Ready to Rumble.
Three nights before the Royal Rumble, the 805th edition of WWE Thursday Night SmackDown came to you from the Frank Erwin Center at UT Austin in Austin, TX. Many people consider Daniel Bryan to be a favorite to win the Royal Rumble Match this Sunday night, but thanks to The Authority, the former World Champion may not even be a part of the match. Per the terms of WWE COO Triple H, SmackDown would see Daniel Bryan put his spot in the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match on the line against The Authority’s corporate demon, Kane, in a match with no disqualifications! Can Daniel Bryan overcome the odds and keep his dream of being in the main event of WrestleMania two years in a row alive or will Kane and The Authority make Daniel Bryan’s Road to WrestleMania a dead end?
With a big assist from Sting on RAW, John Cena overcame the odds of a 3-on-1 Handicap Match against Seth Rollins, Kane, & Big Show to get Erick Rowan, Ryback, & Dolph Ziggler their jobs back, much to the chagrin of The Authority. With those three Superstars now back on the active WWE roster, when can we expect to see the three of them back in action? What kind of mood will The Authority be in following a terrible night for them on RAW?
Match Results
- Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: Non-Title: Dolph Ziggler def. Bad News Barrett by pin following the Zig Zag to qualify for the Royal Rumble Match.
- Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: Non-Title: Ryback def. Rusev (with Lana) by count-out to qualify for the Royal Rumble Match.
- Brie Bella (with Nikki Bella) def. Naomi by pin following the Bella Buster.
- Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: Luke Harper def. Erick Rowan by pin following the Discus Clothesline to prevent Erick Rowan from entering the Royal Rumble Match.
- Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: No DQ: Daniel Bryan def. Kane (with J&J Security) by pin following the running knee to keep his spot in the Royal Rumble Match.
See page 2 for detailed results.
