– WWEShop.com is now selling the 2013 Royal Rumble on DVD ($14.99) and Blu-Ray ($20.99).

– WWE might say publicly that they do not view TNA as competition, but TNA’s recent announcement that they are taking Impact Wrestling on the road has already resulted in action from WWE. WWE has reportedly began contacting a number of mid-sized arenas to put holds on them for future dates, in order to keep TNA from running those venues.

In the event that TNA starts running shows every Thursday, WWE, there is even talk of WWE changing their touring schedule and running shows on Thursday nights as well in similar markets that TNA runs.

– WWE will be inducting a celebrity into this year’s Hall of Fame class, rumored to be Cindy Lauper.

(Partial Source: PWInsider.com)

Remembering The Twin Hebner Angle And Hogan’s First Title Loss

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, HULK HOGAN LOSES HIS MIND (AND THE WWF TITLE)
by The Solomonster (thesolomonster@gmail.com)
Podcast | Twitter | Facebook

“HOW MUCH MONEY DID THEY SPEND ON THE PLASTIC SURGERY??!”

Those infamous words were uttered by Hulk Hogan on national television 25 years ago today. And astonishingly, Hulk wasn’t referring to his (now ex) wife and her friend when he said that. No, you see, he was referring to the evil trio of Ted DiBiase, Andre the Giant and… EARL HEBNER! What? Earl Hebner, evil? Bret Hart would find out years later exactly how evil Dave Hebner’s baby brother really could be, but let it be known that Hulk Hogan was the original Screwjob victim way back in 1988 when INXS had the #1 hit single in America and the Road Warriors made it cool to wear Zubaz pants.

Here in 2013, Chris Daniels and Frankie Kazarian are trying hard to make Zubaz cool again, but it’s just not the same.

So, why then was the Hulkster ranting and raving like a mental patient about plastic surgery? Let’s set the stage. The date was February 5th. The WWF had been airing taped “Saturday Night’s Main Event” specials on NBC for a few years by this point. As a young wrasslin’ fan, I have fond memories of those shows. The sight of Andre the Giant sneaking up behind an unsuspecting Hogan, following his victory over King Kong Bundy, and wrapping his massive hands around Hogan’s throat, squeezing the life out of him, gave me nightmares. But this show was different. This show, dubbed simply “The Main Event”, aired live on Friday night (back when Friday was perhaps the best night for television) and would feature the first singles meeting between Andre and the champion since their epic encounter at WrestleMania III the previous year.

WWF and NBC hit a homerun that night. The show would do a 15.2 rating, good for 33 million viewers (that number is a bit skewed and likely also includes international viewers, so figure half that number were watching in the U.S. – still impressive), making the Hogan vs. Andre sequel the most watched wrestling match in history, a record that still stands today. Hulk Hogan had headlined as WWF champion for four consecutive years and was arguably at his peak of popularity. Andre, on the other hand, was clearly in physical decline and had long past his peak. In fact, he was barely mobile. One memorable spot from their match saw Andre simply fall face down in what the announcers could only describe as an attempted headbutt (he missed). And maybe it was, but it looked terrible. In fact, as a wrestling match, this pretty much sucked. But with these two guys in the ring, it was never about workrate. That’s what guys like Savage and Steamboat and Santana were there for.

As the match drew to a close, Andre grabbed Hogan and flung him around in the worst excuse for a hip toss I’ve ever seen in my life. As he covered the champion and the referee began to count, Hogan got his shoulder up off the mat, but Hebner kept counting. Just like that, Hogan’s run came to a screeching halt at 1,474 days and Andre was awarded the title.

I guess in hindsight, CM Punk’s 14-month reign ending on a People’s Elbow doesn’t seem nearly as ludicrous.

After the match, Gene Okerlund interviewed Andre, who inexplicably talked about winning the World tag team championship (?!!) and proceeded to surrender the tag team title (don’t look at me, that’s what he said) to Ted DiBiase. And I must say, the title looked awfully good around DiBiase’s waist. I believe he got to defend the title at some house shows in the days that followed before Jack Tunney officially declared the title vacant, but it really is a shame he never had a run on top.

As Hogan stood flabbergasted by what had just taken place, THE GOOD HEBNER emerged to confront his evil twin. It’s funny because, while Dave and Earl do look very much alike, I never had much trouble discerning one from the other, even as a kid. Dave was always the pudgier one. Maybe he was simply big-boned. Whatever the case, when Hogan turned around, he could not believe his eyes, nor could he tell one from the other. He figured it out when Earl knocked his brother to the mat and caved in his ribcage with a wicked kick (supposedly breaking a rib legit). Now, Hogan figured it out. He hoisted Earl high above his head, got a running head start, and proceeded to overshoot his target by a country mile, sending Earl SOARING into the aisleway over everyone’s head (including Andre, and he was a giant!). They were supposed to catch him, but hey, shit happens.

Backstage with Mean Gene, Hogan was a wreck. He was so distraught, he was literally in tears over this grave injustice that had just been committed. It’s too bad The Shield came 20 years too late. Maybe they could have helped prevent all of this. As Hogan whined and cried about plastic surgery, he talked about seeing both Hebners for the first time, exclaiming, “When I turned around, they were identical. IDENTICUUUUULLLL!!!!” Moments later, as they showed a replay in slow-mo of the finish, Hogan desperately tried pointing out to us all the hundred dollar bills falling out of the referee’s pocket. Okerlund didn’t have the heart to tell the big guy that, in fact, there were no hundred dollar bills. As hilarious as this all was, Hogan was a pathetic mess here. Between this and his temper tantrum at the 1992 Royal Rumble when he helped Flair eliminate Sid (who did nothing wrong!), I’m not sure how I was ever a fan of this man.

By the way, there’s a little “easter egg” of sorts to watch for on this show. Prior to his title defense, WWF shot to a pre-taped Hulk Hogan interview backstage. In it, he can be seen wearing what has since been dubbed as the “Hogan ‘87” belt. Yet moments later, when he emerges from the curtain, he’s wearing the Winged Eagle belt that would become synonymous with the company over the next decade. Not sure if the ’87 belt held out for more money before Hogan walked out or mouthed off to the wrong person, but it was never seen again.

A quarter century ago on this date, history was made. Hogan lost his smile. The plastic surgery was bought and paid for. And Andre won the tag team title. A memorable night, indeed.

thesolomonster@gmail.com
@solomonster

The Rock and CM Punk were rehearsing their Royal Rumble match on Sunday afternoon in the hours leading up to the Royal Rumble. The finish was kept top secret from the rest of the WWE locker room – with WWE even hanging a curtain around the ring so nobody else would know what the finish would be.

Some CM Punk fans were upset that Punk was pinned after getting hit by the People’s Elbow, opposed to a Rock Bottom, which is a more devastating move. The reasoning behind this is that CM Punk was ranting about how the “people don’t matter,” so The Rock beat him with the People’s Elbow.

The Rock will give the WWE Championship a ton of exposure as he makes the media rounds to promote his upcoming movie releases in the months leading up to WrestleMania 29.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– Last weekend’s Royal Rumble Fan Fest in Phoenix, Arizona was considered a big success. The event was considered to be a test to gauge fan interest, which was very strong. Moving forward, WWE is talking about holding Fan Axxess events in the days leading up the Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Survivor Series.

Discussion: Have you been to a WWE Axxess Fan Fest? Comment below and tell us what your experience was.

– Even though ratings for WWE RAW are significantly better than UFC’s live shows on FOX, WWE only gets 1/3 of the ad rates that UFC is able to charge.

– Friday’s SmackDown did a 2.03 and 3.03 million viewers, a strong showing for the final SmackDown before the Royal Rumble. It was the fourth most-watched show on cable that night.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Syracuse, New York’s WSYR-TV has a news report up looking at one of the strangest stories we’ve ever covered here on the site.

Last Wednesday, 77-year-old liquor store owner and baseball coach Thomas Dotterer was shot in the eye during the robbery of his Salina Liquors and Wine store in upstate New York. Dotterer was hospitalized in critical condition and underwent surgery on his eye while in the hospital.

He was released from the hospital on Monday and was amazingly back at work on Tuesda afternoon. Dotterer told WSYR-TV, “Every day is great. Every day is great because every day I have an opportunity to meet new individuals and broaden my appreciation of what God has given us all to enjoy.”

Thomas says he used to be a “gloomy pessimist,” an outlook on life that’s changed over time and helped in his recovery.

“All things happen for a reason that preclude, maybe, present understanding, but you deal with the cards that you have dealt,” he said.

After this traumatic brush with death, you would think that getting shot in the eye would be the worst thing that happened to him in the past week. According to Dotterer, he’s actually more upset that CM Punk’s 434 day WWE Championship reign ended at Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view:

“That’s the worst thing that happened to me all week, the Rock beat Punk. Did you know that?”

Here’s the news report:

– Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown scored a 2.08 cable rating with 3 million viewers. This is slightly up from the previous week.

– WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart tweeted the following about his cameo at Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view:

Great seein everyone at RoyalRumble! Special shout out to my old pal Steve Lombardi. We had a great time talking about the good

— Bret Hart (@BretHart) January 28, 2013

… old days. Steve was my first ever match in WWE. Oct 84! Thanks for the memories bro!

— Bret Hart (@BretHart) January 28, 2013

– Tensai tweeted the following about Kofi Kingston’s “office chair” spot during the Royal Rumble match:

Cool stuff done by @truekofi last night in the Rumble. Thank goodness my athleticism helped pull it off.

— Matt Bloom (@NXTMattBloom) January 28, 2013

– The announced attendance for the Royal Rumble pay-per-view was 15,103. The show was a legitimate sellout from the US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

– After Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view went off the air, new WWE Champion The Rock got on the mic and spoke to the live crowd. He said referee Mike Chioda was telling him to position himself in front of the Wrestlemania 29 sign for a photo, but told Chioda, “Excuse me but I’m talking to Phoenix.” The crowd went nuts as The Rocked thanked everybody for helping him make his dream come true. The Rock ended the show by saying saying it feels damn good to be WWE Champion again – If you smell what The Rock is cooking.

Below are the order of Entrants and Eliminations from the 2013 Royal Rumble match:

Order of Entrants:

1) Dolph Ziggler
2) Chris Jericho
3) Cody Rhodes
4) Kofi Kingston
5) Santino Marella
6) Drew McIntyre
7) Titus O’Neil
8) Goldust
9) David Otunga
10) Heath Slater
11) Sheamus
12) Tensai
13) Brodus Clay
14) Rey Mysterio
15) Darren Young
16) Bo Dallas
17) The Godfather
18) Wade Barrett
19) John Cena
20) Damien Sandow
21) Daniel Bryan
22) Antonio Cesaro
23) The Great Khali
24) Kane
25) Zack Ryder
26) Randy Orton
27) Jinder Mahal
28) The Miz
29) Sin Cara
30) Ryback

Order of Eliminations:
1) Santino Marella (by Cody Rhodes)
2) Drew McIntytre (by Chris Jericho)
3) Titus O’Niel (by Sheamus)
4) David Otunga (by Sheamus)
5) Goldust (by Cody Rhodes)
6) Brodus Clay (by multiple people)
7) Tensai (Kofi was involved)
8) Darren Young (by Kofi Kingston)
9) Kofi Kingston (by Cody Rhodes)
10) The Godfather (by Dolph Ziggler)
11) Heath Slater (by John Cena)
12) Cody Rhodes (by John Cena)
13) Rey Mysterio (by Wade Barrett)
14) The Great Khali (by Kane)
15) Kane (by Daniel Bryan)
16) Daniel Bryan (Kane caught him on the outside and dropped him)
17) Zack Ryder (by Randy Orton)
18) Antonio Cesaro (by John Cena)
19) Jinder Mahal (by Sheamus)
20) Wade Barrett (by Bo Dallas)
21) Bo Dallas (by Wade Barrett, who was already eliminated)
22) Damien Sandow (by Ryback)
23) Sin Cara (by Ryback)
24) The Miz (by Ryback)
25) Chris Jericho (by Dolph Ziggler)
26) Randy Orton (by Ryback)
27) Dolph Ziggler (by Sheamus)
28) Sheamus (by Ryback)
29) Ryback (by John Cena)

Winner – John Cena

WWE Royal Rumble PPV Opener:

The 2013 WWE Royal Rumble opens with a video package highlighting the history of the Rumble, complete with statistics and records. The focus also shifts heavily to The Rock vs. CM Punk for the WWE Championship.

The pyro explodes and Michael Cole welcomes us to the show. Lilian Garcia announces that the first match will be a Last Man Standing match, Big Show’s music plays and out he comes.

World Heavyweight Championship (Last Man Standing): Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. Big Show

Alberto Del Rio starts walking to the ring with Ricardo Rodriguez. They run into WWE Hall of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart. Hart wishes Del Rio luck and says he’s fought Show, and he’s big and bad. Hart says Del Rio reminds him of a Mexican Bret Hart, so he should go out and show that tub of goo what’s what. Del Rio says Hart reminds him of a Canadian Del Rio and they shake hands. Ricardo gushes over Hart and Del Rio says they need to go, but Hart puts a signature pair of his glasses on Ricardo. Ricardo makes his way out, with the Bret Hart glasses on, and does the ring introduction for Alberto Del Rio, who gets a somewhat decent reaction from the crowd. The bell rings and Show takes it right to Del Rio, backing him into the corner and hitting a couple of punches to the gut before head butting and chopping Del Rio. Del Rio tries to fight back with kicks and punches, but he runs right into a clothesline from the big man. Show slams Del Rio to the mat and wait for him to get to his feet.

Show takes Del Rio into the corner and chops him hard across the chest. Del Rio is able to get a boot up to kick Show in the throat, but when Del Rio heads to the middle rope, he jumps off into another big right hand. Show head butts Del Rio before whipping him into the corner and hitting a backsplash. Del Rio gets caught by a kick from Show, but he’s able to counter a powerbomb into a hurricanrana, and he even goes to the top for a seated senton to take the giant off his feet. Show pulls himself up in the corner, and Del Rio leaps up with a big enzugiri. Del Rio beats Show down and tries for the cross arm breaker, but Show simply picks Del Rio up and drives him down. Del Rio rolls to the outside to get to his feet, and Show follows, chopping Del Rio across the chest again. He tosses the champ into the ring and heads to the timekeeper’s area, grabbing a steel chair. Show climbs the ring steps and heads back into the ring with chair in hand. He winds up, but Del Rio catches him with a dropkick and Show drops the chair. Del Rio hits Show with the chair repeatedly, dropping him to his back and driving the chair down repeatedly into Show’s ribs. Del Rio heads to the middle rope with the chair in hand, but when he jumps off, Show catches him around the throat and takes him to the mat with a big chokeslam. Del Rio is able to make it to his feet at 9, but he falls right out of the ring onto the arena floor. Show heads out to the floor after Del Rio and asks if the ref’s going to resume his count. Del Rio gets to his feet and Show quickly slams him down on the floor. Del Rio stands up at 7 and Show takes him up the entrance ramp. Del Rio kicks Show in the groin and Show is stunned. Del Rio rears back and catches Show with a kick to the side of the head that drops the challenger.

Show stands at 9 and catches Del Rio with a boot to the gut. They fight up to the entrance area with Show hitting a weird DDT and then whipping Del Rio into the entrance set. Show tries to kick Del Rio, but Del Rio moves and Show kicks the set decoration. Show grabs one of the light tubes and hits Del Rio across the back before breaking it against the set. Show grabs a table and sets it up before chopping Del Rio across the chest. Show begins to climb the entrance set and hoists Del Rio up with one arm. The two fight on top of the set, about 8 feet in the air, and Show grabs Del Rio across the throat, tossing him to the arena floor through the table. The referee begins the count, but Del Rio makes it to his feet at 9. He immediately falls right back down, but gets up quickly this time. Show grabs Del Rio around the neck and brings him back toward the ring, kicking him in the stomach on the way. Del Rio pulls himself to his feet using the ring apron. Big Show jumps right back on him. Show calls for the KO punch, but Del Rio sees it coming and drops to the outside. Show follows out to the floor and takes the ring steps apart, grabbing the top stairs and chucking them at Del Rio’s head. Del Rio moves and the stairs crash into the ring post. Ricardo isn’t happy, and he attacks Show, but ends up thrown into the barricade hard. Show tries for a spear, but Del Rio moves and Show ends up crashing through the time keeper’s area. Show makes it to his feet at 9, but Del Rio grabs a chair and wears it out across Show’s back, hitting him repeatedly. Show’s arm ends up draped across the steel ring steps and Del Rio hits it with the chair. Del Rio grabs a fire extinguisher from somewhere and uses it to blast Show.

Show rolls back into the ring and Del Rio follows. Del Rio grabs the same arm he assaulted earlier and locks it in the cross arm breaker. Ricardo is up and he has duct tape, taping the big man’s legs to the bottom rope at the ankles. The ref counts and Show can’t get the tape off in time to get back to his feet. The ref counts ten while the crown chants one-ten in Spanish. Del Rio retains.

Winner and STILL World Heavyweight Champion: Alberto Del Rio

Backstage: Matt Striker With AJ, Dolph Ziggler & Big E Langston

Matt Striker is backstage with AJ, Dolph Ziggler, and Big E Langston. Striker brings up the Beat the Clock challenge. Ziggler says Vickie is so see through, and she’s jaded, bitter and pathetic. Ziggler says he’s choosing #1, because that’s exactly what he is. AJ asks if Striker thinks Dolph can’t do it, or he’s not good enough to be #1 and win the Rumble. AJ wants to know how fast and how far can Striker run in five seconds. Langston walks up and grabs the mic as Striker walks off. Langston puts on his best reporter voice and asks what Dolph will do after he wins here tonight. Ziggler says he’ll set the record for longest entrance, then win the Rumble, then cash in his briefcase, win the World Championship, and go to WrestleMania to win the WWE Championship and unify the titles on the grandest stage of them all.

In some pre-recorded video, Antonio Cesaro says the last three winners of the Rumble have been non-American, and that will continue tonight because all of those winners pale in comparison to Cesaro.

The Prime Time Players let us know that a win would mean millions of dollars.

Randy Orton says there’s no partners or allies in the Rumble, just like he likes it. He needs this win, and he’ll take it.

John Cena says there’s a target on his back, but at the end of the night, everyone will realize the champ is here.

Wade Barrett says he restores credibility to an event that hasn’t had it for a long time because no one can stop the Barrett barrage.

Sheamus says he’s going to win the Rumble match two years in a row because of the brogue kick. It’s the Rumble and time for talking is over.

Ryback asks who says he’s not the best in the world. He’s not the largest athlete, doesn’t eat fruity pebbles, and won’t have a pint after the match. He says feed me more.

WWE Tag-Team Titles: Team Hell No (c) vs. Team Rhodes Scolars

Rhodes catches Bryan with a boot to the gut before going to work on the arm. Bryan works his way out of it and hits Rhodes with a dropkick. Rhodes sends Bryan into the ropes and Bryan catches Rhodes by the leg, trapping him in a surfboard. Bryan tags out to Kane who hits Cody with a low running dropkick that’s good for a near fall. Kane drives Cody’s head into the turnbuckle before sending him into the ropes. Cody is able to catch Kane with a kick to the knee and a big dropkick before tagging out to Sandow. Kane is able to slam Sandow to the mat before tagging out to Bryan. Kane whips Bryan into Sandow in the corner for a big splash. Sandow gets to his knees and eats a series of kicks from Bryan to the chest. Bryan tags out to Kane who kicks Sandow in the side of the head and hits him with a big right.

Sandow is able to catch Kane with a back elbow, but Kane kicks Sandow in the face and sends him to the outside before tossing Rhodes out after him. Bryan tags in and leaps through the ropes, taking out Sandow and Rhodes. Bryan is thrown into the ring apron by Sandow and takes it back into the ring before Rhodes is tagged in. Rhodes comes in strong and takes Bryan to the mat putting him into a half-crab and Bryan counters for the two count. Rhodes is able to tag out to Sandow before the third count and gets Bryan with a splash. Bryan gets a Russian leg sweep by Sandow before getting back up. Sandow again gets another near fall on Bryan. Rhodes once again tags back in and is getting the upper hand on Bryan who is able to retaliate with a heel kick.

Sandow then tags back in and is able to keep Bryan from tagging out as Rhodes tags back in. Rhodes slams him to the mat refusing to let him tag out. Sandow is able to avoid a choke slam from Kane. Kane gets to the top rope but misses a clothesline from the top rope on Sandow. Sandow gets a quick two count on Kane with a neckbreaker. Sandow and Rhodes fight out of a double chokeslam. Bryan makes a blind tag. Sandow and Rhodes get a double suplex on Kane. Kane chokeslams Rhodes following Bryan getting Sandow with a missile dropkick. Sandow taps out from the No Lock clamped on by Bryan.

Winner and STILL WWE Tag Team Champions: Team Hell No

Backstage:

Vickie Guerrero breaks up the short lived victory celebration between Kane and Daniel Bryan who gives both of them their Royal Rumble entry numbers. After calling Bryan’s number “interesting”, Kane refuses to show Bryan his number saying no. Bryan explains that it’s in the rules and Kane is supposed to show him. Kane responsed that Bryan would feel “very inadequate” and it’s a bad strategy, but he’ll see Bryan out there. Bryan says not if he sees him first, in which Kane says that’s highly unlikely.

30-Man Royal Rumble

Dolph Ziggler makes his way to the ring in the #1 spot, as he claimed earlier. He’s flanked by Big E, and AJ. AJ makes out with him for a bit at the top of the entranceway before Ziggler peels off and heads to the ring by himself. Ziggler has a mic, and he says he stands before the crowd all alone in the spotlight exactly where he belongs. And tonight when the Rumble match comes to a close it’ll be exactly the same. Him standing in the ring by himself as the winner of the Rumble match. And he doesn’t even care who #2 is, so just send him out already. Ziggler is answered with the return of Y2J, Chris Jericho himself! Ziggler and Jericho lock up and Jericho clamps on a headlock. Ziggler sends Jericho into the ropes, and eats a shoulder block.

Ziggler tosses Jericho to the apron, but he heads right up to the top and comes off with an axe handle smash before sending Ziggler out to the apron. Ziggler punches Jericho away and heads to the top but he’s stopped by Jericho. Jericho tries to shove Ziggler to the floor, but Ziggler fights it off. Jericho hits a superplex as #3 is announced, and it’s Cody Rhodes. Jericho goes right after Rhodes, but Ziggler teams up with Rhodes and they take it to the veteran. Rhodes and Ziggler try to toss Jericho over the top, but he’s able to hold on to the ropes. Cody catches him with a nasty kick to the gut, but Jericho recovers quickly and locks Cody in the walls of Jericho. Ziggler attacks from behind and chokes Jericho against the bottom rope. Ziggler slingshots Jericho against the bottom rope throat first. The clock counts down. #4 is Kofi Kingston. Kingston comes in with a giant dropkick to Rhodes before mounting him in the corner for ten punches.

Kofi misses trouble in paradise on Ziggler, but he’s able to send Ziggler out to the apron. Rhodes tries to get Cody out, and Jericho tries to get Rhodes out in turn. Jericho takes Rhodes into the corner and chokes him with his boot as Kofi tries to get Ziggler over the top rope a second time. Rhodes helps Ziggler as the clock winds down again. #5 is Santino Marella. Marella comes in and has already broken his record, tossing everyone out to the apron, but not eliminating anyone. Santino reaches for the Cobra, but it doesn’t help him as Rhodes is able to toss him over the top rope to the outside. Santino has been eliminated. Ziggler continues to focus on Kingston and Rhodes teams up to help him. Kingston kicks them both away as the crowd counts down from ten another time. 3MB’s music hits. Drew McIntyre is #6. McIntyre comes in hot, trying to eliminate Kofi right off the bat, but things break down as Jericho comes in from behind.

Jericho peels off and walks right into a dropkick from Ziggler, and he ends up tossed over the ropes, almost falling out to the floor. He’s able to pull himself back up as the clock counts down once more. #7 is Titus O’Neal. Titus comes in quick and goes right for Kofi and Rhodes, fighting off both off them. Titus picks up Kofi for a big backbreaker before throwing him aside. Jericho tosses McIntyre to the apron and dropkicks him to the outside. Drew McIntyre has been eliminated. Ziggler comes close to being eliminated again, but sneaks back into the ring as Rhodes and Titus focus on Jericho. #8 is Goldust! Cody doesn’t look happy, and Goldust goes right for him, catching him right a right hand, and sending him out to the ring apron, stomping away at him. The crowd’s happy to see Goldust as he unloads on his brother in the corner.

Goldust tries to elminate Cody, but Cody fight his brother off. The clock winds down again. #9 is David Otunga. Otunga comes in and heads after Goldust and then Jericho, choking him in the corner with his boot. Titus beats on Goldust in the corner as Ziggler tries to send Kofi to the outside. Rhodes and Goldust team up on Titus, trying to dump him over the top rope. They get him out to the apron, but Rhodes turns on Goldust, and screws up the plan for everyone. #10 is another 3MB entrant, Heath Slater. Slater heads into the ring and goes after Goldust, then Otunga, stomping away at his former partner in the corner. Slater is able to pepper Kofi with a couple of rights before getting caught by Titus. Ziggler is once again in a precarious position, due to Jericho this time. Rhodes finds his way on the apron courtesy of Titus as the clock counts down again. #11 is Sheamus. Sheamus comes in and hits a couple of Irish curse backbreakers, then a couple of nasty roll throughs. Sheamus sends Titus out to the apron, and launches Otunga into him, sending Titus to the outside. Titus O’Neal has been eliminated.

Sheamus catches Otunga with a couple of blows to the chest and a brogue kick that sends him to the floor. David Otunga has been eliminated. #12 is Tensai. Tensai comes in and attacks everyone, but quickly pairs up with Sheamus, fighting him in the corner. Everything breaks down into random brawling with people splitting off every now and then and Ziggler ending up on the ring apron almost eliminated. Another entrant gets counted down. #13 is Brodus Clay. Brodus makes his way into the Rumble and heads right after Jericho before trading blows with Tensai for a bit. Rhodes sends Goldust flying across the ring, but Goldust as able to backdrop Rhodes to the apron. Goldust charges, but Rhodes drags him out to the apron. Goldust clothesline Rhodes into the ring, and Rhodes sends ‘dust into the ring post and to the outside. Goldust has been eliminated. The clock counts down once more. #14 is Rey Mysterio. Mysterio comes in and blasts Ziggler with a nasty kick before hitting Jericho with a 619 and dropping the dime on the returning superstar. Everyone tries to clump up on Tensai, but it doesn’t last too long. Sheamus tries to get him out on his own, but Tensai fight it off. #15 is Darren Young.

Everyone teams up on Brodus Clay, and he’s dumped over the top, Tensai is sent out by Kofi shortly after. Brodus Clay and Tensai have been eliminated. Ziggler sends Kofi to the apron and he lands on Tensai’s back. Kofi lands on the announcer’s table. Kofi stands on the table and asks for JBL’s chair. JBL hands it to him as the clock counts down. #16 is Bo Dallas. Kingston uses the chair like a pogo stick and hops his way over to the ring. He the low bridges Darren Young and eats a disaster kick from Rhodes. Darren Young and Kofi Kingston have been eliminated. Dallas blasts Slater with a back elbow as the clock counts down. #17 is THE GODFATHER! The Godfather makes his way down to the ring with a couple of his ladies in tow, getting a great pop from the crowd. Ziggler dropkicks him right over the top and to the outside. The Godfather has been eliminated. Godfather doesn’t look too upset as he puts his glasses and hat back on and struts out with his ladies.

Jericho slams Dallas to the mat and hits him with a second rope knee drop as the timer counts down. Wade Barrett is #18. Barrett comes in and goes right after Jericho, stomping away at him in the corner before catching Sheamus with a black hole slam. Barrett tries to get Sheamus over the top and he’s helped by Jericho, but they just can’t manage to get him out. Barrett fights with Slater as the crowd counts down once more. #19 is John Cena. Cena does not get a welcoming reaction on his way into the match as everyone gangs up on him from the get go. Cena fights off everyone, sending Heath Slater and Cody Rhodes over the top and to the outside. Heath Slater and Cody Rhodes have been eliminated. Cena tries to eliminate Jericho, but it’s broken up by Ziggler. Bo Dallas tries to eliminate Cena in the corner, but Cena fights it off. #20 is Damien Sandow. Mysterio heads up to the top and catches Barrett with a hurricanrana that takes both to the apron. Barrett heads back in and kicks Mysterio from the apron.

Rey Mysterio has been eliminated. Sheamus attacks Barrett as Jericho tries to lock in the walls of Jericho on Cena and the clock counts down. #21 is Daniel Bryan. Bryan goes right for Sandow, kicking away at him before turning to Ziggler, then Barrett, kicking them all repeatedly in the chest. Bryan shoulders Jericho and tries to get him over the top with the help of Sheamus. Jericho hangs on as Sheamus pulls Bryan into the corner to fight. Ziggler pounds on Dallas in the corner and the next entrant comes down. #23 is Antonio Cesaro. Cesaro comes in and is targeted right away by Sheamus and Daniel Bryan. Sheamus hits him with a nasty clubbing blow. Things break down into simple brawling, lots of punches and uppercuts. #23 is The Great Khali. Khali heads into the ring and begins chopping as many people’s heads as possible before standing on Jericho’s throat in the corner. Cesaro struggles to get Sheamus over the top rope. Bryan blasts Ziggler with rights, but eats a head butt from Khali. #24 is Kane. Kane comes in and goes after Ziggler, getting him out to the apron once more. Kane pairs off with Khali, trying to wear him down with Bryan but Khali fights them both off. Sandow comes close to eliminating Sheamus, but Sheamus hangs on.

The ring is filling up, and we’re getting one more. #25 is Zack Ryder. Kane dumps Khali over the top rope, and is in turn dumped over the top by Bryan. Cesaro sends Bryan to the apron and dumps him out into Kane’s waiting arms. Bryan asks to be put into the ring, but Kane refuses and drops him to the floor. The Great Khali, Kane, and Daniel Bryan have been eliminted. #26 is Randy Orton. Orton comes in with a series of clotheslines and a snap powerslam to Ziggler. Orton tosses Bo Dallas and Ziggler to the apron and brings both in with a double suspension DDT before hitting Ryder with an RKO and dumping him over the top. Zack Ryder has been eliminated. Cesaro and Barrett team up on Barrett in the corner as the clock counts down again. #27 is Jinder Mahal.Cesaro picks up Cena and tries to toss him over the top, but Cena fights it off and tosses Cesaro over. Antonio Cesaro has been eliminated. Cena and Barrett pair up for a bit before Cena looks for Ziggler, slingshotting him over the top to the apron. Sheamus catches Barrett with a huge clothesline. #28 is the Miz. Miz comes out and attacks Cesaro on his way out to the ring. Sheamus clotheslines Mahal over the top. Jinder Mahal has been eliminated. Miz hits Cena with a reverse DDT while Barrett tries to eliminated Sheamus. Orton puts Ziggler on the top turnbuckle and pushes him to the apron. #29 is Sin Cara. Cara comes in with a couple of quick spots before being grounded by Sandow. Sheamus is able to muscle Cena out to the apron.

Dallas is on the apron and he drags Barrett over the top rope and to the floor. Wade Barrett has been eliminated. Sheamus tosses Sandow to the apron, but Sandow hangs on to the ropes to keep himself alive. Miz backdrops Jericho to the apron and Wade Barrett leaps up to the apron and pulls Dallas over the top. Bo Dallas has been elimiated. Barrett winds up and blasts Dallas with a nasty elbow. #30 is Ryback. Here we motha-fn go! Ryback charges out to the ring and goes after everyone, pushing them away. Ryback dumps Sandow out onto the apron and charges in, knocking him to the floor. Sandow has been eliminated. Cara kicks Ryback and tries to leap off the top on him, but Ryback swats him away and tosses him to the outside. Sin Cara has been eliminated. Miz tries to attack from behind, but ends up tossed to the outside as well. Miz has been elminiated. Jericho hits Ryback with the codebreaker and Cena with a lionsault. He almost eliminates Sheamus before hitting Ziggler with a codebreaker, and being sent from the ring by Ziggler in turn. Jericho has been eliminated. Ryback ends up charging shoulder first into the ring post. Orton hits Ziggler, Cena and Sheamus with RKO’s before bringing Ryback back into the ring with a suspension DDT.

Orton tries for an RKO on Ryback, but Ryback pushes him off and clotheslines him over the top. Randy Orton has been eliminated. Sheamus takes Ziggler out to the apron and Ziggler fights back, but a brogue kick sends Ziggler to the floor. Dolph Ziggler has been eliminated. It’s down to Sheamus, Cena and Ryback. Cena and Sheamus team up on Ryback with a double suplex. They stare each other down, then look up to the WrestleMania sign. Both men begin unloading on each other and Cena hits a couple of shoulder blocks and a belly to back suplex, but misses the five knuckle shuffle when Ryback stops him with a giant clothesline. Ryback tries for shellshock on Sheamus, but Sheamus fights out and connects with white noise on Ryback. Sheamus tries for the brogue kick, but Ryback counters by picking him up and tossing him from the ring. Sheamus has been eliminated. It’ll either be Ryback or Cena headed to WrestleMania.

Cena catches Ryback with a series of rights, but runs right into a big spinebuster. Ryback tries for the clothesline, but Cena catches him with a drop toe hold and locks in the STF. Ryback fades, and appears to pass out. Cena pulls Ryback to his feet and seats him on the top rope. Ryback begins to fight back, hitting a Thesz press from the middle rope before shouldering Cena. Ryback charges toward the ropes, but Cena drops down, and pushes Ryback over. Cena wins.

Winner of the 2013 Royal Rumble: John Cena

Backstage: Josh Matthews Interviews The Rock

Josh Matthews is backstage with The Rock. Matthews begins to ask about the Shield, but he’s cut off by Rock. Rock says finally, he’s come back to Phoenix. Last week the Rock was coughing up blood, he’s been through it all, adversity all his life. Rock strived for the NFL, but didn’t get drafted. A year later, the only thing he had was 7 bucks in his pocket. We’ve all gone through adversity. It’s like the guy who gets passed up for a promotion. Or god-forbid, if your loved ones are stricken with cancer like his own mother who’s here tonight. She didn’t quit, they don’t quit, and he’ll never quit. Punk says the fans don’t count. Rock says they have no idea how much they all count to him for all the love and support they give. That’s why in this moment Rock is reaching out his hand to everyone who believes, and everyone who gets knocked down and right back up, because tonight, we’re going to end 440 days of misery. Tonight is the night the fans and the Rock beat CM Punk, become WWE Champion, and become one, if you smell what he’s cooking.

WWE Title: CM Punk (c) vs. The Rock

The WWE Champion CM Punk, accompanied by manager Paul Heyman, comes to the ring first for our main event of the evening. The Rock comes out next. He has a lengthy entrance. Both guys are finally in the ring now. Punk hits Rock with a series of rights, but Punk responds with a couple of kicks, and some clubbing blows in the corner. Rock responds with a clothesline and tries for a Rock Bottom, but Punk fights it off. Rock clotheslines Punk to the outside and follows. Rock and Punk fight around the announcer’s table before Rock sends Punk into the barricade.

Rock dismantles one of the announcer’s table, but Punk sends Rock back into the ring and puts the table back together. Punk heads back into the ring and is met by an immediate right that sends him back to the outside. Punk and Rock fight on the outside with Rock whipping Punk into the barricade. Heyman attacks while the ref’s back is turned and distracts the Rock long enough for Punk to hit a clothesline. Punk hits a front clothesline, laying Rock stomach first across the barricade. Punk brings things back into the ring where he blasts Rock with knees to the stomach and a stiff kick to the back. Punk rips at Rocks face while locking in a body scissors. Rock fights out of the hold, but runs into a knee to the gut. Punk locks in a submission hold, but Rock won’t give up. Rock fights his way out of it with knees to the back of Punk’s head.

Rocks hits a couple of rights, an inverted atomic drop, and then runs into a big kick to the face. Punk walks over top of Rock, smiling and laughing. Punk punches Rock in the stomach before tying him up in the ropes and hitting him with clubbing blows to the chest. Punk brings things into the middle of the ring before picking Rock up in a suplex and tossing him into the top rope. Punk kicks and stomps away at Rock in the corner before being backed up by the ref, allowing Heyman to get in another cheap shot. Punk allows Rock to get to his feet on the apron before hitting him with a springboard dropkick that sends him to the floor. Punk heads to the top rope and leaps to the outside, hitting Rock with a flying forearm. Punk grabs at his knee, walking it off. Punk brings things back into the ring where Rock kicks at Punk’s knee, bringing him down to the mat. Punk grabs Rock and throws him through the ropes to the outside.

Punk leaps through the ropes with a suicide dive that wipes out the Rock. Punk tosses Rock back into the ring and climbs up to the apron. Punk misses a springboard dropkick and Rock goes for the opening, stomping away at Punk’s back before driving him knee into the canvas. Rock stomps at Punk a bit more before picking him up and hitting a Russian leg sweep. Rock tries for the Rock bottom, but Punk fights it off and shoulders Rock. Punk tries for the G2S, but Punk catches the knee and tries for the sharpshooter. Punk fights it off and it able to lock in the anaconda vice. Rock turns things into a pin to force Punk to break the hold. Rock is able to come up with a DDT out of nowhere and both men are slow to get to their feet. Rock tries for the Rock bottom again, but Punk reverses into a crucifix pin. Rock rolls through and Punk finds himself trapped in the sharpshooter. Punk looks desperate, but he’s able to make it to the ropes to force Rock to break the hold. Punk rolls to the outside, falling to the floor. Rock follows, picking Punk up.

Rock dismantles the announcer’s table again. Punk crawls toward the ring, but he’s stopped by Rock, who puts him on top of the announcer’s table. Rock catches Punk with a couple of right hands before being caught with a kick to the temple from Punk. Punk pulls Rock up on the table and calls for the G2S, but Rock fights it off. Rock tries for the Rock bottom, but the table gives out and both men fall to the floor. Rock is able to break the count on the floor, and when he heads to the outside, he catches Punk, and puts him down on the floor with a big Rock bottom. Rock brings things back into the ring and goes for the cover, but he’s only able to get two. Both men are slow to get to their feet and when they do, Punk kicks Rock in the side of the head and lays him out. Punk falls down to the mat as well, and again both men are slow to get to their feet. Punk and Rock trade punches in the middle of the ring, with Rock getting the advantage.

Rock hits a big flying clothesline before putting Punk down with a spinebuster. Rock rips off his elbow pad and tosses it out to the crowd. Rock goes for the People’s elbow, but the lights go out right as he’s about to hit it. Cole is saying it’s the Shield, and they triple powerbombed Rock through the table. The lights come back on and Rock is laid out on the remains of the announcer’s table. Punk heads to the outside and asks the announcer’s if they saw anything. Punk pulls Rock to his feet and brings him back into the ring. Punk pins him and retains his title.

Winner and STILL WWE Champion: CM Punk

Vince McMahon Comes Out

Punk holds the title high and kicks the Rock from the ring. Punk’s music fades as he celebrates, and he’s interrupted by the music of Vince McMahon. Vince comes out and doesn’t look too happy. He says Punk’s celebration is over. He said if the Shield got involved, he’d strip Punk of the title. Technically they couldn’t see them, but it’s his duty as chairman of the board to officially, but Vince is interrupted by the Rock. Rock says we’re not ending this night like that.

He says Vince doesn’t take it from him, he will. Restart the match now. The bell rings and Punk goes right to the corner to stomp away at Rock. Punk is furious. Punk hits Rock with the running knee in the corner, then a clothesline. Punk heads to the top rope and hits the Macho Man style elbow, but it’s only enough for a two count. Punk calls for the Go to sleep, shouldering the Rock. Rock works his way out of it and nails him with a spinebuster. Rock follows up with the Peoples Elbow and pinks Punk, 1….2……………3. New champ. Punk’s streak ends.

Winner and NEW WWE Champion: The Rock

– On Monday’s RAW, Vickie Guerrero declared that Dolph Ziggler will get his choice of entering the Royal Rumble match at either #1 or #2. Based on a tweet from Ziggler on Sunday afternoon, it looks like he’ll be the first entrant:

the world knows i can go all night long, now its time to show the @WWE #1 #RoyalRumble #ZigglersBetter

— Nic Nemeth (@NicTNemeth) January 27, 2013

– According to ProWrestling.net, WWE had contacted former WWE and WCW wrestler Diamond Dallas Page to be a possible entrant in tonight’s Royal Rumble 30-man Battle Royal match. No word on whether he agreed to appear, but there were some talks about it.

– Matt Striker tweeted the following cryptic comment on Sunday evening, with less than two hours to go until the Royal Rumble:

I just saw 2 surprise entrants in tonight's Royal Rumble arrive at the bldng. One had a present for me Remember the Rumble is open to ANYONE

— M@ (@MattStrikerTV) January 27, 2013

I love how the Internet THINKS it knows whose in the bldng ? Lets just say the " present" will be put to great use tonite.

— M@ (@MattStrikerTV) January 27, 2013

– WWE superstars have already been tweeting pictures of themselves pointing at the WrestleMania 29 logo that will be hanging at the top WWE arenas starting tonight (click to enlarge):

John Cena: “Have had very few moments to reflect on life, this week I took much needed time. Focused more than ever. Evolution begins with the 1st step.”

Alberto Del Rio “Today is the day R. Rumble I will defend my WHC with everything,and at the end a giant will fall to have ADR as the last man standing.”

CM Punk: “Spoiler alert. Jinder wins rumble.”

Roman Reigns: “Woke up!..Alive and well!!. Not looking good for those at the Rumble. #FinishTheFight #BelieveInTheShield”

Jim Ross: “@WWESheamus … Remember that you have no friends or allies the the rumble. HUGE money awaits the winner. Apologize later if compelled.”

Lilian Garcia: “In Phoenix, AZ today for @WWE #RoyalRumble !!! I’m sure it’s going to be off the hook! Don’t miss it!! Tonight on PPV @ 8pm ET! :)”

NXT Star Bo Dallas: “Today is where it begins #ruletherumble”

Cody Rhodes: “2012Rumble. 6 eliminations, 2 of em’ Hall Of Famers. Tonight 2 important matches for myself. #Pageantry”

NXT Diva Paige: “Tonight is the night! #RoyalRumble #nxtdivas #WWE”

Zack Ryder: “Sitting in the empty arena for tonight’s @WWE #RoyalRumble. I’m practicing pointing to the #WrestleMania sign.”

Titus O’Neil: “@DarrenYoungWWE: PrimeTime Player @titusoneilwwe and I are ready for @wwe #royalrumble #millionsofdollars”

Dolph Ziggler: “the world knows i can go all night long, now its time to show the @WWE #1 #RoyalRumble #ZigglersBetter”

Antonio Cesaro: “Muskeltraining abgeschlossen und auf dem Weg zum #RoyalRumble. Zwischenstopp @WWE RR Pre-Show um dem Miz den Mund zu stopfen #USChampion”

Wade Barrett: “Getting ready for the #RoyalRumble. My fave @WWE event since I was knee-high to a grasshopper.”

The Rock “I can feel it coming in the air tonight..” AM visualization. #ElectrifyingFaith Next @WWE Champion.”

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog at JRsBarBQ.com with a preview of tonight’s Royal Rumble 2013 pay-per-view. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:

CM Punk vs. The Rock: I expect the WWE Title bout the close the show featuring WWE Champion @CMPunk defending against @TheRock. It will be interesting to see how the challenger will be able to morph from movie star back to his wrestling roots especially against the intense Punk who is obviously walking into the main event with a sizeable chip on is shoulder.

As I have written, I see Punk, who is extremely physical and tough, using Muay Tai kicks and strikes, in general, against Rock who never really encountered anyone of Punk’s skill set when Rock was wrestling in WWE full time.

The longer the match goes the more it would seem to favor the Champion but I’m sticking to the prediction that Punk makes one mistake, likely mental, that cost him the WWE Championship.

2013 Royal Rumble Winner: I’ve picked John Cena to win the Rumble match but in reality this could go in a multitude of ways. I still feel Dolph Ziggler will make an impact and I can’t count out Sheamus, Ryback and Orton, among others. There will be so many different stories being told within this contest which makes the Rumble match so compelling. Who leaves not only the winner but who leaves this bout with their stamp on the night such as @KevinNash and Kane, among others, have done over the years? Is Kane’s record of eliminations in the Rumble match in jeopardy tonight? I say it gets broken.

Head over to JRsBarBQ.com to read the blog in its entirety, including JR’s thoughts on the other title matches at the Rumble and this day marking 20 years since the passing of Andre The Giant.

– The following WWE matches took place this weekend at the Royal Rumble Fan Fest in Phoenix, Arizona:

* Kofi Kingston beat Drew McIntyre
* Natalya beat Alicia Fox
* Rick Victor beat Percy Watson
* Paige and Sasha Banks beat Emma and Summer Rae
* Bray Wyatt beat Jake Carter
* Sheamus beat Heath Slater

– Kevin Nash, who is in Phoenix for the Royal Rumble Fan Fest, joked about making a special Rumble appearance:

https://twitter.com/realkevinnash/status/295287280996872192

– WWE Hall of Famer Sunny was scheduled to host a Royal Rumble viewing party tonight in New York City. Due to due to the fact that she’s currently in jail, the event organizers are looking for a replacement.

Warning: The following contains a major possible *SPOILER* for the Royal Rumble:

WWE has sent out promotional material for the 2013 Royal Rumble DVD & Blu-Ray packages – and it appears they’ve spoiled the pay-per-view’s main event in the process.

WWE is advertising that the main event for WrestleMania 29 will be The Rock vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship. The ad notes, “Buzz is already building after the main event match-up announcement placing two mega-watt Superstars face-to-face for the first time since WrestleMania 28.”

While it’s always possible this could be an error … it appears that CM Punk’s 400+ day title reign will be ending at the Rumble, with John Cena getting his “twice in a lifetime” shot at The Rock on April 7th.

An early script for the Royal Rumble has been circulating, revealing several details for next weekend’s big pay-per-view event.

A Royal Rumble qualifying match is scheduled to take place on the 30-minute online pre-show.

Kaitlyn will defend the Divas championship against an opponent to be determined. That match has been slotted for 10 minutes.

The WWE Tag Team Championship match between Team Hell No and Team Rhodes Scholars has also been given approximately 10 minutes.

The Alberto Del Rio vs. Big Show World Heavyweight title match will go 20 minutes, while the CM Punk vs. The Rock WWE Championship match will go a half hour.

The Royal Rumble match is scheduled to go on last and will run around 70 minutes total.

These times include ring entrances, the match and then the post-match happenings.

The script does not have winners or the order of Rumble entrants and does not include any other matches that have been discussed, such as Antonio Cesaro defending the United States championship against The Miz.

*SPOILER* WWE Leaks The Winner of CM PUNK vs. THE ROCK (Find Out Who Wins)

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

WWE.com has an article up with various superstars giving their picks for Sunday’s CM Punk vs. The Rock match at the Royal Rumble. Here are some highlights of what they said:

Kofi Kingston: “It’s been a long time coming since Punk came out and clotheslined The Rock and made a huge statement. Now it won’t be very long, less than a week till the Royal Rumble. We finally get to see the guy who claims to be The Best in the World taking on the all-time Great One. It’s been great to see the build and I can’t wait just like everybody else to see how it’s gonna go down. We’re actually gonna find out exactly who the best is.””

The Miz: “Am I rooting for The Rock? Absolutely. Do I want him to win? Absolutely. Do I want him to unseat the WWE Champion and become the champion? Absolutely, because you know what? At WrestleMania, when I win the Royal Rumble Match, I’ll be going up against The Rock, the person that made me want to become a WWE Superstar.”

Booker T: “Everyone will remember where they were the night Punk and Rock met in the middle of the ring, face to face, eye to eye, one on one. Who’s gonna be the champion? Sunday, it will be determined.”

This Sunday’s Royal Rumble will see the returns of at least two former WWE superstars.

SEScoops.com can confirm that Shelton Benjamin and Carlito are scheduled for the 30-man Royal Rumble match.

Both men are in Phoenix this weekend to work independent shows on Saturday night and will in fact be at Sunday’s show.

We’re hearing word about a few other big surprises planned for the Rumble but are going to follow up and double-source these rumors before reporting them here.

SEScoops.com will have Live Results of the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, so make sure to check us out Sunday night.

NXT superstar Bo Dallas is officially entered into the 2013 WWE Royal Rumble match after defeating Leo Kruger in the finals of the NXT Tournament on Saturday at the Royal Rumble fan fest.

– Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown had a Trendrr.tv social media score of 77,259, up 10% from last week.

– WWE is considering adding a Twitter feed at the bottom of the screen during RAW broadcasts, according to PWInsider.com.

– WWE announced on Twitter that another Youtube show, “Are You Serious?” is ending this weekend. To this, we say: ARE YOU SERIOUS?!

– Seth Rollins tweeted the following on Saturday to hype tomorrow’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view:

November 18, 2012…we dismantled the machine known as Ryback and changed the course of our future, and yours…

— Seth Rollins (@WWERollins) January 26, 2013

December 16, 2012…we showed the world what kind of carnage we are truly capable of if given the proper motivation…

— Seth Rollins (@WWERollins) January 26, 2013

January 27, 2013…Justice reigns supreme. #RoyalRumble #believeintheshield

— Seth Rollins (@WWERollins) January 26, 2013

* Royal Rumble SPOILERS: 2 Former WWE IC Champions Confirmed As Surprise Entrants

– WWE Divas Champion Kaitlyn vs. Tamina has been added to Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

* TWO Surprise ROYAL RUMBLE Entrants Confirmed

– Former WWE developmental diva Shaul Guerrero is currently working on her music career.

– Former WWE announcer Todd Pettengill confirmed via Facebook that he will in fact be hosting WWE’s upcoming “The Best of In Your House” DVD and Blu-ray set, due out in April. Pettengill responded to a fan question:

“lol Yes it’s true… had a great time seeing the ‘old gang’”

– WWE’s original plans for the Royal Rumble pre-show called for a large team match that would have included superstars from WWE as well as NXT. The decision was made a week or two ago for Antonio Cesaro to wrestle The Miz on the pre-show and to hold an NXT tournament at the Royal Rumble fan fest this weekend, with the winner earning a spot in the Rumble match.

– Former WWE Diva Stacy Keibler tweeted the following about her new Supermarket Superstars show on the Lifetime network:

First day on the set of my show #SupermarketSuperstars @lifetimetv and I'm loving it! So exciting to help make someone's dream come true.

— Stacy Keibler (@StacyKeibler) January 25, 2013

– Ryback spoke spoke to FOX 10 News in Phoenix to promote this weekend’s Royal Rumble Fan Fest:

– WWE contacted Rikishi to participate in Sunday’s 30-Man Royal Rumble Match but the veteran wrestler is unable to appear due to a prior commitment, Jerry “The King” Lawler revealed in an interview with New York Post promoting WrestleMania Axxess.

“I do know that they had contacted Rikishi, but he had a prior commitment that he could not get out of. My son Brian told me that it was just a commitment he literally could not get out of even though he really wanted to [be in the Rumble],” Lawler said.

Lawler also hinted that former stars could resurface as surprise entrants.

“The Royal Rumble has become our next biggest and most fan-favorite pay-per-view. It’s so unpredictable. I know for a fact, I don’t know who it will be, but there’s always some surprise entrants. There will be some people that you didn’t have a clue they were going to be involved in the Rumble.”

To read the full interview, click here.

– This week’s edition of The JBL & Cole Show features appearances by Mick Foley and Shawn Michaels, who have some kind words for JBL. Plus, Hornswoggle faces off with Daniel Bryan and his “magician’s assistant” in the “SUPERStar Search.”

– Darren Young is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:

WWE Champion Punk is considered by some to have a chip on his shoulder. He’s paid his dues many times over in the indie circuit in small venues for low pay time and again. But now he’s made it and he won’t leave it without a fight. Even in the world of sports entertainment for any one to think that there is a lack of legit physicality in a match with so much emotion riding on it it for a variety of reasons, some spoken and some simply left alone, is naive.

I expect to see Punk’s stiff, Muay Tai kicks strike Rock in a multitude of positions and certainly multiple times over the course of the contest. There is no may that a part time wrestler, full time actor can prepare for such a circumstance other than to suck it up and endure it. Rock has never been known as one to back away from physicality.

Punk will push Rock much farther than did @JohnCena did last year at WM28 in Miami because Punk and Cena are different breeds of cat. Punk is the champion who’s backed into the proverbial corner where champions are at their most dangerous. Rock is the amazing star that has come home to once again attempt to live his family business dream and to respect is DNA and amazing genetics while becoming a multiple time WWE Champion.

That could well happen but it won’t be pretty. This isn’t going to be a smooth, wrestling classic. I see a fight occurring. I see both men testing each other’s resolve. I see the established mega star (Rock) being pushed to his outer limits by the over achieving former indy wrestler who has perfected is craft to become the #1 man in the #1 company of its kind in the world.

Punk is in ring shape that only being in the ring can allow one to achieve. Rock looks like $10M but there is no way humanly possible that he can be in tip top in ring condition. Where has he had the time to achieve such?

At the end of the day, I expect one major error to cost Punk the WWE Title. Rock will walk out of Phoenix a battled and bruised man but the new WWE Champion, however,  I expect CM Punk to leave Phoenix as the star of the show.

This match has the potential to be one of the more controversial bouts that we’ve seen in WWE in years.

I will say that stylistically and from a match structure standpoint that the Punk vs. Rock bout Sunday is the most legitimately intriguing bout that I can recall anticipating in years. That’s a fact.

Kind of think that John Cena should win the Rumble match but I could also see someone like Dolph Ziggler stealing that specific ‘show’ too.

– Former WCW star La Parka has been added to the Alumni section of WWE.com.

– WWE will be holding events on February 21st & 22nd, 2013 in Doha, Qatar at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex. Bell time for both events is 8 PM. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)

– Paul Heyman’s Heyman Hustle blog has published an awesome video promo hyping Sunday’s WWE Championship match between CM Punk and The Rock.

– Gabe Sapolsky has published a new blog looking at “The Untold Toughness of Seth Rollins.”

– Wade Barrett tweeted the following late Wednesday night, revealing a possible surprise Royal Rumble entrant:

Just bumped into Papa Shango at Hooters. Told me he's entering the @WWE #RoyalRumble this year. Can't wait, one of my faves.

— Stu Bennett (@StuBennett) January 24, 2013

* WWE Royal Rumble 2013 Predictions & Spoilers

– WWE officials have broached the possibility of an Alberto Del Rio vs. Dolph Ziggler match at WrestleMania 29, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. However, it was noted that the match may not necessarily be for the World Heavyweight Championship currently held by Del Rio.

– Current plans call for this Sunday’s 30-Man Royal Rumble Match to feature 90-second entrance intervals. However, it will likely be altered based on the pay-per-view event’s remaining time.

– Alberto Del Rio appeared on Good Day Sacramento Tuesday promoting that evening’s SmackDown taping at the Sleep Train Arena. In the following video, he is set out to surprise some kids.

(source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)