Royal Rumble (2011)
Encyclopedia
Royal Rumble was the 24th annual Royal Rumble
professional wrestling
pay-per-view
(PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE), which took place on January 30, 2011 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts
.
This event received 446,000 buys, which is slightly lower than the 462,000 that last year's event received
.
that involve different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted
feuds, plots, and storylines
that were played out on World Wrestling Entertainment
's (WWE) primary television programs.
Wrestlers portrayed villains
or heroes
as they followed a series of events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches.
The pay-per-view featured the annual Royal Rumble match, which has been featured at every Royal Rumble event since its inception. As opposed to the traditional thirty participants, forty entrants were scheduled for the 2011 Royal Rumble match, the most in the history of the event. Per Royal Rumble rules, the match ends when one wrestler remains in the ring, after all 39 other wrestlers have been eliminated via being tossed over the top ring rope and having both feet touch the floor; the winner then earns a world championship match of their choosing at WrestleMania XXVII
.
In addition to the Royal Rumble match, the main rivalry from the Raw
brand
involved the WWE Champion
The Miz defending his title against Randy Orton
. The night after Survivor Series
, The Miz cashed in his Money in the Bank contract
and defeated Orton to become the WWE Champion before successfully defending it against Orton a month later at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs
. After defeating Wade Barrett
and Sheamus, in a steel cage match on an episode of Raw, Orton received another opportunity at the title in a match against The Miz.
The main rivalry from the SmackDown brand involved the World Heavyweight Champion
Edge defending his title against Dolph Ziggler. After defeating "Dashing" Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre and The Big Show, Ziggler won a title opportunity for Edge's World Heavyweight Championship after Kane
lost to Edge in his rematch. After winning his opportunity, Edge went on a campaign against Ziggler and his girlfriend, Edge's ex-wife, Vickie Guerrero
. On the January 28 episode of SmackDown, Vickie Guerrero, who was the acting General Manager in place of the injured Theodore Long
, banned the use of the spear and would strip him of his title if he was caught using it during his match against Ziggler.
and Jim Korderas
of Right After Wrestling on SIRIUS Radio 98, who called it one of the best Royal Rumble matches in recent memory. Writing for the United Kingdom's The Sun
newspaper, Rob McNichol praised the event, particularly noting Alberto Del Rio's surprise Rumble match victory, and John Morrison's impressive performance which, he wrote, "featured arguably the spot of the decade as John Morrison was knocked from the apron to the guardrail, but avoided elimination by gripping the barrier and leaping back onto the steps. It truly had to be seen to be believed". He further praised Dolph Ziggler's performance in a big-match situation, giving a 9 out of 10 rating in his match with Edge and the story the Miz–Orton told, in a match that received a 8 out of 10. Overall he awarded the event 8.5 out of 10.
SLAM! Wrestling writers Dale Plummer and Nick Tylwalk shared similar compliments to the event, praising the short, though crowd-pleasing appearances of Kevin Nash
and Booker T. Overall, they also awarded the event a score of 8.5/10.
wrestler, blue ██ and "SD" indicates a SmackDown wrestler. A new entrant came out every 90 seconds.
} ||Raw||08||Punk||20:55
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| || ||SD||01||Bryan||00:58
|-style="background:#FFEEEE;"
| || ||Raw||02||Bryan||00:43
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| || ||Raw||03||DiBiase||04:10
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| || ||Raw||07||Harris and McGillicutty||12:16
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| || ||Raw||10||Punk, Harris, McGillicutty and Otunga||11:24
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| || ||Raw||05||Henry||05:35
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| || ||Raw||15||Khali||15:48
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 10|| ||SD||04||Henry||02:01
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 11|| ||Raw||11||Punk, Harris, McGillicutty and Otunga||07:04
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 12||JTG ||SD||06||McGillicutty ||01:48
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 13|| ||Raw||20||Cena||15:07
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 14|| ||SD||09||Punk||01:58
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 15|| ||Raw||19||Cena||12:56
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 16|| ||SD||12||Punk||00:34
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 17|| ||Raw||13||Punk||00:40
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 18||R-Truth
||Raw||14||Punk||01:02
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 19|| ||Raw||16||Ryan||01:37
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 20|| ||Raw||18||Cena||04:32
|-style="background: #EEEEFF;"
| 21||Booker T ||SD||17||Ryan||01:08
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 22|| ||Raw||36||The Miz||33:17
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 23||Hornswoggle ||SD||24||Sheamus||09:39
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 24|| ||Raw||22||Cena||00:53
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 25|| ||SD||23||Cena||00:57
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 26|| ||SD||31||Orton||22:04
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 27|| ||SD||25||Mysterio||04:41
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 28|| ||Raw||32||Orton||18:16
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 29|| ||SD||35||Barrett||19:07
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 30|| ||SD||37||Orton||22:23
|--style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 31|| ||SD||27||Big Show||07:12
|-style="background:#FFEEEE;"
| 32||Kevin Nash
||Raw||26||Barrett||02:45
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 33|| ||SD||29||Big Show||04:46
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 34|| ||Raw||28||Cena & Kingston||02:50
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 35||The Big Show ||SD||30||Jackson||01:30
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 36|| ||SD||33||Kane||07:14
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 37|| ||Raw||39||Alberto Del Rio||12:54
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 38|| ||SD||41||Chonny||08:33
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 39|| ||Raw||38||Del Rio||09:18
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 40||Kane
||SD||34||Mysterio||01:36
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 41||Chonny ||MYC entertainment||||-||60:00
The Miz was not a participant in the Royal Rumble match.
Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced every January by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The event was created in 1988, with its inaugural event taking place on January 24, 1988 at the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario...
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
(PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE), which took place on January 30, 2011 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
This event received 446,000 buys, which is slightly lower than the 462,000 that last year's event received
Royal Rumble (2010)
Royal Rumble was the twenty-third annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on January 31, 2010 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands...
.
Background
The Royal Rumble featured professional wrestling matchesProfessional wrestling match types
Many types of matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, can be found in the form of performing art that is professional wrestling....
that involve different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
feuds, plots, and storylines
Narrative thread
A narrative thread, or plot thread , refers to particular elements and techniques of writing to center the story in the action or experience of characters rather than to relate a matter in a dry 'All knowing' sort of narration...
that were played out on World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
's (WWE) primary television programs.
Wrestlers portrayed villains
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
or heroes
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
as they followed a series of events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches.
The pay-per-view featured the annual Royal Rumble match, which has been featured at every Royal Rumble event since its inception. As opposed to the traditional thirty participants, forty entrants were scheduled for the 2011 Royal Rumble match, the most in the history of the event. Per Royal Rumble rules, the match ends when one wrestler remains in the ring, after all 39 other wrestlers have been eliminated via being tossed over the top ring rope and having both feet touch the floor; the winner then earns a world championship match of their choosing at WrestleMania XXVII
WrestleMania XXVII
WrestleMania XXVII was the twenty-seventh annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , held on April 3, 2011 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia...
.
In addition to the Royal Rumble match, the main rivalry from the Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
brand
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
involved the WWE Champion
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
The Miz defending his title against Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
. The night after Survivor Series
Survivor Series (2010)
Survivor Series was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , that took place on November 21, 2010 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida...
, The Miz cashed in his Money in the Bank contract
Money in the Bank ladder match
The Money in the Bank ladder match is a professional wrestling ladder match held by WWE. The match can feature anywhere from six to ten participants from any WWE brand, with the objective being to retrieve a briefcase that is suspended 20 feet above the ring...
and defeated Orton to become the WWE Champion before successfully defending it against Orton a month later at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2010)
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on December 19, 2010 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. It was the second annual TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs event...
. After defeating Wade Barrett
Wade Barrett
Wade Barrett is a retired American soccer player. He is currently an assistant coach at Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo-College:...
and Sheamus, in a steel cage match on an episode of Raw, Orton received another opportunity at the title in a match against The Miz.
The main rivalry from the SmackDown brand involved the World Heavyweight Champion
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
Edge defending his title against Dolph Ziggler. After defeating "Dashing" Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre and The Big Show, Ziggler won a title opportunity for Edge's World Heavyweight Championship after Kane
Kane (wrestler)
Glenn Thomas Jacobs is a Spanish-born American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name, Kane. He is signed to WWE, appearing on its SmackDown brand, but is currently inactive due to injury....
lost to Edge in his rematch. After winning his opportunity, Edge went on a campaign against Ziggler and his girlfriend, Edge's ex-wife, Vickie Guerrero
Vickie Guerrero
Vickie Lynn Guerrero is an American professional wrestling personality, manager, shifting authority figure and occasional wrestler. She is the widow of professional wrestler Eddie Guerrero, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand...
. On the January 28 episode of SmackDown, Vickie Guerrero, who was the acting General Manager in place of the injured Theodore Long
Theodore Long
Theodore R. "Teddy" Long is an American professional wrestling manager and former referee who currently works for WWE on its SmackDown brand as its General Manager.-National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling:...
, banned the use of the spear and would strip him of his title if he was caught using it during his match against Ziggler.
Reception
Royal Rumble received positive reviews, most notably from Arda OcalArda Ocal
Arda Ocal is a Turkish Canadian TV personality, announcer and writer, currently with The Score Television Network...
and Jim Korderas
Jim Korderas
__FORCETOC__Demetrius Korderas , better known by his referee name, Jim "Jimmy" Korderas is a Canadian professional wrestling referee who worked for World Wrestling Entertainment for over 22 years.-Early career:...
of Right After Wrestling on SIRIUS Radio 98, who called it one of the best Royal Rumble matches in recent memory. Writing for the United Kingdom's The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
newspaper, Rob McNichol praised the event, particularly noting Alberto Del Rio's surprise Rumble match victory, and John Morrison's impressive performance which, he wrote, "featured arguably the spot of the decade as John Morrison was knocked from the apron to the guardrail, but avoided elimination by gripping the barrier and leaping back onto the steps. It truly had to be seen to be believed". He further praised Dolph Ziggler's performance in a big-match situation, giving a 9 out of 10 rating in his match with Edge and the story the Miz–Orton told, in a match that received a 8 out of 10. Overall he awarded the event 8.5 out of 10.
SLAM! Wrestling writers Dale Plummer and Nick Tylwalk shared similar compliments to the event, praising the short, though crowd-pleasing appearances of Kevin Nash
Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash is an American professional wrestler and actor. As of 2011, Nash is signed to a five year contract with WWE under their WWE Legends program and appears as part of their Raw brand roster...
and Booker T. Overall, they also awarded the event a score of 8.5/10.
Results
| # | Match | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark | R-Truth Ron Killings Ronald Aaron "Ron" Killings is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE working on its Raw brand. Since working for the company, he has been a one time United States Champion under the ring name R-Truth and a two time Hardcore Champion under the ring name K-Kwik... defeated Curt Hawkins Curt Hawkins Brian Joseph Myers is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Curt Hawkins. He is currently signed to WWE working on its Raw brand... |
Singles match | 04:19 |
| 1 | Edge (c) defeated Dolph Ziggler (with Vickie Guerrero Vickie Guerrero Vickie Lynn Guerrero is an American professional wrestling personality, manager, shifting authority figure and occasional wrestler. She is the widow of professional wrestler Eddie Guerrero, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand... ) |
Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship World Heavyweight Championship (WWE) The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand... . If Edge used the spear on Ziggler, he would have lost the title. |
26:48 |
| 2 | The Miz (c) (with Alex Riley Alex Riley Alex Riley is a TV and radio presenter.Born and brought up in Sheffield, Riley started performing with the city's Crucible Youth Theatre during which time he originated, and appeared in, dozens of sketches and devised pieces, as well as appearing in a number of plays and farces at the Library... ) defeated Randy Orton Randy Orton Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand... |
Singles match for the WWE Championship WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963... |
24:52 |
| 3 | Eve Torres Eve Torres Eve Marie Torres is an American dancer, model, and professional wrestler. She is working for WWE on Raw brand. She is a two time WWE Divas Champion.Torres began her career as a model and dancer... defeated Natalya (c), Layla Layla El Layla El is an English dancer, model and professional wrestler of Moroccan and Spanish descent. She is employed by WWE as a WWE Diva and appears on the SmackDown brand as Layla... and Michelle McCool Michelle McCool Michelle Leigh McCool , is a retired American professional wrestler who is best known for her time in WWE.McCool originally worked as a middle school teacher in Palatka, Florida. She joined WWE in 2004 after participating in the 2004 WWE Diva Search. In her initial on-screen role, she acted... |
Fatal four-way match for the WWE Divas Championship WWE Divas Championship The WWE Diva's Championship is a unified professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is competed for by WWE Divas. The championship was created by WWE in 2008, and was introduced in storyline by then-SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero as an alternative to Raw's Women's Championship... |
09:12 |
| 4 | Alberto Del Rio won by last eliminating Santino Marella | 2011 Royal Rumble match | 01:23:14 |
| (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match | |||
Royal Rumble entrances and eliminations
Red ██ and "Raw" indicates a RawWWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
wrestler, blue ██ and "SD" indicates a SmackDown wrestler. A new entrant came out every 90 seconds.
| Entry order | Entrant | Brand | Elimination order | Eliminated by | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw | 21 | Cena | 35:21 | ||
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| || ||SD||01||Bryan||00:58
|-style="background:#FFEEEE;"
| || ||Raw||02||Bryan||00:43
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| || ||Raw||03||DiBiase||04:10
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| || ||Raw||07||Harris and McGillicutty||12:16
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| || ||Raw||10||Punk, Harris, McGillicutty and Otunga||11:24
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| || ||Raw||05||Henry||05:35
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| || ||Raw||15||Khali||15:48
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 10|| ||SD||04||Henry||02:01
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 11|| ||Raw||11||Punk, Harris, McGillicutty and Otunga||07:04
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 12||JTG ||SD||06||McGillicutty ||01:48
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 13|| ||Raw||20||Cena||15:07
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 14|| ||SD||09||Punk||01:58
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 15|| ||Raw||19||Cena||12:56
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 16|| ||SD||12||Punk||00:34
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 17|| ||Raw||13||Punk||00:40
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 18||R-Truth
Ron Killings
Ronald Aaron "Ron" Killings is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE working on its Raw brand. Since working for the company, he has been a one time United States Champion under the ring name R-Truth and a two time Hardcore Champion under the ring name K-Kwik...
||Raw||14||Punk||01:02
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 19|| ||Raw||16||Ryan||01:37
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 20|| ||Raw||18||Cena||04:32
|-style="background: #EEEEFF;"
| 21||Booker T ||SD||17||Ryan||01:08
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 22|| ||Raw||36||The Miz||33:17
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 23||Hornswoggle ||SD||24||Sheamus||09:39
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 24|| ||Raw||22||Cena||00:53
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 25|| ||SD||23||Cena||00:57
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 26|| ||SD||31||Orton||22:04
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 27|| ||SD||25||Mysterio||04:41
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 28|| ||Raw||32||Orton||18:16
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 29|| ||SD||35||Barrett||19:07
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 30|| ||SD||37||Orton||22:23
|--style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 31|| ||SD||27||Big Show||07:12
|-style="background:#FFEEEE;"
| 32||Kevin Nash
Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash is an American professional wrestler and actor. As of 2011, Nash is signed to a five year contract with WWE under their WWE Legends program and appears as part of their Raw brand roster...
||Raw||26||Barrett||02:45
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 33|| ||SD||29||Big Show||04:46
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 34|| ||Raw||28||Cena & Kingston||02:50
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 35||The Big Show ||SD||30||Jackson||01:30
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 36|| ||SD||33||Kane||07:14
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 37|| ||Raw||39||Alberto Del Rio||12:54
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 38|| ||SD||41||Chonny||08:33
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 39|| ||Raw||38||Del Rio||09:18
|-style="background:#EEEEFF;"
| 40||Kane
Kane (wrestler)
Glenn Thomas Jacobs is a Spanish-born American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name, Kane. He is signed to WWE, appearing on its SmackDown brand, but is currently inactive due to injury....
||SD||34||Mysterio||01:36
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
| 41||Chonny ||MYC entertainment||||-||60:00
The Miz was not a participant in the Royal Rumble match.