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Welcome to our coverage of the WWE Royal Rumble! We will be updating this page throughout the night with results from the show, so check back often!
The pre-show was the usual taped "Free For All" going over the card for tonight. They played up Cena having an "abdominal injury" from the Umaga attack on Raw, so I guess they are backing away from the "ruptured spleen" idea.
The Royal Rumble opened with a video package putting over the history and importance of the Royal Rumble and how it leads to the main event at Wrestlemania. It then hyped this year's event, and the three title matches on the card, with emphasis on Umaga's attack on John Cena from Raw last week.
All three announce teams were positioned at ringside, and welcomed us to the show.
MNM (Joey Mercury & Johnny Nitro, with Melina) vs. Matt & Jeff Hardy.
Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler handled commentary for this match. They replayed the injury from Armageddon after MNM entered, and a month later, it is still nasty to watch. Mercury is still sporting his protective mask. As the Hardys entered, they showed MNM's attack on Matt Hardy from Smackdown two weeks ago. They said Hardy suffered a dislocated jaw from that attack.
Matt dared Mercury to start the match, but Nitro jumped him from behind. Nitro beat Matt down, then tagged in Mercury to continue the assault. Mercury hit a kneelift and went after his jaw with punches. Nitro tagged in and worked over Hardy in MNM's corner. Hardy fought back with forearms, but Nitro tagged Mercury, who rammed Matt into a turnbuckle. Matt fought back with bodyshots, as Mercury covered up his face. Jeff got the tag and hit a slingshot kick to Mercury. However, Mercury got Jeff into his corner and tagged out to Nitro. Jeff tripped Nitro and hit a legdrop to the groin for a two count.
The Hardys hit a double back elbow and elbow/backsplash combo on Nitro. Mercury ran in and Matt suplexed him. Matt gave Nitro a neckbreaker for a two count. Matt went for a slam, but Nitro floated over and decked Matt with a punch to the jaw. Mercury tagged in and punched Hardy in the jaw twice, hurting his hand on the second punch. Nitro tagged in, and worked over Matt with forearms, then choked him against the middle rope, where Mercury kicked him in the head. Nitro scored a two count, then applied a cravate. Matt tried to fight out, but Nitro hit him with a knee to the gut. MNM gave Hardy a double facebuster to their knees. Mercury mounted Matt and punched at his face, then gave him a short arm clothesline for a two count.
Mercury applied a rear chinlock, but Matt fought out of it, only to be yanked down by the hair. Mercury went for a second rope elbow, but Matt moved out of the way. Matt punched Mercury in the mask, hurting his hand, and tagged Jeff. Jeff ran in and cleaned house, giving Nitro a gourdbuster for a two count, then Whisper In The Wind, but Mercury broke up the cover. Matt ran in and gave Mercury a back suplex. The Hardys gave Nitro a double suplex. The Hardys went to the top rope for a splash/legdrop combo. Nitro got his knees up, so he blocked Jeff's splash, even though Matt's legdrop hit. Jeff and Nitro were the legal men, and Matt had to leave the ring. Nitro rolled to his corner and tagged Mercury.
Mercury worked over Jeff's now hurting midsection with knees, then dropped an elbow. Mercury worked over Jeff in his corner, then Nitro tagged in for a running knee to the gut for a two count. MNM hit a double legdrop on Jeff and Mercury got a two count. Mercury applied a waistlock, but Jeff elbowed out and grabbed a cradle for a two count. Mercury responded with forearms to Jeff's midsection and tagged in Nitro for a double gutbuster. Nitro covered, but Matt broke it up. Nitro kicked Hardy in the gut twice, then applied a bodyscissors. Jeff elbowed out of it, but Nitro used a front facelock to keep Jeff away from his corner. Jeff backdropped Nitro and tagged Matt, but Mercury distracted the ref, and the ref didn't see the tag. As Matt argued with the ref, MNM used this opportunity to drag Jeff back to their corner.
As MNM went to double team Jeff, he managed to throw Mercury into a charging Nitro, then gave Nitro a mule kick and made the hot tag to Matt. Matt cleaned house on both men, hitting a clothesline/bulldog combo on both men and getting a two count on Nitro. Matt hit an elbow to the back of Nitro's head from the second rope for a two count. Matt went for a backdrop, but Nitro kicked it away. Mercury lifted Mercury for a Snapshot, but Jeff broke it up. Air Hardy on Mercury, but as they went to do it on Nitro, he ducked, Jeff hit the corner, and Nitro grabbed Matt in a cradle for a two count.
Matt hit a Side Effect on Nitro, then a Twist of Fate. Mercury charged Hardy knocking them both from the ring. However, as they fell through the ropes, Jeff tagged himself in. Jeff hit the Swanton Bomb on Nitro for the three count at the sixteen minute mark.
Winners: The Hardys.
Backstage, Theodore R. Long was bragging to Jonathan Coachman about Smackdown's dominance in the Royal Rumble in recent years. Kelly Kelly was there as the "official tumbler". Edge entered and made fun of Kelly Kelly's name, saying her parents named her twice so she could remember it. Kelly responded "At least it is my real name". Randy Orton entered and he and Edge drew their numbers. Edge said to Orton "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours". King Booker entered and said "Tell me you didn't just say that".
The history leading to Bobby Lashley vs. Test was shown.
ECW Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Test.
They locked up at the bell, and jockeyed for position. Test broke on the ropes, then slapped Lashley in the head. Lashley tackled Test down and choked him, but Test grabbed the bottom rope and the referee forced a break. Test hit Lashley low and choked him against the middle rope. Test hit some elbows in the corner and choked him with his boot. Lashley reversed a whip, but ran into a Test back elbow. Test then ran into a Lashley T-Bone suplex.
Lashley hit a delayed vertical suplex, going one handed at one point. Test rolled to the floor, grabbing his back. Lashley went after him, rolling Test back in. As Lashley got on the apron, Test hit him with a shoulderblock between the ropes. Test then rammed Lashley into the ringpost, and Lashley fell to the floor. Test rolled Lashley back into the ring and covered him for a two count. Test applied an armbar with a chinlock. Lashley got to his feet and broke out of it, but ran into a Test boot. Test hit an over-the-shoulder armbreaker for a two count, then went back to the armbar.
Test hit some knees to the arm, and continued to work him over with the armbar. Lashley punched and shoved out of it, then ran into a Test back elbow. Test charged Lashley, and Lashley backdropped him. Lashley hit a clothesline and a pair of shoulderblocks with his good arm. Lashley went for a press slam, but his bad arm gave out on him. Lashley was doubled over in pain, and Test charged him with a big boot for a two count. Test complained to the referee that it should have been a three count. Test went for a TKO, but Lashley floated over it, hit a belly to belly suplex, then hit a clothesline and Test rolled to the floor. Test got to his feet, started to get into the ring, then changed his mind and walked away, getting counted out at the seven minute mark. Seriously, he just walked away.
Winner: Bobby Lashley.
Lashley chased Test down the aisle, dragged him back to the ring, and gave him a running powerslam.
Coverage continued on next page.
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