Royal Rumble (2015)

The 2015 Royal Rumble was the 28th annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It took place on January 25, 2015, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This was the second Royal Rumble held at this venue after the 2004 event, when it was formerly known as Wachovia Center; the arena changed its name to Wells Fargo Center in 2010. It was also the first Royal Rumble to livestream on the WWE Network, which launched in February 2014. As has been customary since 1993, the Royal Rumble match winner received a world championship match at that year's WrestleMania. For the 2015 event, the winner received a match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 31.

Royal Rumble
Promotional poster featuring various WWE wrestlers
PromotionWWE
DateJanuary 25, 2015
CityPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
VenueWells Fargo Center
Attendance17,164
Buy rate145,000[1] (excluding WWE Network views)
WWE Network event chronology
← Previous
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs		 Next →
NXT TakeOver: Rival
Royal Rumble chronology
← Previous
2014		 Next →
2016

Six matches were contested at the event, including one on the Kickoff pre-show. In the main event, Roman Reigns won the 2015 Royal Rumble match by last eliminating Rusev. Also on the event's card, The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) defeated The Miz and Damien Mizdow to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship, while WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar successfully defended his title against Seth Rollins and John Cena in a triple threat match in the penultimate match.

Like the previous year's event, the 2015 Royal Rumble was mared by a strongly negative audience reaction to the Royal Rumble match, which was won by Roman Reigns. The event as a whole, however, received mixed reviews, with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship triple threat match receiving the most praise from critics and fans. The event received 145,000 buys (excluding WWE Network views), down from the previous year's 467,000 buys.

Production

Background
The event was held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Royal Rumble is an annual gimmick pay-per-view (PPV) produced every January by WWE since 1988. It is one of the promotion's original four pay-per-views, along with WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series, dubbed the "Big Four".[2] It is named after the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle royal in which the participants enter at timed intervals instead of all beginning in the ring at the same time. The match generally features 30 wrestlers and the winner traditionally earns a world championship match at that year's WrestleMania.[3][4] For 2015, the winner received a match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 31.[5] Announced on October 7, 2014, the 2015 event was the 28th Royal Rumble and was scheduled to be held on January 25, 2015, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was the second Royal Rumble held at this venue after the 2004 event, when it was formerly known as Wachovia Center; the arena changed its name to Wells Fargo Center in 2010.[5] In addition to airing on traditional pay-per-view, the event was available through WWE's livestreaming service, the WWE Network, which launched in February 2014, which made it the first Royal Rumble to air on the WWE Network.[6][5]

Storylines

The event comprised six matches, including one on the Kickoff pre-show, that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Raw and SmackDown.[7][8]

At SummerSlam, Brock Lesnar defeated John Cena and won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.[9] Cena would receive his rematch the following month at Night of Champions which he would win by disqualification after Seth Rollins interfered and attempted to cash-in his Money in the Bank contract.[10] At the next event, Hell in a Cell, Cena defeated Authority member Randy Orton in a Hell in a Cell match to earn a future title shot at Lesnar.[11] The Authority was then removed from power after losing the 5-on-5 Survivor Series elimination match at Survivor Series with Cena being the only one who could bring them back if he chose to.[12] At TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs, Cena faced Rollins in a tables match which he won to retain his number one contender status. Later in the event, it was announced that Cena would face Lesnar for the title at the Royal Rumble.[13] On the final Raw of 2014, Rollins attacked special guest host Edge and threatened to perform a Curb Stomp on him if Cena did not reinstate The Authority. Cena came down to save Edge but reluctantly brought The Authority back after Rollins held Edge hostage.[14] On the January 5, 2015, episode of Raw, Rollins was added to the Lesnar-Cena title match by Triple H as a reward for bringing back The Authority, turning the singles match into a Triple Threat. That same episode, the members of Team Cena from Survivor Series (Dolph Ziggler, Ryback, and Erick Rowan) were fired by The Authority for helping Cena to remove them from power.[15] The following week, Lesnar returned for the contract signing with Cena and Rollins. A brawl broke out between all three men and ended when Rollins performed a Curb Stomp each on Cena and Lesnar.[16] On the final Raw before the Royal Rumble, Triple H forced Cena to compete in a 3-on-1 Handicap match against Rollins, Big Show and Kane to not only secure his spot in the Triple Threat match, but also win Ziggler, Ryback and Rowan their jobs back. During the match, Sting, who previously assisted Team Cena at Survivor Series, caused a distraction which allowed Cena to roll-up Rollins for the win to keep his spot in the match and reinstate Ziggler, Ryback and Rowan. Lesnar then came down to the ring and attacked Rollins before executing an F-5 each on Kane and Big Show. Rollins then retreated to avoid further punishment.[17]

On the December 29 episode of Raw, The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) defeated The Miz and Damien Mizdow to win the WWE Tag Team Championship.[14] On the January 15 episode of SmackDown, it was announced that The Usos would defend the titles against Miz and Mizdow at the event.[18]

On the January 5 episode of Raw, Paige came out and helped Natalya to defeat Nikki Bella.[15] On the January 6 episode of Main Event, Natalya came out and helped Paige to defeat Nikki Bella.[19] On the January 12 episode of Raw, Brie Bella defeated Paige due to distraction by Tyson Kidd.[20] On the January 15 episode of SmackDown, Natalya defeated Nikki via submission.[18] On the January 19 episode of Raw, after Paige and Natalya defeated Summer Rae and Alicia Fox, it was announced that The Bella Twins (Brie and Nikki) would face Paige and Natalya in a tag team match at the event.[17]

On the January 5 episode of Raw, Cesaro and Tyson Kidd attacked Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, which let Adam Rose to defeat Big E.[15] On the January 19, episode of Raw, Big E and Kofi defeated Cesaro and Kidd. Later in the night, it was announced that The New Day would face Cesaro, Kidd and Rose in a six-man tag team elimination match on the Royal Rumble Kickoff Show.[17] On January 25, it was changed to a tag team match with Cesaro and Kidd (accompanied by Rose) vs. Big E and Kingston (accompanied by Woods) due to Woods being unable to compete.

On the December 29 episode of Raw, The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor) made their WWE debut.[14] Over the next few weeks, the duo would easily defeat local preliminary wrestlers and compare themselves to famous tag teams, like The Road Warriors. On the January 19 episode of Raw, the Ascension were confronted and attacked by the New World Order(nWo), the APA and New Age Outlaws (Billy Gunn and Road Dogg) after the Ascension interfered in the nWo reunion segment. Later in the night, it was announced that the Ascension would face the New Age Outlaws at the event.[17]

Event
Other on-screen personnel
Role: Name:
English commentators Michael Cole
Jerry Lawler
John "Bradshaw" Layfield
Spanish commentators Carlos Cabrera
Marcelo Rodriguez
Interviewer Tom Phillips
Ring announcers Lillian Garcia
Eden Stiles
Referees Mike Chioda
John Cone
Rudy Charles
Rod Zapata
Darrick Moore
Chad Patton
Pre-show Panel Renee Young
Booker T
Corey Graves
Byron Saxton

Pre-show

During the Royal Rumble Kickoff pre-show, Cesaro and Tyson Kidd (accompanied by Adam Rose and Natalya) faced The New Day (Big E and Kofi Kingston, accompanied by Xavier Woods). Kingston and Big E were in control for most of the match until Cesaro executed a European uppercut on Kingston (from the outside) and Kidd executed a fisherman's neckbreaker on Kingston to secure a decisive victory.[21]

Preliminary matches

The actual pay-per-view opened with The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor) facing The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg and Billy Gunn). The Ascension had control for the majority of the match, however, Gunn came back with a tilt-a-whirl slam and positioned Viktor for the "Famouser". Viktor made a blind tag to Konnor and executed the "Fall of Man" on Gunn for the win.[22]

Next was the WWE Tag Team Championship match between The Miz and Damien Mizdow and The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso). During the match, The Miz refused to tag Mizdow into the match, but Mizdow made a few saves. Miz executed a "Skull Crushing Finale" on Jey for a near-fall. Mizdow did the same to Jey but earned a near-fall again. The Usos won the match with a "Samoan Splash" on Miz.[22]

After that, The Bella Twins (Brie Bella and Divas Champion Nikki Bella) faced Paige and Natalya. Nikki executed a forearm smash on Natalya for the victory.[22]

In the fourth match, Brock Lesnar (accompanied by Paul Heyman) defended the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against John Cena and Seth Rollins in a triple threat match. Lesnar dominated the match early with multiple Suplexes on both Cena and Rollins, at one point even executing a double German suplex on Rollins' associates J&J Security, briefly taking them out of the match. Lesnar then applied the Kimura Lock on Cena, but Rollins broke it up. Cena executed an Attitude Adjustment on Lesnar, but Rollins threw Cena out of the ring to steal a pin attempt, but Lesnar kicked out at one. Lesnar caught Rollins and executed an F-5 on him, but Cena broke up the pin. Cena executed three more Attitude Adjustments on Lesnar, but Rollins broke up the pin. Rollins then executed a Curb Stomp on Lesnar, but Cena broke up the pin. Cena tackled Lesnar through the barricade in the timekeeper's area, threw him to the steel steps, hit him with the same steel steps putting him on an announce table and Rollins finished the combo with a Diving Elbow Drop on him through it. Doctors came from backstage to check on and eventually attempt to stretcher out Lesnar. Cena eventually locked in the STF on Rollins, but J&J Security (Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury) interfered once more, resulting in Cena executing a Double Attitude Adjustment on Mercury and Noble, finally ending their involvement in the match. Cena then executed an Attitude Adjustment on Rollins and Rollins would execute a Curb Stomp on Cena in turn with both resulting in near-falls. Eventually, Rollins took Cena down and performed a Phoenix Splash on him, and was about to cover Cena. But; an angry Lesnar quickly recovered from the broken announcers table and rushed past the EMTs sent to check on him, returned to the ring, took down both men with German suplexes and one of those threw Cena out of the ring. Rollins tried to take advantage after landing on his feet after an attempted German from Lesnar failed; hit Lesnar twice with his Money in the Bank briefcase, and positioned the briefcase under Lesnar's head. As Rollins attempted a second Curb Stomp to Lesnar (with the briefcase still underneath his head), Lesnar countered with a second F-5 on Rollins to retain the title by pinfall.[22]

Main event
Roman Reigns won the 2015 Royal Rumble match.

The main event was the traditional 30-man Royal Rumble match, where the winner would receive a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania 31. The Miz and R-Truth started the match at #1 and #2 respectively. Bubba Ray Dudley made his return to WWE at #3 eliminating Miz and Truth. Bray Wyatt at #5 would soon begin a string of eliminations one by one (including Bubba and The Boogeyman, who was another surprise entrant at #7). The string ended once Daniel Bryan entered at #10. During the string, Curtis Axel, who was supposed to enter at #6, was attacked by Erick Rowan, who took his place.[22]

Diamond Dallas Page was the third surprise entrant at #14 and executed the Diamond Cutter on various wrestlers, before being eliminated by #15 entrant U.S. Champion Rusev. Like in 2014, the rumble reception entered again to a turning point for worse, when Wyatt eliminated Bryan (the biggest fan-favorite) enraging almost all the audience even more than previous year due to his absence. Towards the end of the match, Kane at #24 and Big Show at #29 from The Authority teamed up to go on a string of eliminations (including Wyatt and other fan-favorites like Ryback at #23, Dolph Ziggler at final #30 and Dean Ambrose at #25, who was teaming up with Roman Reigns at #19 as The Shield against the duo).[22]

The Final Four consisted of Rusev (who was outside the ring at the time having gone under the bottom rope), Reigns, Kane and Show. Reigns (who during the match suffered a cut from Show on one cheek, after being thrown to a padded turnbuckle and another one from Kane on the lips, after a Big Boot) eliminated the duo at the same time. However, they both re-entered the ring and began a double team assault on Reigns. The Rock emerged and executed a Spinebuster-People's Elbow combo on Kane. Show attempted to Chokeslam Rock, but Rock hit a low-blow on Show, setting up a Rock Bottom, after a Superman Punch from Reigns. Rusev re-entered the ring, but was Speared by Reigns, who proceeded to eliminate him to win the match. As WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar with Paul Heyman saw this on a TV in their locker room, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon showed up at the end of the show unhappy with the result as Rock congratulated Reigns. Almost all the audience booed Reigns as the winner even more than Batista the previous year, whereas at the same event, Reigns was cheered.[22]

Reception
See also: Persona and reception of Roman Reigns

The very negative reaction of the fans attending the event in Philadelphia towards the Royal Rumble match and its winner was described as being even worse than the 2014 event.[23] When Daniel Bryan was eliminated in the first half of the match, the crowd repeatedly chanted his name for the second half of the match while booing other wrestlers making their entrance to the match, including eventual winner Roman Reigns.[24][25] The crowd grew even more unhappy when fan favorites Dolph Ziggler and Dean Ambrose were eliminated,[23][25] and chanted for the anti-American villain Rusev when the main event came down to Rusev and Reigns, as well as chants of "bullshit" and "CM Punk".[26][22][27] Reigns was booed after winning the main event, even after he received The Rock's endorsement,[24] and The Rock was heckled for helping Reigns.[25] Many fans took to social media to display their displeasure at Bryan's elimination.[25]

Dave Scherer of PWInsider wrote that the event "is definitely worth watching for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship triple threat match and how the Rumble went bad". He added that "bringing Bryan back for this match was a huge mistake, at least tonight", as "the fans wanted Bryan and they took him away", with the result that it "totally killed Roman in the eyes of those fans", resulting in a "really bad" ending.[28]

James Caldwell of Pro Wrestling Torch rated the Royal Rumble main event as 3.5 stars out of 5, commenting that it was a "pretty good Rumble" until "the crowd turned on the match when they saw the writing on the wall for how it would end". Caldwell praised Bray Wyatt's involvement in the match and noted that Bubba Ray Dudley was a "good surprise return", but added that any good moments during the match were "overshadowed by the ending". Caldwell rated the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match as 4.0 out of 5 stars, praising the "very strong story-telling" and describing the action as "top-notch" but adding that the match was "too dependent on the finisher kick-outs". He rated the Tag Team Championship match at 2.5 stars, describing it as a "solid tag match", while the Divas match and the opening bout between The Ascension and The New Age Outlaws were both rated at 1.5 stars out of 5.[22]

Kenny Herzog of Rolling Stone questioned the possibility of the Royal Rumble match being the worst in history, arguing that several factors such as the poor treatment of former Intercontinental champions, Daniel Bryan's unexpected early elimination and Kane and Big Show's dominance over younger talent all detracted from the match. Herzog concluded, "That was less a Rumble match – i.e. the kind replete with feats of endurance and athleticism, free-for-all chaos and dozens of developing stories – than random gauntlet of triple-threat and four-way slugfests with no pacing or point. Unless, that is, you still think serving some idea of the Authority's omnipresence is really what's best for business." Despite this, Herzog praised the lively Philadelphia crowd, the return of Bubba Ray Dudley and Rollins' performance in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match as positives.[29]

Luke Winkie of Sports Illustrated was less critical of the Royal Rumble match, attributing Bryan's elimination to good storytelling and an instance where "you're supposed to hate the product". Winkie suggested that the "tepid reaction to [Reigns'] win has much more to do with Daniel Bryan’s early departure than it does with [Reigns'] actual reputation". Winkie singled out Ziggler's late entrance and elimination as "the most heartbreaking". He also praised the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match as being an early "Match of the Year" candidate, while questioning whether anyone cared about the Ascension.[30]

WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley, who had been critical of the previous year's show, wrote that he was saddened by the prospect of the Royal Rumble losing its luster and relevance as an annual event, and that he now considers it to be "a roadblock to the good will and excitement needed for a truly memorable WrestleMania atmosphere." Foley took aim at WWE for the supposedly unimaginative and unflattering use of fan favorites in the main Royal Rumble match, and, based on his observations of fans as they exited the arena, said "there was no joy in Philadelphia".[31]

Aftermath

Shortly after the event, #CancelWWENetwork became the top Twitter trend worldwide,[32] while PWInsider reported that the WWE Network online cancellation page had crashed and that some subscribers who had called WWE to cancel their subscription were told to call back the next day as there were too many people attempting to manually cancel their subscription.[33] The day after the Royal Rumble, Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that Vince McMahon and WWE had expected that Reigns's victory would receive some backlash, but not to the level they had experienced, and that despite this, WWE would not add Daniel Bryan to the main event at WrestleMania 31, since Vince felt that "it would be a repeat and gone to the well one time too often".[34] Two days after the Royal Rumble event, WWE announced that the WWE Network surpassed 1 million subscribers worldwide,[35] but the Pro Wrestling Torch newsletter reported that the recent "upset subscribers canceling" had yet to be factored into the subscriber count.[36] Four days after the Royal Rumble, WWE announced a new promotion for the WWE Network where new subscribers could watch for free for the month of February.[37] In February 2015, WWE held a poll on WWE.com asking if fans thought Bryan or Reigns was more deserving of headlining WrestleMania 31; following more than 33,000 votes, 86% of votes went to Bryan.[38] Also in that month, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon responded to #CancelWWENetwork in a conference call, saying that the controversy was good for WWE. McMahon labelled it as a vocal minority upset that "the babyface did not win" and "Santa Claus didn't come on that PPV", but he expected those who complained to continue watching WWE anyway.[39]

WWE had to postpone the post-Rumble Raw from Hartford, Connecticut due to the January 2015 nor'easter, marking the first time WWE had to cancel a scheduled Raw taping since the Chris Benoit double-murder and suicide and the first time Raw had to be moved to another city since 2009.[40] WWE also canceled its scheduled SmackDown taping from Boston the following night. WWE decided to have Raw come from WWE headquarters in nearby Stamford, Connecticut instead, announcing it would hold a live SmackDown on Thursday from Hartford, honoring tickets that would be used for Raw, while allowing fans in Boston to either exchange their tickets for an upcoming house show on June 27 or obtaining a full refund.[40] The post-Rumble Raw showed the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match and the main event of the Royal Rumble, albeit with commercial breaks. Seth Rollins, Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, Roman Reigns, and Daniel Bryan did in-studio interviews with several WWE announcers, such as Michael Cole, Renee Young and Byron Saxton, while Dean Ambrose "walked" to WWE headquarters from Hartford due to the statewide 9 PM travel ban.[41]

Although Curtis Axel being unable to participate in the Rumble match was not unprecedented, the fact that Axel was not eliminated (having never officially entered the match) ended up trended on Twitter following the event,[42][43][44] and also received supportive tweets from former WWE wrestlers Lance Storm[45] and Tommy Dreamer,[46] and then later from current WWE wrestlers Xavier Woods,[47] Zack Ryder,[48] and David Otunga, the latter offering his legal services.[49] This led to an angle where he began referring to himself as "the true winner" of the Royal Rumble, claiming that he still had not been eliminated from the match and that he thus deserved a match with Lesnar at WrestleMania 31 for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.[50][51][52][53] This also led to Axel starting his own hashtag (#AxelMania). Instead of facing Brock Lesnar, Axel participated in the second annual André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 31,[54] but was the first wrestler eliminated after the majority of the field threw him out of the ring.[55]

Results
No.ResultsStipulationsTimes[21][22]
1PTyson Kidd and Cesaro (with Adam Rose and Natalya) defeated The New Day (Big E and Kofi Kingston) (with Xavier Woods) by pinfallTag team match[56]11:02
2The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor) defeated New Age Outlaws (Billy Gunn and Road Dogg) by pinfallTag team match[57]5:25
3The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) (c) defeated Damien Mizdow and The Miz by pinfallTag team match for the WWE Tag Team Championship[58]9:20
4The Bella Twins (Brie Bella and Nikki Bella) defeated Paige and Natalya by pinfallTag team match[59]8:05
5Brock Lesnar (c) (with Paul Heyman) defeated Seth Rollins (with Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury) and John Cena by pinfallTriple threat match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship[60]22:42
6Roman Reigns won by last eliminating Rusev30-man Royal Rumble match for a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania 31[61]59:31
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match
P – the match was broadcast on the pre-show

Royal Rumble entrances and eliminations

A new entrant came out approximately every 90 seconds.

  – Winner
Draw Entrant Order Eliminated by Time[61] Eliminations
1The Miz1Bubba Ray Dudley04:010
2R-Truth204:130
3Bubba Ray Dudley3Bray Wyatt05:222
4Luke Harper403:420
5Bray Wyatt25Big Show and Kane47:297
6Erick Rowan15Bray WyattN/A0
7The Boogeyman601:430
8Sin Cara700:500
9Zack Ryder800:470
10Daniel Bryan1210:361
11Fandango11Rusev07:500
12Tyson Kidd9Daniel Bryan02:410
13Stardust16Roman Reigns12:490
14Diamond Dallas Page10Rusev02:470
15Rusev29Roman Reigns35:406
16Goldust1506:350
17Kofi Kingston14Rusev03:041
18Adam Rose13Rusev and Kofi Kingston01:010
19Roman Reigns-Winner27:296
20Big E19Rusev15:040
21Damien Mizdow1701:070
22Jack Swagger21Big Show13:060
23Ryback20Big Show and Kane11:150
24Kane27Roman Reigns17:134
25Dean Ambrose26Big Show and Kane10:401
26Titus O'Neil18Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns00:04 20
27Bad News Barrett22Dolph Ziggler06:100
28Cesaro2305:160
29Big Show28Roman Reigns08:395
30Dolph Ziggler24Big Show and Kane02:292
  • 1 – Curtis Axel was the actual #6 entrant, but as a result of Erick Rowan attacking Axel before entering the ring, Erick Rowan took his spot.
  • 2 - Titus O'Neil was originally planned to tie Santino Marella's record of "fastest man eliminated for a royal rumble", but due to a mis-communication, he was eliminated in 4 seconds instead of 1.

References
  1. Namako, Jason (April 30, 2015). "Buyrate for 2015 WWE Royal Rumble and Fast Lane PPVs". WrestleView. Archived from the original on May 1, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  2. Ian Hamilton. Wrestling's Sinking Ship: What Happens to an Industry Without Competition (p. 160)
  3. "Specialty Matches: Royal Rumble". WWE. Archived from the original on July 14, 2005. Retrieved December 3, 2007.
  4. Waldman, Jon (February 2, 2005). "Statistical survival – breaking down the Royal Rumble". SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on October 19, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2007.
  5. Martin, Adam (October 8, 2014). "Location revealed for the 2015 WWE Royal Rumble PPV". WrestleView. Archived from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  6. Hooton, Christopher (February 24, 2014). "WWE Network: Price, schedule and everything else you need to know". The Independent. Archived from the original on February 24, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  7. Grabianowski, Ed (January 13, 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  8. "Live & Televised Entertainment". WWE. Archived from the original on February 18, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  9. Canton, John (August 23, 2022). "WWE SummerSlam 2014 Review". TJR Wrestling. Archived from the original on August 24, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  10. Snowden, Jonathan (September 21, 2014). "WWE Night of Champions 2014 Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on September 22, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  11. Caldwell, James (October 26, 2014). "Caldwell's WWE HIAC PPV Report 10/26: Complete 'virtual-time' coverage of live PPV - double Hell in a Cell main event of Ambrose vs. Rollins and Cena vs. Orton". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on October 27, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  12. Caldwell, James (November 23, 2014). "Caldwell's WWE S. Series PPV results 11/23: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of Team Cena vs. Team Authority, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on November 26, 2014. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  13. Caldwell, James (December 14, 2014). "WWE PPVs Caldwell's WWE TLC PPV Report 12/14: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of Cena vs. Rollins, Roman Reigns involved, Ambrose vs. Wyatt, set-up for the Royal Rumble, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on December 15, 2014. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  14. Tedesco, Mike (December 30, 2014). "WWE Raw Results – 12/29/14 (Cena brings Authority back)". WrestleView. Archived from the original on December 30, 2014. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  15. Tedesco, Mike (January 6, 2015). "WWE Raw Results – 1/5/15 (The Authority resumes power)". WrestleView. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  16. Tedesco, Mike (January 13, 2015). "WWE Raw Results – 1/12/15 (WWE Title Contract Signing)". WrestleView. Archived from the original on January 13, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  17. Tedesco, Mike (January 20, 2015). "WWE Raw Results – 1/19/15 (Sting debuts on Raw)". WrestleView. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  18. Tedesco, Mike (January 16, 2015). "WWE SmackDown Results – 1/15/15 (Bryan back in action)". WrestleView. Archived from the original on January 17, 2015. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  19. Martin, Adam (January 6, 2015). "WWE Main Event Results – 1/6/15 (Swagger vs. Titus)". WrestleView. Archived from the original on January 15, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  20. Tedesco, Mike (January 12, 2015). "WWE Raw Results – 1/12/15 (WWE Title Contract Signing)". WrestleView. Archived from the original on January 13, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  21. Caldwell, James (January 25, 2015). "Caldwell's Royal Rumble PPV Report 1/25 (Pre-Show): Rock at the Rumble teaser, Cesaro & Kidd vs. New Day". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on January 27, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  22. Caldwell, James (January 25, 2015). "Royal Rumble PPV Report 1/25: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of Lesnar vs. Cena vs. Rollins for WWE Title, Royal Rumble, post-PPV Network show". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on January 27, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  23. Smith, Troy L. (January 25, 2015). "WWE Royal Rumble 2015: Live coverage, results, photos, reaction & more". The Plain Dealer. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  24. Caldwell, James (January 25, 2015). "Rumble News & Notes: Rock's role, crowd response to Rumble winner, Bully Ray returns & other surprise entrants, WWE sets up Cena's next feud, no Orton, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on January 27, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  25. Schwartz, Nick (January 25, 2015). "Daniel Bryan was eliminated early from the Royal Rumble and fans are furious". USA Today. Archived from the original on January 26, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  26. Totillo, Stephen (January 26, 2015). "'We Want Refunds!' – Why Pro Wrestling Fans Are So Angry Again[update]". Kotaku. Archived from the original on January 27, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  27. "WWE Royal Rumble 2015 results and coverage: Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. January 25, 2015. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  28. Scherer, Dave (January 25, 2015). "Boy that went bad, 30 men are in and someone is missing, it could be 2014 all over again after what WWE just did, awesome moment at number three of the rumble, number one in the rumble is, we have a match of the year candidate – full Royal Rumble blog". PWInsider. Archived from the original on January 29, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  29. Herzog, Kenny (January 26, 2015). "WWE 'Royal Rumble' Recap: The Philadelphia Phuck You". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  30. Winkie, Luke (January 26, 2015). "EM's Royal Rumble recap: Sometimes you're supposed to hate the product". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  31. Foley, Mick (January 29, 2015). "Rumble Blues". Mick Foley's official Facebook page. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  32. Stout, David (January 26, 2015). "Wrestling Fans Lash Out With '#CancelWWENetwork'". Time. Archived from the original on January 26, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  33. Scherer, Dave (January 26, 2015). "Trending on Twitter, and it's not good for WWE". PWInsider. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  34. Herbert, Grahame (January 26, 2015). "Vince McMahon's Reaction To WWE Royal Rumble Winner Roman Reigns Being Booed". What Culture. Archived from the original on April 5, 2016.
  35. WWE.com Staff (January 27, 2015). "WWE Network hits 1 Million subscribers – Thank you WWE Universe!". WWE. Archived from the original on January 27, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  36. Caldwell, James (January 27, 2015). "WWE News: Break Down of Network subscriber count based on new information – unofficial Network total, domestic vs. int'l, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on January 30, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  37. "WWE Network free in February". WWE. January 29, 2015. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  38. Fernandes, Steven (February 9, 2015). "WWE wants to know if you think Bryan is more deserving than Reigns". PWInsider. Archived from the original on February 11, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  39. Johnson, Mike (February 12, 2015). "Vince responds to 'Cancel WWE Network' & Rumble finish criticism: complete coverage WWE stockholders conference call coverage for Q4 2014 earnings". PWInsider. Archived from the original on February 13, 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
  40. WWE.com Staff (January 26, 2015). "XL Center postpones Raw until Thursday". WWE. Archived from the original on January 26, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  41. Benigno, Anthony (January 26, 2016). "WWE Raw results, Jan. 26, 2015: Superstars converge at WWE Headquarters as Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar face off for the first time". WWE. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  42. "When it comes to the main event of @WrestleMania 31, does @RealCurtisAxel have a case after #RoyalRumble controversy?". WWE's official Twitter account. January 31, 2015. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  43. "Does Curtis Axel have a case?: WWE App Exclusive, January 29, 2015". WWE. January 29, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2015. The big issue on a lot of people's minds is Curtis Axel. [...] Curtis Axel was actually trending on social media throughout much of the Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
  44. Wortman, James (January 28, 2015). "Raw Five-Point Preview: Feb. 2, 2015". WWE. Retrieved February 2, 2015. Heck, will Curtis Axel have a chance for Rumble redemption after Erick Rowan ambushed him on the entrance ramp, preventing the former Intercontinental Champion from officially entering the fray?
  45. Lance Storm [@LanceStorm] (January 25, 2015). "What about Curtis Axel? #RoyalRumble" (Tweet). Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2015 – via Twitter.
  46. Tommy Dreamer [@THETOMMYDREAMER] (January 25, 2015). "2 BIIGGEST questions 1.is @RonKillings @TestifyDevon stunt double 2. @RealCurtisAxel Going to Wrestlemania or still under ring #RoyalRumble" (Tweet). Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2015 – via Twitter.
  47. Austin Creed [@AustinCreedWins] (January 26, 2015). "The #RoyalRumble isn't over @RealCurtisAxel was never eliminated.... #GameOn" (Tweet). Retrieved January 25, 2015 – via Twitter.
  48. Matt Cardona [@TheMattCardona] (February 2, 2015). "@RealCurtisAxel deserves justice! #Raw" (Tweet). Retrieved February 2, 2015 – via Twitter.
  49. David Otunga [@DavidOtunga] (February 2, 2015). "You have a legitimate case against @WWE @RealCurtisAxel. Give me a call. I'll give you the friends & family discount. #OtungaLaw" (Tweet). Retrieved February 2, 2015 – via Twitter.
  50. "Curtis Axel reacts to his confrontation with Dean Ambrose – Raw Fallout – February 2, 2015". YouTube. February 2, 2015. Retrieved February 2, 2015. I still wasn't eliminated, no matter what Dean Ambrose did, I still was not eliminated from the Royal Rumble match, and regardless of what The Authority said tonight, I still deserve a shot at Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship!
  51. Benigno, Anthony (February 2, 2015). "WWE Raw results, February 2, 2015: Curtis Axel demanded a WrestleMania title match". WWE. Archived from the original on April 16, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2015. ... the non-exit of Curtis Axel, who was jumped before he could officially enter the over-the-top-rope fracas and was therefore never eliminated and therefore has grounds to demand a WWE World Heavyweight Title Match at WrestleMania.
  52. "8 controversial Royal Rumble Match exits". WWE. February 6, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015. Though the rules say the only way to lose a Royal Rumble Match is an ignominious exit over the top rope...
  53. "8 controversial Royal Rumble Match exits (Page 8)". WWE. February 6, 2015. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015. ... the Internet helpfully pointed out that means Axel was never technically eliminated and Roman Reigns' victory therefore does not stand.
  54. Clapp, John (February 23, 2015). "2nd Annual André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal". WWE. Archived from the original on February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  55. Caldwell, James (March 29, 2015). "Caldwell's WM31 PPV report 3/29 (Pre-Show): Tag Title match, Andre Battle Royal, final WrestleMania 31hype, Stooges, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on March 31, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  56. Laboon, Jeff (January 16, 2015). "Cesaro & Tyson Kidd def. Kofi Kingston & Big E". WWE. Archived from the original on January 23, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  57. Clapp, John (January 19, 2015). "The Ascension def. The New Age Outlaws". WWE. Archived from the original on January 23, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  58. Benigno, Anthony (December 15, 2014). "WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos def. The Miz & Damien Mizdow". WWE. Archived from the original on January 16, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  59. Burdick, Michael (December 15, 2014). "The Bella Twins def. Paige & Natalya". WWE. Archived from the original on January 23, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  60. Wortman, James (December 14, 2014). "WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar def. John Cena and Seth Rollins". WWE. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  61. WWE.com Staff (December 14, 2014). "Roman Reigns won the 2015 Royal Rumble Match". WWE. Archived from the original on January 30, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.