Credit: Zack Zimmerman & Prowrestling.net
Dark Match:
Alexander Rusev beat Tyson Kidd with the Accolade (Camel Clutch). Before the match, Rusev cut a promo in Bulgarian to loud “What?” chants, but that ended up translating into heel heat throughout the match. Good, basic opener; Rusev is pretty impressive and Kidd had some time to shine but made Rusev look like a beast.
WWE Main Event (Airing Wednesday):
Kofi Kingston beat Curtis Axel with a rollup. The match got a good amount of time and featured some impressive spots from Kofi, but was pretty unremarkable overall. Post-match, Ryback came out to his music, walked a lap around the ring, and then walked back up the ramp backstage without acknowledging Kofi or the crowd…
A recap of Orton losing to Kofi on Monday and Orton subsequently attacking John Cena Sr. was shown…
A clip of Michael Cole’s interview series with Triple H aired. Cole asked Hunter how he’d handle what happened between Orton and the Cena’s. Triple H said it was an ugly situation. He said Randy knows how to get in touch with him if he had a problem, and should’ve handled it that way. He said they would investigate and may take further action…
Damien Sandow beat Sin Cara with You’re Welcome. Babyface reaction for hometown boy Damien Sandow. Shorter match than Axel-Kingston. Mid-match, Ryback came out to his music again and paced around the ring for the remainder of the match. He’s still going in fact, taunting fans at ringside.
3MB ran into Brad Maddox backstage and they thanked him for making a handicap match between them and the Prime Time Players. They said there were three of them again and it’s the beginning of a new era. Maddox said that all five of the guys in the match were obnoxious and the only reason he made the match was so everyone backstage could have a break from them…
Bad News Barrett said there are always shocks and surprises in the Royal Rumble. The bad news is that there will be no surprises this year: once he enters, there will be a mass exodus of superstars much like the exodus of livestock from the zoo that fill the arena tonight…
Ryback came out to his music (third time) and did a lap before the next match…
The Prime Time Players beat 3MB in a handicap match with a surprise crucifix pin in about a minute. 3MB demanded that the match be restarted. Brad Maddox came out and said he wasn’t going to do that, but he would give them a six-man tag with Los Matadores.
Los Matadores and El Torito beat 3MB with the double rack drop. Loud “Tag the bull” chants persisted until Torito finally tagged in and hit some crowd-pleasing offense. Post-match, Ryback did the same routine. It’s getting on the crowds nerves, so it’s working. This concluded the Main Event taping…
100% DIRECT LINK (**NEW** CLOSE-UP PHOTOS): AJ **MAKING OUT** With Dolph Ziggler!