Shown January 26 2020
from 10pm
CONFIRMED MATCHES
Men's Royal Rumble match: As with every year's Royal Rumble throughout the years, expect the top stars on the roster and a few surprises from the past as well as even NXT competitors to hit the ring. As usual, the winner will earn the right to choose which world champion they will face at WrestleMania 36. Confirmed entrants: Brock Lesnar (No. 1), Roman Reigns, King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan, AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Elias, Rey Mysterio, Ricochet, Drew McIntyre, Otis, Tucker, Rusev, Bobby Lashley, Aleister Black, Buddy Murphy, Braun Strowman, Shinsuke Nakamura, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, Kofi Kingston, Big E, The Miz, John Morrison
Women's Royal Rumble match: 2020 will be the third time the women of WWE have had their own Royal Rumble match. Similar to the men, there will be the expected big names and a few surprises along the way. Asuka won in 2018 and Becky Lynch won in 2019, and now we're ready to see who will make themselves third on that short list. Confirmed entrants: Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Nikki Cross, Natalya, Sarah Logan, Mandy Rose, Carmella, Dana Brooke
Universal Championship -- "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Daniel Bryan (Strap match): Bryan earned another shot at Wyatt and the universal title when he defeated The Miz and Baron Corbin on the Dec. 27 edition of SmackDown. After Bryan had duped Wyatt with the help of Team Hell No running mate Kane on the Jan. 17 edition of SmackDown, Bryan laid down the gauntlet and called for this rematch to be a strap match.
Raw Women's Championship -- Becky Lynch (c) vs. Asuka: The story of Lynch's self-doubt being largely linked to her inability to overcome Asuka when the two have clashed led Lynch to the rare role of a champion seeking out a match from the challenger. Now, she'll get a chance to earn the retribution she seeks when this much-anticipated rematch occurs in Houston.
SmackDown Women's Championship -- Bayley (c) vs. Lacey Evans: While Evans' face turn hasn't made complete sense and doesn't fit the character that has been developed for months, it's clear a showdown with Bayley is the plan for her. Bayley and Sasha Banks have tormented Evans, including mocking her young daughter during the Dec. 20 edition of SmackDown, adding some extra spice to the match. Evans defeated Bayley clean on a recent episode of SmackDown, earning herself a shot at the title in Houston.
Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin (Falls count anywhere match): These two aren't done with each other after Corbin's win through the use of overwhelming numbers at TLC. Reigns threw down the challenge for another singles match on the Jan. 10 edition of SmackDown, getting a quick acceptance from Corbin before both men enter the Royal Rumble match later in the night. After a win over Robert Roode on SmackDown in a tables match, Reigns was allowed to choose a stipulation for this match, and his decision was to beat Corbin around the baseball stadium in a falls count anywhere affair.
United States Championship -- Andrade (c) vs. Humberto Carrillo: In his pursuit of the United States title, Andrade managed to win a gauntlet match to become No. 1 contender. In the course of the win, Andrade exposed the ringside concrete before hitting Carrillo with a Hammerlock DDT, taking him out of action for weeks. Andrade defeated Rey Mysterio to win the title, and now Carrillo is looking to make him pay for his actions in his return to the ring at Royal Rumble.
Sheamus vs. Shorty G: Upon his return to action, Sheamus immediately set his sights on Shorty G after weeks of calling the entire roster soft. Following a pull-apart brawl between the two on an episode of SmackDown, the one-on-one encounter for Houston was made official.
HIGHLIGHTS
RESULTS
Sheamus def. Shorty G via pinfall (Kickoff Show): After getting in some offense early, Chad Gable was largely dominated by Sheamus' overwhelming size and strength. Gable worked on Sheamus' leg and hit a tornado DDT after Sheamus caught his moonsault attempt. He followed by nailing a moonsault and rolling German suplex, each for near falls. Gable then ducked a Brogue Kick, placing Sheamus in an ankle lock. However, after Sheamus kicked out of a crucifix pinning attempt, he caught Gable with his finisher for the 1-2-3. Relatively good match with Gable getting in more offense than expected, but the finish was always anticipated.
United States Championship -- Andrade (c) def. Humberto Carillo to retain the title (Kickoff Show): Just as Andrade looked to take control in the match, Carillo reversed the champion's attempt to complete Eddie Guerrero's signature Three Amigos. Andrade then pushed Carillo backward with the challenger's head ricocheting off the second turnbuckle and hit double knees in the corner before a 2.7 count. Carillo reversed the hammerlock DDT finisher into a near fall. Later meeting at the top rope, Carillo hit an avalanche huricanrana for a 2.8 count. The two then rolled one another up with Andrade winding up on top, hooking through one leg for the victory. Smartly booked finish to keep Carillo looking strong while giving Andrade a big win without interference from Zelina Vega. This absolutely should have been on the main show.
Roman Reigns def. Baron Corbin via pinfall (Falls Count Anywhere): Reigns attacked Corbin before the bell but ate an early Deep Six, kicking out of the near fall. The two quickly made their way outside the ring using the barricade and ring steps before entering the crowd itself and returning to ringside, where Corbin threw Reigns over the announce booth and nearly pinned him again. Corbin then caught a flying Reigns attempting a Superman punch with a chokeslam through the booth for a third close call. Venturing deep into the crowd, Reigns hit Corbin with a Samoan drop through one international announce table and then repeated the move for a pair of 2.5 counts. Once they climbed into the elevated WWE production, Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler attacked Reigns but were quickly intercepted by The Usos with all four men eventually taken out after a Jimmy Uso dive off the scaffolding. Reigns hit a couple Superman punches and threw Corbin into a portable toilet before tipping it over. (Corbin emerged clean.)
Atop the Astros' dugout, Reigns took a chair shot from Corbin. He quickly recovered, landing a Superman punch on Corbin followed by a long, running spear for the win. Reigns stood tall atop the dugout with a capacity crowd cheering him on in what was a great moment for the Reigns character and hopefully the official end to this long feud. It was far from the best match of its kind, but it was certainly entertaining with tremendous fan response and a hope that this is the final chapter in the rivalry.
Charlotte Flair (27:19) wins the Women's Royal Rumble: Liv Morgan ran in and immediately eliminated Lana, who returned the favor despite being eliminated by pulling Morgan off the top rope to ringside. Mandy Rose was nearly eliminated but landed comfortably on Otis; she was able to stand on his belly and then reenter the ring. Rose was again thrown over the top rope, and Deville punched her; Otis caught Rose, but Deville was soon eliminated by Belair, knocking both Rose and Otis down. Charlotte Flair appeared to get eliminated after taking a Glam Slam from Beth Phoenix, but it turned out she went through the middle ropes. Naomi's entrance got a big response from the crowd; she was later thrown outside the ring and landed on the barricade with her hands on top and feet inches from the ground. She straddled and crawled across the barricade, stood on an announce table and eventually used the top of the table to build a bridge to the steel steps. Santino Marella appeared as Santina, faced off with Phoenix and eliminated himself with the Cobra. (During the match, Phoenix's head started bleeding after it bounced off the top of the ring post.)
Shayna Baszler entered at No. 30 and immediately eliminated seven women. Phoenix and Natalya combined for a Hart Attack on Baszler before Phoenix turned and eliminated Natalya. Baszler eliminated Phoenix and turned her sights on Flair, who was already on the ring apron. After some jockeying back and forth, Flair flipped upside down, wrapped her legs around Baszler's shoulders and pulled her outside for the victory. Flair cut a promo afterward reminding fans "this is my division" and sounded neither face nor heel. The match was good overall and allowed a handful of women showcase moments. The final two were ultimately the correct choices, and the crowd did pop for Flair, but it was a bit clunky late. (Sasha Banks never appeared.)
ORDER OF ENTRY ORDER OF ELIMINATION
Alexa Bliss (SD) Lana (Morgan)
Bianca Belair (NXT) Morgan (Lana)
Mighty Molly Molly (Belair 1)
Nikki Cross (SD) Martinez (Rose, Deville)
Lana (Raw) Cross (Belair 2)
Mercedes Martinez (NXT) Rose (Deville 2)
Liv Morgan (Raw) Deville (Belair 3)
Mandy Rose (SD) LeRae (Belair 4)
Candice LeRae (NXT) Sane (Bliss)
Sonya Deville (NXT) Tamina (Belair 5)
Kairi Sane (Raw) Yim (Bliss 2)
Mia Yim (NXT) Kai (Green)
Dana Brooke (SD) Green (Bliss 3)
Tamina (SD) Brooke (Belair 6)
Dakota Kai (NXT) Bliss (Belair 7)
Chelsea Green (NXT) Belair (Flair)
Charlotte Flair (Raw) Logan (Flair 2)
Naomi (SD) Kelly (Flair 3)
Beth Phoenix Marella (Marella)
Toni Storm (NXT UK) Li (Baszler)
Kelly Kelly Nox (Baszler 2)
Sarah Logan (Raw) Vega (Baszler 3)
Natalya (Raw) Blackheart (Baszler 4)
Xia Li (NXT) Carmella (Baszler 5)
Zelina Vega (Raw) Storm (Baszler 6)
Shotzi Blackheart (NXT) Naomi (Baszler 7)
Carmella (SD) Natalya (Phoenix)
Tegan Nox (NXT) Phoenix (Baszler 8)
Santina Marella Baszler (Flair 4)
Shayna Baszler (NXT) Winner: Flair (27:19)
SmackDown Women's Championship -- Bayley (c) def. Lacey Evans via pinfall to retain the title: Bayley baited Evans with a fake injury early in the match to grab the upper hand. Crowd energy was gone after the preceding Royal Rumble and lack of passion for either competitor. Evans also botched a springboard attempt. At ringside near her daughter, Evans was thrown into the barricade by Bayley, who taunted the little girl. Evans then blocked a Bayley to Belly before hitting a standing moonsault. She also tried a moonsault from the top rope, but Bayley blocked it with her feet and turned Evans over for a 1-2-3 with some assist from the challenger's tights. While this was not horrible, it was clearly the low point of the show and not helped by a slow, plodding start.
Universal Championship -- "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt (c) def. Daniel Bryan via pinfall to retain the title (Strap Match): No red light for this match (likely due to it being outdoors) and no four-corners rule for victory. Bryan ate a strong powerbomb early and got whipped with the strap for what seemed like forever as The Fiend manicaly laughed. After Bryan was slammed and had his neck "snapped," he tried fighting back by reversing Sister Abigail and drilling The Fiend with his running knee for a short two count. Bryan then threw The Fiend outside the ring and launched himself off the top rope over the ring post. However, Bryan used the strap to drive The Fiend into the post three times. When The Fiend began whipping Bryan with the strap again, this time atop an announce table, Bryan responded with multiple low blows and a DDT followed by some whips of his own. Bryan dragged The Fiend inside the ring, alternating Yes kicks and strap whips. The Fiend simply sat up and begged for more, so Bryan went after the champion's head before stomping on it repeatedly.
Just as Bryan was gearing up for one more running knee, The Fiend snatched him out of midair and hit a Sister Abigail that everyone expected to end the match until Bryan kicked out at 2.9. Bryan got caught with the Mandible Claw while on the top rope but wrapped his legs around The Fiend, trying to submit him while falling outside the ring. As The Fiend dragged Bryan into the squared circle, Bryan wrapped his leg around The Fiend's arm and put him in the Lebell Lock, using the strap as leverage. Bryan eventually hit a second running knee for a 2.5 count, but The Fiend quickly hopped to his feet with Bryan looking defeated. Repeated strap whips had no effect, and The Fiend hit Bryan with a Mandible Claw chokeslam for the pinfall. The camera stayed on Bryan as he struggled to stand and walk with WWE officials helping him to the back. This was by far the best in-ring appearance yet for The Fiend with Bryan working hard throughout the match to put on a classic despite the stipulation and unique opponent. The additional selling after the bell put it over the top.
Raw Women's Championship -- Becky Lynch (c) def. Asuka via submission to retain the title: Though both women got great crowd reactions for their entrances, the responses to the early portion of their match were muted. Lynch locked Asuka in the Dis-Arm-Her over the top rope, but the challenger escaped and later hit a shining wizard for a near fall. The first big moment came as Lynch lifted Asuka off the ring apron for a front slam to the floor and followed with a top rope leg drop for a 2.8 count. Back on the ring apron, Askua drove Lynch into the post with a hip attack, but Lynch answered by hitting Asuka with an avalanche side slam. Asuka caught Lynch with double knees and an armbar, followed by a German suplex and knockout kick to the head. The referee was about to waive off the match due to concussion, but Lynch grabbed his leg to stop him. Asuka immediately jumped and alternated head and chest kicks on a screaming Lynch for a 2.9 count.
The women furiously countered one another with Lynch unable to lock in Dis-Arm-Her. When she accidentally ran into the official, Asuka tried to use her green mist, but Lynch kicked her in the stomach at just the right time, sending the mist flying upward. The champion took advantage by locking a stunned Asuka in Dis-Arm-Her to pick up the win. A tremendous bout between two of WWE's best women that was given the appropriate time to play out. The finish made complete sense, and the showdown was far more exciting than the crowd response it got for three quarters of the match.
Drew McIntyre wins the Men's Royal Rumble: Elias was No. 2 and angered Brock Lesnar with his entrance song, so Lesnar charged out of the ring to attack him, destroy him with a guitar and eliminate him. Lesnar eliminated the first four entrants immediately, including two in less than 10 seconds each, before Kofi Kingston and Rey Mysterio entered in succession. Next in was Big E, who gathered Kingston and Mysterio to triple team Lesnar and hit Trouble in Paradise, a 619 and the Big Ending. The crowd was buying a potential elimination, but Lesnar threw Mysterio out, jumped off Big E to hit Kingston with a flying clothesline, took out Big E and eliminated Kingston with an F5 over the top rope. Next was Shelton Benjamin, which led to hugs from Paul Heyman and Lesnar. It looked like Benjamin convinced Lesnar to team up, but he was turned on quickly. MVP made a surprise appearance, and Lesnar danced to his entrance music with a laugh.
Keith Lee and Braun Strowman looked to have subdued Lesnar, but after respecting their size, he delivered a pair of German suplexes to each man and eliminated both when they turned on one another. Lesnar squared up with Drew McIntyre, giving Ricochet an opening to drill him with a low blow from behind. McIntyre took advantage with the Claymore to send Lesnar over the top rope to the crowd's delight. Lesnar ultimately eliminated the first 13 entrants, tying Strowman's record. McIntyre cleared the ring and continued to stare down Lesnar as he recovered at ringside and eventually left.
A shocking return by Edge at No. 21 nearly tore the house down. To a lesser extent, Matt Riddle got a great reaction, too, though his time was short. Corbin was eliminated before Roman Reigns joined at No. 26, and Reigns did not get the expected cheers he has been lately, perhaps because the match was so good to that point and fans were worried about him cleaning house. Kevin Owens hit stunners on Reigns and Randy Orton, and Aleister Black immediately hit Fade to Black on McIntyre. Seth Rollins entered at No. 30 with his faction, which dragged competitors out of the ring and dominated them at ringside as Rollins hit Stomps on McIntyre, Black and Reigns. Buddy Murphy aided in eliminations for Black and Samoa Joe. Owens stunned Rollins to throw him out, but AOP caught their leader and put him back in the ring. Those three faces and Rollins' stablemates cleared ringside battling, leaving just five men.
Rollins tried to get Reigns to team up, but he was hit with a Superman punch followed by an Orton powerslam and McIntyre Claymore for an elimination. Rated RKO teamed up to RKO and spear McIntyre before hitting a double RKO. Orton squared up Edge, who caught his former partner in the act, pretended to work together again and threw him out of the ring. Reigns and Edge stood toe-to-toe with Reigns getting booed as he hit a Superman punch; however, Edge countered with a spear and came within an inch of eliminating Reigns. Instead, Reigns brought the veteran alongside him on the ring apron and eventually forced him out. Reigns looked to end McIntyre with a spear, but McIntyre caught him with a picture-perfect Claymore to win and send the crowd into a frenzy. There have been great Royal Rumbles in the past, perhaps many as good as this one, but I dare you to find one that is top-to-bottom better from No. 1 to No. 30.
ORDER OF ENTRY ORDER OF ELIMINATION
Brock Lesnar (Raw) Elias (Lesnar)
Elias (SD) Rowan (Lesnar 2)
Erick Rowan (Raw) Roode (Lesnar 3)
Robert Roode (SD) Morrison (Lesnar 4)
John Morrison (SD) Mysterio (Lesnar 5)
Kofi Kingston (SD) Big E (Lesnar 6)
Rey Mysterio (Raw) Kingston (Lesnar 7)
Big E (SD) Cesaro (Lesnar 8)
Cesaro (SD) Benjamin (Lesnar 9)
Shelton Benjamin (Raw) Nakamura (Lesnar 10)
Shinsuke Nakamura (SD) MVP (Lesnar 11)
MVP Strowman (Lesnar 12)
Keith Lee (NXT) Lee (Lesnar 13)
Braun Strowman (SD) Lesnar (McIntyre)
Ricochet (Raw) Ricochet (McIntyre 2)
Drew McIntyre (Raw) The Miz (McIntyre 3)
The Miz (SD) Styles (Edge)
AJ Styles (Raw) Riddle (Corbin)
Dolph Ziggler (SD) Corbin (McIntyre 4)
Karl Anderson (Raw) Gallows (Edge 2)
Edge Anderson (Orton)
King Corbin (SD) Ziggler (Reigns)
Matt Riddle (NXT) Black (Rollins)
Luke Gallows (Raw) Owens (Rollins 2)
Randy Orton (Raw) Samoa Joe (Rollins 3)
Roman Reigns (SD) Rollins (McIntyre 5)
Kevin Owens (Raw) Orton (Edge 2)
Aleister Black (Raw) Edge (Reigns 2)
Samoa Joe (Raw) Reigns (McIntyre 6)
Seth Rollins (Raw) Winner: McIntyre