"WWE Royal Rumble" Results - Surprise Winner, Punk & Bryan Retain

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Dark Match:
Yoshi Tatsu defeated Heath Slater with a spinning heel kick to open tonight's show.

"Yes, sir, we promised you a great main event..."

We open with a video package highlighting the Rumble (of course) and the fact that the winner heads to WrestleMania for a main event match of their choosing.

The pyro hits and Michael Cole welcomes us to the Pay-Per-View. Cole lets us know that the Steel Cage match for the World Heavyweight Championship will be kicking things off tonight.

World Heavyweight Championship – Steel Cage Match:
Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Mark Henry vs. Big Show

We go to the cage and out first comes the World Heavyweight Champion. Out next comes Mark Henry followed by Big Show.

The cage door is locked, and the bell rings. Bryan goes to climb the cage immediately but Henry pulls him down and Show spears him. Show goes for the cover but Henry stops it. Show hits Henry with a couple of big rights before taking him down with a running shoulder block. Henry rolls to the apron and stands up. Show splashes Henry against the cage wall, then does it again and a third time. Bryan goes to escape again but Henry pulls him down and slams him to the mat.

Show hits Bryan with a couple of punches to the gut. Bryan tries to escape again, but Show pulls him down and hits him with a huge chop. Bryan tries to chop Show, but Show shrugs it off and throws him into the cage. Show goes for the WMD but Bryan ducks and Show connects with the cage wall. Bryan kicks at Show's knees but he's taken right back down to the mat. Show tosses Bryan into the corner and splashes him, but Bryan comes right back with a huge low dropkick to Show's knee, then one to Henry's face. Bryan lays into Henry with some stiff kicks to the chest and then a big one to the head. Bryan then hits Show with a low dropkick to the face.

Bryan goes for the door but he's stopped by Henry, who hits him with a big clubbing blow across the back. Henry rakes Bryan's face across the cage wall before slingshotting him hard into the cage. Henry turns around into a big kick to the face from Show. Show turns his attention to Bryan and tosses him into the cage wall. Bryan goes to escape, but Show pulls him down and slams him into the cage wall again.

Show beats Bryan down to the mat repeatedly, then slams him into the wall again. Show slams Bryan down to the mat hard and stares down at him.

Show picks Bryan up only to punch him right back down to the mat. Henry is up and he hits Show with a couple of big rights before taking the giant down with a right hand. Henry stomps at Bryan before standing on his chest. Henry picks Bryan up and throws him into the cage wall and the crowd is getting behind the champ. Bryan ducks a charging Henry and Henry flies right into the cage. Bryan goes for the pin but only gets two. Bryan gets up and he's thrown from side to side by Big Show repeatedly into cage walls. Show calls for the chokeslam, but Bryan kicks it off. Bryan goes to the top and connects with a big tornado DDT. Bryan goes for the pin but he only gets a two count. Bryan locks in the LaBell lock on Show.

Henry is able to break up the submission attempt. Henry picks Bryan up to his feet and throws him into the cage wall again before picking him up. Show connects with the WMD on Henry and Henry drops Bryan. Show goes for the pin but Bryan breaks it up. Bryan goes to escape the cage but Show is up in the corner to stop him. Bryan is hanging over the cage but Show has him by the neck. Show pulls him back to the top of the cage but Bryan fights Show off with rights to the head. Bryan goes further down but Show straddles the top of the cage. Show has Bryan by the wrist and Bryan is dangling over the floor. Show drops Bryan and the champ falls to the floor to retain.

Winner and STILL World Heavyweight Champion: Daniel Bryan

Bryan celebrates with his title on the outside after the match. He's up pretty quickly after splatting down on that mat on the floor. The crowd has a pretty mixed reaction toward Bryan winning.

- Cole says that if Bryan survives Elimination Chamber next month, he could main event WrestleMania. This leads us right into and Elimination Chamber promo featuring Sheamus.

- We get a bit of hype for John Cena vs. The Rock, since the Road to WrestleMania has begun tonight. This leads us into a (too long) video package letting us know a little bit more about this mystery man John Cena, who really is an enigma.

All joking aside, the package is really well put together, and an interesting look at fans talking about why they like or dislike Cena. It's also mixed with footage of a young Cena. For filler, it's pretty good, and I would expect they'll play a similar package about the Rock later in the show. The crowd boos at the end of the video.

Divas Match:
The Bella Twins, Beth Phoenix and Natalya vs. Tamina, Kelly Kelly, Eve and Alicia Fox

We go to the ring and out comes the team of WWE Divas Champion Beth Phoenix, Natalya and The Bella Twins. Out next comes Kelly Kelly, Tamina, Alicia Fox and Eve Torres.

Natalya and Tamina start things off going at it. They trade slaps before Tamina chops her and headbutts her for a 2 count. Tamina tags in Eve and in she comes with the booty pop and moonsault for 2. Natalya rams Eve back in the corner and tags in Beth. Beth goes back and forth with Eve. Eve connects with a kick and a clothesline. She goes for a back splash and Beth puts her knees up.

Beth works over Eve some more for another 2 count. One of the Bellas come in and choke Eve on the ropes. Eve gets kicked in the face and covered for another pin attempt. Bella with a chinlock now. Eve comes back and tags in Alicia. Alicia comes in with a clothesline and a pair of dropkicks. Alicia stomps away in the corner as the referee pulls her off. The Bellas switch out and Alicia gets beat down in the corner now. Kelly finally gets the tag and does the head scissors takedown. Kelly with the back elbow in the corner and then the bulldog for 2 as the other Bella broke it up. Natalya comes in and goes at it with Eve. Tamina joins in on the fight and all the Divas brawl on the floor. In the ring, Kelly Kelly climbs up top, then splashes onto the other Divas and the floor. Kelly comes in the ring and goes at it with one of the Bellas. Beth smacks the twin on the back and tags herself in. Beth nails the Glam Slam on Kelly for the win.

Winner: Beth Phoenix

- Cole and the announce team turn their attention back to the Rock/Cena match at WrestleMania, asking what condition will Cena be in following his match with Kane tonight. We get a recap of events on Raw where Kane chokeslammed Zack Ryder through the entrance ramp. Ryder was taken out on a stretcher and King and Cole announced that he had a broken back before that was corrected on Smackdown.

Backstage:

Zack Ryder is shown backstage being wheeled around in a wheelchair. He's welcomed by Johnny Ace, who says he's got his own dressing room catered with his favorite foods. Johnny says if he needs anything to let him know. Eve comes in and says he's already done enough by making Zack compete when he wasn't cleared, then putting him into a match with Kane. She says she hopes tomorrow night on Raw, she hopes he's fired. Johnny says that's gratitude for you, and walks off. Eve calls him an a**, and Ryder says WWWYKI, before being wheeled into his dressing room.

John Cena vs. Kane

John Cena is the first man to make his way out to the ring, and he gets a very mixed reaction from the crowd. Cole says that this afternoon, Cena passed ten million fans on Facebook, rattling off some of the people that he's more popular than, including the Dali Lama, and the Rock.

Cena looks around when he's in the ring, but he just shrugs off the boos. Kane's pyro hits and the arena goes dark. Kane makes his way out to the ring, and it's hard to tell if he gets much of a reaction from the crowd, but he looks like he's walking with purpose.

The bell rings and Cena charges Kane, kicking and punching him right off the bat, but Kane lays him out with a back elbow before slamming him into the turnbuckle, hitting him with a chop to the face, and beating on him in the corner. Kane hits Cena with a couple of rights to the face. Cena fights back hitting Cena with a couple of rights of his own before clotheslining Cena over the top rope to the outside. Cena pulls Kane to the outside after him and knocks him to the floor. Kane tries to send Cena into the ring steps, but Cena is able to reverse it, and Kane crashes knees first into the steps.

Cena rolls back into the ring and Kane follows. Cena gets Kane on his shoulder, but Kane fights it off and Cena crashes face first into the mat. Kane punches Cena repeatedly in the corner, picking him back up and hitting him with another right. Kane puts his boot in Cena's back and stomps down before hitting the ropes and hitting Cena with a running single leg dropkick to the face that's good for a near fall. Kane locks in a rear chin lock to try and wear down Cena.

Cena fights up to his feet and out of the hold and both men trade punches. Kane puts Cena right back down to the mat with a quick right to the face that's good for another two count. Kane picks Cena up to his feet and suplexes him, then pins him for another near fall. Kane clamps on another rear chin lock.

Cena fights up to his feet again, making his way out of the hold. Cena hits Kane with a right, but a right from Kane knocks Cena down to the mat again. Kane sends Cena across the ring and charges in right after him, sandwiching him in the corner. Kane charges Cena in the corner but Cena hits a drop toe hold to send Kane into the turnbuckles. Cena goes for the bulldog, but Kane tosses him off and Cena goes to the apron. Kane follows and Cena pulls him down throat first across the top rope. Kane responds by hitting Cena with a big clothesline.

Kane goes to put his hand over Cena's face, but Cena fights it off. Kane persists, and he's finally able to get his hand over Cena's nose and mouth. Cena turns things right around, locking in the STF, but Kane powers right out. Cena charges Kane, but Kane catches him with a side slam, planting him on the mat. Kane goes to the apron and climbs up to the top. He waits for Cena to stand up and launches himself off the top with a huge leaping clothesline.

Kane calls for the chokeslam, but Cena ducks it and hits a running shoulder block, then another that sends Kane to the mat. Cena hits a belly to back suplex and calls for the five knuckle shuffle, getting a lot of boos. Cena looks down but he's grabbed by the throat by Kane. Cena fights it off but Kane hits a big boot for another two count.

Kane takes Cena into the corner and hits him with another big chop to the face. Kane seats Cena on the top turnbuckle and goes up after him. Kane tries for a superplex, but Cena fights him off, sending him crashing down to the mat. Cena stands on the top rope and lets the crowd know that Kane can't see him before hitting a top rope five knuckle shuffle. Cena waits for Kane to get to his feet and he shoulders him, but Kane fights it off. Cena hits a low kick to Kane's leg, but Kane fights right back, sending Cena flying to the outside through the ropes. Kane follows and slams Cena back first into the ring apron.

Cena fights with Kane up the entrance way while the count goes higher and higher. The referee counts out both men, but Cena and Kane continue to fight. Cena grabs some kind of equipment container and uses it to blast Kane

Double Count Out

After the match, Cena and Kane fight their way to the backstage area. Cena tosses Kane into some trash cans after a couple of wild punches. Kane hits Cena with a couple of big chair shots to the back. Kane taunts Cena before laying in with another shot across the back. Kane stands over Cena before hitting him with the chair for the fourth time. Kane looks up and he's outside of Zack Ryder's dressing room. Kane breaks down the door, and attacks Ryder, using his hand to smother Zack. Kane rolls Ryder out of the dressing room.

Kane wheels Ryder out to the entrance way, and Ryder is still delirious in his chair. Kane wheels Ryder all the way down to the ring before dumping him out of his wheelchair and sending him into the ring. Kane makes his way into the ring after Ryder and kicks him around a bit. Eve runs down to the ring and begs Kane to not hurt Ryder.

Kane tombstones Ryder then turns to Eve. Cena runs down to the ring, but he gets a chokeslam for his troubles. Kane rolls out of the ring and makes his way to the back, laughing all the way. Eve cries in the ring while Ryder is attended to by trainers, and Cena recovers.

A great video package aired on The Rock.

Drew McIntyre's music hits and we're off to our next match.

WOW! Simply the best match and segment in Kane's career?

- Cole, Lawler and Booker talk about what a tragedy it is that Ryder was laid out by Kane. Booker speculates that this could be the end of Zack Ryder's career.

- Back to Rock/Cena as we get a video package detailing Rock's career, and a bit of his reasoning as to why he's coming back for another match against John Cena.

Drew McIntyre vs. Brodus Clay

Back to the ring and out comes Drew McIntyre for another bonus match. Brodus Clay's dancers come out and make the introduction before he comes dancing his way to the ring.

A chant breaks out for Clay before the bell. Clay shakes and Drew blows a kiss to his dancers. Drew strikes first and takes Brodus to the corner. Clay just shakes him off and dances. Drew with more offense in the corner but it doesn't phase Clay. Clay comes back with the big overhead suplex and then the splash in the corner. Clay hits "What The Funk" for the win, and that is all.

Winner: Brodus Clay

- We get a Slim Jim commercial, where Rey Mysterio, Big Show, and others hype that if you buy a Slim Jim, one will also be donated to the troops.

- We get a promo for tomorrow night's Raw, where Johnny Ace's career will be in jeopardy as he's evaluated by HHH.

- A recap of the events leading to the WWE Championship match are shown.

WWE Championship
Special Guest Referee: John Laurinaitis
CM Punk (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler

John Laurinaitis is the first man to make his way out to the ring. He's wearing a sleeveless referees shirt, but unlike Vince McMahon, his arms aren't anything worth showing off. He gets a lot of boos as he makes his way out with no music. He's got a mic and he introduces himself and gives his title, even though he was just introduced. He says even though he was assigned the referee of the match, in the interest of fairness, he's decided that he'll officiate outside of the ring, and another WWE official will referee things inside of the ring. Another ref makes his way down to the ring quickly.

Ziggler is the first man to make his way out to the ring, accompanied by Vickie Guerrero. Dolph gets a pretty nice reaction from the crowd, but as soon as his music stops, the chants for Punk are overwhelming. Punk's music hits, and the champion makes his way out to the ring to a lot of love from the crowd.

Justin Roberts does formal ring introductions for both men, and it looks like we're ready to begin.

Before the bell rings, Laurinaitis makes his way into the ring and ejects Vickie Guerrero from ringside. Vickie makes her way to the back, screaming the whole way. The bell rings and Punk and Ziggler circle each other before locking up. Punk rolls up Ziggler for one. Both men test each other, but Ziggler punches Punk. Ziggler goes for the rocker dropper but Punk moves and shoulders Ziggler. Ziggler fights out and both men stare each other down. We get another lock up and Punk backs Ziggler into the ropes and gives a clean break. Punk catches Ziggler with a right and a stiff kick to the thigh. Ziggler knocks Punk away and struts to show off.

Punk is able to roll Ziggler up for a two count and he goes for the Anaconda vice, but Ziggler is able to fight it off and roll into the ropes. Ziggler and Punk lock up and Punk goes behind Ziggler locking in an abdominal stretch and clubbing down on Dolph's ribs. Punk plays to the crowd before picking Ziggler up and suplexing him face first into the ropes. Ziggler falls out to the floor, and Punk follows with a plancha through the ropes, crashing right into Ziggler and sending him to the floor. Punk sends Ziggler back into the ring and he goes to the top, but Ziggler sweeps Punk's legs out from under him, and Punk crashes to the mat. Ziggler goes for the pin but only gets two.

Ziggler stomps away at Punk before hitting him with repeated elbow drops to the chest. Ziggler continues to gloat before hitting a high elevation elbow drop. Ziggler goes for the pin and gets another two count. Ziggler locks in a rear chin lock, wearing down Punk and grinding him down into the mat. Punk is able to fight back up to his feet and put Ziggler down with a belly to back suplex.

Both men are slow to get up to their feet, and when they do they trade right hands. Ziggler gets in a kick, but Punk hits right after right. Ziggler is able to lock in the sleeper hold, but Punk counters, almost locking in the Anaconda vice, Ziggler turns it around, locking in the sleeper again. Punk fights up to his feet, and throws Ziggler off, but Ziggler comes up with a huge dropkick for another two count.

Ziggler stalks Punk, waiting for him to get to his feet. Ziggler goes for a hurricarana, it looks like, but Punk counters with a spinning sit out powerbomb, holding on to pin him for a two count. Punk hits Ziggler with a couple of big chops to the chest and a couple more stiff kicks. Punk is a flurry of offense with a clothesline and spinning neckbreaker. Punk hits a running high knee in the corner and follows with the running bulldog. The crowd is totally behind Punk. Punk is calling for the Go to Sleep. Punk shoulders Ziggler, but Ziggler fights out of it and slingshots Punk into the corner. Punk counters with a cross body from the middle, but Ziggler rolls through into a pin for two. Ziggler tries for the sleeper, but Punk fights out and hits him with a nasty kick, laying Ziggler out for another two count.

Punk looks a bit surprised at Ziggler's resiliency. Punk picks Ziggler up and slams him to the mat before heading up to the top turnbuckle. Punk leaps off the top with an elbow drop to Ziggler's heart, but he still can't keep him down for a three count.

Punk shoulders Ziggler again, but Ziggler fights out and shoves Punk into the referee, who falls to the outside. Ace is checking on the ref on the outside while on the inside, Punk is able to lock in the Anaconda vice. Ziggler is tapping, but there's no ref and Ace is checking on the one who's down on the outside.

Punk goes over to yell at Johnny, and he's rolled up by Ziggler. Punk rolls through and has Ziggler pinned, but there's still no ref. Punk puts Ziggler down, and Ace rolls the ref back into the ring. Ziggler tries to get Punk from behind, but Punk shoulders Ziggler. Punk swings Ziggler around and Ziggler's legs hit Ace, sending him to the outside. Punk connects with the GTS, and goes for the pin, but there's still no one to make the count. Punk says the next GTS is for Ace. Punk shoulders Ziggler again and goes for the GTS, but Ziggler counters with a rocker dropper, he goes for the pin, but Punk kicks out at two.

Ziggler hits Punk with rights to the back of the head, and elbows to the shoulder and neck. Ziggler waits for Punk to get up, but Punk catches him and slingshots him into the corner. Punk shoulders Ziggler and goes for the pin. Both the ref and Johnny Ace make the three count at the same time for Punk.

Winner and STILL WWE Champion: CM Punk

Ace hands the title over to Punk before immediately making his way out of the ring toward the back. Punk sits in the middle of the ring with his title around his shoulder while Johnny applauds him at the top of the entrance way. Punk runs around the ring, celebrating with his title as the crowd cheers.

- We get video promos for both the new WWE YouTube channel, and another Mania promo, letting us know it's only 63 days away.

- We get a by the numbers promo, looking at some of the famous statistics of the Royal Rumble match.

Are you ready?

The 2012 30-Man WWE Royal Rumble Match:

The bell rings, and Justin Roberts gives us a quick rundown of the Rumble rules. As always with these types of matches, I ask that you bear with me, as this one will be difficult to cover. Now let's see who's going to be main-eventing WrestleMania. The Miz is of course the first man to make his way out to the ring, and he gets a lot of heat on his way out.

Miz says everyone backstage has been snickering at him all day. They think he's intimidated and that he won't be able to make it, but those are the same people who told him he'd never main event WrestleMania or be champion. He says he's always proved everyone wrong and tonight will be no different. He'll be the last man standing and he'll main event WrestleMania because he's the Miz and he's awesome. Entrant Number two is Alex Riley who makes his way out to a bit of fanfare.

The bell rings and Riley and Miz stare each other down before trading right hands. Riley backs Miz into the corner and hits him with a big running clothesline. Riley takes Miz over to the ropes but Miz fights him off. Miz lays into Riley with a series of stomps before picking him up and taking him to the ropes. Riley tosses Miz to the apron, but when he charges after him, Miz catches him with the low bridge and Riley falls to the outside.

Alex Riley has been eliminated

The clock counts down, and entrant number three is R-Truth, who makes his way out to the ring and takes Miz right down to the mat. Truth ducks a clothesline and takes Miz down to the mat. Truth takes Miz out to the apron, but Miz avoids being eliminated. Miz tries for the SCF, but Truth avoids it. Truth hits a crazy modified suplex and tosses Miz out to the apron again.

Entrant Number Four is Cody Rhodes.

Rhodes makes his way into the ring and hits Truth with a beautiful disaster kick, and a big front suplex. He and Miz double team truth, laying in with repeated right hands. Rhodes kicks Truth in the chest hard. Truth back drops Rhodes to the apron and fights off both Miz and Rhodes. Miz hits his knee to the back/reverse DDT combo and the clock counts down again.

Entrant number five is Justin Gabriel.

Gabriel goes right to the top and takes out Miz and Rhodes with a cross body before hitting Miz and Rhodes with repeated kicks and Truth with an STO. Rhodes comes from out of nowhere to take Gabriel out and he almost gets him over the top, but Justin fights it off. Gabriel and Cody square off while Truth and Miz fight in another corner.

Entrant number six is Primo.

Primo comes in with offense on everyone and takes Gabriel down with a head scissors. Truth ducks a kick from Cody and takes him out. Miz tosses Truth and R-Truth is eliminated.

R-Truth has been eliminated

Truth pulls Miz out underneath the bottom rope and takes him out on the floor. Primo works over Justin in the corner, stomping away at him while Rhodes recovers.

Entrant number 7 is Mick Foley.

Foley comes in and goes to work on Primo, hitting him with repeated rights before back dropping him over the top out to the floor.

Primo has been eliminated

Rhodes attacks Foley from behind, but Foley turns it around and hits him with right after right in the corner before hitting him with a running knee. Foley connects with the double arm DDT to lay Rhodes out. He and Gabriel pick Rhodes up and try to get him out.

Entrant number eight is Ricardo Rodreiguez.

Ricardo makes his way out in a pretty beat up old car. He slowly makes his way down to the ring and beats on Rhodes before avoiding confronting Foley and getting dropkicked by Gabriel. Foley and Ricardo end up teaming up to throw Gabriel out and Ricardo can't believe it, running around the ring and celebrating.

Justin Gabriel has been eliminated

Entrant number nine is Santino Marella.

Santino makes his way down to the ring and takes Ricardo out with a right hand and a back body drop, then atomic drop, and a reverse atomic drop. Santino rolls Ricardo around, sending him into the corner turnbuckle before giving him a wedgie and sending him over the top.

Ricardo has been eliminated

Foley goes for Socko and Santino grabs the Cobra. The clock begins to count down again, and out next is Epico at number ten.

Epico gets his with the cobra and eats socko before being thrown to the outside.

Epico has been eliminated

Socko and the cobra lock up, but it's broken up by Miz and Rhodes who attack from behind. Rhodes tosses Santino over the top.

Santino has been eliminated

Foley catches Miz with the mandible claw, but he's tossed over the top by Rhodes.

Mick Foley has been eliminated

Entrant number eleven is Kofi Kingston.

Kingston makes his way down to the ring and takes it to both Miz and Rhodes, hitting both men with a springboard chop to the head, then a double boom drop. Kofi tosses Miz over the top, but Miz hangs on and rolls back into the ring. Rhodes attacks Kofi and takes him to the mat before trying to send him over the top. Miz joins in, and the clock counts down.

Entrant number twelve is Jerry the King Lawler.

Lawler gets up from commentary and takes it to both Miz and Rhodes, hitting both with dropkicks and slamming Miz to the mat. Lawler heads up to the middle rope and drops the strap before coming down on Miz with a big fist drop. Rhodes drops King over the top to the outside.

Jerry Lawler has been eliminated

Entrant number 13 is Ezekiel Jackson.

Jackson comes in and takes out Rhodes and Miz with shoulder blocks before hitting Kofi and Miz with big clotheslines and Rhodes with a huge slam. Jackson hits Kofi with a big clubbing blow across the back before sending him across the ring and hitting a big spinning side slam. Jackson beats on Rhodes in the corner and the clock counts down again.

Entrant number fourteen is Jinder Mahal.

Mahal makes his way out to almost no reaction at all. Jackson can't wait for Mahal to get into the ring, but Mahal is taking his time. Jinder hits Kofi with a big running knee, then takes out Jackson before stomping away at Kofi.

Entrant number fifteen is the Great Khali.

Khali makes his way out to the ring quickly, heading right into the fray, and taking everyone out with a head chop. Khali turns to Mahal and tosses him over the top.

Jinder Mahal has been eliminated

Jackson attacks Khali, but he's quickly clotheslined over the top.

Ezekiel Jackson has been eliminated

Khali turns his attention to Miz while Kofi concentrates on Rhodes.

Entrant number sixteen is Hunico.

Camacho brings Hunico out to the ring on a lowrider bike. Hunico attacks Kingston with a big kick, the Miz, before hitting Rhodes with an Olympic slam. Khali stops Hunico cols though, taking him down to the mat, before he turns to Kingston, then the Miz. Miz is able to take Khali off his feet.

Entrant number seventeen is Booker T.

Booker heads right into the ring and goes right after Rhodes, but he turns around right into the Great Khali. Khali lays Booker out with a big head butt before bringing him into the corner. Khali ignores Booker and turns to Rhodes, hitting him with a big chop to the chest. Khali holds Rhodes up and lets Booker chop him. Miz almost knocks Kofi from the ring, but Kofi hand stands, then walks on his hands to the ring steps to avoid touching the floor.

Entrant number eighteen is Dolph Ziggler.

Duggan makes his way out to a big pop, and he goes right to work on Cody, Miz and Hunico. Hacksaw smashes Cody and Miz's heads together, getting a huge USA pop. Hacksaw charges Rhodes in the corner, but he misses, and he's clotheslined over the top.

Jim Duggan has been eliminated

Khali and Booker are fighting, and they're both eliminated by Ziggler and Rhodes.

The Great Khali and Booker T are eliminated

Entrant number twenty is Michael Cole.

Cole is in his wrestling gear and he makes his way into the match, taunting the crowd. Cole is avoiding getting directly involved with anyone.

Entrant number twenty one is Kharma.

Kharma heads into the ring and takes Cole out right away with a huge clothesline. Cole climbs over the top rope, and he's pulled off the apron by Lawler and Booker. Ziggler turns Kharma around and tells her to get out, but he's laid out with an implant buster. Kharma scares off Vickie Guerrero before tossing Hunico over the top rope.

Hunico is eliminated

Kharma is tossed over the top by Ziggler

Kharma has been eliminated

Entrant number twenty two is Sheamus.

Sheamus takes everyone out with clotheslines before back dropping Rhodes, and hitting Kofi with big clubbing blows. Sheamus catches Kingston and tosses him over the top to the floor.

Kofi Kingston has been eliminated

Sheamus ties Rhodes up in the ropes and hits him with repeated clubbing blows across the chest before doing the same to the Miz. Dolph tries to catch Sheamus with the Zig Zag, but Sheamus avoids it.

Entrant number twenty three is the Road Dogg.

Uso takes out Miz and Road Dogg, laying them out in the corner. Sheamus tries to eliminate Dolph, but it's broken up by Rhodes. Everyone's pairing off as the clock counts down again.

Entrant number twenty five is Jack Swagger.

Swagger comes in and turns right to Sheamus, taking him out with a belly to belly suplex and big blows to the back of the head. Swagger beats on Uso in the corner. Miz stomps away at Road Dogg. Rhodes hits Ziggler with a big front suplex.

The next man out is Road Dogg BG James. He comes in with right hands for everyone and hits a big pumphandle slam on Miz. James gets a "you still got it" chant from the crowd. The next man out is Jey Uso. Jimmy is with him but not dressed to wrestle. Uso drops James and hits the splash in the corner on him. The next man out is Wade Barrett. Jack Swagger is also out. #27 comes out and it's David Otunga.

Barrett goes at it with Otunga while Ziggler takes Sheamus in the corner. #28 is Randy Orton and he comes out to a huge pop from the hometown crowd. Orton rns to the rung and runs over a few people with clotheslines before hitting Barrett with right hands. Orton continues the offense and slams Barrett. Orton hits the mat and waits for the RKO but Cody hits him from behind. Orton tosses Cody to the apron and grabs Ziggler. He hits the draping DDT from the second rope on Cody and Ziggler at the same time. Uso grabs Orton but gets tossed for his troubles. Uso is eliminated. Orton hits the RKO on Barrett and tosses him. Wade Barrett is eliminated. #29 comes out and it's Chris Jericho.

Jericho comes in and hits Cody, Otunga and Miz. Jericho goes on and eliminates David Otunga. Jericho goes at it with Ziggler now. Sheamus tries to eliminate Swagger. The #30 man out is Big Show.

Show runs to the ring and Jack Swagger is eliminated. Swagger gets mad and Show knocks him out with a WMD on the floor. Show comes in with chops and headbutts for everyone. He grabs Miz and Cody, eliminating them at the same time. Show eliminates Ziggler next. It's down to Sheamus, Orton, Jericho and Show. They all attack Big Show but he fights them off. Show splashes Jericho and chokeslams him. Orton comes and takes Show down with a big RKO. Show fights Sheamus off but Orton eliminates Big Show. Jericho comes from behind and dumps Orton. Randy Orton is eliminated. It's down to Jericho and Sheamus.

Jericho and Sheamus face off. Jericho points up at the WrestleMania 28 sign. They lock up and go at it. Sheamus runs over Jericho. Jericho goes for a bulldog but Sheamus pushes him off. Jericho hangs on as Sheamus tries to eliminate him. Jericho comes back in with a missile dropkick. Jericho with kicks now. Sheamus catches him with the Irish Curse backbreaker and calls for the Celtic Cross. Sheamus goes for it but Jericho slides out. Jericho clotheslines Sheamus over the rope but he hangs on and comes back to the apron. Jericho with a dropkick from the second rope but Sheamus still hangs on. Jericho tries to kick Sheamus out of the ring but he still hangs on. Sheamus makes his way back in and kicks Jericho in the face. Sheamus scoops Jericho over the rope but he hangs on. Jericho fights back in but runs into a back elbow. Jericho ducks the Brogue Kick and applies the Walls of Jericho.

Sheamus gets to the ropes but Jericho doesn't have to break the hold in the Rumble. He finally breaks it. Jericho charges but Sheamus backdrops him. Jericho hangs on and his feet don't touch the floor. Jericho fights fro the apron and goes to the top rope with Sheamus in hand. Sheamus climbs up and has Jericho positioned for a superplex. They trade shots on the top and both fall down to the apron. They both come back in the ring and Jericho connects with a Codebreaker. Jericho looks as if he's trying to pin Sheamus but realizes there's on pinfall. Sheamus fights back but Jericho kicks him in the gut. Jericho with forearms to the chest now. He tries to dump Sheamus again but he hangs on and comes back in. Jericho slaps Sheamus repeatedly and this angers him. Sheamus shoves Jericho off but misses another Brogue Kick. Sheamus counters the Codebreaker and tosses Jericho but again, his feet don't touch the floor. Sheamus comes back with a Brogue Kick and knocks Jericho to the floor for the win.

2012 WWE Royal Rumble Winner: Sheamus

After the match, we go to replays and come back to Sheamus pointing at the WrestleMania 28 sign as the pyro goes off. The 2012 Royal Rumble goes off the air with Sheamus posing for the fans.

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