Old page wikitext, before the edit (old_wikitext ) | '{{Infobox Wrestling event
|name = Royal Rumble (2009)
|image = 30068_PPV_RR_aff_ban_300x450.jpg
|caption = Promotional poster featuring various [[List of World Wrestling Entertainment employees|WWE Superstars]]
|theme = "[[Let It Rock (Kevin Rudolf song)|Let It Rock]]" by [[Kevin Rudolf]] featuring [[Lil Wayne]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/2009/|title=WWE Royal Rumble|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]|accessdate=2009-01-09|quote=Special thanks to Kevin Rudolf, whose "Let it Rock" is the official theme of the Royal Rumble. The track is off his Cash Money Records debut, In the City, which is available now.}}</ref>
|promotion = [[World Wrestling Entertainment]]
|brand = [[WWE Raw|Raw]]<br />[[WWE SmackDown|SmackDown]]<br />[[ECW (WWE)|ECW]]
|date = January 25, 2009
|attendance = 16,685
|venue = [[Joe Louis Arena]]
|city = [[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]]
|lastevent = [[Armageddon (2008)]]
|nextevent = [[No Way Out (2009)]]
|event = [[Royal Rumble]]
|lastevent2 = [[Royal Rumble (2008)]]
|nextevent2 = [[Royal Rumble (2010)]]
}}
'''Royal Rumble (2009)''' was the twenty-second annual [[Royal Rumble]] [[professional wrestling]] [[pay-per-view]] event produced by [[World Wrestling Entertainment]] (WWE). It took place on January 25, 2009 at the [[Joe Louis Arena]] in [[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]] and featured talent from the [[WWE Raw|Raw]], [[WWE SmackDown|SmackDown]] and [[ECW on Syfy|ECW]] brands.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.wwe.com/schedules/events/eventdetail/?id=8111896|title=WWE Royal Rumble event details|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]|accessdate=2009-01-03}}</ref> As has been customary since 1993, the [[Royal Rumble|Royal Rumble match]] winner received a match at that year's [[WrestleMania]], (in this instance: [[WrestleMania XXV]]) for his choice at either the [[WWE Championship]], the [[World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)|World Heavyweight Championship]] and the [[ECW World Heavyweight Championship|ECW Championship]].
Five [[Mock combat|professional wrestling matches]] were featured on the event's [[Card (sports)|supercard]], a scheduling of more than one [[Card (sports)|main event]]. The [[Card (sports)|main event]] was the annual 30-man [[Royal Rumble|Royal Rumble match]] which featured wrestlers from all three brands. [[Randy Orton]], the eighth entrant, won the match by last eliminating [[Triple H]], the seventh entrant. The featured match on the Raw brand was for the World Heavyweight Championship between reigning champion [[John Cena]] and [[John Layfield|John "Bradshaw" Layfield]] (JBL), which Cena won after performing an Attitude Adjustment. The primary match on the SmackDown brand was a [[Professional wrestling match types#No Disqualification match|No Disqualification match]] between [[Jeff Hardy]] and [[Edge (wrestler)|Edge]] for the WWE Championship, which Edge won by pinfall after [[Matt Hardy]] interfered in the match and hit Jeff with a [[Folding chair|steel chair]]. The predominant match on the ECW brand was between [[Jack Swagger]] and Matt Hardy for the ECW Championship, which Swagger won by pinfall after a gutwrench powerbomb.
==Background==
{{See also|Professional wrestling}}
Royal Rumble 2009 featured [[professional wrestling match types|professional wrestling matches]] that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing [[Screenplay|script]]ed feuds, [[plot (narrative)|plot]]s, and [[narrative thread|storyline]]s played out on ''[[WWE Raw|Raw]]'', ''[[WWE SmackDown|Friday Night SmackDown]]'', and ''[[ECW on Syfy|ECW on Sci Fi]]'' - [[World Wrestling Entertainment]]'s (WWE) primary television programs. Wrestlers portrayed a [[Heel (professional wrestling)|villain]] or a [[Face (professional wrestling)|hero]] as they followed a series of events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or in a series of matches.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://corporate.wwe.com/company/events.jsp|title=Live & Televised Entertainment of World Wrestling Entertainment|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]|accessdate=2009-01-11}}</ref> The event featured wrestlers from WWE's Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands—a [[WWE Brand Extension|storyline division]] in which WWE employees were assigned to a television program of the same name.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2006/2006_05_25_02.jsp|title= WWE Launches ECW As Third Brand |publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]] Corporate|accessdate=2009-01-11}}</ref>
[[File:John Bradshaw Layfield 081204-A-5049R-108.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[John Layfield|John "Bradshaw" Layfield]] (JBL) who faced off with [[John Cena]] at the Royal Rumble]]
The prime match scripted into Royal Rumble 2009, the annual [[Royal Rumble#Match|Royal Rumble match]], has featured at every Royal Rumble event since its inception. The match featured 30 male wrestlers from WWE's three brands; WWE officially announced 23 participants. The match ends when one wrestler remains in the ring after the elimination of all the 29 other wrestlers. (Participants eliminate opponents by tossing them over the top ring-rope and making both their feet touch the floor.) The winner earned an opportunity to challenge for the [[WWE Championship|WWE]], [[World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)|World Heavyweight]], or [[ECW Championship]] at WWE's April [[WrestleMania XXV]] pay-per-view.<ref name="RoyalRumblematch">{{cite web| url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/2009/matches/9050360/preview/|title=Preview: 30-Man Royal Rumble match|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]|accessdate= 2009-01-11}}</ref>
The main [[Feud (professional wrestling)|rivalry]] from the Raw brand played out between [[John Cena]] and [[John Layfield|John "Bradshaw" Layfield]] (JBL) over the World Heavyweight Championship. JBL earned his championship match against Cena after winning a [[Professional wrestling match types#Basic elimination matches|Fatal Four-Way Elimination match]]—a standard match in which the last remaining competitor who has not been eliminated is declared the winner—on the December 29, 2008 episode of ''Raw'' by defeating [[Chris Jericho]], [[Randy Orton]], and [[Shawn Michaels]].<ref name="Raw12.29">{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/12292008/|title=Results: And they're off...|last=Adkins|first=Greg|date=2008-12-29|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]|accessdate=2009-01-11}}</ref>
Another rivalry from the Raw brand came with [[Melina Perez|Melina]] challenging [[Beth Phoenix]] for her [[WWE Women's Championship]] in a singles match. Melina won the opportunity to face Phoenix on the December 29, 2008 episode of ''Raw'' by winning a [[Battle royal (professional wrestling)|battle royal]], a match similar to the Royal Rumble, though with fewer competitors.<ref name="Raw12.29" />
The main rivalry from the SmackDown brand incorporated into the Royal Rumble featured [[Jeff Hardy]] and [[Edge (wrestler)|Edge]], with the two feuding over the [[WWE Championship]]. At WWE's previous pay-per-view event, [[Armageddon (2008)|Armageddon]], Hardy had defeated defending champion Edge and [[Triple H]] in a Triple Threat match, a standard match involving three wrestlers, to win the WWE Championship. On the January 2, 2009 episode of ''SmackDown'', on-air [[Professional wrestling authority figures#General Managers|authority figure]] [[Vickie Guerrero]] announced that Edge would face Hardy for the WWE title at the Royal Rumble.<ref name="SD01.02">{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/results/8008376/|title=Results: Hardy New Year!|last=Passero| first=Mitch|date=2009-01-02|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]|accessdate=2009-01-11}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
The ECW brand's main rivalry, that between [[Jack Swagger]] and [[Matt Hardy]], had the two feuding over the [[ECW Championship]]. On the January 13, 2009 edition of ''ECW on Syfy'', Swagger defeated Hardy to capture the ECW Championship. On the January 16 episode of ''Friday Night SmackDown'', WWE announced that Swagger would defend the ECW title against Hardy in a rematch at the Royal Rumble.
==Event==
{|class="wikitable" border="1" style="float:right; border:1px; font-size:90%; margin-left:1em;"
|+Other on-screen talent
|-
!style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Role:
!style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Name:
|-
|rowspan=8|Commentator
|[[Michael Cole]] {{small|(Raw)}}
|-
|[[Jerry Lawler]] {{small|(Raw, Royal Rumble)}}
|-
|[[Jim Ross]] {{small|(Smackdown, Royal Rumble)}}
|-
|[[Tazz]] {{small|(Smackdown)}}
|-
|[[Todd Grisham]] {{small|(ECW)}}
|-
|[[Matt Striker]] {{small|(ECW)}}
|-
|[[Carlos Cabrera]] {{small|(Spanish)}}
|-
|[[Hugo Savinovich]] {{small|(Spanish)}}
|-
|rowspan=3|Ring announcer
|[[Lilian Garcia]] {{small|(Raw)}}
|-
|[[Justin Roberts]] {{small|(SmackDown, Royal Rumble)}}
|-
|[[Tony Chimel]] {{small|(ECW)}}
|-
|rowspan=6|Referees
|[[Joseph James, Jr.|Scott Armstrong]]
|-
|[[Mike Chioda]]
|-
|[[Jack Doan]]
|-
|Marty Elias
|-
|[[Chad Patton (referee)|Chad Patton]]
|-
|[[Charles Robinson (wrestling referee)|Charles Robinson]]
|}
===Preliminary matches===
The first match of the evening saw [[Jack Swagger]] defend the ECW Championship against [[Matt Hardy]]. The match started with both wrestlers countering the other's moves until Swagger injured Hardy's left shoulder and then targeted it for the rest of the match. Swagger ultimately defeated Hardy by pinning him after a gutwrench powerbomb. Swagger thus retained the ECW title.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://prowrestling.about.com/b/2009/01/25/royal-rumble-2009-recap-and-results.htm|title=Royal Rumble 2009 Recap and Results|date=January 25, 2009|last=Cohen|first=Eric|accessdate=July 7, 3011|work=About.com| publisher=[[The New York Times Company]]}}</ref>
The second match on the card involved the [[WWE Women's Championship]], where [[Beth Phoenix]] defended her title against [[Melina Perez|Melina]]. The match ended as Phoenix attempted to perform the [[Facebuster#Chickenwing facebuster|Glam Slam]] on Melina, but the latter countered it into a [[Pin (professional wrestling)|roll-up pin]], giving her the win and the Women's Championship.<ref name="bethMelina"/>
===Main event matches===
[[Image:Orton Royal Rumble 2009.jpg|thumb|left|Randy Orton after winning the 2009 Royal Rumble]]
The third match on the card pitted John Cena against JBL for the World Heavyweight Championship. JBL's employee [[Shawn Michaels]] accompanied him to the ring and first got involved in the match when the referee became incapacitated; he came into the ring and performed his [[Superkick|Sweet Chin Music]] finisher both on JBL and Cena. He then left ringside, leaving JBL's arm on top of Cena. Cena however managed to get a shoulder up and performed an Attitude Adjustment to retain his World Championship.<ref name="CenaJBL"/>
The fourth match on the card involved the WWE Championship, as Jeff Hardy defended his title against Edge. Before the match began Vickie Guerrero came out and announced it as a [[Professional wrestling match types#No Disqualification match|No Disqualification match]]. Edge then revealed that [[Chavo Guerrero, Jr.|Chavo Guerrero]] would be in his corner. During the match Hardy brought a ladder out and set it up near the Spanish announce table. When Chavo tried to interfere, Hardy put him on the table and jumped off the ladder, connecting with Chavo and breaking the table. Hardy then had the match won when he performed the Swanton on Edge after kicking Vickie off the apron when she tried to interfere. When Hardy went for the pin, Vickie stopped referee [[Joseph James, Jr.|Scott Armstrong]] from making a three count. Jeff's brother Matt then made his way to the ring, placing a chair under Edge's face. Grabbing another chair, Matt at first appeared to be setting Edge up for his own version of Edge's [[Professional wrestling attacks#One man con-chair-to|con-chair-to]] maneuver. He smashed Jeff in the head with a chair, and Edge then pinned Jeff to become the new WWE Champion.<ref name="HardyvsEdge"/>
The main event consisted of the Royal Rumble match. [[Rey Mysterio, Jr.|Rey Mysterio]] and [[John Morrison (wrestler)|John Morrison]] started the Rumble. The final eight participants left in the match were [[Paul Wight|The Big Show]], [[Chris Jericho]], [[The Undertaker]], [[Glenn Jacobs|Kane]], Triple H and [[The Legacy (professional wrestling)|The Legacy]] ([[Cody Rhodes]], [[Ted DiBiase, Jr.|Ted DiBiase]] and [[Randy Orton]]). After Chris Jericho eliminated Rob Van Dam soon afterwards he was eliminated by the Undertaker meanwhile Kane was trying to eliminate Orton both Rhodes and DiBiase crept up behind him and then Kane was eliminated by all three members of Legacy, while the Undertaker and Big Show brawled on the outside apron (both went over the top rope, but had not hit the floor), Orton eliminated Big Show with an RKO, causing him to fall off the apron. Big Show eliminated The Undertaker shortly thereafter when he pulled his opponent off the apron by his leg. Despite being at a disadvantage against the Legacy, Triple H eliminated both DiBiase and Rhodes. With Triple H by the ropes, Orton quickly clotheslined him from behind to send him over the top rope and become the winner of the Royal Rumble match.<ref name="Rumble"/>
==Aftermath==
{{Main|No Way Out (2009)}}
[[Image:Shane-07.jpg|thumb|right|Shane McMahon returned after the Royal Rumble and attacked Randy Orton]]
On the January 26 edition of ''Raw'', The Legacy came out with two lawyers and a therapist. Randy Orton then revealed that he suffers from [[Intermittent explosive disorder|IED]], which causes him to experience violent outbursts when provoked, losing all control of his emotions and actions. According to Orton and his lawyers, Orton had told [[Stephanie McMahon]] that if fired, he would not only take DiBiase and Rhodes with him but the whole locker room, as he would bring in a lawsuit against the company.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/results/|title=The son also rises|date=2009-01-26|accessdate=2009-01-27|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]}}</ref>
The Raw brand started the qualifying matches for the brand's upcoming [[Elimination Chamber]] match at WWE's next pay-per-view event, [[No Way Out (2009)|No Way Out]]. Three of the qualifying matches saw [[Kofi Kingston]] defeat [[Kane (wrestler)|Kane]], Rey Mysterio defeat [[William Regal]] and Chris Jericho defeat [[CM Punk]] to qualify. In a fourth qualification match, Shawn Michaels failed to win a match against John Cena that would have made JBL eligible to participate in the Elimination Chamber.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/nowayout/matches/9229100/preview/ |title=Preview:World Heavyweight Title Elimination Chamber Match|accessdate=2009-01-28|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]}}</ref>
The ECW Championship feud between Jack Swagger and Matt Hardy had officially finished when ECW's on-air authority figure [[Theodore Long]] announced on the January 27 edition of ''ECW'' that Hardy had requested a move to the SmackDown brand. Swagger had other problems as his ECW title belt was stolen by [[Hornswoggle]]. When Hornswoggle's [[kayfabe|storyline father]], [[Dave Finlay|Finlay]], urged Hornswoggle to give the title back to Swagger, Swagger shoved Hornswoggle to the ground, which caused Finlay to knock down Swagger with his own title.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/ecw/results/|title=Extreme changes|date= 2009-01-27|accessdate=2009-01-28|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]}}</ref>
On the January 30 edition of ''SmackDown'', Matt Hardy proclaimed that he had no remorse about smashing his brother Jeff in the head at the Royal Rumble and costing him the [[WWE Championship]]. He then told the universe that he no longer considered Jeff a partner or a sibling.<ref>[http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/results/ Matt Hardy says the incident was no accident] [[World Wrestling Entertainment]] Retrieved on February 1, 2009</ref> There were three Elimination Chamber qualifiers for No Way Out. The first match being [[The Undertaker]] versus [[Mark Henry]], which Undertaker won via submission with the [[Gogoplata|Hell's Gate]]. The second qualifier match was [[Paul Wight|The Big Show]] defeating Festus with a K.O. Punch. The last qualifier was a triple threat match featuring Triple H, [[The Great Khali]] and [[Vladimir Kozlov]]. Triple H won the match after he delivered a [[Facebuster#Double underhook facebuster|Pedigree]] to Khali to pick up the victory.<ref>[http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/results/ HHH, Taker and Big Show in the Chamber] Retrieved on February 1, 2009</ref>
The Raw after No Way Out, Randy Orton chose to face the [[WWE Champion]] [[Triple H]] at [[Wrestlemania 25]]. This started a feud which would last throughout most of 2009.
==Reception==
The event was well received by critics. ''[[The Sun (newspaper)|The Sun]]'' noted the high quality of the matches, the surprising results, Matt Hardy's heel turn, and a superior-quality Royal Rumble match. Randy Orton's victory was also well praised as it set up an intriguing story for WrestleMania XXV, however, the win was also seen as obvious and predictable. ''The Sun'' ended its review with a high 9-out-of-10 score.<ref>
{{cite news|url=http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/article2173910.ece|title=Now the Legacy really begins|work=[[The Sun (newspaper)|The Sun]]|accessdate=2010-01-30|location=London|date=2009-01-26}}
</ref>
==Results==
{| style="font-size: 85%; text-align: left;" class="wikitable sortable"
!style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3;" width="1%"|'''#'''
!style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3;" width="45%"|'''Matches'''
!style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3;" width="50%"|'''Stipulations'''
!style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3;" width="0%"|'''Time'''<ref name ="pwh">{{cite web|url= http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/rumble.html#2009|title=Royal Rumble|accessdate=2009-02-23|publisher= prowrestlinghistory.com}}</ref>
|-
|[[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Dark match|Dark]]
|[[James Yun|Jimmy Wang Yang]] defeated [[Paul Burchill]]<ref name="pwh"/>
|[[Professional wrestling match types#Variations of singles matches|Singles match]]
|N/A
|-
|1
|[[Jack Swagger]] (c) defeated [[Matt Hardy]] <ref name="MattJack">{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/2009/matches/9143224/results/|title=Results:Solidification with a Swagger|date=2009-01-25|last=Burdick|first=Michael|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]|accessdate=2009-01-25}}</ref>
|Singles match for the [[ECW Championship]]
|14:50
|-
|2
|[[Melina Perez|Melina]] defeated [[Beth Phoenix]] (c) (with [[Santino Marella]]) <ref name="bethMelina">{{cite web|url= http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/2009/matches/9029660/results/|title=Results:Viva Melina!|date=2009-01-25|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]| accessdate=2009-01-25}}</ref>
|Singles match for the [[WWE Women's Championship]]
|5:56
|-
|3
|[[John Cena]] (c) defeated [[John "Bradshaw" Layfield]] (with [[Shawn Michaels]])<ref name="CenaJBL">{{cite web|url= http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/2009/matches/9029646/results/|title=Results:Beating the odds|date=2009-01-25|last=Sitterson|first= Aubrey|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]|accessdate=2009-01-25}}</ref>
|Singles match for the [[World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)|World Heavyweight Championship]]
|15:25
|-
|4
| [[Edge (wrestler)|Edge]] defeated [[Jeff Hardy]] (c) <ref name="HardyvsEdge">{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/2009/matches/9055494/results/|title=Results:Royal Rumble: Hardy's twisted fate brings gold to Edge|date=2009-01-25|accessdate=2009-01-25|last=DiFino|first=Lenny|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]}}</ref>
|[[Professional wrestling match types#No Disqualification match|No Disqualification match]] for the [[WWE Championship]]
|19:22
|-
|5
|[[Randy Orton]] won by last eliminating [[Triple H]].<ref name="Rumble">{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/2009/matches/9050360/results/|title=Results:Detroit "RKO" City|date=2009-01-25|last=Tello|first=Craig|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]|accessdate=2009-01-27}}</ref>
|[[Royal Rumble#Match|2009 Royal Rumble match]]
|58:50
|-
|colspan="4"|{{center|{{small|''(c) - refers to the champion heading into the match''}}}}
|}
{{note|WMXXV}} - The winner had the option of choosing which championship he would challenge for at Wrestlemania XXV.<ref name="RoyalRumblematch" />
===Royal Rumble entrances and eliminations===
Red <font color="#FFEEEE">██</font> "Raw" indicates a [[WWE Raw|Raw]] [[superstar]], blue <font color="#EEEEFF">██</font> "SD" indicates a [[WWE SmackDown|SmackDown]] superstar, purple <font color="#E7DDEE">██</font> "ECW" indicates an [[ECW on Syfy|ECW]] superstar, and gold <font color="#FFFCED">██</font> indicates a special guest entrant.
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1" style="font-size:100%; text-align:left;"
!style="border-style:none none solid solid; background:#e3e3e3;"|Draw<ref name="rumblestats">
{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/2009/participants09/|title=2009 Royal Rumble Statistics and Eliminations|accessdate =2009-01-06|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]}}</ref>
!style="border-style:none none solid solid; background:#e3e3e3;"|Entrant<ref name="rumblestats"/>
!style="border-style:none none solid solid; background:#e3e3e3;"|Brand
!style="border-style:none none solid solid; background:#e3e3e3;"|Order
!style="border-style:none none solid solid; background:#e3e3e3;"|Eliminated by<ref name="rumblestats"/>
!style="border-style:none none solid solid; background:#e3e3e3;"|Time<ref name="rumblestats"/>
|-
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|{{sort|01|1}}
|[[Rey Mysterio]]
|Raw
|20
|Big Show
|49:24
|-style="background: #E7DDEE;"
|{{sort|02|2}}
|[[John Morrison (wrestler)|John Morrison]]
|ECW
|{{sort|06|5}}
|Triple H
|19:32
|-style="background: #EEEEFF;"
|{{sort|03|3}}
|[[Carlito (wrestler)|Carlito]]
|SD
|{{sort|03|3}}
|Kozlov
|06:11
|-style="background: #EEEEFF;"
|{{sort|04|4}}
|[[Montel Vontavious Porter]]
|SD
|{{sort|02|2}}
|Kozlov
|03:52
|-style="background: #EEEEFF;"
|{{sort|05|5}}
|[[The Great Khali]]
|SD
|{{sort|01|1}}
|Kozlov
|01:30
|-style="background: #EEEEFF;"
|{{sort|06|6}}
|[[Vladimir Kozlov]]
|SD
|{{sort|04|4}}
|Triple H
|02:40
|-style="background: #EEEEFF;"
|{{sort|07|7}}
|[[Triple H]]
|SD
|29
|Orton
|49:55
|-style="background: #FFCCCC;"
|{{sort|08|8}}
|[[Randy Orton]]
|Raw
|{{sort|30|-}}
|'''Winner'''
|48:27
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|{{sort|09|9}}
|[[Cryme Tyme|JTG]]
|Raw
|{{sort|07|7}}
|Undertaker
|11:59
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|10
|[[Ted DiBiase, Jr.|Ted DiBiase]]
|Raw
|27
|Triple H
|45:11
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|11
|[[Chris Jericho]]
|Raw
|23
|Undertaker
|37:17
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|12
|[[Mike Knox]]
|Raw
|19
|Big Show
|32:42
|-style="background: #E7DDEE;"
|13
|[[Mike Mizanin|The Miz]]
|ECW
|{{sort|05|6}}
|Triple H
|01:18
|-style="background: #E7DDEE;"
|14
|[[Dave Finlay|Finlay]]
|ECW
|21
|Kane
|29:59
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|15
|[[Cody Rhodes]]
|Raw
|28
|Triple H
|37:01
|-style="background: #EEEEFF;"
|16
|[[The Undertaker]]
|SD
|26
|Big Show{{note|show}}
|32:29
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|17
|[[Dustin Rhodes|Goldust]]
|Raw
|{{sort|08|8}}
|Rhodes
|01:11
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|18
|[[CM Punk]]
|Raw
|18
|Big Show
|22:29
|-style="background: #E7DDEE;"
|19
|[[Mark Henry]]
|ECW
|{{sort|09|9}}
|Mysterio
|03:14
|-style="background: #EEEEFF;"
|20
|[[Shelton Benjamin]]
|SD
|10
|Undertaker
|04:17
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|21
|[[William Regal]]
|Raw
|11
|Punk
|04:23
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|22
|[[Kofi Kingston]]
|Raw
|12
|Kendrick
|06:58
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|23
|[[Kane (wrestler)|Kane]]
|Raw
|24
|Orton, Rhodes and DiBiase
|18:21
|-style="background: #EEEEFF;"
|24
|[[Ron Killings|R-Truth]]
|SD
|17
|Big Show
|12:06
|-style="background: #FFFCED;"
|25
|[[Rob Van Dam]]
| -
|22
|Jericho
|13:56
|-style="background: #EEEEFF;"
|26
|[[Brian Kendrick]]
|SD
|13
|Triple H
|00:15
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|27
|[[Nick Nemeth|Dolph Ziggler]]
|Raw
|14
|Kane
|00:21
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|28
|[[Santino Marella]]
|Raw
|15
|Kane
|00:01
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|29
|[[Jim Duggan]]
|Raw
|16
|Big Show
|02:50
|-style="background: #EEEEFF;"
|30
|[[Paul Wight|The Big Show]]
|SD
|25
|Orton
|09:32
|}
{{note|show}}Randy Orton had already eliminated The Big Show prior to his elimination of The Undertaker.
==See also==
{{Portal|Professional wrestling}}
*[[List of WWE pay-per-view events]]
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
==External links==
*[http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/2009/ Official Royal Rumble 2009 website]
{{WWEPPV|Royal Rumble}}
[[Category:2009 in professional wrestling]]
[[Category:Royal Rumble|2009]]
{{Link GA|simple}}
[[bg:Royal Rumble (2009)]]
[[es:Royal Rumble (2009)]]
[[fr:Royal Rumble 2009]]
[[pl:Royal Rumble (2009)]]
[[pt:Royal Rumble (2009)]]
[[ru:Королевская битва 2009 (реслинг)]]
[[simple:Royal Rumble (2009)]]
[[fi:Royal Rumble (2009)]]
[[th:รอยัลรัมเบิล (2009)]]' |
New page wikitext, after the edit (new_wikitext ) | '{{Infobox Wrestling event
|name = Royal Rumble (2009)
|image = 30068_PPV_RR_aff_ban_300x450.jpg
|caption = Promotional poster featuring various [[List of World Wrestling Entertainment employees|WWE Superstars]]
|theme = "[[Let It Rock (Kevin Rudolf song)|Let It Rock]]" by [[Kevin Rudolf]] featuring [[Lil Wayne]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/2009/|title=WWE Royal Rumble|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]|accessdate=2009-01-09|quote=Special thanks to Kevin Rudolf, whose "Let it Rock" is the official theme of the Royal Rumble. The track is off his Cash Money Records debut, In the City, which is available now.}}</ref>
|promotion = [[World Wrestling Entertainment]]
|brand = [[WWE Raw|Raw]]<br />[[WWE SmackDown|SmackDown]]<br />[[ECW (WWE)|ECW]]
|date = January 25, 2009
|attendance = 16,685
|venue = [[Joe Louis Arena]]
|city = [[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]]
|lastevent = [[Armageddon (2008)]]
|nextevent = [[No Way Out (2009)]]
|event = [[Royal Rumble]]
|lastevent2 = [[Royal Rumble (2008)]]
|nextevent2 = [[Royal Rumble (2010)]]
}}
'''Royal Rumble (2009)''' was the twenty-second annual [[Royal Rumble]] [[professional wrestling]] [[pay-per-view]] event produced by [[World Wrestling Entertainment]] (WWE). It took place on January 25, 2009 at the [[Joe Louis Arena]] in [[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]] and featured talent from the [[WWE Raw|Raw]], [[WWE SmackDown|SmackDown]] and [[ECW on Syfy|ECW]] brands.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.wwe.com/schedules/events/eventdetail/?id=8111896|title=WWE Royal Rumble event details|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]|accessdate=2009-01-03}}</ref> As has been customary since 1993, the [[Royal Rumble|Royal Rumble match]] winner received a match at that year's [[WrestleMania]], (in this instance: [[WrestleMania XXV]]) for his choice at either the [[WWE Championship]], the [[World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)|World Heavyweight Championship]] and the [[ECW World Heavyweight Championship|ECW Championship]].
Five [[Mock combat|professional wrestling matches]] were featured on the event's [[Card (sports)|supercard]], a scheduling of more than one [[Card (sports)|main event]]. The [[Card (sports)|main event]] was the annual 30-man [[Royal Rumble|Royal Rumble match]] which featured wrestlers from all three brands. [[Randy Orton]], the eighth entrant, won the match by last eliminating [[Triple H]], the seventh entrant. The featured match on the Raw brand was for the World Heavyweight Championship between reigning champion [[John Cena]] and [[John Layfield|John "Bradshaw" Layfield]] (JBL), which Cena won after performing an Attitude Adjustment. The primary match on the SmackDown brand was a [[Professional wrestling match types#No Disqualification match|No Disqualification match]] between [[Jeff Hardy]] and [[Edge (wrestler)|Edge]] for the WWE Championship, which Edge won by pinfall after [[Matt Hardy]] interfered in the match and hit Jeff with a [[Folding chair|steel chair]]. The predominant match on the ECW brand was between [[Jack Swagger]] and Matt Hardy for the ECW Championship, which Swagger won by pinfall after a gutwrench powerbomb.
==Background==
{{See also|Professional wrestling}}
Royal Rumble 2009 featured [[professional wrestling match types|professional wrestling matches]] that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing [[Screenplay|script]]ed feuds, [[plot (narrative)|plot]]s, and [[narrative thread|storyline]]s played out on ''[[WWE Raw|Raw]]'', ''[[WWE SmackDown|Friday Night SmackDown]]'', and ''[[ECW on Syfy|ECW on Sci Fi]]'' - [[World Wrestling Entertainment]]'s (WWE) primary television programs. Wrestlers portrayed a [[Heel (professional wrestling)|villain]] or a [[Face (professional wrestling)|hero]] as they followed a series of events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or in a series of matches.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://corporate.wwe.com/company/events.jsp|title=Live & Televised Entertainment of World Wrestling Entertainment|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]|accessdate=2009-01-11}}</ref> The event featured wrestlers from WWE's Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands—a [[WWE Brand Extension|storyline division]] in which WWE employees were assigned to a television program of the same name.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2006/2006_05_25_02.jsp|title= WWE Launches ECW As Third Brand |publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]] Corporate|accessdate=2009-01-11}}</ref>
[[File:John Bradshaw Layfield 081204-A-5049R-108.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[John Layfield|John "Bradshaw" Layfield]] (JBL) who faced off with [[John Cena]] at the Royal Rumble]]
The prime match scripted into Royal Rumble 2009, the annual [[Royal Rumble#Match|Royal Rumble match]], has featured at every Royal Rumble event since its inception. The match featured 30 male wrestlers from WWE's three brands; WWE officially announced 23 participants. The match ends when one wrestler remains in the ring after the elimination of all the 29 other wrestlers. (Participants eliminate opponents by tossing them over the top ring-rope and making both their feet touch the floor.) The winner earned an opportunity to challenge for the [[WWE Championship|WWE]], [[World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)|World Heavyweight]], or [[ECW Championship]] at WWE's April [[WrestleMania XXV]] pay-per-view.<ref name="RoyalRumblematch">{{cite web| url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/2009/matches/9050360/preview/|title=Preview: 30-Man Royal Rumble match|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]|accessdate= 2009-01-11}}</ref>
The main [[Feud (professional wrestling)|rivalry]] from the Raw brand played out between [[John Cena]] and [[John Layfield|John "Bradshaw" Layfield]] (JBL) over the World Heavyweight Championship. JBL earned his championship match against Cena after winning a [[Professional wrestling match types#Basic elimination matches|Fatal Four-Way Elimination match]]—a standard match in which the last remaining competitor who has not been eliminated is declared the winner—on the December 29, 2008 episode of ''Raw'' by defeating [[Chris Jericho]], [[Randy Orton]], and [[Shawn Michaels]].<ref name="Raw12.29">{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/12292008/|title=Results: And they're off...|last=Adkins|first=Greg|date=2008-12-29|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]|accessdate=2009-01-11}}</ref>
Another rivalry from the Raw brand came with [[Melina Perez|Melina]] challenging [[Beth Phoenix]] for her [[WWE Women's Championship]] in a singles match. Melina won the opportunity to face Phoenix on the December 29, 2008 episode of ''Raw'' by winning a [[Battle royal (professional wrestling)|battle royal]], a match similar to the Royal Rumble, though with fewer competitors.<ref name="Raw12.29" />
The main rivalry from the SmackDown brand incorporated into the Royal Rumble featured [[Jeff Hardy]] and [[Edge (wrestler)|Edge]], with the two feuding over the [[WWE Championship]]. At WWE's previous pay-per-view event, [[Armageddon (2008)|Armageddon]], Hardy had defeated defending champion Edge and [[Triple H]] in a Triple Threat match, a standard match involving three wrestlers, to win the WWE Championship. On the January 2, 2009 episode of ''SmackDown'', on-air [[Professional wrestling authority figures#General Managers|authority figure]] [[Vickie Guerrero]] announced that Edge would face Hardy for the WWE title at the Royal Rumble.<ref name="SD01.02">{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/results/8008376/|title=Results: Hardy New Year!|last=Passero| first=Mitch|date=2009-01-02|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]|accessdate=2009-01-11}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
The ECW brand's main rivalry, that between [[Jack Swagger]] and [[Matt Hardy]], had the two feuding over the [[ECW Championship]]. On the January 13, 2009 edition of ''ECW on Syfy'', Swagger defeated Hardy to capture the ECW Championship. On the January 16 episode of ''Friday Night SmackDown'', WWE announced that Swagger would defend the ECW title against Hardy in a rematch at the Royal Rumble.
==Event==
{|class="wikitable" border="1" style="float:right; border:1px; font-size:90%; margin-left:1em;"
|+Other on-screen talent
|-
!style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Role:
!style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Name:
|-
|rowspan=8|Commentator
|[[Michael Cole]] {{small|(Raw)}}
|-
|[[Jerry Lawler]] {{small|(Raw, Royal Rumble)}}
|-
|[[Jim Ross]] {{small|(Smackdown, Royal Rumble)}}
|-
|[[Tazz]] {{small|(Smackdown)}}
|-
|[[Todd Grisham]] {{small|(ECW)}}
|-
|[[Matt Striker]] {{small|(ECW)}}
|-
|[[Carlos Cabrera]] {{small|(Spanish)}}
|-
|[[Hugo Savinovich]] {{small|(Spanish)}}
|-
|rowspan=3|Ring announcer
|[[Lilian Garcia]] {{small|(Raw)}}
|-
|[[Justin Roberts]] {{small|(SmackDown, Royal Rumble)}}
|-
|[[Tony Chimel]] {{small|(ECW)}}
|-
|rowspan=6|Referees
|[[Joseph James, Jr.|Scott Armstrong]]
|-
|[[Mike Chioda]]
|-
|[[Jack Doan]]
|-
|Marty Elias
|-
|[[Chad Patton (referee)|Chad Patton]]
|-
|[[Charles Robinson (wrestling referee)|Charles Robinson]]
|}
===Preliminary matches===
The first match of the evening saw [[Jack Swagger]] defend the ECW Championship against [[Matt Hardy]]. The match started with both wrestlers countering the other's moves until Swagger injured Hardy's left shoulder and then targeted it for the rest of the match. Swagger ultimately defeated Hardy by pinning him after a gutwrench powerbomb. Swagger thus retained the ECW title.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://prowrestling.about.com/b/2009/01/25/royal-rumble-2009-recap-and-results.htm|title=Royal Rumble 2009 Recap and Results|date=January 25, 2009|last=Cohen|first=Eric|accessdate=July 7, 3011|work=About.com| publisher=[[The New York Times Company]]}}</ref>
The second match on the card involved the [[WWE Women's Championship]], where [[Beth Phoenix]] defended her title against [[Melina Perez|Melina]]. The match ended as Phoenix attempted to perform the [[Facebuster#Chickenwing facebuster|Glam Slam]] on Melina, but the latter countered it into a [[Pin (professional wrestling)|roll-up pin]], giving her the win and the Women's Championship.<ref name="bethMelina"/>
===Main event matches===
[[Image:Orton Royal Rumble 2009.jpg|thumb|left|Randy Orton after winning the 2009 Royal Rumble]]
The third match on the card pitted John Cena against JBL for the World Heavyweight Championship. JBL's employee [[Shawn Michaels]] accompanied him to the ring and first got involved in the match when the referee became incapacitated; he came into the ring and performed his [[Superkick|Sweet Chin Music]] finisher both on JBL and Cena. He then left ringside, leaving JBL's arm on top of Cena. Cena however managed to get a shoulder up and performed an Attitude Adjustment to retain his World Championship.<ref name="CenaJBL"/>
The fourth match on the card involved the WWE Championship, as Jeff Hardy defended his title against Edge. Before the match began Vickie Guerrero came out and announced it as a [[Professional wrestling match types#No Disqualification match|No Disqualification match]]. Edge then revealed that [[Chavo Guerrero, Jr.|Chavo Guerrero]] would be in his corner. During the match Hardy brought a ladder out and set it up near the Spanish announce table. When Chavo tried to interfere, Hardy put him on the table and jumped off the ladder, connecting with Chavo and breaking the table. Hardy then had the match won when he performed the Swanton on Edge after kicking Vickie off the apron when she tried to interfere. When Hardy went for the pin, Vickie stopped referee [[Joseph James, Jr.|Scott Armstrong]] from making a three count. Jeff's brother Matt then made his way to the ring, placing a chair under Edge's face. Grabbing another chair, Matt at first appeared to be setting Edge up for his own version of Edge's [[Professional wrestling attacks#One man con-chair-to|con-chair-to]] maneuver. He smashed Jeff in the head with a chair, and Edge then pinned Jeff to become the new WWE Champion.<ref name="HardyvsEdge"/>
The main event consisted of the Royal Rumble match. [[Rey Mysterio, Jr.|Rey Mysterio]] and [[John Morrison (wrestler)|John Morrison]] started the Rumble. The final eight participants left in the match were [[Paul Wight|The Big Show]], [[Chris Jericho]], [[The Undertaker]], [[Glenn Jacobs|Kane]], Triple H and [[The Legacy (professional wrestling)|The Legacy]] ([[Cody Rhodes]], [[Ted DiBiase, Jr.|Ted DiBiase]] and [[Randy Orton]]). After Chris Jericho eliminated Rob Van Dam soon afterwards he was eliminated by the Undertaker meanwhile Kane was trying to eliminate Orton both Rhodes and DiBiase crept up behind him and then Kane was eliminated by all three members of Legacy, while the Undertaker and Big Show brawled on the outside apron (both went over the top rope, but had not hit the floor), Orton eliminated Big Show with an RKO, causing him to fall off the apron. Big Show eliminated The Undertaker shortly thereafter when he pulled his opponent off the apron by his leg. Despite being at a disadvantage against the Legacy, Triple H eliminated both DiBiase and Rhodes. With Triple H by the ropes, Orton quickly clotheslined him from behind to send him over the top rope and become the winner of the Royal Rumble match.<ref name="Rumble"/>
==Aftermath==
{{Main|No Way Out (2009)}}
[[Image:Shane-07.jpg|thumb|right|Shane McMahon returned after the Royal Rumble and attacked Randy Orton]]
On the January 26 edition of ''Raw'', The Legacy came out with two lawyers and a therapist. Randy Orton then revealed that he suffers from [[Intermittent explosive disorder|IED]], which causes him to experience violent outbursts when provoked, losing all control of his emotions and actions. According to Orton and his lawyers, Orton had told [[Stephanie McMahon]] that if fired, he would not only take DiBiase and Rhodes with him but the whole locker room, as he would bring in a lawsuit against the company.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/results/|title=The son also rises|date=2009-01-26|accessdate=2009-01-27|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]}}</ref>
The Raw brand started the qualifying matches for the brand's upcoming [[Elimination Chamber]] match at WWE's next pay-per-view event, [[No Way Out (2009)|No Way Out]]. Three of the qualifying matches saw [[Kofi Kingston]] defeat [[Kane (wrestler)|Kane]], Rey Mysterio defeat [[William Regal]] and Chris Jericho defeat [[CM Punk]] to qualify. In a fourth qualification match, Shawn Michaels failed to win a match against John Cena that would have made JBL eligible to participate in the Elimination Chamber.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/nowayout/matches/9229100/preview/ |title=Preview:World Heavyweight Title Elimination Chamber Match|accessdate=2009-01-28|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]}}</ref>mmmmmmmmmmm dddiiicccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkrrrrrrrooooooooccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
On the January 30 edition of ''SmackDown'', Matt Hardy proclaimed that he had no remorse about smashing his brother Jeff in the head at the Royal Rumble and costing him the [[WWE Championship]]. He then told the universe that he no longer considered Jeff a partner or a sibling.<ref>[http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/results/ Matt Hardy says the incident was no accident] [[World Wrestling Entertainment]] Retrieved on February 1, 2009</ref> There were three Elimination Chamber qualifiers for No Way Out. The first match being [[The Undertaker]] versus [[Mark Henry]], which Undertaker won via submission with the [[Gogoplata|Hell's Gate]]. The second qualifier match was [[Paul Wight|The Big Show]] defeating Festus with a K.O. Punch. The last qualifier was a triple threat match featuring Triple H, [[The Great Khali]] and [[Vladimir Kozlov]]. Triple H won the match after he delivered a [[Facebuster#Double underhook facebuster|Pedigree]] to Khali to pick up the victory.<ref>[http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/results/ HHH, Taker and Big Show in the Chamber] Retrieved on February 1, 2009</ref>
The Raw after No Way Out, Randy Orton chose to face the [[WWE Champion]] [[Triple H]] at [[Wrestlemania 25]]. This started a feud which would last throughout most of 2009.
==Reception==
The event was well received by critics. ''[[The Sun (newspaper)|The Sun]]'' noted the high quality of the matches, the surprising results, Matt Hardy's heel turn, and a superior-quality Royal Rumble match. Randy Orton's victory was also well praised as it set up an intriguing story for WrestleMania XXV, however, the win was also seen as obvious and predictable. ''The Sun'' ended its review with a high 9-out-of-10 score.<ref>
{{cite news|url=http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/article2173910.ece|title=Now the Legacy really begins|work=[[The Sun (newspaper)|The Sun]]|accessdate=2010-01-30|location=London|date=2009-01-26}}
</ref>
==Results==
{| style="font-size: 85%; text-align: left;" class="wikitable sortable"
!style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3;" width="1%"|'''#'''
!style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3;" width="45%"|'''Matches'''
!style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3;" width="50%"|'''Stipulations'''
!style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3;" width="0%"|'''Time'''<ref name ="pwh">{{cite web|url= http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/rumble.html#2009|title=Royal Rumble|accessdate=2009-02-23|publisher= prowrestlinghistory.com}}</ref>
|-
|[[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Dark match|Dark]]
|[[James Yun|Jimmy Wang Yang]] defeated [[Paul Burchill]]<ref name="pwh"/>
|[[Professional wrestling match types#Variations of singles matches|Singles match]]
|N/A
|-
|1
|[[Jack Swagger]] (c) defeated [[Matt Hardy]] <ref name="MattJack">{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/2009/matches/9143224/results/|title=Results:Solidification with a Swagger|date=2009-01-25|last=Burdick|first=Michael|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]|accessdate=2009-01-25}}</ref>
|Singles match for the [[ECW Championship]]
|14:50
|-
|2
|[[Melina Perez|Melina]] defeated [[Beth Phoenix]] (c) (with [[Santino Marella]]) <ref name="bethMelina">{{cite web|url= http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/2009/matches/9029660/results/|title=Results:Viva Melina!|date=2009-01-25|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]| accessdate=2009-01-25}}</ref>
|Singles match for the [[WWE Women's Championship]]
|5:56
|-
|3
|[[John Cena]] (c) defeated [[John "Bradshaw" Layfield]] (with [[Shawn Michaels]])<ref name="CenaJBL">{{cite web|url= http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/2009/matches/9029646/results/|title=Results:Beating the odds|date=2009-01-25|last=Sitterson|first= Aubrey|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]|accessdate=2009-01-25}}</ref>
|Singles match for the [[World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)|World Heavyweight Championship]]
|15:25
|-
|4
| [[Edge (wrestler)|Edge]] defeated [[Jeff Hardy]] (c) <ref name="HardyvsEdge">{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/2009/matches/9055494/results/|title=Results:Royal Rumble: Hardy's twisted fate brings gold to Edge|date=2009-01-25|accessdate=2009-01-25|last=DiFino|first=Lenny|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]}}</ref>
|[[Professional wrestling match types#No Disqualification match|No Disqualification match]] for the [[WWE Championship]]
|19:22
|-
|5
|[[Randy Orton]] won by last eliminating [[Triple H]].<ref name="Rumble">{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/2009/matches/9050360/results/|title=Results:Detroit "RKO" City|date=2009-01-25|last=Tello|first=Craig|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]|accessdate=2009-01-27}}</ref>
|[[Royal Rumble#Match|2009 Royal Rumble match]]
|58:50
|-
|colspan="4"|{{center|{{small|''(c) - refers to the champion heading into the match''}}}}
|}
{{note|WMXXV}} - The winner had the option of choosing which championship he would challenge for at Wrestlemania XXV.<ref name="RoyalRumblematch" />
===Royal Rumble entrances and eliminations===
Red <font color="#FFEEEE">██</font> "Raw" indicates a [[WWE Raw|Raw]] [[superstar]], blue <font color="#EEEEFF">██</font> "SD" indicates a [[WWE SmackDown|SmackDown]] superstar, purple <font color="#E7DDEE">██</font> "ECW" indicates an [[ECW on Syfy|ECW]] superstar, and gold <font color="#FFFCED">██</font> indicates a special guest entrant.
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1" style="font-size:100%; text-align:left;"
!style="border-style:none none solid solid; background:#e3e3e3;"|Draw<ref name="rumblestats">
{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/2009/participants09/|title=2009 Royal Rumble Statistics and Eliminations|accessdate =2009-01-06|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]}}</ref>
!style="border-style:none none solid solid; background:#e3e3e3;"|Entrant<ref name="rumblestats"/>
!style="border-style:none none solid solid; background:#e3e3e3;"|Brand
!style="border-style:none none solid solid; background:#e3e3e3;"|Order
!style="border-style:none none solid solid; background:#e3e3e3;"|Eliminated by<ref name="rumblestats"/>
!style="border-style:none none solid solid; background:#e3e3e3;"|Time<ref name="rumblestats"/>
|-
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|{{sort|01|1}}
|[[Rey Mysterio]]
|Raw
|20
|Big Show
|49:24
|-style="background: #E7DDEE;"
|{{sort|02|2}}
|[[John Morrison (wrestler)|John Morrison]]
|ECW
|{{sort|06|5}}
|Triple H
|19:32
|-style="background: #EEEEFF;"
|{{sort|03|3}}
|[[Carlito (wrestler)|Carlito]]
|SD
|{{sort|03|3}}
|Kozlov
|06:11
|-style="background: #EEEEFF;"
|{{sort|04|4}}
|[[Montel Vontavious Porter]]
|SD
|{{sort|02|2}}
|Kozlov
|03:52
|-style="background: #EEEEFF;"
|{{sort|05|5}}
|[[The Great Khali]]
|SD
|{{sort|01|1}}
|Kozlov
|01:30
|-style="background: #EEEEFF;"
|{{sort|06|6}}
|[[Vladimir Kozlov]]
|SD
|{{sort|04|4}}
|Triple H
|02:40
|-style="background: #EEEEFF;"
|{{sort|07|7}}
|[[Triple H]]
|SD
|29
|Orton
|49:55
|-style="background: #FFCCCC;"
|{{sort|08|8}}
|[[Randy Orton]]
|Raw
|{{sort|30|-}}
|'''Winner'''
|48:27
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|{{sort|09|9}}
|[[Cryme Tyme|JTG]]
|Raw
|{{sort|07|7}}
|Undertaker
|11:59
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|10
|[[Ted DiBiase, Jr.|Ted DiBiase]]
|Raw
|27
|Triple H
|45:11
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|11
|[[Chris Jericho]]
|Raw
|23
|Undertaker
|37:17
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|12
|[[Mike Knox]]
|Raw
|19
|Big Show
|32:42
|-style="background: #E7DDEE;"
|13
|[[Mike Mizanin|The Miz]]
|ECW
|{{sort|05|6}}
|Triple H
|01:18
|-style="background: #E7DDEE;"
|14
|[[Dave Finlay|Finlay]]
|ECW
|21
|Kane
|29:59
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|15
|[[Cody Rhodes]]
|Raw
|28
|Triple H
|37:01
|-style="background: #EEEEFF;"
|16
|[[The Undertaker]]
|SD
|26
|Big Show{{note|show}}
|32:29
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|17
|[[Dustin Rhodes|Goldust]]
|Raw
|{{sort|08|8}}
|Rhodes
|01:11
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|18
|[[CM Punk]]
|Raw
|18
|Big Show
|22:29
|-style="background: #E7DDEE;"
|19
|[[Mark Henry]]
|ECW
|{{sort|09|9}}
|Mysterio
|03:14
|-style="background: #EEEEFF;"
|20
|[[Shelton Benjamin]]
|SD
|10
|Undertaker
|04:17
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|21
|[[William Regal]]
|Raw
|11
|Punk
|04:23
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|22
|[[Kofi Kingston]]
|Raw
|12
|Kendrick
|06:58
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|23
|[[Kane (wrestler)|Kane]]
|Raw
|24
|Orton, Rhodes and DiBiase
|18:21
|-style="background: #EEEEFF;"
|24
|[[Ron Killings|R-Truth]]
|SD
|17
|Big Show
|12:06
|-style="background: #FFFCED;"
|25
|[[Rob Van Dam]]
| -
|22
|Jericho
|13:56
|-style="background: #EEEEFF;"
|26
|[[Brian Kendrick]]
|SD
|13
|Triple H
|00:15
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|27
|[[Nick Nemeth|Dolph Ziggler]]
|Raw
|14
|Kane
|00:21
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|28
|[[Santino Marella]]
|Raw
|15
|Kane
|00:01
|-style="background: #FFEEEE;"
|29
|[[Jim Duggan]]
|Raw
|16
|Big Show
|02:50
|-style="background: #EEEEFF;"
|30
|[[Paul Wight|The Big Show]]
|SD
|25
|Orton
|09:32
|}
{{note|show}}Randy Orton had already eliminated The Big Show prior to his elimination of The Undertaker.
==See also==
{{Portal|Professional wrestling}}
*[[List of WWE pay-per-view events]]
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
==External links==
*[http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/2009/ Official Royal Rumble 2009 website]
{{WWEPPV|Royal Rumble}}
[[Category:2009 in professional wrestling]]
[[Category:Royal Rumble|2009]]
{{Link GA|simple}}
[[bg:Royal Rumble (2009)]]
[[es:Royal Rumble (2009)]]
[[fr:Royal Rumble 2009]]
[[pl:Royal Rumble (2009)]]
[[pt:Royal Rumble (2009)]]
[[ru:Королевская битва 2009 (реслинг)]]
[[simple:Royal Rumble (2009)]]
[[fi:Royal Rumble (2009)]]
[[th:รอยัลรัมเบิล (2009)]]' |