ST. LOUIS — WWE fans are going to see a fight at this year’s WrestleMania.
Using his brute strength to triumph over 29 other Superstars, the mighty Sheamus was victorious in the Royal Rumble Match, dumping Chris Jericho to earn a World Title opportunity against a champion of his choosing at WrestleMania XXVII on April 1. (PHOTOS)
It was a grueling battle for the powerhouse who drew No. 22. Entering before a sold-out crowd that had already witnessed Ricardo Rodriguez rolling to the ring in an ’85 Datsun, Kofi Kingston walking on his hands to avoid elimination and Michael Cole jumping over the top rope to escape the wrath of Kharma, The Celtic Warrior immediately made his presence felt by launching Kingston out of the ring.
From there, the Rumble became a demolition derby of battered bodies and unpredictable arrivals. Booker T, Jerry “The King” Lawler and Michael Cole all left the broadcast booth at one point to try their luck in the bout, but were quickly sent back to their announce table with damaged egos. Old school fan favorites like Mick Foley, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and Road Dogg returned to rousing ovations — only to be chucked from the squared circle by dangerous upstarts like Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler and Wade Barrett. Big Show, twice a runner-up in the Rumble, made a huge impact from the 30 spot, tossing Jack Swagger, Rhodes, The Miz and Ziggler in rapid succession.
When the Royal Rumble Match came down to the all-important final four, it was Big Show, Sheamus, Chris Jericho and Randy Orton left standing in the ring. Quickly, though, the 30-man melee was left to two men as The Viper heaved The World’s Largest Athlete only to be immediately eliminated by Jericho.
WWE fans, knowing they would see a first time Royal Rumble Match winner tonight, began to shake the Scottrade Center as Y2J and The Great White waged a dramatic battle for supremacy. When Jericho sent Sheamus over the top rope, the big man hung on and came right back. When The Celtic Warrior dismissed his opponent, Jericho would find a way to return.
The back-and-forth brawl pushed both men to their physical limit before the nefarious Superstar made the mistake of going for his patened Codebreaker. Snatching Jericho in midair, Sheamus deposited the man who promised “the end of the world” over the top rope and then blasted him with The Brogue Kick to make sure he was gone for good.
It was an important victory for the SmackDown Superstar. A year ago, The Celtic Warrior’s WrestleMania XXVI bout against Daniel Bryan was bumped from the card at the last minute. This year, he’ll be competing for a World Title. Don’t expect The Great White to let this opportunity slip through his fingers.
ST. LOUIS – Even when aligned with a trio of devious Divas like The Bella Twins and Natalya, WWEDivas Champion Beth Phoenix ultimately has no friends or enemies – only challengers. And before a capacity crowd at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, The Glamazon didn’t need much help to crush the challenge from the alliance of Kelly Kelly, Eve, Alicia Fox and Tamina during the Eight-Diva Tag Team Match at the 25th anniversary of the Royal Rumble. (PHOTOS)
Phoenix imposed her will on the match’s outcome after sensing a momentum shift from Kelly Kelly’s high-flying tactics which leveled all of the Divas at ringside simultaneously. The Glamazon took control of the action by ordering her own teammate to get out of the ring and then tagging herself in before nailing Kelly Kelly with a Glam Slam moments later to seal the victory.
While Phoenix put the exclamation point on the win for her side, it wasn’t entirely for lack of effort on her fellow Divas’ part. Until Phoenix reversed her fortunes, Eve put on a strong performance and managed to keep her focus on her opponents rather than the looming presence of Kane within the arena. The Bella Twins also kept their chances alive by mustering some Twin Magic to halt an assault by Alicia.
The result puts Natalya and The Bella Twins alongside Phoenix in the win column, but it doesn’t put anyone closer to contending against the reigning Divas Champion. Phoenix proved that The Road to WrestleMania will be a long one for any Divas hoping to challenge The Glamazon for championship gold.
