in a couple of weeks at NXT Vengeance Day.
Julia defends the NXT women's title against Roxanne Perez and Bayley.
[Barrett] There's high stakes.
Bayley loves her NXT like no one else.
-Helped build that brand. -[Cole] Oh!
[Barrett] And is continuing here kicking some ass in the Royal Rumble.
[Cole] 17 eliminations in her career and now this is interesting.
Bayley is the one who brought Iyo Sky to WWE when she formed Damage Control
with Dakota Kai.
And of course
Bayley unceremoniously kicked out of Damage Control last year
and now Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler, Pure Fusion Collective,
great story with them and Damage Control as well.
[Barrett] Well, it would behoove Bayley and Iyo Sky to get on the same page
together once again, albeit briefly, just to come back.
Pure Fusion Collective here.
[McAfee] I do appreciate the fact that the Royal Rumble provides an opportunity
to get some beef settled for a little bit.
[Cole] And Shayna Baszler on the top rope. Bayley looking to eliminate.
-[buzzer sounds] -Number 13 on the way.
Uh-oh, we got a full bill now, ladies and gentlemen, for Pure Fusion Collective,
because Sonya Deville is gonna join Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler in this match.
[Barrett] One of the most diabolical human beings
we have in the women's locker room.
The trifecta of evil in PFC is complete.
Things look bleak for every single woman in this matchup.
[McAfee] I would like to retweet everything that Wade Barrett just said
about Sonya Deville.
Sonya Deville, the evil behind Pure Fusion Collective,
saw the potential in Stark and Baszler and brought them together.
[Barrett] Here's the thing about Sonya Deville.
As much as we rave about our athletic skills, such a high…
[Cole] Oh!
[Barrett] And we're getting to see those athletic skills here.
She knows how to manipulate and play the politics game,
and that has certainly helped ingratiate her to Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler,
and what a terrifying trio these three are.
[McAfee] Yeah, she's a pure shooter.
[Cole] Mentioned at the top of the broadcast,
we're sold out at Lucas Oil Stadium over 70,000.
-[McAfee] 70,000? -[Cole] Oh!
Deville's Advocate to Chelsea Green as Chelsea was trying to make friends.
[McAfee] 70,000 plus booed Sonny Deville. She does not care.
[Cole] And now Pure Fusion Collective working together as a unit.
[McAfee] 70,000 plus?
[Cole] Yes [Barrett] They can boo all they want, Pat.
The truth is this is not a popularity contest.
[Cole] Oh! What a rolling Death Valley Driver.
[McAfee] We got a lot of different strategies happening
this late into the Royal Rumble.
[Cole] Was Chelsea, uh… Are you eliminated?
-[McAfee] No, she called time-out. -[Cole] Are you eliminated?
Oh, okay. Chelsea said she was calling time-out. She's not eliminated.
She was sitting right in front of our announce table here.
[Barrett] Go and help her up, Cole. That's our United States champion.
[Cole] I was about to applaud that she was out,
but I guess she's still in this match.
[McAfee] She was yelling for the ref to call time-out.
She wanted a 30 second…
[Cole] This isn't the NFL, and our refs are good.
[McAfee] That would be the NBA, and valid.
[Barrett] The wind has now been sucked out of this matchup by PFC
who are reaching new levels of depravity in there
and taking out every woman who moves.
[Cole] Somebody's been reading the thesaurus.
[McAfee] Ah, I like that, Wade.
[Barrett] I'm just English. We have wide vocabularies.
[Cole] Number 14 from the Alpha Academy, Maxxine Dupri.
[McAfee] Oh, you nailed it, Cole. [Cole] Second Rumble for Maxxine.
[Barrett] Well, Maxxine has no idea what she's letting herself in for here
'cause PFC are licking their chops
at probably the most inexperienced woman on the roster.
[McAfee] Maxxine's been working for this moment,
she knows that there's gonna be odds to face.
[Cole] Now Ivy and Maxxine, they used to be best friends.
They used to travel together.
Rode around the country together,
and then Ivy Nile decided to go to the dark side with Chad and company
and Maxxine Dupri now with a… What a move by Maxxine.
[Barrett] This is fantastic for Maxxine
and PFC stood in the corner enjoying the show.
And I'm enjoying that show.
[McAfee] Paying homage to Otis.
[Cole] Get your head out of the gutter.
You're a reputable analyst.
[Barrett] That's unfair, Cole. Of course I'm enjoying this.
[Cole] Bayley and Iyo and Bianca going right after Pure Fusion Collective.
[McAfee] Maxxine yet again and a kip up.
Formally trained under Chad Gable, but extending that training under Otis.
[Cole] It is! The reverse caterpillar with an elbow.
[McAfee] Otis's worm!
What an homage. What execution.
[Barrett] This is the Maxxine Dupri coming out party.
And that is the Ivy Nile going out party.
[Cole] Maxxine eliminated, and as she celebrated, she was eliminated as well.
Maxxine eliminating Ivy.
Pure Fusion Collective would then eliminate Maxxine during the celebration.
[McAfee] That's where the experience factor weighs in a little bit.
This will be a learning lesson.
You can't pat yourself on the back in the Rumble.
[crowd] …five, four…
[McAfee] Hell of a run, though, for Maxxine.
[buzzer sounds]
[Cole] We are officially halfway through the women's Royal Rumble match.
Bianca Belair has some backup.
Her tag team partner, one half the tag champs, Naomi, on her way to the ring
in her 7th Royal Rumble match.
[McAfee] You feeling the glow, Wade?
[Barrett] I'm feeling it right now. I'm running a party.
I've known Naomi for the best part of 17 years now
from a time in Florida Championship Wrestling,
a woman who continues to grow from strength to strength.
What a feather in her cap it will be if she takes out Pure Fusion Collective here.
[Cole] Yeah, Zoey hanging on to the apron. Now goes after Chelsea Green does Naomi.
Naomi breakout year last year, lasted 1 hour, 2 minutes, 18 seconds.
Blockbuster from the top rope by Naomi.
[Barrett] On Chelsea Green, the least popular member of the locker room,
taken out by Naomi, the most popular member of the locker room.
[McAfee] Slid underneath the lariat.
Big kick to the back.
Naomi ready to get some more gold.
[Barrett] Naomi was in a war on SmackDown last night.
Not much chance for recovery unfortunately for her.
[Cole] Roxanne Perez has been impressive thus far.
She entered this match at number 3.
[Barrett] Well, 1, 2 and 3 are all still in this matchup.
Iyo Sky, of course, and Liv Morgan included in those numbers.
[Cole] Bayley and Deville going at it.
[McAfee] I gotta say
the conditioning and cardio that's on display right now, unbelievable.
[Cole] Oh, yeah, you had unbelievable stamina in your appearance last year.
38 seconds.
[McAfee] I barely made it through that, Cole.
As you learned earlier, that's a long time to me.
[Cole] Oh! Look at the tag champs working together.
[McAfee] Thirty minutes power on display.
-[Barrett] Double KOD on Zoey Stark. -[Cole] There it is!
Moonsault by Sky.
[Barrett] This one's really breaking down.
A lot of debilitated women in that matchup here.
[McAfee] How could you not be?
[Cole] Zoey Stark eliminated by the tag team champions.
Champs are working together.
Meanwhile, on this side, Shayna Baszler is out as well.
[Barrett] Sonya Deville! Sonya Deville is out too.
All of PFC eliminated in the span of 10 seconds.
[McAfee] That's got to be the universe talking.
Maybe they'll look in the mirror and be better people going forward,
but things heated up quickly here at the Rumble.
[Barrett] Well, the women remaining in this matchup really figured it out.
Let's put our own rivalries aside for a second and focus on the big threat,
which is or was PFC. They're gone.
-[Cole] Number 16 about to enter. -[crowd] …four, three, two, one.
[buzzer sounds]
[Cole] Big ovation for this young woman from NXT.
Her first Royal Rumble. Jaida Parker from OTM on NXT.
The first time she's appeared at the Rumble.
[Barrett] This is a woman prepared to snatch some hair
or slap someone's mama in order to get herself to the top 8.
Soccer standout during her days in college,
and many have said the best holding midfielder since in goal N'Golo Kanté.
But this is a very different game now.
[Cole] Oh! What makes Jaida Parker so dangerous?
[Barrett] It's the attitude. Obvious athletic abilities.
She's got a great build,
but on top of that, that is deadly attitude
ready to destroy the top women, such as Liv Morgan.
This woman is fearless.
[Cole] Pat, it's like she doesn't… She has so much confidence.
[McAfee] Yeah, I mean, if Jaida goes on to be Hall of Famer,
which is certainly possible seemingly,
I mean, this is in the documentary: First Royal Rumble.
[Barrett] Get something of an NXT takeover tonight in this matchup.
[McAfee] Lash Legend.
[Cole] Bianca and Naomi.
[McAfee] Okay. [Barrett] We're getting some alliances.
This is smart strategy from the NXT ladies.
[Cole] Look at Chelsea. She wants to be a part as well.
Oh!
Uh, couldn't have happened to a nicer person.
-[McAfee] The awareness, Chelsea. -[Cole] Uh-oh.
[Barrett] Well, the alliance between Lash and Jaida Parker is surely over.
Well, it definitely is now. Lash is out.
[Cole] Chelsea Green just eliminated Lash Legend.
[crowd chanting] Chelsea! Chelsea! Chelsea!
[crowd] Five, four, three…
[McAfee] United States champ staring at the tag team champs.
[buzzer sounds]
[Cole] Well, Chelsea's got some backup.
Her, uh, Secret Service director, Piper Niven, is on her way to the ring.
Piper and Chelsea, former tag champs.
Now, Chelsea Green is… She just… She didn't go over the top.
She stepped through, and she's begging Piper to hurry
and make it to the ring to help her.
[Barrett] Well, that's your job as a Secret Service member,
but let's not forget Piper Niven, for years around the world,
has been a proudly belligerent woman,
and she now takes her job of protecting the United States champion very seriously.
[Cole] Chelsea trying to hang on. I guess she did go over the top rope.
Piper Niven now out to the apron as well.
And now both the former tag champs staring at the current tag team champion.
And Chelsea's like, "Come get me. I got back up."
Such a brave woman.
[McAfee] Chelsea and Piper. Such a great duo.
[Cole] She went under the ropes so she couldn't be eliminated,
but here's Piper Niven now, the powerhouse in her 3rd Rumble.
Look at Piper. And a slam to Naomi.
Bianca Belair now from behind.
[McAfee] Piper's power.
[Barrett] We're about to see some bone-crushing offense.
[Cole] Oh, that's a perfect example right there.
[Barrett] Bone crusher.
Bayley slammed.
[Cole] That Piper slam, the sidewalk slam, by Niven.
Piper! Sit down! Uranage!
[McAfee] Piper's cleaning house.
[Barrett] It's too easy for a woman as powerful as Piper Niven.
[Cole] Uh, oh! Chelsea may go out.
Iyo may go out on the other side.
[Barrett] Cole, Secret Service!
[Cole] Oh, no! Oh, no! Oh, no!
[crowd booing, cheering]
[Cole] Oh, my God.
[Barrett] Piper Niven, you're getting fired in the morning.
[McAfee] Oh, no.
[Cole] Yeah, we saw what happened to Secret Service that blew the job.
-[McAfee] Oh, no. -[Cole] And here we go now. Tag champs…
[buzzer sounds]
…trying to eliminate Piper.
Entry number 18 now.
She's been a part of every Rumble.
Natalya.
Second all time in cumulative time in the Rumble.
[Barrett] Fist full of world records, 2,000+ matches deep into her career.
The motivation though has never been higher
from the mother hen of the locker room, Natalya, the BOAT.
[McAfee] Guinness World Records--
[Barrett] Discus clothesline just like Jim the Anvil Neidhart.
[Cole] Yeah, her late great dad. There's the Release German by Natalya.
And Natalya now with Naomi sit.
And look at Natalya go. Natalya would love to win this matchup tonight.
Again, winner heads to WrestleMania.
Take on the champion of their choosing.
[McAfee] Oh.
Iyo Sky roll through. Natalya's showing off her power now.
Trying to dump Iyo out.
Iyo trying to hang on.
Roxanne Perez now from behind. Got a bit of a history with Natalya. Oh!
[Barrett] Who doesn't have history with Natalya?
She's competed against a who's who of anybody who's anybody
over the past 15 years.
[Cole] Roxanne's been in this match well over a half hour.
33 minutes, still in there.
Natalya was trying to eliminate her.
What a performance tonight by Roxanne Perez, the former NXT women's champion.
-[Barrett] Yeah, Roxanne… -[Cole] Oh, goodness!
…has been outstanding,
but Jaida Parker, who has been a mainstay of programming
on NXT over the past 12 months,
is really announcing herself here at the Royal Rumble.
[Cole] Looking to eliminate Natalya there is Parker.
[McAfee] Jaida, brand-new verse OG Natty in the corner, great fight.
As our tag champs continue to do battle together.
-[Cole] Number 19. -[McAfee] It's heating up in here.
[buzzer sounds]
[Cole] Incredible ovation
for Jordynne Grace.
It's her 2nd Rumble appearance, but, Wade, unlike last year,
this year, Jordynne Grace is part of WWE.
[Barrett] She's officially under our umbrella now
and fans around the world are in raptures.
The only people unhappy is every woman in this Royal Rumble matchup.
'Cause things just got a lot more difficult to win it.
[Cole] Yeah, the powerful Jordynne Grace, a 3-time iMPACT TNA Knockouts champion.
[McAfee] Thank God for TNA for introducing her to the world.
Last year's Royal Rumble performance, I assume, is gonna look very similar
to what we're about to see right now.
[Barrett] Who the hell keeps throwing clotheslines
as they're getting choked out with Rox Perez on their back?
Jordynne Grace apparently.
[Cole] Jaida Parker looking to eliminate Grace.
Grace, from the apron, launches herself up over the rope.
Jaida Parker now set up over the top out to the apron as well.
Jordynne with a kick right to the face.
[McAfee] Jordynne Grace does everything--
[Cole] Jaida Parker eliminated by Jordynne Grace.
[McAfee] And she does the Lebron walk.
[Barrett] Yeah, big mistake celebrating in the Royal Rumble match.
[McAfee] Eats it.
[Barrett] And the same could be said for Piper Niven.
[Cole] Look at Jordynne Grace lifting Piper up on her shoulders.
[McAfee] Jordynne! Death Valley Driver by Grace!
[Cole] I think they heard you, Pat.
-[McAfee] Yeah. -[Cole] That's one way to put it.
[McAfee] Yeah.
[Barrett] The leader, Pat McAfee.
[Cole] And Naomi and Jordynne Grace, they have a history back in TNA.
Great friends from back in TNA, and Bianca Belair saying, "Wait a minute."
[Barrett] Get your head back in the game, Naomi.
This is how you treat fellow competitors.
[Cole] Trying to be eliminated,
Bianca cannot believe that her tag team partner embraced Grace,
as we wait for number 20,
and we're officially 2/3 of the way through this.
[buzzer sounds]
[McAfee] What a moment.
[Cole] Michin.
[Barrett] Michin the menace,
one of the most hardcore women this industry has ever seen,
and she's drawn a number--
anything 20 above as a competitor, you really start fancying
your chances of pulling this one off.
[Cole] Got to go back and take a look at the powerful move by Jordynne Grace.
This is incredible.
[Barrett] Yeah, Piper Niven
simply isn't used to being treated like this by anybody,
and Piper Niven hasn't quite looked the same ever since.
[McAfee] I don't know how many humans on earth, Wade, with that much ease
and then landing on her feet afterwards.
[Cole] Oh, and into the corner.
[Barrett] Part of that lift alone though from Jordynne Grace takes a hell of a lot
out of Jordynne Grace herself, expended a lot of energy.
Pretty much did a squat PB right there,
and now as she still tries somehow to figure out how to win this match.
[Cole] And on the other side now, Biaca's in deep, deep trouble.
Bianca may be eliminated here.
[Barrett] Hanging on by her fingertips,
and Natalya her best to eliminate the EST.
Easier said than done.
[Cole] Michin, of course, with a history with Piper Niven.
There is, uh-- Went for Eat Defeat.
Piper Niven would not allow it to happen and slams Michin with that Piper Driver.
[McAfee] She just wanted to remind people after what happened with Jordynne Grace.
Michin, of course, in her 4th Rumble.
Maybe eliminated here by Piper.
Michin had real disappointment last night
against the United States champion, Chelsea Green,
thanks in part to Piper Niven.
-[Cole] Oh! -[Barrett] No love lost between those two.
We are ten seconds away now from entry 21 in the Rumble.
[crowd] …four, three, two, one.
[buzzer sounds]
[hip-hop music playing]
[Cole] I thought she wasn't coming back. The Internet said she wasn't coming back.
[McAfee] We all thought she wasn't coming back.
[Barrett] Stop reading the dirt sheets, Michael Cole.
Every woman in this matchup has a look of shock, and now Drake is one
of the biggest hitters there could be.
Alexa Bliss is back!
[Cole] And she's face-to-face with a longtime rival.
Bayley and Alexa Bliss, and Bliss is here. And down goes Bayley.
[McAfee] And this place is going crazy for her.
From Ohio.
[Cole] Basement dropkick by Bliss.
Down goes Bayley.
Vintage Bliss right there.
[Barrett] Been missing for a long time, but clearly has not lost a step.
And looking razor-sharp.
[Cole] And she is so happy to be back.
And now, Bliss… It may be a quick one though for Alexa Bliss.
[Barrett] Natalya desperately hanging on there.
Smart move from the veteran.
Managed to negotiate her way out of that one
and may well ruin the party for Alexa Bliss before it really got started.
[crowd] …three, two, one.
-[buzzer sounds] -[Cole] Struggling there to hold on.
[McAfee] Wade, the newest member of the SmackDown roster.
In her sixth Rumble match, Zelina Vega.
[Barrett] What an outfit.
She's about to get in that ring and drop some sosias, as she likes to call them.
Zelina Vega, get in there and set your heart ablaze.
[McAfee] Sixth career Royal Rumble with love and opportunity and WrestleMania.
[Cole] Great move by Vega. She takes out Bayley.
[McAfee] Liv Morgan, her second entrance, still in this thing.
Battling with Zelina.
[Barrett] Zelina Vega, another one who's not been happy
at her lack of opportunities over the past six months or so.
[Cole] Oh, look at that. Nice tornado DDT. Jordynne Grace now goes after Vega.
Hey, you want to earn an opportunity tonight? Win this match.
Well this is exactly how you do it. That has to be the game plan.
Got a great draw at number 21, I believe.
Can't ask for too much more. The ball is in your Zelina Vega.
[McAfee] Yeah, great opportunity to prove why.
You've been saying, "Give me an opportunity. Give me a rocket ship."
"Let me--" She's trying to set up for something big.
-[Cole] And Vega-- -[McAfee] Code…
Code Red!
[Cole] By Vega.
[Barrett] A move invented by her cousin, the Amazing Red
and now perfected off the ropes by Zelina Vega.
[Cole] Now Bayley again with Alexa Bliss in the corner.
Bayley won last year's Rumble. Looking to go back-to-back.
And now Natalya.
Looking to use her power.
[McAfee] Alexa Bliss yet again up on the rope. Top rope.
Iyo Sky teetering on the brink.
At this point, number one may well about to be eliminated by Piper Niven.
[Cole] Double team.
[McAfee] No idea how there's still so much energy and fight happening right now.
[Cole] Yeah, Liv and Iyo and Roxanne were the first three.
They're still in this match.
[Barrett] Well, we talked about PFC ganging up on the other women.
Now it is the tag champs Naomi and Belair doing the same.
-[buzzer sounds] -[McAfee] Wonderful strategy.
[Cole] Entering at number 23, the Poison Pixie.
Candice LeRae for the fifth time in her career is in the Royal Rumble.
[Barrett] The woman who has ingratiated herself
to Nia Jax in recent months.
Helped drive a wedge between Nia Jax and the new champ Tiffany Stratton.
How much would Candice LeRae love to get a date with destiny at WrestleMania
against Tiffany Stratton?
[Cole] Hey, uh, Candice played a big role last night in the Nia ambush on Stratton.
[McAfee] Looky here and then the attack from the blind side.
Candice LeRae.
[Cole] Oh.
[Barrett] Candice LeRae has not got enough love from the WWE universe
over the past 12 months, the Poison Pixie.
Twenty-plus year veteran with all the skills to make big things happen.
[McAfee] Well, her attitude normally is one that is not that of somebody
most people would like to pull for, but she can get the job done.
Incredible backbreaker on the back of somebody else. Clever.
Great high ring IQ.
[Barrett] Now it's Roxanne Perez who's desperately clinging on
as the Poison Pixie does her best to start thinning the herd in this matchup.
[McAfee] You can't help but be seeing a lot of people try to catch their breath.
Takes a lot of power to get somebody over to the top rope.
[Barrett] And being on that top turnbuckle is about as bad a place
as you can be in a match like this.
But things starting to look bleak for Candice LeRae.
Doing a number.
[Cole] Yeah, they had issues as well.
Look at Piper Niven stomping away at Roxanne Perez.
Bianca Belair in trouble in the far corner.
Candice is hanging on.
[Barrett] Desperately clinging on by her fingertips.
And Michin is going for those small joints,
but finally it seems Candice LeRae manages to get out of trouble for now at least.
[Cole] Number 24.
[Barret] Look at Belair.
[McAfee] She's dangling.
[crowd] …three, two, one.
[buzzer sounds]
[Barrett] There's Naomi.
[Cole] Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time in her career,
NXT's Stephanie Vaquer is here at the Rumble.
[Barrett] Chilean-born superstar, the number one contender for the women's
North American Championship in NXT.
It could get even bigger tonight for Stephanie Vaquer.
[Cole] She takes on Fallon Henley
at the Vengeance Day for the North American Championship.
Wade, tell us about her. What a career she's had around the world.
[Barrett] Yeah, absolutely incredible. Won championships all over South America.
A woman who's got precision strikes, she's got a daredevil attitude.
And seems to be absolutely fearless in this, the biggest spotlight
of her entire career.
[Cole] Look at this now.
[McAfee] Showed up in front of us. Okay, hey, all right.
[Cole] To Natalya.
[Barrett] Tell you right now, Vic Joseph, the commentator in NXT has been
absolutely raving about Stephanie Vaquer.
[McAfee] Whenever you talk about just showing up in front of 70,000,
springboard cross body, then just execute--
[Cole] Look at that. Oh, my goodness.
Remember Bayley's got bad knees. Bayley has bad knees.
That's dragon screw there by Vaquer. And Bayley could be in deep trouble.
[Barrett] Bayley's got no knees after that.
She's gonna need some sort of rehabilitation at minimum.
[McAfee] Some film study by Vaquer as well.
Truly impressive start here.
[Cole] Tag team champs now.
Double team.
[McAfee] Alexa Bliss on the receiving end.
[Barrett] There's some real heavyweight women in this match up with massive egos.
All of them desperately aiming for that main event spot at WrestleMania.
[buzzer sounds]
[chuckling through speakers]
[Cole] What an ovation for the Hall of Famer.
Trish Stratus going old-school with what she's wearing tonight.
Back when she debuted WWE.
Remember she was the manager for T & A.
[Barrett] Thank you, Trish.
A woman who's given us all stratisfaction for 25-plus years, and it continues.
[Cole] Trish Stratus, a seven-time world champion,
going after a longtime rival Natalya in this matchup.
[Barrett] Looking better than ever. She blew the roof off this place, Cole.
The world in shock at the arrival of Trish Stratus.
[Cole] Considered perhaps the greatest woman superstar in history.
Trish Stratus.
Uh-oh, Jordynne Grace intercepts.
And sends Trish into the corner.
[Barrett] What a feather in the cap it will be
for any woman to eliminate a living legend like Trish Stratus.
[Cole] Indeed it is. It's Trish with a double bulldog.
[McAfee] This is awesome. Chants for good reason. Trish Stratus.
[Barrett] Cleaning everyone's club, but we gonna get some eliminations.
This might be one here.
[Cole] Down goes Natalya.
I love a little stratisfaction.
[Barrett] Don't we all, Michael Cole.
[Cole] Piper Niven though, enjoying the fact that she knocked down Trish.
And, well, Piper, she fancies herself on Trish's level.
[McAfee] Yeah, Piper will certainly ruin some people's nights
if she eliminates Trish Stratus.
[Barrett] Well there couldn't be much more difference in style
between Piper Niven and Trish Stratus.
I guarantee you with the mindset of Piper Niven,
she did not grow up a fan of Trish whatsoever.
[McAfee] Trish Stratus, trailblazer of the industry.
[buzzer sounds]
[Cole] Oh, guess what.
Liv Morgan, who entered at number two, finally has an ally.
Raquel Rodriguez, for the second time in her career, is in the Rumble.
[Barrett] Big Mami Cool in the house and the instruction from Liv Morgan
a couple of weeks ago was very clear.
Raquel Rodriguez is here for one reason and one reason only.
That is to ensure victory for Liv Morgan.
[Cole] And right there she goes right after Natalya.
[MCAfee] She actually said as such yesterday.
[Cole] We asked Raquel the question.
"If it comes down to you and Liv, what would you do?"
Raquel said she'd play the game. Not quite sure when WrestleMania is on the line.
[Barrett] Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it.
Trust me, things change rapidly.
[Cole] Double team using Liv as a weapon onto Natalya.
[Barrett] Liv more than happy to use her own body as a weapon
in pursuit of victory.
Devil-may-care attitude.
[McAfee] Oh! Liv Morgan.
[Cole] And now dumping Natalya over to the… Oh, big slap.
Liv now. Oh, codebreaker eliminates Natalya.
Now if I was Raquel right now, I'd just kick Liv out of the ring.
[McAfee] No, what are you talking about?
She said she's here to ensure that Liv wins.
[Barrett] You have no loyalty whatsoever, Michael Cole.
You're a mercenary unlike Raquel.
[Cole] Oh, no!
Alexa tried to eliminate Liv Morgan. Raquel trying to eliminate Alexa Bliss.
Who's fighting back?
Liv, codebreaker. Alexa's out. Morgan has eliminated Bliss.
[McAfee] My wife and all of Indianapolis is devastated
that Alexa Bliss has been eliminated, but Liv Morgan racking up eliminations.
[Barrett] The least popular elimination thus far.
However, the story is to be continued, it would seem.
[Cole] Liv and Iyo, both in this match for over 53 minutes.
Entry number 27 is coming.
[crowd] …three, two, one.
[buzzer sounds]
[Cole] This place is thunderous.
The queen is back.
[McAfee] Clap for royalty, Wade.
[Cole] It's been over a year since we've seen Charlotte Flair in action.
Out with injury.
The woman who won the Royal Rumble back in 2020.
[Barrett] Pyro on a Royal Rumble entrance.
Damn, you've got to be pretty special, and Charlotte Flair is exactly that.
A game-changing
glass-ceiling-smashing
queen of an entire industry.
[Cole] In four Rumbles, she's eliminated 15 superstars.
[McAfee] You can barely hear that pyro
because this crowd welcomed the queen
back to WWE.
[Cole] It's Charlotte in absolutely no hurry.
Charlotte Flair is soaking it in.
Charlotte Flair is headed to the ring. The game is changed, ladies and gentlemen.
Charlotte's back.
[Barrett] A woman with the kind of physical gifts that most people
simply cannot manufacture.
[Cole] Welcome aboard, Roxanne.
[McAfee] Some Flair chops.
To say hello to the WWE universe.
[Cole] Well, Jordynne Grace, welcome.
[Barrett] There's only one place you can put Charlotte Flair,
and that is a main event.
But Flair's gonna earn it the hard way here.
[Cole] Charlotte Flair, a 14-time world champion.
[McAfee] I mean, the energy's different.
[Cole] Michin's out.
Since Charlotte walked in here, Charlotte's fired up.
[Barrett] Taking a lot of risk on that apron.
But Charlotte Flair knows exactly what she's doing. The ultimate veteran.
[Cole] Double-cross body by Flair.
[Barrett] The finest genetics in the history of the industry
and with an attitude to match it.
Unparalleled success in the career of Charlotte Flair.
[Cole] And look at Grace and Vaquer
double-teaming Flair now with this vertical suplex.
[Barrett] You have to. You've got no choice when someone is dangerous.
[Cole] Oh, look at that! What a move by Charlotte.
That double DDT and a kip-up by the queen.
[McAfee] Ah, yeah!
[Cole] Tremendous shape that Charlotte Flair's in.
[McAfee] I'm thinking Charlotte's back.
[Barrett] Biggest star in the game now looking to make up for some lost time.
But Piper Niven does not care about star level.
[Cole] You guys are right.
The energy changed in this match when Charlotte Flair walked down that aisle.
Oh, look. It's Zelina trying to hang on.
[McAfee] Charlotte!
[Cole] Piper's eliminated.
[Barrett] Well it has been a disastrous night for Piper Niven,
who now needs to go and apologize to Chelsea Green.
[Cole] Entry 28.
[crowd] …three, two, one.
[buzzer sounds]
The international superstar,
the current NXT women's champion,
Giulia is here.
She beat Roxanne Perez in New Year's Evil to win the title.
She faces Bayley and Roxanne
in a triple threat in a couple of weeks at NXT Vengeance Day,
and Giulia enters the Rumble for the first time in her career.
[McAfee] The history of the NXT Women's champion is a very, very good one.
[Barrett] A beautiful madness just entered the Royal Rumble.
An Iyo Sky wants a piece of the action.
[Cole] Liv and Raquel trying to eliminate Charlotte Flair.
[McAfee] Iyo Sky and Giulia.
Scrapping.
[Cole] Some of the greatest Japanese superstars in history.
Iyo Sky misses wildly.
Giulia sends her to the other side of the ring.
And both women down.
Counter for counter, a fresh Giuliana
against what must be an exhausted Iyo Sky, who came in at number one.
Battled one another to neutrality there.
[Cole] Fourteen women are in, 14 have been eliminated.
[McAfee] Anything you could do I could do. That was mesmerizing to watch.
[Cole] Two more to enter. Iyo Sky, almost an hour in this match.
Liv Morgan as well.
Well over 59 minutes.
Remember Bayley holds the record at an hour and three.
[McAfee] You attack those hands, Wade. You got to attack the fingers.
[Cole] Roxanne Perez. What a performance by Roxanne.
[Barrett] Attack whatever you can in the Royal Rumble match.
And Giulia trying what seems to be a German suplex,
which in theory, would take herself out in the process.
[Cole] Yeah, but Jordynne Grace able to hang on.
Headbutt now by Giulia. On the apron is Grace.
And Giulia eliminates Jordynne Grace.
[Barrett] Knocked out in the process.
That was superb from the NXT women's champ.
[Cole] And now look who's standing behind her.
Two of the, uh, great superstars of NXT.
The future of the women's division.
International stars.
[McAfee] Trish Stratus behind them. What a moment.
[Cole] And it looks like Vaquer and Giulia, they work together
against two of the original Four Horsemen, Charlotte and Bayley.
Bianca Belair stepping in as well.
[Barrett] Roxanne looking to get in on that NXT versus WWE here.
[Cole] And here we go.
The fight's underway as we await entry number 29.
[Barrett] Make whatever alliance you can at this point in the matchup.
[McAfee] A Mount Rushmore alliance.
[buzzer sounds]
[Cole] Zelina in trouble.
-Things have changed. -[McAfee] Oh, no!
Is what everybody's saying.
[Cole] Zelina trying to hang on. Trish trying to eliminate her.
Meanwhile, that woman there, the irresistible force Nia Jax,
is tied with Rhea Ripley for the most eliminations
in Royal Rumble history for women at 20.
One elimination tonight, she takes the lead.
[Barrett] A woman who has been on a perennial warpath
ever since losing a WWE Women's Championship to Tiffany Stratton.
She's got her eyes zeroed in on that WrestleMania sign.
And I promise you this,
if Nia Jax wins tonight, she is gonna make a beeline for Tiffany Stratton.
[McAfee] She's going into a ruthless Royal Rumble right now.
Trish was just biting Zelina Vega's fingers trying to eliminate her.
[Cole] Nia Jax the only person in history
to compete in two Rumble matches on the same night.
The women's and the men.
And now Nia Jax eliminates Zelina Vega. Zelina is out.
Nia Jax will send her into a barricade.
And so now Nia Jax has taken over as the record-setter.
Twenty-one eliminations, more than any woman in history.
[Barrett] And for many people, Nia Jax was the favorite ahead of this matchup.
The fact that she drew number 29 just increases that favoritism.
[Cole] I hope you know what you're getting into, Trish.
[McAfee] Dream setup for Nia Jax. Dream match for her.
Trish doesn't care.
[Cole] Meanwhile, Candice LeRae dumped over the top by Stratus and eliminated.
And now Trish going after Nia.
[McAfee] Trish, taking it to Nia Jax.
[Cole] And now Trish into the corner.
Nia, though, the powerhouse.
[Barrett] Hitting some stratuspheres there on Nia Jax.
Nia Jax just bouncing back.
It's a tug-of-war. No way!
[Cole] Uh-oh. Uh-oh.
[Barrett] Poison Pixie trying to do some damage.
[Cole] Oh! Eliminating Stratus.
[Barrett] The Hall of Famer is out.
Never mess with Nia Jax. You're probably gonna come off second best.
[McAfee] Record-breaking elimination for Nia Jax.
Most all time.
[crowd] …three, two, one.
[buzzer sounds]
[Cole] The WWE Hall of Famer,
one of the most courageous women on the planet,
Nikki Bella is back.
For the first time in three years, Nikki Bella is here at the Rumble.
[Barrett] Bella Army, mount up.
We are riding high tonight, baby.
[MCAfee] What a moment for the WWE.
Nikki Bella's back.
[Barrett] How sharp is Nikki Bella gonna be?
It's been a long time since he's been in competition.
[Cole] And Nikki and Nia squaring off.
[McAfee] You talk about that Bella Army, Wade.
[Barrett] Of which I am a proud member.
[Cole] Of which an army is now formed to surround Nia Jax.
Liv Morgan, Iyo Sky, have set records tonight, beating Bayley from last year.
But now the story is the gang-up on Nia Jax.
Will they eliminate Jax here tonight?
-[Barrett] And to be clear that was… -[McAfee] Oh, no!
[Barrett] …the only way you can eliminate Nia Jax.
-[Cole] Maybe not that way. -[Barrett] Every woman needs to gang up.
[Cole] Obviously it didn't work.
-[Barrett] But it simply-- -[McAfee] Nine!
[Cole] Not sure what you were watching, but it didn't work.
[Barrett] It was an attempt. That's what I'm saying. You have to try.
If you can't do it with every woman trying it, then there's no chance, right?
Then she's going to win.
[McAfee] Nia Jax just threw nine adults.
Nine of them.
Maybe ten.
[Cole] And again, the story that has developed here tonight,
Iyo Sky and Liv Morgan entered one and two in the Rumble.
They have now set the record for the longest time in the Royal Rumble match,
beating Bayley's record of last year.
And Nikki Bella now showing off a bit in tremendous shape here.
[McAfee] The future of the industry says, uh,
"Checkmate."
[Cole] Yeah, okay, Roxanne.
Thanks for coming.
Nikki Bella now.
[Perez] No! No, no, no.
[Cole] With Roxanne up.
[Perez] No!
[Cole] Looking to dump her over the top rope. Roxanne hanging on.
[Barrett] Nikki Bella is looking better than ever.
How do some people just not age? What's the secret?
[McAfee] I don't know. I'm aging like milk.
-[Cole] They don't drink like you. -[Barrett] You and me both. That's true.
[McAfee] Yeah, well…
[Cole] And look at this now.
Vaquer.
Close.
[McAfee] Hold on.
[Barrett] Number one's almost out!
[Cole] Iyo! Both feet have to touch the floor before she's eliminated.
Iyo, try to hang on.
[Barrett] Well, this is a mistake by Roxanne Perez,
who was attacking Stephanie Vaquer.
-[Cole] Uh-oh. Vaquer. -[Barrett] Vaquer's almost out.
[Barrett] If both feet touch, it's over for Vaquer.
[McAfee] Eddie Orengo's got his eyes on the soles of the feet.
[Barrett] Well, both feet have to touch.
Dangerously close right now for the Chilean superstar.
[Cole] Raquel Rodriguez now trying to eliminate Vaquer now from behind.
Bianca, Naomi, Raquel down to the apron.
Four women on the… Five women on the apron now.
[MCAfee] Wait a minute.
[Barrett] Now Raquel dangerously close to dropping out.
-Cole, she's out! She's out! -[Cole] Nia Jax!
Nia Jax! Just eliminated, what, six people?
[McAfee] Just a wrecking ball. Nia Jax.
[Cole] Meanwhile, Morgan and Roxanne still in this thing.
Nia Jax will eliminate Liv Morgan.
Liv set a record tonight, but…
[McAfee] She just took out a third of the Rumble.
[Cole] And Liv Morgan has set the record because Iyo was eliminated before her
And now, Nia right to Nikki.
[Barrett] Trying to do some arithmetic. I think we're down to six at this point.
[Cole] All you have to do, Wade,
is check out our fancy scoreboard at the bottom of the screen.
Keeps us all up to date throughout the Rumble. Six women remain.
[McAfee] It is fancy.
Looks good. Great information down there.
[Cole] Nikki with a spear.
We are down to six.
One of these women are going to go to WrestleMania.
[Barrett] What a story it would be
if Nikki Bella pulls this off and heads to the main event
at the Showcase of the Immortals.
Five more eliminations and you are there, Nikki.
[Cole] Nia Jax now with 27 in her career
thanks to the seven tonight.
And now Giulia, Roxanne Perez, two rivals from NXT.
They meet in a couple of weeks.
[McAfee] Lost their balance.
Obviously everybody's fighting exhaustion at the same time as fighting each other.
[Cole] Oh, and Charlotte Flair got hung up on the top rope.
[Barrett] This is the big fish. This is the woman you've got to get out.
[Cole] Can they eliminate Charlotte.
Charlotte out to the apron.
Roxanne still in it.
Giulia's in it, so is Charlotte.
[Barrett] Man, what a story it would be if an NXT superstar goes on wins this,
and main events WrestleMania.
Well, it's not gonna be Giulia.
[Cole] High stakes. Giulia's out thanks to Roxanne Perez.
[Barrett] And how good has Roxanne Perez been tonight?
[Cole] Do you notice Charlotte favoring her knee?
[Barrett] Pretty much every woman in the match has to be favoring something.
Who can battle through now?
And it's Roxanne Perez
who's reaching the ascendancy in this matchup, almost taking out Bayley.
[McAfee] Flair did come in here with a knee brace on.
[Cole] Yep. She's been out of action for over a year.
Nia Jax now runs into the right hand by Bayley.
[McAfee] You never know how it's going to go.
[Cole] And now Bayley's eliminated.
[McAfee] That was a big blow.
[Cole] Nikki's eliminated.
We're down to three.
Charlotte, Nia and Roxanne.
[McAfee] Nia is the greatest at this.
Of all time.
[Cole] Roxanne now right to the bad knee of Charlotte.
Great strategy, Wade, by the prodigy.
[Barrett] I completely disagree.
Roxanne should have stayed out of Dodge for as long as she could.
Let Charlotte Flair and Nia Jax take each other out.
[Cole] Yeah, but why not attack the bad knee?
The knee that's in the knee brace is Charlotte's.
Charlotte tweaked earlier out of the matchup.
[McAfee] Mike, Wade, you gotta attack Nia.
She is easily the favorite.
[Barrett] There's no way.
The size of Roxanne Perez, there's no way she can throw out Nia Jax.
But the opposite is absolutely true.
[Cole] Meanwhile, Charlotte Flair. Charlotte Flair dumps Nia out.
It's down to Charlotte and Roxanne.
[McAfee] Nia.
[Cole] Roxanne looking to eliminate Charlotte Flair.
Charlotte Flair though may be in control.
Roxanne out to the apron.
One of these women are going to WrestleMania.
Charlotte with a kick.
Charlotte Flair is going to WrestleMania.
[Taylor] Here is your 2025
women's Royal Rumble winner!
-[McAfee] Nia Jax… -[Taylor] Charlotte Flair.
[Cole] Charlotte Flair becomes a two-time winner
of the women's Royal Rumble match.
She now gets to pick the champion of her choosing
to face at the granddaddy,
the spectacle in Las Vegas, WrestleMania.
[McAfee] What a win. What a return.
What another massive moment for our queen, Charlotte Flair.
[Cole] Wade, there was a point in time after the knee injury
that we never thought Charlotte Flair would be back in a WWE ring.
She battled back.
[McAfee] Nia Jax, easily the favorite in this match.
Thought she had it. Charlotte Flair, big brain, dumps her out.
[Barrett] Well, what a performance from Roxanne Perez.
It would have shocked the world.
But to come runner-up in this matchup, she should be proud of that.
But so close to getting to that main event of WrestleMania.
But some things are just forever diamonds.
And of course Charlotte Flair, your victor in the women's Royal Rumble.
[Cole] What a return by the 14-time champion.
And, Pat, we get to say it again.
All bow down to the queen.
[McAfee] Hell yeah.
For good reason. She earned that.
Welcome back, Charlotte Flair.
[Cole] Guys, not to mention,
what an incredible performance by all 30 women tonight.
Liv Morgan setting the record for longest time in a Rumble.
Iyo Sky behind.
You got Nia Jax shattering the record for most eliminations in her career.
And of course, Charlotte now becomes a two-time Royal Rumble match winner.
And let's not forget Roxanne Perez.
What an incredible performance.
Starting number three and lasting into the final two.
[McAfee] Somebody hold the ropes for the queen.
[Cole] Roxanne, unbelievable.
-Career nights, Cole. -[Flair] I'm back!
[Cole] Indianapolis, and what a great city and some great events
as we take a look at some of the great Royal Rumble history moments.
[McAfee] Yeah, so many massive moments in this glorious circle city.
We love the business here and all of the Midwest shows up in this host city.
Hacksaw Jim Duggan winning the inaugural Royal Rumble.
In 1988. What an event.
[Cole] People are also watching live all over the planet.
They're also watching live tonight in both Los Angeles and Dallas
as part of the Cosm live interactive experience.
They're enjoying the Royal Rumble and they all went nuts when Nikki Bella entered
the Royal Rumble match at number 30.
The return of Nikki Bella here tonight.
[McAfee] Looked like they're having a great time.
[Cole] Legends are joining us here tonight, including that man,
the Godfather.
All aboard!
[McAfee] What's that?
[Cole] The train. 2013 Rumble. Godfather was in that.
He's a Hall of Famer.
He entered the Rumble as Kama Mustafa back in 1996.
Also here tonight, one of the pioneers in WWE.
She's part of the crew for the upcoming Legends & Future Greats show on A&E.
She was involved in four of the first five women's Rumbles.
She is a five-time world champion.
And Hall of Famer Kurt Angle, the gold medalist is here as well.
Now, this is an interesting story with Kurt tonight.
He's at ringside tonight with his daughter Nicoletta.
She is wearing Kurt's 1996 Olympic gold medal
and his 1995 World Championship gold.
She's an amateur wrestler in her own right, and this is the first time
that Kurt Angle has ever taken his 1995 World Championship gold out of its case,
allowing his daughter to wear it here tonight
Well, there's the man that Wade Barrett picked
to win the Royal Rumble match this year.
The Scottish warrior Drew McIntyre.
Who claims he is going to eliminate all of his enemies here tonight.
And Sami Zayn. What is he going to do?
Does his allegiance to Kevin Owens help him or hurt him here tonight?
And look who's here, Pat.
[McAfee] Marcus Freeman.
Notre Dame's head football coach.
He's led the fighting Irish to the national championship.
Beloved in his state.
One of the coolest dudes walking Earth.
[Cole] And also a longtime WWE fan,
superstar actor, friend of Cody Rhodes, Stephen Amell is here tonight.
He, of course, part of Code 8 on Netflix,
where you can catch Monday Night Raw this coming Monday.
[Cole] Wade, there they are.
Former tag champs from Friday Night Smackdown.
The Motor City Machine Guns.
[Barrett] Yeah, legendary duo.
They're gonna regain the tag gold tonight, but it ain't gonna be easy.
[Cole] They are the champions Gargano and Ciampa. DIY.
Very personal rivalry between these teams.
And how do you settle things for the tag team titles at the Royal Rumble?
You do it best two out of three falls.
The Machine Guns. DIY. Set to meet live next.
[Sabin] The Motor City Machine Guns came to the WWE to make a statement.
That's exactly what we did when we won the WWE Tag Team Championships
in our third match here.
[Cole] They did it!
I can't believe it.
Shelley and Sabin in just their third match in WWE,
winning the tag team titles.
[Sabin] But of course it's gonna rub some people the wrong way.
We know that. But the one person I didn't expect it from…
Long overdue. Happy for you, bro.
[Cole] A low blow by Gargano.
Shelley cannot believe what Gargano just did.
And a superkick to his longtime friend Alex Shelley.
[crowd] One, two, three.
[Sabin] You know what makes it even worse? When it's someone you've known for years.
When it's someone who has been up and down the same roads as you,
experienced all the same things just to make it to the WWE?
Everything, everything we've been through, Johnny Gargano, thrown away for what?
[Gargano] For the WWE Tag Team Championships.
[Shelley] Eighteen years and one superkick
and our entire relationship is gone just like that.
Not the same Johnny Gargano that I broke into the industry.
You made the biggest mistake of your life.
[Gargano] Me and Tommaso have made it our mission
to prove that DIY are the best tag team in the world.
But it's hard to make that claim
without those WWE tag team titles around our waist.
[Ciampa] Then entered Motor City Machine Guns, red carpet and all,
jumping straight to the front of the line, taking our spot.
And in the midst of the chaos, all anybody could talk about was,
"Oh, my God, Alex Shelley and his mentorship with Johnny Gargano."
And while they were all looking left, we took a step right.
Because we were always two steps ahead.
And I told the world
I was gonna do whatever it takes.
Whatever it takes
to right the wrong and get those titles back.
Best tag team in the world. BTTITW.
DIY, baby.
[Shelley] You may have forgotten who the hell the Motor City Machine Guns are.
[announcer 1] Your favorite tag team's favorite tag team.
[Barrett] Unmatched cohesion. Two bodies, one mind.
[commentator 1] Great teams are always on the same page.
The Motor City Machine Guns practically in the same syllable.
[Barrett] It's obvious why they have been a top tag team around the world
for the past 20 years.
[commentator 1] Three-time T&A wrestling tag team champions.
[Cole] Multi-time tag team champions around the world.
[commentator 2] Everywhere the Guns have competed, they have tasted great success.
[Ciampa] Everything they've done for tag team wrestling,
I'm glad they finally got their flowers.
Unfortunately, it came with their funeral.
We know you have been doing everything in your power
to avoid giving us another match.
And at the Royal Rumble, we're gonna challenge
for the WWE tag team titles in a two-out-of-three falls match.
Are you kidding me?
[Sabin] We don't plan on leaving Indianapolis empty-handed.
We are going to get our tag team titles back.
And a two-out-of-three falls match means we're gonna show everybody
why we're the best tag team in the WWE.
[Ciampa] Once we beat you two times in a row,
we're walking out of Lucas Oil Stadium the same way we're walking in.
Your WWE tag team champions.
[helicopter blades spinning, machine guns firing]
[Taylor] The following is a two-out-of-three falls match.
And is for
the WWE Tag Team Championship.
Introducing first, the challengers.
Motor City Machine Guns.
[Cole] I do wanna correct myself, from the women's Rumble match.
Roxanne Perez actually set the record for the longest time ever
in a women's Royal Rumble match tonight.
Morgan had it and then she was eliminated. Roxanne hung on for a bit longer.
She sets the record here tonight.
[McAfee] What a performance for Roxanne Perez.
[Barrett] Her reputation continues to grow.
But talk about reputations. These two in the ring right now.
Motor City Machine Guns.
Years in the making to get to the biggest stage of all.
And now that they are here, they have to make it count.
They have to regain gold at the Royal Rumble.
[MCAfee] And what an opportunity. This is why you come to the WWE.
Best two out of three falls too.
You get a chance to prove if you're the best in the world or not.
In front of 70,000 plus.
I can't wait to watch.
DIY.
[announcer] And your opponents.
They are the WWE tag team champions
Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano.
DIY.
[Cole] So, interesting note,
setting for this matchup tonight, we had it on the countdown show earlier today,
DIY actually won the NXT tag team titles at TakeOver Toronto from The Revival
in a two-out-of-three falls matchup.
Johnny Gargano beat Adam Cole at NXT TakeOver in New York
for the NXT championship match in two-out-of-three falls.
Motor City Machine Guns won the TNA tag team titles
in a two-out-of-three falls matchup.
So a lot of experience here, Wade.
[Barrett] Yeah, there are simply some matches
that certain superstars just specialize in.
You want to specialize in a two-out-of-three falls kind of matchup,
you have to be a cardio machine and your best bet is to be competing
in that kind of match up against a team who are absolutely not cardio machines.
However, both sides of the ring tonight, four cardio machines.
All advantages are negated and this one is completely a toss-up.
I can't pick it.
[McAfee] This is a marathon that's going to be run at a sprint's pace,
I do believe, between these four.
[Cole] It is a longtime personal rivalry here.
Gargano and Shelley go a long way back. Over 20 years.
And this is Sabin starting things off with Ciampa.
[Barrett] And of course, that friendship was thrown away by Gargano
with that low blow when they scored the Tag Team Championships
against the Motor City Machine Guns.
You're gonna throw away a friendship, it better be worthwhile.
And I would argue WWE tag gold absolutely makes it worthwhile.
[Cole] Double team by the Motor City Machine Guns.
For Gargano and Shelley,
they first wrestled in Cleveland at CAPW 20 years ago.
Once wrestled in Gargano's dad's parking lot,
and now they are wrestling in front of 70,000 at the Royal Rumble.
And look at the Motor City Machine Guns go.
[Barrett] And my eyes are already confused by the movement of these four.
I can't imagine what it's like to be in the ring competing.
[McAfee] These four have wrestled in Japan.
They've wrestled everywhere. Tonight in Indy.
[Cole] And now the Motor City Machine Guns.
[McAfee] Everything's on the line.
[Barrett] Yeah, the kind of match where there's nowhere to hide.
These guys are such incredible movers. There's simply no safe spot.
[Cole] Look out now. Oh, my God.
Sabin taken out by Ciampa and Gargano.
[Barrett] High risk right from the off.
And Tommaso Ciampa,
his lower back and the back of his head cracking
against our announce desk that really didn't budge.
[McAfee] Yeah. Punctured rib.
[Cole] They are right in front of us.
[McAfee] Sabin with a big right.
[Barrett] Saw what happened to JD McDonagh when he struck the desk not so long ago.
Ciampa's bounced back though.
[Cole] Cover by Ciampa, and a kick out.
JD will be out of action for a bit.
Cracked some ribs. Punctured a lung.
[Barrett] It's a dangerous game.
You gotta be tough to survive in this game
and they don't come much tougher than JD McDonagh,
who will be back sooner or later.
[McAfee] Agreed.
Had to go to the hospital. Stayed there. Happy he's all right.
But nonetheless.
[Cole] The thing is he completed that match
with busted up ribs and a punctured lung.
Now the double team by DIY.
Ciampa with a clothesline.
[Barrett] That was a clothesline to the side of the jaw.
[Cole] Gonna kick out. DIY is such an interesting team, Wade,
because you've got Johnny Gargano, who's sly, right,
and they got Ciampa who's a complete maniac.
[Barrett] Yeah, we'll take a look at this clothesline from Tommaso Ciampa.
That was not an orthodox clothesline at all.
Completely on the side of the head and the jaw.
It's the kind of thing that completely rattles your brain,
and Ciampa knew exactly what he was doing there.
Softened up Chris Sabin, who has not looked right since.
[McAfee] Ciampa and Gargano in each other's weddings.
Talking about a close unit.
[Cole] Ciampa now trying to make a tag.
Sabin, and Ciampa tosses him back toward his corner.
Big elbow to the nose.
[Barrett] Deep shot. Isolate one tag team member.
Oh, took a little beat too long though
and Chris Sabin known for his bounce back ability
did exactly that and I'll tell you right now guys,
the first fall in this matchup is so crucial to get yourself the advantage,
get yourself halfway up Mount Everest.
It really could be the killer moment for whoever gets that fall.
[Cole] Oh, wait a minute. Gargano didn't make a tag.
Shelley thinks-- Gargano's legal, but Ciampa's still legal, I think.
-Big knee. -[Barrett] Oh. Well, that was genius.
Ciampa headed to cover.
-They take the first. -[Barrett] There it is!
[McAfee] Absolutely genius.
-[Barrett] We gotta see that again. -[Cole] They take the first fall.
[announcer] DIY have scored a fall.
[Barrett] Oh, my God. Take another look at this.
Veteran move here.
Gargano is in there.
Wait a second. We missed the tag spot there.
That was the knee to the jaw.
[Cole] What we needed to show you
is the fact that Gargano fought before Ciampa tagged him.
Shelley thought the tag was made. Shelley thought that Gargano was legal.
He wasn't. Ciampa was still legal.
[Barrett] There we are. We got it now, Cole.
[Cole] Genius move.
[Barrett] See the attempt at the tag there by Ciampa.
Gargano didn't take it.
Referee saw the whole thing.
[McAfee] Nah, that was a play. That was on purpose.
Ciampa sold it perfectly.
[Cole] Exactly. And now DIY is up one fall.
[McAfee] Trick play in Lucas Oil Stadium. I love that.
[Cole] You know something about that.
We're going to show you some stuff from McAfee a little bit later on.
DIY though up a fall in this match.
They win the next one, it's over. They retain.
Well, now things just got a whole hell of a lot harder
for the Motor City Machine Guns.
Masters of the dark arts it seems are DIY who pulled out a trick play there
that has paid dividends.
If you're a betting man, this is only going to finish one way.
Now Shelley ducks underneath.
Gargano trying to hang on and does well.
Tag. Gargano is now legal.
Johnny Gargano runs into a right hand by Sabin.
Ciampa into a back elbow.
[McAfee] Getting yelled at.
[Cole] Gargano now with Shelley, hooked up.
And Shelley though drives Gargano.
Ciampa saves him.
[McAfee] I'll be there for you, buddy.
[Cole] Double team.
Cover. Gargano. To retain the tag title.
[Barret] So creative, so inventive. DIY their chemistry is off the charts.
The same can be said about the Motor City Machine Guns,
but they've barely got to show it.
They've barely got out of the blocks in this one, and they're already a fall down.
[McAfee] So you'd think that DIY maybe
would rest a little bit after getting a win.
They have not.
[Barrett] There'll be no let off. Strike while the iron is hot.
You've got a softened up Alex Shelley in that ring.
Chris Sabin ain't looking too good either.
Go in for the kill while you can.
This could be a sharp, short matchup.
I was expecting a marathon. It's turned into a sprint.
[Cole] Gargano, of course, threw his friendship away
with Shelley and Sabin
to make sure that he and Ciampa became the tag team champions.
[Barrett] You gotta think Tommaso Ciampa had a word in the ear of Johnny Gargano,
sick of their apparent lack of success in the tag ranks.
They've decided to do something about it
but of course Alex Shelley ain't going down without a fight.
[Cole] Oh! What a great move by Shelley.
Has an opportunity now to make a tag to Sabin.
Motor City Machine Guns won the tag titles quickly
when they arrived on the scene at WWE.
I have no idea where Ciampa's going.
[Barrett] It was a shock and awe moment.
[Cole] He came out the other side and look what Ciampa's doing here.
Great move by Ciampa!
Trying to drag Sabin off the apron so Shelly couldn't make a tag.
[Barrett] Now distracting the referee in the process,
-every dirty trick-- -[Cole] Tag!
-[Barrett] The ref didn't see that! -[Cole] Of course he didn't.
[Barrett] He was away with Tommaso Ciampa.
Every dirty trick in the book and it's worked once again
for Gargano and Ciampa.
[Cole] That's why Ryan Tran's gonna send Sabin back to the corner
and DIY having their way now with Shelley.
[McAfee] People are gonna say this is rigged.
Stuff like that can't happen with the official.
-[Cole] Double team! -[crowd gasp]
And now the official…
Gargano I believe would have won the match and kicking out is Shelley.
[Barrett] Well, I've not seen officiating this bad
since the last Kansas City Chiefs game,
but once again the advantage now back in the hands of DIY
who have played their cards perfectly.
[McAfee] I love the greatness of the Chiefs,
but even some of those calls, I go "Wh… What's going on?"
Maybe this ref's doing the same thing.
[Barrett] It's a murky business, and so is the tag division
on SmackDown, now here at the Royal Rumble.
[Cole] Gargano launched now out to the apron.
[McAfee] The Motor City Machine Guns can't be worried about getting screwed.
They're down one-nothing.
[Cole] It's sudden death for the Machine Guns.
Oh! Went for the Gargano spear. Shelly caught him with a kick.
That slingshot spear by Johnny usually connects but it backfired.
[Barrett] Well, it was an unnecessary shot on Chris Sabin from Gargano
and that extra beat there allowed Alex Shelley a chance to recover.
Now's the drag along the ropes, and there it is.
[crowd cheer]
[Cole] Tag made.
Here's Sabin. Knocks Ciampa off the apron.
[McAfee] Sabin with a big right, and another.
And a third, taking the power to Gargano.
[Cole] Oh, and Sabin exploding off the ropes with that clothesline.
[Barrett] Machine Guns are a fall down, they've been battered from pillar to post.
They're really fighting at a handicap tonight.
Sabin now. Oh, my--
[McAfee] Did I just get in with a tooth?
[Cole] I don't know, but Ciampa may have, like you said, lost a tooth.
[Barrett] DIY looking rocked on the floor.
[Cole] Sabin takes out Ciampa and Gargano.
[Barrett] Just ludicrous athleticism.
Sabin might have hurt himself in the process,
-putting his body on the line. -One!
[Barrett] Unfortunately for him there's no Alex Shelly to tag
even if he can keep going.
-[McAfee] It's like he levitated, Wade. -Three!
-[Cole] Look at this. Wow. -[crowd gasp]
[Barrett] Bouncing crossbody to the outside.
You have to go high risk when gold is on the line.
[McAfee] Sabin, certainly impressive.
[Barrett] Two of the innovators of the cruiserweight style,
the Motor City Machine Guns.
[Cole] Tornado DDT.
[Barrett] Never happier than when going skyward.
[Cole] Tag. Shelley's now legal.
Double team by the Motor City Machine Guns.
Now heading up to the top rope, up to the top rope now is Shelly.
-There it is. Skull and Bones. -[crowd] One…
-Motor City Machine Guns… -[crowd] …two, three.
…have tied things up.
[Taylor] Motor City Machine Guns have scored a fall.
[McAfee] One-one.
[Barrett] And how impressive was that from the Motor City Machine Guns?
They were really in the jaws of death at one point in this matchup.
To bounce back out of nowhere--
And take another look at this.
You hit this, Skull and Bones, it's their most patented maneuver.
Connecting flush to the rib cage of Johnny Gargano, who can barely move.
And the Motor City Machine Guns now need to pick up the pace.
Ciampa's down and out.
[McAfee] Yeah, neckbreaker and a splash.
-Johnny's going through it. -Ciampa back into it as well.
This is sudden death now. We're tied at a fall a piece.
Next fall will crown the tag team champions.
Oh, what a kick.
Gargano though explodes off the ropes.
[Barrett] This is the point in the matchup,
they're all running on fumes. It's really where instinct kicks in.
Your mind simply isn't working at this point.
You're so exhausted, you're so beat up.
You're relying on 20-plus years of experience of competition
to try and get over the line.
[McAfee] Who wants to become champion here in Indianapolis?
[Cole] Double team by DIY, face first goes Sabin.
-For the win now. -[Tran] One, two--
[Cole] Alex Shelley will save the matchup.
[Barrett] Well, that Fairy Tale Ending
combined with the super kick from Johnny Gargano
should have been enough to get the job done, but Chris Sabin clearly,
clearly reaching an extra level.
Now gold is on the line.
-[Cole] Ciampa! -[Barrett] Oh, Project Ciampa.
[Cole] Cover!
Almost had him and a kick-out.
Project Ciampa, the double knees. Tommaso thought he had him.
[Barrett] Well, Tommaso Ciampa can't believe it.
First of all, the Fairy Tale Ending and then Project Ciampa,
countless, countless superstars in NXT, Raw and SmackDown
put away with individually those moves,
together I'd have thought it was an impossibility,
but Chris Sabin is made of something very special.
[McAfee] Two falls deep into this match. I don't know how you kick out of that.
Looks like his soul got cracked out of his body.
[Barrett] But you may just be delaying the inevitable at this point.
Alex Shelly's not stirred at all. Johnny Gargano's down and out.
Ciampa in full control and Chris Sabin looking defenseless.
[Cole] It's turned into a one-on-one matchup here tonight.
Ciampa now. And look at this.
Ciampa just trying to survive.
Sabin.
Oh, my goodness, Ciampa hit the top of the ring post hard.
[Barrett] Jaw first onto the top of that steel ring post.
It's about the only thing Chris Sabin could possibly
have done from that position.
He pulled it out.
-[Cole] Now look at this. -[Barrett] Ingenious, inventive.
[Cole] Gargano back into the ring.
From behind now, standing switch by Johnny.
Sabin ran right into Gargano. Ciampa taken out on the other side.
Johnny sent into Tommaso Ciampa.
And Motor City Machine Guns are rolling.
This is classic Motor City Machine Guns wrestling.
[Barrett] And how do you pick up the pace at this level
at this point in the matchup?
It beggars belief but it explains exactly why the Motor City Machine Guns have been
as good as they have been for 20 years and may well grab the gold here imminently.
[McAfee] Double clutching, shifting to a new gear this late in the match.
-And what are they thinking now? -[Cole] Double team coming!
The blockbuster for the win and the tag team titles,
and Johnny Gargano able to use Sabin to help him break it up.
[Barrett] Well, that count would have gone to 53,
not just three after connection with this
power bomb/blockbuster, and Johnny Gargano powering his way
through to bust on the pile, and somehow this one's still up for grabs.
[McAfee] Only two of these men are walking out of here champions tonight.
[Barrett] This is how much it means, Pat. Careers are short.
All four of these men have been around the block many times.
-You never know how much longer-- -[Cole] Oh!
Gargano just took out his partner and the Motor City Machine Guns are ready.
Here we go, double team coming, Sabin to Gargano.
Shelly now.
[Barrett] The facial connected to Johnny Gargano and all the momentum in the world.
This may be a take two.
[Cole] And here we go now, looking perhaps to put them away
and win the tag team titles.
Double team coming. Meanwhile, who the--
Who the hell is that?
Is that--
And now, that's Angelo talking to the Prophets.
-With his crutch. -[Barrett] What the hell?
[McAfee] That means--
[Barrett] Well, they were taken out in a mystery attack.
[Cole] And DIY took 'em out.
[Barrett] No, hold on, that was never proved.
Maybe was the Motor City Machine Guns.
[Cole] It doesn't matter now though, because-- Meet in the Middle.
DIY taking advantage.
-Ciampa, Gargano retain the titles. -[bell rings]
["It's Our Moment" playing]
[Taylor] Here are your winners
and still
the WWE Tag Team Champions,
Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa.
DIY.
[Barrett] I got a lot of questions, guys.
What the hell was-- Wait a second. And now--
-The Prophets helped DIY-- -[McAfee] Wait a minute!
[Barrett] Oh, my God.
[Cole] I'll explain it to you, Wade.
As Dawkins is beating the hell now, and Montez Ford, out of DIY.
-[Barrett] This is making no sense to me. -[Cole] It is.
DIY obviously attacked the prophets and took them out of action.
The reason Dawkins has a-- has a crutch.
So why did they take out the Machine Guns?
Because the Prophets want revenge
and they want to take the tag team titles away from DIY.
They wanted to ensure Ciampa and Gargano won tonight
so they can take the gold from them.
[McAfee] And Dawkins didn't even need the crutch.
[Barrett] Let's take a look back at how this matchup went down.
First of all, this was the tag that wasn't,
a trick play from Gargano and Ciampa, confusing the Motor City Machine Guns.
And while Shelly's back was turned, or attention was on the wrong element,
Ciampa countered and scored the first pin, 1-0 to DIY.
But this was the moment
things were tied on, that Skull and Bones that takes them all down.
Alex Shelly connecting.
Three-count and we're at 1-1.
And this was the shocking moment of all.
Some mystery assailants turned out to be the Street Prophets for some reason,
attacking the Motor City Machine Guns leading the pathway to victory for DIY.
And I think Michael Cole may well have hit the nail on the head.
It was a calculated attack from the Street Prophets who are coming for the gold.
Two highly agitated men.
[McAfee] Motor City Machine Guns, incredible effort.
But in the end, Street Prophets stand and DIY remain champs.
[Cole] Royal Rumble's here at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
A lot of things happen here, including the Super Bowl back in 2012,
the NBA All-Star Game.
I understand, Pat, 980,000 bricks make up
the facade here at Lucas Oil Stadium.
[McAfee] It's truly a remarkable venue. The roof opens, the window opens.
It's always perfect in here, and every sporting event that matters
has come through here and said it's the greatest host.
And tonight it's the biggest Royal Rumble's host.
[Cole] And the reason that we're here tonight
is because of the man to my right, Pat McAfee.
What a career you had here.
[McAfee] Yeah, I became a completely different human here in Indianapolis.
This stadium made me a man, made me better, made me smarter.
I met my wife in this state. I owe this place everything, man.
And you know, because of those stats, you were an all-decade punter.
You've been a Hall of Fame ballot.
You'll be in the Hall of Fame one day, but I want you to take us back
with the "Pat-astrator," presented by PIERO,
and show us some of your all-time great highlights here in Indianapolis.
Okay, so most magical moment of my life, people said maybe this guy that isn't
just a sack-of-potatoes-built white guy is maybe a little bit more of an athlete.
This is on Thanksgiving Day, the biggest Turkey Bowl on earth,
taking on my hometown.
-[Cole] Well, look at that. -[Barrett] Trick play.
[McAfee] I'll tell you what, trick play, throw that thing to Erik Swoope.
Erik Swoope would go on to get tackled at the eight.
-Incredible work by him and I said-- -[Cole] Look at this.
-[Cole laughing] -[McAfee] That is, uh…
That's a fat guy, who did something cool, letting it hang.
And I celebrate with my guy, Matthew Overton.
-One of the biggest moments of my life-- -[Cole] What the hell was that?
[Barrett] That is a tight spiral, Pat. I gotta take my hat off to you. Wow.
[Cole] Hey, hey, the-- the Jets need a quarterback.
[McAfee] I could spin it a little bit. I could spin it a little bit.
I felt athletic. They let me do that here.
It was a massive moment in my life.
And then, you know, people say, well, this guy's soft because he's a punter.
That might be the case, but a blind squirrel will find a nut
every once in a while.
Sunday Night Football, Peyton Manning's return, trended holiday,
Olympic level sprinter.
I should've hit a touch back. I didn't.
Then lightning strikes and a doofus. Boom, pounce.
Yeah, just-just an absolute idiot.
-[gasps] -Oh, my God.
Oh, my gosh.
-Can I give you a hug? -Please, I'm a hugger.
-What's your name? -Aubrey.
Aubrey, nice to meet you. I'm Chelsea.
-What's your name? -Cameron.
Nice to meet you, Cameron.
Are you going to Rumble tomorrow?
-No. -No. What?
What would you say if I told you maybe, just maybe I had tickets for you.
Would you go?
What do you think? Do you wanna go to Royal Rumble tomorrow?
Y'all gonna be the VIP tomorrow. [laughs]
We're very excited.
It just doesn't look like it, but when we get away…
And we watch wrestling all week.
-Yep. Monday, Friday. -Monday, Friday.
-…to say. -[laughing] Don't cry.
[Cole] Hey, the Hill family surprised with Royal Rumble tickets.
She returned earlier tonight at the Royal Rumble.
None other than Alexa Bliss, she is back.
A lot of legends here tonight, including Damn, Ron Simmons,
Hall of Famer, part of the 1998 Royal Rumble, seven rumbles in all.
[Barrett] That is a man's man. Nothing but respect for this guy.
[McAfee] Absolute legend.
[Cole] Some dogs in the house too.
[McAfee barks]
[Cole] Two-time tag teamer, Hall of Famer, tag team champ.
Father of Bron Breakker, Rick Steiner's here.
And how about the Whole Damn Show?
[inaudible]
[Barrett] Real high spot in the show tonight, Cole.
[Cole] Rob Van Dam.
2009 surprise in the Rumble,
Hall of Famer, Money in the Bank winner, world champion.
[McAfee] I'm on cloud nine maybe 10 or 11 that Rob Van Dam's here.
A lot of celebrities in the house as well, including the UFC's
welterweight champion Belal Muhammad is here tonight at the Royal Rumble.
And guess what? Little pink houses for you and me.
John Mellencamp, the legend, the Grammy Award winner,
Jack and Diane, the authority song.
John Mellencamp is here tonight at the rumble.
Well, what started as an alliance has developed into an intense rivalry.
Cody Rhodes defends his title against Kevin Owens in a grueling ladder match
for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
But first, let's look back on the battles that brought them this moment,
set to "Even If It Kills Me" by Papa Roach.
["Even If It Kills Me" playing]
[Rhodes] Kevin, I don't have many friends in this business.
I consider you one of them.
[Cole] Cody decided to team with Kevin Owens' archenemy Roman Reigns.
[various wrestlers] Kevin. Kevin. Kevin.
[Owens] Cody Rhodes deserves everything he's got coming to him.
[Rhodes] You're obsessed with this idea of being a victim
and you blame me for that.
[Rhodes] You finally did pull the trigger, just on the wrong guy.
You crossed the line.
[Owens] You say I crossed the line, but I loved Randy Orton. I hate you.
Everything that's happened is your fault.
I don't think you hate me.
I think you hate yourself.
And this lesson, I'm gonna beat it into you.
[Owens] What happened to me is a travesty.
I was screwed out of winning that championship.
[bell rings]
[Owens] I should be standing here, WWE champion.
I am the true champion!
You want a match where the ref doesn't screw you? Great.
I want a match where the ref can't stop what I'm gonna do to you.
Ladder match!
[Owens] You can only push a man so much until they snap,
but the good news is I haven't snapped yet.
You don't want me to snap.
You want a shot at this championship? Come and get it.
[Rhodes] If you come at the king, you best not miss.
-[Owens] I am the true WWE champion. -[Rhodes] You are delusional.
You will never be on my level.
I know the lengths you're willing to go.
There is not a single line I won't cross either.
[Owens] Everything you've got, it's coming to me.
And I am taking it from you.
[song fades]
-["Fight" playing] -[crowd cheering]
[McAfee] The son of a security systems technician,
he's not currently a champion, but he's holding a title.
[Cole] That is the Winged Eagle Championship.
It was used in the WWE beginning in 1988 by Hulk Hogan.
It was retired in 1998 by Stone Cold Steve Austin.
At Saturday Night's Main Event back in December after losing to Cody Rhodes,
Kevin Owens attacked Rhodes, hit him with a package piledriver,
and took that title.
Triple H gave Kevin Owens that title-- I should say gave Cody Rhodes
the title that night to bring it out for the one night only.
Kevin Owens is delusional.
He thinks he's a champion, but he actually hasn't been a world champion in 8 years.
[Barrett] I gotta pull you up on that, Michael Cole.
Deep down despite the posturing of Kevin Owens, there is no delusion there.
He knows full well that the winged eagle championship on his shoulder is never
going to be written up in the record books.
It's simply being used to antagonize the real champ, Cody Rhodes,
to get under his skin, get in his head
to pull Cody Rhodes down from his elevated level
to the level of the belligerent prizefighter Kevin Owens.
That is where Kevin Owens wants this fight to be fought.
[McAfee] The title might not mean anything in reality, but for Kevin Owens,
it has brought a swagger, an attitude, and a moxy back.
He thinks he's actually champion up there right now.
[Cole] I actually spoke to both Owens and Kevin--
Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes today.
They told me that they are determined on hurting and punishing each other
in this match tonight.
[Barrett] Cody's been clear he's gonna win this matchup
even if it kills him in the process.
That is a dangerous mind-set when you're in the ring with a pugnacious fighter
like KO.
I love that we have a ladder match and Kevin Owens is in it here.
In front of 70,000 people in a football stadium.
[Cole] The official in this match tonight is Dan Engler.
He is wearing the ref cam on his head.
We'll get some unique shots during this matchup tonight.
[Barrett] Well, he looks ridiculous, but it's gonna be great viewing
as we get close up to the action.
[McAfee] Dan Engler, one of the finest refs in the history of reffing.
[Barrett] Nonsense.
Absolute nonsense, McAfee.
["Kingdom" playing]
[crowd cheering]
[crowd] Whoa-oh!
[McAfee] He's first in, he's last out.
He works his ass off. He takes pride in what he does.
This is a champion that the Midwest is certainly proud of.
[Barrett] All class, all style, the here and now of this industry
who is quite simply prepared to get in a street fight tonight.
That's the only way he can do battle with Kevin Owens.
Get down and dirty and scramble up that ladder however you can.
[crowd] Whoa-oh!
[McAfee] He's got perfect teeth. Perfect hair.
A perfect championship build.
But he's not scared to scrap.
[Barrett] Well, let's check out those teeth at the end of this matchup
after Kevin Owens has inevitably done a number on WWE's Golden Boy.
[Cole] This is perhaps the toughest title defense for Cody Rhodes
since he won the championship some 300 days ago at WrestleMania.
The night he finished the story, ending the record-setting reign of Roman Reigns.
And Cody saying the hell with superstition.
[Barrett] Luck ain't gonna help you from here. You're going to war tonight.
[McAfee] He's locked in too. You can tell by the look in his eye.
[crowd cheering]
[McAfee] Well, you talk about a potential trap game feel here for Cody.
Road to WrestleMania starts tonight.
[Cole] The man who has become the quarterback of WWE,
Pat touched on it earlier,
never says no, involved in anything the company wants him involved in.
He's a true leader, but he hopes he leaves tonight as the true champion.
[inaudible]
[bell rings]
The following contest is a ladder match.
And it is for
the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Introducing first, the challenger. From Marieville, Quebec, Canada,
weighing in at 242 pounds.
Kevin Owens.
And his opponent. From Atlanta, Georgia.
Weighing in at 222 pounds.
He is the Undisputed WWE Champion,
The American Nightmare,
Cody Rhodes.
[Cole] Cody Rhodes has changed. His life has changed.
Cody Rhodes is now the hunted.
He is no longer the hunter, and Wade, you've known Cody for so, so long.
This is a much different American Nightmare.
[Barrett] Yeah, undoubtedly, Cole. Listen, when you are trying to climb Mount Everest
as Cody did for his entire career until WrestleMania last year,
you have a different mind-set, there's an open-eyed approach,
there's an almost joy in that process.
And once you reach the top of that mountain, that's when the real work begins
and Cody, as you mentioned, never says no to the company.
He tries to be the perfect ambassador to this entire industry.
For me, he's on a fool's errand. That's a mistake.
[Cole] And with that point made, the man sitting next to us,
Pat McAfee here tonight, is much like Cody in the fact that he's constantly working
seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
Pat, it wears on you. I talked to you last week.
When you're running that type of schedule, you just break down.
[McAfee] Yeah, you certainly can. Your body can stop.
But this is what you dream of.
You want to do that. You want to be known as a workhorse.
You want to be known as somebody that does it the right way.
[Barrett] Well, take it from someone who's been in that position before, CM Punk.
We all heard his words to Cody Rhodes this past week on Raw.
The pressure is getting to Cody Rhodes. His body is getting ground down.
[Cole] There are over 70,000 people at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Cody Rhodes is the champion. Kevin Owens is the challenger.
The winged eagle title, the WWE title, hang above the ring.
You have to climb a ladder, retrieve the championships to become the champion
and solidify your spot at WrestleMania.
[McAfee] Indianapolis wants to see these two beat the hell out of each other.
[crowd cheering]
[Barrett] Well, they're gonna get exactly what they want, Pat.
[Cole] They promised to punish one another,
maybe end each other's career here tonight.
That is where this one time friendship has ended, and there's the drop down,
big right hand by Cody.
Remember Kevin Owens believed that Cody stabbed him in the back.
It has turned Kevin into a delusional, a jealous, a bitter man,
and a high elbow by the dangerous Owens.
[Barrett] Cody invited this upon himself
when his then-friend Kevin Owens was offered
a championship match against Cody Rhodes.
You remember the matchup.
It ended up, Cody was the victor 'cause KO couldn't find the killer instinct.
-I guess he's refound it now -[Cole] And then Cody Rhodes would go
and team with Owens's archenemy Roman Reigns back in October,
and that really sent Kevin Owens off the deep end until he would attack Cody Rhodes
in the parking lot in Atlanta and set off this rivalry.
And don't forget what Kevin Owens did to Rhodes's friend Randy Orton,
since we haven't seen since that attack.
[Barrett] Well KO's turned on countless close friends in the past,
especially when gold is up for grabs.
Look at Sami Zayn, Kofi Kingston, John Cena, the list goes on.
[Cole] Looking for a suplex into the steel ladder.
[McAfee] Anything goes here. These two are gonna take advantage of that.
[Cole] Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. Cody went right through the ladder.
[Barrett] We're gonna need a new ladder, guys. This one ain't gonna work anymore.
[Cole] The official really has nothing to do with this match.
Just has to make sure that the titles come down and he calls the winner.
And look at that impact.
He got lacerated from that metal.
[Barrett] Oh, my-- Speaking of. But it's all perfectly legal.
This is exactly why a matchup like this
plays into the hands of the prizefighter Kevin Owens.
[Cole] And now using the ladder as a weapon, Wade.
I cannot remember a friendship going so bad so quickly
to the point where these men absolutely hate one another
as Cody is driven into the barricade.
[Barrett] When it comes to Kevin Owens's goal, all friendships are temporary.
They're transactionary.
-While the going's good, great. -[Cole] Because he doesn't care
about anybody else but himself.
-[Barrett] He cares about the gold. -[Cole] And now Cody--
[McAfee] Him caring about himself got him a championship opportunity
here at Royal Rumble.
[Cole] Now he sends KO out in the WWE fans here in Indianapolis.
Cody now perched on the barricade, ducks underneath, and now
they're fighting out into the crowd.
Remember, no countouts, no disqualifications,
no pitfalls, no submissions.
[Barrett] This is a big old stadium
and it's essentially become the playground of Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes.
Beer to the face. Get me next, Cody.
[McAfee as Stone Cold Steve Austin] Was that a nice cold beer?
[Barrett] I need one of those, believe me.
[Cole] We'll have one soon. And now KO.
Hard to see in this sea of people here tonight.
Kevin and Cody, I mean, this is just-- this is like a bar fight.
[Barrett] Hard to see with IPA in your eyes too, but they're still brawling on.
[Cole] Yeah, bit citrusy. And now look at KO now.
Oh, and he slams Cody right off the camera.
[McAfee] Anything's a weapon when you want to beat the hell out of a guy.
[Barrett] I mean, you can brawl all you want around this arena.
The match is won and lost atop a ladder in the middle of the ring.
Incapacitate your opponent and things are gonna get a hell of a lot easier.
[Cole] Well, Wade, you know it is in Cody's genes, right?
Dusty, one of the greatest all-time brawlers.
[Barrett] Well, Dusty Rhodes, a massive hand in the rise of Kevin Owens
in the WWE umbrella. Of course, that all thrown to one side now.
[Cole] Indeed, what Dusty did for Kevin
and so many other men and women down at NXT, the performance center.
And now Kevin Owens turns his attention to Rhodes with a kick right to the ribs.
There's an absolute look of disgust and disdain on the face of Kevin Owens here.
[Barrett] And there has been that look for several months now, Cole
but the truth is victory tonight for KO and it all becomes sunshine and rainbows
once again for the prizefighter.
[Cole] But what if he doesn't win?
[McAfee] Well, he'll find a reason for why it didn't happen, we assume.
That's KO wrestling.
[Cole] And Kevin Owens now sends Cody Rhodes up onto the ladder
and then bouncing to the floor.
[McAfee] Kevin Owens right where he wants to be, stalking Cody Rhodes.
[Barrett] Well, Cody has completely been baited into the trap of Kevin Owens.
This is exactly the style KO excels in,
perhaps more than anybody else on the WWE roster.
[Cole] There's a reason it's "fight, Owens, fight." Right? "Fight forever."
Kevin Owens now setting up the ladder. Cody Rhodes is down outside the ring.
Kevin's got to climb the ladder and grab the championships.
He'll be the champ. Kevin Owens now looking to climb.
Cody back in the ring to preserve his championship, at least for now.
No other man in history has had more title matches
at the Royal Rumble than Kevin Owens has.
As he dumps Cody outside the ring.
Once again we're gonna climb the ladder.
Kevin Owens now. Cody intercepts again, playing defense.
[Barrett] Well, Cody has been on the back foot for the vast majority of the matchup
thus far, although things may be changing before our eyes.
The street fighter inside Cody Rhodes is coming to the fore.
[Cole] Ladies and gentlemen, you're looking at an unbelievable scene
here at Lucas Oil Stadium.
There's over 70,000, and we've been told this is the third largest gate
in WWE history,
bigger than any single night WrestleMania ever,
and now Cody Rhodes banged off the announce table here.
[McAfee] Geez.
[Cole] The first was WrestleMania Sunday last year,
followed by WrestleMania Saturday last year
and now the Rumble at number three.
And Kevin Owens now-- Bang! Bouncing off Cody and Kevin Owens is losing it.
The look at Owens's face.
I'm not losing it! I want it all, bitch!
-[McAfee] He didn't mean that. -[Barrett] Be careful what you say
-right now, Michael. -[McAfee] Yeah, and stop popping off
to the son of a security systems technician.
[Barrett] KO's ready to snap. I gotta pull you up, Cole.
KO ain't losing anything. It's Cody Rhodes who's losing it.
He's losing the damn match.
And now Kevin Owens dragging yet another ladder out.
Just this look of disgust on his face.
[Barrett] An instrument of torture in the hands of Kevin Owens.
[Cole] And now building a bridge between the announce table and the ring.
Kevin Owens now.
-Get out of the way, Pat. -I am. Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep.
[Cole] I have no idea what Owens is-- is planning to do here.
Cody Rhodes though fighting back and trying to avert disaster
as he sends Owens into the steps.
[Barrett] A much needed burst of life from the WWE champ at a crucial moment.
Things starting to look bleak for Cody, but now he may have swung the pendulum
in his own favor and if he can scramble up this ladder,
he wins the match just like that.
[Cole] Yeah, but Cody just trying to regroup here, trying to drag the ladder
back to the center of the ring.
Meanwhile, Kevin Owens with a step ladder here.
[Barrett] An incredibly short step ladder.
[Cole] Oh, and using that to his advantage.
I think Hornswoggle used that once.
[Barrett] He can swing that thing around with abandon.
Take out your opponent, scramble his brains and his body,
leave him incapacitated and take a leisurely climb up that ladder.
KO's tactics are bang on.
[Cole] You've been in a Money in the Bank ladder match and-- and others as well.
[Barrett] Yeah, I hated every second of it, incredibly painful,
and actually suplexed Cody off the top of a 12-foot ladder in that matchup,
and that was the end of me. These are the worst kind of match.
[McAfee] He's going high risk.
[Cole] Owens… Well, the heck with it.
-[McAfee] It was more mid risk, I guess. -[Cole] Small risk.
[McAfee] Low risk. You get it.
[Barrett] Kevin Owens is not in the business
of giving the people what they want.
He's in the business of giving himself what he wants.
[McAfee] The little ladder is back. The little ladder is back.
[Cole] And now Cody, using it as a weapon.
[McAfee] Cody's jamming the little ladder--
[Cole] And now bouncing the ladder off KO, collapses in the corner.
[McAfee] I'll tell you what, this little ladder is certainly a menace.
[Cole] And now Cody Rhodes with Kevin down gonna try to ascend the ladder to grab
the championships and retain his title.
[Barrett] Look how slow Cody's going.
[Cole] And now again the ladder right to the knee,
right to the knee of Cody.
[Barrett] Brilliant from KO. Take out a knee.
How the hell do you climb a ladder?
[Cole] Oh, and now to the elbow of Cody Rhodes.
-[Barrett] Cody Rhodes is so… -[Cole] And now to the midsection of Cody.
[Barrett] …battered and bruised, a body that had already been beaten up
with that package piledriver several weeks ago.
I'm not sure he's 100% coming into this matchup.
[Cole] Oh, no, no. Right onto the ladder.
[Cole] I can tell you Kevin Owens isn't 100% in the brain, that's for sure.
[McAfee] Oh, my…
And Cody Rhodes might have just broke every vertebrae on that little ladder.
[Barrett] And not being 100% in the brain is perhaps an advantage
in a matchup this dangerous.
[Cole] Watch this and watch the impact of Cody.
[McAfee] It's metal, steel.
[Barrett] Rearranging Cody Rhodes's entire spinal column.
[McAfee] Double shot there from the ladder.
[Cole] Kevin Owens taken down.
Cody Rhodes now trying to set the ladder up.
It's about survival.
That's all this is about, surviving and grabbing the titles.
[Barrett] Well, that's exactly how Cody Rhodes got himself
to the WWE championship in the first place.
It was a long, arduous climb.
[Cole] Almost there. Cody's got his hands on the title.
Go to go up one more rung. Kevin Owens trying to hang on.
Cody Rhodes now has his hands on the championship.
But Cody hanging high above the ring!
This could be a disaster.
The American Nightmare though able to maneuver back to the ladder.
Kevin Owens trying to make sure that Cody doesn't win the-- retain the title here.
[McAfee] Our champion was just dangling 20 feet in the sky.
-[Barrett] Oh, fingertips-- -[Cole] Oh, my goodness.
[Barrett] Cody apparently going for a hurricanrana or something,
but KO pulls off what was essentially a pop-up power bomb.
[McAfee] I don't know how Cody continues to go after this.
How much more can our champ's body take?
[Barrett] We're talking about bodies, a lot is made about physiques in WWE.
KO has the perfect physique for absorbing punishment.
Cody certainly does not.
[Cole] And Kevin continues to punish Rhodes,
driving Cody into the ladder again.
Kevin Owens has really dominated most of this match.
[Barrett] One word. Durability. That is what Kevin Owens is built for.
This is Kevin Owens's wheelhouse, and Cody Rhodes has made the mistake
of all mistakes in allowing himself to be baited into this--
[Cole] Kevin's climbing to the top of the ladder, looking to win the world title.
Cody Rode now trying to literally bench press the ladder.
And Kevin though with a kick to the midsection.
[Barrett] Just too much left in the tank of the WWE champ Cody Rhodes
with that indefatigable human spirit.
[Cole] You weren't buying Wade's argument about Kevin Owens
and the physique being better for this matchup.
[McAfee] I think it is good. I think it's calloused.
I think he's ready to take the abuse a little bit more.
I mean, nobody wants to be in a ladder match, but Kevin Owens,
this is a home game for him.
[Barrett] Well, there's an element of Mick Foley about Kevin Owens
and his style and that body that took Foley all the way to the top.
Well, it might.
[Cole] Oh, and it's interesting you said that
because earlier today I saw Mick Foley in heavy conversation with Kevin Owens.
Mick was here earlier on as now Cody has driven into the steps, hip first.
[Barrett] Love to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation.
It seems like Kevin Owens doesn't want to speak to anybody whatsoever, currently,
but perhaps the Hall of Famer Mick Foley got through to him
and gave him some tactical advice.
[Cole] Kevin Owens now back into the ring along with Cody Rhodes.
-It has been a-- -[McAfee] A fight.
The majority of KO in this match so far. Cody looking gonna turn things around.
And it may do that right there with the suplex.
[McAfee] That readjusted grip.
Snap suplex by Cody Rhodes. He's taken a beating tonight.
[Barrett] Yeah, as much as we make of the durability of Kevin Owens,
it pays to remember that he is still a human being.
We all have fragilities, and when they're exposed and Cody may
have exposed a fragility in Kevin Owens, but can he take advantage?
[Cole] Wait a minute, Cody Rhodes just busted off the lower rung of the ladder.
Where have I seen that before?
[Barrett] Tactic of mine once upon a time.
[Cole] Yeah, I think that Wade Barrett invented this tactic.
[Barrett] And I used it on Cody Rhodes. He clearly learned a trick or two.
[Cole] Cody Rhodes using the bottom rung of that ladder as a weapon,
but he runs into a super kick by Owens.
[Barrett] That was almost game over for Kevin Owens.
That was like being beaten up with a baseball bat, all completely legal,
of course, that strut of the ladder.
Two or three more shots on the frame of Kevin Owens
and he may have been down for good.
[Cole] Pat, Cody does not look good right now.
[McAfee] How could you?
We're deep into a ladder match. Nobody's going to look good at this stage.
Big left from Kevin Owens.
[Cole] Yeah, the southpaw. Those left jabs.
Now just mocking Cody's dad, Dusty Rhodes.
And there is the ladder rung right off the face of Rhodes.
[Barrett] Cody Rhodes essentially falling on his own sword now
introduced that strut of the ladder into the matchup.
Didn't get the job done against KO--
[Cole] And listen, I know Kevin Owens wants to punish Cody.
I know he wants to destroy this guy.
But Kevin Owens's in a position now to climb the damn ladder and grab
the titles and win the championship.
But instead he wants to beat the hell out of Cody here and again
to the skull of Rhodes.
Because Cody Rhodes is not an ordinary superstar.
He's extra special.
That's what got him to the gold in the first place.
This is smart from Kevin Owens.
Do not go for the gold too soon. Finish the job.
[Cole] I also told the story of talking to both of these men earlier today,
and it's all about punishing, perhaps ending careers.
That is what Owens and Rhodes want to do to each other tonight.
[Barrett] Well, if you end someone's career who is in a matchup with you,
how easy is it going to be for you to climb that ladder, grab the gold,
kill two birds with one stone?
[McAfee] Kevin Owens is trying to end careers every match that he's in.
Willing to do whatever to have success.
[Cole] Cody, been in five ladder matches in his career,
but all have been Money in the Bank ladder matches.
-And again with the… -[McAfee] Little ladder!
[Cole] …bounced off Rhodes.
[Barrett] And Rhodes just has nothing left. The tank is empty.
[McAfee] That thing's a ball of steel getting thrown around.
These guys are battering each other.
[Cole] Just what we need, another ladder. Don't you have enough in the ring already?
[Barrett] They're all broken, Cole, that's part of the problem and so is
the body of the WWE champ Cody Rhodes.
[McAfee] Trying to crawl out of the way. Go to clear some traffic.
Too many ladders in the ring.
[Barrett] Trying to get those ladders out of there
so Kevin Owens can't beat his body up with them.
But it might be too late for that, Cody.
[McAfee] What's Kevin Owens setting up here?
This looks painful.
I am the champ!
[McAfee] You could be, especially if you hit this.
[Cole] Cody now trying to fight back,
realized it could have been a disaster there.
Big forearm by Owens and another one to Cody
and Cody just has not been able to find any sort of groove in this match.
-[Barrett] Oh, God. Look what's coming. -[Cole] Oh, my God. Not this.
[Cole stammering] Oh, my goodness!
-[Barrett groans] -[crowd cheers]
[McAfee groans]
[Cole] Kevin Owens was going for a package piledriver.
Cody Rhodes countered with this back body drop through the damn ladder.
[Barrett] Well, Kevin Owens was attempting to finish the career of Cody Rhodes
once and for all.
A package piledriver on that ladder would certainly have done it,
and there was some burning ember left in the soul of Cody Rhodes.
[Cole] And now Cody with an opportunity, Wade.
Kevin Owens is down. He may not be able to walk.
Cody Rhodes now trying to place the ladder and win this match.
[Barrett] I can't believe Cody Rhodes is back up on his feet.
It would behoove him to scramble up that ladder with everything he's got,
get this one over and get straight to a doctor.
[McAfee] Kevin Owens might have some internal bleeding.
[Cole] Kevin Owens running interference, trying to play defense,
but Cody Rhodes is close to the top.
Kevin Owens now. Oh, my goodness, not from up there.
Kevin Owens has Cody Rhodes up top.
Owens now sends Rhodes through the damn ladder.
[McAfee] Back of his head and neck…
exploded through the ladder.
[Cole] Just listen to this.
[crowd cheers]
[Barrett] There is a very, very simple equation.
Bone versus steel. There's only ever one winner.
And it certainly was not the body of Cody Rhodes.
[Cole] This is for the undisputed WWE championship.
It is a ladder match in front of over 70,000, and Kevin Owens, the challenger,
slowly climbing the ladder.
Will this be his destiny?
Will this be his moment? His first title in eight years.
Cody Rhodes trying to play defense here, trying to grab Owens back off the ladder.
I don't know how Cody's even functioning.
[Barrett] Cody just crawled out of a major car wreck.
[McAfee] And here's another.
[Barrett] But he's just delaying the inevitable at this point,
angering KO further.
[McAfee] How much more can our champion take?
[Barrett] Cody looks done. Done and dusted.
-[Cole] No pun intended. -[Barrett chuckles]
[Barrett] And what instrument of torture is KO turning to next?
[McAfee] Yeah, ladders all over the place.
[Cole] He's demented. He's sick, sick in the head.
I guarantee you Owens has been up at night.
[Barrett] Some will call it sick in the head,
others will call it a winner's mentality because you have to go for broke here.
[Cole] Wade, this guy has been sitting up at night thinking of ways to torture
and punish Cody Rhodes.
[Barrett] And it's been…
I didn't wanna have to do this!
[Barrett] …been highly effective, clearly, Cole.
[Cole] Kevin Owens said, "I didn't have to do this.
It didn't have to be this way."
And Cody quickly back to his feet, thank goodness.
Owens may have been going for the splash.
[McAfee] Yeah, we might have seen Cody Rhodes splatter right here in front of us.
[Cole] What is Cody thinking?
He glanced back at that ladder that Kevin had set up.
Cody Rhodes now.
[McAfee] Wait a minute.
-[Cole] Oh no. Oh no, no, no. -[McAfee] Yeah.
Oh, my God, Owens is hooking the leg.
Fisherman buster! Fisherman buster! Fisherman buster!
Through the ladder! Through the ladder!
[McAfee] He might be dead.
They're checking pulses.
Geez.
The human body is not supposed to endure that.
[Cole] We got some, uh, we have officials. general manager Nick Aldis,
uh, are down here. Both men are down.
Aldis trying to figure out how badly hurt both Owens and Rhodes are.
[Aldis] What's he saying?
Cody?
[Barrett] Entertainment is one thing, but these are human beings.
[McAfee] Golly, Pete.
[Cole] And, uh-- Oh, my God, look who's here.
-[McAfee] Wait a minute. -[Cole] Sami Zayn is here.
[Barrett] Well, Kevin Owens talked to Sami Zayn about a quid pro quo here
-at the Royal Rumble. -[Cole] Yeah, yeah. Come on.
[Barrett] You help me, I'll help you,
and let's meet in the main event at WrestleMania.
[Cole] Sami is friends with both of these guys.
[McAfee] Sami might be worried about them 'cause of what they've done to each other.
[Barrett] I don't know, I smell a fix. I don't like this at all.
[McAfee sniffs] I'm getting a hint of that as well, Wade.
[Cole] And now, uh, Sami again checking out Kevin and-and Cody.
Uh, officials are down here trying to figure out if they can--
if they can resume this match for the championship.
[Barrett] Both men physically a wreck at this point.
It's a question if this match is even going to continue,
but looking at Kevin Owens, he has taken it out of the hands of the officials.
[Cole] Well, the match continues, obviously.
Kevin Owens is back to his feet. Owens wants the championship.
He wants to put Cody Rhodes away.
Remember you only win when they grab the titles.
[McAfee] They've been given an out here. Do you boys want to quit?
[Cole] Went for the stunner. Cody Rhodes now…
hits Cross Rhodes on Owens.
[Barrett] A last roll of the dice perhaps from Cody Rhodes.
And it beggars belief that Rhodes is moving.
[Cole] Yeah, Cody trying to climb the ladder.
Kevin Owens, though, not gonna allow him to do it.
Cody Rhodes has been to hell and back in this match, and it's continuing.
[Barrett] Problem is, Cody Rhodes as a human spirit.
[Cole] Oh, my goodness.
And Owens bounced right off our announce table.
And again. Cody has switched gears here.
Cody Rhodes has got Kevin Owens busted open.
[McAfee] How does he have this much energy at this stage?
Kevin Owens' head off the post.
[Cole] Kevin Owens is busted open. Cody Rhodes has turned into a madman.
[Barrett] Kevin Owens, welcome to your worst nightmare.
The American Nightmare is alive, and KO is busted wide open.
They're saying it's serious, but it's getting--
[Cole] Cody Rhodes now.
Targeting…
the s-- the wound on the face of KO.
[Rhodes] That's what you want.
[McAfee] Cody snappin' on Kevin Owens.
[Cole] Kevin Owens brought this upon himself.
KO brought this upon himself.
He made Cody Rhodes this way.
[McAfee] Just a few moments ago they're both being asked if they wanted to quit.
[Cole] Oh, what a low blow of desperation. Low blow by Kevin Owens.
Kevin Owens looking to end the WWE champion right here.
[McAfee] No, no, no.
[Cole] Looking for that… that Package Piledriver.
Cody, able to counter.
Alabama Slam! Through the ladder!
Kevin Owens turned inside out.
Oh, and meanwhile, Cody Rhodes back into the ring.
Cody Rhodes gonna take the opportunity to climb the ladder.
[Barrett] Well, Kevin Owens has to be finished here, Cole.
Cody Rhodes is near the top.
Cody Rhodes…
has the Championships at hand.
[McAfee] Kevin Owens might be done for, for good.
[Cole] Cody Rhodes on top of the ladder. Kevin Owens has not moved.
Cody Rhodes takes down one title.
Cody Rhodes takes down another. Cody Rhodes wins.
[Taylor] Here is your winner.
And still
the undisputed WWE Champion,
the American Nightmare,
Cody Rhodes!
[Cole] Cody Rhodes
looks to be headed to WrestleMania as the champion.
We may find out in the Rumble match next who he will face.
Meanwhile, serious concern here at ringside for Kevin Owens.
Our doctors out here checking on him.
[Barrett] Well, one of the most sickening matches
we have ever witnessed here in WWE.
The human spirit of Cody Rhodes drove him through this.
[McAfee] Kevin hasn't moved.
And these two were willing to end it all, to win.
I thought it was over for Cody there.
[Cole] And then, Wade?
[Barrett] Well, this was the moment
KO tried to end Cody Rhodes right here, with a Package Piledriver
on either the steps or the table,
but Cody Rhodes powering through with this Alabama Slam
and look at the landing of Kevin Owens.
This is a crucial part.
It's essentially headfirst for the prize-fighter.
As the ladder snap and KO has been folded up like an accordion ever since,
Cody Rhodes did what he had to do tonight.
[Cole] Cody Rhodes finished his story at WrestleMania,
but the latest book is now being written.
The maturation process of Cody Rhodes over the last ten months.
And he's realizing,
as the WWE Champion,
you have no friends.
[McAfee] What a fight.
Kevin Owens
is an absolute…
mess.
[McAfee] Bloody and battered and broken as our champion.
[Barrett] And that's the only way you can beat the prize-fighter.
Cody Rhodes did it.
Went to the depths of humanity, because that is how much.
-But here's the-- -What a championship meet.
[Cole] Here's the story, Wade, at ringside.
Kevin Owens being attended to.
A very concerned general manager,
very concerned friend Sammy Zane.
Cody Rhodes, though,
did it-- did what he had to do to keep his championship
and ensure the opportunity to go to WrestleMania.
[Barrett] It's supposed to be a joyous moment, but the concern for Kevin Owens
is so high right now.
I think we're all struggling to celebrate.
[McAfee] Got blood all over our desk.
[Cole] I, uh-- I hate to be callous about this,' Wade, because we're talking about
a human being here, but Kevin Owens,
he brought all of this upon himself.
He let his bitter jealousy and…
just get to him.
Drove him over the edge.
[Barrett] But what does it say about Cody Rhodes, that he was able to raise himself
to the exact same level as such a deranged individual as Kevin Owens has become?
[McAfee] What's he doing? Oh, yeah, welcome back, Champ.
[Cole] And Cody Rhodes.
The champion will celebrate tonight
after one of the most courageous performances of his career.
[McAfee] What a win.
And what a fight
from Kevin Owens.
[McAfee] It's the biggest party every single May.
And that's Lucas Oil Stadium. Place that is home to absolute legends.
And tonight, the biggest Royal Rumble of all time
in the greatest host city on Earth.
[Cole] Hey, we got a lot of, uh, celebrities in the house here tonight.
Uh, n--
No bigger WWE fan than this man. From the Indiana Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton.
He wants Cena to win the whole thing.
[McAfee] He just beat the Hawks 132 to 127,
literally just minutes ago…
[Cole] And there's my guy O'Shea…
Jackson Jr. The podcast to the after. The No Contest Wrestling podcast.
[McAfee] And also TJ there with him.
[Cole] And how about, uh, Kai Cenat?
How excited is he
to be invited to the Rumble by you on Raw this past Monday?
[McAfee] An absolute beast.
Streams his life and an entire country's tuned in.
[Cole] You know, 30 men, one golden opportunity,
underdogs, legends, and future greats
collide in the men's Royal Rumble, on the road to WrestleMania.
And when it comes to the Royal Rumble, guys, it's all about the numbers.
The Royal Rumble. It's a stage that defines a moment in time.
Rey Mysterio did it.
[Rick Flair] Greatest moment in my life.
Whoo!
John Cena! Just number 30!
The road to WrestleMania begins with 30 men vying
for the chance of a lifetime.
A World Championship match in the main events of WrestleMania.
We've witnessed 1,370 superstars compete in this event, but only 36,
a staggering 2.6% of participants, have actually won the match.
Of the 35 winners, 22 have gone on to win a World Championship at WrestleMania,
including the American Nightmare.
Cody Rhodes is going to WrestleMania!
Last year, the American Nightmare…
Finished the story!
And win the undisputed WWE Championship, making the success rate
from Royal Rumble winner to championship gold increase to 61%.
Superstars always fight to make their mark and create memorable moments,
but some competitors might have a blink-and-you-miss-it moment.
What did he land? One second?
I wasn't ready!
Some superstars are ready to get in the action at a moment's notice,
and you never know who's going to show up when their number is called.
A Jackass has entered the Royal Rumble.
The Phenomenal One.
We've witnessed many mind-blowing returns,
and this year will be no different when the greatest of all time, John Cena,
just 2,561 days removed from his last Royal Rumble,
will join the fray.
You want some? Come get some!
Roman Reigns, the undisputed OTC,
enters the Rumble for the first time in 5 years.
If he eliminates 29 opponents,
he'll earn his tenth spot in the WrestleMania main event,
further cementing his dominance.
Royal Rumble, acknowledge me!
The road to WrestleMania fittingly starts in the racing capital of the world,
Indianapolis.
With over 60,000 fans in attendance, and making it across the finish line
as the victor, can serve as a career launching pad.
Eleven competitors have won their first WWE World title
as a direct result of winning the Royal Rumble.
This year, the showcase of the Immortals takes over Sin City.
Thirty men vying for the chance of a lifetime.
Who will hit the jackpot and secure the opportunity of a lifetime
to headline a WrestleMania 41?
[buzzer sounds]
[Cole] Uh, ladies and gentlemen, we have 70,000.
347 WWE fans on hand here tonight
at the Royal Rumble.
What an incredible night in Indianapolis, Indiana.
[bell rings]
[Taylor] The following
is the Men's Royal Rumble match.
Two superstars will start inside the ring.
Every 2 minutes, another superstar will enter the match.
Eliminations occur when a superstar is thrown over the top rope
with both feet hitting the floor.
The last remaining superstar will be declared the winner
and will go on to main event,
WrestleMania.
♪ Booyaka, booyaka ♪
♪ 61, 619 Booyaka, booyaka ♪
♪ That's my, that's my pueblo ♪
♪ Booyaka, booyaka, 619 Booyaka, booyaka, that's my pueblo ♪
♪ Booyaka, booyaka, 619 ♪
[Taylor] Introducing entrant number one.
Representing the LWO
from San Diego, California, weighing in at 175 pounds,
WWE Hall-of-Famer,
Rey Mysterio.
[Cole] Well, ladies and gentlemen, Rey Mysterio.
Enters his Rumble tonight, becoming third all-time in appearances.
But he perhaps pulled off the biggest upset
in the history of the Royal Rumble, nearly 20 years ago.
In 2006,
he entered from number two.
He lasted an hour, two minutes and 12 seconds.
To shock the world and win the Royal Rumble,
and go on to win the world title at WrestleMania.
[Barrett] One word: improbable.
Improbable is the chances of Rey Mysterio going all the way
through the field tonight from position number one and winning the Royal Rumble.
However, improbable also describes
the entire career of Rey Mysterio.
There will never be another like this guy, and if anybody can do it,
I'd put my money on Rey.
Rey Mysterio held the record for a long time
before it was broken by Gunther
a couple of years ago.
But Pat, Rey, the greatest luchador of all time.
[McAfee] Yeah, the gloat, no questions asked.
He's willing to spare no expense to make sure his body
is still in peak conditioning.
I think he's ready to go the long haul.
Rey's first Rumble, all the way back in 2003.
He's a Hall-of-Famer. He is a living legend.
Violent favorite night of the year.
The Royal Rumble.
Well this entire audience is smiling right now
because the leader of the LWO, Rey Mysterio, is front and center.
If he's gonna pull this off, it's gonna take him an hour plus.
Get ready for a marathon Rey.
♪ Booyaka, booyaka ♪
♪ Rey Mysterio ♪
Who will he start things off with in the Royal Rumble?
A legend.
I'll tell you what, I did not predict Rey Mysterio at number one.
I don't think many people predicted Rey Mysterio
to be still competing actively, week in, week out at the top in 2025,
but that's the story of Rey.
[Taylor] Next, from Ecatepec, Mexico,
weighed in at 87 kilos,
Penta!
The man who has taken the world by storm.
Entering his very first Royal Rumble.
Hell yeah, Penta!
The man with no fear.
And folks…
I've got goosebumps.
Because we are starting the Rumble off tonight
with two of the greatest Luchadors to ever step foot in the ring.
Mysterio and Penta. This is a dream.
The man has no fear.
Well, that will be advantageous when you draw two in the Royal Rumble,
'cause let me tell you, if you look at zines of victory,
number two will instill fear in the soul of anyone.
Look at Rey Mysterio, the smile on his face, the applause from Rey,
the standing ovation from this capacity crowd tonight.
Two men that have represented the country of Mexico
with absolute pride over the years.
Two of the most recognized wrestlers on the planet.
Uh-oh.
And here we go, the 38th Royal Rumble match for the man
underway here tonight. Mysterio, Penta.
This is going to be a classic.
Sportsmanship and pleasantries
-are done and to eliminated. -Uh-oh, look at this. Penta hit Rey.
Both close to being eliminated.
Two of the most spectacular superstars on planet Earth, starters are here tonight.
And look at Rey now.
-Oh. -Oh, my goodness, kick right in the face
and Rey may be eliminated early.
Penta looking to eliminate the legend. Caught in the second rope now.
Rey caught him with a kick.
Mysterio now gonna fly up to the top rope quickly.
Rey Mysterio now, and he, oh, got caught. Went with the Hurricanrana.
Well, Penta is a hell of a Luchador,
but he's just bigger and stronger than Rey Mysteri-- Oh!
That was close. One foot touched. It was one foot.
We're gonna need a review.
VAR.
I got razor-sharp eyes. That looked like one foot to me…
-So, Wade… -…from Penta.
…here's the problem. Rey has so much experience in the Rumble.
Penta's never been on this stage before.
And that's part of the problem, it's a unique match style.
The experience of Rey Mysterio was huge.
The referees on the outside are clearly signaling.
They were close to it.
-One foot, though-- One foot touched. -Oh.
Penta living dangerously in the early goings here.
Rey just got-- may have hurt his knee, fell on his head.
We are now waiting for entry number three.
Now this is an interesting story here.
Chad Gable has enlisted the help of Rey Mysterio's son, Dominik,
who has put him in touch with some sort of Luchador expert, Wade,
who can help Chad Gable with his Luchador problem.
He can't beat Luchadors.
Yeah. Chad has been absolutely rubbish against Luchadors lately,
and he's in there now with two of the best Luchadors on planet Earth.
Let's see how good this mystery trainer--
Well, we saw how Penta's, uh, debut went against Mr. Gable.
You can see Penta's going for that Mexican Destroyer there
perhaps on Chad Gable.
Uh-oh. Heads are trying to hang on.
He's already had one foot hit the floor in this match.
Remember, both have to hit in order for you to be eliminated.
This two had a hell of a match a few weeks back on Raw.
The world was introduced to Penta.
And now up over the top, Sunset Flip by Rey.
Chad Gable, though, gonna Slingsh--
Or trying to slingshot Mysterio. And Penta now.
Backdrop by Chad.
Chad Gable in control.
Now they're going to send Rey out of the ring and out of the Rumble.
Hope nothing touched there.
Oh, I mean, that was millimeters away.
All right, senior official, Chad Patton on this side was right there.
Now, normally I give nobody a chance from number three,
but Chad Gable with a-- Ooh. Olympic conditioning.
If anyone can do it, Chad Gable can.
Yeah, his idol, Kurt Angle's here looking on tonight,
the Hall of Famer.
Chad, of course Olympic.
Team members, well, 2012 representing the United States.
Chad Gable's just an in-ring machine, but it's two kryptonites
-from the world of Lucha leaning-- -Oh. And look at-- Oh.
Oh, God, on the knee.
Rey and Penta working together. Rey landing on the knee of Chad Gable,
who is in deep trouble here.
Watch the impact.
That was awesome.
Oh, that is such a nasty landing on the knees of Chad Gable.
It's a good job, he's an in-ring machine with incredible conditioning,
'cause that was a double hyperextension of the knees of Chad Gable.
Number four.
It is
him.
Melo don't miss. From Friday night's Smackdown,
Carmelo Hayes entering his second Royal Rumble.
Had a good one last year, lasted 17 minutes.
Well, Carmelo Hayes has not been on a great run lately,
but every single time he's been shooting from the logo,
he takes the shots of anyone on Smackdown,
and that continues here.
Wasted no time.
You've got some thoroughbreds in the ring right now, Wade.
Yeah, these are all cardio machines.
Once again, it's horrible to draw an early number,
but nobody gets cockier than Carmelo Hayes,
who will take the fight to anyone.
Rey Mysterio now sends Melo to the corner.
Look like he's tryna Big Time Rey Mysterio.
Oh, and a clubbing blow right to the back of the neck by Hayes.
Carmelo Hayes is so good.
Reverse DDT.
Movement governed by a different set of rules
to the rest of the locker room.
Melo and Chad saying let's team up, get rid of these two.
Penta and Rey teamed up.
Now they're experiencing the other side of that.
Chad Gable's going to take all the help he can get against Luchadors.
Oh, Melo don't miss.
Springboard Closeline into a Suplex by Gable.
When an alliance is formed.
Great work by these two.
Mysterio, though, using his quickness, runs into the double shoulder tackle.
The double Elbow Drops.
These two have a combined fan base of zero.
But they're working great together.
-Oh, now-- -Oh, no, no, no.
It's always temporary, and the Royal Rumble stakes are too high.
Gable now. Melo off the second rope, caught by Chad.
Tremendous strength by Gable into a German Suplex.
That is wild.
Got incredible timing and power to catch a flying Melo in midair.
And they're gonna peacock around.
Number five will enter the Rumble now.
He's American-made.
[buzzer sounds]
Well, talk about thoroughbreds.
Things just got a lot worse for Chad Gable,
as another Luchador enters the fray.
Santos Escobar. From Lagado Del Fantasma.
Enters his third Royal Rumble match in his career.
The emperor of Lucha Libre himself is here.
Oh, Tornado DDT.
Chad Gable tastes one from the Luchador.
"No teaming with Rey Mysterio," says Santos Escobar.
He's trying to get a quick elimination.
Rey to the second rope,
and Escobar, now, may be pulling one out of Rey's playbook.
Time to run the bingo.
Santos looking for a 619 connecting to Mysterio.
That's Rey's move. And Santos' pretty happy with himself.
Well, that was executed to perfection. That was-- Uh-oh.
And Escobar runs right into Penta.
Santos-- Oh, my goodness!
Mex! Escobar hit the Mexican Destroyer.
He's beating everyone at their own game.
Yeah, but he's gonna get--
Rey's little retribution there with a 619 of his own.
There you go, Santos. Here's how it's done. Oh, God.
Escobar trying to hang on.
Mysterio's sent over the top rope by Melo. Rey's in trouble.
Melo over the top as well. Melo trying to hang on.
Penta hanging on the other side. Who does Chad pick to try to eliminate?
He was spoiled for choice, and in the end he's been left with nada.
See.
It's getting physical.
Shots going off left, right and center.
Four bo-- Five bodies crashing to the mat.
As number 6 is about to enter this match.
[buzzer sounds]
Well, things just went from bad to worse
for Chad Gable.
Here come his-- Here comes his former number one pupil.
Otis is on his way to the ring.
Well, the first five entrants were all cardio machines.
Less of that can be said about Otis,
but it's gonna be a scene of devastation, at least for the first two minutes here.
05:10, 03:30 might be impossible to eliminate for the Royal Rumble.
It's interesting because Otis actually eliminated Rey Mysterio
back in 2022.
I enjoyed when Maxine did the same.
And Chad Gable looking for the ankle lock.
He didn't want to see Otis's Worm.
The former mentor of the Alpha Academy.
Well, Chad Gable taught Otis everything he knows.
Oh, God.
-Ooh. -Oh, but did you hear that?
Holy hell!
He might have broke his jaw.
A frying pan across Chad Gable's jaw.
And now Otis and Chad going after one another.
And in a punch up you've got to back the bigger man for the smart techniques.
German Suplex from Gable, and Otis is back on his feet.
A 4.0 GPA and Chad Gable did not help him there.
Torture Rack from Otis.
Carmelo saves Gable and now the double team.
Well, now, the alliance is temporarily back. Oh!
Carmelo Hayes and Chad Gable take…
Oh, my goodness.
I don't know how Chad Gable wasn't knocked out,
and then to bounce back
with this deadly German Suplex against someone with a girth of Otis.
A lot of girth.
Impressive girth.
[buzzer sounds]
Number seven.
The dogs are barking in Indianapolis.
Oh. The unpredictable badass.
The Intercontinental Champion.
250 pounds of gelignite has just arrived in the Royal Rumble.
We know whose Daddy's here.
The dog-face Bremley, Rick Steiner, the Hall-of-Famer.
-Oh! -Oh!
Explosive studded impact by Breakker. Thanks for coming, Melo.
See you, Melo.
Quite the history between those two in NXT, okay.
A break in style!
To Chad Gable! Bron Breakker's brought us out of our seats.
The Power to Otis.
Jaw-dropping.
Look at how he started this match. Bang, a Spear by Breakker.
Oh, now he's rolling, runs the rope to 23 miles an hour
with a right hand on Mysterio.
Run past a school at that speed and you're getting arrested,
but it's all legal in the Royal Rumble.
And a Spear to Escobar.
Breakker in his second Rumble making a name for himself.
Bron Breaker is just a wrecking machine
with unwavering belief in his own potential.
There goes Escobar.
Breakker eliminated four men last year, two so far this year.
Man on a mission, Bron Breakker.
He's got a mindset of being completely indestructible,
but you know big Otis is going to give it a shot.
So, this is number eight.
[buzzer sounds]
Oh, this has got some backup. Because here comes Akira Tozawa.
We're about to feel--
-Oh! -Oh!
Oh, there goes Akira Tozawa.
I was gonna say we're about to feel the power,
but it was, in fact, Tozawa who felt the power
of an irate Carmelo Hayes.
Adam Pearce wondering if they can get some control out here.
The Raw General Manager checking out Tozawa.
Carmelo Hayes has got four for that kind of attack.
Attacked Jimmy Uso a couple of weeks ago on Smackdown in the exact same way.
Tozawa will not officially enter this match.
Dragged to the back.
Not even making it to the Rumble.
Heartbreaker for the Alpha Academy.
I don't think he can go, man. He's already asleep.
-Come on, buddy. -Tozawa!
Hey, we're here to help you, right?
Uh, he's not gonna be able to go.
Somebody's got to replace him. Somebody's got to replace him.
-Speed. -What?
-Speed? -What?
You're in the Rumble.
-Go. -Who, me?
-You're in the Rumble. Go. -[indistinct]
-No, no, no, no, no. Go. -I'm not ready.
-Go, go, go, go, go. -What you mean?
-Go, go, go, go. -What you talkin' 'bout?
IShowSpeed is in the Rumble.
Somebody get the man some kneepads, some elbow pads.
A crash helmet.
Hey, he appeared at, uh, WrestleMania dressed in a, in a Prime bottle.
You remember that?
This man is built for the moment.
Had no idea he was going to be in the rumble.
-Now he's sprinting his way to the ring. -And look at how he got in the ring.
That was pretty nice. And, uh, going right--
And look he's trying to eliminate Chad and Rey.
And now trying to help break or eliminate Otis, which he does.
So wait a minute, IShowSpeed actually has an elimination in the Rumble.
The dog's barking in the ring.
Come on. Come on!
Hell yeah, IShowSpeed.
Bit of a crusher. Faded back flip.
Oh, my God, Breakker just about broke IShowSpeed in half.
One dog just killed another.
He just sawed speed in half.
That's dog aside.
Meanwhile, Breakker with Speed.
Into Otis.
Speed's still in the match. He hasn't been el--
Oh, that was-- Uh, he's eliminated now.
Sir, are you okay?
No, he's not okay.
Are you okay, sir?
He just got speared in half.
Are you insane, Michael? How can that man possibly be okay?
Then he got tossed like it was Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck.
This is a rather unhappy Otis, of course.
His partner, Tozawa, was the person that IShowSpeed replaced.
Careful what you wish for in this world.
He just, uh--
He just said to Chad Patton, "Where am I?"
He has no clue where he is.
You're at the Royal Rumble, Speed.
We appreciate you stepping up for us, but--
Uh, by the way, he actually entered the Rumble in Crocs.
[buzzer sounds]
He has Crocs on.
Hey, guess what, Pat? Guess what time it is.
Guess what time it is!
It's fight night!
This Royal Rumble's getting a banger alert.
Baby!
In his 11th Rumble appearance.
Last year he entered number two and lasted 52 minutes.
He won this damn thing in 2012.
He's thinking about ten boots are about him.
Well, Sheamus really wants that Intercontinental Championship.
Well he had a chance at Raw and didn't do it. Breakker's still the Champ.
Sheamus making him pay.
Well, he's not gonna win the Intercontinental Championship tonight,
but he can book his ticket for WrestleMa--
And Penta!
And Sheamus hangs on.
Sheamus was once eliminated in two seconds.
Oh, Slingshot Spear.
Sheamus!
Sheamus pulling out those Lucha moves of his own.
Sheamus with that Irish Curse Backbreaker.
There's just a permanent ferocity to Sheamus.
And Breakker with a great throw.
And to Bron Breakker.
[Barrett] Two absolute alpha balls about to collide.
[Cole] Oh, broke, broke!
I think that caught the shoulder of Breakker more than anything,
but it did enough damage.
-[Barrett] The speed of Breakker-- -[Cole] How you doing, fella?
[McAfee] He's doing great.
And now Chad Gable wants a fight.
[Cole] Yeah, I don't think that was smart. We await number 10 now.
[Barrett] Don't throw hands with Sheamus. Try something else.
[buzzer sounds]
["Born A King" playing]
[Cole] We're a third of the way through.
Jimmy Uso.
Entering the rumble match for a third time in his career.
[Barrett] A lot of people have been taking cheap shots at Big Jim, saying he's
in the shadow of his twin brother Jay, who has gone on to major single stardom
over the past 12 months.
Well, Big Jim can play catch up and more
if he books himself a ticket to Wrestlemania.
[Cole] Big Jim from the top rope, and a cross-body.
Now last year, Jimmy Uso lasted 33 minutes.
He was eliminated by Bron Breakker.
-[Barrett] Hell of a match too. -He's still in this match.
Hell of a match here with Carmelo Hayes on Smackdown last night,
ended up victorious, recovered well.
Oh, look at that!
[Barrett] Uso in the wind!
[Cole] Corkscrew Moonsault by Jimmy.
[McAfee] Big Jim taking over the rumble.
[Cole] Now a big kick for Sheamus.
-[howls] -[crowd chants] Moonsault!
Jimmy now. Shades of his dad Rikishi.
And to the other side.
And I don't think too many people are backing Jimmy Uso to pull this thing off,
but how exciting would it be for an unexpected victor like Jimmy Uso
to ascend to the main event.
Big Jim with a dump truck on Penta.
Sheamus is about as meat and potatoes of a fighter as you can imagine.
There's never anything flashy. It's just always painful.
Jimmy over the top rope…
Sheamus looking to eliminate as we await number 11 headed to this match.
[crowd] Six, five, four, three, two…
Big Jim holding on for dear life.
Yeah, this kind of guy will make a dream evaporate in a heartbeat.
[buzzer sounds]
["Conquistar" playing]
[Cole] This man returned to WWE in the Rumble match last year.
It's his fourth Rumble.
Andrade enters at number 11.
Lots of momentum. Scored a big win against the A-lister, the Miz, last night
on Smackdown. Now looking to parlay that momentum into something even bigger.
Fantastic start to Royal Rumble weekend with that win over The Miz,
and he's walking into a very dangerous ring right now.
I'm sorry, jogging into.
[Barrett] Yeah, and I would never jog. Take as much time as you can,
preserve your energy and spend as little time in that ring as possible.
He wanted to get to it.
[Barrett] I get the enthusiasm. I just think it's a bad strategy.
[McAfee] Certainly delay if you want,
or you can come in at a thousand miles an hour.
And I, personally, was always a delay kind of guy, Pat.
I understand. I would be as well, but Andrade says, "Let me at 'em."
[crowd clapping rhythmically]
[Cole] And look at Andrade now, the Meteora into the corner to Gable.
Oh, maybe Sheamus can get one too. A shin to the jaw.
-And on to the other side to Sheamus. -What a size to that frame of Sheamus.
Not ideal when you get an early number in the Royal Rumble.
And trying to eliminate Andrade is Penta, who started this thing at number two.
Rey Mysterio's still in. He started at number one.
Big Jim and Bron Breakker fighting on the other side.
Bron Breakker hanging on to the top buckle.
Rey Mysterio getting involved,
trying to eliminate Bron Breakker, our intercontinental champion.
[Cole] Sheamus as well trying to eliminate Breakker.
Three men trying to eliminate Bron.
Chad Gable turns his attention to Rey. Andrade with a kick now to Penta.
Rey trying to beat everybody down.
Andrade and Penta up on the ropes.
Number 12 about to-- Oh! About to enter the Rumble.
[crowd] Three, two, one.
[buzzer sounds]
["Samoan Destroyer" playing]
[McAfee] Holy hell!
[Cole] The man I called the dark horse on the Countdown show.
The Samoan Werewolf.
The wild, maniacal Jacob Fatu enters his first Rumble.
[Barrett] We got a lawless feral fog heading to the ring.
A deranged mind bent on extreme levels of violence.
Lacking anything close to resembling humanity.
-Good luck to the rest of the field. -Yeah, look what he did last night.
[McAfee] He's unstoppable.
[Cole] Fatu with that Pop Up Samoan Drop.
[McAfee] Undeniable.
[Barrett] Look what he did one week ago at Saturday night's main event.
[Cole] Oh! To Braun Strowman.
Look at him. He's unhinged.
[Barrett] What are you doing, Penta?
[McAfee] He's unbelievable.
Zero!
Well, you know he has no fear
but he might though after that right hand by Fatu. And Rey Mysterio.
[Barrett] Sometimes a little fear is a good thing, it would seem.
[Cole] Off the second rope, caught by Fatu.
Jacob now. Kicks to Penta and now two men on his shoulders!
Double Samoan Drop!
[McAfee] Are you kidding me?
[Cole] The lupin-like Fatu.
[Barrett] If I wasn't so terrified of that guy, he'd be my favorite.
[Cole] And goodbye, Chad. Gable eliminated by Jacob Fatu.
Rey Mysterio eliminated by Jacob Fatu.
Andrade trying to eliminate Jacob.
[Barrett] Andrade gave it his best shot.
You've got to blindside Jacob Fatu and hope for the best,
but it has backfired on Andrade.
And Andrade now. A third elimination by the Samoan Werewolf in this match.
[McAfee] Jacob Fatu can do anything he wants to any whom he wants
-any time he wants except for this. Woof! -[Cole] Whoa, except for this.
There's a werewolf and a big old dog in a ring.
Who's going to win this fight?
-[crowd] Two, one! -[buzzer sounds]
[Cole] And Jimmy Uso with a kick. Sheamus with one as well.
Number 13 now enters.
[Barrett] To be continued. I want to see more on that.
[Cole] Well, a guy that can't stand Breakker or Sheamus,
Ludwig Kaiser, who had a breakout year in 2024.
Kaiser, can you imagine if he wins the Rumble?
Then he picks Gunther, the face of the world title of Wrestlemania.
[Barrett] Don't you start stirring the pot, that would never happen.
The bonds in the Imperium boys are simply too tight.
But it's about time we got ourselves some European elegance in this match.
-Kaiser in no hurry. -Kaiser in no hurry.
[Barrett] What an intelligent human being, we were just talking about this.
He's not just a good-looking man with an incredible skill set.
-He's razor sharp mentally too. -[McAfee] Defends his ladies as well.
You know what, if I was running to the ring
and I saw Jacob Fatu, I'd slowly hit the brakes too.
And again you can sit out there all night, right? Go in at the end if you wanted.
But at some point you're gonna have to face the music.
He sprinted down just to wait.
Hurry up and wait, Ludwig Kaiser, while Fatu and Sheamus beat down Big Jim.
Yeah, I wouldn't want to get in there with Breakker, Fatu, Sheamus,
Penta and Jimmy Uso.
Seven eliminations, six are in the ring.
Number 14 will be coming up next.
Sheamus tried to steal one there with Penta.
And Kaiser finally in. And Kaiser tries to pick a spot.
Looking to eliminate Penta here…
And Kaiser! Thanks for coming!
Oh, that may be a record. We gotta check that. That may be a record.
Kaiser may…
May have just set a record there.
[shouting]
[McAfee] Shortest in-ring time ever maybe.
That's the universe telling you…
[Cole] We're being told Santino still holds the record,
so I guess Kaiser was at least 2 seconds.
-Get out of here, right now! -[shouts]
That's the universe. You can't act like that. Gotta do it right!
And again, Kaiser had some nasty words for Penta last week.
Now Penta looking to eliminate Breakker.
Sheamus trying to help as well.
Breakker trying to hang on. Breakker now to the apron.
Breakker dangling above the floor.
Great athleticism to pull himself back in.
-Number 14 on his way. -[crowd] Four, three, two, one!
[buzzer sounds]
["I Came To Play" playing]
[McAfee] Maybe it's this man's night.
[no audible dialogue]
[Cole] The Miz makes his 16th Royal Rumble appearance.
He is now tied for second all time.
[McAfee] He's got that look in his eye, doesn't he?
Well, he's a man who's been there and done it in the main event of WrestleMania.
[Cole] I'm not sure he should be barking at Breakker.
[Barrett] Outfoxing the youngster-- Oh!
Breakker almost eliminated by Miz. Almost outfoxed Bron Breakker.
Miz in 2012 lasted over…
[McAfee] Skull Crushing Finale.
[Barrett] Miz never gets the respect he deserves,
but this man is a two-time Grand Slam champ.
[Cole] 45 minutes in 2012 for the Miz.
And Penta now sends Miz flying off the ground and into the corner.
[McAfee] Beautiful usage of momentum there for Penta.
-[Cole] Miz now. -What?
[Cole] What a Hurricanrana by Miz!
[Barrett] The ever-expanding playbook of The Miz. Oh, no.
[McAfee] Not a good idea, Miz.
This is not awesome for you.
Miz trying to escape Fatu.
Jacob Fatu
sends Miz out to the apron and Miz catches him with a kick.
[Barrett] Rocks Jacob Fatu temporarily, but it--
[Cole] Oh! What a Samoan Drop! That is insane.
[Barrett] It's only ever temporary when it comes to damage to Jacob Fatu.
[Cole] The Miz was caught in mid-air in a Samoan Drop.
[Barrett] And I've never seen anybody shrug off offense
as quickly as Jacob Fatu has consistently done
since arriving in WWE. The man ain't built right.
[crowd] Two, one!
[buzzer sounds]
[McAfee] What a force, Fatu.
["I Believe In Joe Hendry" playing]
[crowd singing]
[Cole] The TNA champion is here!
Joe Hendry in his first Royal Rumble match!
[Barrett] Somebody somewhere must have said his name
'cause he has appeared. The most viral superstar of the past 12 months
became an overnight success, and it only took him 15 years to do so.
[McAfee] Watching his rise on social,
I believe in Joe Hendry too.
[Cole] Joe Hendry now with a Fallaway Slam.
He beat Nick Nemeth for the championship back in January.
-[crowd cheers] -And listen to this place.
[Barrett] From Edinburgh, Scotland.
We've seen him in NXT,
but never on this stage in front of over 70,000.
And now, Hendry with Miz up.
Parading around the ring with Miz-- There's a slam.
[Barrett] We will rock you, Joe Hendry.
[Cole] Yeah. Thanks for coming, Joe.
Jacob Fatu reminding Mr. Hendry this is a different world here.
[McAfee] Yeah, it's not just about belief over here. It's about reality, says Fatu.
I was enjoying that.
Sheamus said he was enjoying that from Joe Hendry.
[Barrett] You like the clapping, like the stomping.
I'm so angry.
[Cole] Well, if there's anybody that would want to fight Fatu, it would be Sheamus.
As we await number 16.
[Barrett] Sheamus just loves being in the trenches and if this kicks off…
[buzzer sounds]
…that's exactly where he's heading with Jacob Fatu.
[cheering]
[McAfee] Wade, acknowledge your Tribal Chief.
Thank you.
[Cole] He has the Ula Fala.
He defeated Solo Sikoa on the Monday Night Raw premiere on Netflix to win it.
Roman Reigns, for the first time in 5 years,
enters the Royal Rumble match.
That's because the last 4, he was the champ.
[Barrett] And this just feels so weird.
Roman Reigns has to earn his ticket to the main event of WrestleMania.
A man who is synonymous with the main event of WrestleMania.
It may or may not happen this year.
[McAfee] I can't wait to watch our tribal chief battle in the Royal Rumble.
[Cole] So many records for Roman Reigns in this match.
He won in 2015.
Roman Reigns now out of the box with a spear.
-He holds the record and there goes. -[McAfee] See ya!
Goodbye, Miz. Sheamus with… Missed with a Brogue Kick.
Spear to Sheamus.
Sheamus eliminated by Roman.
[McAfee] See ya!
Yeah, good luck, Joe.
[Cole] Roman now has 34 career Royal Rumble eliminations.
Spear to Hendry.
[Barrett] Well, what a story that would have been
if Joe Hendry had pulled it off, but…
[Cole] And Joe Hendry eliminated by Reigns. That's three tonight.
[McAfee] I believe Joe Hendry has a story forever.
Oh, yeah.
[Cole] Breakker, Roman.
Spear! Oh, spear! Spear by Breakker.
Breaker about split Roman in half.
[Barrett] Nobody saw that coming.
Even The Wiseman, Paul Heyman, who sees everything coming,
[Cole] And Breaker looking to eliminate Reigns.
Roman eliminated Breakker somehow!
[McAfee] Braun got too caught up in the moment.
And Roman Reigns used that massive brain and took advantage of the momentum.
[Cole] Yeah, that's the veteran instinct of Roman Reigns.
I don't even know how Roman can breathe.
But look at what's setting up here, guys.
Jimmy Uso and Roman Reigns, part of the family, part of the Bloodline.
The reuniting of these two men. And now they're the together in the Rumble
which is supposed to be every man for himself.
[Barrett] What up, coz?
-We gotta… -[Cole] Oh! Fatu!
Who's also a member of the family. He don't give a damn.
Jimmy Uso eliminated.
And now it's down to Jacob and Roman, batten down the hatches.
Reinforce the ring.
You are looking at a future WrestleMania main event.
Fatu with the first strike. Roman as well. The only Tribal Chief,
Jacob Fatu, who joined with Solo Sikoa.
Creating such a rift within Roman Reign's Bloodline.
And now Roman, firing on all cylinders against Fatu.
[Barrett] We're about to find out just how good Jacob Fatu really is
against a man, Roman Reigns, who can seemingly walk on water in this industry.
[McAfee] GOAT conversations are what Roman Reigns are in.
[Cole] Roman now sent across the ring by Jacob.
Oh! High spear by Reigns.
A high Spear by Roman as we await the 17th entry.
[crowd] Five, four, three, two, one.
[buzzer sounds]
[cheering]
[Cole] Drew McIntyre's downward spiral began at Clash at the Castle,
a couple of years ago when Roman Reigns defeated him thanks to Solo Sikoa.
It has been over 2 years that McIntyre's hatred for Reigns and his family
has driven Drew off the deep end.
And now tonight, an opportunity to go face to face with his arch nemesis,
Roman Reigns.
[Barrett] The face of Roman Reigns just dropped,
because 270 pounds of snarling Scottish anger
is heading his way.
[Cole] The man who won the 2020 Royal Rumble,
staring at the man who won the 2015 Royal Rumble.
McIntyre and Reigns.
You and your family,
waiting for this damn moment.
It began with you and it's gonna end with you.
[Cole] McIntyre with a right.
You heard Drew say, it began with you, it's gonna end with you.
[Barrett] And the pints of Buckfast are getting thrown in the air
all over Scotland right now.
But if McIntyre can hold this off against the great Roman Reigns…
[Cole] Fatu now.
He's just feral. He's a wild animal. Attacking Reigns. McIntyre back to Penta.
[McAfee] McIntyre just got the assistance of Fatu.
[Cole] Well, Fatu's not gonna back down and neither is Drew.
This is very interesting here.
Now they're gonna double-team Roman.
[Barrett] Two men with a mutual hatred of the Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns.
[McAfee] The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
[McIntyre] I told you. I told you every week that I'm coming for you.
[McAfee] Wiseman Paul Heyman out here.
[Cole] All right, Fatu. Ask Braun Strowman how that feels.
[Barrett] In a sense, McIntyre's not even focused on victory right now.
He just wants Roman Reigns.
-[buzzer sounds] -[Cole] Number 18.
Finn Bálor enters the Rumble for the 4th time in his career.
He once spent over 57 minutes in this match.
18th, not a bad number.
[Barrett] Grand Slam Finn, a man with otherworldly athleticism.
We have a guy with a lot of history with Roman Reigns as well.
[McAfee] Roman Reigns is gonna have a target on him with everybody.
[Cole] Yeah, Roman didn't make many friends
during his historic championship reign.
Penta now.
He's been trying to eliminate Penta who started this match at #2.
He's still in there. Rey was #1, but Rey was eliminated a bit ago.
Oh, what a slick play.
[Barrett] Used to having some assistance from his Judgment Day buddies.
Might have to go it alone here though.
[Cole] Penta still in it. McIntyre now with Bálor.
Finn then takes out Drew.
[Barrett] Ireland versus Scotland, no love between the Celts in this one,
but back from the dead, after getting stomped, is Roman Reigns.
[Cole] And now Fatu has turned his anger towards Drew McIntyre.
Fatu doesn't give a damn about anybody.
[McAfee] Roman doesn't either.
[Cole] Roman goes back to fighting with Jacob Fatu.
Now back to Bálor in the corner.
[McAfee] Kicking Drew as well,
and everybody can get something from your Tribal Chief.
[Cole] Penta's had an amazing performance thus far as we await entry number 19.
Penta and Roman working together.
That wouldn't have been on my bingo card for this year.
[McAfee] It's awesome too.
[Cole] And again on the other side.
As the current United States champion, from Friday night's SmackDown,
the man who won this matchup back in 2018, when he lasted nearly 45 minutes,
Shinsuke Nakamura on his way to the ring.
[Barrett] The Shinobi Assassin himself.
Bitter, twisted, poison-minded and filled with ill intent.
[McAfee] He's gonna love how physical this little Rumble has been.
[Cole] We have Finn sent over the top rope, but still on the apron.
Penta is hanging in there. He's having a historic run tonight.
For his first rumble ever,
Shinsuke Nakamura now turns his attention to Roman Reigns.
Knee right to the rib cage of Roman.
[Barrett] How do you go one better than the United States championship?
You book yourself a ticket to the main event of WrestleMania.
[Cole] He knows what that's about, dangerous.
[McAfee] Oh, he just woke up Penta, it looks like.
[Cole] Martial arts expert, Nakamura, face-to-face with Penta.
These two know each other well.
International stars.
[Barrett] Shinsuke Nakamura, a highly skilled jujitsu exponent,
former MMA competitor,
before he transitioned to the world of sports entertainment using those strikes.
[Cole] And notice how the pace of this match, where it has really slowed down,
since the Luchadors, for the most part, except for Penta have been taken out.
[Barrett] Yeah, we got some true heavyweights in there right now.
And naturally the pace has to slow because the strikes are just that much heavier.
[Cole] And Penta's gonna use Bálor.
Oh! And a Mexican Destroyer to Jacob Fatu.
[McAfee] Off of Finn's back.
[Barrett] Well, for anyone else that's game over. With Jacob Fatu, I don't know.
[Cole] Well, he went for that one and now Penta eliminated by Bálor.
What a great opportunity by Penta here tonight. Made the most of it.
See you later, mate.
[McAfee] Penta with a hell of a night and a Mexican Destroyer
to Jacob Fatu off of Finn Bálor's back.
[Cole] Yeah, Penta lasted over over 40 minutes.
What a debut performance in the Rumble.
[Barrett] Well, notably, despite that Mexican Destroyer,
Jacob Fatu, the Samoan Werewolf, already back up and on the offense.
[McAfee] It's unbelievable.
[Cole] We are now two-thirds of the way through this match, number 20.
Uso!
[Cole] Jey's serious tonight.
[McAfee] Come on, Cole! 70,000!
Yeah, Wade! Yeah, Wade! Yeah, Wade!
[Cole] Here comes main event, Jey Uso.
Interesting here, because you got Jacob in the ring.
You got Roman in the ring, and Jey Uso now turns his attention to Finn Bálor.
Jey having fun.
And McIntyre. He has no love loss for…
Spear.
Jey, now… Oh!
Takes down Jacob Fatu. How the hell is Fatu still standing?
[McAfee] I don't know, but welcome to the Rumble.
[Cole] Yeah, the 4th Rumble for Jey Uso tonight.
Went for the step-up enzuigiri, Shinsuke able to step out of harm's way.
[Barrett] Well, Jey Uso came out here with such energy
enhanced by this massive audience of Yeet-ers,
he's in danger of burning himself out way too quickly in this one.
Got to pace yourself.
[McAfee] You gotta think about the adrenaline dump for sure,
especially when you're Yeeting all over the place.
[Cole] Shinsuke Nakamura over the top rope and eliminated by Jey Uso.
[Barrett] Bitterness etched on the face of the Japanese superstar.
But right now it's Jey Uso in command.
[McAfee] Jey Uso on the scoreboard.
[Fatu] Come on. [grunts]
[McAfee] Big right to Fatu. Who's next?
[Cole] Number 21.
[buzzer sounds]
[McAfee] Yes.
[Cole] The phenomenal AJ Styles is back.
[Cole speaks indistinctly] …2016.
AJ Styles made his memorable debut in WWE in the Royal Rumble.
He had a Career Rumble in 2022 when he eliminated seven Superstars.
and now Styles is back, taking out McIntyre at the knees.
-[Barrett] No ring rush whatsoever. -[Cole] That flying forearm by Styles.
AJ. Knee right to the back of the neck.
[McAfee] The phenomenal one.
[Barrett] 25 years in the business end of this industry,
at times grappling with career mortality.
This is win now for AJ Styles.
[Cole] What an all-star match.
Maybe the greatest field in Rumble history. AJ, meet the Werewolf.
[Barrett] AJ's had a hell of a long career,
he's never met anything quite like this monster before.
[Cole] Styles going right after Fatu, however. Jacob misses wildly.
-Got him! Pelé Kick by Styles. -[McAfee] Vintage AJ Styles.
[Cole] Styles now, pop up--
Oh, what a Backdrop.
[Barrett] Jacob Fatu just does not wear down.
[Cole] I told you he was my dark horse in this whole thing, Wade.
[Barrett] Unfading, impervious.
There's nothing dark about that horse, Michael Cole.
[McAfee] I think he has armor on his entire body.
[Cole] Here comes 22.
[crowd] …four, three, two, one.
[buzzer sounds]
[McAfee] Oh, yeah, Cole.
That's one big S.O.B. coming into the Royal Rumble.
[Cole] And he's seeing red, Wade, because of what Jacob Fatu did to him
at Saturday Night's Main Event.
[Barrett] He was seeing red one week ago after he got his head caved in
by the Samoan Werewolf, covered in blood.
And I cannot believe this man is back on his feet
intent on vengeance it would seem.
[Cole] He's the guy who won the greatest Royal Rumble back in 2018,
where he eliminated 13 men,
tying Brock Lesnar for the most ever in a rumble match.
He once eliminated seven men in a row in 2017
and now he wants some of Fatu.
[Barrett] We got a couple of big old meat planets about to collide
in the Royal Rumble.
[Cole] And here we go, Strowman and Jacob Fatu.
Man, this is turning into quite the rivalry here.
Strowman now, what a Crossbody.
[Barrett] To taste the power of Jacob Fatu, the savagery of Jacob Fatu,
and come back for more?
Running now, Jacob Fatu eliminated by Strowman.
-Braun Strowman! Jesus. Oh, my God. -[Barrett] Oh, my God.
-Someone get a cattle prod. -…fucking kill me.
[Cole] Cattle prod? What the hell? Jacob, what are you doing?
[McAfee] It's my chair, it's gone. It's your chair.
Anything is Jacob Fatu's.
[Cole] Pat, where are the damn cops in your city?
[McAfee] I don't know if it's enough.
If it's just the cops, National Guard, Army.
Maybe even the Marines
[Cole] And now everybody teaming up on Strowman here.
I gotta, uh, regain my composure here.
-He is a scary bastard. -[McAfee] Yeah, he definitely is.
[Barrett] I'll tell you right now you want to win this thing.
You have to team up against Braun Strowman.
[Cole] Number 23.
[buzzer sounds]
[crowd cheering]
My last Rumble with you. The last Rumble.
Let's do it.
[Cole] The greatest of all time is here. John Cena and the retirement tour's begun.
Strowman eliminated.
-[Barrett] And John Ce… Oh! -[Cole] Bálor looking to eliminate John.
John hanging on.
John Cena looking to win a third Rumble.
Only Stone Cold Steve Austin has won 3.
John Cena with Finn now on the apron.
John Cena. Add him to the dustbin! Goodbye, Finn!
[Barrett] Can John Cena roll back the clock, or is this just a nostalgia--
[Cole] There!
-[McAfee] Well… -[Cole] Oh, well, well, well.
Shades of SummerSlam, a couple of years ago.
[McAfee] Don't talk at the Rumble.
[buzzer sounds]
[Cole] And interrupted.
This just keeps getting better.
This is happening.
Hall of Famer after Hall of Famer, after Hall of Famer.
CM Punk, who last year was in the Rumble for the first time in a decade.
He was injured by Drew McIntyre.
He was in the final two with Cody Rhodes before being eliminated.
He has never ever main evented WrestleMania.
He has an opportunity to do that if he wins the Rumble tonight.
[Barrett] Well, CM Punk has more haters around the world than anyone,
but they have all shut their mouths over the past 12 months
because CM Punk has proven that he not only has rolled back the years,
but he is better than ever.
[Cole] Man, I have got goose bumps.
-[McAfee] How could you not? -[Cole] Cena, Reigns, Punk.
Three men who have defined generations in the WWE.
[Barrett] Good luck picking a winner out of this group.
[Cole] What about the rivalry with Punk and Cena over a decade ago?
One of the greatest we've ever seen here at WWE.
[Barrett] The one driving force for CM Punk
is to get himself that main event at WrestleMania,
and it is not gonna be easy.
[Cole] And now we await Number 25.
[buzzer sounds]
Holy…
Oh, there are so many stories. The history with Punk and Rollins.
How about what has transpired in Indianapolis with Reigns and Rollins.
The Shield debuted here.
The Shield broke up here.
The Shield reunited here in this city, and it happens again tonight.
Rollins, Punk, Cena, Reigns, this is insane.
[Barrett] Everybody left in the match at this point is amazing.
And they are all conceivable WrestleMania main eventers,
but only one of them can do it.
[Cole] Rollins won this match in 2019. He knows what it's all about.
And remember, folks,
the reason Cody Rhodes is champion today and Roman Reigns isn't,
is most likely because of Seth Rollins sacrificing himself for Rhodes
at WrestleMania.
AJ Styles, let's not forget he's still in there.
McIntyre's in there as well. So is Jey Uso.
The top players in the planet are here in this match.
[Barrett] No fillers, just winners,
but only one of them can go on to victory.
-[Cole] Man, this is… This is just… -[McAfee] Special.
[Cole stammers] Special… I don't even know if that's the right word.
This is a once in a lifetime. Never to be duplicated.
Jey Uso now.
Right here in front of us.
[McAfee] The wing of the Hall of Fame here in Royal Rumble.
[Cole] This place is electric, Pat.
It is thunderous. Number 26 is coming.
Who's it gonna be?
[crowd] …four, three, two, one.
[buzzer sounds]
[Cole] Talk about a buzzkill.
[Barrett] How incredible would it be, if this guy…
[Cole] Don't even say it, Wade.
[Barrett] …Dirty Dom throws out out all of these.
[Cole] Wade, you're an idiot, absolute idiot.
-[Barrett] What a story it would be… -[Cole laughing] Okay.
-…if Dirty Dom shocked the world. -Okay. Roman, Punk, AJ, Seth, Jey, Cena.
Come on.
[Barrett] There's a chance.
It's a small one, but there is a chance,
and I for one would love nothing more than the Dirty Dom
to pull off the unimaginable.
[Cole] You have a better chance of Paul Heyman walking in the ring
and winning this match.
[McAfee] Dominik Mysterio thinks he's the biggest star in this ring
whenever he gets in here
and it's that type of blind confidence that has really led him.
[Cole] And there's Dirty Dom with a Frog Splash to Cena.
[Barrett] Throw him out, Dom. Shock the world.
[Cole] And now channeling, well, more to say, Eddie Guerrero.
[Barrett] The modern day Latino heat.
[Cole] Yeah, not so fast, Dom.
Yeah, that's not gonna work.
Modern day idiot.
And there now Roman. Samoan drop to Dominik.
Good thing Dominik's got that skeleton gear on.
He looks like one.
[Barrett] Show some respect to the world's greatest Luchador, Michael Cole.
Penta lasted great in this match. Had a great 42 minutes.
[McAfee] And Mysterio did fantastic.
Dom, everybody's hoping…
[Cole] Dom trying to shake Roman's hand. [laughing]
Here comes 27.
[crowd] …four, three, two, one.
[buzzer sounds]
[Cole] Sami did not get involved in the Rhodes Owens match tonight
like we thought he might,
so Sami Zayn needs to win this match to main event WrestleMania
for a World Championship.
Sami's talked a lot this week about the emotion of getting into this matchup
in a great number at 27, Wade.
[Barrett] Yeah, one of the luckiest numbers
historically speaking, in the Royal Rumble.
but the odds have to be stacked against all competitors at this point, 'cause…
-[Cole] Helluva Kick! -[Barrett] He's really damn good.
[Cole] There have been 4 winners
from Number 27 and Number 28 in the Royal Rumble,
so Sami drew a good number here tonight.
[Barrett] But you draw a good number
and then you look in the ring at the kind of talent that's in there
and you feel like you've still got the short straw.
[McAfee] That's why the winner of this goes to the Main Event WrestleMania.
You gotta get through everybody, all the greats tonight.
[Cole] Things have really slowed down.
Many of these men have been here for a long time.
[Barrett] Well, nobody wants to make a mistake at this point.
Everybody's keeping an eye on that WrestleMania sign,
realizing "I'm pretty damn close at this point."
[Cole] Remember on Raw, Sami Zayn had some words with CM Punk,
and Seth Rollins as well.
Remember the accidental Helluva Kick from Sami to Seth Rollins
a couple of weeks ago.
-[Barrett] But look at Dirty Dom. -[Cole] Oh!
[Barrett] This is, this is what you call the Bob Backlund strategy.
Just hold on to that bottom rope and hope everyone else eliminates themselves.
[Cole] Backlund wasn't scared.
[Barrett] He wasn't scared, but he… he held on to that bottom rope.
Watch any match that Backlund was in and…
[Cole] The point I'm making is Dom's actually scared. Bob wasn't.
[Barrett] Doesn't matter. You can still win the match by being scared.
[Cole] Number 28.
He is the newest member of Friday Night SmackDown thanks to the transfer window.
Damian Priest, who became just the 2nd person in history
to cash in the money the bank contracted WrestleMania,
following the footsteps of a man who's still in the ring, Seth Rollins.
And here comes Priest.
[Barrett] The punisher of SmackDown has arrived.
Yet another heavyweight talent, former world heavyweight champ in the ring
looking to get back to the top of the mountain.
[McAfee] There's a lot of precision strikes, also very tall.
It'll be tough to get out of here. Going old-school.
[Cole] And Priest now. Oh, what a CrossBody to McIntyre.
[Barrett] Old-school punishment, got that from his mentor, the Undertaker.
There is no finer mentor on the planet
[Cole] And remember who McIntyre cashed the contract in on at WrestleMania.
None other than Drew McIntyre.
And now AJ Styles with Damian up top.
Priest! Oh, that hurt.
[McAfee] Geez.
[Barrett] That cash in, of course, thanks in large part the antics of CM Punk
-who is still a-- -[Cole] Oh, Dominik from behind.
Of course, once a Judgment Day member with Damian Priest,
before Priest was excommunicated.
Thanks for coming, Dom.
A little version of the South of Heaven there.
-And Dominik Mysterio is eliminated. -[Barrett] See ya!
[Cole] I'm glad you didn't bet him.
[McAfee] Nobody bet on Dominik Mysterio.
[Barrett] The dream is over.
[McAfee] Superstars in one Royal Rumble right now.
[Cole] Number 29 will be on his way.
One spot will remain after this.
[Cole laughs]
[buzzer sounds]
[Barrett] Come on, Cole. Try and be neutral for once.
Yeah!
[Cole] I thought you were gonna be neutral.
[Barrett] The air is thick with the smell of Caborca
-and 70,000 people's loins are a-tingling. -[McAfee] That's right.
That was the most disgusting piece of color analysis I've ever heard.
[McAfee] No, I've heard much worse from you.
[Cole] Oh, okay, thanks. LA Knight 0 and 2 in non-Rumble matches.
This is the first time in his career, Wade, he's been in the Rumble match.
[Barrett] Yes, it is.
The Megastar is amped up and ready to make a major statement here
-against the biggest and baddest in WWE. -[crowd chanting]
-[McAfee] And AJ Styles have had… -[Cole] Oh, neck breaker.
[McAfee] A little bit of Yeet.
Yeet.
[crowd chanting]
[chanting continues]
[Barrett] Yeet versus Yeah. What a frenzy of energy in this stadium.
[Cole] Wade, it's… we don't even have to talk. It's amazing.
This great crowd in Indianapolis is doing our job for us.
[Barrett] It was the best commentary you've ever done, Michael Cole.
-Thanks, Wade. -Most welcome.
[McAfee] Sami Zayn eyeing Big Uce.
Honorary Uce helping up Roman.
[Cole] Remember as you see.
And then from behind is McIntyre.
Heyman's out here at ringside. Remember Punk's in this match.
Paul still owes Punk a favor.
[Barrett] Yeah, a mystery favor that we really don't know the full details of.
[Cole] Paul, can you tell us what that favor was, sir, that you owe Punk.
[McAfee] Sami's eliminated!
[Cole] Sami is out. Sami Zayn eliminated in this match.
[Barrett] The Wiseman's lips are firmly sealed.
His focus exclusively…
[Cole] Glasgow Kiss by McIntyre.
[Barrett] On the Tribal Chief Roman Reigns.
[Cole] This is the final entrant of the match.
One of these men's going to Mania.
[buzzer sounds]
A Claymore!
The social media megastar, the former United States champion,
now part of Monday Night Raw on Netflix,
Logan Paul enters his 2nd Royal Rumble.
[Barrett] And if you thought Dirty Dom was hated in this building,
the Maverick just broke the damn scale.
And he's ready to break some hearts
by booking his ticket to the main event of WrestleMania.
[Cole] Remember the viral moment he and Ricochet created a couple of years ago.
Logan Paul now on the top rope.
And there it is! Exploding into that Double Clothesline.
[McAfee] Logan Paul drawing Number 30. What a setup for the Maverick.
[Cole] There are 10 men left. Who is gonna go to WrestleMania?
Logan Paul. Oh, great Suplex by Paul to Jey Uso.
Perfect plex delivered by Logan. Now here's a good story here.
The man who took the United States Championship from Logan Paul
was LA Knight.
Yeah. McIntyre's out! McIntyre's out!
[Barrett] And the mind continues to spiral for Drew McIntyre,
thanks to Damian Priest.
[Cole] We are down to nine.
Roman Reigns looks to eliminate LA Knight.
Meanwhile, it's Seth Rollins stomping away on Logan Paul.
They've had a history,
a lot of harsh words exchanged between those two and matches as well.
[McAfee] And then CM Punk said, "Let me get my turn."
[Cole] And now AJ Styles wants some of Logan Paul.
LA Knight wants his too.
[Barrett] Well, hate him or hate him,
Logan Paul is always appointment viewing, but it may be a short stop in this rumble.
[Cole] Knight looking to eliminate Logan Paul.
Logan Paul on the apron now. LA Knight…
trying to eliminate Logan Paul. Paul's in trouble.
You said it might be a short night for Logan.
Logan now leaping from the rink to our announce table.
His feet did not hit the floor.
LA Knight cannot believe it.
[McAfee] The athleticism.
Through the roof.
[Barrett] And that just makes people hate him more,
but technically Logan Paul is still in the Royal Rumble.
[Cole] Logan Paul said he will work smarter, not harder.
And LA Knight just eliminated Priest on the other side.
Priest is eliminated.
[McAfee] Logan Paul, like a jungle cat jumping over to our desk.
[Barrett] The herd is thinning.
The numbers are dropping and it's getting increasingly likely
that Logan Paul, isolated on an island over here on our desk,
could win this damn thing by doing literally nothing.
[Cole] He's a bit parched so he's got to have a Prime.
[McAfee] Yeah, a bottle of Prime tossed to him from the crowd.
[Cole] AJ Styles now eliminates LA Knight!
[Barrett] No!
[McAfee] We should give Logan a commentator…
[Cole] Yeah.
[McAfee] Whoa, wait a minute.
Logan…
[Cole] Logan Paul now on the barricade.
[McAfee] He goes from commentator desk to the barricade.
Feet have not touched the ground.
[Cole] We have 7 left in this match.
Logan Paul's still in it. He has not been eliminated as of yet.
You gotta figure out how Paul's gonna get back into this thing.
AJ Styles now sent out to the apron.
Paul now to the steps.
Paul is in this, feet have not touched the floor.
[Barrett] A little parkour going on here from Logan Paul.
[Cole] Logan Paul now, targeting Styles.
Logan Paul eliminates AJ Styles!
[Barrett] Brilliance from Logan Paul.
-[Cole] You gotta give it up for him, Pat. -[McAfee] How could you not?
Jungle cats to our desk, then to the barricades, then to the stairs
and sneaks up and eliminates the phenomenal one.
[Cole] Roman is looking at Logan.
Remember the great match they had in Saudi Arabia a couple of years ago.
Where Logan almost shocked the world and ended Roman Reigns streak as champion.
Cena's in there, Uso's in there, Rollins and Punk.
[Barrett] The final 6 and the penny is dropping.
You are tantalizingly close to winning this thing.
[McAfee] Who's going to the main event in WrestleMania?
[Cole] Roman Reigns now goes after Logan Paul, Cena after Jey Uso.
Punk now backs Rollins into the corner.
[Barrett] And with these 6 left in there,
you're an absolute fool if you make a prediction from here.
[Cole] Logan Paul now, see Punk with Paul up on top.
Put him in a GTS, connects! That was slick.
Big kick from Rollins.
Super kick from Jey, blocked.
Oh, Pedigree.
Cena.
Went for the AA.
Superman Punch.
Stomp!
[Barrett] The Shield are back in rhythm.
[Cole] Stomp!
[Barrett] The alliance is back on.
And Roman Reigns and Seth freaking Rollins could clear house
and leave themselves to battle it out.
[Cole] So much history.
Roman has not forgotten that Rollins stabbed him in the back
those many years ago.
It may have cost Reigns the championship at WrestleMania.
Roman has been obsessed with Seth Rollins since then.
[crowd cheering]
[no audible dialogue]
Everybody in this building, including myself, are on their feet.
[Rollins] And this is what it is.
You understand? You're not getting another WrestleMania Main Event.
You ain't getting another world title.
Only way you get it, only way--
Oh, don't you put your finger on me. Don't you touch me, pal.
[Barrett] Now this is an unforced error by both Rollins and Roman Reigns.
So much history between the pair of them, they could have cleaned house by now.
But they've only got eyes for one another.
[Cole] Yeah, there's that deep down hatred and disdain.
Reigns will never forget Rollins breaking up The Shield,
one of the greatest groups in the history of this company.
Roman Reigns now with a big uppercut to Seth Rollins.
[Barrett] Too much history, too much pain between these two,
and it's still costing them.
[Cole] Went for a stomp. Roman Reigns now.
Superman Punch got caught by Seth Rollins.
Rollins looking for a pedigree.
Roman trying to fight out of it and he does.
He's got Seth up on his shoulders. Looking to eliminate Seth now.
-[McAfee] Seth fighting. -[Cole] To the other side.
Rollins trying to hang on. Roman trying to eliminate Seth Rollins.
We have 6 left. 6 men left in this match.
[Barrett] Got 4 dead bodies around the ring while these two battle it out.
Someone has to drop.
[Cole] Rollins with a Super Kick.
And Seth looking to put Roman away.
Ducks underneath. Roman now!
Seth is hanging on. Seth's still hanging on, somehow hanging on.
[Barrett] Amazing maneuverability from the architect Seth Rollins.
[Cole] And CM Punk eliminates both men!
And to your point, Wade,
the hatred between those two cost both of them this match.
[Barrett] Well, CM Punk only right to capitalize.
[shouting]
[Cole] Punk! Punk's eliminated. Punk!
[Barrett] He's not going to the main event of WrestleMania this year.
[Cole] We're down to three. Logan, Cena, Jey Uso.
-Rollins with a stomp! -[Barrett] Oh, my God.
[Cole] Somebody separate these two.
[Barrett] Talking about hatred between Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns,
it's even more heated between CM Punk and Seth Rollins.
Years in the making, we've been waiting for this to come to a head,
but not in this way.
You have to think
the disappointment of being eliminated this deep into the Royal Rumble
has sent both men off the edge.
Bombs have been dropped.
[Cole] Rollins now. Rollins is stalking Paul Heyman.
Stalking Paul Heyman.
Paul with nowhere to go.
[Heyman] …on the floor! On the floor!
What the hell is wrong with you?
[Cole] Oh, my God. Oh, no, no, Roman, look out. Roman! Stomped on the stairs!
Seth lost it.
Seth has lost it.
[McAfee] He's staring a hole through Paul Heyman.
[Barrett] A lot of dreams just evaporated and still Rollins isn't done.
[Cole] Rollins and Punk are fighting,
meanwhile, guys, the Rumble's still going on.
We got Cena left, we got Paul left, we got Jey Uso still left.
[Barrett] The 3 carcasses in the ring right now
while we try and get some control out here.
Complete devastation outside the ring.
[McAfee] Roman Reigns eliminated from the Royal Rumble.
Same with Seth freaking Rollins by CM Punk.
A lot of betting slips not hitting.
[Heyman] You see what he did?
You see what he did?
[Cole] Well, this is one of the most emotional… [clears throat]
…the most intense moments that I've ever been a part of.
[Barrett] CM Punk looks absolutely inconsolable.
We know how much he wanted that Main Event at WrestleMania.
He literally quit the industry once upon a time. Because he didn't get it.
[Cole] Let's reset here.
We're sold out over 70,000 in Indianapolis.
We're down to 3 men.
That man, the greatest of all time, John Cena, looking to win a third Rumble.
Jey Uso, looking at… American. Logan Paul, looking to shock the world.
[McAfee] Our Tribal Chief exits.
Honorable. And Jey Uso and Logan Paul.
[crowd chants]
[Cole] Logan and Jey now, coming to blows.
[Barrett] Logan Paul, one of the biggest punches in WWE.
Jey Uso seemingly is equal here.
[McAfee] Logan has knockout power.
[Uso] Come on, bitch.
[Cole] Logan as well, remember he's got that titanium plate in his hand.
Jey now, got caught.
Logan spins him around, gets a kick right to the face.
[McAfee] Vintage Jey Uso, Air Force One to the jaw.
[Barrett] This is all playing into the favor of John Cena,
who's getting maximum recovery time.
[Cole] Yeah, John Cena moves out of harm's way. Cena now stalking Logan Paul.
[Barrett] What a small smart veteran move by Cena. Let these two slug it out.
[Cole] John Cena now.
Logan Paul sent to the corner into Uso. John Cena with a big elbow.
-[Barrett] Superman is back. -[crowd cheering]
[McAfee] He's not thinking about…
Yes, he is!
[Barrett] Eliminate two birds with one stone.
[Cole] Jey Uso, kick to Paul.
Logan Paul's eliminated!
We're down to Cena and Uso. Two men left!
What a moment.
[Barrett] The most popular eviction of the night.
The Maverick is gone and we are down to 2.
[Cole] Jey Uso, John Cena.
Two men that have given everything
to this business.
John Cena, a 16-time World Champion.
Jey Uso, one of the greatest tag-team champions of all time,
looking to make it into the singles ranks.
[crowd chanting] John Cena! Jey Uso!
[Cole] And here we go! Cena and Uso, the final two of the rumble.
John Cena now taking control with a headbutt.
Cena ducks underneath. John Cena now, big shoulder tackle.
Here we go, guys.
[no audible dialogue]
[crowd] You can't see me!
[Cole] Five knuckles.
[McAfee] Is John Cena going to Main Event at WrestleMania?
[Cole] Cena targeting Uso. He's got him in position.
Look up at the WrestleMania sign.
He's got him in AA position.
Jey Uso though, ducks underneath. Kicking out at Cena. Cena's in trouble.
[Barrett] Jey's scrambling with everything he's got.
-This is it. Come on, Jey! -[Cole] Jey trying to eliminate John.
Come on, Jey! Come on, John.
I don't know who the hell to root for.
Who do you root for?
[Barrett] The underdog or the guy who's done it time and time again.
[McAfee] Could you imagine Jey Uso wins the Royal Rumble?
[Cole] What a story either way.
Jey trying to eliminate John. John's in trouble on the top rope.
It's all about WrestleMania in Las Vegas.
[Barrett] And this match, so much of it balanced…
[Cole] Spear!
…on a knife edge,
and the upper hand suddenly goes to the Yeet-meister.
[Cole] Both men are down.
[McAfee] Who's gonna get back to their feet?
Who's gonna punch their ticket?
Who's gonna make history at the biggest Royal Rumble of all time?
[Cole] What a scene. What a moment.
[Barrett] Jey Uso's gotta dig so deep to do something he's never been capable of.
[Cole] Trying to eliminate John.
Jey now on the top of the… Top of the apron!
John thought he won! John thought he won!
Jey hung on. Jey hung on.
[Barrett] John's so exhausted he wasn't paying full attention.
[Cole] John Cena over the top… Both are on the apron, both are on the apron.
Moment of truth here.
Jey trying to get back into the ring. Cena as well.
[spectator] Hang on, my boy.
[Cole] Both men teetering on the apron, close to elimination, exchanging blows.
[Barrett] Disaster waiting for you down below.
[McAfee] No risk it, no biscuit.
[Cole] Uso with a Super Kick. John just hanging on.
Just hanging on.
Got him in the AA.
Jey hanging in there.
-Jey wins! Jey Uso! -[bell ringing]
Jey Uso is going to WrestleMania!
[Taylor] Here is your 2025
Men's Royal Rumble winner!
Main Event, Jey Uso!
[Cole] Ladies and gentlemen, it is no longer just a nickname.
It is no longer a moniker.
Jey Uso is truly the Main Event
at WrestleMania.
Mad respect.
[Barrett] Well, the sound of John Cena's body hitting the floor,
was amplified by millions of jaws around the world, simultaneously doing so.
[McAfee] You earned this, Jey!
The Yeet is headed
to the main event of WrestleMania!
[Barrett] This is when the bodies started dropping.
Rollins and Reigns dumped out by CM Punk,
who surely had one foot in the main event of WrestleMania till Logan Paul
ruined it all.
And this is when things turn supremely ugly.
Seth Freaking Rollins losing his mind with a second stomp
on the steel steps to the Tribal Chief.
John Cena pulling off his standard Superman antics,
dumping the Maverick, Logan Paul the hell out of there.
And then it was simply a coin flip.
It looked like John Cena had done the inevitable
until Jey Uso did the incredible.
-[McAfee] Hell yeah, Jey Uso! -[fireworks booming]
[Cole] One of the biggest upsets in Royal Rumble history.
[McAfee] Yeah. Yeah.
[Barrett] Just in awe of this man.
What a hero Jey Uso has been for a hell of a long time,
and this is nothing more than that man deserves.
[McAfee] Get your ass up here, Cole. You too, Wade.
[Barrett] Oh, I'm gonna break the habit of a lifetime.
I'm in. I'm in. I'm too excited.
[crowd] Day one ish, It's just me, uce
[chanting continues]
-[McAfee] Wade, you're crushing it. -[Barrett] I'm in, this is great.
-[Cole] What about me? -[McAfee] You too, Cole.
70,000.
A volcanic…
[Cole] And no one has left.
The celebration of a lifetime.
The emotion overcoming Jey Uso.
[Barrett] You did this, Jey.
I'm about to get them all, Uce.
Let's go. It's just me, Uce.
[McAfee] You guys are really on beat.
[Cole] Who cares? It's a celebration.
[Barrett] So many emotions must be going through the mind of Jey Uso
and his millions and millions of supporters around the world.
[Cole] But think about the family, his brother Jimmy.
Of course, his dad, Rikishi.
Ladies and gentlemen, Jey Usu is truly the Main Event. world.