January 30, 2005 - Fresno, California
Save Mart Center
| The Advertisement A | B |
| Sunday Night Heat Match (RAW) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Maven | def. | Rhyno | via Pinfall |
| Notes: I didn't get the time for this match, but does anyone really care? And there were some technical difficulties at SpikeTV. A graphic told us to stay tuned, "Because Stone Cold said so!" | |||
| Match #1 (RAW) | |||
| Edge | def. | Shawn Michaels | via Pinfall (18:32) |
| Notes: Poor Edge. At one point people took him seriously as a heel. But the Edge & Christian dynasty is long gone, and this whole "I'm a bitch, hear me complain" mindset blows. He was so "angry" he pulled a Mankind and yanked out strands of his own hair. After several pins and reversals, Edge grabbed the ropes to prevent Shawn's kickout. | |||
| Match #2 - Casket Match (SMDN) | |||
| The Undertaker | def. | John Heidenreich | (13:20) |
| Notes: Before the match, Snitsky talked with Heidenreich. Snitsky claimed to have an idea on what to do about John's fear of caskets. Would this have an impact on the match? Hmmm...well, in a word-- YES. Snitsky ran in and the two started beating down 'Taker. Snitsky told the referees to open up the casket. They did, and Kane was inside! Kane and Snitsky fought each other off into the crowd, leaving 'Taker to finish off Heidenreich. John had 'Taker in the casket twice, but couldn't seal the deal. Undertaker fought back and finished him off with a Tombstone. It was over. | |||
| Match #3 - WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Triple Threat Match (SMDN) | |||
| John "Bradshaw" Layfield Champion |
def. | The Big Show Kurt Angle Challengers |
via Pinfall (12:04) |
| Notes: The Royal Rumble marked the 217th day of JBL's administration. This was a much better match than the "other" world title bout. And Kurt looks really small compared to JBL. Some excellent spots in this match, including the chop block-and-Clothesline From Hell combo that Angle and JBL laid on the Big Show, and also when Big Show charged at JBL and drove him through the security barrier around the ring area. Say what you want about Bradshaw, he's not shy from taking some bumps. After this Show focused on Angle and went for the cover. But Jindrak and Reigns showed up to make the save. Show had to fight them off while JBL's Cabinet revived him. Layfield entered the ring and clotheslined Angle and promptly pinned him. Oh, and Son-of-Hebner was knocked out during all that interference, but I don't think I need to even say that anymore. | |||
| Match #4 - World Heavyweight Championship (RAW) | |||
| Triple H Champion |
def. | Randy Orton Challenger |
via Pinfall (21:27) |
| Notes: Damn, no "Naitch" at ringside tonight. Guess he had to go over some last-minute strategy before the Rumble. And Hebner even inspected each wrestler before the match. Too bad that's something they should do before EVERY match. And they should also announce the times of these matches. They don't, so what's the point of having a "timekeeper" at ringside? Why not just call the donkey a "bellringer"? Sigh. It's the little things that can provide at least the illusion of being a "legitimate" sport league. But I digress. Actually, there isn't much to say about the match. If you've seen Raw at all during the last FIVE MONTHS, you know what to expect from this match. But for the sake of tradition: Hebner had to show Son-of-Hebner that his old man could still do it, so Hebner Sr. went down. The sledgehammer came into play, Pedigree, 1-2-3. Randy did scream "SHIT!" four times in the span of 5 seconds, though. | |||
| Match #5 - Royal Rumble Match | |||
| Dave Batista | def. | (See Below) | (53:54) |
| Notes: Times got out of whack right away, because Benoit, Eddie and Hardcore all had to take their turns taking Puder to the woodshed. And towards the end they had to speed up the timer. But Puder had to pay his dues, and he took about 30 chops to the chest. Both general managers came to ringside to cheer on their men. After Luther (#12) entered, the two rosters split in the ring and fought each other until Hassan entered. Everyone beat him down and tossed him out. He came back later and attacked Scotty 2 Hotty on his way down. Scotty never entered the ring, and I just put his elimination time at the point where Hassan released the Camel Clutch. My boy Simon Dean did some calisthenics to warm up before he actually got in the ring. I love this guy. He's hilarious, and also smart. Why jump in there right away? He finally stepped in when the buzzer rang for the next guy. Angle was able to enter the Rumble because he stole Nunzio's number. Wouldn't these guys have to sign a contract for the Rumble? So why would taking someone's number matter? I remember when they used to talk about contracts for matches on Prime Time Wrestling against jobbers. And they'd talk about getting purse money. Oh well. After being eliminated, Angle would later return to attack HBK. He bloodied him with the steps and slapped on the anklelock. Coach did his best impression of Road Dogg from 2000 (I think) and just grasped the bottom rope nearly the whole time he was in there. Paul London was defeated in what was probably the best elimination I've ever seen. Snitsky clobbered him and London did a 360 and landed flat on his face. Right at 51:00, both Cena and Batista went over the top. No bell rang, so I kept the time going. The refs were split down tv-brand lines, each announcing their man as the winner. Vince McMahon strutted down to the ring, didn't get enough lift in his attempt to slide into the ring, and banged his knee on the apron. He tried to stand but his knee gave out. So Vinnie-Mac just sat there. Don't worry, Vince. J.R. screwed up too. He thought Charlie Haas was Rene Dupree, and spoke to that effect on several occasions. When Haas was tossed, J.R. screamed "Au Revoir!" Anyway, Finkel announced that the match was ordered to continue, which it did a little after 53:30. Batista took out Cena for good and won the Rumble. It was a great event, worthy of the name. | |||
| # | Time In | Name | Exit | Time Out | Eliminated By | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0:00 | Eddie Guerrero | 11 | 28:14 | Edge | 28:14 |
| 2 | 0:00 | Chris Benoit | 25 | 47:29 | Ric Flair | 47:29 |
| 3 | 1:30 | Daniel Puder | 1 | 6:01 | Hardcore Holly | 4:31 |
| 4 | 3:55 | Hardcore Holly | 2 | 6:12 | Benoit, Guerrero | 2:17 |
| 5 | 5:57 | The Hurricane | 3 | 7:21 | Guerrero | 1:24 |
| 6 | 7:34 | Kenzo Suzuki | 4 | 11:27 | Rey Mysterio | 3:53 |
| 7 | 9:06 | Edge | 28 | 49:36 | Batista, Cena | 40:30 |
| 8 | 10:36 | Rey Mysterio | 27 | 49:16 | Edge | 38:40 |
| 9 | 12:07 | Shelton Benjamin | 10 | 26:53 | Edge | 14:46 |
| 10 | 13:37 | Booker T | 9 | 24:39 | Guerrero | 11:02 |
| 11 | 15:09 | Chris Jericho | 21 | 43:54 | Dave Batista | 28:45 |
| 12 | 16:47 | Luther Reigns | 7 | 24:21 | Booker T | 7:34 |
| 13 | 18:23 | Muhammad Hassan w/Khosrow Daivari | 5 | 20:13 | Nearly Everyone | 1:50 |
| 14 | 20:24 | Orlando Jordan | 8 | 24:24 | Booker T | 4:00 |
| 15 | 22:04 | Scotty 2 Hotty | 6 | 22:57 | Muhammad Hassan | 0:53 |
| 16 | 23:46 | Charlie Haas | 13 | 30:16 | Shawn Michaels | 6:30 |
| 17 | 25:38 | Rene Dupree | 16 | 37:35 | Chris Jericho | 11:57 |
| 18 | 27:15 | Simon Dean | 12 | 29:09 | Shawn Michaels | 1:54 |
| 19 | 28:48 | Shawn Michaels | 15 | 33:56 | Kurt Angle | 5:08 |
| 20 | 30:30 | Kurt Angle | 14 | 31:14 | Shawn Michaels | 0:44 |
| 21 | 32:05 | Jonathan Coachman | 23 | 46:28 | Ric Flair | 14:23 |
| 22 | 33:38 | Mark Jindrak | 19 | 42:05 | Kane | 8:27 |
| 23 | 35:34 | Viscera | 17 | 38:59 | John Cena | 3:25 |
| 24 | 36:51 | Paul London | 18 | 40:21 | Gene Snitsky | 3:30 |
| 25 | 38:06 | John Cena | 29 | 53:54 | Dave Batista | 15:48 |
| 26 | 39:20 | Gene Snitsky | 20 | 43:09 | Dave Batista | 3:49 |
| 27 | 40:57 | Kane | 22 | 45:13 | John Cena | 4:16 |
| 28 | 42:45 | Dave Batista | WINNER | |||
| 29 | 44:20 | Christian w/Tyson Tomko | 24 | 46:51 | Dave Batista | 2:31 |
| 30 | 45:41 | Ric Flair | 26 | 48:02 | Edge | 2:21 |
