Match #4 for the WWE Championship: WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. John Cena
The crowd is on fire for this one, some posturing to start from both guys, AJ scores with a leg kick, but Cena comes back with a clubbing shot to the head and Styles rolls out to the apron. The challenger drags him back into the ring and sends him hard into the turnbuckles, connects with heavy right hands in the corner, shoots the champion back across and follows in, but meets a back elbow to the jaw. The Phenomenal One delivers a big forearm shot, hits the ropes for a knee drop, buries a kick to the spine, then delivers another knee drop and plays to the people.

AJ drops The Leader of the Cenation with another forearm, goes back to the well for another knee drop, the challenger rolls out of harm’s way, pops up and elevates the champion with a high back body drop. He quickly looks for an Attitude Adjustment, Styles flips to his feet to counter it, goes back to the leg with a kick, then connects with an enzuigiri. The Phenomenal One plasters Cena with right hands, sends him to the ropes, the challenger scores with multiple shoulder tackles, attempts the spin-out back suplex, Styles reverses with a hurricanrana, then bludgeons him with a clothesline in the corner.

AJ hits a basement forearm for a count of 2, hooks Cena for a Styles Clash, The Leader of the Cenation powers out and tosses the champion into a flapjack, plants him with a spin-out back suplex, then sets for a 5 Knuckle Shuffle. Styles rolls away, blocks a clothesline with his boot, delivers a german suplex, hangs on for a wheelbarrow facebuster and hooks the leg for a 2 count. He calls for Cena to rise up and clocks him with a series of strikes, The Leader of the Cenation staggers back, turns the champion inside-out with a clothesline, then drops the 5 Knuckle Shuffle. He goes for the AA and Styles escapes onto the 2nd rope, the challenger decks him with heavy punches, climbs up for a superplex, The Phenomenal One slips out, lifts Cena into a spin-out torture rack, stacks him up and gains a near fall.

AJ steps out to the apron and readies for a Phenomenal Forearm, Cena ducks it, Styles rolls through, gets caught in the Attitude Adjustment, but kicks out at 2. The Leader of the Cenation gets angered, measures The Phenomenal One for a massive clothesline, covers, but still can’t put it away. The challenger lines up for another big clothesline, the champion pulls himself up using the ropes, avoids it this time and connects with a Pele Kick. Cena stumbles to the corner, Styles rushes in and gets elevated over the top, lands on his feet, rattles the challenger with a forearm, springboards in with the Phenomenal Forearm and nearly finishes it.

Styles with stiff kicks to the chest, tries another, the challenger avoids it, powers him up for an electric chair drop, both guys now struggling to their feet. They exchange right hands, AJ goes back to the leg with a kick, attempts a Styles Clash, Cena counters for another Attitude Adjustment, but the champion reversed into the Calf Crusher. The challenger slips out and hooks on the STF, The Phenomenal One tries to crawl to the ropes, Cena drags him back to the center of the ring, AJ counters into a pinning predicament for 2, then hooks on an STF of his own. The Leader of the Cenation uses brute strength to power up for the AA, the champion avoids it, looks for the Calf Crusher again, Cena holds it off and slaps on a figure four.

The Phenomenal One breaks free and locks in a cross armbreaker, the challenger muscles up, plants Styles with a powerbomb, then staggers to a standing position. He steps out to the apron and climbs the corner to the top, comes off for a leg drop, the champion counters with a powerbomb of his own, hits the Styles Clash, Cena just kicking out before the 3 count. AJ can’t believe it, steps out to the apron for a springboard 450 splash, The Leader of the Cenation gets the knees up, connects with a sunset flip bomb, The Phenomenal One barely getting the shoulder up at a count of 2. The challenger charges AJ, gets surprised by the Ushigaroshi for a near fall, sets for another Styles clash, Cena counters with a double leg takedown, then catapults him face-first into the turnbuckles.

The Leader of the Cenation, picks AJ up, plants him with a modified cutter for a 2 count, props The Phenomenal One on the top turnbuckle and climbs up for a Super Attitude Adjustment, but still can’t put it away. The Leader of the Cenation lifts AJ for another AA, The Phenomenal One slides out of it, scores with another Styles Clash, slides out to the apron for a Phenomenal Forearm, but gets caught in another Attitude Adjustment. Cena hangs on, rolls through for another AA and we have a new champion.
Winner and NEW WWE Champion: John Cena (Attitude Adjustment)

• EA’s Take: First off, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but Cena’s 16 title reigns are NOT the same as Ric Flair. Why? Because Cena did it within one company that had two World Titles for a number of years. As for the match, I mean what can you really say after that? These two absolutely killed it once again to nobody’s surprise and quite honestly, I think there may be an argument for this to have actually closed the show. Of course we are all anticipating the Rumble match so that’s just fine to close things out obviously. At this point, I don’t have a damn clue where we’re going for WrestleMania and I think it’s entirely possible that Cena loses the title at Elimination Chamber in a couple of weeks. AJ is of course due a rematch, but does he only get it inside the Chamber?

Video: We look at the remaining 15 facts about the Royal Rumble match including Kane’s record for most Rumble appearances and eliminations, Roman Reigns’ record for most eliminations in one match and the WWE Title being on the line twice.

Match #5 is the Royal Rumble – Winner Gets A Title Shot At WrestleMania
Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler joins commentary for this match.

• Entry #1 is Big Cass. Entry #2 is WWE United States Champion Chris Jericho. Jericho slaps Cass after the bell, the seven-footer makes him pay with heavy right hands, shoots Y2J into the corner and charges in with a splash. He tosses Jericho with a fallaway slam, scores with another splash in the corner, delivers a body slam and hits the ropes for the Empire Elbow. The Ayatollah of Rock & Rollah avoids it, gains a double leg takedown for the Walls Of Jericho, but Cass fights it off and tries to toss him over the top. Y2J hangs onto the apron and goes up top, gets clocked by a right hand coming down and the clock counts down.
• Entry #3 is Kalisto. The King of Flight springboards in with a dropkick to Cass, drills Jericho with a back handspring kick, the seven-footer grabs him from behind, looks to dump him outside, but Kalisto flips to the apron. He comes back in and goes to the legs with kicks, hits the ropes and runs into a big boot, Y2J gets back in the mix and the countdown begins….
• Entry #4 is Mojo Rawley. Mojo slides into the ring, levels Kalisto with a tackle, throws Jericho into the corner and clocks him with a running haymaker. Rawley & Cass start to trade-off right hands, Big Cass tries to toss him over, Jericho attacks the seven-footer from behind, then works with Mojo to try and eliminate him as the timer runs out….
• Entry #5 is Gentleman Jack Gallagher. The Extraordinary Gentleman slides in with his umbrella and unloads on everyone, Y2J clobbers him from behind, delivers a body slam and poses for the people. Gallagher uses the umbrella for a low blow, connects with a dropkick, then finally tosses the umbrella out of the ring. 10…9…8….
• Entry #6 is Mark Henry. The World’s Strongest Man steps into the squared circle and squashes Cass in the corner with a splash, Gallagher tries to hit him with a headbutt to the chest, it has no affect and Henry tosses him to the floor, but through the ropes. He drops Jericho with a headbutt, throws up the Texas longhorn sign, Gallagher climbs to the top with the umbrella, The WSM catches him in the air and tosses him over the top. Gentleman Jack Gallagher has been eliminated….
• Entry #7 is Braun Strowman. Braun hits the ring and runs over Kalisto, Mojo unloads with rights, delivers a splash in the corner, hits the ropes and gets planted by a spinebuster before Strowman sends him on his way. Mojo Rawley has been eliminated. Cass hits The Monster Among Men with a big boot, hits the ropes for another, Braun side-steps it and knocks him over the top. Big Cass has been eliminated. Kalisto tries to attack Strowman from behind, The Monster Among Men gets his hands on him, powers him to the outside and The King of Flight takes out Cass & Mojo. Kalisto has been eliminated. Braun turns around and comes face-to-face with The World’s Strongest Man, they trade-off right hands, Henry swings with a clothesline and misses, Strowman pushes him out to the apron, Henry tries to hang on, but gets kicked to the floor. Mark Henry has been eliminated….
• Entry #8 is Sami Zayn. The Underdog from the Underground sprints to the ring and hammers Braun with lefts and rights, The Monster Among Men drops him with one big fist, clubs him down to the canvas, then charges Sami in the corner. Zayn gets the boot up, sets for a suplex, Strowman blocks, powers him onto his shoulder, The Underdog from the Underground slips out, then staggers Braun near the ropes. He looks to pick The Monster Among Men up and can’t lift the weight, Strowman squashes him with a splash in the corner and here comes our next entry….
• Entry #9 is Big Show. The two big men go toe-to-toe, Big Show with heavy rights to the abdomen, shoots him to the ropes, Braun comes right back with a clothesline and flattens him. He looks to eliminate The Giant with a clothesline near the ropes, Show catches him by the neck, then plants him with a Chokeslam. Jericho looks for a Codebreaker to the big man and it’s blocked, Big Show clocks him with the WMD, then powers Braun up to dump him over. The Monster Among Men slips out, lifts The Giant over his shoulder, Show slides away, but gets pushed over the top from behind. Big Show has been eliminated….
• Entry #10 is ‘The Perfect 10’ Tye Dillinger. Tye runs to the squared circle, ducks a clothesline and clobbers Braun with flying forearms, puts him in the corner, climbs to the 2nd rope and unloads with left hands. Strowman powers his way out, Sami gets involved and they trade-off delivering big forearm shots. They set for a double suplex, The Monster Among Men blocks it, plants them both with a double suplex of his own and here comes the next man out….
• Entry #11 is James Ellsworth. Carmella tries to coax Ellsworth to get in the ring, he wants no part of Braun, Sami & Dillinger dump Strowman over the top, but the big man is able to hang onto the apron and fight them both off. The Monster Among Men squashes them both with splashes in the corner and the buzzer sounds….
• Entry #12 is WWE Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose. The Lunatic Fringe acts as if he’s forming an alliance with Ellsworth, doesn’t hit the ring with him and Braun levels James with a clothesline, then tosses him out to the floor. James Ellsworth has been eliminated. Ambrose finally looks to go inside and heads to the top rope, delivers a back elbow to Braun, hits the ropes for running forearms, goes to the well one time too many and gets clubbed back to the mat. The Perfect 10 hits Braun with a dropkick, teams up with Sami & Dean, but Strowman fights them off as the countdown ticks away….
• Entry #13 is Baron Corbin. The Lone Wolf hits the ring and goes after Strowman with everyone else, The Monster Among Men fends everybody off, tosses The Perfect 10 over, then looks to go after Sami. ‘The Perfect 10’ Tye Dillinger has been eliminated. Zayn hooks Strowman by the beard, Corbin & The Lunatic Fringe join in on the battle, they stagger Braun near the ropes and The Lone Wolf clotheslines him over the top to end his evening. Braun Strowman has been eliminated. Ambrose quickly spikes Baron with Dirty Deeds and the battle continues on as the timer ends….
• Entry #14 is Kofi Kingston….
• Entry #15 is The Miz. The A-Lister comes in and plants Sami with a Skull Crushing Finale, Dean spins him around for Dirty Deeds, gets kicked away, Miz looks for a Skull Crushing Finale on Kingston, Kofi escapes and The Miz gets floored by Ambrose’s Lunatic Lariat. The Lone Wolf delivers Deep Six to Miz, Kingston jumps on his back, gets propped on the top turnbuckle, stands on top of the ring post, avoids a leg sweep from Corbin and hangs himself off the floor using the top of the post. He rolls back inside, clocks Baron with Trouble In Paradise and here comes our next entrant….
• Entry #16 is Sheamus. The Great White pummels everybody with double sledges, plants Kofi with a back suplex, delivers an Irish Curse to Miz, then a tilt-a-whirl powerslam for Sami. He hooks The Miz up for the Beats of the Bodhren, Zayn & Ambrose team-up on The Celtic Warrior and the countdown ticks away….
• Entry #17 is Big E. E slides into the ring and immediately hooks an abdominal stretch on The A-Lister, pushes him into ther corner, charges in with a spear and then teams up with Kingston….
• Entry #18 is Rusev. The Bulgarian Brute comes in and hits Miz, Ambrose & Sami with corner splashes, drops Sheamus with a spinning heel kick, then tries to toss them all out to no avail….
• Entry #19 is Cesaro. The King of Swing catches Miz with a double leg and puts him in the Swing, does the same to The Underdog from the Underground, The Lunati Fringe suffers the same fate, then again to Kofi, Big E and Corbin. He catches Sheamus with a double leg for the Swing, The Great White pleads his case not to do it, Rusev surprises The Swiss Superman with a superkick and the clock hits zero….
• Entry #20 is Xavier Woods. Xavier & Kofi team up on Sheamus, E joins them and hits the ropes for a splash, other participants finally realizing they need to divide New Day up when the buzzer sounds….
• Entry #21 is Bray Wyatt. The Eater of Worlds comes in and plants Miz with a uranage, flattens Ambrose with a crossbody and drops everybody in his path. He comes face-to-face with Woods, looks for Sister Abigail, Xavier slips out of it, hits the ropes and gets floored by a clothesline. Cesaro & Sheamus toss Kingston & Xavier over the top, Big E makes the save as the next guy hits the ring….
• Entry #22 is Apollo Crews. Kingston & Xavier are still in danger on the apron, Big E hangs onto them and drags them back inside, Cesaro & Sheamus come charging in, then clothesline all three of them to the outside. Big E has been eliminated. Kofi Kingston has been eliminated. Xavier Woods has been eliminated. Sheamus quickly turns on Cesaro and tries to toss him over, Jericho grabs him from behind, topples them both over the top rope and they fall to the floor. Sheamus has been eliminated. Cesaro has been eliminated….
• Entry #23 is Randy Orton. The Apex Predator slides in and flattens everyone with clothesline, plants Miz with a powerslam, connects with an RKO to Corbin, then another to Rusev. Sami sneaks in a back elbow and goes to the 2nd rope, springs to the top for a crossbody, Orton catching him in mid-air with another RKO….
• Entry #24 is Dolph Ziggler. The Show Off clocks Orton & Wyatt with superkicks, hits another on Rusev, then spikes Crews & Miz with a double DDT. He hits them both with superkicks, tries to toss them out with no success and the clock strikes zero….
• Entry #25 is Luke Harper. Harper slides in and goes right to work on Apollo, charges him in the corner with a running forearm, looks to shoot him back into the turnbuckles, Crews reversed, rushes in and gets elevated over the top to finish his night. Apollo Crews has been eliminated. Harper & Orton lock eyes, Wyatt steps in between them, Harper flattens Bray with a Discus Clothesline, then drops Randy with a big boot. He pulls The New Face of Fear up, sets for his own Sister Abigail, The Apex Predator surprises him with an RKO and the timer ticks away….
• Entry #26 is Brock Lesnar. The Conqueror comes in and immediately tosses out Ambrose and then Ziggler. Dean Ambrose has been eliminated. Dolph Ziggler has been eliminated. He tosses Rusev with a german suplex, Corbin suffers the same fate, delivers an F5 to The Miz, then one for Orton and stands tall over a sea of bodies….
• Entry #27 is Enzo Amore. Enzo sprints to the ring, has some words for The Beast Incarnate, rushes in and gets turned inside-out with a clothesline, then instantly tossed right back outside. Enzo Amore has been eliminated….
• Entry #28 is Goldberg. Brock waits on Goldberg and they go face-to-face, Lesnar looks for a clothesline, Goldberg ducks it, hits the ropes and splits him with a Spear, then clotheslines him over the top to eliminate him. Brock Lesnar has been eliminated. Goldberg flattens everyone else with clotheslines, plants Sami with a Jackhammer, Wyatt & Orton finally ambush him from behind to stop the momentum. They send him to the ropes, Goldberg delivers a double Spear and our next entry makes his way to the ring….
• Entry #29 is The Undertaker. The Deadman appears in the ring and goes eye-to-eye with Goldberg, grabs him for a Chokeslam, Corbin & Rusev get involved and attack them both, but get tossed to the outside. Rusev has been eliminated. Baron Corbin has been eliminated. Goldberg splits Undertaker with a Spear, Harper grabs him from behind to send him out, Goldberg turns the tables and Harper is gone. Luke Harper has been eliminated. The Phenom catches Goldberg admiring his handy work, gets a hold of him from behind and subsequently pushes him over the top. Goldberg has been eliminated….

Entry #30 is Roman Reigns. The Deadman stares down The Big Dog, they exchange fists, Undertaker finally leveling him with a clothesline. The Phenom sets for a Chokeslam, Reigns slips out, connects with a Superman Punch, tries another, but this time gets caught in the Chokeslam. Orton attempts an RKO on Taker to no avail, clotheslines Miz over the top, does the same to Zayn, then looks to toss Roman over. The Miz has been eliminated. Sami Zayn has been eliminated.

Y2J tries to come off the top, gets caught in a Chokeslam, Taker calls for a Tombstone, but Reigns grabs him from behind and tosses him to the floor. The Undertaker has been eliminated. We’re down to four now, The Big Dog drags Jericho up and tries to eliminate him, Y2J hangs onto the apron, sneaks in a right hand and goes to the top rope. Roman explodes up with a Superman Punch, Jericho spills to the outside and hits the floor. Chris Jericho has been eliminated. Wyatt & Orton look to gang up on Roman now, they kick him to the apron through the ropes, Bray gives the instructions and The Viper spikes Reigns with a rope-assisted DDT.

The New Face of Fear sends him to Randy for an RKO, The Big Dog powers out of it, clocks them both with Superman Punches, then throws Wyatt to the floor. Bray Wyatt has been eliminated. Only two left now, Roman sets for a Spear to The Viper, runs into an RKO, The Apex Predator clotheslines him outside and wins it.

Winner: Randy Orton

• EA’s Take: I may or may not get killed for this, but I think this Rumble didn’t live up to my expectations for all the hype surrounding it. Yes, it was cool to see some of the clashes that we’ve never seen like Roman/Undertaker, Goldberg/Undertaker or even Big Show/Strowman, but there were a lot of spots that got sloppy. I can actually say I’m not surprised by the winner because I have audio proof that I predicted Orton would win it on this weekend’s Top Of The Morning Podcast. To me, this pretty much cements in my mind that Cena is losing the title at Elimination Chamber and I think the logical thing is for Bray to be the man to take it. I still would much rather preferred AJ hang onto the WWE Championship, to be honest. Also, why was there not a single surprise entrant? That’s arguably one of the most fun parts of the Rumble match.

EA’s Finisher: My feelings about the Rumble match aside, from top to bottom this was just a premier card. The crowd was red hot all night which only makes for a better viewing experience, but damn near every single match killed it, excluding the Kickoff ones which I’d only call solid outside of Cesaro & Sheamus vs. Gallows & Anderson. The biggest surprise to me was Owens retaining his championship, but there’s still a long way to go until WrestleMania, so I’m not holding my breath just yet. Lastly, seeing how WrestleMania will start to take shape is also a major plus as it looks like you can probably lock-in Roman vs. Undertaker as well.

Top Three To Watch
1 – AJ Styles vs. John Cena
2 – Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns
3 – Neville vs. Rich Swann

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