The Royal Rumble match
We are now into a new year in 2009 and going into the Rumble, CM Punk seemed to be a man without much of a direction. He had quite the 2008 as he was ECW Champion, Mr. Money in the Bank, the World Heavyweight Champion, and a World Tag Team Champion, and now going into this show he had added the Intercontinental Championship to his collection. However, given that he never really got a chance to become World Champion again after having it stripped, he feels like he is at a point where he is fully now in the midcard of RAW and was not in the works to get back to the main event scene. It is unfortunate and now you wonder if possibly a move to Smackdown would be in his best interest as he had done almost all he could on RAW, but we have awhile before we get to that as you just hoped that he would have another good showing in the Rumble like the last two years.
On the 12/15 RAW, Punk and Kofi Kingston lost their rematch to John Morrison and the Miz for the World Tag Titles while William Regal and Layla watched from the entranceway, and on the 12/22 RAW Punk lost a match to Chris Jericho who earned a chance to fight for the World Title at the Rumble. On the 12/29 RAW, Regal cost Punk a match against Cody Rhodes and would give him a running knee after the match, and on the 1/5 RAW Punk received his title shot against Regal and won by DQ when Regal grabbed the ref. On the 1/12 RAW, Punk received a rematch with the stipulation that Regal would lose the title if he was DQ’ed though Punk would end up losing by DQ, and on the 1/19 RAW Punk defeated Regal in a no-DQ match to win the IC Title. The rest of the build was fairly basic across the three shows with the biggest moment coming on the 1/19 RAW when Randy Orton punted Vince McMahon in the head when he attempted to fire him. Obviously, a lot of the focus of the match was going to be on Orton and how he would do, but we will see how Punk ends up performing especially coming off winning the IC Title.
We get the reunion of Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler as they are on the call for the match, and Rey Mysterio starts at #1 to a big pop while John Morrison comes out at #2 to some good heat. The two men have a staredown to start the match as Morrison shoves Mysterio back and Mysterio kicks at his leg repeatedly, and Morrison gets a knee in and Mysterio slides under him as he gets a kick in and Morrison reverses a whip only for Mysterio to catch him ducking with a kick. He attempts a wheelbarrow bulldog only for Morrison to send him over the top with Mysterio landing on the apron, and Morrison kicks at Mysterio’s hand and stomps on him as he tries to shove him out until Mysterio gets a shoulder in. He gets a shot in and hits a springboard crossbody on Morrison as he ducks a shot and flips around Morrison before hitting a headscissors, and he sends Morrison over the top though he hangs on as Mysterio stomps on him and hits a baseball slide though Morrison continues to hang on. Mysterio pounds on Morrison who kicks him away as Carlito comes out at #3 and he stomps on both men before pounding on Mysterio, and he spits his apple in Morrison’s face and knocks him down as Mysterio pounds on him only for Carlito to reverse a whip. Mysterio ducks a shot and Carlito catches him on a springboard moonsault attempt as he hits a modified swinging neckbreaker, and Morrison kicks at Carlito and tosses him over the top though he hangs on and he ducks a shot before hitting a double springboard moonsault. He grabs Mysterio who slips away and Carlito stomps on him until Morrison hits a running knee on Carlito, and he stomps on Mysterio and chokes him with his boot as he pounds on him only for Carlito to get a kick in. He rams Morrison into the buckle and stomps on him in the corner as he pounds on him and Montel Vontavious Porter comes out at #4, and Carlito ducks a shot only for MVP to hit a clothesline and he hits a back elbow on Mysterio before hitting a drop toehold on Morrison. He hits a powerslam on Morrison and does his dance before catching Mysterio in a belly-to-belly suplex, and he drops an elbow on Morrison as Carlito nails him from behind only for MVP to hit a facebuster on Carlito. He pounds on Morrison and rams him into the buckle as Morrison reverses a whip into the other corner, and MVP avoids a springboard kick as Morrison hits Carlito instead and MVP hits a running boot on Morrison as Mysterio holds the ropes and catches MVP with a boot to the face. MVP blocks a springboard headscissors by sending Mysterio over the top with Mysterio landing on the apron, and he hits a slingshot headscissors on MVP and kicks him in the head as he hits a low dropkick and the Great Khali comes out at #5. All four men charge at Khali only for Khali to knock them all down and he hits a short clothesline on Carlito, and he hits a chop on MVP and grabs Morrison by the arm as he shoves Mysterio away and hoists Morrison up by the arm before tossing him to the mat. Mysterio attempts a springboard dropkick that Khali no-sells and he hits a chop on Mysterio as Carlito attempts the Backstabber, but he loses his grip on Khali and he grabs Carlito by the throat as he hits the tree slam and Vladimir Kozlov comes out at #6. Khali grabs him by the head and Kozlov gets a pair of knees in before hitting a headbutt and a running boot, and he sends him over the top and Khali is eliminated as Morrison goes up top only for Kozlov to catch him with a head ram. MVP pounds on Kozlov and stomps on him in the corner only to miss the running boot as Kozlov sends MVP over the top and eliminates him, and he sends Carlito over the top though he lands on the apron and he catches Kozlov with a back elbow before getting a shoulder in. He attempts a springboard only for Kozlov to catch him in a spinebuster as he throws him over the top and Carlito is eliminated, and Mysterio kicks at Kozlov who gets a shot in and Mysterio slides under him only for Kozlov to get a knee in. He hoists Mysterio onto his shoulder though Mysterio slides off and gets a kick in only for Kozlov to hit the head ram, and Triple H comes out at #7 to a huge pop as he and Kozlov trade blows with Triple H taking control. Kozlov reverses a whip and Triple H ducks a shot only for Kozlov to hit the head ram though he misses a charge in the corner, and Triple H pounds on Kozlov who reverses a whip and Triple H catches him ducking with the facebuster. He does the crotch chop and sends Kozlov over the top to eliminate him as Morrison pounds and stomps on Triple H in the corner, and Triple H reverses a whip and Morrison ducks a shot only for Triple H to hit the high knee as Randy Orton comes out at #8. He and Triple H trade blows with Orton taking control as both men counter a whip and Orton hits the modified backbreaker, and Morrison chokes Mysterio on the mat as Triple H blocks the RKO and gets a kick in before setting up for the Pedigree only for Morrison to hit a springboard kick. Mysterio hits a springboard senton on Orton as Morrison gets a knee in and he pounds on Mysterio, and Mysterio hits a drop toehold that sends Morrison into the ropes and he hits the 619 as Triple H rams Morrison into the buckle. Cryme Tyme come out at #9 as JTG tells Shad only one can compete and they do a coin flip with JTG winning, and Shad sees the coin was a double-headed coin as he cracks a smile knowing he’s been conned and JTG pounds on Orton. He stomps on Mysterio and Triple H before pounding on Morrison and he hits the Sling Blade as he rams the shoulder into Triple H repeatedly in the corner, and he tries to dump Triple H who escapes and he pounds on JTG before ramming his and Morrison’s heads together. Orton hoists Mysterio onto his shoulders and tries to eliminate him as Mysterio hooks his head and tries to pull him out as well, and Triple H and JTG try to dump Morrison as Orton stomps on Mysterio until Triple H nails him from behind. Ted Dibiase comes out at #10 and knocks Morrison down before pounding on JTG and Mysterio while Triple H pounds on Orton in the corner, and Dibiase kicks at Mysterio only for Morrison and JTG to hit a double dropkick though they trade blows. Dibiase clotheslines both men over the top though they both hang on and they try to kick each other to the floor, and Mysterio flips onto Dibiase’s shoulders and pounds on him as both men tumble over the top though they both hang on. All 6 men pair off in the corners as they pound on each other and choke each other with Mysterio hitting a baseball slide to Dibiase’s groin, and Orton tries to dump Triple H as JTG pounds on Morrison and gets a back elbow in.
Chris Jericho comes out at #11 and hits a dropkick on Dibiase before trying to dump Orton as Morrison hits a neckbreaker on JTG, and he pounds on Triple H in the corner while Dibiase pound on Mysterio and Jericho stomps on JTG before trying to dump him out. Triple H kicks at Jericho who reverses a whip into the other corner and he hits a running bulldog on Triple H, and Jericho lands on his feet on a Lionsault attempt and Triple H gets a kick in only for Jericho to block the Pedigree by tripping Triple H up. Triple H blocks the Walls of Jericho by flipping him to the mat and he throws him over the top though Jericho hangs on, and Triple H and Mysterio try to shove out Jericho as Legacy double team Morrison and Triple H pounds on JTG in the corner. Mike Knox comes out at #12 and kicks at Mysterio before pounding on JTG and he whips him into the corner as he splashes him, and he hits a big clothesline on Morrison and rams the knee into Mysterio in the corner before pounding on him and he chokes him with his knee. Morrison pounds on Jericho in the corner as Legacy stomp on JTG and choke him while Knox tries to dump Mysterio, and Triple H nails Knox from behind and Knox reverses a whip as he sends him into Dibiase before knocking him down. He stomps on Triple H and rams him into the buckle as he stomps on him while Jericho chokes Dibiase with his boot, and the Miz comes out at #13 and pounds on JTG before knocking Dibiase down and he hits an inverted Russian legsweep on JTG. Jericho tries to suplex Mysterio over the top as Miz kicks at Dibiase and splashes Triple H in the corner, and he splashes Mysterio in the corner and kicks at Orton before pounding on him as he and Morrison hit a double team on Orton. Miz misses a charge in the corner as Mysterio attempts a wheelbarrow on Morrison while Mysterio kicks at Orton, and he flips over Morrison and shoves him into Orton who hits the RKO and then he hits the RKO on Miz and JTG. Triple H gets a kick in and hits the Pedigree on Orton as he grabs Miz and throws him into Morrison as both men tumble over the top and are eliminated, and Triple H gets a knee in on Dibiase and Mysterio kicks at him before pounding on him as Finlay comes out at #14. Triple H backdrops Mysterio over the top though he lands on Miz and climbs onto Morrison to get to the steps, and Finlay hits an atomic drop on Dibiase and pounds on Triple H before hitting an atomic drop on Jericho. He rams the shoulder into Knox’ ribs in the corner and hits an atomic drop on Triple H before hitting a sitdown splash, and he and Mysterio try to eliminate Jericho and Finlay then tries to dump Dibiase until Knox pounds on him. Finlay hits a short clothesline on Knox and stomps on JTG in the corner as he tries to dump Dibiase again, but Orton saves Dibiase and stomps on Finlay along with Dibiase as Cody Rhodes comes out at #15. Legacy maul JTG in the corner before attacking Triple H and then they knock Finlay down as they stomp on him, and Mysterio gets a shoulder in on Orton and attempts a springboard only for Orton to catch him with the RKO in a great spot. Rhodes catches Knox with a boot to the face as he and Dibiase try to dump Knox and JTG fires up on Jericho, and the Undertaker comes out at #16 to a big pop as everyone waits for him and Taker nails everyone. He sends JTG over the top and eliminates him as he pounds on Rhodes in the corner and he hits a headbutt on Jericho, and he hits a back elbow on Dibiase and hits a headbutt on Orton before pounding on Triple H and he hits a headbutt. He whips Rhodes into the corner and hoists him up as he hits Snake Eyes and a big boot on Rhodes, and Goldust comes out at #17 to a nice pop and pounds on Dibiase until he has a staredown with Rhodes. Goldust slaps him in the face and pounds on him before hoisting him onto his shoulders and he tries to dump him out, and he nails Dibiase as Rhodes gets a shoulder in only for Goldust to catch him ducking with an uppercut. He backdrops Rhodes over the top and Rhodes slides back in as Goldust nails Dibiase and continues to pound on Rhodes, but Orton hits the RKO on Goldust and tells Rhodes to eliminate him as Rhodes sends Goldust over the top and eliminates him. CM Punk comes out at #18 and attempts a springboard though he comes down and hits a double clothesline on Legacy, and he hits a running knee on Jericho in the corner and kicks at Rhodes until Dibiase grabs him and Punk kicks him in the head. He kicks Rhodes in the head and hits the running knee on Mysterio in the corner before doing the same to Jericho, and he hits a bulldog on Jericho and Triple H gets a kick in on Punk who counters the Pedigree as he hoists him onto his shoulders and hits the Go 2 Sleep. Punk pounds on Taker as Orton and Rhodes try to dump Jericho and Taker hits a big boot on Punk, and Finlay pounds on Taker and hits a headbutt as Knox tries to dump Mysterio and Mark Henry comes out at #19. He knocks Dibiase down and hits a headbutt on Rhodes as he nails Jericho before hitting a headbutt on Orton, and he pounds on Taker and hits a clothesline as Knox misses a charge in the corner and Henry hits a headbutt on Punk. He stomps on Punk in the corner and steps on him until Triple H nails him from behind and pounds on him, but Henry catches him on a crossbody attempt and he hits the World’s Strongest Slam as Punk goes up to the middle rope. Henry catches him on a leap and rams him into the corner as he sends him over the top though Punk hangs on, and Shelton Benjamin comes out at #20 and pounds on Dibiase as Punk regroups on the corner. Punk pulls Jericho up top and they trade blows as Benjamin hits a flapjack on Mysterio and leaps up top, and he hits a double Paydirt on Jericho and Punk off the top rope and Henry catches a kick attempt only for Benjamin to hit a spin kick. Triple H sends Punk over the top though he hangs on again and rolls back in as Benjamin stomps on him, and he sends Punk into the corner and pounds on him before ramming the knee into him.
William Regal comes out at #21 as Henry presses Mysterio up only for Mysterio to escape and Regal pounds on Punk, and Henry sends Mysterio over the top though he hangs on as Taker hits a big boot while Mysterio holds the top rope down with Henry tumbling over the top and he is eliminated. Regal hits a modified suplex on Punk and hits a running knee to the back of the head as he stomps on him, and Taker hits a headbutt on Benjamin and Regal continues to pound on Punk as Legacy try to eliminate Triple H. Punk regroups in the corner as Kofi Kingston comes out at #22 and he knocks Dibiase down before hitting a dropkick on Punk, and he hits a dropkick on Benjamin and Dibiase as he knocks Triple H down and hits a Russian legsweep on Knox. He hits the Boom Drop on Knox only for Jericho to hit a clothesline and Punk continues to regroup on the apron, and everyone continues to brawl as Benjamin catches Knox with a kick and Finlay stomps on Rhodes. Taker catches Benjamin on a leap and hits a spinebuster before sending him over the top and Benjamin is eliminated, and Jericho tries to slide Mysterio down the post though he hangs on as Taker stomps on Punk repeatedly. Kane comes out at #23 and fires up on several men as he hits a big boot on Knox and a sidewalk slam on Dibiase, and Taker and Kane have a staredown as they grab Dibiase by the throat and hit a double chokeslam as Kane grabs Kingston while Taker grabs Jericho and Kane hits the chokeslam on Kingston. Taker sends Jericho shoulder first into the post as Kane kicks at Punk on the apron and Regal grabs at Punk, and he pounds on Punk who pulls him over the top and Regal is eliminated as Punk stomps on Jericho repeatedly in the corner. R-Truth comes out at #25 as Punk pounds on Jericho and he comes over to Truth who knocks him down, and Triple H nails Truth who hits a spinning flying forearm as Rhodes pounds on Punk in the corner. Punk gets a back elbow in and tries to eliminate Rhodes until Finlay kicks him from behind as he hoists him up and tries to dump him out, and Punk lands on the apron and tries to pull Finlay out as Finlay gets a shot in and he hotshots Punk on the top rope. Punk rolls back into the ring and pounds on Taker as Rob Van Dam comes out at #25 in a nice surprise to a big pop, and he goes up top and hits a kick on Kane as he hits a series of clotheslines and kicks at Dibiase before hitting a side kick on Truth. He kicks at Finlay in the corner and catches a kick attempt from Rhodes before hitting a spin kick, and he catches a kick attempt from Jericho and hits another spin kick as Knox stomps on him only for RVD to block a ram into the buckle and he kicks Knox in the head. He catches Punk with a back elbow and hits a springboard kick as he hits a clothesline on Truth, and Punk regroups on the apron and RVD hits a spinning legdrop on Truth before going up top and he leaps over Triple H. He hits a spin kick on Triple H who falls on top of Truth and RVD hits the Rolling Thunder on both men, and The Brian Kendrick comes out at #26 as Mysterio and RVD hit a double team on Truth and Kingston pounds on Knox in the corner. Kendrick shoves Kingston over the top and eliminates him as he taunts the crowd until Triple H grabs him and tries to throw him out though Kendrick botches it, and then Triple H throws Kendrick over the top and eliminates him as RVD chokes Punk in the corner with his boot. Punk kicks at RVD and chokes him with his boot in the corner as he pounds on him and RVD battles back, and RVD sends Punk over the top though he hangs on and RVD goes for his hands only for Punk to get a kick in. Mysterio stomps on Punk in the corner as Dolph Ziggler comes out at #27 and fires up on a few guys until he bumps into Kane, and he introduces himself and offers a handshake which Kane accepts though he sends Ziggler over the top and eliminates him. Mysterio climbs onto Punk’s shoulders and hooks a headscissors on as he tries to pull him over the top, and Punk puts Mysterio on the top rope and pounds on him as he tries to dump him out until Rhodes puts Punk on his shoulders and hits an electric chair drop. Punk regroups in the corner as Santino Marella comes out at #28 only for Kane to quickly clothesline him over the top and eliminate him which sets the new record for the shortest time in the match, and Kane grabs Punk and hoists him onto his shoulders as he tries to eliminate him and Punk tries to fight out only for Kane to drop him on the top buckle. Punk regroups and tries to help Finlay eliminate Kane as Truth comes over to help them though Kane escapes, and Punk again regroups in the corner as “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan comes out at #29 in a cool surprise to a good pop. He knocks Punk down and nails several other guys until he catches Punk with a back elbow and pounds on him, and Dibiase pounds on Punk and tries to dump him out though Punk battles back with back elbows and he tries to throw Dibiase out. RVD comes over to help him as the Big Show comes out at #30 and Rhodes nails Punk and RVD to save Dibiase, and everyone waits as Show gets in the ring and shoves Punk to the mat before having a staredown with Taker until Kane gets a shot in. Show pounds on Kane and hits a headbutt until Duggan pounds on him and tries to dump him only for Show to knock him down, and he tosses Duggan over the top and eliminates him as Punk kicks at Taker repeatedly and pounds on him before trying to eliminate him. Taker sends Punk over the top though he hangs on again and Show pounds on Truth before hitting a headbutt, and Punk regroups on the mat as Show presses Truth up before tossing him over the top and eliminating him. Taker tosses Rhodes over the top though he hangs on as Punk pounds on Show who tosses him over the top, but Punk rolls back in and kicks at Show repeatedly until he sends Punk over the top again though Punk again hangs on as he goes up top. He comes down and hits a clothesline on Show who no-sells it and sends Punk over the top again though Punk again hangs on, but then Show hits the knockout punch which finally eliminates Punk as RVD pounds on Orton and Show knocks Kane down. He comes up behind Finlay as they send Knox and Mysterio over the top and eliminate both of them, and Hornswoggle comes out from under the ring and gets in the ring as he stands over Kane who grabs him by the throat. Finlay comes over and Kane grabs him by the throat until Hornswoggle hits a chop block before sliding back outside, and Finlay ducks a shot only for Kane to backdrop him over the top and eliminate him as Show hits a headbutt on RVD. Taker pounds on Legacy in the corner as Kane tries to dump Jericho and RVD rakes Show’s eyes, and Jericho hits the Codebreaker on Kane as RVD hits a springboard kick on Show and Orton tries to eliminate Triple H. Show pounds on RVD in the corner and Orton hits a hanging DDT on Triple H as Taker and Show have another staredown, and Taker pounds on Show until Jericho nails Show from behind as RVD kicks Orton in the head. He goes up top and hits the 5-Star Frog Splash on Orton until Jericho tosses RVD over the top and eliminates him, and Taker hits a headbutt on Jericho who catches him ducking with a kick and he hits the Codebreaker only for Taker to send him over the top and eliminates him. Kane pounds on Orton until Dibiase and Rhodes come up from behind as the three men eliminate Kane, and with only 6 men left everyone regroups in a corner with Legacy coming together while Triple H, Taker, and Show stand alone.
Show pounds on Triple H in the corner as Legacy surround Taker and pound on him in the corner while Triple H battles back on Show, and Show grabs Triple H by the throat and hits the Chokeslam as Orton whips Taker into the corner only for Taker to clothesline Rhodes and Dibiase. He grabs Orton by the throat and hits the chokeslam as he then does the same to Dibiase and Rhodes, and Taker and Show have another staredown as they trade blows with Show taking control and he whips Taker into the corner. Taker catches Show with a boot to the face and ducks a shot before hitting a clothesline on Show and he hits a big boot that sends Show over the top though he hangs on, and Taker pounds on Show as Orton sneaks up behind him only for Taker to counter the RKO by tossing him to the mat. Show grabs Taker and pulls him over the top as both men grab each other’s throats until Show breaks free, and Taker gets a shot in as Orton hits the RKO on Show on the top rope and he falls to the floor and is eliminated. Taker nails Orton and grabs Dibiase and Rhodes by the throats only for Show to pull him to the floor and eliminate him, and Taker ducks a shot and pounds on Show as he sends him over the barricade and they continue to brawl into the crowd. Now with only 4 men left, Legacy stalk Triple H who gives them the crotch chop and they swarm him with Triple H trying to keep his distance, and Orton pounds on Triple H while Dibiase and Rhodes hold him and Triple H crawls to Orton only for Dibiase and Rhodes to grab him. Orton taunts Triple H who blocks the RKO by sending Orton into the corner and Rhodes and Dibiase pound on him, and Dibiase checks on Orton as Triple H catches Rhodes ducking with the facebuster and he hits the spinebuster on Dibiase. He kicks at Rhodes and sets up for the Pedigree as Orton charges and Triple H backdrops him over the top though he lands on the apron, and Triple H hits the Pedigree on Rhodes and eliminates Dibiase before eliminating Rhodes only for Orton to dump him out from behind and eliminate him which means Orton wins the Rumble.
The match itself was great as all 30 men worked hard and put on a really fun Rumble. There were a lot of good stories going into this match and the field itself was pretty strong as there were a good number of guys that had a good shot at winning this. A lot of guys got to have some good runs in the match and there were times that the ring was pretty full, and we had some cool surprises with RVD and Duggan as well as Goldust though he was pretty much back full-time by that point. Props to Morrison and Kane lasting over 15 minutes, Punk lasting over 20 minutes, Jericho, Knox, Finlay, Rhodes, and Taker going over 30 minutes, and Mysterio, Orton and Dibiase for lasting over 40 minutes with Triple H being the Ironman at 50 minutes. We also had a dubious distinction of Marella breaking the record for the shortest time in the Rumble at just 1 second which will probably never get broken. As for Punk, he did have a good showing lasting over 22 minutes and he also got an elimination by dumping Regal to put the final bow on that feud, but for the most part he hung in the background and didn’t do much before being eliminated by Show and this might be his worst showing in a Rumble to this point. The ending was pretty hot too as Triple H nearly survives Legacy only for Orton to eliminate him in the end, and while I did say that there were some good choices to win, it seemed pretty obvious Orton would win especially after what happened with Vince. The crowd was red hot for the whole match though they are not happy when Orton wins. Orton wins the Rumble and is on the Road to Wrestlemania which will have some crazy twists and turns along the way.
Final Grade: ****1/4
