| Royal Rumble | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuring theMcMahon family (from left to right:Shane McMahon,Vince McMahon,Linda McMahon, andStephanie McMahon) | |||
| Promotion | World Wrestling Entertainment | ||
| Brand(s) | Raw SmackDown! | ||
| Date | January 29, 2006 | ||
| City | Miami,Florida | ||
| Venue | American Airlines Arena | ||
| Attendance | 16,000[1] | ||
| Buy rate | 585,000[2] | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
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| Royal Rumble chronology | |||
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The 2006Royal Rumble was aprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV)event produced byWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 19th annualRoyal Rumble and took place on January 29, 2006, in theAmerican Airlines Arena inMiami,Florida, held for wrestlers from the promotion'sRaw andSmackDown!brand divisions. As has been customary since 1993, theRoyal Rumble match winner received a world championship match at that year'sWrestleMania. For the 2006 event, the winner received their choice to challenge for either Raw'sWWE Championship or SmackDown!'sWorld Heavyweight Championship atWrestleMania 22.
Sixprofessional wrestling matches were featured on the event'ssupercard, a scheduling of more than onemain event. The main feature of the event was the 2006 Royal Rumble match, which featured wrestlers from both brands.SmackDown!'sRey Mysterio, the second entrant, won the match by last eliminatingRandy Orton, the thirtieth entrant, also from SmackDown!. The primary match on the SmackDown! brand wasKurt Angle versusMark Henry for the World Heavyweight Championship, which Angle won to retain the title. The predominant match on the Raw brand wasEdge versusJohn Cena for the WWE Championship, which Cena won to win the title.
TheRoyal Rumble is an annualgimmickpay-per-view (PPV) produced every January byWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) since 1988. It is one of the promotion's original four pay-per-views, along withWrestleMania,SummerSlam, andSurvivor Series, dubbed the "Big Four".[3] It is named after theRoyal Rumble match, a modifiedbattle royal in which the participants enter at timed intervals instead of all beginning in the ring at the same time. The 2006 event was the 19th Royal Rumble and was scheduled to be held on January 29, 2006, in theAmerican Airlines Arena inMiami,Florida. It featured wrestlers from theRaw andSmackDown!brands.[4]
The Royal Rumble match generally features 30 wrestlers. Traditionally, the winner of the match earns aworld championship match at that year's WrestleMania.[5][6] For 2006, the winner could choose to challenge for either Raw'sWWE Championship or SmackDown!'sWorld Heavyweight Championship atWrestleMania 22.[4]
The event included matches that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown! brands, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows,Raw andSmackDown!.[7][8]
Prior to the annual Royal Rumble match, several qualifying matches for the match took place on WWE's flagship television programs. The first three qualifying matches were held on the January 9 episode ofRaw.Chavo Guerrero defeatedRob Conway,Shelton Benjamin defeatedVal Venis, andKane defeatedSnitsky, meaning they had earned a place in the Rumble. ABattle Royal also took place on the January 16 episode ofWWE Heat in addition to aSingles match betweenTrevor Murdoch andAntonio Thomas, which Murdoch won.
The main feud heading into the Royal Rumble on the Raw brand was betweenEdge andJohn Cena, with the two feuding over the WWE Championship. The feud started atNew Year's Revolution when Cena won anElimination Chamber match also involving 5 other superstars to retain the WWE title.[10] Immediately after the match, however,Vince McMahon came out and stated that Edge was cashing in hisMoney in the Bank contract that he won atWrestleMania 21.[11] Edge then came out with Lita and, twospears later, he pinned Cena to becomeWWE Champion.[12][13] Then the next night, Edge held a live sex celebration which got smashed up by Cena and Cena delivered anFU onLita and sent a message to Edge.[14]
The main feud heading into the Royal Rumble on the SmackDown! brand was betweenKurt Angle andMark Henry over the World Heavyweight Championship. The World Heavyweight Championship was originally held byBatista. He defended the title against Henry at aSmackDown!live event in asteel cage match. Henry was disqualified in the match and Batista retained the title but histriceps were injured.[15] As a result, he was forced to vacate the title on the January 13 episode ofSmackDown!. Later on, a 20-manbattle royal was arranged to determine the new World Heavyweight Champion.Rawsuperstar Kurt Angle won the battle royal last eliminating Mark Henry and winning the vacant title[16][17] thus also starting a rivalry between the two. This also made Angle leave Raw and move to SmackDown!. The next week, Henry defeatedRey Mysterio to become the Number One Contender to Angle's title.
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Englishcommentators | Joey Styles(Raw) |
| Jerry Lawler(Raw/Royal Rumble Match) | |
| Michael Cole(SmackDown/Royal Rumble Match) | |
| Tazz(SmackDown) | |
| Spanish commentators | Carlos Cabrera |
| Hugo Savinovich | |
| Interviewers | Todd Grisham |
| Josh Mathews | |
| Ring announcer | Lilian Garcia(Raw/Royal Rumble Match) |
| Tony Chimel(SmackDown) | |
| Referees | Nick Patrick |
| Charles Robinson | |
| Mike Chioda | |
| Mickie Henson | |
| Chris Kay | |
| Jim Korderas |
Before the event went live on pay-per-view,Finlay defeatedBrian Kendrick in a match that aired onHeat.[4]
The opening match was a6-Way Cruiserweight Open match for theWWE Cruiserweight Championship which was held byKid Kash at the time.Funaki,Jamie Noble,Nunzio,Paul London, and Raw superstarGregory Helms joined the match to challenge Kash for the Cruiserweight Championship. A memorablespot from this match was Paul London executing ashooting star press onto all of the challengers. Gregory Helms executed aflying neckbreaker on London. Kid Kash nailed London with aDead Level. He covered London but Nunzio and Funaki broke up thecount. Noble held Funaki in thedragon sleeper. Helms attempted ashining wizard on Noble, but he avoided the move. Helms threw Noble out of the ring and then pinned Funaki after a shining wizard to win the Cruiserweight title.[4][18][19]
The second match was adivas match betweenMickie James andAshley Massaro.Trish Stratus was thespecial guest referee for this match. Before the match started, James told Stratus backstage that she loved her. While the match started, Massaro worked over James's arm. While Massaro pounded James into the corner, Stratus pulled James. James would later up work out on Massaro's back and neck. Massaro made a comeback in the match, but finally, Jamespowerbombed her to win the match.[4][20]
In the third match,The Boogeyman facedJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield (with hisvaletJillian Hall). In the match, JBL tried to do everything to measure out Boogeyman. Finally, JBL had Boogeyman measured and went for theClothesline from Hell but he missed the move and was sent crashing shoulder first into the post. Boogeyman nailed JBL with apumphandle slam to win the match. After the match, he tried to throw worms in JBL's mouth but JBL threw his valet Jillian into the ring and Boogeyman threw worms in her mouth.[4][21]
The fourth match was the 2006 Royal Rumble match.Triple H drew as the No. 1 entrant whileRey Mysterio drew No. 2. Mysterio and Triple H fought off each other in the beginning of the match. Later on, the two teamed up to eliminate No. 3 entrantSimon Dean. Mysterio eliminated No. 4 entrantPsicosis on his own.Ric Flair drew No. 5 but he made a mistake by charging Triple H near the ropes. Triple H simply sidestepped the charge and eliminated Flair from the match. No. 6 entrant wasBig Show and No. 7 entrant wasJonathan Coachman. Coach was quickly eliminated with a swat of Big Show's hand.Bobby Lashley drew No. 8 while Big Show'sWorld Tag Team Championship partner at the time,Kane drew No. 9, while making made his tenth appearance in a Royal Rumble match, tying the record for most Royal Rumble appearances withRikishi. It also marked his eighth consecutive appearance in the Royal Rumble as Kane, breaking the previous record of seven consecutive appearances held by himself,Owen Hart andRick Martel.
Big Show and Kane teamed up to eliminate Lashley and then the two targeted each other trying to eliminate each other at the ropes. Triple H took the advantage and eliminated both men from behind. In addition,Tatanka andRob Van Dam returned to WWE television in this Royal Rumble match with Tatanka drawing No. 15 while Van Dam drawing No. 20. Van Dam took down all superstars in the ring (except Mysterio). He went to eliminateRoad Warrior Animal,Goldust, and laterCarlito.Shawn Michaels entered No. 25 into the match and started attacking his enemies. He went on to eliminateTrevor Murdoch,Johnny Nitro, andShelton Benjamin.
As Michaels eliminated Benjamin from the match,Mr. McMahon's music played which distracted Michaels. McMahon made his way to the ring whileShane McMahon (not an official entrant) eliminated Michaels from behind. Michaels returned to the ring and tried to attack Shane until Triple H beat him and Michaels delivered Sweet Chin Music to Triple H. As a result, Triple H, Mysterio, Carlito, Van Dam andRandy Orton remained the final five participants. Carlito worked on Van Dam but Van Dam countered and threw him out of the ring with the final four participants remaining. Mysterio and Van Dam formed an alliance against two formerEvolution partners Triple H and Orton. Van Dam tried to perform afive-star frog splash on Orton, but Triple H attacked Van Dam and then threw Mysterio into Van Dam which sent Van Dam crashing to the floor.
Triple H, Mysterio and Orton were the final three participants. Triple H and Orton teamed to eliminate Mysterio but failed to do so, instead, Mysterio performed a619 on both men, and then eliminated Triple H from the match. As retaliation, Triple H assaulted Mysterio and threw him into the steel steps, before rolling him back into the ring for Orton to eliminate. Orton tried to eliminate Mysterio, but Mysterio countered and was able to eliminate Orton to win the 2006 Royal Rumble match. Mysterio paid tribute to Guerrero by winning the match saying that he had won the match for Guerrero.[22][4] Mysterio broke the record for lasting the longest in a Royal Rumble match, 1:02:12. The previous record was 1:01:30, set byChris Benoit at the2004 Royal Rumble. Finally, Mysterio was the second person to win from the #2 slot, the first beingVince McMahon in the1999 Royal Rumble.
The fifth match was betweenEdge andJohn Cena for theWWE Championship, with Edge defending the title in theirNew Year's Revolution rematch.[12] Cena entered the ring on a large steel catwalk-like scaffold that had been lowered from the ceiling. Before Cena's entrance, fireworks started throughout the arena. Cena had the match in control in the beginning but later on he was forced to retreat to the floor on multiple occasions. Finally, Cena had enough and followed him, but Edge usedLita as a decoy. Edgespeared Cena into the steel ring steps and following a baseball slide which threw Cena into the crowd. Edge remained in control and set Cena on the top rope but was subsequently pushed down. Cena went for atop rope splash but Edge moved away. Cena would make a comeback and try anFU but failed. Cena made a comeback during the conclusion of the match. He went for aFive Knuckle Shuffle but was distracted when Lita jumped on the apron to draw Cena's attention. Edge recovered as Cena and Lita argued, but when Edge charged, Cena sidestepped and Edge ran into Lita. Cena took advantage of the situation and quickly executed an FU on Edge and then put him into anSTFU. Edge couldn't escape, so he submitted, making Cena the new WWE Champion.[23][4][24]
Themain event was betweenKurt Angle andMark Henry for theWorld Heavyweight Championship. Angle defended the title in this match against Henry. The match marked the first time that two former Olympians battled for a world title in history. Angle began the match in trying to put Henry down but instead, Henry dumped him to the floor, where Angle was beaten by former managerDaivari. Henry controlled Angle using his power but Angle managed to apply theankle lock. After Henry kicked out after anAngle Slam, Angle locked in an ankle lock once more. Daivari distracted thereferee and when Henry broke the hold again, he sent Angle crashing into the referee. At that point, Kurt got a chair. Daivari tried to stop him but Angle hit Daivari with the chair. When Angle tried to use the chair, Henry blocked the attempt andtossed Angle to the mat. As Henry advanced though, Anglelow blowed Henry, which was followed by twochair shots. Angle went for the pin, but Henry kicked out. Angle untied one of the turnbuckle pads on the middle rope. Angle ended up in that corner, but as Henry charged, Angle sidestepped and tripped him into the exposed steel. Anglerolled up Henry to retain the World Heavyweight Championship but as Angle celebrated, there was all darkness andThe Undertaker's music played. The Undertaker made his return to WWE television, in his first appearance sinceArmageddon, entering on a horse-drawn chariot. He intimidated Angle and then the ropes went down and the ring collapsed.[25][4]
Chris Benoit andBooker T continued theirfeud over theWWE United States Championship. Benoit went on to win the title from Booker T atNo Way Out.[26] Rey Mysterio was awarded a match against Kurt Angle for the World Heavyweight Championship which was scheduled to take place at WrestleMania 22, but before that, Mysterio defended his spot against Randy Orton at No Way Out. Orton won the match and Rey's title shot. Mysterio would later be readded to the match, forming a Triple Threat match between Angle, Mysterio and Orton.[27] At No Way Out, Angle successfully defended the World Heavyweight Championship against The Undertaker,[28] but lost the title to Mysterio at WrestleMania.[29][30]
In February, theRoad to WrestleMania tournament was arranged to determine a new number one contender to John Cena's WWE Championship. This was an eight-mantournament onRaw. Triple H, Rob Van Dam, and Big Show faced each other in the final round of the tournament which was atriple threat match. Van Dam performed a Five Star Frog Splash on Big Show, but when he made the pin, Triple H pulled the referee. While the referee was distracted, Big Show was able to kick out. Triple H took advantage and performed aPedigree on Van Dam to win the tournament and become the number one contender to the WWE Championship.[31] AtWrestleMania 22, Cena defeated Triple H to retain the WWE Championship via submission after forcing Triple H to submit to the STFU.[32]
In mid-2006, WWE launched a third brand dubbedECW, which featured wrestlers from the formerExtreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) promotion, as well as newer talent. Additionally, theECW World Heavyweight Championship was reactivated to be the brand's top championship, and third concurrently active world title in WWE.[33]
| No. | Results[4] | Stipulations | Times[34] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1H | Finlay defeatedBrian Kendrick | Singles match | 2:07 | ||||
| 2 | Gregory Helms defeatedKid Kash (c),Funaki,Jamie Noble,Nunzio, andPaul London bypinfall | Cruiserweight Open for theWWE Cruiserweight Championship[18] | 7:40 | ||||
| 3 | Mickie James defeatedAshley bypinfall | Singles match withTrish Stratus as thespecial guest referee[20] | 7:44 | ||||
| 4 | The Boogeyman defeatedJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield (withJillian Hall) bypinfall | Singles match | 1:54 | ||||
| 5 | Rey Mysterio won by last eliminatingRandy Orton | 30-manRoyal Rumble match for a world championship match atWrestleMania 22[22] | 1:02:12 | ||||
| 6 | John Cena defeatedEdge (c) (withLita) bysubmission | Singles match for theWWE Championship[23] | 15:01 | ||||
| 7 | Kurt Angle (c) defeatedMark Henry (withDaivari) bypinfall | Singles match for theWorld Heavyweight Championship[25] | 9:29 | ||||
| |||||||
| Draw[35] | Entrant[35] | Brand | Order of elimination[35] | Eliminated by[35] | Time[35] | Eliminations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Triple H | Raw | 28 | Rey Mysterio | 1:00:16 | 6 |
| 2 | Rey Mysterio | SmackDown! | — | Winner | 1:02:12* | 6 |
| 3 | Simon Dean | SmackDown! | 1 | Rey Mysterio and Triple H | 00:45 | 0 |
| 4 | Psicosis | SmackDown! | 2 | Rey Mysterio | 01:15 | 0 |
| 5 | Ric Flair | Raw | 3 | Triple H | 01:20 | 0 |
| 6 | Big Show | Raw | 7 | 09:02 | 2 | |
| 7 | Jonathan Coachman | Raw | 4 | Big Show | 00:30 | 0 |
| 8 | Bobby Lashley | SmackDown! | 6 | Big Show and Kane | 04:17 | 1 |
| 9 | Kane | Raw | 8 | Triple H | 03:33 | 1 |
| 10 | Sylvan | SmackDown! | 5 | Bobby Lashley | 00:18 | 0 |
| 11 | Carlito | Raw | 26 | Rob Van Dam | 38:29 | 2 |
| 12 | Chris Benoit | SmackDown! | 17 | Randy Orton | 30:31 | 2 |
| 13 | Booker T | SmackDown! | 9 | Chris Benoit | 00:18 | 0 |
| 14 | Joey Mercury | SmackDown! | 22 | Shawn Michaels and Johnny Nitro | 29:14 | 1 |
| 15 | Tatanka | SmackDown! | 12 | Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro | 14:09 | 0 |
| 16 | Johnny Nitro | SmackDown! | 23 | Shawn Michaels | 25:45 | 2 |
| 17 | Trevor Murdoch | Raw | 13 | Shawn Michaels | 13:41 | 0 |
| 18 | Eugene | Raw | 15 | Chris Benoit | 16:25 | 0 |
| 19 | Road Warrior Animal | SmackDown! | 10 | Rob Van Dam | 02:49 | 0 |
| 20 | Rob Van Dam | Raw | 27 | Triple H and Rey Mysterio | 23:52 | 4 |
| 21 | Orlando Jordan | SmackDown! | 21 | Randy Orton | 16:09 | 0 |
| 22 | Chavo Guerrero | Raw | 11 | Triple H | 00:59 | 0 |
| 23 | Matt Hardy | SmackDown! | 14 | Viscera | 07:42 | 0 |
| 24 | Super Crazy | SmackDown! | 16 | Rey Mysterio and Rob Van Dam | 07:40 | 0 |
| 25 | Shawn Michaels | Raw | 25 | Shane McMahon** | 12:55 | 4 |
| 26 | Chris Masters | Raw | 19 | Carlito | 07:01 | 1 |
| 27 | Viscera | Raw | 18 | Carlito & Chris Masters | 05:20 | 1 |
| 28 | Shelton Benjamin | Raw | 24 | Shawn Michaels | 06:51 | 0 |
| 29 | Goldust | Raw | 20 | Rob Van Dam | 03:09 | 0 |
| 30 | Randy Orton | SmackDown! | 29 | Rey Mysterio | 13:04 | 2 |
(*)Rey Mysterio broke the longevity record for lasting 1:02:15, previous record held byChris Benoit (lasting 1:01:35) inRoyal Rumble 2004. This record would stand for 17 years (not countingDaniel Bryan lasting for 1:16:05 since it happened in a 50-man version of the Royal Rumble match at theGreatest Royal Rumble) before it would be broken byGunther (lasting 1:11:40) in2023.
(**)Shane McMahon was not a participant in the match.