2005 Royal Rumble Thoughts

   2005 was in an interesting year for WWE and the Royal Rumble event set the tone for it.  We were coming towards the end of both Triple H's "reign of terror," as well as JBL's long and surprising run with the WWE Title.  New faces were on the verge of breaking out. This Royal Rumble match in particular may even be more remembered for something that had nothing to do with the actual match.  If you don't understand what I'm referring to yet, you'll see when I get there.

Pre-Show Match - Rhino vs. Maven

   By this time, Maven had recently turned heel and added time to his career by doing so.  Rhino was on the way out and had one last moment in the sun at ECW One Night Stand later that year.  With the change in direction for Maven's character, it was understandable that he got the win here.  Also, I refuse to spell Rhino's name with a y, despite the lawsuit being the reason for it.

Edge vs. Shawn Michaels

   2005 was a coming out party for many new performers, as well as susperstars finally getting the spotlight after years in the business.  This was a very important match for Edge.  After years of being part of a tag team, Edge started to hit his stride as a singles wrestler.  A year-long injury haulted his momuntum but a heel turn and change of character did the trick.  His feud with Shawn Michaels had been brewing for a few months now and it was put up or shut up time. This was a pretty good match and Edge got the win.  With "Money In the Bank" and a transition to the Rated R Superstar, Edge was on his way to glory. 

Casket Match - Undertaker vs. Heidenreich

   Paul Heyman's latest client Heidenreich was trying to make a name for himself by gunning for the Undertaker.  Heidenreich had also started a bizarre friendship with Snitsky, who had been feuding with the Undertaker's brother, Kane. During the match, Snitsky came to Heidenreich's aid and they tried to rid of WWE of the Dead Man once and for all.  Both men called for the casket to be opened but when that happened, Kane appeared inside.  Kane battled Snitsky throughout the arena. In the mean time, Taker was back in control.  After delivering a Tombstone, the Undertaker placed Heidenrech inside the casket and closed the lid.

WWE Title Triple Threat Match - JBL vs. Kurt Angle vs. Big Show

   In mid-2004, JBL went from the beer-swilling APA member Bradshaw to a Wallstreet-savvy Champion.  He was the houdini of Champions, as he was always able to escape somehow with the WWE Title.  JBL also had his own Cabinet in Orlando Jordan and the Basham Brothers.  Kurt Angle, on the other hand, had his own henchmen in Mark Jindrak and Luther Reigns.  All except Jordan attacked the Big Show, giving the other two men an advantage.  However, JBL still had Jordan by his side, who helped him set his sights in the Olympic gold medal winner.  After a Clothesline From Hell, JBL once again retained his Championship.  

World Title - Triple H vs. Randy Orton

   When Randy Orton won the World Title in 2004, Evolution kicked him out the next night. Triple H got back what he called his rightful Championship soon enough and the two led rival teams going into Survivor Series.  After the Title was held up, it was up for grabs in the Elimination Chamber, just weeks before the Rumble.  Triple H took the gold but Randy Orton never felt he got full revenge for what happened to him, which led to this match. With Evolution's Batista and Ric Flair banned from ringside, it was more of a fair fight.  Being the Cerebral Assassin that he was, Triple H still managed to find a way to win and hold on to the Title.  Orton went back to his natural heel side in the weeks to come while another Evolution member would soon challenge Triple H for the gold.

Royal Rumble Match

  The first two entrants were Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit, who celebrated to end WrestleMania the year before as Champions together.  They now had the chance to relive the glory one more time.  Before the match when Ric Flair was choosing his number, Eddie had stolen it.  Fortunately for the Nature Boy, Eddie was caught red handed.  Brand new Tough Enough winner Daniel Puder entered third and was in for a rough night, as the friends joined together to teach the youngster a lesson.  The night got worse for Puder as the fourth man in was Hardcore Holly, a veteran as tough as they come, and known to be stiff in the ring, especially to rookies.  It was quite entertaining watching the three men chop Puder continuously until his chest turned red.  After toying with the rookie, he was eliminated.  It's amazing that Puder won Tough Enough yet ended up doing virtually nothing in the business, compared to what runner-up The Miz has accomplished since then.

 The ring was soon filled up with other superstars, as men like Edge, Rey Misterio, Booker T, and Chris Jericho entered the match. Entering at number thirteen was Muhammad Hassan.  Hassan was an Arab-American disagreed with many things that the U.S. stood for and the way they treated Arab-Americans. There was no brand loyalty here, as members of both Raw and Smackdown came together.  In a show of unity, everyone in the ring picked Hassan up and dumped him out of the ring. Shawn Michaels entered, followed by the man flat out took Nunzio's number, Kurt Angle. Angle did very well for himself, as he eliminated wrestlers right and left.  Unfortunately for Angle, he was eliminated by Shawn Michaels.  An angry Angle reentered the ring and attacked the Heartbreak Kid, setting up a match between the two at the upcoming WrestleMania.  

   We soon learned why Eddie tried to steal Flair's number when the "Dirtiest Player In the Game" came in at number 30.  The final four were Batista, John Cena, Rey Misterio, and Edge.  Edge battled Misterio and eliminated the legendary Luchadore with a spear.  Edge made the mistake of attacking both Batista and Cena at the same time and the two eliminated Edge for it.  Cena and Batista battled and they went over the ropes, landing at what looked like the same time.  One referee announced Cena as the winner and the other said Batista won.  Not wanting another Hart/Lugar situation, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon made his way angrily to the ring.  In the process of his entrance to the ring, McMahon tore both of his quadracep muscles.  As McMahon sat in the corner of the ring, he ordered the match to continue until there was only one man left.  Batista eliminated Cena to win the Royal Rumble.  Both men, however, became Champions at WrestleMania and ushered in a new era.

   This was a pretty good Royal Rumble event.  I enjoyed the Edge/HBK match and Undertaker's revenge on Heidenreich.  Though both JBL and Triple H retained, I knew their Champinship days were numbered.  The Rumble match had some great spots, including a rookie being initiated, unity against a common enemy, and Mr. McMahon injuring himself simply by entering the ring.  The night ended featuring two men who would be champs for years to come.

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